Pitino Undecided About Leaving Knicks for Ky.

Rick Pitino told reporters today that he is not committed to leaving the New York Knicks to take the head coaching job at Kentucky.

“I’m not leaning to take this job,” he said. “You’ve got a lot of problems here, and I’ve got very few problems in New York.”

Kentucky was slapped by the NCAA last Friday with a three-year probation, including two seasons without postseason play and one without live television coverage.

“You have a dilemma here at Kentucky, a big dilemma,” he said in a news conference in Wildcat Lodge. “This program is about as rich in tradition as there is in all college basketball. You’ve been brought to your knees with a tremendous scandal and then sanctions came about.

“But you now have C. M. Newton as your athletic director and you have a president (David P. Roselle) with a tremendous amount of integrity.”

Pitino said he hopes to find a position where he can provide a long-lasting and stable environment for his family.