Literally. Via Andy Katz at ESPN:
Calipari is telling his players they don't have to decide by April 10, the unilateral NCAA deadline. And he's right. The players can wait until the NBA's April 29th deadline, the only date that really matters.
"They don't have to follow that April 10 date,'' Calipari said.
The NBA won't put out a draft list until after the April 29 early-entry date. The only binding agreement is a player cannot return to college if he declares for the draft on April 29, even if he doesn't sign with an agent.
You might remember the NCAA passed new, self-serving rules this year that put pressure on "student-athletes" to make a final decision on the NBA Draft by April 10th, so that coaches will have the chance to replace them in the spring signing period (which starts April 11th). But that rule is unfair and unenforceable--the NCAA can keep declared players from coming back, but they can't prevent players from declaring past their arbitrary deadline--so of course Calipari's blatantly ignoring it. He spotted the loophole in the NCAA's logic, exploited it to his players' benefits, and will probably make this standard practice for superstars all over the country. Isn't that why we love him?
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