He’s done it before, so don’t be surprised if it happens again; another breaking headline in tomorrow’s newspaper:
‘Louisville’s Rick Pitino jumps ship, heads to the New Jersey Nets & NBA.’
Quite a headline for someone who has already been in this spot before, only the last time Pitino was coming off of a ’97 National Championship game appearance with the Kentucky Wildcats.
Pitino left Kentucky after the ’97 season after the Wildcats bowed out to the other Wildcats team that year in Arizona to try his hand at the NBA, this time with the Boston Celtics.
The wily ol’ ball coach is now reported to have interest in the New Jersey Nets job, once held by in-state rival John Calipari. Pitino and his camp have obviously denied the reports coming from every which way, saying that the Cardinals and their head coach are focused on this season and beyond.
“I have no interest, period. I’m done with coaching professional basketball. I’ve put the professional ranks behind me.”
Reports are saying that Pitino has all of his attention focused on Louisville’s (15-8, 6-4) record this season and has been running wild recruiting for the 2011 and 2012 classes.
A representative from Louisville added his two cents on the story, as Louisville spokesman Kenny Klein stated, “I can tell you that I won’t be surprised if coach Pitino is here for a long time,” referring to Pitino sticking with the Cardinals for several more years.
ESPN’s Chris Broussard—who covers the NBA—believes that a move or even the idea of Pitino moving to the New Jersey Nets is premature.
He brings up an excellent point as the Nets don’t even know who the owner, GM, or head coach will be after this season. Broussard says that if Rod Thorn—current New Jersey GM—sticks around, he and others will want a more traditional candidate to coach the woeful Nets most likely someone who has succeeded in the position before.
Pitino doesn’t fit that bill.
During his four seasons with the Celtics from 1997-2001 Pitino and the C’s never finished 4th or above in the Atlantic division, never making it to the playoffs either.
His once infamous ‘Larry Bird isn’t walking through that door’ quote epitomized Pitino’s tenure with the Celtics: pathetic.
If Pitino does jump ship on the ’09-’10 season with the Louisville Cardinals, it won’t be the first time. The only change will be that his new gig is with the (4-48) New Jersey Nets, a team on the brink of breaking the all-time record for worst season in the NBA held by the ’72-’73 who only won nine games while losing a whopping 73.
We all know how Pitino gets when he has an ‘itch’ like this. Don’t be surprised if something happens with Pitino and Louisville at some point, but don’t hold your breath. It doesn’t look like Pitino will be going anywhere this season.
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