Rajon Rondo’s Scathing Criticism of Coach Calipari Met With Staunch Defence From NBA Veteran Alumni

Change is the only constant, something the Kentucky Wildcats may be pondering as of now. The Oakland Golden Grizzlies ousted the Wildcats from March Madness with a 76-80 win. And things no longer look good for Wildcats’ coach John Calipari. Notably, there are rumors of Kentucky’s Athletic Director considering a $33 million buyout to end Calipari’s contract. DeMarcus Cousins is among the ones who believes John set a certain level for the Wildcats. However, Rajon Rondo is in disagreement with this opinion.

Notably, both Rondo and Cousins are Kentucky alumni. The only difference being that Rondo played for the Wildcats before John’s arrival as the coach while Cousins played under Calipari.

DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo’s opinion of Calipari’s contribution to Kentucky Wildcats

Appearing on a podcast episode of ‘All The Smoke’, Cousins and Rondo discussed rumors surrounding Calipari’s replacement. “How do we get to this place of we now disrespecting the guy that created a standard?” DeMarcus Cousins questioned. However, Rajon Rondo disagreed with the statement as it hinted Cal made Kentucky what it is. “He has one chip, though,” he replied.

Boogie spotlighted that every coach once in their career has gone through a dry spell and it happens with every program. “And they get fired,” the former point guard responded. Still, Cousins believed that Cal is an elite coach with enough achievements to justify his tenure. But Rajon Rondo does not seem to care for just enough. “It’s been over a decade. It’s about, what have you done for me lately?” he stated.

Rondo again countered Cousins’ initial point of John Calipari setting a standard at Kentucky. The 38-year-old emphasized that the University of Kentucky was great even before Cal got there. “He didn’t just come there and set the standard that it’s winning basketball now. It been that,” Rondo stated.

However, the point DeMarcus was trying to make was that the standard was restored with John Calipari’s arrival. So he does not understand how the time has arrived where the next best option is to replace Cal. Even Rajon Rondo agreed that he does not believe replacement to be a solution or an option. 

Read More: Rajon Rondo Eager to Prove Clippers Wrong Following Return to Los Angeles Lakers

How have others reacted to Kentucky Wildcats’ exit from the NCAA tournament?

Notably, this was the third time in a row that Wildcats took an early exit from March Madness. Also, the team has not won any NCAA championships since 2012. Probably it was this long run of a dry spell that made Coach Calipari himself come forward in his players’ defense.

“I’m the adult in the room. I’m the leader of all this. My job is to lead them,” coach stated, in a way taking the blame on himself. However, the Wildcats’ reserve Reed Sheppard does not want any of the blame to hit their coach. “None of that is on Coach. Coach isn’t out there playing the game. He’s not out there shooting the shots, he’s not guarding, he’s not out there doing anything,” Reed explained.

Nonetheless, there have been reports of a meeting between John Calipari and the Kentucky athletic director, Mitch Barnhart. As per the report by CBS Analyst, Matt Norlander, “Intent of the meeting will be to focus on significant program improvements, not necessarily separation.”

What do you think will be the likely outcome of the meeting? Do you think it’s time for the Kentucky Wildcats to look for a new coach?

Read More: Devin Booker Refuses To Speak on Kentucky’s March Madness Loss Amid John Calipari’s Exit Rumors