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Pitino Regretted Leaving Kentucky When He Didn't Get Duncan

Sad victim of a failure to understand statistics. The Celtics had around a 40% chance of getting Duncan. Still a 60% chance of not getting him. The problem is that was a very weak draft beyond Duncan.
 
If only the Nuggets had gotten Lebron, maybe we wouldn't have [Redacted] as our coach.

Actually, now that I think about it, if they had wound up with Darko he almost certainly wouldn't be our coach.
 
It's not like Chauncey Billups was a horrible consolation prize.
 
It took Billups quite a while to mature into the player he became.
 
VaDeac said:
It's not like Chauncey Billups was a horrible consolation prize.
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He played 51 games for the Celtics, that's a HORRIBLE consolation prize to Duncan.

Billups looks good in retrospect, but he was universally regarded as a bust until he finally developed in Minnesota.
 
Did not realize, was thinking of his career as a whole. I concede.
 
Billups and McGrady were the only other good players from that draft. Pitino took a huge risk.
 
PhDeac said:
Billups and McGrady were the only other good players from that draft. Pitino took a huge risk.
Click to expand...

Those three were the only ones who managed to ever make the All-Star team, but I'm surprised at how many guys in that draft wound up having 10+ year NBA careers.
 
What a risk/reward he had to evaluate. At the time he left Kentucky, he was right there with K as being in the most powerful position in college basketball among coaches. That is, he was recruiting exactly who he wanted and landing them with rare exception. The only risk the future held was Pitino getting wanderlust, otherwise he was positioned to go on a run few have achieved. So he had to balance the bird in the hand of being king of college basketball, against a 40% of becoming king of pro basketball. He chose poorly. Even if he had landed Duncan, Pitino the GM was awful and would inevitably have screwed things up.
 
Pitino has always been full of it. I remember him making comments like this years ago, but years after the draft. He talked as if it was a shock he didn't get Duncan but he had to know the odds.

Yes, it appeared he had a dynasty in the makings at Kentucky.
 
To be fair, Pitino and the Celtics weren't the only ones who misjudged the odds. It was a forgone conclusion in the media simply because the Celtics had two high picks.
 
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