Bad timing much?
Before Kentucky ceded national championship bragging rights to UConn Monday night, untimely rumors started swirling. It began when former Kentucky star Rex Chapman tweeted that “win or lose” against UConn, John Calipari was already planning on coaching the Los Angeles Lakers next season:
Was messin' 'round on Sat nite re: Cal. But word is – win or lose 2nite – it's a #DoneDeal …Cal 2 La-La-Land 2 coach Mamba's Lakers. #NoBS
— Rex Chapman (@rexchapman) April 7, 2014
There’s untimely rumors, and then there’s this. Chapman’s “report” came barely an hour-and-a-half before tip-off, causing quite a stir that lasted until Coach Cal’s postgame interview.
Almost immediately—so, like, nearly two hours later—Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak denied the rumors, according to Chris Dufresne the Los Angeles Times:
Lakers are refuting Calipari to Lakers story put out by Rex Chapman before NCAA tip: GM Mitch Kupchak says "rumor is untrue"
— Chris Dufresne (@DufresneLATimes) April 8, 2014
Team spokesperson John Black reiterated Kupchak’s steadfast refusal too, via USA Today‘s Sam Amick:
Black: "Mike (D'Antoni) is our coach & there have been no conversations that have discussed any specific names about anyone to replace him."
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) April 8, 2014
Finally, per USA Today‘s Gerry Ahern, Calipari himself also denied the rumor, saying:
Lakers have a basketball coach, Kentucky has a basketball coach. I have best job in the country. I’m not going to dignify that.
Take from that what you will.
Mike D’Antoni’s coaching status is up in the air. Many people think he’ll be fired at season’s end. Others, like myself, aren’t so sure. If the Lakers’ plan is to scrounge up some modestly priced free agents and preserve cap space for 2015, a coaching change may be superfluous, if only because bagging another high-profile sideline wanderer ahead of another season like this one wouldn’t make much sense. The drama and speculation would still be there. Best to make the change—if they’re even going to make it—when a stable roster and purported title contender is in place.
But while the swift denials on Los Angeles’ behalf are admirable, they don’t necessarily mean anything. What are the Lakers supposed to say if they’ve had conversations with Coach Cal?
“Chapman’s right,” Kupchak could explain. “Our current coach, Magic Mike, is soooooo screwed. Like, L-O-L, am I right? Anyway, yeah. Sorry, Kentucky bros. We’re totally trying to steal your coach.”
Yeah, that’s not going to happen, though it would be fiercely awesome if it did.
Because I love playing devil’s advocate, however, we must pose the following: Should the Lakers even want Coach Cal?
What he’s done at Kentucky, with the kind of roster turnover they’ve had, has been phenomenal. But his first stint as a head coach at the NBA level didn’t go so well. He posted a 72-112 record through 184 games with the then-New Jersey Nets, lasting only a shade over two seasons.
No matter what free-agency acquisitions the Lakers make this summer or next, they’ll be expected—mostly by Kobe Bryant—to function as a playoff, maybe even title-contending, team. Is a college coach 15 years removed from a tainted NBA tenure the way to go?
None of this may matter. It could all be moot. Maybe the Lakers don’t even have interest in Cal. Maybe he’s keeping his slicked back hair by Kentucky’s side.
Or, less likely, but still possible, maybe Chapman just broke one of the most untimely coaching stories ever.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
