Being sold on Calipari is natural -- when he's on your side

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- John Calipari left Memphis for Kentucky.

So now Memphis fans hate him.

And Kentucky fans love him.

Which is different from four years ago when Willie Kemp accepted a scholarship from Memphis instead of Kentucky -- leading Memphis fans to type In Cal We Trust on a message board while UK fans labeled Calipari a cheater.

Back then, Memphis fans loved Calipari and Kentucky fans hated Calipari, but all that changed Tuesday when Calipari left Memphis for Kentucky, because now Memphis fans are calling Calipari a liar and Kentucky fans are calling Calipari their savior, and surely you can see why this was so funny to me Wednesday morning as I watched Calipari's introductory news conference at UK.

I mean, really?

Are you people really this gullible?

On both sides, thousands of people -- if not hundreds of thousands or millions -- have had strong opinions about a man most of them have never met, and they've gone from loving him to hating him (or vice versa) in a matter of days. They've all completely changed their opinions, and what's hilarious is that the only person in this equation who hasn't changed is ... John Calipari.

Sure, he changed jobs.

But he hasn't changed one bit.

He's still the same salesman as always.

And I mean that as the ultimate compliment.

John Calipari now can point to stocked rafters to help sell his new program. (AP)

Understand, in a previous life I covered Calipari fulltime at the Memphis Commercial Appeal, spent pretty much every day from November to March with the man in some form. What I learned is that he's a better on-the-court coach than most acknowledge, a more complex individual than many understand and the absolute best salesman I've ever encountered. It's incredible, really. He can sell both individuals and large groups (cities, even) on his ideas, and it doesn't matter when his ideas are silly, which brings me to the NIT parade.

Do you know about the NIT parade?

Calipari's second season in Memphis, just like his first, resulted in a trip to the NIT. It was a massive disappointment considering the Tigers had three players -- Dajuan Wagner, Antonio Burks and Earl Barron -- who went on to play in the NBA. Again, Calipari had three pros -- plus Kelly Wise, Chris Massie, Scooter McFadgon and Anthony Rice -- and all he could manage was an NIT title, and this is the type of thing that would've had a different coach facing serious criticism, but not Calipari, because he flipped things by scheduling an NIT parade.

Seriously, an NIT parade.

On Beale Street.

He called it important and he sold it.

People bought it.

Fans came and cheered like it was the World Series.

And this is Calipari's greatest attribute, his ability to sell.

For nine years, he sold Memphis.

Now, he'll sell Kentucky.

And don't expect the messages to be similar, because when you sell Pepsi you sell Pepsi and when you sell Coke you sell Coke. In other words, Calipari has spent the past nine years telling recruits they didn't need to go to a place like Kentucky because they could accomplish everything they wanted to accomplish at Memphis, but the only reason he said it is because he was at Memphis instead of Kentucky. Truth is, being at Memphis is not like being at Kentucky, and even Calipari knows that, proof being how he left Memphis for Kentucky and in the process proved he never truly believed his own sales pitch.

Which is fine.

Calipari never needed to believe his own sales pitch.

He only needed you to believe his sales pitch.

And you did, Memphis fans.

And now you will, Kentucky fans.

In Cal We Trust, indeed ... as long as he's working and selling for you.