EJ gone

[anon_9qtxg60vqzy0y]

Off to the G-League to never be heard from again. Have a nice trip EJ. Appreciate that lackluster motor, lass than emphatic work ethic, and the very little production. Truly lived up to those 5 stars!

We better land Haarms and 1 of Kepnag, Banchero, Kuminga, Brown, or Smith or we are in trouble in the post next year.

According to the first part of your post, he had a lackluster motor, less than emphatic work ethic and very little production. If he sucks so bad, why are we gonna be in trouble if we don’t find his replacement? Seems like we would be better without him according to your assessment of his play.

 

[numberonedad]

LOL! what a joke

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

So what exactly has EJ shown in 2 years that KB didn’t show in his limited minutes as a freshman?

Y’all are thinking too hard about this. Junior or 20th year Sr, EJ isn’t better than KB.

And KB isn’t coming back to come off the bench.

The reverse to your question is also true, and that's my main point. What did Keion show in his freshmen year that EJ didn't show as a frosh?

There were moments of potential, but noting we could hang out hat on as a fan base.

That's why I think calling EJ's departure a "positive" is premature. Kuminga is the type of player who makes the wondering disappear instantly. He is a net gain. But short of landing someone like him, declaring EJ's departure as some sort of obvious positive is totally conjecture.

 

[Sparkaces]

Cal is that boyfriend that hypes up the ugly girlfriend . Like I said he will always show support for these guys no matter what . That’s pretty impressive because I know he has to be somewhat frustrated with some of these guys leaving .

Then Brooks would be gone now too.

Lol!

 

[Jamal Mercer]

No depth, no experience. Fun.

But this happens everywhere!

Even though THIS actually doesn’t happen everywhere.

 

[Titpwhami2014]

Lol I love they they put out these generic Dear BBN letters made by someone else. Just say your leaving

Artfully crafted, like a Blue Moon!

Haarms, Cisse, Kuminga, some body, any big body, come on down!

 

[STL_Cat]

Agree. I was as disapointed as others that EJ never seemed to flourish but I still appreciate him as someone who made the decision to come and be part of the family in the first place.

The hurt feelings by some over his decision is ironic, given that according to them he wasnt any good anyway.

Reinforces the one way deal many have to being a fan of the program and the kids. Make me happy or else your dead to me.

My feelings aren’t hurt. I think EJ should have stayed for himself. He needs more development and could have done a lot for his stock by putting in work and playing himself into the 1st round. If you’re excited about guys leaving that are barely projected in the 2nd round if at all, more power to you. I think it sucks.

 

[Sparkaces]

The reverse to your question is also true, and that's my main point. What did Keion show in his freshmen year that EJ didn't show as a frosh?

There were moments of potential, but noting we could hang out hat on as a fan base.

That's why I think calling EJ's departure a "positive" is premature. Kuminga is the type of player who makes the wondering disappear instantly. He is a net gain. But short of landing someone like him, declaring EJ's departure as some sort of obvious positive is totally conjecture.

Keion's motor alone is 10 times what EJ ever did!

 

[Cawood86_rivals]

So what exactly has EJ shown in 2 years that KB didn’t show in his limited minutes as a freshman?

Y’all are thinking too hard about this. Junior or 20th year Sr, EJ isn’t better than KB.

And KB isn’t coming back to come off the bench.

Agree. I think Brooks will make a big impact next year. Something EJ never did in 2 years. Brooks has a better handle than people realize. He's very versatile on both ends.

 

[ConRay9]

Wait, did people actually think EJ was going to be a difference maker next year? Hate to break it to ya, but the writing was on the wall, he never showed the potential Richards did—he wasn’t going to make some huge leap.

Is it bewildering a guy like that is leaving? Sure, but I don’t know where this idea came from that we desperately needed EJ to stay next year. Haarms is an instant upgrade over him.

 

[UKWildcatT]

Later.

 

[westerncat]

I know nothing of Kuminga game. Can someone give a brief description of his game. Please.

 

[BassProCat]

The reverse to your question is also true, and that's my main point. What did Keion show in his freshmen year that EJ didn't show as a frosh?

There were moments of potential, but noting we could hang out hat on as a fan base.

That's why I think calling EJ's departure a "positive" is premature. Kuminga is the type of player who makes the wondering disappear instantly. He is a net gain. But short of landing someone like him, declaring EJ's departure as some sort of obvious positive is totally conjecture.

KB showed he could do all the things EJ did in two years as a freshman with limited min..you give KB EJ’s min and you just watch how much better we will be at the 4. EJ maxed out on potential in high school. You saw KBs growth within one year...it took EJ two years to see his growth.

KB is a positive over EJ.

 

[coryrusso]

KB showed he could do all the things EJ did in two years as a freshman with limited min..you give KB EJ’s min and you just watch how much better we will be at the 4. EJ maxed out on potential in high school. You saw KBs growth within one year...it took EJ two years to see his growth.

KB is a positive over EJ.

Neither seem to have any offense as they are both poor shooters.

 

[bigblue1971]

I know nothing of Kuminga game. Can someone give a brief description of his game. Please.

Athletic mix of finesse and power on offense. Pretty lazy on defense. Would come in here, get coached up defensively and be an absolute beast.

 

[Bigblueamyou]

Much different. You’re talking about groups of guys that spent years playing together, in the trenches. Learning tendencies and the system. Not a couple patchwork grad transfers and freshman. Not the same at all.

Maybe not but I still love this team if we get hearms

 

[Bill Withers]

Later.

My sentiments, exactly.

 

[Titpwhami2014]

Is it out of the question to play small ball with two guys 6'-9". Might help our defense with the speed and athleticism we could put on the floor. If any of the incoming guys turn out to a beast on the boards, I don't see why not. Golden State won NBA championships with 6'-8" Draymond Green playing the 5 in crunch time. Obviously we won't have Steph, Clay and KD but we won't be playing against LeBron, either. Not that many teams anymore have a true 5. Maybe we shouldn't either.

And, as to EJ - meh. A very mediocre player with a lack of effort while playing for UK. Theoretically, he could've helped us next year. In reality, I highly doubt it. I expected to be disappointed, again, by his play.

Jackson is the wild card in this small ball example. If he's Jordan Bell? Yes. If he's Marcus Lee or Perry Stevenson? No chance, because that means he's your 7th or 8th guy instead of your consistent, shot-blocking force.

 

[STL_Cat]

Wait, did people actually think EJ was going to be a difference maker next year? Hate to break it to ya, but the writing was on the wall, he never showed the potential Richards did—he wasn’t going to make some huge leap.

Is it bewildering a guy like that is leaving? Sure, but I don’t know where this idea came from that we desperately needed EJ to stay next year. Haarms is an instant upgrade over him.

Haarms and EJ play different positions, and we don’t have Haarms yet

 

[BassProCat]

Neither seem to have any offense as they are both poor shooters.

Lol well they do play the 4 so there isn’t a ton of great shooters at the 4.

KB’s offensive game is better than EJs.

KB took over in the Florida game...Cal was running sets for KB as a freshman on the road in a hostile environment.

Hard for a freshman to be great on offense when you get bench minutes and have older players in front of you.

 

[BassProCat]

Agree. I think Brooks will make a big impact next year. Something EJ never did in 2 years. Brooks has a better handle than people realize. He's very versatile on both ends.

KB is an Swiss Army knife. I also think he will have a nice breakout year. You can see it in his game and also his dad isn’t a jackass and know how the game is played.

 

[UKWildcatT]

I’m telling you all...you talk to everyday folks and their fandom is just about done. If something doesn’t change in the next few years, we’ll lose a ton of the fanbase. You’ll probably see around 12-14k attendance at Rupp. There are blue tint die hards on this board, but I’m telling you that the average fan is about done. Zero of them care about draft picks or the NBA. It’s going to be a sad day when kentucky, and college, basketball are dead.

 

[Wildcatfan66]

Come on Calipari... 8 players gone from a 10 person roster... on a team that was Sweet 16/Elite 8... no way to spin this as a good thing. What other team is this happening to with this amount of exodus? none...

 

[wldctky_rivals70430]

another one who needs to learn a foreign language.

 

[ConRay9]

Haarms and EJ play different positions, and we don’t have Haarms yet

EJ played at the four because he wanted to show off stretch 4 skills to the NBA. That’s literally the only reason. And he was garbage at it. In the NBA the fours aren’t even “stretch” fours anymore. They’re expected to shoot. Haarms is even a better shooter than him. EJ was never going to improve to an All-SEC player because he’s not good enough to play the way he wants to play.

We may be replacing a back-up quality caliber big man with a slightly better back-up to starter quality big man.

Yeah, I get that. Seems like a decent shot we land him so I’m penciling him in for now.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Well, if he "likes" it so much, what exactly is hilding him back? Plenty of room.

I haven't watched much of Kuminga, is he just a close to the basket scorer or can he handle the ball as well. What's his game like? UK will need a post presence badly.

Think Pascal Siakim.

 

[KYfan09]

Perhaps Greg Brown will surprise everyone with a school other than Texas. Kentucky sure could use someone like him now.

 

[Wildcatfan66]

I’m telling you all...you talk to everyday folks and their fandom is just about done. If something doesn’t change in the next few years, we’ll lose a ton of the fanbase. You’ll probably see around 12-14k attendance at Rupp. There are blue tint die hards on this board, but I’m telling you that the average fan is about done. Zero of them care about draft picks or the NBA. It’s going to be a sad day when kentucky, and college, basketball are dead.

I for one am one of those fans about done. Started following UK seriously during 1975 final four. Never missed a game on radio or TV for 40+ years... now I dont know this players, and why bother.. they are here for a year (maybe), and leave when they have no reason to leave... Calipari, you have a problem..

 

[Pulaski Cat Fan_rivals377587]

I swear, I don't give a **** anymore. Not worried in the least.I wouldn't care if the walk-ons and the coaching staff all left to. Heck let's just start completely from scratch. Man I look forward to Football.

 

[Cats192]

According to the first part of your post, he had a lackluster motor, less than emphatic work ethic and very little production. If he sucks so bad, why are we gonna be in trouble if we don’t find his replacement? Seems like we would be better without him according to your assessment of his play.

Honestly how I feel. Might have made a jump. But I won’t miss sophomore EJ

 

[seccats04]

But this happens everywhere!

Even though THIS actually doesn’t happen everywhere.

This happens NOWHERE else. Not even Duke. This would be the equivalent of Javin Delaurier declaring for the NBA. It's sad.

 

[BassProCat]

Wait, did people actually think EJ was going to be a difference maker next year? Hate to break it to ya, but the writing was on the wall, he never showed the potential Richards did—he wasn’t going to make some huge leap.

Is it bewildering a guy like that is leaving? Sure, but I don’t know where this idea came from that we desperately needed EJ to stay next year. Haarms is an instant upgrade over him.

EJ is a four year kid that takes the grad transfer route but he came to UK so 2 years and out.

 

[ThwKentuckyKid]

College basketball sure ain't what it used to be.

 

[coryrusso]

EJ played at the four because he wanted to show off stretch 4 skills to the NBA. That’s literally the only reason. And he was garbage at it. In the NBA the fours aren’t even “stretch” fours anymore. They’re expected to shoot. Haarms is even a better shooter than him. EJ was never going to improve to an All-SEC player because he’s not good enough to play the way he wants to play.

We may be replacing a back-up quality caliber big man with a slightly better back-up to starter quality big man.

Yeah, I get that. Seems like a decent shot we land him so I’m penciling him in for now.

Haarms was a backup on an average to poor Purdue team and people are trying to build him up as special.I've watch lots of Purdue games because my brother goes there.Guy is soft as charmin and not a good rebounder.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Off to the G-League to never be heard from again. Have a nice trip EJ. Appreciate that lackluster motor, lass than emphatic work ethic, and the very little production. Truly lived up to those 5 stars!

We better land Haarms and 1 of Kepnag, Banchero, Kuminga, Brown, or Smith or we are in trouble in the post next year.

Well, Cal will get one and most likely two of those guys. We won’t lack on talent. It’s the experience department where we’re gonna have issues. That’s 90% of the time during the Cal era anyway. I think we will be fine, though.

EDIT: I wasn’t really worried about getting EJ back anyway. Other than two years of experience, he wouldn’t bring much to the table. I would like the experience, but still.

 

[UK90]

I love EJ, but this is the strangest decision in the Cal era.

Really? How is this any more strange than when our other undrafted guys like Humphries, Gabriel and Briscoe (or even Whitney) left for the draft? At least EJ started.

Sadly, this is becoming the new normal.

 

[ConRay9]

Haarms was a backup on an average to poor Purdue team and people are trying to build him up as special.I've watch lots of Purdue games because my brother goes there.Guy is soft as charmin and not a good rebounder.

I literally just called him slightly better than EJ, who was hot garbage last year. You have a funny way of recognizing hype of a kid.

 

[seccats04]

Come on Calipari... 8 players gone from a 10 person roster... on a team that was Sweet 16/Elite 8... no way to spin this as a good thing. What other team is this happening to with this amount of exodus? none...

Cal will come out with his "I like my team" like he always does. Then all the pumpers will say how great everything is. Cal is a master salesman. He was saying how great of a shot we had to win it this year, which is a joke. This team was going nowhere. A turnover prone, headcase of a PG leading the way was not going past the S16.

 

[Bill Withers]

I follow UK because I've been a UK fan for decades. Over 6 decades. The last 5 years have made me care less than I used to. 40 years ago, I was really into it. These days, I just wait to see how the kids progress, and knowing 98% will leave after one year, or two, prepared for pro ball or not. It's harder and harder to get into that. And that's just how it is, not slamming Cal or anything. I think Cal tries to tell most of these guys to come back. Wall, Cousins, AD, those guys should leave ASAP. Teague, Diallo, Knox, everyone from this year's team, they have no business even thinking about pro ball. These are the ones that frustrate us all.

 

[Cawood86_rivals]

Think Pascal Siakim.

Who? I have absolutely no idea who that is or if tht is a real person....