Kentucky coach John Calipari was a guest on “The Dan Patrick Show” Thursday morning, and things got incredibly awkward by the end of the interview.
When Patrick asked Calipari if he would have been better suited using fewer players in his rotation in the NCAA Tournament rather than platooning, Calipari immediately got annoyed.
“If anybody wants to question me about results, like I don’t care about results, the last six years have been a pretty good run,” Calipari said. “Now, maybe you think, Basketball Benny, I should have won five national titles and been the next John Wooden — I don’t know.”
Patrick then assured Calipari that he was simply asking a question and said he knew all about being at the bottom of the totem pole as a player.
“You stunk as a player,” Calipari said. “This is different. These guys are good players. All 10 of them will eventually be in the NBA, so why would I choose who not to play. How about I give them all a chance to play?”
At that point, Patrick and Calipari began exchanging fake laughs. They’ll probably say it was “all in good fun,” but it certainly seemed like it was getting serious when Patrick said he had one question left and Calipari asked where he was running off to.
“I’ve got other legends (waiting to come on),” Patrick said. “I’ve got guys who have won national championships.”
“Who got those people on your show in the next hour?” Calipari fired back. “Because it wasn’t you. I don’t know very many people who can stand you that, if you called them, would come on. So you must have some very good people working for you that people like.”
Calipari has had plenty of problems with the media in the past, and a lot of that has to do with his massive ego. He doesn’t like being questioned, even though he sets himself up for it with comments like the ones he made recently about not winning it all last season.
Paul Pabst, one of Patrick’s producers, said the segment was standard for Dan and Calipari.
Somewhere in between. Not scripted…not planned…just a normal riff that they've had numerous times. No tension. https://t.co/I7ue4t4MLX
— Paul Pabst (@PaulPabst) June 4, 2015
That may be so, but there’s no way they weren’t actually annoyed with each other.
H/T The Big Lead
