Oscar Combs raises a good point
- Thread starter akaukswoosh
- Start date
Not sure about winning a title, but this team should at the very least return to the tourney.
I can't see who would have a better roster - top to bottom?!?! We legit have 12 guys right now, 10 of which of high expectations of playing big minutes, and many if them already have played major minutes previous seasons. Some for multiple years. We are also still in the running for Duren and Cockburn, and many are expecting we land at least 1.
I’m in the wait and see mode .
That’d be akin to the way UVa rebounded from the 1-16 loss to win the natty IMO
If he brings in Cockburn or Duren, you're post would be the understatement of the century. It would be like saying the Titanic dinged that iceberg.
Very good point, however, Cal sat and watched as every player off that 19/20 team walked out the door. He thought he had all his bases covered, but he had to know he was throwing caution to the wind. He bet on 3 players that all let him down. Clarke was injured, but he wasn't what he was expected to be.
Cal was very frustrated last year and I bet he told himself many many times that he will never roll the dice like that again.
He ain't rolling the dice right now, he’s covering all bases, then making sure each base has a contingency plan and that contingency plan ALSO has a contingency plan.
I was all over Cal for allowing the draft to take priority over UK basketball, but even I can applaud what he has done since 20/21 ended. This ain't the same situation as 20/21.
You think this team is superior to those 3 teams? That's quite a statement, especially regarding the 2012 NC team and the 2015 gteam that, had it not been for a choke, would have likely won a NC too. I can't agree wityh you on that, at least not going solely on the basis of who we have or expect to have on paper.
I'm not buying into the hype anymore as in the past.
They gotta show me. Practice reports and tweeted videos are not enough anymore. Start hanging W's, then I'll get hyped.
I am curious to see, but not getting all hyped.
They gotta show me. Practice reports and tweeted videos are not enough anymore. Start hanging W's, then I'll get hyped.
I am curious to see, but not getting all hyped.
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I’ve been embroidering 40-0 tshirts all day
Well for the first time in a long time he did something that the fans really wanted. He brought O back.
that was more valuable than any player
that was more valuable than any player
I’ve been surprised by how few here are excited for next season.
We have 12 players that can play at any school in the NCAA, we’re going to run teams off the floor just like 2015, we won’t have the superstar talent of 2015, but we don’t have any major weaknesses unlike that team.
I think Kentucky is going to be the team to beat next year, and I think the rest of the country will realize that 3-4 games in.
We have 12 players that can play at any school in the NCAA, we’re going to run teams off the floor just like 2015, we won’t have the superstar talent of 2015, but we don’t have any major weaknesses unlike that team.
I think Kentucky is going to be the team to beat next year, and I think the rest of the country will realize that 3-4 games in.
Slow your roll.
The talent level is nowhere near the level of 2015.
That team had four lottery picks. Most of the rest of the guys at least had a cup of coffee in the NBA.
This team has no one expected to be a first round pick. In fact very few of these guys will ever see an NBA roster.
This team has potential to be a good college team, but comparisons to 2015 are ridiculous, IMHO.
BUT we have a roster full of basketball players and major depth. Screw draft picks…gimme guys who can shoot and play the game at a high level. I think we’re gonna be a little better than good
Define very few. Cuz this seems incorrect to me.
I’m in the wait and see mode. Talent is seldom Cal's problem, the question is what will he do with it.
A great turn around is easy to do when you started 9-16.
This is the most stoked I've been for basketball season in a few years. If we add another big, great, if not I'm happy with what he have. I hope nobody transfers and the roster is nearly complete but how can you not take a Jalen or Kofi? Ideally, we add Jalen or Kofi and other frontcourt players understands this would be a special team they can be and want to be a part of.
If we don't do better than that I plan on retiring to my bunker. The TV will be for sale cheap.
Its hard to drink the Cal kool-aid after last year
I wouldn't say that if they get Duren. Duren is in the James Wiseman territory. I would say more than a few of this roster will end up in the NBA. Collins, Tshiebwe and Grady will definitely get there. Washington, Frederick, Hopkins, Toppin, and Brooks all have a shot at least spending some time in the league. This is starting to look like a really stacked roster.
The 2015 team would probably be better because it's core were players returning from the previous season. This roster looks like an unusually good haul in the free agency market. This roster won't start the season having already gelled like the 2015 team did. We'll probably see most of the season with players struggling to figure out where they fit and with Cal trying to figure out what type of team he want's to be. This will become even more problematic if we get Cockburn or Duren. We've been setting up to go to a smaller line up playing more 4 out 1 in style. That completely goes out the window if either Cockburn or Duren are on the roster.
One good thing I hope comes from this NIL stuff is that it might entice players to stick around another year or two. maybe make that decision easier if they are borderline or on the fence NBA wise. I know theres still much bigger money to be made, but if a kid can realistically improve his stock by coming back, NIL might give them that incentive to do so instead of throwing caution to the wind.
This roster is basically built to tailor lineups to how we matchup against an opponent. if we need to play big, we can, if we need length, we have it, if we need 4 guards on the floor shooting threes, we can. There won't be a team out there that we can't tailor a lineup to match up against. I also think platooning will be a thing as well.
I said in my post this team didn’t have the top end that the 2015 team had.
The 2015 team had a lot of stars that were being used wrong, and that didn’t fit well together. Playing Trey Lyles at the 3 wasn’t the best place for him, the Twins made the league but they had skill sets that would have been great in the 90s, not so much for modern college ball.
2015 had all world talent but the pieces didn’t fit great IMO, they just out talented teams and ran them off the floor.
I expect a lot more synergy with this team, I think the pieces fit together better and can rotate in and out more seemlessly, this team is also 3 deep at several positions so one guy getting hurt isn’t going to be a death blow to the system at the end of the year.
Cal just needs to let the 5 best players from practice for each week start, and then sub a new set of guys every 2 - 3 minutes. Just run the living hell out of other teams for 25 minutes, then dominate them any way we like the last 15 min because they are so gassed. Run all 12 - 13 guys at them constantly. If someone isn't performing well, replace their minutes with someone who is.
If we get Duren, he's a future #1 pick, especially with Calipari orchestrating his one-year in college.
Collins is a top 15 pick. Toppin is a future NBA pick. So is Oscar T and Washington.
Grady might get a look like Liggins/Harrelson did for a few years in the league. Brooks needs to hit the corner three and he might have a shot.
We'd be a very good team if we land Duren. He makes this team a bit better than the Bam-Monk-Fox team, but not quite as good as the 2015 team. We'd probably lose 4 to 6 games.
Getting Duren gives Cal so many options because this might be UK's best shooting team under Cal with Grady, Allen, Fredrick, and Mintz all shooting at around 37% or higher from three. It would be like taking that 2011 team, adding more depth to it, and then adding Karl Towns at the 5.
Collins is a top 15 pick. Toppin is a future NBA pick. So is Oscar T and Washington.
Grady might get a look like Liggins/Harrelson did for a few years in the league. Brooks needs to hit the corner three and he might have a shot.
We'd be a very good team if we land Duren. He makes this team a bit better than the Bam-Monk-Fox team, but not quite as good as the 2015 team. We'd probably lose 4 to 6 games.
Getting Duren gives Cal so many options because this might be UK's best shooting team under Cal with Grady, Allen, Fredrick, and Mintz all shooting at around 37% or higher from three. It would be like taking that 2011 team, adding more depth to it, and then adding Karl Towns at the 5.
IF we get Duren, he is a lottery pick, top 5, maybe number one overall.
That’s one, and one we haven’t landed yet.
Let’s not count that chicken, it ain’t hatched.
That’s one, and one we haven’t landed yet.
Let’s not count that chicken, it ain’t hatched.
Crazy to think that empty gyms and limited practice didn't have something to do with last seasons results..