Skal

[jpay]

The guy will be a top 15 pick in the draft, on potential alone...9
I have begun to cringe when he enters the game.
He desperately needs at least two seasons @ the college's level and will never get it.
The SEC season could really expose his weakness.
I would love to have him as a sophomore...

[Matt Dillon]

It seems unbelievable to think someone who has played as poorly as he has so far would be drafted, but I agree with you that he probably will be.

[Uncle Dave]

He's a lost ball in tall weeds. He needs time not just physically, but mentally as well. He hasn't played much as a youth. His only real experience has been the AAU circuit. He's had very little opportunity to learn fundamentals. I have no idea what's gonna happen with him and the draft, but he needs lots of help and time. He's definitely a project.

[Lighthouse]

He better get drafted, because if he comes back Bam might hurt him.

[justford]

I think it is apparent that staying over at Cal's home didn't get the results we were hoping for.

[JFCats22]

I think if he continues to play like he has he won't be drafted.

A few games is one thing, half a season or a whole season is a completely different scenario.

[Katmendo]

I absolutely disagree. Barring a miraculous transformation, there's no way he'll be drafted this year. None.

People talk about potential, and I've been guilty of it, too. But, there's more WRONG with that kid than right. And, one of the biggest things wrong with him is that he doesn't appear to be mentally ready for the stage (Echoing Dave's sentiment, here). He lacks fight.

I started off thinking he'd be a superstar. He isn't. So, I thought he MIGHT be a superstar, but that he's still a really good player. Just raw.
....and then, I started thinking, well, he's not a good player, but that he might be a really good player down the road. Just raw.

...and now he's on the bench backing up 2 guys that are, at best, second round players, and there's not really even a peep of competitive nature.

Keep an eye on those draft rankings, because the only two things that have kept his name on any board are Cal's reputation, and the personal pride of guys who didn't accurately evaluate the guy, but don't won't to invalidate their brand by having him listed one day, and gone the next. That's a fact.

JMO.

Maybe he turns on, but we're a third of the way through the season, the competition is only going to get better, and he's wilted. You just got through hearing Cal mention that he WANTS Skal to be the backup big. Implying that he isn't ACTUALLY the default backup big. This guy was started for ten games, and now you're addressing that you WANT him to be the BACKUP big?...

BIG message in that.

[TrueblueCATfan]

Skal needs a dose of Little Karlito

[Matt Dillon]

Skal needs a dose of Little Karlito

That's for sure.

[Joneslab]

What I hope doesn't happen is some kind of controversy to break out regarding the guardian and Cal.

I haven't liked Skal's face from the beginning. He looks either impassive (at best) or peeved about something (at worst).

He just doesn't have an engaged look. I hope it's because he's just having trouble and it's not because he's involved in some weird protest.

But that's neither here nor there really. The guy can't rebound the basketball. If you can't rebound you don't think about going to the NBA. He needs to think about being able to compete at this level first, and right now he can't.

[Joneslab]

Sometimes these NBA scouts say idiotic things and seem to have the intelligence of middle-school dropouts, but it's hard to argue with what this guy says.

"Big Skal, no strength, no toughness, no game," the scout said. "Comes off the bench, plays 10 minutes, had 2 points, 3 rebounds, 0-for-3 from the floor. Shot an air ball on an easy hook.

"That guy is what you call a 'Paper Tiger,' a mock draft myth. He's a f***in' fantasy, that guy."
Told that DraftExpress.com had Labissiere projected as the No. 5 pick in the draft after he was once at No. 1, the scout said: "No. 5, he's not No. 1, he's not No. 5, he's not No. 51. That's a joke.

"He's not going to play anymore for Kentucky, I don't think. There's nothing he could do. The Louisville big men are mediocre at best. Truth be told, they're below mediocre. He couldn't do nothing with them. He's a fraud. The thing is going the other way fast."

https://www.sny.tv/college-recruitin...ere/160507684/[/SIZE]

[Lighthouse]

I can't remember reading anything like that about any other player. It, although true, sounds like the guy is playing to an audience.

[Joneslab]

I can't remember reading anything like that about any other player. It, although true, sounds like the guy is playing to an audience.

These scouts say stuff like that often about players. Maybe not that harsh but they can be pretty brutal. It's easy to be that harsh when you don't have to attach your name to the comments you're making.

[SCBlu]

He better get drafted, because if he comes back Bam might hurt him.

If Skal's going to get tougher.....he needs to practice/play with the big boys. While I believe Skal has a great future, it will take time, like several years. He needs to come back.

[Joneslab]

If Skal's going to get tougher.....he needs to practice/play with the big boys. While I believe Skal has a great future, it will take time, like several years. He needs to come back.

Yes.

But this is the downside of Cal's UK. When you create SUCCEED AND PROCEED! and you talk up the NBA all the time, it creates this pressure vise for certain players. Some players thrive in it--actually most have under Cal--but certain players (Skal, Poythress, Teague, Harrow, Goodwin, the Harrisons) let it get to them.

Skal needs to be thinking about what he's going to do to get himself prepared at this level starting next Saturday. The NBA is a pipe dream for him at this point. It's absurd to even think about.