Fansided

NBA Rumors: John Calipari interested in New Orleans Pelicans coaching job

By Jack Crosby

Apr 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari gestures against the Wisconsin Badgers in the first half of the 2015 NCAA Men
Apr 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari gestures against the Wisconsin Badgers in the first half of the 2015 NCAA Men /
facebooktwitterreddit

There seems to be a possibility that John Calipari could be coaching the New Orleans Pelicans this upcoming season

John Calipari is not completely out of the running for the New Orleans Pelicans coaching vacancy just yet. John Reid of NOLA.com is reporting on Tuesday that Calipari is indeed interested in filling the slot and reuniting with one of his former players that helped him win a national title at Kentucky in 2012.

"Given the opportunity to reunite with star forward Anthony Davis, Kentucky coach John Calipari has made it known to New Orleans Pelicans officials that he’s interested in the team’s vacant head-coaching job, a source close to Calipari said Tuesday."

As stated in the report, Calipari taking the job in New Orleans would put Calipari back together with one of the best players that he has ever had at Kentucky, Anthony Davis, who also just happens to be one of the fastest rising stars in the NBA at the moment. In a few years, some think that Davis could be considered the best in the game overall, so it’s no surprise that his former college coach would be interested in coming along for the ride with him.

The problem that might arise is money. The Pelicans are reportedly ready to spend around $4 or $5 million a year for a new coach, and while that’s a pretty nice number, Calipari currently makes around $8 million annually in Lexington. Not to mention, he was recently offered a one-year extension with the school that takes his contract through 2020. This is an extension that he has yet to sign, however.

Another issue that could come through the pipeline in these potential negotiations is that, according to the report, Calipari would want significant input on putting the roster together. He wants to be in charge of filling the pieces in around Anthony Davis, and given his past failures in the NBA, this might not be something the organization will give in to.

The Pelicans fired Monty Williams earlier this month after five seasons with the team, not long after they were ousted in the first round of the NBA Playoffs by the Golden State Warriors.

More from NBA

Home/NBA