Grade the take: Do Kentucky fans have 'no rational reason' to boo John Calipari in return to Rupp?

John Calipari is set to return to his old Kentucky home on Saturday night, leading Arkansas into Rupp Arena to take on the Wildcats less than 12 months after he beat the mob out of town by taking the job in Fayetteville. Unsurprisingly, considering the circumstances of Calipari's exit — both his on-court struggles and his off-court tendency to stick his foot in his mouth and dig his heels in when faced with criticism — and his landing with a conference rival, it's a guarantee that he'll be welcomed back to a chorus of boos. (Heck, the boos began before he even stepped foot on Kentucky soil.)

At least one writer, however, thinks Coach Cal is getting a raw deal. Writing in the Lexington Herald-Leader, Mark Story argues that there's 'no rational reason' for Kentucky fans to boo their former coach. According to Story, the circumstances behind Calipari's return are far different than, say, Rick Pitino, who drew comparisons to Benedict Arnold when he returned to Rupp as the head coach at Louisville back in 2001. While Pitino jilted the Wildcats for the NBA and then came back coaching their most hated rival, Calipari rebuilt the program in the wake of the Billy Gillespie disaster, then took a job elsewhere rather than force Kentucky to pay his massive buyout.

All of which is true, technically speaking. But it elides a whole bunch of context from the past few years, and while we respect the effort, it feels more like contrarianism than a serious attempt to build a bridge between Calipari and his former fan base.

Kentucky fans have no reason to take it easy on John Calipari in return to Rupp Arena

In defense of Calipari, Story offers three primary arguments: 1) that he "did ... take Kentucky to four Final Fours over five seasons from 2011 through 2015, a run that included the 2012 NCAA championship", 2) that he "did UK a solid" by taking the Arkansas job rather than forcing the Wildcats to fire him and 3) that Calipari "raised millions of dollars for Kentuckians in need, be it tornado victims in Western Kentucky or flood victims in Eastern Kentucky."

The last of which is no doubt noble, but also misses the point: No one is hounding Calipari for his charitable endeavors. As for the other two, well, Kentucky fans can tell you what they think of them when Cal comes calling on Saturday night.

While Calipari deserves credit for a near-immediate turnaround in Lexington, turning Kentucky from an afterthought into the sport's premier recruiting powerhouse while translating all that talent into deep tournament runs, the reality is that a coach's good will can only last for so long — especially in a place like Lexington, which views Final Fours as a birthright. And the fact remains that, by the end, Calipari had left little doubt that he no longer had solutions to what ailed a program that hadn't made it past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament in six years.

Rather than honestly grapple with that and make changes, Calipari doubled down, surrounding himself with yes men and castigating anyone who dared question him. It wasn't just that Cal lost his touch; it was that he was completely unwilling or unable to recognize it, while still cashing a massive check each year. That he eventually spared Kentucky the pain of having to fork over a buyout worth some $34 million had much more to do with his desire to continue coaching than it did any altruism on his part; even considering that foregone money, he was still overcompensated based on his results over the past few years.

Eventually, cooler heads will likely prevail, and Cal will be welcomed back to Rupp with open arms. But right now, after how he treated those around him for the past few years (and as he returns leading a conference rival), you can't blame Big Blue Nation for letting him know how they feel.

Grade: F