NFL Rumors: John Calipari ‘Desperately’ wants to Coach in the NBA

John Calipari "desperately" wants to return to the NBA, according to a Brooklyn Nets front office official who told Steve Popper of The Record.

Calipari has done an impressive job coaching the Kentucky Wildcats. He has led them to three final fours and one national championship. The Wildcats, who are undefeated so far, are heavy favorites to win it all this year as well.

Despite the success he has had on the collegiate level, Coach Cal reportedly wants to be back in the NBA.

"He desperately wants it," the unnamed official told Popper. "He won't say it out loud. The NBA is the only place he's ever failed and it drives him nuts. He's not the same guy he was then. He came to the NBA and he wasn't ready. He's ready now."

Popper wrote, "If it seems like grasping at straws, a big name to save the day, maybe it is. But NBA sources point to ties that are already in place. In the Nets' struggles, the one person who has held the trust of [Mikhail] Prokhorov is the man behind the marketing, the tireless Brett Yormark. While the product on the court has struggled, the branding of the Nets has been a blueprint for other franchises. While Calipari may have left some rifts when he was fired by the Nets, he remained close with Yormark."

Calipari started his NBA coaching career with the Nets in 1996. He led them to a 26-56 season. He was fired at around the beginning of the 1998-99 season with an overall 72-112 NBA coaching record.

If Calipari enters the NBA this time around, however, many can definitely expect a different kind of coach. During his years coaching college basketball, he has grown tremendously. Calipari has been able to turn his recruits into quality players who work well with one another instead of individual stars.

Calipari has not said anything about these reports and is focused on the Sweet 16 round of NCAA tournament.