Hamidou Diallo to Test Waters (UPDATE: DIALLO TO RETURN TO UK)

[Joneslab]

Fraschilla said yesterday that he thinks he's definitely going...

...but Fraschilla also is the person I saw saying just a couple of weeks ago that he didn't think this draft was anything special. Not sure I buy that.

[DA#23]

I'm going to catch 7 kinds of heck for this if it comes to pass. These people in southeastern Ohio LOVE giving me "down the road".

[Dwight Schrute]

With the addition of Knox I'm not as upset as I would be, but I'm still pissed at Cal for recruiting a guy for next season who WILL NEVER PLAY HERE.

[George]

With the addition of Knox I'm not as upset as I would be, but I'm still pissed at Cal for recruiting a guy for next season who WILL NEVER PLAY HERE.

Yep. Still having a hard time with that one.

[Joneslab]

Why would anyone be pissed at Cal for a decision that a teenager has made--a decision that could net said teenager millions of dollars?

It would be one thing if taking Diallo scared off other shooting guards or something, but that didn't happen.

That's like being upset that Cal took Kanter. Actually I can see a better argument against Kanter because it was more obvious he wasn't going to play at Kentucky. He'd been a professional basketball player.

Both were gambles. One ended up not hurting Kentucky at all. Hope this one doesn't...but the coach has to make a run at the best players available and then let the chips fall. A lot of these players have similar iffy things around them. John Wall could have easily been ruled ineligible instead of being suspended a couple of games. Eric Bledsoe's transcript. Nerlens Noel's family situation. Skal had all kinds of red flags. The universe Kentucky dabbles in now is one that's fraught with risk. We've been lucky for the most part. Might get unlucky with Diallo.

[Dwight Schrute]

Because this guy took up time and resources of the Kentucky program and then (potentially) bolts for the pros having never played in a game. Cal also recruited him with the expectation that he'd be helping next year's team, and he willing chooses not to do so. I'm not going to begrudge a kid for becoming a millionaire, but I'll blame Cal for putting the program in that position. This isn't basketball camp, it's college basketball. Kentucky isn't a program that should be putting itself in that position.

It's different than Kanter - Kanter's not playing wasn't his choice. I can't hold that against Cal.

[Joneslab]

We really don't know what Cal's expectations were without being inside the situation. I would assume he felt like Diallo would be back...but I'd be willing to bet he knew it would be a gamble. He might have been making phonecalls on Diallo's behalf, who knows. Cal works the phones for these players far more than any of us know, in my opinion. Some of those players we desperately need back, but Cal doesn't operate by what we (or he) wants. That's been clear for a long time now.

This program has been hollowed out by a bunch of players over the last nine years, some of them far more important than Hamidou Diallo. That Diallo never played a game is the very reason why he's got NBA interest, and that's something Cal would have been aware of. I would say at the very least he isn't surprised at all that Diallo is testing and you know that came up--which was one of the reasons why the family didn't want him to play.

Hard to blame them. Millions of dollars are at stake.

[J.Jennings]

"In Cal we Trust"

Hell, earlier in this thread i was ready to get a lynch mob together and was very irritated and ticked about this whole Diallo situation. I still think it's a bunch of bs at the end of the day for a kid to come here and wasted money on a kid who will never play for Kentucky. My only question is was this premeditated or did something change along the way?

Here's the problem we have with our kids whether they are ready or not. Besides the Kentucky and Cal hype, kids are kids and are still competitors with one another,"If he can do it, i can too" is the mentality, who wants to be the one who openly admits they are not ready to go to the next level? I am sure that Diallo had some great practices against Fox and Monk and decided why not, they are no better than me....

[J.Jennings]

Diallo is gone... Mock drafts have him 24th to the Jazz, second round to Boston, or number 10 to the Kings. Alot of people compare him to Thon Maker and the impact he had this year with the Bucks. Why not steal a early first rounders next year this year????


He aint coming back, thank God Knox decided to play for us. With Knox, have a feeling Cam Johnson ends up in Arizona simpley becaue Sean Miller and his family have long standing ties to one another....

[George]

Speaking of, after another early tournament exit, how's everyone feeling about Sean Miller these days?

[Dwight Schrute]

He's the new Billy Donovan (until the 06-07 teams, at least).

All that talent and no tournament success to speak of.

[Joneslab]

Diallo is gone... Mock drafts have him 24th to the Jazz, second round to Boston, or number 10 to the Kings. Alot of people compare him to Thon Maker and the impact he had this year with the Bucks.....

Interesting comparison in terms of the mystery surrounding both players, but Maker is 7'1". Can't imagine a 6'6" swingman would generate nearly as much attention unless he's just an otherworldly freak athletically and/or can blow people away in workouts.

[Joneslab]

Speaking of, after another early tournament exit, how's everyone feeling about Sean Miller these days?

He'd be the guy I would choose to succeed Cal when the time comes and, assuming nobody in the NBA would be interested in the job, there would be no close second.

[George]

He'd be the guy I would choose to succeed Cal when the time comes and, assuming nobody in the NBA would be interested in the job, there would be no close second.

The tournament performances don't scare you?

I understand everything else, but the guy has a hard time winning beyond the regular season.

[Joneslab]

The tournament performances don't scare you?

No, because it's a small sample size.

Miller has had three, maybe four very good teams. Was knocked out twice by those tremendous Wisconsin teams.

Weird things happen in the NCAA Tournament, as we've seen with Cal. With coaches who haven't been around a long time, and/or with coaches who spent most of their career at mid-majors like Cal, I don't throw a whole lot of weight into it. It's one game. At some point Miller will break through if he keeps getting to the door.