The hapless Brooklyn Nets (redundant, I know) are in the process of another overhaul. They're in need of a coach, and naturally Kentucky's John Calipari, who coached the Nets while they were in New Jersey, is at the front of the list.
From yahoo.com:
As much as anything, that's why Nets CEO Brett Yormark is determined to repackage John Calipari as a franchise savior. The Nets couldn't get star players to sell tickets and TV ratings, so he wants to try a star college coach. Again.
Yormark is pushing Prokhorov to reach back to the Nets' Jersey roots, dust off a failed '90s experiment and sell it as something sparkling and new. Twenty years ago, the Nets stunned everyone with a five-year, $15 million contract for the UMass coach. For Calipari to consider the Nets – and, yes, the Sacramento Kings, too – league sources tell Yahoo Sports that the teams have been informed of his asking price: 10 years, $120 million.
It's not every day you walk into leverage with a Russian billionaire like Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, so Calpari can't be faulted for the asking price.
Calipari, however, took to Twitter on Monday morning to deny the latest rounds of NBA coaching gossip:
You may have heard me say this before: I absolutely have the best coaching job in sports and I plan on being at Kentucky for a long time.
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) January 11, 2016
I am not negotiating with ANYBODY. My total focus is on this team and winning the next game.
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) January 11, 2016
Notice the deft choice of words here: "I plan on being at Kentucky for a long time. I am not negotiating with ANYBODY."
Makes me think of an old Cherokee saying: It's easier to send a Tweet than turn down $120,000,000.
