"Cal Needs Some Help"

willievic

All-American
Aug 28, 2005
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It has nothing to do with the NBA and he sure as hell isn't trying to represent the NBA. It's about the kids to him. People want to spin it like it's about the NBA, it's just not. Cal cares about these kids and having their families taken care of and that means by getting them to the league. He has said that he wants them to have careers and not just make it there. He wants them to get to that 2nd contract. So, if anyone thinks that Cal is pushing these kids out the do who arent ready for that level, they're crazy as hell.

Evidently you haven't read his book, "It's all about the players." I suggest you read it before you go off on a tirade, and don't know everything. You might learn something. I'm not a Cal hater, I just love UK.

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!
 
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UKCAT5FAN

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May 9, 2010
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Evidently you haven't read his book, "It's all about the players." I suggest you read it before you go off on a tirade, and don't know everything. You might learn something. I'm not a Cal hater, I just love UK.

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!


A tirade?? Are we sensitive today?? That time of the month?

I havent read it but that doesnt mean you simply dismiss everything he has ever said because its "in his book". But I'm not sure what you are referring to in the book, so you can enlighten me if you please. What are you referring to that makes you so upset?

I know what the guy has said, no matter what you're referring to in the book, it doesnt just dismiss his words. I'm not sure why you even commented that way towards me, I wasnt bashing or criticizing you but whatever. I'm a UK fan first too, just saying
 

UK90

Heisman
Dec 30, 2007
31,460
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It does seem like Cal has fallen behind the times offensively. He's still playing the big ball style of a decade ago while everyone else is moving on to this four-out perimeter-dominant small ball style.

And it drives me nuts how we don't use screens the way other teams do. I know that was part of the whole dribble drive philosophy to discard the screens and focus on one on one matchups. But that just runs counter to the whole way I was taught basketball growing up, teammates are supposed to work to create open shots for each other.

Maybe bringing in some sharp offensive specialist is a good idea. Problem is I suspect Cal's too much of a control freak to turn his offense over to someone else.
 

UK90

Heisman
Dec 30, 2007
31,460
27,814
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The Cal bashing is getting absurd. Pack mentality.


I don't really regard this thread, at least as the OP intended it, as "bashing."

The OP's link was interesting in the way it noted how Beilein honestly acknowledged he'd fallen behind defensively, and by admitting that weakness and adjusting, he became an even better coach.

Why is it "bashing" to suggest Cal maybe should do something similar offensively? Admitting weakness is often the first step to improving in your profession. Beilein was willing to do that ...is Cal?
 
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Dec 10, 2018
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I don't really regard this thread, at least as the OP intended it, as "bashing."

The OP's link was interesting in the way it noted how Beilein honestly acknowledged he'd fallen behind as a defensively, and by admitting that weakness and adjusting, he became an even better coach.

Why is it "bashing" to suggest Cal maybe should do something similar offensively? Admitting weakness is often the first step to improving in your profession. Beilein was willing to do that ...is Cal?
Logical. Nice.
 

Random UK Fan

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Jan 5, 2010
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I don't really regard this thread, at least as the OP intended it, as "bashing."

The OP's link was interesting in the way it noted how Beilein honestly acknowledged he'd fallen behind defensively, and by admitting that weakness and adjusting, he became an even better coach.

Why is it "bashing" to suggest Cal maybe should do something similar offensively? Admitting weakness is often the first step to improving in your profession. Beilein was willing to do that ...is Cal?
Insightful.
 

WilliamBonne

Redshirt
May 22, 2009
17
10
0
We played great in the Bahamas with KP running it on the sidelines...not that he’s better than Cal but could learned a few things himself. The team responded to CKP...maybe Cal should be more zen like that. No offense to Barber & Justus, I’m sure they’re good guys, but I would love to see ex UK players on staff as assistants. My son is with Derek Anderson at LMHS and says Derek is awesome with ex’s & o’s!

Could you imagine DA in a living room with Cal? National Championship & 1 of only 4 players to sign lifetime contract with Jordan brand & maybe get AWalker or another former player. I want guys who will gush about this program because they’ve lived it! Don’t forget DA has played for Riley, Popavich, Pitino just to name a few.
 

W_Heisenberg

All-Conference
Aug 2, 2013
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It's somewhat challenging to adjust your offense every year around the players you have...Cal is going after elite talent, and each year that can lead to different skill sets and how players work with each other, hence the need for "tweaks" each year as he figures it out. Other coaches have a system, and recruit to accommodate vs. just taking as many top 20 guys as you can.

Also, let's put a few things in perspective - if Zion was here, we wouldn't be having these questions about Cal...that was a big miss, one you can't come make up for (and we know why Zion isn't here).

The good news is Cal has a solid track record of figuring it out by March, while everyone freaks out in Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb.
 
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Son_Of_Saul

Heisman
Dec 7, 2007
45,149
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It's somewhat challenging to adjust your offense every year around the players you have...Cal is going after elite talent, and each year that can lead to different skill sets and how players work with each other, hence the need for "tweaks" each year as he figures it out. Other coaches have a system, and recruit to accommodate vs. just taking as many top 20 guys as you can.

Also, let's put a few things in perspective - if Zion was here, we wouldn't be having these questions about Cal...that was a big miss, one you can't come make up for (and we know why Zion isn't here).

The good news is Cal has a solid track record of figuring it out by March, while everyone freaks out in Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb.


You make a really good point about Cal adapting the offense every year. That's often overlooked in these discussions and I'm glad you pointed it out.



Regarding your point about Zion, however, we don't know that Zion would have chosen UK over Clemson if Nike wasn't in the picture. Additionally, we can talk about scenarios "if" Zion was here and how things would be different. But he isn't here, and they aren't different. We didn't land him. Just like we haven't landed 15 other top 5 kids who were offered since 2015. We've landed one of them, and that player was Skal.

So hypothetical perspective is great, but reality is ultimate. We don't have a Zion on the team and we haven't had one since 2015. That's fundamentally the biggest issue right now. UK has to start landing elite freshmen again or land a handful of fringe guys in that second group. Right now, we have that with Maxey and Whitney coming in, but we need another piece or two. We're seeing the limitations of depending on freshmen like Quickley, Green, Richards, Diallo, Washington, Hagans, Herro, etc.
 
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new era cat

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Apr 7, 2007
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Here we go again....I’m surprised any of you even watch a game. Your hate shows you shouldn’t. To be mad at the coaching staff, ya know, for going to multiple FF’s, always in the hunt, and feeling like we can win it all every year....is dumb. Real dumb. Our fan base will torch us when cal is gone. No one will touch it because of everyone getting mad over a Seton Hall OT loss. It sucked, yea. I was mad. Real mad. But then I looked at the big picture and realized I’ve done the same type of thinking about 6 times since Cal got hired. It’s fine. Wrinkles work out with the right method. Setting it on fire is a cowards response.

Always in the hunt? Lol.
2015 is <--- way...
 

new era cat

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Apr 7, 2007
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It has nothing to do with the NBA and he sure as hell isn't trying to represent the NBA. It's about the kids to him. People want to spin it like it's about the NBA, it's just not. Cal cares about these kids and having their families taken care of and that means by getting them to the league. He has said that he wants them to have careers and not just make it there. He wants them to get to that 2nd contract. So, if anyone thinks that Cal is pushing these kids out the do who arent ready for that level, they're crazy as hell.

UK isn't the Make a Wish Foundation either!!!
I can sleep just fine when the Quade Green's don't work out.
Good luck and move on to the next OAD.
 
Mar 23, 2007
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What load of crap. Where do these blogs get these writers Jessie Clark Middle School? This is embarrassing to “Sea of Blue”. This writer purports to know what Cal needs to do to make himself a better coach? This is oure poppycock. This guy doesn’t know s__t.

This dude is just like the guy leaving KSR who used to write for this message board. They merely regurgitate what is layman speculation. He’s never coached a college game. This writer offers no meaningful insight just borrowed ideas esposed by many on this board every time Cal loses a game.

These days a guy gets a blog and then immediately someone links his jibberish epistle to a post on this board as if it came from Mount Sinai. What BS! This tripe has zero value except for unnecessarily fanning the flames of discontent and providing trolls with cannon fodder to create dissension within Big Blue Nation. If i were grading this yap’s article, I would give him a D- and direct him to take up metal working.
 

KyFaninNC

Heisman
Mar 14, 2005
195,719
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It's somewhat challenging to adjust your offense every year around the players you have
What offense do you see? I have watched games going back to 2012,and I see the same type of offense, no offensive scheme at all, we mostly out talented other teams. When we run into equally talented teams, we usually lose, especially in the tournament. Now we are losing to less talented teams, so there is an issue here,something is wrong in Camelot.
 
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AllBall

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May 5, 2015
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I find it laughable that the same few people on this board posts the same negative stuff over and over again hoping to get approving responses.
No, I don't think they give a rat's *** for your or anyone else's approval.
 

AllBall

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May 5, 2015
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I agree. But I don’t believe the sky is falling. Why is this team in trouble? 4 reasons. 1st, and foremost, they are not a very good perimeter defensive team. That can be corrected, but having 4 freshman guards will make it a challenging project. Camp Cal will help. 2nd, Nick Richards has been a bust recruit. This is really hurting the team. But it will result in more PT for Montgomery, so it isn’t crippling. 3rd, Quade Green was a bust recruit who left just when we needed him to suck it up and work harder. It’s a closed chapter. 4th, PJ Washington plays well in spurts but leave everything on the floor it all the time. That is correctable. If Washington had Keldon Johnson’s heart and fire, he would be the best college basketball player in the country. The bottom line is that this basketball team will be a lot better by March. But next year’s team is in real trouble unless Calipari can pull a couple of large rabbits out of his recruiting hat. The greatest concern is that top players are self-absorbed now and no longer want to accept Calipari’s recruiting pitch. Calipari is smart, and probably knows by now that he has to rethink his sales pitch. I think he can.
Maybe not 5 star recruits but not busts either. Its sink or swim time for Cal. The expectations for this season have changed dramatically from August. Hopefully, we start to improve and develop.
 
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rupp876

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Jan 15, 2003
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I don't really regard this thread, at least as the OP intended it, as "bashing."

The OP's link was interesting in the way it noted how Beilein honestly acknowledged he'd fallen behind defensively, and by admitting that weakness and adjusting, he became an even better coach.

Why is it "bashing" to suggest Cal maybe should do something similar offensively? Admitting weakness is often the first step to improving in your profession. Beilein was willing to do that ...is Cal?
You are operating under the assumption that we need a change that Cal is not capable of making himself. I find this assumption to be downright silly. If Cal chooses to make changes I am sure he is capable of doing so. Don't be so sure that your judgement on what kind of offense we need to run is superior to that of our Hall of Fame coach. It was just 2017 that he by all fairness had us in the Final 4 with a chance to win it all, till Higgins stepped in. How much has Higgins BS influenced some of our own fans?
 
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Blue Decade

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May 3, 2013
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It does seem like Cal has fallen behind the times offensively. He's still playing the big ball style of a decade ago.
First of all, Kentucky's problem right now is on the defensive end of the floor. We have been scoring enough points. There is nothing wrong with Calipari's offensive philosophy that better spacing and a couple more scorers wouldn't solve. He just doesn't have the personnel or the team experience right now to compete with the best college basketball teams. Calipari's offense works well if he has enough athletic scorers on the floor. Player development is a different question. Charles Matthews left. Nick Richards is a busted recruit. Quade Green, who also left, has to be 1 of the biggest recruiting disappointments of the Calipari era. PJ Washington doesn't play hard for 40 minutes. Tyler Herro is in a shooting slump. It's a personnel issue.
 
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TankedCat

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Nov 8, 2006
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It's a personnel issue.

absolutely agree, the problem is however is its going to be a recurring issue unless we either start getting continuity in the program year to year or this program gets better at evaluating talent.

Alot of people say - would you rather Cal recruit a 3 star kid and pass on a 5 star? and right now my response would be - would you rather have an Admiral Schofield on the team this year or would you want Charles Matthews, SKJ, Marcus Lee and Quade Green? (I have no idea how many stars Schofield had coming out of high school)

I'm convinced we're never going to win a title until we get the Admiral Schofield type players in the mix - developed over time and is the foundation - not the star, but the foundation of the team. What has to be easier - teaching 2 or 3 players defense and offense while 2 or 3 players know the system or teaching 5 - 7 new guys each year?
 

Random UK Fan

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What load of crap. Where do these blogs get these writers Jessie Clark Middle School? This is embarrassing to “Sea of Blue”. This writer purports to know what Cal needs to do to make himself a better coach? This is oure poppycock. This guy doesn’t know s__t.

This dude is just like the guy leaving KSR who used to write for this message board. They merely regurgitate what is layman speculation. He’s never coached a college game. This writer offers no meaningful insight just borrowed ideas esposed by many on this board every time Cal loses a game.

These days a guy gets a blog and then immediately someone links his jibberish epistle to a post on this board as if it came from Mount Sinai. What BS! This tripe has zero value except for unnecessarily fanning the flames of discontent and providing trolls with cannon fodder to create dissension within Big Blue Nation. If i were grading this yap’s article, I would give him a D- and direct him to take up metal working.
Yeah, but . . . this is fresh regurgitation.



Also, kudos to you for not blaming the messenger. On another ironic note . . . I went to Jessie Clark back in the mid '80s. Weird.
 

Jammin-Cat

Junior
Apr 2, 2018
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So we need more bi-polar fans like you who go from being angry to lucid instead of fans who discuss conditions requiring improvement and other conditions that are simply weaknesses which can be exploited by good teams.

Fans like you won't like knowing this, but there is a little thing called reality. And there is also a thing called discussion. Sometimes those two things come together, share time and space, here even, and drive the weak minded, bi-polar included, out of their thin little skulls.
‘Discussing conditions that require improvement’ is a lot different than calling for a change in a head coach and all out imposing we won’t make the tournament. We can discuss if you’d like.

Also in news, you can step off of mine if it’s getting in your way. In no way am I bipolar, thin skinned, and definitely not weak minded. I still root for my team and coach, regardless of a bad loss. And I’m also confident that a loss in OOC doesn’t define who we are. If your weak mind and thin skin doesn’t realize how college basketball works, we can discuss the conditions of how, what, when and where, Little keyboard warrior, don’t come at me when you shouldn’t. I didn’t piss in your yard, don’t **** in mine. Pretty simple.

‘Fans like you’...haha. Pretty sad your thin skin decided to post that after a simple, yet realistic post of mine. Like others here, you didn’t like that I posted something of a positive nature. Thus, classified it as ‘weak-minded’. Let’s grab a beer sometime and see.