Duren to Memphis - Confirmed

BigBlueFanGA

Heisman
Jun 14, 2005
26,435
23,456
0
Some of the same fans telling us we don't need Duren were telling us we didn't need Bridges, and RJ, and Brown, and Tatum, and Zion, and Hardy, and Reddish, and Wiseman, and Cade, and Isaac, and Young, etc.

Just remember, folks, "we're going to be fine." We don't need elite players.
I guess you'd need to tell me what Duren does that makes him so elite. I've been wondering that for months now. I went back and looked at Boogies high school highlights. Boogie was much more impressive.
 

kelzer

Senior
Nov 24, 2019
767
959
0
Cal was so dumb for not taking Kofi. It was dumb back then and looks even dumber now. Only Calipari would turn away a first team all American center when you have no real proven big time post players. Smdh.
No proven big time post players? IIRC Oscar had 5 15-rebound games as a freshman and something like 17 double-doubles, most against quality competition.
 
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Gromcat_rivals

Heisman
Jun 28, 2021
10,292
27,496
0
I feel like UK fans are going to get played by a lot of recruits in the future. They are going to get their twitter following up so they can get big NIL deals.

Yep. Use Kentucky to get the followers, sign with programs like Memphis to get paid again on the shady scene.

Until Barnhart is gone and an AD comes in willing to play the game, this is going to get bad.

Anyone who thought the NIL was a good idea with Mitch Barnhart in control will reverse that opinion soon. The NIL was never going to be good for us, and we dominated the old way. Can’t believe so many wanted a change.
 
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Jul 28, 2006
11,296
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113
I didn’t expect Duren and I absolutely wish they would have gone for Kofi. But he and Tshiebwe are both too good not to play and I absolutely GUARANTEE that some of the people furious that we didn’t get Kofi would have been complaining about Cal running an archaic offense with 2 big centers and that it’s a guard’s game today.
I was never expecting him to UK to begin with, so it's not a big loss.

So many of us have begged and screamed for Cal to get away from his old style offense, yet had Kofi become a Cat, we could have been right back in the same boat.

I want to see our guards and wings running the floor, spacing the floor, and getting quality shots. We have veterans and we have shooters. Let's play ball.
 

Frankensteiner

Redshirt
Aug 6, 2021
10
16
0
You are missing the point. Cal literally has to have elite talent to win big, as in making FF. This years team has no elite talent. Unless Cal changes his coaching strategy, sweet 16 is best we can hope for.
Calipari can win big with good point guard play and experience. We have both. Good thing they haven’t quit yet like you and many others have.
 
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nickhorvathsuxazz

All-American
Jul 21, 2015
5,777
8,938
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I know I'm in the minority on here, but I"m very optimistic that Ware can provide us with a very serviceable back-up to Oscar. I liked his aggressiveness last year, and expect a substantial jump in his conditioning/strength w/ a full year of college weight training. He was just a tad underwhelming physically last year to play the style play he has to use to be successful at the college level.
 

Padsfs07

All-Conference
Jan 19, 2013
3,852
3,650
108
Was anyone expecting AD 2.0?

I was just expecting a top 2 future pick, because, ya know, Cal wins almost 10 games MORE per year when he has one of those on his roster. It matters, but I do like this conglomerate of future G-League talent. The Sweet Sixteen appearance will be a nice response to a 9 win season, and I'm not even being facetious.

Calipari has never had this level of experience here. I think you have to have one or the other. Elite, top five pick type freshmen or smart, hard working vets. We’ve never had a great mix of this here.

This season cannot really be compared to any Cal has had at UK. It’s more similar to Memphis when he was landing one or two studs like Banks, Williams, or Washington (similar to our Washington or Collins) to go with a group of juniors and seniors.

For instance, has Cal ever had a guy like Fredrick before? Maybe sophomore Doron Lamb?
 

Son_Of_Saul

Hall of Famer
Dec 7, 2007
45,519
100,284
113
Yep. Use Kentucky to get the followers, sign with programs like Memphis to get paid again on the shady scene.

Until Barnhart is gone and an AD comes in willing to play the game, this is going to get bad.

Anyone who thought the NIL was a good idea with Mitch Barnhart in control will reverse that opinion soon. The NIL was never going to be good for us, and we dominated the old way. Can’t believe so many wanted a change.
The old way had duke paying kids and beating us for recruits.
 

LadyCaytIL

Heisman
Oct 28, 2012
32,961
34,537
113
It’s open season in college basketball and we’ve got knives in a gunfight. I hope the CFk2 fans, Cal, and the rest that advocated for the NIL are never forgotten when UK is unable to retain its position in the future. If you ever said “I don’t see a problem with them making on their likeness” please don’t vote in national elections. It’s a scary thought.

I can tell you unequivocally schools like Memphis have deep pockets, are very corrupt, and do not care if they play in dark areas. If Kentucky continues to recruit like it’s 1997 and believes they’re gonna kill it with a wall of NBA players in a practice facility or Cals draft record - you’re in for a rude awakening.

Many have literally advocated against the betterment of their own university basketball team and don’t care. Why on earth would ANY UK fan advocate against a the methods that made us the greatest program of all time?

It will eventually come to light what Memphis is actually doing right now and I’m pretty sure the “get around” of the rules to do with big name money being directly involved is going on at other programs too. We’ll see soon enough.

Hiring Larry Brown was no accident. He’s not just there for X’s and O’s or recruiting. The fact that people actually believed that blew my mind.

Why be upset at fans who liked NIL? I thought it was going to knock us down due to how poor the state is and how we dont have the money boosters that at least 20 other schools have.. but those that liked it... if they didnt like it , it still wouldnt of stopped NIL from happening. Everyone here could of hated it with a passion , and still wouldnt stop it from happening so stop acting like its their fault.
 

Gromcat_rivals

Heisman
Jun 28, 2021
10,292
27,496
0
Why be upset at fans who liked NIL? I thought it was going to knock us down due to how poor the state is and how we dont have the money boosters that at least 20 other schools have.. but those that liked it... if they didnt like it , it still wouldnt of stopped NIL from happening. Everyone here could of hated it with a passion , and still wouldnt stop it from happening so stop acting like its their fault.

The NIL is going to be the worst thing to ever happen to UK basketball. It’s going to take us from the top to middle of the pack before it’s over.

And the NIL wouldn’t have been possible without the very vocal grievance pushers sounding alarms over and over for 10 years.

No, I won’t stop doing anything. They’re at least going to held responsible in some way for helping destroy the dominance of UK basketball. By advocating for the NIL, you advocated for the removal of UK from the throne. I don’t think I’ll go quietly while it happens.
 
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Gromcat_rivals

Heisman
Jun 28, 2021
10,292
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The old way had duke paying kids and beating us for recruits.

The old way also had UK with the most all time wins, most conference championships, and 8 national titles.

The NIL is a disaster for us. If some of you only knew what Memphis is pulling to get these recruits. I don’t see anyone at UK operating in similar fashion.

Fredex and AUTOZ will be buying recruits left and right from this point on. It’s not a coincidence Memphis got the top 2 recruits out the gate from the NIL.
 
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kybassfan

Heisman
Jul 1, 2005
20,032
16,368
113
Let’s see. Do we trust head coach that has tremendous respect in the basketball community or a small group of anonymous random posters, many of whom probably are not even Kentucky fans? Do we trust a highly paid and skilled coaching team or a nondescript herd of faceless super geniuses that never earned a dime through coaching?

Decisions decisions.

Revealing that the ones wrapped around the axle here totally overlook vastly more important considerations. How well will the team gel? How well will they master defense? How well will the learn team defensive skills? Will COVID once again hamstring the coaching staff? How well will we master a half court set? How well will we shoot free throws? How well will we keep turnovers low and protect the ball?

Any one of these questions is vastly more important than Duren.
 

UK-Chulo

All-American
Mar 22, 2007
3,472
5,005
98
The NIL is going to be the worst thing to ever happen to UK basketball. It’s going to take us from the top to middle of the pack before it’s over.

And the NIL wouldn’t have been possible without the very vocal grievance pushers sounding alarms over and over for 10 years.

No, I won’t stop doing anything. They’re at least going to held responsible in some way for helping destroy the dominance of UK basketball.
I've been saying that NIL is not an advantage to us. "The players can do autograph signing tours." That 10k is not close to the six figures these other schools are starting at.
 
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BigBlueFanGA

Heisman
Jun 14, 2005
26,435
23,456
0
Who exactly said he was AD?
We've had more than one calling he and Bates as the best. That is stupid. In all likelihood, he'll be a typical freshman with as many off games as good games and he'll falter in the Tournament. Quite literally, we don't need him.
 

Gromcat_rivals

Heisman
Jun 28, 2021
10,292
27,496
0
I've been saying that NIL is not an advantage to us. "The players can do autograph signing tours." That 10k is not close to the six figures these other schools are starting at.

Many do not understand what’s really going on. I nearly made a thread about it but don’t want to give the trolls the glee.

I’m well versed in the Memphis scene so it’s the example I use.

Unless UK is going to compete with the entities like Autozone and especially Fred Smith, we have no way of combating programs like that with the NIL. No way.

What people don’t realize yet, and what Memphis did, is use the arm of Fred which will result in millions of dollars to players for years to come. Duren allegedly got 7 figures in some kind of FE deal, Bates less but substantial. Fred Smith is worth billions of dollars and loves playing with Memphis athletics.

There are very powerful influences at certain programs who will buy everything up. The game is irrelevant now. And anyone thinking former draft picks and an autograph tour is going to combat this need to stop forming an opinion. That’s the nicest way I can put it. They don’t know what they’re talking about.

Add in Barnhart’s participation in how this plays out?

Anyone that advocated for this to happen also advocated for UK to lose their position. I’ve held back but I’ve seen enough to know this is happening. Memphis didn’t pull the top two players in the FIRST class since the NIL was in acted for no reason.

Does Kentucky have power players who want to give millions to the basketball teams players? If the answer is no, UK is done being what we were.
 
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Kingslayer07

Heisman
Jan 23, 2020
8,589
10,498
113
Many do not understand what’s really going on. I nearly made a thread about it but don’t want to give the trolls the glee.

I’m well versed in the Memphis scene so it’s the example I use.

Unless UK is going to compete with the entities like Autozone and especially Fred Smith, we have no way of combating programs like that with the NIL. No way.

What people don’t realize yet, and what Memphis did, is use the arm of Fred which will result in millions of dollars to players for years to come. Duren allegedly got 7 figures and some kind of ad deal, Bates less but substantial. Fred Smith is worth billions of dollars and loves Memphis basketball.

There are very powerful influences at certain programs who will buy everything up. The game is irrelevant now. And anyone thinking former draft picks and an autograph tour is going to combat this need to stop forming an opinion. That’s the nicest way I can put it. They don’t know what they’re talking about.

Add in Barnhart’s participation in how this plays out?

Anyone that advocated for this to happen also advocated for UK to lose their position. I’ve held back but I’ve seen enough to know this is happening. Memphis didn’t pull the top two players in the FIRST class since the NIL was in acted for no reason.

Does Kentucky have power players who want to give millions to the basketball teams players? If the answer is no, UK is done being what we were.
Congress and the ncaa will eventually put a cap on NIL amounts and what one can do. When that happens though, who knows. But hopefully soon.
 

Gromcat_rivals

Heisman
Jun 28, 2021
10,292
27,496
0
Congress and the ncaa will eventually put a cap on NIL amounts and what one can do. When that happens though, who knows. But hopefully soon.

Hope so. It just pisses me off seeing so many actually clamoring for Kentucky lose its grip without even knowing it.

This isn’t about free principles and ideology. This is college athletics which need rules to correctly adjust the playing field. Simply having an Uber rich booster should not distinguish winners and losers.
 
Dec 30, 2002
10,641
20,618
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Congress and the ncaa will eventually put a cap on NIL amounts and what one can do. When that happens though, who knows. But hopefully soon.
You're dreaming if you think the greedy progressives in Congress or the NCAA will ever do anything to limit the amount of money these players can rake in from big business.

They are too busy trying to figure out how to get their cut of all that cash.

Greed will be the death of college sports.
 

oddis500

All-Conference
May 5, 2019
949
1,397
0
Hope so. It just pisses me off seeing so many actually clamoring for Kentucky lose its grip without even knowing it.

This isn’t about free principles and ideology. This is college athletics which need rules to correctly adjust the playing field. Simply having an Uber rich booster should not distinguish winners and losers.

While I agree, a lot of teams would argue that the advantages enjoyed by big programs/conferences for decades is what created the uneven playing field to begin with. That’s why I HATE the whole power 5/playoff system.

Once you make it okay to create an advantage before a single down is played, it is just a matter of time until more separations are created and only the very few at the top have any real chance.

to me, that takes all of the fun out of sports.
 
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nickhorvathsuxazz

All-American
Jul 21, 2015
5,777
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Many do not understand what’s really going on. I nearly made a thread about it but don’t want to give the trolls the glee.

I’m well versed in the Memphis scene so it’s the example I use.

Unless UK is going to compete with the entities like Autozone and especially Fred Smith, we have no way of combating programs like that with the NIL. No way.

What people don’t realize yet, and what Memphis did, is use the arm of Fred which will result in millions of dollars to players for years to come. Duren allegedly got 7 figures in some kind of FE deal, Bates less but substantial. Fred Smith is worth billions of dollars and loves playing with Memphis athletics.

There are very powerful influences at certain programs who will buy everything up. The game is irrelevant now. And anyone thinking former draft picks and an autograph tour is going to combat this need to stop forming an opinion. That’s the nicest way I can put it. They don’t know what they’re talking about.

Add in Barnhart’s participation in how this plays out?

Anyone that advocated for this to happen also advocated for UK to lose their position. I’ve held back but I’ve seen enough to know this is happening. Memphis didn’t pull the top two players in the FIRST class since the NIL was in acted for no reason.

Does Kentucky have power players who want to give millions to the basketball teams players? If the answer is no, UK is done being what we were.
Cal needs to, first and foremost, make up w/ NIKE. Then, may be time to hit up his nba boys to start an alumni fund of some type to help finance NIL
 
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barney31

Senior
Apr 19, 2002
1,919
983
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, “Kentucky took everything it wanted from Illinois and left their program in shambles."
"Kentucky will eventually right it’s ship, Illinois will always be mediocre."
Illinois was a #2 the this past year's tournament. Can't remember UK's seed...Lunardi has them a #2 seed in next year's tourney, UK is a #3 seed. If Illinois is in shambles, what's that say about UK?
 
Nov 27, 2009
21,246
21,450
0
Tells you a lot about how some top recruits feel towards playing in college: it's a neccesary evil.

Unfortunately, it seems that pre-2016, a lot of the top recruits needed a guy like Cal to get them to the NBA. But that's just not the case anymore.

At the same time.. the top5 are going to go where it works for them, not to where it helps a college fanbase win a title. And that's never been as prevalent as it is today.
The top five will follow the $$$$$. Today's players don't care about titles, Final Fours, fans, traditions or anything not tied to a quick path to the NBA and $$$$$ while in waiting to get there.
UK either becomes a semi pro team real quick or we will continue to eat after the big money schools.
College basketball as many of us once knew it is dead.