TORONTO — The morning after Karl-Anthony Towns was traded from the only NBA team he’d ever known, the center received advice from a coach who was similarly managing the emotions of a high-profile job relocation.
“First of all you’re surprised when you’re an All-Star and you’re traded. And then the second thing is, you’re going to be hurt,” John Calipari, the head coach at Arkansas, said in an interview with The Post. “Why did they do it? Why would they do it? And in the end, that’s why I told him, ‘Please, (the Knicks) are perfect for you. Don’t worry about all the other stuff. Move on.’
“It’s kind of like what I’m doing coaching here (at Arkansas). It’s the first page I’m writing in the first chapter in a new book, a new adventure. Let’s go. No looking back. You’re not bitter. You’re on to the next thing. And that’s where he is. And that’s where I am.”
Calipari had guided Towns for one season at Kentucky, nine years before the coach left the Wildcats program for this maiden campaign with the Razorbacks. They remained close enough for important conversations like after Towns was swapped by the Timberwolves for Julius Randle, coincidentally another former Calipari player.
“(Randle) was also hurt. And he was also confused,” Calipari said. “They both were like, ‘Wait a minute, what happened here?’ But it ended up being terrific for both of them.”
From Minnesota’s perspective, the deal was largely motivated by salary dumping. Ownership wanted to avoid a future in luxury tax hell. Randle is playing well, though not at his All-Star levels from New York, while the Timberwolves (12-11) are underwhelming out of the gate. Towns is thriving but the Knicks (14-9 before Monday against the Raptors) are inconsistent.
Calipari said he wasn’t surprised by the trade — “I knew they were trying to get it done” — and he should have good Knicks sources these days given longstanding relationships with Leon Rose and William Wesley.
In a different world, those connections might’ve resulted in Calipari coaching the Knicks. He was among the rumored candidates when the current front office took over in 2020.
Asked if he gave the job some thought before the Knicks hired Tom Thibodeau, Calipari, who was still with Kentucky at the time, said, “First of all, you’re talking family when you’re talking Leon and Wes.
“And they picked the right coach (in Thibodeau). An absolute grinder. A truth teller that understands players and defenses and schemes and putting players in the right situation. And his history. I just think he’s doing an unbelievable job. I really do. And he’s taken over the New York Knicks and he’s getting it done. That ain’t easy.”
Calipari settled for liaison since, at one point, five of his former players were on New York’s roster. They were the Kentucky Knicks. Now they’re the ‘Nova Knicks.
“It’s just the Wildcats,” Calipari laughed. “Wildcat U.”
Regardless, Calipari, whose NBA attempt with the Nets in the late ’90s was a misadventure, will still coach at MSG on Tuesday at the Jimmy V Classic. His Razorbacks (7-2) face Michigan at 9 p.m., less than 24 hours before the Knicks host the Hawks in the same building for the NBA Cup quarterfinals.
It’s the third team Calipari is bringing to the iconic Jimmy V Classic, following his appearances many years ago with UMass and Memphis. And if he sticks around for the Knicks game, Calipari might see first-hand the way Towns is prospering under Thibodeau after a rocky end to their partnership in Minnesota roughly six years prior.
Calipari isn’t surprised it’s working so well.
“That league is business. It ain’t the emotions of this. And let me say this, you could be in the guy’s wedding, and he’ll trade you,” Calipari said. “It’s business. Karl understood that. And Thibs is probably – when Thibs had him in Minnesota, think about who he was, and how young he was (Towns was only 20 when Thibs took over). Now you’re talking about a veteran All-Star.
“You treat All-Stars slightly different than you would a first- or second-year player. And you probably listen more to things Karl is saying, like, ‘Where do you want the ball?’ I imagine they’re working together. And the way Karl is playing, there’s no question he’s feeling good. Not only about being in New York and the Garden, but also about Thibs. He’s feeling good about it.”
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