Kentucky Wildcats Basketball 2018-2019 (The Sky is Falling)

[WVRed]

Haven’t had a thread yet for UK basketball, but it’s not been going good so far.

The Duke loss was embarrassing, and this team is ways away from being a title contender like we thought in the Bahamas.

The recruiting losses by Cal have stung too. Losing Wiseman to Memphis and Carey eliminating Kentucky from his top three. Plus the possibility of Kentucky getting involved with the Ball family is going to really grate at the fanbase.

[cumberlandreds]

It's a process almost every year. They start real slow on defense and except for 2013 it has always come around to be good by the end of the season. I thought they played better today. At least better intensity up until the last 5 to 7 minutes. But still a log way to go. We will know a lot more after they have gone through Camp Cal.

[Assembly Hall]

It's a process almost every year. They start real slow on defense and except for 2013 it has always come around to be good by the end of the season. I thought they played better today. At least better intensity up until the last 5 to 7 minutes. But still a log way to go. We will know a lot more after they have gone through Camp Cal.

Does that "process" get old with UK fans?

[cumberlandreds]

Does that "process" get old with UK fans?

It does with me and I suspect it does with many others. It just gets old having basically a brand new team every year. I like seeing players grow and get better over time. But in this system its nearly a new team every year. Cal has had great success though and you can't argue too much with it.

[Assembly Hall]

It does with me and I suspect it does with many others. It just gets old having basically a brand new team every year. I like seeing players grow and get better over time. But in this system its nearly a new team every year. Cal has had great success though and you can't argue too much with it.

Understand. Let me ask you this, or all UK fans. How successful would Cal be if players went right to the NBA from HS?

[WVRed]

Understand. Let me ask you this, or all UK fans. How successful would Cal be if players went right to the NBA from HS?

Very. He would just change who he recruits.

He won with Marcus Camby and a bunch of players who wouldn’t have played anywhere else. He exploited the one and done and I’m sure he would adjust if the NBA changed again.

I think the problem isn’t that Duke has copied UK in getting the one and dones but that players don’t have to go to a premier program to get to the NBA. Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, and DeAndre Ayton went elsewhere and even though two of the three didn’t play in the tournament, they went on to be the first overall pick. This year will likely feature the Dookies but Wiseman will likely be first for Memphis next year.

You can go deeper too. Collin Sexton, Trae Young, Mo Bamba, Michael Porter Jr, Jonathan Isaac, Dennis Smith Jr, Jaylen Brown.

Also, you don’t know who has been taking special deals, as the FBI probe has shown.

[cumberlandreds]

Understand. Let me ask you this, or all UK fans. How successful would Cal be if players went right to the NBA from HS?

He would still be successful. He is a good coach. I think people who watch basketball regularly can see this. He pulls players together for a "team" better than anyone. He has a new cast every year and by the end end he has them play as a cohesive unit. Considering he is coaching a lot of kids who have been spoiled and have many others talking in their ear to them this is a tremendous accomplishment.
A big thing to consider on how good a coach is is how how much their team improves by the end of the season. Every year save one at UK his team has improved and usually substantially.

[Revering4Blue]

He would still be successful. He is a good coach. I think people who watch basketball regularly can see this. He pulls players together for a "team" better than anyone. He has a new cast every year and by the end end he has them play as a cohesive unit. Considering he is coaching a lot of kids who have been spoiled and have many others talking in their ear to them this is a tremendous accomplishment.
A big thing to consider on how good a coach is is how how much their team improves by the end of the season. Every year save one at UK his team has improved and usually substantially.

Yep.

Although the " he can recruit, but cannot coach" makes for a major talking point for rival fan-bases, there's simply no logical argument that said narrative is even remotely true. To wit:

- He won a ton of games - with deep NCAA tourney runs - at UMASS with only one Parade All-American: Donta Bright.

- Ditto at Memphis, but with more Parade All-Americans. Came within an eyelash of reaching the final four in '06 against a UCLA team with several future NBA players, and ran into red-hot, loaded Ohio State in a '07 regional final. Memphis has basically been in the dumper since he left.

You simply don't win that many games by merely collecting talented recruits and rolling out the ball in practice.

[Assembly Hall]

Yep.

Although the " he can recruit, but cannot coach" makes for a major talking point for rival fan-bases, there's simply no logical argument that said narrative is even remotely true. To wit:

- He won a ton of games - with deep NCAA tourney runs - at UMASS with only one Parade All-American: Donta Bright.

- Ditto at Memphis, but with more Parade All-Americans. Came within an eyelash of reaching the final four in '06 against a UCLA team with several future NBA players, and ran into red-hot, loaded Ohio State in a '07 regional final. Memphis has basically been in the dumper since he left.

You simply don't win that many games by merely collecting talented recruits and rolling out the ball in practice.

And Larry Brown says hello!!!!! LOL

[Assembly Hall]

Ran across this....

https://www.courier-journal.com/stor...rt/2111547002/

[WVRed]

Yep.

Although the " he can recruit, but cannot coach" makes for a major talking point for rival fan-bases, there's simply no logical argument that said narrative is even remotely true. To wit:

- He won a ton of games - with deep NCAA tourney runs - at UMASS with only one Parade All-American: Donta Bright.

- Ditto at Memphis, but with more Parade All-Americans. Came within an eyelash of reaching the final four in '06 against a UCLA team with several future NBA players, and ran into red-hot, loaded Ohio State in a '07 regional final. Memphis has basically been in the dumper since he left.

You simply don't win that many games by merely collecting talented recruits and rolling out the ball in practice.

Don’t forget the national championship game appearance in 2010.

The season before that I remember watching Kentucky play Memphis in Maui in the consolation round after UK was trounced by UCLA. Kentucky lost by 17 but it wasn’t even that close. What I remember from that game (Tubbys last season) was how much harder Cals players played for him vs how Kentucky played.

Something else I think is lost in everything is the 2015 season. After failing to go 40-0, everything Cal has done and continues to do will unfortunately be compared to that season. They’ve underachieved ever since and Cal hasn’t gotten a top recruit since that class (Towns).

[WVRed]

If anyone made a deal with the powers that be for Kentucky to have a down football season and for the football team to beat Florida and have a great overall season, this is the year.

Calipari is not and has never been a good in game coach. Great players have bailed him out before. This game is an example of that.

I know it’s early but I don’t see any signature wins this year. I wouldn’t be shocked if UNC and Kansas win by double digits and also lose at Louisville. Louisville beat the same Seton Hall team that beat Kentucky today.

The only players from this team who should entertain the thought of the NBA are Keldon Johnson and PJ Washington. I don’t even know if PJ is ready.

[Assembly Hall]

I saw that Parrish on CBS has them completely out of the "Top 25 and One" today.

[cumberlandreds]

They shouldn't be ranked. This just isn't a very good team right now. I think Cal has a lot of good to very good players but no real stars that are going to put a team on their back and take them to wins. I agree with WV I doubt they beat UNC or UL. Kansas is still a ways away but they are unlikely to win that one too. They will make the NCAA's like last year, more than likely, but falter early on. Then we will see another exodus players like usual.

[Assembly Hall]

Plenty of season left. We shall see.