Former Kentucky Wildcats stars Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins had a heated exchange about John Calipari’s impact on the Kentucky Wildcats and if a replacement should be considered after recent on-court failures.
DeMarcus Cousins: “How do we get to the place where we’re disrespecting the guy who created the standard? He’s brought more positivity to this fanbase than any negativity.”
Rajon Rondo: “He has one chip though.”
DeMarcus Cousins: “No matter what University or legendary coach, they went through a dry spell of losing tournaments and not meeting their standards, it happens with every program.”
Rajon Rondo: “And they get fired.”
DeMarcus Cousins: “That’s not true! We’re talking about elite coaches, Cal is elite.”
Rajon Rondo: “How many chips Cal got?”
DeMarcus Cousins: “Enough.”
Rajon Rondo: “Don’t give me enough. It’s been over a decade. What have you done for me lately?”
DeMarcus Cousins: “Revenue is booming. You’ve been to UK, that motherf***er looks nothing like it used to.”
Rajon Rondo: “Just like you said, it’s the University of Kentucky. Don’t disrespect the University. It’s been one of the greatest colleges of all time way before Cal got there. He didn’t just come there and set the standard of winning basketball games, it’s been that.”
DeMarcus Cousins: “When I got there it wasn’t! It was down. I’m talking about when I got there. It was a championship or bust with Billy Gillespie? What are we talking about? When I got there, the standard wasn’t championship or bust.”
Rajon Rondo: “It still was Kentucky basketball. That’s like saying the Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics, we’re not talking about the Detroit Pistons…”
DeMarcus Cousins: “I don’t understand how we get to the point where our best option is to replace the coach. That doesn’t even make sense. With what? Everything that Calipari brings to the program is going down if they replace this guy. Everything.”
Rajon Rondo: “I disagree with that. It is UK. It is the brand. I never said fire Cal, all I’m saying is that he needs to get the guys to buy in.”
What will Kentucky basketball do next?
Demarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo discussed what direction @KentuckyMBB needs go.
Watch the new episode of Bully Ball with @Rachel__Nichols, @boogiecousins, and @RajonRondo on our YouTube. pic.twitter.com/ObvUT7yWwu
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Calipari has been coach of the Kentucky Wildcats since 2009, winning one national championship in his 15-year tenure. He’s made four Final Fours, but Kentucky is arguably the biggest college basketball program in the USA and the expectation from Calipari is much higher.
The Wildcats shockingly missed even being invited for the tournament in 2020-21, and since then haven’t progressed beyond the second round of March Madness. While more top recruits will be joining the program this summer, including A.J. Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer.
John Calipari Shouldn’t Be Fired By The Kentucky Wildcats
John Calipari might have been slipping on the basketball achievement front in recent seasons, but the biggest hallmarks of his success are still prevalent in Kentucky. While the team has the expectation of contending for a title every season, they fail to do so. But Calipari doesn’t enjoy his position because of his tactics, it’s the overall success of the program.
Both Dybantsa and Boozer joining the team this summer proves that the Wildcats are still arguably the best destination for top recruits. In addition, the amount of star players that the Wildcats have produced in recent seasons is insane.
Players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Devin Booker, De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Maxey, Anthony Davis, Julius Randle, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jamal Murray, Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, and 18 others are former Wildcats in the NBA, the most representatives from a single university. Duke produces the second-most NBA players with 24 active players in the league right now.
While all these players could have been talented enough to succeed in the NBA regardless, almost all of them cite Calipari as the biggest reason they joined and one of the main reasons behind their success. He gets top talent to play for him, which boosts the profile of the University, and makes it millions of dollars as a result.
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