This problem is very complex. We have had guys leave for the NBA simply because they think they would not be getting enough PT at Kentucky the following year. We have had guys leave who could not even start in college (Gabriel, Humphries) or got minimal PT for extended periods (Diallo). I think some guys who project as 3 or 4 year players leave because they think their prospects are better at the next level than at UK. With the in-coming class, do you think Diallo would be getting more PT next year than this year? Probably not, IMO.
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You would hope the players and their families would be smarter than this and would realize the competition even overseas would be more brutal than at Kentucky.
I believe the main problem comes at the front end. Like right when Cal starts recruiting them. They're recruited to be a one-and-done, obviously. That sets up this situation that needs to have a pay-off at the end of the year. If it doesn't then I would say the family goes to Cal with some pretty tough questions, and suddenly Cal doesn't look like so much of a soothsayer anymore because the family was told that player would be NBA-ready at the end of a year.
This is likely where bad decisions come in.
I don't blame Cal for this. As another poster pointed out, it's been good for Kentucky for the most part. But I think the flaw in his system starts being exposed right when he recruits these players. It sets up this revolving door and it's gotten worse as he's gone on at Kentucky (probably because the incoming kids see the success of the pros who came before them) while his recruiting hasn't been able to keep up.Comment
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Anybody know if Cal still has any interest in the Scrubb kid from Trinity? He is around 6'5", athletic and can shoot. I have no idea about his grades, but this kid can play and would be a 3-4 year player.
I certainly don't want to fire JJ up but he mentioned Hood. IMO, he was never UK material. He was on a bad Madisonville team and had huge numbers because he was the only player and shot the ball any time he wanted. Willis was a far better fit for UK than Hood, and we all wanted them to be great because they were Kentucky kids.John 3:3
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Calipari is actually in a no win situation as far as the fan base goes. What we were saying not too many years ago was that UK was 'wasting scholarships' on Kentucky born and raised kids.....mainly due to the fact there haven't been THAT many sure fire kids. This is nothing new. I mentioned the unforgettables in one of my diatribes. They were buried on the bench under Sutton (and if you recall he tried to use Pelphry as a guard as a freshman to really disastrous results).
Calipari now has an albatross around his neck that he doesn't develop players....which is absolutely neither fair nor true since they either leave early NBA ready or have enough voices in their heads to THINK they are.
I believe when Brad leaves, do does John. Depending on how recruiting goes in these few years......well....we may look like Louisville for a time.Comment
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Cat 247 alert- Gabriel declares for the draft without agent...not surprising, and I like his comment (and Cal's statement about his decision) it seems like he's actually putting thought(ulike the others who just seem to wanna bail whether drafted or not) into this and the feedback he receives will be interesting.
Last edited by 85 Fly; 04-18-2018, 01:38 PM.Comment
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It isn't that surprising that Gabriel would throw his name in the draft, but if he leaves I'll be really surprised and bummed out.Comment
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Can't imagine him getting good news from the NBA unless he sees the second round as good news.
Teams do take gambles at the very end of the draft. Many foreign guys you've never heard of are taken in the last 10-15 picks. Would imagine both Washington and Gabriel will be in a clump of about 25 to 30 players who could get drafted in the bottom half of the second round.Comment
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Not mad at Gabriel for testing the waters but i expect him back, he has more work to do and still needs to prove himself in my opinion....Comment
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I would be very surprised if either Gabriel or Washington get any promises of a 2nd round draft.Comment
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It all depends on the situation of the family I suppose, along with dreams.
if you've never seen 20000, I guess 35K for 5 months looks pretty sweet.
And dreams.......well, we all Chase em.Comment
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The problem with this particular dream is that not everybody gets it. We all can chase a dream but the NBA is for elite players, and the money doesn't go to everybody.
Wenyen could probably be a G-League player but even that's in question. Basically what you're talking about with this guy is a college role player. Those players can chase dreams like anybody else, but those players often aren't drafted and almost never make any money unless they move overseas.Comment
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