post summer workouts report

[CatsPaws270]

From everything I've gathered the last year years...

Nick has always shown his potential in practice. He has some good offensive moves. Can block shots. He works hard and always gives great efforts. But? Makes dumb mistakes and gets emotional when he isn't succeeding.

So if he's still Nick...then that just means he's still the same guy with the same potential and skill. He's still close to 7 foot...so he's not losing that aspect. He's played 2 full years and started some games. I think they just don't know if he's going to breakthrough or not...because you really can't see it until they're on the court.

It's only August 12th...lets see where he is on November 12th....January 12...but most importantly March 12th. He's going to have to play this year out of necessity. Maybe more play time will be helpful....and because there isn't more options he won't be as nervous to lose his spot and can just go play.

 

[BBallin23]

I like nick but if he don’t improve he’ll be riding the pine.

No he won’t. Who else can Cal play? Unless they get Dante, Richards will get lots of PT.

 

[Bigblueamyou]

No he won’t. Who else can Cal play? Unless they get Dante, Richards will get lots of PT.

Sestina will get his minutes

 

[BBallin23]

I get that we should all stay positive, but going off what we know, Richards an EJ have shown absolutely nothing. I’m trying to see why so many people are so sure this is going to be a final four type team.

 

[Patterson Building]

Hakeem Olajuwon did not play basketball until he was 17. Tim Duncan did not play until he was 15. It's more than feel for the game with Richards.

So unfair. The diminishing of our Wildcat players by our fans gets old. Olajuwon and Duncan are two of the best players to ever play the game of basketball. They happened to get a late start in the game for obvious reasons, but they are hall off fame level talents. Comparing almost any other basketball player to Olajuwon or Duncan is a lopsided comparison. Of course they had more talent and a better feel for basketball than Nick Richards. They had more talent and a better feel than almost any other basketball player. Richards still has two years left of college eligibility.

 

[mjj_2K]

So unfair. The diminishing of our Wildcat players by our fans gets old. Olajuwon and Duncan are two of the best players to ever play the game of basketball. They happened to get a late start in the game for obvious reasons, but they are hall off fame level talents. Comparing almost any other basketball player to Olajuwon or Duncan is a lopsided comparison. Of course they had more talent and a better feel for basketball than Nick Richards. They had more talent and a better feel than almost any other basketball player. Richards still has two years left of college eligibility.

Oh spare me this sanctimonious crap.

You have a contingent of people who want to claim that Richards has oodles of talent, and has been held back mainly by lack of experience. All I'm saying is that I think his talent has been overstated, because "talent" in basketball is more than being an impressive physical specimen.

So yeah, it's a lopsided comparison, but the point is valid- if the talent is good enough, the experience doesn't mean much. See Joel Embiid for another, more recent example.

I hope things click for Richards, and he goes on to be an All-SEC player and 1st round pick, but at this point, I'm going to be less than surprised if it doesn't happen.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Nick Richards is a five-star athlete with a five-star body and length, a three-star motor, two-star hands, and a late start in his life in the game of basketball. Richards is the kind of player that takes longer to develop and has a harder time developing consistency, but his ceiling is still NBA if he works hard enough. Cal took Richards out of a hs basketball program that has been good to UK, and he did it at a time (as we now know) when many highly ranked players were being paid by the big shoe companies to sign with other schools. I think we need to be patient with Nick and see what he can do as a junior with a little more opportunity now that Travis has graduated.

We'll probably have Nick again next year.. which is absolutely necessary based on how we've been recruiting big men.

 

[Poetax]

LMAO. About 50 people so far in this thread have written off Nick Richards for at least the season, if not the rest of his career, with varying degrees of detailed analysis and emotional intensity — all based on four words, ‘Nick is still Nick” in a second or third hand report delivered in early August and based on observations in July.

What if I told you someone who has watched lots of the workouts told me “Nick is showing real improvement in catching the ball and in his defensive reactions and he has finally taken conditioning seriously and has revved up his motor.”

We’ll see who is right in November.

My way of thinking is you got to hope that he improves, saying he’s going to fail is silly. He could, but I’m not saying it until it happens.

 

[School boy]

It's his 3rd year I'll wait to see Nick before I give up on him. I think he will be very good this season, we'll see.

 

[MdWIldcat55]

LMAO. About 50 people so far in this thread have written off Nick Richards for at least the season, if not the rest of his career...
What if I told you someone who has watched lots of the workouts told me “Nick is showing real improvement in catching the ball and in his defensive reactions and he has finally taken conditioning seriously and has revved up his motor.”

We’ll see who is right in November.

I've got to hand it to you guys. A lot of you really put me in my place for posting this very positive report I got on Nick Richards last summer. It was some of the usual suspects who are negative about everything, which always strikes me as a curious posture for a Kentucky basketball fan -- after all, its the most successful program in history.

But thanks to those who ridiculed my 'sunshine pumping' after I made the above post. Keep setting me straight. You'll be right eventually.

 

[Titpwhami2014]

I hope to see some “Brooks has morphed into Marvin Williams 2.0/Atlanta Hawks version” posts this summer!

 

[FrankUnderwood]

I've got to hand it to you guys. A lot of you really put me in my place for posting this very positive report I got on Nick Richards last summer. It was some of the usual suspects who are negative about everything, which always strikes me as a curious posture for a Kentucky basketball fan -- after all, its the most successful program in history.

But thanks to those who ridiculed my 'sunshine pumping' after I made the above post. Keep setting me straight. You'll be right eventually.

You showed em!

 

[LineSkiCat14]

My post-summer workout report: I gained 8lbs.

We'll probably have Nick again next year.. which is absolutely necessary based on how we've been recruiting big men.

One of these things was right, one of these things was wrong, and one of them is now 10 pounds, not 8.

 

[MdWIldcat55]

You showed em!

Self-serving, I agree with that. But as we're all anonymous here, it doesn't really matter much. My larger point was to illustrate that there are people on this board who are always sure they know what they are talking about, almost always negative, and almost always wrong.

 

[St.PatterSoN-54-]

JK man. I'm glad you were right about Nick. [winking]

 

[MdWIldcat55]

JK man. I'm glad you were right about Nick. [winking]

LOL. Yeah, patting myself on the back pretty hard. But also making a point about the perpetually negative. They are at it again this spring. I guess it'll never change.

 

[Drcats2025]

Richards still Richards and EJ looking to have a PJ like breakout. Yikes lol. That did not age well

 

[bucsrule8872]

My posts did not age well, IMHO. LOL!

 

[STL_Cat]

Well, you can’t really blame people for believing what they’ve seen on the court in real basketball games over any summer workout reports. After all, Josh Carrier can’t miss and Matt Pilgrim is a BEAST, right? Hell, last year NR was a beast in the Bahamas. Then we played real games against real competition ...

I don’t think anyone is “dismissing” Nick. Hell man, we all want him to be great. I think we’re at a point now where we just have to see it on the court in real game action against some real competition.

This was a fair post, IYAM.

 

[LexCatnOhio]

Tell me I wasn’t the only person subjected to the gif this am.

 

[TheAnonymous13]

I've got to hand it to you guys. A lot of you really put me in my place for posting this very positive report I got on Nick Richards last summer. It was some of the usual suspects who are negative about everything, which always strikes me as a curious posture for a Kentucky basketball fan -- after all, its the most successful program in history.

But thanks to those who ridiculed my 'sunshine pumping' after I made the above post. Keep setting me straight. You'll be right eventually.

I’m pleased with my posts!
I usually am.

 

[TheAnonymous13]

Self-serving, I agree with that. But as we're all anonymous here, it doesn't really matter much. My larger point was to illustrate that there are people on this board who are always sure they know what they are talking about, almost always negative, and almost always wrong.

I beg your pardon? There is only one anonymous here.