Turns out, John Calipari’s destruction of the Nets was worse than you thought.
The Kentucky basketball coach spent three years in New Jersey before being fired in 1999 with a 3-17 season record. He returned to college basketball with a tenured NBA record of 72-112 -- a record Dirk Nowitzki would have alleviated.
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Calipari just wasn’t smart enough to realize it.
“I went over [to Germany]. I was the coach and president -- or whatever I was with the Nets -- and I went over to watch him and I said, ‘He’s really good, but I have to see him more,’” Calipari said on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “I wasn’t totally sold.”
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“So, I’ve missed.”
Missed?
No. John Starks missed in Game 6 of the 1994 NBA Finals. LeBron James missed in Game 2 of the 2015 NBA Finals.
You whiffed.
Nowitzki would eventually be drafted by the Mavericks in 1998. One NBA Finals MVP, four All-NBA First Team nominations and 13 All-Star appearances later, the 37-year-old is reaching the end of his illustrious career.
It could be worse, though.
Calipari could’ve whiffed on a future first-round pick that would eventually eliminate him in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
Except he did that too.
“I watched [Kemba Walker] play in high school. I said he’s not big enough for me,” Calipari added. “And I’m not sure how good he is.”
Good enough to finish with 18 points and seven assists in a 56-55 victory.
Even the masters get it wrong sometimes.
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.@UKCoachCalipari reveals his two biggest recruiting/drafting misses. #TheHerd https://t.co/aS85U9LsCl
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) December 2, 2015
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