Rick Pitino wants to return to the NBA but he is going to have a hard time finding a new job
- Former Louisville head coach Rick Pitino wants to coach in the NBA again.
- Pitino claims he'd like to help a young team develop, but it's tough to imagine a front office putting so much trust in Pitino's notoriously large personality.
- Pitino also has a controversial background, having been fired in the wake of the FBI probe into college basketball.
Rick Pitino wants to coach in the NBA again, but it's unclear if the NBA would want him.
Speaking with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Pitino said that he hoped to immerse himself in the NBA and become a candidate to join a team in the spring.
"I just want to be a part of an organization," Pitino told ESPN. "I want to develop young players. I want to be part of a team. I miss it terribly."
Pitino was fired as the head coach of Louisville in 2017 amidst the FBI probe into college basketball. While Pitino denied any wrongdoing at the time, it was just the latest in a string of scandals he'd faced while leading the Cardinals, including an NCAA investigation into the use of strippers and prostitutes to help recruit players.
As for what he would bring to the table for an NBA team, Pitino pitched that he's the right man to help a young team develop into a contender.
"I think the league is going to get younger and player development will become even more important to every organization. That's my forte. I believe I can help an organization find a pathway to success."
But between the scandal and the size of his personality, it's tough to imagine a team handing over the reins to Pitino. To owners, general managers, and any other front office members with a modicum of power on a team, Pitino would be seen as a threat - a personality bigger than the franchise and a media story unto himself.
If he had a better track record in the NBA, it's possible that some teams might be willing to make an exception for him. But Pitino posted a coaching record of just 102-146 with the Celtics before resigning from the job in 2000 and hasn't been a part of the league since then. Instead, he took over at Louisville and turned the Cardinals into a perennial Final Four contender.
On ESPN's "Get Up!" Jalen Rose suggested that a team may choose to bring Pitino in as a scout or an advisor to get a feel for how he would gel with the organization, and possibly a coaching job could spring from there. On the other hand, Stephen A. Smith was adamant that Pitino would never be a head coach in the league again.
The season is long, and anything can happen - just six games into the year, the Cavaliers parted ways with head coach Tyronn Lue, so there's already one job available and surely more to come. But while the opportunities might be there, Pitino is going to have some work to do before a team trusts to bring him back into the league.