Calipari discusses Kenny Payne, David Padgett and Louisville

There are reports floating around the interwebs and inner circles in Louisville suggesting UK assistant Kenny Payne would be a great head coaching hire for the University of Louisville next season. Whether you agree or disagree, the talk is out there, and it's being pushed by several beloved players from Louisville's past. Well, John Calipari was asked about the Payne-to-Louisville talk during his pre-Tennessee press conference on Friday, to which he responded, “When you’re looking for a job, or you’re chasing jobs, you’re not getting them. You gotta have people that want you. And in Kenny’s case, there are people that will want him, and now it’s just what is a good job for him. “The greatest thing for Kenny is this university has made it so that he doesn’t have to leave unless it’s a really good job. He’s done a great thing for us here and for me personally aside from coaching. In this profession, you gotta be like brothers, like, ‘I got you, you got me’ -- because it’s just too hard. “And then what he does to challenge these kids -- look, they can’t hear my voice. I mean, I don’t go to many of the film sessions. I let the staff do that. I’m not at the pregame meals. They can’t hear me. And then I can’t always be the tough guy. You gotta have people that are willing to be hard on them, yet let them know that you care about them. So whatever happens for him, he’s going to be in good shape." Calipari also said to pump the brakes on naming candidates at Louisville because they shouldn't be giving up on David Padgett yet. “I’m kind of disappointed because I think David's doing a great job, and it’s not fair to have all this stuff," he said. "Let him coach his team. David may be the guy for the job. Let the season play out. Calipari said. “Why would you throw any -- and who would be out there throwing landmines in front of this guy? I don’t know, but it’s certainly not us and me and our staff. Let him do his job."