CNNSI.com – Calipari took the art of running off players to new heights this spring. Shortly after taking over for Billy Gillispie, Calipari brought in three of the nation’s top unsigned high school seniors: guards John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, and power forward DeMarcus Cousins. Calipari also got some good news when 6-9 junior forward Patrick Patterson decided to withdraw from the NBA draft and return to school.

Problem was, that left Calipari with four more players than he had scholarships to give — and he would have been five over the limit if senior guard Jodie Meeks had not decided to remain in the NBA draft. Calipari had an opportunity to watch the players he inherited go through a half-dozen workouts in Lexington before deciding how he was going to whittle his roster. In late May, the school announced that three scholarship players, who just happened to be end-of-the-bench reserves, would not be returning next season. No decision has been made yet who will be the fourth player to forfeit his scholarship.

“There wasn’t any secret. All the players knew we were over on scholarships and that people were going to have to leave when [Calipari] came in,” said junior forward A.J. Stewart, who is one of the three players leaving the team. “Those workouts were like a tryout. If you wanted to stay on the team, you’d better play well. If he gave me the option to stay, I would have taken it, because I’m confident I could take somebody’s spot. I didn’t want to go anywhere.”

To be sure, Stewart deeply hurt his cause by skipping so many classes as a sophomore that the university suspended him for the first 10 games next season. Then again, players return from such suspensions all the time — if they’re good enough.

I asked Stewart what he thought his situation would be if had scored 20 points per game last season instead of 2.0. He laughed and replied, “I think I’d still be wearing blue. But I can’t really be upset about it. It’s a business. This kind of thing happens all the time.”

Not surprisingly, Calipari takes umbrage at the suggestion that he is running off players at Kentucky. “There are guys here who are just not going to be able to play the way we play, and they’re better suited to go somewhere else,” Calipari said. “I don’t want a kid who thinks he can be a professional not playing in February and looking at me like I’m screwing him. If you know kids are not going to play, you tell them.”

To be fair, sometimes players’ scholarships are withdrawn because of academic reasons or failed drug tests, but because of federal privacy guidelines a school is not allowed to disclose that information. And let’s face it, the reason Gillispie was fired in the first place was because his players weren’t good enough. Calipari also points out that he has never refused to grant a release to a player who requested a transfer. “I would never hold a kid back who wanted to leave,” he said. “If a kid doesn’t choose to play for me, I’m fine with that.”

To read the rest of the article by Seth Davis, click here.

First off, I do not have much respect for Seth Davis.  I do not understand how he got his gig with Sports Illustrated or CBS, and I about fell on the floor when I saw him participate in workouts with Michigan State.

Still, he has some legitimate points in the article.  Above I just copied the quotes that are about UK, but if you read the beginning of his story about FIU and Isiah Thomas, Mr. Davis is completely right.  It is not fair for Zeke to come into town and release player after player from their scholly and then refuse to allow Freddy Asprilla, the reigning Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, to transfer. 

Asprilla was recruited by Miami (FL) out of college and wants to transfer to a bigger school after a successful freshman campaign.  But, Athletic Director Pete Garciz will not let him out of his scholly and he says it has nothing to do with basketball.  It has everything to do with basketball.  If Asprilla was a 5-foot-nothing point guard who didn’t see the floor last year he would been granted his release in a second.

In regards to the Calipari situation.  It is always difficult when a new coach comes to town.  Myles Brand’s assertion that players sign on to play for the university and not the coach is absolute bull.  Calipari is 100-percent correct when he says players sign on to play for a coach.

This is what makes coaching changes so difficult.  The new coach inherits players who signed on to play for the previous coach.  New coach wants to bring in his own guys and upgrade talent as fast as possible.  Returning players who didn’t see much P.T. (playing time) the year before are now kind of left on the fence.  Especially, when the new coach starts bringing in high-caliber talent, just like Calipari did.

Is it fair that a guy like A.J. Stewart is granted his release?  Probably not.  But, it is Calipari’s job to make the University of Kentucky’s basketball program the best it can be.  So he went out and signed guys like Wall, Cousins, and Bledsoe.

It is unfortunate that guys like Stewart and Kevin Galloway are forced to vacate in order to make room.  But, that is the way it is.

To say that the actions of Thomas and Calipari are ruining basketball is a little bit of a stretch.  Do I think A.J. Stewart and Kevin Galloway deserved their fate?  Not at all, and I do feel bad for them. 

But, at least Calipari was up front with them and told them they probably wouldn’t play much and that it would be in their best interest to play elsewhere.

Anytime, there are changes at the top of an organization, there are going to be personnel changes.  When you bring in more qualified people, lesser qualified people are given their walking papers.

It’s the same thing, whether it be General Electric, a fledgeling car company or the University of Kentucky.  Anytime there is a new head-dog at the top of the line, changes are going to made and feelings are going to get hurt.