So, the annual rite of passage for Kentucky basketball fans after a successful basketball season appears to be on again. This time, former Kentucky Wildcat and NBA guard, Rex Chapman, put it out there and said that it was a “Done Deal” that Coach John Calipari was heading to the Lakers to be their next head coach. Of course, Cal has been in the NBA before…and he did not do that awesome of job! So what’s the answer now that the Wildcats season is over after losing to UCONN? Will John Calipari be the next Los Angeles Lakers coach? Can he help turn it around in L.A.?

Should we Believe Cal?

For a while, whenever a major college basketball coach was going to leave for the NBA, it seemed as though it was a pre-requisite for the hire to be preceded by a number of denials. Is this the case for the Lakers and Coach Cal? Each side responded to Rex Chapman’s Tweets today denying the rumors. Calipari even went as far to state:

“Lakers have a basketball coach, Kentucky has a basketball coach. I have best job in the country. I’m not going to dignify that.”

This was on top of comments attributed to the Laker’s GM, Mitch Kupchak,

“Lakers spokesman John Black on Rex Chapman’s Calipari report: “I spoke to (GM) mitch (Kupchak) and he said there is no truth to it…”

What was Calipari’s Previous Record in the NBA?

In the later portion of the 1990s, Coach Cal was head coach of the New Jersey Nets. During this timeframe, the franchise significantly underperformed…coming in at a 72-112 record before Coach Cal was let go and came back to the college ranks. The Nets let him go after a 3-17 start to the strike shortened 1998-1999 NBA season after making the playoffs the year before.

What is Calipari’s Connection to Kobe Bryant?

So, now for the wildcard in the current Coach Cal rumors. During the 1996 NBA Draft, Cal was able to grow close to current NBA star Kobe Bryant. Until draft night, most pundits believed that Kobe was going to end up on the Nets until things changed….Fast forward 18 years, and Kobe has been one of the biggest Kentucky Wildcat supporters during 2014 March Madness…that did not GO to the school! Coincidence? Or does the Black Mamba know something that we don’t???? We will all have to just sit back and see what happens!