Completely agree. You need to know what your plan is and if it looks like Pope isn’t going to do enough to return you go ahead and get your next coach lined up. No need for a “coaching search.” Have it set.
I will forgive and support Pope if he lands Stokes.
- Thread starter Son_Of_Saul
- Start date
My opinion is that UNCheat made a good hire. The only downside to hiring an NBA coach that has won a championship is the question of whether or not he can recruit. With players getting paid now any competent coach should be able to get players at a Blue Blood.
I would be very excited for the season if we get Stokes and would absolutely cut Pope some slack. With that roster, my expectations would also be very high. So I would expect to look like a contender most of the season and won't be happy with just a Sweet 16 finish. If next year is bad, I will be one of his harshest critics.
It's make-or-break time, for sure. A lot of people are undervaluing Stokes, as well.
I was thinking about which one of those two would be the best get. Stokes can do some things better than Momcilovic but he sure can't drain threes the same way. I guess I'd be ecstatic with either one.
I don’t know that I agree with that. Obviously, purely from a basketball knowledge perspective, Malone is going to be elite. He excelled in the highest level of basketball there is. But there’s a lot of difference in the college and NBA games. It’s closer than it used to be but it’s still two very different games. Malone was a big risk and Tar Heel fans reacted as though it was a big risk. We don’t have the buy in that they do and there was a whole lot of mixed and negative reactions.
It does suck for Pope though, he's carrying a lot of the baggage Cal left behind his last 4 years here.
Yeah, Pope's 2nd year wasn't good, but it is creating a lot more hate and pressure than it should and I'm part of it. I'm giving him a lot of slack, but admittedly, a lot of my impatience, is created by the failures of Cal's last 4 years. I suspect this is the case for most of the BBN.
Yeah, Pope's 2nd year wasn't good, but it is creating a lot more hate and pressure than it should and I'm part of it. I'm giving him a lot of slack, but admittedly, a lot of my impatience, is created by the failures of Cal's last 4 years. I suspect this is the case for most of the BBN.
Yep and as much as I want it to work with Pope, that is the job. If we weren’t as down as we were at the time, he likely wouldn’t have gotten this opportunity. It’s kind of unfair in a way, but he has to figure out how to rebuild the mansion or security is on call.
Dude you sound a lot more negative. Just a few weeks ago, you were telling me to take it easy on pope
I’ll just say about the recruiting, things always look worse bc we’re on the outside and don’t know anything other than what “insiders” feed us, and half of that is wrong anyway. So when nothing is happening, people rush to the worst
let’s just see what the roster looks like. This is the easy part. The hard part will be pope figuring out how to use his talent effectively, how to manage minutes, etc..
This isn’t fair, I know but the fact that Pope was under qualified has given him a short leash with some, including myself. If Pope had shown that he could get it done with conference success or NCAA success, I think people could say “hey this guy will get it done, just give him time”. The lack of a resume is troubling and future results are often determined by past success. I hope he does well, I’m a UK fan, I want to win above all else. If Pope wins, no one will say a word.
Before all the recruiting began I believed Stokes was a critical get because he is considered a top recruit. Could Pope with Kentucky create that attraction of top talent as Cal had? I personally haven't seen Stokes as that awesome but that isn't the point. His commitment would draw national media attention now and throughout the season. That's equally important combined if the other talent shows up to play. So Yes like Son of Saul I'm all in if that happens. I believe that will be equally true of most fans.
A lot of people like his posts. He’s one of the elder statesmen round here. One of the OG doomers. Gotta respect that
Id take Slim Jesus at this point and tell Freeman and Stokes to kick rocks. We could find a SF to complement Kam. I actually think he is a better player than he showed last year. He took a back seat to Oweh but I think he can be an ISO, get a bucket guy also.
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I'm not being negative, I'm saying the same things I've always said. Pope was never getting fired after year 2, so I was never in on the hate parade that took place on here.
I want Pope to be great, but he has to learn his lesson after this disaster of a season and he has to make it happen in year 3.
He lost a lot of games from lack of game preperation, lack of player motivation and serioulsy bad substitution patterns. He has to fix these things and he has to get UK caliber players.
But again, I will not hate the guy, he doesn't deserve that, but there are expectations and it's time to meet them. He has all the tools at his disposal, so it's time.
I firmly believe this team didn't like each other and there were destructive injuries on top of that and he still got us to the tournament and won a game. Is what it is. He's capable of big things, he just has to stop overthinking it and do the things that make sense.
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Miikka Muurinen
Agreed, Pope never should have been hired. Mitch put all of us in this position because he made a lazy hire and now we have to hope Pope figures it out, because if he doesn't, we will end up eating one of our own and that sucks.
Miikka Muurinen
More than likely he ends up at UNC, his mom won a national championship there.
I like the Michael Myers tat
I don't care who he gets. Just win. If Pope somehow landed Stokes, but continued his losing ways I think it would be worse. That means that he is not able to even win with a talented roster. His margin for error and excuses is running really thin.
Why? Getting a player who is clearly trying to find any other option but this one but settles on UK simply because we outbid everyone and remained interested/desperate at the end of tje recruitment because literally every other team and coach gave up isn't really a positive.
Really? That team won’t look much different than this year, IMO. Unless Pope runs a different offense. Perimeter shooting, ball movement/reversal & cutting are MANDATORY if his offense is gonna work. Out of those 5 where is the spacing coming from? Spacing is also huge in this system.
Diallo & Stokes are both ball dominant & Wilkins is used to having the ball quite a bit, too. Can those guys play off the ball? Can they play within the system, without controlling the ball for most of a possession? Ball dominant guys are kryptonite to the zoom action offense. Quick passing & moving without the ball is required.
I’m not questioning the talent. All those guys are good players & are great pieces, in a vacuum. But, together? Idk. Feels an awful lot like last year’s roster construction to me. Like he’s just taking whomever he can get & hoping it works out. Just makes little sense to me for a system coach to load up on skillsets that don’t fit what he wants to do. But, who knows, maybe he plans on doing something different.
I don’t hate Pope & would be thrilled to see him figure it out & do great things here. But, I can’t understand his thought process. Why get a bunch of below average shooters & serial dribblers to run an offense based on perimeter shooting & ball movement? It’s kinda antithetical, isn’t it?
I can see Wilkins taking a leap from 3 with better shot selection & better teammates. I really like him. Kam has potential, but, is inconsistent. I’ll be pleasantly surprised if any of the others crack 35%.
I will say that I like having multiple ball handlers & good passers. I’m just not sold that they can complement each others’ games & play within the system. I just REALLY hope he adds some legit shooters, though, if he’s still planning on running zoom action. I still have PTSD from all the scoring droughts this year & will check out early next year if it looks no better.
Exactly. If CMP wants to silence his critics, he needs to produce results.
There's only one way forward.
1. Land Stokes
2. Hope Stokes ignores Pope and just plays ball, much like the 2017 team did with Cal.
He'll be here now, the big question is what can Pope accomplish with him.
may have someone on the roster going into the portal, think Hawthorn
may have someone on the roster going into the portal, think Hawthorn
Yes forgiven until we will realize we need like six more players and Pope recruits from Betty Davis School for the blind cuz we got $12 left and a bag of Doritos with no dies or artificial flavors to buy six players.
Those Doritos are really good though.
Those Doritos are really good though.
I think yall are jumping ghe gun a little. He needs to go to FF OR Title first. Prove he has the coaching ability to coach a team to success.
I think that would be rash swing in judgement. Pope's outlook can't be based on landing one recruit, whether good or bad. He still has to do something with that recruit.
Im moderately happy with Diallo and Wilkins. I think we could have done a little more by this point in the transfer portal with our NIL and name.. but I also think this could have gone worse. We land another big name or two, maybe another bench piece or two.. to go with whats returning.. and this could be a team that can get to the final 4... but still have work to do and Pope still has to coach them.
Stokes would make me giddy for sure. But it doesnt erase last year in any way.
Im moderately happy with Diallo and Wilkins. I think we could have done a little more by this point in the transfer portal with our NIL and name.. but I also think this could have gone worse. We land another big name or two, maybe another bench piece or two.. to go with whats returning.. and this could be a team that can get to the final 4... but still have work to do and Pope still has to coach them.
Stokes would make me giddy for sure. But it doesnt erase last year in any way.
He’s gonna have to do a lot more than just land Stokes to get me back on board. Hes gotta land Stokes, Freeman and ATLEAST 1 major shooter. Then it’s Final Four or bust this year. If he can manage all that THEN I can overlook all of his past screw ups. If not… well then it’s time for the coaching search. My money is on the coaching search.
Be worried if our next round of visits include 4s you've never heard of