Bynum Takes His Rehab To The Playboy Mansion

On my way to the airport here in Cincinnati (it's actually across the Ohio River in Kentucky), I heard a report on the radio about Andrew Bynum partying at the Playboy Mansion recently.

The host was going off about how Bynum should be at home resting while his Lakers teammates were getting beaten by the Hawks in Atlanta. I am not defending Bynum's actions, but nor do I think they are reprehensible in any way. Now, I realize perception is oftentimes reality, but I believe this particular situation needs a little perspective.

I have talked to Andrew several times over the last few weeks, and I know there is nothing more important to him than getting back on the court in time to help the Lakers win another championship.

In order to expedite that goal, Bynum has been working out quite feverishly during his rehab sessions. And trust me, his workouts are way more intensive than any Lakers practice or game. So it's not as if he was slacking on his attempt to get healthy. Plus, I'm sure several of his teammates have been enjoying the luxuries afforded to them during that road trip. Partying is partying, whether you are at Club Opera in Atlanta or the Playboy Mansion.

One can argue the merits of anyone going to the Playboy Mansion. I, for one, have no problems with it. It's not nearly as decadent as some people might imagine, and I should know. I've been there a couple of times.

But anyone who is trying to make a big deal out of Bynum hanging out with some playmates (let's not forget, he's 21 years old), is doing it either out of pure jealousy or simply to boost the ratings on their talk show or the hits on their blog.

Plus, come on now, what man would not want the chance to have a Playmate sit on his shoulders? It's Nicole FREAKING Narain. In the immortal words of the Chi-Lites, have you seen her?!?!

Shaun Livingston Getting Another Shot In The NBA

So glad to see that former Clippers first round draft pick, Shaun Livingston is getting another shot in the league.

I'm sure you remember Shaun's horrific knee injury a couple of seasons ago. An injury that may have been the worst sports injury seen on live television this side of Joe Theisman.

The real tragedy, however, was that it happened to one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. Shaun was destined for greatness both on and off the court.

Here's hoping he gets a chance at both.

(Editor's note: I am also really glad he finally cut those damn corn rows. After Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson cut theirs, the trend seems to be dying. Now the question is: Who will be the last NBA player with corn rows/dreads? I've got my money on either Mikki Moore or Udonis Haslem. You can have the field.)

NEW YORK, March 31, 2009 – The Oklahoma City Thunder signed guard Shaun Livingston of the Tulsa 66ers today making him the 19th GATORADE Call-Up of the 2008-09 NBA Development League season. He becomes the 76th NBA player to have NBA D-League experience.

Livingston, a 6-7 guard, has played in 11 games, 10 starts, since being acquired by the 66ers on March 7, 2009. He is averaging 9.5 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 28.4 minutes and has scored in double figures five times, including a season-high 22 points in a 112-110 win at Rio Grande Valley on March 27, 2009.

Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round (4th overall) of the 2004 NBA Draft, Livingston has played in 149 career NBA games for the Clippers and the Miami Heat, averaging 7.4 points, 4.7 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 26.3 minutes.

Livingston is expected to join the Thunder today in San Antonio and be available when the team takes on the Spurs tonight.

John Calipari, Your New Job Is Waiting

I know, I know, I know. I said I would try to stay out of this UK coaching situation madness, but I can't help it. I'm too tied to too many of the people involved to completely leave it alone. Plus, so many of my friends keep bugging me for information that I figured it would just be easier writing it here instead of responding to each and every phone call, text message and e-mail.

So here's what I know as of right now. John Calipari woke up this morning convinced that he was going to take the job at UK. After his intermediaries discussed some specifics (namely potential salary and contract length) with some Kentucky intermediaries, both sides felt they had an agreement in principle. It would then be just a matter of fine tuning some language in the contract and Calipari informing University of Memphis officials, as well as his players, of his decision to leave.

And barring something drastic, I do believe Calipari will officially accept UK's offer within the next 24 hours. Memphis AD R.C. Johnson has formally granted Kentucky permission to speak to Calipari, which means now Mitch Barnhart can have actually offer him the job.

However, Memphis is not going down without a fight. Calipari has that town eating out of his hand, and they don't want to lose him. As crazy as UK fans are about the Wildcats, Memphis fans are just as nuts about the Tigers. The only difference is the sheer number of fans who root for UK compared to Memphis.

Calipari met today with Johnson and some of the program's biggest boosters. Their intent was to convince Calipari to stay in Memphis, and they were prepared to renegotiate his contract yet again to help him make up his mind.

Calipari's intention for the meeting was two-fold. First, he wanted to explain his reasoning for accepting the UK job even though the Tigers have been a much more successful program over the last few years. Secondly, he wanted to lobby for his former assistant Tony Barbee (currently the head coach at UTEP) to replace him in Memphis.

Now, as I said earlier, barring something drastic, I do think Calipari will become UK's next head coach by the end of the business on Tuesday. But that something drastic could be a serious counter-offer to what UK is offering, although Memphis will never be able to match Kentucky dollar for dollar.

There is also one other small issue that might play into Calipari's final decision: Recruiting! As many of you probably know, he has commitments from two of the top 10 players in the country, and a third (John Wall) is said to be leaning towards Memphis as well.

The problem Calipari is facing is that he much prefers his recruits to the one's Billy Gillispie had been securing. And if you compare both recruiting classes player for player, you can't blame Calipari for wanting his guys to come to Lexington with him.

If Calipari was able to bring all of his recruits to UK next season, the Wildcats could very well make a run at the Final Four. That's how good Xavier Henry, DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall are considered to be.

One potential hang up regarding Henry though is that his brother is currently on the Memphis roster. He joined the team earlier this season, but did not play due to injuries. It was a common recruiting move. Sign one brother so you can sign the better one. That's why some people believe that Henry may not follow Calipari to Lexington.

So that's where everything stands as I sit here in this Cincinnati hotel typing this post. With the money that's been rumored to be sitting on the table and the opportunity to coach at one of true storied programs in all of sports, I just can't see Calipari not signing the contract at this point. But as we all know, until he does, anything can happen.

Isn't that right, Billy Donovan?

Billy Gillispie: The Aftermath

While listening to Mitch Barnhart and Lee Todd announce the firing of Billy Gillispie Friday, one statement in particular stood out to me.

A reporter asked the UK Athletics Director if he regretted hiring Gillispie in the first place and Barnhart said no. Say what?

You just fired a man less than two years after offering him the job, but yet you don't regret that decision? Then why are you even firing him?

I'm sure Barnhart was trying to be respectful, but come on! Be honest to the UK fans. That's the least they deserve.

Don't Let The Door Hit You

I read in Sunday's Lexington Herald-Leader about the UK assistant coaches only having 3 hours after Gillispie's firing to clean out their offices.

If you think that's bad, check this out. While Gillispie was packing up his things, he tried to use his swipe card to get back into the Craft Center only to find out that it had been turned off. As you might expect, the former UK coach was a bit peeved. So he went to fire off an e-mail to share his displeasure, but that too had been deactivated.

The Right Kind Of Games

I did not make it to Lexington in time to see or hear any of Billy Gillispie's news conference live. But having read several accounts of the event, it seems as though Gillispie stuck to his guns all the way out the door.

He reiterated that coaching and recruiting are far more important than being a celebrity. I agree with that belief. However, when the first two job requirements fall short of expectations, the third becomes even more important.

I do have one contention with something Gillispie said Saturday. He said he thought he and his staff did a great job during their brief tenure at UK, but they simply didn't win "the right kind of games."

The right KIND of games? What the hell is that?

Did he mean games against Gardner-Webb and VMI?

Did he mean SEC regular season games against Ole Miss and Georgia?

Or did he mean NCAA Tournament games?

Oh wait, my bad. You have to make the NCAA Tournament to win those games.

The Joe Craft Center

Saturday afternoon, I got my first glimpse of the Joe Craft Center. With a $30 million price tag, I fully expected it to be quite the spectacle. I was not disappointed.

Kentucky's basketball practice facility is on par with those of most NBA teams. From the weight room and practice court to the locker room and players' lounge, UK's players have absolutely everything at their disposal.

However, with such access comes the lack of excuses. There is no reason, whatsoever, for the UK program to be this average.

Regardless of who the next coach is, the players need to step up to the level of their facilities. The Craft Center is championship caliber, and those who use it should be as well.

This UK Madness Is Seriously Getting On My Nerves

As I sit here at a Huck's gas station in Madisonville (only place I could find public wifi), I'm asking myself, "What are you doing here?"

The only reason I'm sitting here is because I'm working on finding out the latest details on the UK coaching situation. But why?

Sure, I spent the first 27 years of my life in the Bluegrass State. I am a UK graduate, and I covered the team professionally for almost a decade. But not anymore.

I have really enjoyed being just a fan the last several years--something I was not able to be when I worked at WKYT. I actually went to a game last season and CHEERED! I hadn't done that since college.

I was around the program in one of its all-time greatest decades: the 90's. 4 Final Fours. 3 NCAA Championship games. 2 National Titles.

Those were some of the best years of my life. I often miss those days.

But I must admit that there is one aspect of covering UK Basketball I absolutely do not miss: the insanity of it all.

I love the passion UK fans display for the program, but despise the amount of interest they pay to it.

Just as greed leads to corruption when it comes to money, the overzealousness towards UK Basketball leads to deceitful conjecture. In other words, you get too many people saying shit and not knowing what they are talking about. Granted, that's how most message boards thrive, but that's not what I am about.

I don't care that much about knowing it first. I just want to know what's right. The truth is way more important than timing.

What often happens in situations such as these, is that people tend to either stretch the truth or completely make things up in an attempt to make themselves seem more important. There is a certain level of respect, or maybe even celebrity, in being "in-the-know."

I had somewhat forgotten about that dynamic, but now I find myself getting sucked back into it--UK style.

Over the last several days, I have been getting bombarded by people offering up "inside information" about the UK coaching situation. Some of them have been complete strangers, while others are those I would normally trust otherwise. But right now, I'm leery of everybody, even my most trusted sources.

Why is this person telling me this? What is their motive? Do they really know or are they just trying to get me to put some false information out there?

Those questions make up my current internal struggle.

So instead of giving myself a headache, I am going to leave it all alone for a while. Instead of trying to find out what's going to happen before it does, I am going to just wait and see like everyone else.

Plus, I have much more important things to worry about right now, like trimming my mom's hedges at her new house here in Madisonville.

Joe Crawford Signs With Knicks

--LOS ANGELES’ JOE CRAWFORD SIGNS WITH NEW YORK KNICKS--

NEW YORK, March 27, 2009 – The New York Knicks today signed Los Angeles D-Fenders guard Joe Crawford, making him the 18th GATORADE Call-Up of the 2008-09 NBA Development League season. Crawford joins fellow former NBA D-Leaguer Courtney Sims on the Knicks roster.

Crawford, 6-5, has played in 43 games for the D-Fenders this season, averaging 20.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steal. He has scored in double figures in 42 games, scoring 30 or more points on four occasions and netting a D-Fenders season-high 44 points in a 110-100 loss to the Utah Flash on Jan. 9.

Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round (58th overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft, Crawford played with the Lakers during the 2008 preseason before being waived on Oct. 22, 2008, and joining the Lakers’ NBA D-League affiliate D-Fenders.

A four-year contributor at Kentucky, Crawford averaged 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists during his 127-game NCAA career. Crawford is expected to join the Knicks today and be available when the team hosts the New Orleans Hornets at Madison Square Garden tonight.

It's Official: Billy Gillispie Has Been Fired!

After weeks and weeks of speculation, it appears that it is finally official: Billy Gillispie has been fired!

Multiple sources have confirmed to me that Gillispie was relieved of his duties following UK's loss to Notre Dame. In fact, the players were informed right after the game but were told to keep quiet about it until an official announcement was made. That announcement will come Friday.

Here is an excerpt of an e-mail I obtained from an employee at the university:

I have a little UK basketball news that you can share with any of your UK buddies... Billy Gillispie has been fired. He and the other assistant coaches told the team goodbye in the locker room after the game. The players were then told by Mitch Barnhart and Lee Todd (the athletics director and president of the university) how to answer reporters after the game. (Denying any knowledge of the firing, etc) A formal press conference will be scheduled for Friday to make the official announcement to the public. Gillispie left the game last night on a flight and the team traveled back to Lexington on a bus.

As of last night, the only names being mentioned for the replacement are Billy Donovan and Travis Ford. Lee Todd says he will not hire John Calapari under any circumstances. It seems as if President Todd has a little more say than Mitch Barnhart as far as the hiring this time.

I hope to have more on this story as well as potential replacements in the immediate future.

Is It Finally So Long, Billy G At UK?

Now that the season is officially over, everyone can now focus on the future of UK basketball--seemingly a future that will not include Billy Gillispie.

Finding someone official who will say that Gillispie will definitely be back next season is like finding someone to take responsibility for our struggling economy. No one is stepping up to that plate.

And was it just me, or did Billy G seem resigned to his future during and after UK's loss to Notre Dame? He coached the game and spoke to the media as if he knew he would no longer be Kentucky's coach after tonight. He just didn't come out and say so.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying he didn't try or want to win the game. Of course he did. I've never thought the man was a quitter. In the immortal words of Herm Edwards, "you play to win the game," and Gillispie has always seemed to be about winning. It's just that he hasn't done enough of it over the last two years. This season's 14 losses were the second most in school history.

However, I don't think his win-loss record will ultimately be his undoing. To put it simply--as I have said repeatedly since the beginning--Gillispie and Kentucky were not a good fit. Independently, they can be great, but together they are a disaster.

I'm sure most of us can relate in some capacity. I'm divorced. That's not to say that I was a bad husband or my ex was a bad wife. We simply weren't good to together. But that failed marriage is not going to stop me from getting married again, and I will be the first to say that I sincerely hope Gillispie gets another coaching job somewhere else.

John Calipari Rumors

A constant question from the readers lately has been about the thought of John Calipari replacing Billy Gillispie. I have known Coach Cal for almost 10 years now. I was working at a station in Memphis when first took over the Tigers program.

I have not spoken to John or anyone close to him lately, but I do believe that UK is definitely a job he would leave Memphis for. While that statement may seem like a no-brainer, Cal has had other opportunities to leave Memphis over the last several years, but he has a really good thing going down there, and he's not about to give it up for just any good offer that comes along. Plus, I know he was very interested in the Kentucky job after Tubby resigned.

Calipari's track record shows an incredible ability to stack rosters with NBA-level talent, and his motivation tactics are Knute-esqe. Two attributes seemingly missing from the UK program over the last few years.

And in the mold of Rick Pitino, Calipari is the consummate salesman. He could probably sell a crossword puzzle to a blind man.

However, with all that being said, it's fair to point out that Calipari has a little shade in his background. The NCAA found recruiting violations during his tenure at UMass, and there has been wide speculation about his players at Memphis receiving improper gifts--most notably being high-priced luxury cars.

Is he perfect? What coach is really? The main question should be, is he perfect for Kentucky right now?

Dan Issel Rumors

I received an e-mail on Facebook shortly after UK's loss to Notre Dame asking me if I had heard anything about Dan Issel joining the athletic department as the head of basketball operations. Evidently the belief is that Issel would run the basketball program, and Mitch Barnhart would oversee all other sports.

I have no credible information to either confirm or deny this particular speculation.

However, I do think it would be a tremendous idea. As the program's all-time leading scorer, perhaps no one knows the value and tradition of UK Basketball more than Issel. But even beyond that, his basketball acumen is off the charts. He's held both coaching and front office jobs in the NBA. His contacts and respect within the basketball world would immediately make Kentucky a serious player again in big-time college basketball.

So if this idea would somehow be put up to a vote, allow me to cast the first YES ballot.

Larry Scott Replaces Tom Hansen As PAC-10 Commissioner

Here's the official release from the PAC-10 naming Larry Scott as its new commissioner.

Several names had been rumored over the last few weeks as the eventual replacement for outgoing commissioner Tom Hansen--everyone from Condoleeza Rice to Sandy Alderson.

Scott will certainly have his hands full trying to fill the footsteps of the longest-tenured commissioner in big-time college athletics, who saw the PAC-10 win more than 200 NCAA titles during his reign.

--PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE NAMES LARRY SCOTT COMMISSIONER--

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--The Pacific-10 Conference named Larry Scott, Chairman and CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), its new commissioner, effective July 1, 2009. Scott becomes the sixth commissioner of the Pac-10, succeeding Tom Hansen who is set to retire after 26 years in the role.

Since joining the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in 2003, Scott has engineered the turnaround of women's professional tennis, increasing the popularity of the sport across the world. A former tennis All-American at Harvard, Scott is credited as the architect behind the largest-ever sponsorship in women's sports, a six-year, $88-million title sponsorship agreement with Sony Ericsson. He also led the WTA in its development of the largest television agreements in women’s tennis history spanning viewership both in the U.S. and abroad.

“While it is difficult to replace a leader like Tom Hansen who has served the conference for more than 26 years, we are extremely pleased with the tremendous response we received to the national search,” said John Hennessy, president of Stanford University and head of the executive committee. “We considered a very impressive group of candidates, and Larry Scott was clearly the most qualified and innovative leader for the Pac-10.”

The Pac-10 dates back to 1915 when four schools - the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, and Oregon State College – formed the conference. Now with 10 member institutions, the Pac-10 ranks first in NCAA Championships with 159 over the past 18 years and has finished with more NCAA titles than any other conference in 42 of the last 48 years, earning titles in more than 26 different men’s and women’s sports.

“I’m excited to pursue this very unique opportunity to be involved in a broad range of men’s and women’s sports at the college level and balancing the priorities of student-athletes with the commercial needs of the conference,” said Scott, who will move from Florida to Northern California. “It’s an exciting opportunity for me to apply my broad range of leadership skills in sports management, marketing, effective positioning of an organization to international and national audiences, and being an advocate on behalf of our sports.”

Since the NCAA began conducting women's championships 27 years ago, Pac-10 schools have claimed at least four national titles in a single season on 19 separate occasions. Overall, the Pac-10 has captured 113 NCAA women's crowns, 30 more than any other conference. That said, Scott’s experience in women’s athletics will be especially relevant. Scott is credited with being a vocal and effective advocate for women’s athletes, helping WTA members earn equal pay in major tennis tournaments around the world for the first time in 100 years.

“Our search committee was most impressed with Larry’s broad range of leadership experiences in both men’s and women’s sports, as well as his extensive success in representing the commercial interest of men’s and women’s tennis,” said Bob Bowlsby, athletic director of Stanford and head of the search committee. “He was the architect of a highly-effective turnaround of women’s tennis over the last six years and created a compelling vision that has served the sport and its athletes extremely well. We are also very pleased to bring on such a great advocate for both men’s and women’s sports.”

Under Scott’s leadership, the WTA secured television partnerships with the major US networks and renewed its international television partnership with Eurosport, which broadcasts women's tennis to 54 countries and more than 104 million homes. Scott's career in tennis began as a professional tennis player on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) circuit, where he played for three years and won one tournament. Scott then spent a decade in leadership and senior management positions within the ATP, serving in the posts of Chief Operating Officer, President of ATP Properties and Executive Vice President of the International Group.

How Did UK Basketball Come To This?

My former boss at WKYT-TV, Dick Gabriel, writes a very insightful column on WKYT's website. It basically traces the history of all the major decisions made by Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart. I am certain Dick holds a good relationship with Barnhart and that much of the information in the article came firsthand.

However, there are some things I agree with and others I do not.

Let's start with what no one wants to acknowledge: the underlying racism of some UK fans.

Dick writes, "..don’t kid yourself, it was there. From the season ticket cancellations the day (Tubby) Smith was hired to the cowardly, anonymous phone calls to the talk shows – a faction of UK "fans" made themselves clear."

On that point, Dick could not be more right. I remember the day Tubby was hired. Shortly after returning from the news conference at UK's Patterson Office Tower, I was back in the WKYT sports office working on scripts and tapes for the next newscast. As you might imagine, the phones were ringing off the hook from people wanting the very latest on the hiring.

One phone call in particular still remains vivid in my mind 12 years later.

{Phone Rings}

Me: "27 Sportsfirst, this is Michael."

Caller: "Did UK hire a new coach today?"

Me: "Yes, sir. Tubby Smith is the new coach."

Caller: "You mean they're gonna let a nigger coach Kentucky?"

{I abruptly end the call}

So for all those fans who like to downplay the racism or its effect on Tubby's departure, give it up. The evidence is too real and too prevalent.

And I strongly believe it was that racism that would not allow some people to give Tubby the credit he deserved.

Dick wrote that it was hard to argue with the results of "five SEC championships, five SEC tournament titles, a single season that saw his team race undefeated through both the league and tournament (only to be done in by Dwyane Wade) and three trips to the Elite Eight," yet some UK fans went out of their way to do so.

By definition, racism means a lack of fairness or equal treatment due to some one's race or ethnic background.

Does anyone really think a white coach at UK would have received the same amount of criticism with such a successful record? Take your time on your answer. I'll wait.

There is one area of Barnhart's track record where Dick and I differ. It seems as though his account of Kentucky's pursuit of Billy Donovan comes from Barnhart's side, while mine comes from Donovan's camp.

It is important for everyone to understand that in situations where a coach is being courted by another school, the vast majority of the negotiations are not done between the AD and the coach, but rather intermediaries. So it should be no surprise to hear that Barnhart and Donovan may have only had one face-to-face meeting regarding the UK coaching vacancy.

However, that doesn't mean there wasn't more Barnhart could have done to bring Donovan to Lexington if he was truly UK's number one choice.

Had Donovan always considered what it would be like to coach in the NBA? Yes.

Did Rick Pitino advise him to seriously consider the idea? Yes.

Despite knowing Donovan's interest in the Orlando Magic and the organization's interest in him, should Barnhart have just given up and not come back with another offer to Donovan? Absolutely not!

If Donovan was the choice, then Barnhart should have done whatever it took--within reason--to get Donovan to accept the job. You don't just give up on your top candidate because another team can offer him more money. You sell the university, the program and the lifestyle that comes with it.

While most college jobs can't compare to the NBA, Kentucky sure as hell can!

And Barnhart should always remember that when hiring a basketball coach at UK, especially if he has to do it again this year.