Calipari to da Bulls?

It has been rumored that Coach Cal is on a long list of candidates to replace Vinny Del Negro as the coach of the Chicago Bulls.  These are strictly rumors, but there is a lot of speculation surrounding these rumors.  Of course, Chicago has Derrick Rose, former PG under Cal at Memphis.  Also, with LeBron becoming a free agent after the season and his close relation to Cal, it is not out of the question that LeBron may consider Chicago if Cal is brought in as the head coach.  Finally, Chicago, although not so recently, is one of the premier franchises of the modern era (thanks in large part to MJ).  A Cal coached Bulls team with Rose and LeBron could bring another championship to Chicago.  Coach Cal has told numerous reporters that he is not interested in this job though.

Of course all of this is speculation; however, following this report, University of Kentucky officials immediately began working with Cal on a new contract after ONE season.  He is already the highest paid coach in college basketball with an 8-year deal.  I know he turned the UK program around in 1 season, but I think UK should be weary about a new deal so quickly.  Everyone knows Cal's track record of having wins vacated.  I am not saying the guy is guilty; I am just saying that both of the Final Fours he as been to have been vacated by the NCAA.  Few people remember that he was an assistant under Larry Brown at Kansas during a time which landed Kansas on probation too.  None of this has stuck to Cal, but a program with the history of UK needs to be careful before rewarding Cal after just one season.  In addition, in recruiting the "one and dones," he has to bring in more players, on average, than most other coaches, which just increases the likelihood of another Derrick Rose situation.

Cal may be using the Bulls offer as leverage for a new contract, and UK officials don't seem to care.  Two days after UK President Lee T. Todd Jr. was "disappointed" by the 2.025 team GPA in the fall semester, athletic director Mitch Barnhart didn't seem to worry about the plummeting grades when he said the following: "I'm extremely proud of what Coach Calipari has done in just one year as the leader of our men's basketball program.  Cal has brought Kentucky men's basketball back to its rightful place of national prominence and I'm excited about our future."  The point is that there are too many question marks surrounding Coach Cal to reward him with a new deal after just one season.