Cal Talking About How He Hates Depth

[Joneslab]

Cal was like a father to a lot of these guys. Even if there were broken promises or things turned out sideways, there's no way most of these players would take a run at him. He did too much for them.

That doesn't really discount the point being made, i.e. that he made promises back in the living room. As I said above I don't think that was usually about stuff like position (DJ Wagner might be an exception here), but rather about his vision for coming to Kentucky for one year and then getting out, while improving their draft stock.

When you run a farm team, that's the point of the thing. So I've just always assumed he went into those living rooms with a very clear vision of how it would go that he laid out to the family...and you can interpret that as a kind of promise.

The important part of it for us is that it began to change the dynamic of what it mean to even follow a college basketball team, to the point where Cal seemed to be pushing us to celebrate the individual success *over* team success. And that's when the foundation began to crumble.

[KYJeff1]

In general I prefer teams with depth. However, I can see that as a coach too much depth could complicate things because you have more personalities to manage which could lead to in-fighting and less cohesion. But, as I said at first, give me more talent and just figure out how to keep them all happy.

Coaching teams with depth, takes more effort and Cal is done working that hard. He sustained it for a long time, but it seemed like he got his status as a boss, he made this place "The University of John Calipari" and it was obvious he got fat and lazy while sitting on that throne.

He doesn't have the energy to coach a 2015 type roster again.

[KCKUKFan]

Just can't play that stall ball crap with that much time left when the opponent has the #1 ranked offense. Just can't do it and Cal obviously didn't learn his lesson, he still does it to this day.

Agree.

I was just stating why Cal thought he could get away with it in 2015. The Notre Dame game should have been the equivalent of the carbon fiber snapping in test dives for the Titan sub... But, naturally, he didn't take the warning.

[KCKUKFan]

Cal was like a father to a lot of these guys. Even if there were broken promises or things turned out sideways, there's no way most of these players would take a run at him. He did too much for them.

That doesn't really discount the point being made, i.e. that he made promises back in the living room. As I said above I don't think that was usually about stuff like position (DJ Wagner might be an exception here), but rather about his vision for coming to Kentucky for one year and then getting out, while improving their draft stock.

When you run a farm team, that's the point of the thing. So I've just always assumed he went into those living rooms with a very clear vision of how it would go that he laid out to the family...and you can interpret that as a kind of promise.

The important part of it for us is that it began to change the dynamic of what it mean to even follow a college basketball team, to the point where Cal seemed to be pushing us to celebrate the individual success *over* team success. And that's when the foundation began to crumble.

We saw video of him a couple of living rooms. And it happened like this almost verbatim.

[BJD]

Who are all these disgruntled players? Cal is a players first coach, he catered to the players and he is a HOF coach, these kids know it would be stupid try to trash a HOF coach, all that does is make sure you never play for a legit program ever again.

But, Wenyen Gabriel and that Fletcher kid that went to Florida State had plenty to say. How many other players left disgruntled? The Dragon had his chances, he can only blame himself.

Just because a kid transfers, doesn't mean he hates Cal. Travis Perry transferred, doesn't mean he hates Pope.

I'm not understanding where you are coming from here. I didn't say anything about anyone hating Cal or Pope. You make the claim that Cal made playing time and position promises without any evidence of the sort. Cal says he's never made any such promises and no one has ever contradicted that. My point was that even the players that left didn't even say that's why they left. OK, if you think there's some big unwritten agreement to keep players from talking to not jeopardize playing elsewhere. But why can't say many years later after they are in the NBA or out of eligibility?

If Cal was ever making promises it would be talked about. But what is talked about is that Cal never promised them anything. To a man, every player that's ever mentioned it says Cal never promised them anything. Not one player in Cal's 30+ year coaching career backs up the claim that Cal makes promises. It's simply an internet hater story.

[KCKUKFan]

I'm not understanding where you are coming from here. I didn't say anything about anyone hating Cal or Pope. You make the claim that Cal made playing time and position promises without any evidence of the sort. Cal says he's never made any such promises and no one has ever contradicted that. My point was that even the players that left didn't even say that's why they left. OK, if you think there's some big unwritten agreement to keep players from talking to not jeopardize playing elsewhere. But why can't say many years later after they are in the NBA or out of eligibility?

If Cal was ever making promises it would be talked about. But what is talked about is that Cal never promised them anything. To a man, every player that's ever mentioned it says Cal never promised them anything. Not one player in Cal's 30+ year coaching career backs up the claim that Cal makes promises. It's simply an internet hater story.

The point that most people are making in here, as far as I can tell, is that the promise was implied when he stepped into the living room. He didn't have to make any explicit promises.

But there WAS a promise, and it was baked into his entire pitch.

[Joneslab]

At a certain point Cal really didn't even have to say much about them coming here for one year, because it was implied. He made it very clear to the media and to the free world what the whole thing was about. Why even go into the house and tell the family something they already know to expect?

So the "promise" became baked in. And that's what we feared way back in the day, because if you bake that promise in then you're going to get a lot of players who have no business thinking of being one-and-dones trying to be one-and-dones. The entire program became wildly narrow in its scope.

[George]

But promises of position or playing time were never made to any player. And there's not one shred of evidence to contradict that.

Except for the product on the floor.

[rick64]

Depth can be crucial when players have nagging injuries.

[Joneslab]

Depth can be crucial when players have nagging injuries.

Also can just wear the other team out.

The Illinois game in the tournament was interesting. I thought we just slowly suffocated them. Depth seemed to be part of that, as they just kept trying to get it done with their starters and Pope kept flogging them with bench players. Then in the final push they just looked ready to quit.

That's what I hope most of our games look like this coming season. We have the bodies to do it...if we can stay healthy.

[KentuckyWild2020]

Now we know why Cal refuses to go back to the NBA. Managing 12-15 players who can play is too much..


Josh Harrellson would have rotted on the bench had the NCAA cleared Kanter.

[SportsFan]

In general I prefer teams with depth. However, I can see that as a coach too much depth could complicate things because you have more personalities to manage which could lead to in-fighting and less cohesion. But, as I said at first, give me more talent and just figure out how to keep them all happy.

I definitely prefer teams with depth...... and lots of it. We saw just last year how the lack of depth affected the team, once Krissa and Robinson were gone for the year, and Butler and Carr missed entire games and parts of others and were hobbled when they played due to injuries

That said, it's a coach's responsibility to properly deal with the depth and prepare everyone for it. Thank God we now have a coach that seems to welcome that responsibility rather than shy away from it and use it as an excuse for whatever might go wrong.

[KCKUKFan]

Now we know why Cal refuses to go back to the NBA. Managing 12-15 players who can play is too much..


Josh Harrellson would have rotted on the bench had the NCAA cleared Kanter.

He's not back in the NBA because nobody will have his bum ass.

[bucsrule8872]

I like this Arkansas team on paper. Pretty solid all the way around. Cal has his 8-9 that are going
to play.

G Acuff
G Wagner
G Knox
F Brazille
F Ewin

6 Thomas
7 Richmond
8 Pringle
9 Dzafic

That is a solid rotation, as long as there are no injuries.

Once injuries set in, Cal will be scrambling and making light of losses due to not having a full roster. He will be saying:

“Remember last year? We will be fine once we get all
of our guys healthy. Trust me, look what we did once we got healthy.”

That’s what I expect to happen.

If they stay healthy, they will be very good next season.

So the question for me is the coaching.

Will Cal choke again, like he has every year since 2012?

[Morgousky]

Cal is a great coach. Cal was great for UK. But two things can be true. It was long past time for Cal to go. Not because of coaching. But because of the player's first stuff instead of program first.

Klutch was good for UK too. But promises of position or playing time were never made to any player. And there's not one shred of evidence to contradict that.

Cal was great for UK an should have continued to be great, but his ego and work ethic because the main driving issue. We've been unlucky that we've had some goat level coaches not stick it out. Never understood the idea that Rupp could coach here near half a century, K can coach Duke the same, but Kentucky today is a 10 year job. I dont really buy it. Cal should have changed slightly and it would have been fine. Pitin shouldn't have left, but he can't sit still. Kentucky has still yet to find our modern goat similar to what UNC has done with Williams. It's beyond time for it to happen, and maybe that guy will be Pope.