When taking a look at franchises around the NBA, you would be hard-pressed to find a single one that connected to John Calipari in some capacity. Whether it is one of his former players being on the roster or the coaching staff, nearly every franchise has a tie to the legendary college coach in some fashion.
Last week, Calipari found himself in the news cycle as a headliner. It is being reported that he is going to leave Kentucky and become the next head coach at Arkansas. Arkansas’s previous head coach, Eric Musselman, left for the job at USC.
The Kentucky job is one of the premium ones for a head coach in college athletics. They are a blueblood basketball program that Calipari helped get back on the map during his tenure there. Replacing a legend of that stature certainly won’t be easy, but you can be sure that the school will look to make a splash hire.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: John Calipari, Rajon Rondo, Kentucky Basketball Updates
There have been rumors they may try and pry Dan Hurley away from UConn after back-to-back titles with his team. It is hard to imagine that occurring even if Kentucky makes him an offer he cannot refuse, per reports.
Could a recently retired NBA player be on Kentucky’s radar? In the opinion of former star DeMarcus Cousins, one of his former teammates, Rajon Rondo, would be a perfect fit to be the next head coach at Kentucky.
“I honestly think Rajon would be the perfect guy for this situation,” Cousins said on his Bully Ball show. “Obviously he’s a Kentucky kid. He played, he’s an alumni. But he understands both sides, like probably better than anybody else ever will.” (H/T The Spun)
Rondo played at Kentucky for two seasons under Tubby Smith before Calipari took over as head coach a few years later. Cousins was part of Calipari’s first recruiting class to Kentucky three years after Rondo left the school.
Recently, Rondo announced his retirement from the NBA. He is completing his degree at Kentucky, but it feels like it is only a matter of time until he is back in the basketball world.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: John Calipari, Rajon Rondo, Kentucky Basketball Updates
“He’s great at creating the standard,” Cousins said of Rondo. “He’s great at leading the ship. I don’t think there’s a better leader to lead Kentucky out of this spot than Rajon Rondo.”
Several of his former teammates believe he has what it takes to succeed as a coach. His teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, both spoke highly of his acumen to move to the top spot on the bench.
Davis said he’s “surprised” the former point guard isn’t already an NBA head coach. James echoed that sentiment, recently saying it’s “very weird” Rondo isn’t coaching “at a high level.” That could change very soon, especially if Kentucky is as high on him as his former teammates are.
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