Should Mark Pope hire Tayshaun Prince to be the GM at Kentucky?

Who should Mark Pope bring in to be his GM if he does decide to hire one?

Former UK player Tayshaun Prince walked out to center court during a timeout in the game against Florida. March 9, 2019Kentucky Vs Florida | Matt Stone/Courier Journal

The hot topic right now surrounding Kentucky basketball is whether or not Mark Pope will hire a GM. While Big Blue Nation is not unified on most things right now, one thing this fan base is unified on is that Coach Pope needs to go get himself a GM.

While fans have been talking extensively about wanting to hire a GM, no one has been tossing out any names. I have a name that makes sense, and that is Tayshaun Prince. The former Kentucky and NBA superstar is currently in the Memphis Grizzlies organization working as their Vice President of Basketball Affairs a job he has been doing since 2019.

It does seem like the ultimate goal for Prince is to be a GM in the NBA, and two years ago, his name was floating around to take that step. He didn’t end up being hired as a GM and has stayed in his role with the Grizzlies.

Mar 14, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Tayshaun Prince (12) reacts against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

College basketball is changing daily, folks. These GMs in college basketball haven’t been around long enough to know if it can be a steppingstone for people to become NBA GMs but being the General Manager of the Kentucky Basketball Program can’t hurt when it comes to the prospects of being a GM in the league.

Butler hired the GM of the Milwaukee Bucks G-League team to be their GM, so it seems like to him this was a decision that would help his career. Many of the GMs that college teams are hiring are coming from the NBA so it isn’t a stretch to say that it would make sense for Prince to be Kentucky’s GM.

The one thing that isn’t known is if Prince’s goal is to be a GM in the NBA, how would doing this job at Kentucky help him reach that goal? If the answer is it would not, then it would be hard to see him taking this job if Mark Pope were to reach out to him. If Prince feels that this could help him become an NBA GM, then perhaps a reunion in Lexington could be in the cards for Prince.

Feb 20, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Tayshaun Prince (12) against the New York Knicks at Target Center. The Knicks defeated the Timberwolves 103-95. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images | Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images

Prince doesn’t have much experience dealing with high school recruits, one would assume, but he does understand the NBA from every side, knowing he was a player and is currently in the front office. When it comes to the portal, Prince would be able to tell players, “I can help get you to the next level with all of the connections I have.”

Knowing Prince’s career goals would be helpful to know if this job would make sense for him, but if Kentucky were to hire him, they would be getting a guy who knows the NBA from all levels and, more importantly than all, loves Kentucky basketball. Whether it is Prince or another person, it is imperative that Coach Pope goes and gets himself a GM to help manage the new crazy world of college basketball.