So, this morning's report on the NCAA's Memphis punishment was only part right. Memphis will vacate their 38 wins from the 2007-08 season (those wins will be sent to the Land of the Non-Existent Wins, a purgatorial kingdom where Marcus Camby is King and Chris Webber bides his time for a chance at the throne). But Memphis will also face punishment in the here and now: The NCAA slapped Josh Pastner's program with three years of probation, too, just for good measure.

Here's what stinks about all this: It still doesn't matter. Sure, it's a little unfair that Pastner should have to tiptoe around for something he likely had little to do with in the first place while Calipari, who -- whether or not he was completely ignorant of Derrick Rose's fraudulent test was the guy in charge of the program -- glides away free to Kentucky. But probation isn't much either. So long as Pastner doesn't do anything stupid in three years, Memphis will be all right.

(Oh, and for the record, about Derrick Rose's test. It is officially Rose's test, and he apparently took his test in Detroit, the official home of Worldwide Wes. I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.)

No, this stinks, and the reason why is that after all the nonsense, after the NCAA investigation and the hearing and the rumors and the back-and-forth on Calipari's involvement, the NCAA has failed at its job yet again. It's failed to create any sort of punitive system that would preemptively dissuade cheaters fromcheating.

Luke Winn hit this on the head this afternoon:

When Pitino was allowed to keep his job last week -- despite a morality clause in his contract that seemingly would have allowed Louisville to fire him without a buyout -- it wasn't a great day for the public image of college basketball. A message went out to present and future coaches: If you build up enough capital by winning games, your employer will be willing to overlook even the sleaziest of personal scandals. As the NCAA prepares to erase another Calipari milestone, another message is being sent: You can have not one, but two Final Fours vacated for using ineligible players, and still become the highest-paid coach in the game, at the most storied basketball school in the land. Knowing that, what incentive is left to stay clean?

He's right. If you're a coach, as long as you're careful enough, there's literally no reason not to cheat. If you're a player, and you're good enough to leave for the NBA in a year, there's literally no reason not to cheat. See where we're going with this? This investigation was basically a gigantic waste of time, energy, and authority. I hope the NCAA at least recycles its paper.

Related: Ill-behaved People, C-USA Basketball, NCAA Rules and Regs