John Calipari has vowed to make changes. Here's what Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins said
Former Kentucky Wildcats stars Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins discussed the state of Kentucky basketball after its loss to Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
On the latest episode of the "Bully Ball" podcast with Rachel Nichols, Rondo said the Wildcats' loss to the Golden Grizzlies was "unacceptable."
Cousins agreed but was slightly more protective about coach John Calipari.
He said Calipari and the first Kentucky recruiting class in 2009, which included John Wall, Eric Bledsoe and himself, created the standard of "championship or bust."
That team eventually lost to West Virginia in the Elite Eight. It was Kentucky's 50th NCAA Tournament appearance.
Calipari talked about the Kentucky standard on his radio show Monday.
"We have a standard here. I said early on that they don't put Final Four banners up, only national championship banners," Calipari said. "My standard is we're playing to play deep into the NCAA Tournament, compete for national titles and win national titles. I wanted this job, knowing that was the case. I loved this job, knowing that was the case."
Cousins was baffled about why there has been so much criticism of the man who created that championship-or-bust standard.
"No matter what university or no matter what legendary coaches, they all went through a dry spell of losing tournaments and not really meeting the standard of that year. It happens with every program," Cousins said.
Rondo jumped in and asked, "How many (championships) does Cal got?"
"Enough," Cousins said. "Everything that Calipari brings to the program is going to go down if they replace this guy."
Rondo disagreed. He said Kentucky's brand is similar to Duke and North Carolina. Kentucky won championships before Calipari, and it could continue that tradition after he is gone.
At the end of the conversation about Kentucky basketball, the two agreed Calipari should stay, but his staff might need to change.
One change Calipari should consider is bringing Kenny Payne back to Lexington, Cousins said.
Louisville recently fired Payne after two seasons, when he went 12-52.
Reach sports reporter Prince James Story at pstory@gannett.com and follow him on X at @PrinceJStory.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball: Rajon Rondo, DeMarcus Cousins debate Calipari era
