Calipari: 'I will return to Kentucky next season'

LeBron James will become a free agent on July 1. Speculation has run rampant that if James remains in Cleveland, or opts to play elsewhere, he would hand-pick Kentucky's John Calipari as his next coach.


Calipari tried to deflect the assumption Friday on his Twitter page, tweeting: "I've said many times that I've got the best job in the country. Still the speculation runs wild and I can't stop that. I want to address this with the Big Blue Nation one last time, I will be coaching at Kentucky next year. Now let's finish what we started!"

The coach's contract with Kentucky pays him between $3.5 million and $4 million when all incentives are included. Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart has said publicly following the Wildcats' 35-3 season that ended in the NCAA tournament's Elite Eight that he might restructure the deal.