Not a member but I have a good paywall breaker. Article below
Let’s just start here: While there is a debate to be had about whom they should actually be mad at, it is wrong to suggest (as some have) that Kentucky fans are not justified in their anger that
Shaedon Sharpe is leaving without ever playing a minute for the Wildcats. Of course they should be upset now that we know — via multiple sources confirming to
The Athletic — that Sharpe plans to enter and stay in the 2022 NBA Draft. It’s hard not to feel like John Calipari’s program got played. Should folks be mad at the shy, quiet 18-year-old at the center of this circus? Probably not. His parents? Nope. Or at least folks shouldn’t be nasty to them online, because (beyond that being generally good advice in civilized society) as a projected lottery pick, he has logical reasons to go pro now. It’s not the decision, rather the handling of this entire situation, that has been absolutely maddening for Kentucky’s program and those who love it.
Here’s why: For months after he announced plans to enroll early at Kentucky, Sharpe, his family and advisor Dwayne Washington told UK’s staff and the public that he planned to practice but not play with the Wildcats for the second semester of last season — but then return to school and play for the team next season. We can confidently say now that was a charade. And for what? Was it all just to validate to the NBA that he meets the league’s requirement for 2022 draft eligibility? Because throughout the last several months, as he was offering so many reassurances of a return, Washington told numerous people on the NBA side that Sharpe definitively planned to be in the 2022 draft. On Thursday, after
The Athletic reported as much, Sharpe finally put out a statement saying that he is entering the draft but leaving open a door to return to school. No one in the NBA believes that will happen.
Washington, via text message, declined four times to answer a direct question Thursday: Do you dispute that you’ve been telling people in the NBA that Sharpe plans to stay in the draft? He deflected. “From now on, I’m only going to respond to actual names of people,” Washington wrote. “Because the term ‘NBA people’ is broad. I wouldn’t listen to anyone if I were you. Just go by Shaedon’s statement. Those are the facts.” He added that Sharpe “has no agent!!!!” and concluded “if he wanted to leave, he would have left a long time ago.” Washington wrote that if Sharpe was planning to bolt, why wouldn’t he have an agent, why would he still be taking classes and why would he remain on Kentucky’s campus?
Some answers: because Washington has not yet earned his agent certification, because the spring semester is still not over and, well, Sharpe is actually not on campus anymore; he’s finishing up the semester online.
One scout for a team in this year’s lottery believes there was never a plan for Sharpe to actually play at Kentucky. The scout says he spoke to Washington as far back as the fall and Washington confirmed that Sharpe would be in the 2022 draft.
Continued below