From Calipari on Wheeler

[kywildcat1021979]

It's obvious what is going on but the team is playing better without him.

Exactly even a blind man can see it!

 

[STL_Cat]

And some surgeons only schedule procedures on certain days.

lol ... while this is 100% true, I'm betting UK basketball players have ample opportunities to have flexibility with their surgeons and their schedulers.

 

[sk73]

Odd that he can't even participate in the ceremonies. But they may just be saving him from the boos that might come from our "fans" that have run him off.

I don't look for him to play again here or return next year. It's a shame.

I think the fans that attend games are better than that. Booing one of our players during senior recognition is not something that would happen.

 

[270to615]

So, purely speculation?

Usually when someone says "makes me wonder", it is referring to speculation. Kudos to you for piecing that together

 

[jack8291]

Usually , the way it works is health is between the trainer , docs and player . Trainer reports to coach the status of the player . Thumbs up ,then he’s available ..thumbs down , he’s not . Coaches aren’t in the day to day stuff and aren’t asked for their opinions . Anything else is malpractice. In fact , any pressure from the coach to play , etc , is fireable and has happened a lot in college sports.

 

[STL_Cat]

Usually , the way it works is health is between the trainer , docs and player . Trainer reports to coach the status of the player . Thumbs up ,then he’s available ..thumbs down , he’s not . Coaches aren’t in the day to day stuff and aren’t asked for their opinions . Anything else is malpractice. In fact , any pressure from the coach to play , etc , is fireable and has happened a lot in college sports.

These posts are always really funny when talking about the bizarre ambiguity we have with players and their injuries. No one else seems to have these weird issues, but we do all the time.

Can't believe no one has cited HIPAA yet, lol

 

[BlueWorldOrder74]

- Mysterious ankle injury that occurred in practice behind closed doors shortly after his role was reduced, now has not even practiced in at least a month
- Notably missing from team photo postgame with the 96/97/98 teams
- Now he will not be present for his own Senior Night due to a procedure for something "unrelated to ankle injury" that apparently couldn't have been scheduled around, with no prior indication of a second injury

I stop short of straight up accusing him of quitting the team, but holding that suspicion is at least warranted based on the facts we have been presented (or lack thereof)

Yeah, this makes sense. I know I’ve heard Matt dance around the topic a few times as if he knows something but isn’t willing to spill it. As well, I’ve heard Matt, Jack Pilgrim, and Shawn Smith all say, very straight forwardly, that there was serious locker room issues with this team up to and including the Georgia loss; just super sleuthing it out - probably had something to do with SW. I said I didn’t want to bash him, so I will try to be as nice as possible…..but just do the math? We started jiving on the court immediately after SW “injury.” I had heard that Wallace was part of the problem, having issues with someone, and now thinking it was SW as well.

 

[ManitouDan_anon]

Whole thing is just sad ! I think we are better off with him playing a very limited role but he’s still a member of the team , and the fans at Rupp would have him a good ovation if he attended .. more bizarre stuff from our team

 

[know1]

Missing senior day is very telling. Just because you’re injured doesn’t mean you can’t do the half court walk with your parents and get recognized. And if he’s missing it for the procedure you have to wonder why it wasn’t scheduled around senior night, either before or after.

Very strange

It's not strange. A lot of our fans have treated him like crap (I'd like to use something stronger, but I don't do that).

 

[JimboBBN]

If he’s really hurt I feel for him. Something tells me he’s not, and we should be fine with that. We are better without him.

 

[TFCat11]

Laughing at the posters who think this is ANYTHING other than what it is. Y’all are tripping over your own naïveté, pretending otherwise

 

[Emarc]

How about just hoping for full recovery for a kid who never did anything but play hard.

 

[BlueWorldOrder74]

Whole thing is just sad ! I think we are better off with him playing a very limited role but he’s still a member of the team , and the fans at Rupp would have him a good ovation if he attended .. more bizarre stuff from our team

Agree

 

[STL_Cat]

How about just hoping for full recovery for a kid who never did anything but play hard.

I do wish him a full recovery, whether it's mental or otherwise. I wish him well. And I wish he could have been used in a different role this year. He could have been a useful piece on a really good team.

 

[tls]

And some surgeons only schedule procedures on certain days.

I think we all know a few surgeons who only work on March 1 when it falls on a Wednesday

 

[Wildcats1st]

Based on Dillingham being in the g-league affiliate and liking it, plus having success. His track record suggests school isn't something he is very concerned with and he has shifted course multiple times during his recruitment.

Wheeler having the procedure and not participating in sr night, plus not having a high likelihood of going pro anywhere and the NIL money he makes here certainly suggest there is at least a reasonable probability he could return.

You just stir the pot. Wheeler is done at UK. Using your reasoning not participating in sr night would probably more likely indicate he is done with uk basketball and going to spend his sr year elsewhere.

 

[wildcat1515]

I know they can't tell us anything but I wish they were a little more transparent so there wasn't so much speculation and rumors. Cal must be part of the Biden administration. Sorry had to do it.

 

[ukcat27]

I am in no way bashing the fans..but make no mistake...there was at minimum 50 % chance there would have been smattering of boos tonight and with this development...I would not bash those that did.

 

[Cats192]

lol ... while this is 100% true, I'm betting UK basketball players have ample opportunities to have flexibility with their surgeons and their schedulers.

100% this.

Granny's hip or Uncle Jimmy's knee may be at the mercy of the schedule.

D1 College Athlete for 1 of the premier programs in the sport are getting special treatment.

 

[STL_Cat]

I am in no way bashing the fans..but make no mistake...there was at minimum 50 % chance there would have been smattering of boos tonight and with this development...I would not bash those that did.

Absolutely ridiculous. No one is getting booed on senior night. Absurd.

 

[revcort]

Well, let's see, last time he walked onto the Rupp Arena floor, he got booed. Maybe he doesn't want to risk it. Can you imagine being the first player in UK history to be booed on Senior Night? Embarrassing doesn't even begin to describe that. It was embarrassing enough to be booed just going to the scorer's table in his last game. That's what he will remember about Kentucky, unfortunately.

The good news for some of our fans, they won't have to fake like they appreciate him when he was to be introduced for senior night.

 

[ManitouDan_anon]

It's not strange. A lot of our fans have treated him like crap (I'd like to use something stronger, but I don't do that).

Man a lot of the anger was directed at Cal’s insistence on playing him , it was rarely personal against Shavir. I think the overwhelming majority of fans at a game would cheer him .. he played hard .. but he’s done . Surprised he even sets with the team

 

[Fatboyfat]

There HAS to be someone that knows what’s going on. You have players, managers, staff, and all kinds of people close to the program that know exactly what’s up with the kid. If he has a serious issue I would never bash him. I will stick with that. But, if he’s just butt hurt or he quit on the team I’ll bash him till hell freezes over. Don’t know why the truth can’t just be said and move on.

So,would you expect that your doctor gives out your medical records and diagnosis to someone that's not affiliated with you,that you don't want them to know? So why aspect that should know what's going on with Wheeler? SMH!🫢

 

[Cats192]

It's not strange. A lot of our fans have treated him like crap (I'd like to use something stronger, but I don't do that).

Are you simply referring to fans disussing him on a message board?

Or are people spitting on him in public?

 

[BlueWorldOrder74]

I am in no way bashing the fans..but make no mistake...there was at minimum 50 % chance there would have been smattering of boos tonight and with this development...I would not bash those that did.

Wrong. No way in hell anyone in that arena boos Wheeler on senior night.

 

[bookerfan66]

Well, let's see, last time he walked onto the Rupp Arena floor, he got booed. Maybe he doesn't want to risk it. Can you imagine being the first player in UK history to be booed on Senior Night? Embarrassing doesn't even begin to describe that. It was embarrassing enough to be booed just going to the scorer's table in his last game. That's what he will remember about Kentucky, unfortunately.

The good news for some of our fans, they won't have to fake like they appreciate him when he was to be introduced for senior night.

Pure ********.He wouldn't be booed on senior night.

 

[know1]

Well, let's see, last time he walked onto the Rupp Arena floor, he got booed. Maybe he doesn't want to risk it. Can you imagine being the first player in UK history to be booed on Senior Night? Embarrassing doesn't even begin to describe that. It was embarrassing enough to be booed just going to the scorer's table in his last game. That's what he will remember about Kentucky, unfortunately.

The good news for some of our fans, they won't have to fake like they appreciate him when he was to be introduced for senior night.

Agree 100%

 

[STL_Cat]

Well, let's see, last time he walked onto the Rupp Arena floor, he got booed. Maybe he doesn't want to risk it. Can you imagine being the first player in UK history to be booed on Senior Night? Embarrassing doesn't even begin to describe that. It was embarrassing enough to be booed just going to the scorer's table in his last game. That's what he will remember about Kentucky, unfortunately.

The good news for some of our fans, they won't have to fake like they appreciate him when he was to be introduced for senior night.

Oh, so you are going to be ridiculous about this, too. Nice.

You were at the forefront of the "you just hate Wheeler!" charge when most of us were just saying they thought he should be used in a different role. 0% chance the dude would get booed on Senior Night, if you think THAT lowly of our fans I'm surprised you still cheer for UK. None of this is the fan's fault, but keep doing you.

 

[know1]

Man a lot of the anger was directed at Cal’s insistence on playing him , it was rarely personal against Sever. I think the overwhelming majority of fans at a game would cheer him .. he played hard .. but he’s done . Surprised he even sets with the team

You're wrong. Go back and look at the threads. He was called names repeatedly and spoken about very badly. He'd get into the game and someone would immediately post a thread about how he was killing us.

 

[Alt-Mod]

Usually when someone says "makes me wonder", it is referring to speculation. Kudos to you for piecing that together

Not at all. Some people actually have more than speculative thoughts like a past history or something substantive. But, if you live in a bubble void of logic, perhaps your thought is true.

You just stir the pot. Wheeler is done at UK. Using your reasoning not participating in sr night would probably more likely indicate he is done with uk basketball and going to spend his sr year elsewhere.

I do think he is done, just saying there is a plausibility a reasonable person could see where he does come back. How is that stirring anything?

 

[LineSkiCat14]

If he had surgery this morning, idk why we would expect him at a ceremony tonight. Like sure, I bet we could cart him in on a wheelchair while he's on pain meds..

But if a player chooses not to do that, can you blame him?

Let's not jump to conclusions. Some here thought he quit the team last time he got pulled. And yet he still came back, played and cheered for the team on the bench.

 

[Wildcats1st]

It's not strange. A lot of our fans have treated him like crap (I'd like to use something stronger, but I don't do that).

Dudes been a problem for our program. Theres a lot out there about players not getting along with wheeler. It’s evident he couldn’t handle being a role player. But you resort to bashing the fans. I know a lot of fans who love wheeler like he’s a golden calf. All these guys have their critics the problem is wheeler needed to accept a role and he didn’t want that.

 

[Cats192]

There HAS to be someone that knows what’s going on. You have players, managers, staff, and all kinds of people close to the program that know exactly what’s up with the kid. If he has a serious issue I would never bash him. I will stick with that. But, if he’s just butt hurt or he quit on the team I’ll bash him till hell freezes over. Don’t know why the truth can’t just be said and move on.

I'm not going to be mad at him.

I think we're better off for him not playing.

 

[STL_Cat]

If he had surgery this morning, idk why we would expect him at a ceremony tonight. Like sure, I bet we could cart him in on a wheelchair while he's on pain meds..

But if a player chooses not to do that, can you blame him?

Let's not jump to conclusions. Some here thought he quit the team last time he got pulled. And yet he still came back, played and cheered for the team on the bench.

It's a "minor" procedure, that in all likelihood could have been done at any time. But in reality who knows what it actually is. I had wrist surgery back in the fall and easily could have been out there that night. They aren't even giving opiates for most minor surgeries any longer.

 

[TriCountyCAT]

Let’s speculate and say he and his family aren’t exactly happy with how the season has went and his treatment from BBN so he doesn’t want to go through senior night. Maybe I’m wrong.

 

[UKortho]

It's a "minor" procedure, that in all likelihood could have been done at any time. But in reality who knows what it actually is. I had wrist surgery back in the fall and easily could have been out there that night. They aren't even giving opiates for most minor surgeries any longer.

It’s more likely than not that Wheeler decided to quit playing for UK. He probably has “rabbit ears” on social media- and couldn’t deal with the criticism.

 

[Cats192]

It's a "minor" procedure, that in all likelihood could have been done at any time. But in reality who knows what it actually is. I had wrist surgery back in the fall and easily could have been out there that night. They aren't even giving opiates for most minor surgeries any longer.

Wording matters. Whether intentional or subliminal. I find there to be something in the word "procedure" instead of surgery.

Surgery=surgery. A procedure could have been anything. He could have had a cyst removed. He could have have had his ears cleaned out.

I have ZERO problem with Wheeler in this situation. But there's some word lawyering involved here. And I don't believe in coincidences. Your procedure could have been done tomorrow after Senior night. This was all very intentional.

 

[TriCountyCAT]

You're wrong. Go back and look at the threads. He was called names repeatedly and spoken about very badly. He'd get into the game and someone would immediately post a thread about how he was killing us.

Most of the time it was true.

 

[Cats192]

Let’s speculate and say he and his family aren’t exactly happy with how the season has went and his treatment from BBN so he doesn’t want to go through senior night. Maybe I’m wrong.

What are we calling his bad treatment from BBN? Give me details?

Do you think Wheeler's unhappy that people on some random Message Board on Rivals think he should play less?
Or is there something actually bad he's been exposed to?

 

[Cats192]

You're wrong. Go back and look at the threads. He was called names repeatedly and spoken about very badly. He'd get into the game and someone would immediately post a thread about how he was killing us.

Again--random internet dudes posting on a message board aren't bad treatment.

He has killed us in games. That's not bad treatment.