Rotation moving forward

[Sparkaces]

With some real games finally come up what is the best rotation moving forward:
PG: Wheeler 30 min, TYTY 10
SG: TYTY 20 min, Mintz 20
SF: Grady 25 Min, Mintz 5 Min, Allen 10
PF: Grady 5, Mintz 5, Toppin 15, Hop 10, Brooks 5 (Hardest position by far, basically whoever is playing good)
C: Oscar 30 Min or more, Hopkins and Collins split 10
If Cal has any sense when Sharpe gets here basically give him the PF minutes and go small.

 

[PasadenaCat]

With some real games finally come up what is the best rotation moving forward:
PG: Wheeler 30 min, TYTY 10
SG: TYTY 20 min, Mintz 20
SF: Grady 25 Min, Mintz 5 Min, Allen 10
PF: Grady 5, Mintz 5, Toppin 15, Hop 10, Brooks 5 (Hardest position by far, basically whoever is playing good)
C: Oscar 30 Min or more, Hopkins and Collins split 10
If Cal has any sense when Sharpe gets here basically give him the PF minutes and go small.

If Allen is playing 10mpg going forward, we are screwed.

If we are relying on Sharpe to come save us, we are equally as screwed.

We need some kind of solid production when Oscar goes out. None of our frontcourt guys hive us that. Collins appears to be the best bet.

 

[JonathanW_rivals]

If Allen is playing 10mpg going forward, we are screwed.

If we are relying on Sharpe to come save us, we are equally as screwed.

We need some kind of solid production when Oscar goes out. None of our frontcourt guys hive us that. Collins appears to be the best bet.

I will add to that, if we play Grady or Mintz any PF minutes, we are screwed.
There is 2 ends of the court. You have to defend the other end also!!! And the thought of either of them trying to guard some 6'8 230 PF, won't be pretty.

 

[Paulyv94]

I will add to that, if we play Grady or Mintz any PF minutes, we are screwed.
There is 2 ends of the court. You have to defend the other end also!!! And the thought of either of them trying to guard some 6'8 230 PF, won't be pretty.

Yeah but who has that at the 4 besides a handful of teams? Paulo and timme and zags. Most teams are going small at the 4. And I even think Grady could hold his own. At the end of the day, we have to start playing small and fast. Keon should be playing 2 minutes a game only when grady needs a rest at the 4. Space them out and shoot threes. That's how we win these next couple of games. Not Keon shooting 11 foot shots. Yeah he can make them, but not at a clip that I am confident he can be consistent.

 

[riversideman]

You seriously believe Brooks only gets 5 minutes a game and Allen gets ten, double his minutes?

 

[akaukswoosh]

If Cal has any sense when Sharpe gets here basically give him the PF minutes and go small.

LOL Yeah let's talk the most experienced team Cal has had here and turn the PF spot over to a reclassified guard who should be in prep school and hasn't practiced with the team a minute.

 

[Sparkaces]

LOL Yeah let's talk the most experienced team Cal has had here and turn the PF spot over to a reclassified guard who should be in prep school and hasn't practiced with the team a minute.

Correct

 

[Sparkaces]

You seriously believe Brooks only gets 5 minutes a game and Allen gets ten, double his minutes?

Flip Flop them lol, who cares, or give em 7 1/2 each lol.

 

[Sparkaces]

Correct

Matt Jones brought this up last night, Sharpe is considered the 3rd best player Cal has brought in behind Wall and Davis. Do we seriously think Cal is gonna not play him? Also, if the team is super experienced that is even more reason to put Sharpe in because the team should be able to adjust quickly.

 

[nickhorvathsuxazz]

With some real games finally come up what is the best rotation moving forward:
PG: Wheeler 30 min, TYTY 10
SG: TYTY 20 min, Mintz 20
SF: Grady 25 Min, Mintz 5 Min, Allen 10
PF: Grady 5, Mintz 5, Toppin 15, Hop 10, Brooks 5 (Hardest position by far, basically whoever is playing good)
C: Oscar 30 Min or more, Hopkins and Collins split 10
If Cal has any sense when Sharpe gets here basically give him the PF minutes and go small.

We've got too many 4's to be trying to play Grady and Mintz any minutes there.

 

[Sparkaces]

We've got too many 4's to be trying to play Grady and Mintz any minutes there.

The whole point is those 4's aren't very good and if you go with the 4 guard lineup Brooks, Toppin and Collins are gonna have their minutes limited.

 

[qwesley]

Ware and Allen have to get culled out of the rotation. Toppin as the backup 5. Roll with one or both of the freshman at PF (Collins gives you shot blocking and a decent spot up shooter, Hopkins gives us another driver and decent post up). Brooks backing up. Go 3 forwards when Oscar sits. Play SS for sure.

 

[eb4ukcats]

Brooks and Ware should get only mop up minutes, after last night

 

[Rangermike]

The whole point is those 4's aren't very good and if you go with the 4 guard lineup Brooks, Toppin and Collins are gonna have their minutes limited.

Just because they can’t shoot 40% from 3 doesn’t mean they aren’t any good. They give you rebounding, defense and are skilled enough where they don’t really hurt on offense.

 

[bigblue1971]

The whole roster is unbalanced.

 

[Rangermike]

My guess

If Allen doesn’t start shooting better he won’t see the floor. It will be like last year he will have occasional games he gets hot and other games you won’t remember he played.

Ware will play in certain games when we need someone physical in the post and other games will barely play.

Still don’t know about Pf Brooks will play and after him it might be matchup based and going with hot hand.

 

[BourbonBalz]

This team does not have a single true small forward on the roster. That hurts. It also doesn’t have a PF that is a big time scoring threat, particularly in the paint. Collins is very promising, but I’m afraid he’s going to get pushed around when we start playing real teams with size. When Oscar goes to the bench, we’re screwed.

 

[Sparkaces]

I agree on Allen, I think Cal at least for the next couple of games is gonna play him 4/5 minutes and if he gives nothing he's prob out of the rotation. Ware is just gonna be deep foul trouble minutes, you can kinda tell Cal is hunting minutes for Collins and Hopkins and I think it comes at the backup 5.

My guess

If Allen doesn’t start shooting better he won’t see the floor. It will be like last year he will have occasional games he gets hot and other games you won’t remember he played.

Ware will play in certain games when we need someone physical in the post and other games will barely play.

Still don’t know about Pf Brooks will play and after him it might be matchup based and going with hot hand.

 

[K_TIME]

Without Sharpe
PG: Wheeler 30 min, TYTY 10..Bingo
SG: TYTY 20 min, Mintz 20..Bingo
SF: Grady 25 Min, Mintz 5 Min, Toppin 10 (guys Allen is out)
PF: Toppin 15, Collins 5, Brooks 20 (Hardest position by far, basically whoever is playing good)
C: Oscar 30 Min Collins 10

Guys...it's an 8 man rotation and the only spot I can't zero is it is Collns or Hopkins. One of them will be the man to backup Oscar and grab some PF minutes. I'll go with Collins over Hopkins right now but that could flip.

If Sharpe is in play....I'll argue he'll get 25pmg and Mintz will give up nearly all of those minutes.

 

[maysvilleky]

Brooks will start. He’s one of Cal’s chosen ones this year. Him and Toppin will play roughly 20 min per game.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

If Allen is playing 10mpg going forward, we are screwed.

If we are relying on Sharpe to come save us, we are equally as screwed.

We need some kind of solid production when Oscar goes out. None of our frontcourt guys hive us that. Collins appears to be the best bet.

No one is suggesting Sharpe "come save us." What I've seen is fans who are suggesting he could give a significant bump to our title chances if the rest of the team continues to develop as a top 10 team.

 

[PasadenaCat]

No one is suggesting Sharpe "come save us." What I've seen is fans who are suggesting he could give a significant bump to our title chances if the rest of the team continues to develop as a top 10 team.

I don’t think coming and shooting more mid range jumpers is what we need right now. We already have a lot of that. And it's a big part of Sharpe's game currently. We need a post player that is comfortable in post offensively, can get easy buckets, play D and block shots when our guards get beat.

I've seen countless posts on this board suggesting we are done without Sharpe playing. Sure sounds like some are in-fact expecting a savior type. Probably best to just let him get here next month and let the coaches see what they got before we start creating expectations.

 

[klentstarks]

Pg: wheeler 30 tyty 10
Sg: tyty 20 Mintz 15 Grady 5
Sf: Grady: 20 Mintz 10 Allen 5 Hop 5
Pf: Brooks 20 Toppin 15 Collins 5
C: Oscar 30 Collins 5 Brooks 4 Lance 1

Agree that 4 is the biggest question mark. If Brooks is draining the mid range like he did a couple games ago he will play more, if not then Toppin/Hopkins/Collins will have a shot. I really like Lance and I’m glad he’s sticking with Uk and not just transferring but I just don’t see him getting much this year.
I think the 3 will vary as well. If Grady is on then he will have some games where he gets 30 min, if he’s cold then Mintz or Hopkins will have their shot. Thank goodness for depth.

 

[BGCATFAN2012]

With some real games finally come up what is the best rotation moving forward:
PG: Wheeler 30 min, TYTY 10
SG: TYTY 20 min, Mintz 20
SF: Grady 25 Min, Mintz 5 Min, Allen 10
PF: Grady 5, Mintz 5, Toppin 15, Hop 10, Brooks 5 (Hardest position by far, basically whoever is playing good)
C: Oscar 30 Min or more, Hopkins and Collins split 10
If Cal has any sense when Sharpe gets here basically give him the PF minutes and go small.

Seems Brooks is not gonna take flight so move on to Collins whom seems ready to work hard and take Keions minutes. I'm certain Cal will figure it out with Oscar Tshiebwe getting screwed on fouls we have to get Keion going for this to work.

 

[Sparkaces]

The whole roster is unbalanced.

Yeah, CJ, Mintz, Grady, TYTY and Allen are all really shooting guards. Obviously Sharpe has SF size but will be a SG in the league. Then all the supposed 4’s are 3/4 tweeners. Oscar size wise really better suited for the 4, but obviously doesn’t have the skill, range to play there. It’s what happens when you patch a team together.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

I am not going to get into minutes, but I think it will be:

PG; Wheeler SG: Washington SF: Grady PF: Brooks C: Oscar

Bench: Mintz, Collins and Hopkins.

If Sharpe plays he will probably start him being off the bench but obviously he should start at some point.

This team has potential to be very good, but they need to start shooting better from 3. The real issues are Allen and Wheeler and Brooks. Those guys are not shooting well and 2 of them need to stop all together, but Allen should shoot better from 3 than what he has this season. The good news is that Grady, Washington and Mintz are shooting like 40.70% from 3 combined so our 32.7% is because our people that shouldn't be taking them are missing and Allen's unexpected percentage.

 

[catswin]

In 2012 Calipari only played 7 players with Wiltjer being the 7th getting 11 minutes a game.

He needs to shorten the rotation significantly and let the best players stay out on the court together more.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Realistically, I think this is close to what Cal goes with:

G Wheeler(30)/Washington(10)
G Washington(20)/Mintz(20)
G Grady(30)/Mintz(5)/Toppin(5)
F Brooks(20)/Toppin(15)/Collins(5)
F Tshiebwe(25)/Collins(10)/Ware(5)

Tshiebwe will be in foul trouble more in the SEC, that’s almost guaranteed. SEC officials are notorious for a tight whistle against bigs (especially UK bigs). He will play 30 minutes a game when he can, but the whistle will have him sitting the majority of the first half in most games. When that happens, Cal has to go with the talent and play Collins at the 5. He will at least protect the rim. Ware will be in there some too because there will be times when both Tshiebwe and Collins are saddled with foul trouble.

Hopkins, though talented, is not ready to put the veterans on the bench. Grady, Mintz, Brooks, and Toppin are ahead of him in the pecking order.

Allen needs to be patient and learn, so he can be a contributor by his Senior year.

 

[Canned Heat]

Brooks will get 20-25 no matter what he does.

 

[Tim Higgins]

With some real games finally come up what is the best rotation moving forward:
PG: Wheeler 30 min, TYTY 10
SG: TYTY 20 min, Mintz 20
SF: Grady 25 Min, Mintz 5 Min, Allen 10
PF: Grady 5, Mintz 5, Toppin 15, Hop 10, Brooks 5 (Hardest position by far, basically whoever is playing good)
C: Oscar 30 Min or more, Hopkins and Collins split 10
If Cal has any sense when Sharpe gets here basically give him the PF minutes and go small.

This is an excellent rotation but we all know Brooks gonna play more than that. Also Mintz won’t be playing the 4 if we go small it would be Grady or then Sharpe.

Other than that I agree even the most say Allen don’t deserve 10 minutes, he should be given what he deserves from practice. Hard to tell but so far in the games he has been disappointing. He still should be good for 10 unless business don’t pick up in the next few weeks then the rotation should trim down further.

 

[sk73]

The whole point is those 4's aren't very good and if you go with the 4 guard lineup Brooks, Toppin and Collins are gonna have their minutes limited.

I wish you were coaching all of the opposing teams.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Cal is not going to play 4 guards. Brooks, Toppin, and Collins will split minutes at the 4. Brooks is a double digit scorer, Cal isn’t going to limit his minutes until Collins and/or Toppin prove themselves to be way better options.

 

[Catfan2226]

We all know come SEC play Oscar is going to be in foul trouble on the road.I think Toppin has got to be be the player that steps up when this happens.Collins will get pushed around until he learns to play smart with a weight disadvantage.Hopkins has real good energy and can handle the ball so I think he can contribute as well...Anything we get from Ware will be a bonus.Hes limited on offense.I look for Cal to get it down to a 9 man rotation and that will be what we go with....Wheeler,Grady,Washington,Brooks,Oscar,Mintz,Collins,Toppin and Hopkins will get the bulk of game action.

 

[Sparkaces]

I wish you were coaching all of the opposing teams.

Going small is only the way all modern basketball is going lol, see Alabama and Arkansas and the entire NBA.

 

[sk73]

Going small is only the way all modern basketball is going lol, see Alabama and Arkansas and the entire NBA.

Take a minute and compare the lineup you propose with Alabama and Arkansas. On top of that you want to (when he gets here) put the best high school SG and player in the country (Sharpe) at PF. Whew...

 

[arenk]

This team does not have a single true small forward on the roster. That hurts. It also doesn’t have a PF that is a big time scoring threat, particularly in the paint. Collins is very promising, but I’m afraid he’s going to get pushed around when we start playing real teams with size. When Oscar goes to the bench, we’re screwed.

In games like Ohio U and UNC where Oscar has picked up two quick fouls, UK has more than held its own without Oscar and won, the exception being Notre Dame when we just played terrible and went 2 for 19 from 3 and maybe just out-rebounded a lousy team by 1 or 2. We are not screwed when Oscar has been out, but I hate relying on one or more of the other players to bail us out when Oscar gets into early foul trouble. Half or pehsaps more than half the time Oscar's quick fouls have been bogus or very questionable. He needs to bend over backwards to avoid picking up that second foul in the first 12 -14 minutes of the first half, even if it means going for fewer blocks or steals or being careful to avoid committing an offensive foul.

 

[fatguy87]

Guards:

Wheeler
Washington
Grady
Mintz

Bigs:

Oscar
Brooks

That's the foundation of our rotation. Collins, Toppin, and Hopkins fight over the scraps for the bigs. My preference right now would be Hopkins and Collins. They are both younger and have performed at least on par with Toppin. I'd take their higher ceiling. Ware shouldn't see the floor unless every other frontcourt player is unable to walk.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Guards:

Wheeler
Washington
Grady
Mintz

Bigs:

Oscar
Brooks

That's the foundation of our rotation. Collins, Toppin, and Hopkins fight over the scraps for the bigs. My preference right now would be Hopkins and Collins. They are both younger and have performed at least on par with Toppin. I'd take their higher ceiling. Ware shouldn't see the floor unless every other frontcourt player is unable to walk.

I think Toppin is slowly but surely taking over that seventh spot in the rotation.

I also think Collins is too talented not to get some minutes.

Guards:

Wheeler
Washington
Grady
Mintz

Forwards:

Brooks
Tshiebwe
Toppin
Collins

Ware plays when Tshiebwe is in foul trouble. Hopkins gets minutes here and there. Allen is pretty much out of the picture.

 

[fatguy87]

We all know come SEC play Oscar is going to be in foul trouble on the road.I think Toppin has got to be be the player that steps up when this happens.Collins will get pushed around until he learns to play smart with a weight disadvantage

Toppin or Collins is fine. Both of them are better than Ware.