Early Bird Analysis

I just heard Coach Pitino's interview on the "Early Bird" morning show. The man never fails to intrigue. Here are some initial thoughts...

* Whether consciously or subconsciously, Pitino is beginning to define himself as the opposite of Calipari. Numerous times he mentioned the words, "loyalty", "work ethic", "character", "academics", depicting UofL as a new program of scrapper-scholars. I really do think he's weary of butt-kissing the young superstuds. Of course, the fact that he's apparently not very good at it probably plays a role.

* Elisha Justice will get a major opportunity to contribute. Pitino is infatuated with the kid, his desire, and his natural instinct for the game. With a true creative point guard in Siva, and a heady backup in Elisha Justice, I think we'll see special play from the point next year.

* Pitino's hilarious. The way he refers to unsigned players not by name, a violation, but still gets the point across. At one point, when talking about the 1-and-done rule, Pitino said, "I was against it even before Siva came along." It was perfectly clear he was really talking about Marquis Teauge. And later, when talking about the 2011 class, it was clear that UofL's parting with Michael Chandler was at least partially due to his academics, even without mentioning his name.

* Gorgui Dieng is a true diamond in the rough. Averaging 15 points, 12 rebounds and 7 blocks in a competitive high school league? And he's supposedly improving exponentially. Look for him to play in the NBA one day.

* Those that worry, myself included, about Pitino's fire etc. etc. really don't have much to worry about. He sounds legitimately excited about the team next year. So do most of the fans. Despite the fact that we're losing 4 of our 5 starters, most think we'll see a significant upgrade at nearly every position, as well as make great strides in overall chemistry. Pitino sounded optimistic, ready to begin overachieving once more.