Cursing Cal apologizes

What kind of bizarro world are we living in? Do you think Calipari ever apologized to Marcus Camby for cussing him out? I just think that we're in a day with too many cameras and too many bloggers with too many opinions that's forcing people to give too many fake apologies.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=6037431

 

I think Cal really made that apology so as not to scare off the future selfish motherfuckers he'll be recruiting.

 

Ding, ding, ding.

Just goes to show how much things have changed and who really runs the show. Legendary coaches (and I use that term very loosely with Calipari) or five-star recruits?

 

Just saying someone is a selfish motherfucker isn't "cussing them out," as has been stated.

If you're in a guy's face, then to me that's cussing him out. But a coach saying something to someone else about a player, and possibly a player out on the floor away from him? Naa, he's just cussing and got caught by the camera mic.

Big deal. Coaches cuss. Move along. No news here.

 

Fair enough, but in this case Calipari called Jones a selfish motherfucker while also in his face. Does that qualify as "cussing him out"?

 

A few things:

1) UK looked totally, utterly confused on the final play, from the junior (Darius Miller) in-bounding the ball, to the freshman (Terrence Jones) receiving the pass, to the other freshmen (Doron Lamb and Brandon Knight) who were supposed to be in place to take the shot. From the minute they showed that confusion, the play was done. I'm guessing that if Calipari goes back and watches the tape, he'll understand why Jones carried out the play the way he did.

2) I don't think Jones is selfish. I think Jones is a player who's always been able to do whatever he wanted -- he was big enough to play inside and quick enough to play the perimeter, and his jump shot is *just* good enough that you have to respect it. But all four of the teams that have beaten Kentucky have one thing in common -- an inside game -- and Jones has played like shit. He's struggling because he's not a banger -- he's more of a finesse player with the ability to muscle up to the basket. When guys push him around, it takes him awhile to respond, and he tends to spend that time roaming around the perimeter.

3) Last night's episode between Jones and Calipari was the culmination of something that's been building. Cal moved Jones to the bench to get something out of him, and he's still been spotty. The biggest difference between this year's team and last year's is that there's no leadership, and I think Cal thinks Jones can be that player that calms them down and makes the big play when they need it. At times, he shows that. At times, he doesn't.

4) Calipari isn't going to quit recruiting blue-chippers. Jones isn't a head-case. He's a kid who's adjusting to the college game the way the majority of freshmen do. He's just the most talented kid on a very young, inexperienced team, and he's trying to manage his expectations, Calipari's expectations, and everyone else's. He was underrated coming into the season, exploded in the first few games, and probably ended up a little overrated as a result. He's not ready for the NBA (neither is Knight, for that matter), and if he slows down and takes everything in stride, he'll be fine.

5) Cal didn't apologize to keep getting blue-chip recruits, mostly because he doesn't have to. The number of kids lining up to play at Kentucky right now is fairly ridiculous. He's brought in two consecutive number one recruiting classes and his 2011 class will be number one by a longshot. That's not going to change because he called a kid a motherfucker.

 

Calipari is a miserable human being when he is anywhere near a basketball arena. Outside the arena... who knows?

 

In Lexington, he's tremendous. I don't know if it's all salesman, all the time or if he's genuine (probably a mix of both), but the guy mixes it up in town, he's great to average fans and big money boosters alike, he does charity work, he's involved in the community...I don't know anyone who's run into him in Lexington that would say something bad about him.

He's the complete opposite of Gillispie, who lived 20 miles out of town and was a drunken recluse who only came to town for practice and his nightly parade through the Lexington bar scene. I don't live there anymore and haven't in a good while now, but I have friends who say they regularly see Calipari at the grocery, at coffee shops or breakfast spots, or walking to church (I believe he goes to the same Catholic church in town almost every morning).

At the very least, the guy understands the ins and outs of being the basketball coach at Kentucky.

 

And his house is just outside downtown. Nice place, too.

 

Getting a jump start on being forgiven for that vacated Final Four appearance?

 

... and making up for two others.

John Calipari swore at a player. Mike Krzyzewski probably has, too. What's the point?

Of all the things for which we can rail on Calipari, we probably need to pick a bigger fight than this one.

 

Actually I think "we" are off the hook this time, UK's own fan base pumped this one up. As I understand, the decision to issue a public apology (thus turning it into a national story) was largely precipitated by crazed reactions on fanboi message boards and elsewhere.

At most schools this would've been a non-story passing largely unnoticed. But down there, where Calipari's every breath is scrutinized by the masses, the discovery that their messiah says dirty words apparently created quite a stir.