Is Calipari Gone?
The Memphis coach that resurrected the basketball program over the last six years is looking to sweeten the pot. NC State means business with a damn-near $2 Million offer. Memphis folks are already talking replacements, because The University can't pony up that kind of green. John took home $1.2 this year, but those in charge know they must do better than that.
"Sweaters like this come at a price!"
My Take:
Nolan Richardson would be a nightmare.
Brady from LSU will get his. He's at a university with much, much deeper pockets than Memphis.
Memphis needs to do what it can to hold on to Calipari.
I think Calipari's personality is the X factor. While he is a relentless self promoter, he is also greatly increasing the stock of the program, school and city even when he's not coaching games.
By guest hosting "Best Damn" and inviting ESPN's cameras into damn-near ever practice, he is satisfying his own need to be in the spotlight, but he is also legitimizing a program that was all but forgotten seven years ago. Don't underestimate what Cal has done. He is quite the public relations guru.
The economic impact of his tenure in Memphis is far greater than the couple hundred thousand he is hoping for.
True, it would be refreshing if Cal would take a more Joe Patero-esque view of compensation, but that is not his personality.
That said, I don't think he should be paid more than $1.5 and that figure should include incentives for making it deep in the tourney.
If that's not enough to keep him around, then so be it.
P.S. - Memphis doesn't need to worry about compensating Tommy West! Until he takes the Tiger Football squad to A BCS Bowl (equivalent status: Top 8 in the nation), and suitors come round offering him $2 mil a year, they need not lose sleep over it.
Update: Officail word on the street is that Cal is passing on the $2 Mill from NC State. Good News for Memphis.
I don't really care for the Tigers. Hell, I don't like them. I've been an Ole Miss fan my whole life and have had to listen to their double standards for years:
ReplyDeleteIn the late 90s when Ole Miss had Deuce for the Heisman and UT had Peyton, the Memphis fans pulled against these great individuals. When DeAngelo was "in the hunt", they begged and pleaded for Ole Miss and UT fans to pull for the home town boy.
That being said, I hope for the Tiger fans that both Tommy West and John Calipari (Calimari) leave for bigger deals. In reality I think West will stay a few years and Cal will go. I kinda like having Cal around though, just because he seems like a nice guy who does a lot in an attempt to better this community.