There have been a lot of rumors about John Calipari leaving the University of Kentucky and possibly going back to coaching in the NBA. Now with Calipari, these rumors seem to pop up just about every year, so no one really knows for sure if he wants another chance at the NBA. However, if he does want to give it another shot, I believe the Sacramento Kings should hire him without a second thought. Yes, I know that coach Michael Malone is in his first year, and I know that Calipari failed in the NBA before. But the Kings organization clearly need a spark, as they are about to finish their eighth straight losing season. Calipari is a big name they could bring in as a coach to help jump start the Kings and give them some national coverage. In addition Calipari was DeMarcus Cousins’ college coach and could help Cousins continue to develop both on and off the court. Now that Cousins is the face of the franchise the Kings need to keep Cousins progressing and Calipari could be that coach. Furthermore, if the Kings somehow are able to nab Julius Randle in the draft it would give the Kings two Kentucky big men for Calipari to continue to teach.
Some of the main rumors about Calipari coming back to the NBA have to do with the New York Knicks. These rumors started before the Knicks had made Phil Jackson the team president. Most believe that Jackson will find a coach that knows his system and that he can work with to help turnaround the Knicks. For this reason Calipari is more than likely out of the running for the Knicks job. Now there will be many other jobs open in the NBA this off-season, but with Cousins as the face of the team and the Kings looking to make a splash it could be a perfect fit for both the Kings and Calipari. Therefore, keep an eye on the Kentucky Wildcats this weekend; if they make an early exit it could set the wheels in motion for Calipari to leave college again.