Bamba to Texas

shaolin style

All-Conference
Apr 16, 2009
2,527
3,428
0
Are you freaking serious? We were a shot away from the final four even with the horrible officiating and would have been the favorite to win it and you say we were not Championship good?

Yeah, we lost because our front court couldn't rebound to save their lives. We didn't make the final 4 so we weren't "championship good" imo. That UNC team was not that good.
 

KingOfBBN

Heisman
Sep 14, 2013
39,077
38,403
0
Expected this after it took this long. Not a title team next year. I'm sure Diallo stays in draft as well.

Super young team. No vets at all.
 

Ben101er

Heisman
Apr 21, 2004
25,542
60,113
103
don't be sorry - you feel how you feel, I respect that
Don't agree with the them against us scenario in this case though; Texas is not a threat to UK in any way, really. They're going to need all the help they get in the Big 12.

I do hate it for us though, was really hoping we'd get him.

While I agree that UT is not a direct threat to UK, after all these years, I have taken the attitude that it is UK against the world.
 
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VikingCat21

All-Conference
Jan 3, 2016
1,726
2,945
57
Ben Simmons last year and now Markelle Fultz this year have proven that if you are good enough you can go anywhere and still get drafted #1 even if your team is terrible. This could be the start of a trend where some top recruits that don't really care about winning at the college level decide to take a much easier route to the NBA by playing for irrelevant teams (LSU, Washington, Texas, etc.). No pressure and the team revolves around you. There are obviously plenty of examples of this not working but it is what it is. I would have loved to have a version of Bamba on this team that was hungry to win a championship like AD was, but the reality is it's probably better for all parties involved that he didn't choose UK. It's not for everybody.
 

DevilFan1989

Freshman
Oct 24, 2016
352
90
0
Haha - that should serve you well. A player who was awful last year and who wanted to transfer until K cried and begged to get him back.

Marques Bolden is terrible in case you didnt notice
It's ironic that UK fans are making fun of Bolden when their Center options for next year are a 2nd year SKJ who was apparently so bad that he never got off the bench for Cal and an unknown quantity in freshman Richards who is reportedly very raw.

Bolden should take a natural sophomore jump next year and be a serviceable starter at least just like SKJ probably will.

If you haven't noticed, Duke has Wendell Carter coming in next year so our frontcourt should be more than just fine. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
 

morgousky

Heisman
Sep 5, 2009
23,959
43,171
0
Ben Simmons last year and now Markelle Fultz this year have proven that if you are good enough you can go anywhere and still get drafted #1 even if your team is terrible. This could be the start of a trend where some top recruits that don't really care about winning at the college level decide to take a much easier route to the NBA by playing for irrelevant teams (LSU, Washington, Texas, etc.). No pressure and the team revolves around you. I would have loved to have a version of Bamba on this team that was hungry to win a championship like AD was, but the reality is it's probably better for all parties involved that he didn't choose UK. It's not for everybody.

This has been my point about our recruiting lately. We can't get the tip of the classes that we need to put the power with the youth.

Kentucky will have no trouble pulling fringe OAD players because the Kentucky effect gives them the edge they need.

The Anthony Davis type players don't need it now. That's not going to change.
 

Cardsstink

Heisman
Mar 20, 2017
7,791
11,201
0
Same reason I watch all of my other sports teams who I doubt are gonna win it all.

Is reality not allowed here? Is it just blind fandom and homerism?

You have absolutely no clue if UK is a title team or not next year. ZERO. So to post your negative opinion on next years' season as reality, you are being a erk.
 
Dec 11, 2007
1,077
620
0
IMO it's wanting to be big fish in little pond effect. He takes all shots he wants at UT. Doesn't gave to share lime light with other MAA. At UK he is just one of the MAA on team full of them. At UT he's big man on campus all by himself.
 

morgousky

Heisman
Sep 5, 2009
23,959
43,171
0
Sincerely,

Roy Williams and Jay Wright

Roy Williams is recruiting 4 year players. Jay Wright is returning guys yearly.

We don't. Oh wenyen you got me!

It's not a hard concept to understand. We need too 5 player(s) because we're so young. Without them we simply don't have enough.

But whatever. You'll see. Our recruiting taking a dip with top guys in these classes has had a direct effect on us.
 

Blueaz

Heisman
Jul 7, 2009
28,072
30,262
113
Cal is not the same recruiter he was in 2008-2012. He's the goat, but there's too many places for OAD's to go now. They don't see UK as a need as they once did, especially in the top 5.

I've been saying it and saying it. We need to adjust to it.
how should he adjust? Don't we still have the number 1 class? This came out weeks ago that UT was in the mix and favored by some... This is not nearly as big a shock as Knox (IMO)
 

morgousky

Heisman
Sep 5, 2009
23,959
43,171
0
how should he adjust? Don't we still have the number 1 class? This came out weeks ago that UT was in the mix and favored by some... This is not nearly as big a shock as Knox (IMO)

I don't know. He's going to have to get some quality players to come back. If we can't get multiple top 5 players on each class I don't see how we can do this.

Number 1 classes don't mean anything for us. Loading up on number 15-25 blue chip recruits while being so young is not enough.

Hopefully we hit a class soon with legit top 5 guys and we actually land them.
 

hotelblue

Heisman
Jul 6, 2006
41,683
13,121
0
hurts, but we will still have a loaded front court. we will be rotating five forwards next year not counting knox.

vanderbilt, richards, washington, gabriel, skj.

rim protection is at a premium in college basketball to be sure. none of the major schools has like uk did in '10, '12, '15.
 

Rolf Russman

Sophomore
Dec 7, 2006
2,443
129
0
It really is odd, when you think about it.

It's the choice between competing for a title, and not competing at all.


Maybe Shaka sold him on the Jayhawk fans' argument that the Big XII title is more important than the NCAAT title! [eyeroll]
 

jameslee32

Heisman
Mar 26, 2009
33,663
22,359
83
Roy Williams is recruiting 4 year players. Jay Wright is returning guys yearly.

We don't. Oh wenyen you got me!

It's not a hard concept to understand. We need too 5 player(s) because we're so young. Without them we simply don't have enough.

But whatever. You'll see. Our recruiting taking a dip with top guys in these classes has had a direct effect on us.
Cliff Alexander was Rivals #4. Ulis was #21 and Booker was #29!!!

In Cal we trust.
 
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morgousky

Heisman
Sep 5, 2009
23,959
43,171
0
You mean like Booker, or Bledsoe?

Yep. Exactly like those.

Kentucky has had 8 years with Cal and we have a title. That title team had two top 5 guys. That's plenty of sample size.

This isn't hard. We need top 5 recruit(s) because of our youth. If not we need to get some quality guys back to make up for it. Other programs do it, Cal could too.

My fear is we are now at a point where Cals ego is gonna get in the way. He recruits like he expects it. And he hasn't been hitting the mark he needs to.

Right now, top 5 players go everywhere. They can lay low and be a pro in months. Cals not their keeper today. What's that leave on the table? Players ranked 10-25 who are fringe OAD types. A great example is Bam. They NEED the Kentucky effect.

The problem with that is they aren't enough. We're too young.

This has been happening for a while and a lot of people realize it. This board doesn't, shocker.
 
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KyCatFan1

Heisman
May 6, 2002
30,867
31,594
113
Went from signing Green to get Diallo and Bamba and possibly only getting Green now. :( So much for the package deal. I hope Green turns out to be great with us not getting Young.

It's just been so crazy with a lot of these top players lately choosing mediocre teams over coming here. Are they afraid of the competition? Coach Cal showed you don't have to be a 30+ minute player here to get drafted high with the year of the platoon. We need to tell them to look at the track record of those schools and coaches and compare it to here with Coach Cal.

Has a single one of these highly ranked recruits that chose the home school/football school/bad basketball school ever actually helped get their team very far? Here's a few of the ones we missed out on or were ones we talked about a lot on here off the top of my head.

LSU - Simmons :thumbsdown:
UNLV - Zimmerman :thumbsdown:
Miss St - Newman :thumbsdown:
Texas - Allen :thumbsdown:
Washington - Fultz :thumbsdown:
Missouri - Porter Jr ?
Texas - Bamba ?
 
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morgousky

Heisman
Sep 5, 2009
23,959
43,171
0
I'm sorry but that's just ridiculous to think we need two top 5 players each year to compete.

Even last year according to Rivals we didn't have one top 5 guy and we were one shot from a final four.

8 years, 1 title, and that team had two top 5 legit players. Elite right is not a final four. Second round is not a sweet 16.

Tell ya what, you wake me up when we win a title without two top 5 players.

Ridiculous to pretend there's no validity to this.