Rupert Jee's Wednesday Night News and Views

As you probably know, tonight is David Letterman's final show. Matt and Tomlin have already turned in tributes to Dave, so I won't pile on; however, I am a big Letterman fan, so I wanted to at least mention something about the show. Therefore, I'll honor one of my favorite characters, Rupert Jee, owner of the neighboring Hello Deli. Jee first appeared in a segment called "Meet the Neighbors" back in 1993, and Dave liked him so much he kept sending his camera crew next door for more segments. Over the years, Jee hosted several games for Dave in his deli, including "Beat the Block," "Trump or Monkey," "What's in the Soup," And "What's on the iPod," in which Rupert sings along to a song on his iPod and a contestant has to guess which song it is. The games are silly, but like so many of Dave's skits, so simple and off-the-wall that 99% of the time, the results are hilarious. Rupert's awkwardness on camera and willingness to play along made him one of Letterman's favorite foils. The time Dave sent Rupert out undercover and fed him lines via earpiece is a classic: https://youtu.be/Rqlc6r1LlCg Now, before we all flip over to CBS to watch Dave one final time, let's run through the headlines of the day...

John Calipari's contract extension is official

Calipari actually signed it last week, before any of this nonsense with the New Orleans Pelicans popped up. The one-year extension will keep him at UK through 2022, and he'll make $8 million in the additional season. Here are the terms of the contract if you're curious. Click to enlarge, or squint if you're lazy.

Calipari said something that will ruffle some of your feathers

Calipari closed the Alltech Rebelation seminar with his usual "Players First" stump speech, but one line stood out:

“Last year we started the season with a goal. You may think that goal was to win the national title and win all the games and be… It was to get eight players drafted.”

This is not the first time Cal has said something like this; in fact, it was the crux of his first Big Blue Madness speech. But, this side of the players-first approach still doesn't sit well with some people, and to them, I would point to another Calipari quote: "If we drag them, they drag us." Or at least I think that's a Cal quote. I can hear him saying it in my head at least.  Cal also showed off this fancy diagram at the event: [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] @Ron_on_RON[/caption] I bet Cal has that painted on his bedroom wall by now.

Vegas still thinks Karl Towns is the favorite for the #1 pick

Sin City gave Karl 1/2 odds on going first. Jahlil Okafor has the second best odds at 7/4, followed by the field at 5/1. I outlined all of the scenarios Karl will face on Draft Day earlier tonight, and although the Timberwolves' Flip Saunders once said he preferred Okafor to Towns, he is now reportedly "torn" between the two. Something tells me it's going to be a long June. In further draft news...

The Celtics may move up to get Willie Cauley-Stein

With DeMarcus Cousins reportedly staying put in Sacramento, the Boston Celtics continue their search for an elite big man. CSNNE.com is reporting that the Celtics, who have the 16th pick, are interested in moving up to draft Willie Cauley-Stein, which would make for another Wildcat reunion, this time with James Young. Something tells me Willie wouldn't mind getting a leprechaun tattoo one bit.

Your Jamal Murray update is...

...there is no Jamal Murray update. Gotcha! The Canadian shooting guard apparently finished up his visit to Kentucky today and hopefully, we'll know more soon. Today is the end of the signing period, but Murray can still decide to reclassify and sign scholarship papers. The only thing we know for certain is that he and his father are keeping the recruitment close to their chest, so stay tuned.

Kash Daniel will announce his decision on August 13

The four-star linebacker has blown up in recent weeks, and plans to narrow his list down to four next month. Right now, he's got offers from Kentucky, Louisville, South Carolina, along with interest from Ohio State and Florida. When I spoke to Kash a few weeks back, he said he was determined to take all of his official visits before making his decision, but, unless I'm mistaken, players can't take official visits until school starts. I'm taking his decision to move up his commitment as a good sign for the Cats, who are perceived to have the momentum in the recruitment so far. The less the bigger programs can woo him, the better.

John Wall and Anthony Davis were named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team today

I'm a little surprised MKG didn't make the list as well. Nevertheless, it's always good to see more and more Cats getting honors.

Mark Fox says the loss to Kentucky still bothers him

A fan asked the Georgia coach about facing Kentucky year in and year out, which drew this response, according to Marc Weiszer:

"Damn, we should have beat Kentucky. That bothers me."

The Bulldogs had the Cats on the ropes in Athens in early March, up six with five minutes left, but Karl Towns went to work and pushed the Cats to victory. I was there, and seeing Georgia fans believe in the upset and have that upset crumble around them was one of the best memories of the season. It had to have hurt. Man, last season was fun. That'll do it for now. Let's go watch Dave.