I'd love to get into your mind to see how you came to that conclusion... :lol:

 

He jerked UK fans chains and they came running, he's gotta be having fun.

 

As to the so called intent of the thread, everyone knows Cal is safe for a few years. I agree with the estimates of 4-5 years and no FF and he'll be feeling some heat. I personally don't think that's going to happen.

2 replies in 24 hours and neither seemed to be enough to say "This is getting good" in my opinion... But to each his own.

Frankly, if he puts together a team this talented again next year and fails to produce a FF berth at least, the disenchantment will begin in earnest for many. The only reason there's not more of it this year is because it's been a few years since UK has been this close.

 

Three years and no FF berth and he's history, and the national media's chorus of "UK fans are impossible to please" will be in full throat.

 

Frankly I can't see it happening that quickly. There may be a extremely small minority, something less than approximately 1%, but those types would not be happy unless UK won the championship virtually every year. There is way too much parity in college basketball for teams to make the Final 4 every year. Michigan St. has been to something like 6 of the last 12, which is phenomenal if you ask me, but what is the pct. for most of the elite teams such as Kansas, Duke, UNC and UCLA over the past 10 year? I think that UK just has to be in that mix every year to please 95% of the fans.

Frankly I can't see it happening that quickly. There may be a extremely small minority, something less than approximately 1%, but those types would not be happy unless UK won the championship virtually every year. There is way too much parity in college basketball for teams to make the Final 4 every year. Michigan St. has been to something like 6 of the last 12, which is phenomenal if you ask me, but what is the pct. for most of the elite teams such as Kansas, Duke, UNC and UCLA over the past 10 year? I think that UK just has to be in that mix every year to please 95% of the fans.

If that were the case, Tubby would still be the coach

Calipari's situation is very much different from Tubby's, IMO.

 

One guy followed a legend and one of UK's most beloved coaches in Rick Pitino. That's one of the most difficult things to do in sports. The other guy follows Billy Gillispie and comes in to coach UK at their lowest point since the probation in the late '80's.

 

Calipari brings in better talent and plays a more exciting brand of basketball.

 

I think coach Cal's situation at UK would be far more comparable to when Pitino took the job. Both guys took over at a low point when much of the fan base was frustrated and both guys play an exciting style.

 

Based on his last few years in Memphis and first year at UK, Calipari is going to continue to bring in top notch recruits, play an exciting brand of basketball, and consistently put teams on the court with the talent to win a championship. You can't satisfy everybody in any walk of life, but the majority of UK fans are going to be satisfied with Calipari (assuming those things continue). There may be times of frustration when fans voice some opinions (I seem to recall some during Pitino's tenure as well), but ultimately, we've got the guy we want running the program right now.

If that were the case, Tubby would still be the coach

 

How many teams since 1998 has UK had that you believe was a serious threat to win a championship?

If that were the case, Tubby would still be the coach

 

I love Tubby Smith, but people seem to have a misconception that he was fired. UK only made it to the Sweet 16 one time in Tubby's last four years and it was looking bleak for the upcoming season before he left for Minnesota, so I think that he started getting some heat and did not want to change anything with his staff along with not being able to hire his son at UK contributed to his leaving.

Calipari is immune so long as he recruits the likes of Wall and Cousins, UK wins 30+, and UK is ranked/finishes in the top 8 every year. That, in my opinion, creates sufficient 'buzz' and pride in the fan base. Maybe things get touchy without a final four after four years. Tubby was the opposite. He did not recruit as big as Calipari and won 30+ only occasionally, but he would have survived with that final four every 3-4 years to keep his personal reputation and the program's 'prestige' in the national spotlight. It needs to be at least be one or the other to satisfy the UK fans.

I love Tubby Smith, but people seem to have a misconception that he was fired. UK only made it to the Sweet 16 one time in Tubby's last four years and it was looking bleak for the upcoming season before he left for Minnesota, so I think that he started getting some heat and did not want to change anything with his staff along with not being able to hire his son at UK contributed to his leaving.

 

He may not have been fired by the administration, but he was certainly cashiered by the fans.

So in 10 years he recruited 8 good players to go along with the Stockton, Carrier, Carter, Carruth.

 

Surely your not going to try and defend the general direction of the program during the latter days of the Smith error.

 

The first three are KY boys that there is always pressure to take.

 

Carruth, wasn't he a top recruit and/or a McDonald's All American?

Will this debate ever go away?

 

I defended Tubby Smith as much as - If not MORE than - anybody else on this board... But in retrospect, I can see that it was time for a change for everyone involved. That much is really obvious to me now.

Will this debate ever go away?

 

No it won't, and for two reasons:

 

1) The haters refuse to give OTS credit. "He won with Rick's players," they'll say. Yes he did win with Rick's players, but we fail to realize that HE WON. Tubby won us a national championship, and that fact alone should garner praise for the man (not to mention that he was an outstanding representative of the program in so many facets). The Duke game in 98 was a brilliant performance by OTS (and a horrible one for Coach K, I might add). He kept tinkering with the lineup, and finally realized that the smaller five were more effective. The result? We come back from 17 down to beat Duke in a thriller en route to title #7. Personally, I don't think Ricky P wins it in 1998. Tubby was the man for the job when Rick left, and he proved it during his first season. But no matter, some will not give him credit for that.

 

2) The OTS supporters refuse to admit his decline. "We should be ashamed for running him out of town," they say. At one time, Tubby & Izzo were comparable in style of play, types of recruits, emphasis on tough defense, & success on the court. But Izzo elevated his performance, while Tubby simply faded into mediocrity (and the UK program with it). If you really are one of the best coaches in America, you don't leave UK for the Minnesota Golden Gophers...you leave UK for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The program OTS inherited from UK & the one he left were a far cry from one another. But no matter, some will refuse to admit this.