You could say I'm a bit of a sunshine pumper. Probably can tell from my posts to likes ratio. I don't think I have once bashed Cal. Even when I'm really upset, say after a loss or missing out on a kid we think we really need. I always bite my tongue and just say Cal has a plan. (which I still believe) And I'm quick to call out JFCats, Kentucky Kiddy, Zaytoven, etc. Still love ya'll, we are all rooting for the same cause at the end of the day. But I'm starting to get where you guys and others are coming from.
Let me say this before I get into it. I love Cal. But I'm a little unsure of the current direction. It is also possible to be upset with the coach and at the same time not want anyone else to be the coach. This is where I am.
I just don't see how UK can get back to a final four so damn young. So damn talented, but when you get to that Elite 8 match-up, you really need dudes that have been there before. The Fab 5 almost did it with primarily freshman. Our cats almost did it in 2014. But it just takes so much for it to happen. How many times did Miller, Jones, and Lamb come through in 2012 when we needed them?
I think Cal himself senses this too. That is why I think he's going hard after players like Haarms, whom he normally wouldn't go after. I'm happy he brought a long Mintz and Toppin for experience alone and I do believe he will go after another big man for next year. Maybe a guy we haven't heard of yet. Just can't afford to miss this time.
John Calipari has done so much for Kentucky. The way he's changed the brand alone will do wonders for recruiting after he is gone. Think of little kids now who are growing up and will see all these superstars in the NBA that went through Lexington before they got there...
We already know how next year will go. They'll struggle early, lose to a couple no names, and be playing well in March. But will it be enough to get to the promised land? Just don't feel as confident as I usually do. Being quarantined has hampered my sunshine pumping abilities I guess.
Your "promised land" and mine, if I get your drift, are winning the championship. The program's "promised land" is getting players to the next level. If this means by the most expeditious means possible, then so be it, in fact, the sooner the better.
Life really is, in many cases, about numbers. At least numbers give us a visible measuring stick to how well things are going. Many would say that, under Cal's 11 seasons, winning a championship 9% of the time is a pretty darn good percentage; with some luck, that could have been at least better by 2 championships and several percentage points. However, I worry that the no-kidding important statistic is how many we get to the professional level and what the dollar amount of their contracts turns out to be. I worry that this overriding philosophy has taken on such a "life" that it skews kids' and parents' thinking, that a pro contract far exceeds goals of school and winning championships.
This latest team's decisions to leave, many with little chance to be drafted in the top 30, is a clear illustration of how kids and parents currently view the road to the professional ranks. Even with a road that is murky at best for all except Maxey, the perception from many fans is that these kids have used up what value UK has for them and are now more than ready to move on. None seem to have noticed the patience exercised by PJ and what being patient did for him. No player on this team was as good as PJ was last year, yet we have a wholesale exodus. Come hell or high water, ready or not, they were leaving.
It's a complex situation that is controversial now and will remain so as long as Cal is here. I too love the fact that he is our coach, and it would be madness to suggest he be replaced or his "players first" philosophy be altered.