I think part of the problem is this whole situation has been extremely messy and very fluid from the beginning. People on hear were talking about it like it was set in stone and they KNEW this or that had to be true when in reality it was anything but. Despite what many hear think, who knows what really went on and continues to go on behind closed doors. It might just be that no one really knew exactly what plans were because they kept changing. And then once it became clear injuries were really going to affect this team, you can't throw a kid out there in mid March.
People act like there's some grand conspiracy going on behind the scenes where Cal is sitting this kid intentionally for the sole purpose of getting him to the NBA without playing a game and rumors are planted by Cal's secret minions to manipulate the fanbase. I think Occam's Razor applies here. The fanbase was never told what was going on because no one really knew. Eventually someone made the decision he wasn't going to play and that was that.
If it was Sharpe or his camp that decided he wasn't going to play, Cal wasn't going to throw them under the bus if there was any sort of chance he'd return. If this rumor is true, all the people saying "well if he's not going to play kick him off the team!" should realize this is exactly why you don't kick him off the team and exactly why Sharpe was a gamble worth taking. It's absurd that so many people thought they knew with certainty what was happening and somehow knew better than the coaching staff. Maybe next time people can chill out and wait until a situation resolves itself before getting out their pitchforks.