Doug Gottleib rambling on about the state of our program. Doesn’t deserve its own thread.
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Yeah, there are definitely some of these kids.
North Carolina last year is a good example. Jackson and Kennedy Meeks would've likely never made it past their sophomore years. Syracuse's Tyus Battle is another example: really doubt he'd come back to Kentucky for a sophomore season.
The NBA likes Cal as a gatekeeper to their league mostly because so many of his guys have had massive success. And of course Cal is always selling players to the NBA more aggressively than most coaches. So it's kind of a hand-in-glove thing.
BUT with all this said, for the most part in college basketball and not just at Kentucky, if a player is in or around the lottery in this sport, they generally go. You can't look at too many players in this NCAA Tournament who were no-doubters who came back to school.Comment
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Gotta be honest: I didn't think Gottlieb said anything that incendiary (or off-base).
Here's where I disagree:
1. He's wrong about the competition we faced in the 2012 tournament. Sure, it was nice to not have to worry about playing UNC again, but we beat them once and there's no reason to think we couldn't do it again (ask Louisville). And yeah, Fab Melo (RIP) was a gigantic human being, but Syracuse didn't scare me that year. But above all, Gottlieb ignored the murderer's row we did face that year. Was it really a lucky break to get a rematch with a very good Indiana team? Followed by a meeting with Iowa State and Royce White, who one could argue was among the best players in the country that year? Then Louisville, who was a legitimate championship contender? And FINALLY Kansas? No, we didn't have to play UNC or SU, but we still ran through an incredibly difficult draw.
2. That the K-State guys were always told "no," while our guys are always told "yes," and that for our players it's always a "business decision." I've no doubt that many of our players are used to being at the top of the pack and have generally been able to avoid mixing it up in the gritty parts of the game, but you'll never convince me that our guys simply didn't want it as much because of their upbringing.
Other than that, what did Gottlieb say that many of us haven't said ourselves?Comment
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The "If-Kendall-Marshall-hadn't-been-injured" line is one the media loves, because the media loves sparring with Cal.
Cal brings a lot of that on himself. He gets swaggy, and the media responds. I've always thought he secretly loves the back and forth.
Very Trump-like.Comment
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To date, there are a couple UK players who are true standouts in this regard.
It starts with Marquis Teague. It's pretty well documented at this point that he knew it was a major risk to declare, but pride pushed him out the door more than anything else. (I always wonder, too, if a Teague return might've enticed MKG to stick around another year. He wanted to, but like Teague didn't want to be the only one of the bunch to not go pro.)
Then there's Dakari. As evidenced by the way he's been able to grind it out in the G-League and earn some attention from the Thunder, I think Dakari was a guy who, like WCS, would've had a solid body of work - and more importantly, consistent improvement - to present to the NBA after his junior year. One more season at UK probably would've placed Dakari squarely in the first round.
Time will tell if we have a couple more names to add to this list after this summer.Last edited by George; 03-24-2018, 10:35 AM.Comment
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