Recruiting over this year's team

[dasher]

Fab Melo did become Big East defensive player of year sophomore season, and then a first round nba draft pick. Rakeem Christmas will be an NBA draft pick this year, and has gotten better each season. And DC2 career has been hampered by injuries, nothing you can no about that.We have had successful draft history with other positions. We put players in the NBA.

I think best if i put you on ignore, and you do the same to me. You are the type of fan i would hate sitting near at the game or at the bar. Between being pessimistic/negative and frankly just not knowing college basketball.

you also accused me of being negative and giving up on the team when all I did was say what jb said earlier than he did. It doesn't make someone a better fan if they see more than one side to an issue.

 

[Brooky03]

I disagree with the development assesment...he develops a lot of his kids quickly. Marquis Teague was not good the first two months at Kentucky. Early in the year miller was used to bring up the ball against pressure...by the end of the year Teague controlled that offense from a point guard position. He also gives his kids a lot more rope to make mistakes without being pulled quickly. Lee and Johnson improved a lot from beginning of season to end. They both were significant contributors in the NCAA tournament last year. Heck even Anthony Davis went from glue guy all defense to a pretty good offensive player before he left kentucky. He was going top 5 regardless,but I think he really improved over his one season at UK.

Like to add my friend is a big kentucky fan so I watch a lot of their games...I am a syracuse fan through and through before I get hammered for speaking decently about the evil empire

Cal gets them quickly acclimated to college ball, which allows the players to display their superior talent, but I don't agree that he's great at developing talent. I'm not sure that Kentucky players leave with more tools after one season than they entered with. More polished? Probably. Significantly improved? Eh, idk.

 

[Jamesvillecuse]

Scoop-Rick-Waiters
Roberson-Richardson
Patterson-McCullough
Christmas-Cooney
Harris-Flynn

just off the top of my head

MCW also played with Cooney and Rak on that AAU team

 

[moqui]

I won't be worried about losing Bryant until Jake says he's 99% certain that he's SU bound

 

[Brooky03]

Willie Cauley Stein for one. He was no different than Rakeem Christmas. Had the size and talent, but had no idea what to do with it on the court. Now, after just two years, he may be a lottery pick.

He's in his third year and producing on a per minute basis at a level below or equal to that of Rak. This may speak directly to the 'Kentucky effect', in that he's probably overrated by NBA scouts. So, there may be something to that argument.

In terms of development, Cal clearly did a very good job with Cauley Stein. However, statistically, it doesn't seem to be anything extraordinary. Rak was ranked in the 20's and Cauley Stein was in the 40's. Ability-wise, they were similar in their first years and it took Rak one more season than it's taken Cauley Stein to become a big time contributor. Cal isn't entirely unable to develop talent, I just don't think it's one of his strong suits.

 

[Dave85]

He's in his third year and producing on a per minute basis at a level below or equal to that of Rak. This may speak directly to the 'Kentucky effect', in that he's probably overrated by NBA scouts. So, there may be something to that argument.

In terms of development, Cal clearly did a very good job with Cauley Stein. However, statistically, it doesn't seem to be anything extraordinary. Rak was ranked in the 20's and Cauley Stein was in the 40's. Ability-wise, they were similar in their first years and it took Rak one more season than it's taken Cauley Stein to become a big time contributor. Cal isn't entirely unable to develop talent, I just don't think it's one of his strong suits.

With 5-star talent it's not hard to win. If you want to see good coaching, let's watch what JB does with this year's team. I think what is telling is the 2012-13 season. How can Calipari with all that talent not make the NCAA that season:
2012-13 John Calipari 21-12 12-6 2nd NIT First Round

When you have that much talent there are no excuses. I think this year will be an great barometer for how great of a coach JB can be. If JB takes this team to the NCAA tournament or has one or two big major upsets you have you give JB a ton of respect. A great coach takes his talent play at a level that even they could not imagine was possible!

 

[NineOneSeven]

With 5-star talent it's not hard to win. If you want to see good coaching, let's watch what JB does with this year's team. I think what is telling is the 2012-13 season. How can Calipari with all that talent not make the NCAA that season:
2012-13 John Calipari 21-12 12-6 2nd NIT First Round

When you have that much talent there are no excuses. I think this year will be an great barometer for how great of a coach JB can be. If JB takes this team to the NCAA tournament or has one or two big major upsets you have you give JB a ton of respect. A great coach takes his talent play at a level that even they could not imagine was possible!

Do you and cusehulk only have orange clothes in your wardrobe?

No one here is saying Jim isn't a great coach. Is it mutually exclusive for cal and Jim to be great coaches?

 

[two3zone]

With 5-star talent it's not hard to win. If you want to see good coaching, let's watch what JB does with this year's team. I think what is telling is the 2012-13 season. How can Calipari with all that talent not make the NCAA that season:
2012-13 John Calipari 21-12 12-6 2nd NIT First Round

When you have that much talent there are no excuses. I think this year will be an great barometer for how great of a coach JB can be. If JB takes this team to the NCAA tournament or has one or two big major upsets you have you give JB a ton of respect. A great coach takes his talent play at a level that even they could not imagine was possible!

We're not talking about coaching, we're talking about a player coming in and his track to the next level. If I'm a top flight recruit, I don't give a damn about X's and O's, I want to know the quickest and best way to getting to my dream and first paycheck.

 

[HOFCeluck]

The Calipari stuff is nonsense. He turned UMass and Memphis into national title contenders, and at Kentucky has been to three final fours and a title. But 2013 defines him a a coach? GMAFB.

And it has nothing to do with JAB being an elite coach. Which he is.

 

[Dave85]

Do you and cusehulk only have orange clothes in your wardrobe?

No one here is saying Jim isn't a great coach. Is it mutually exclusive for cal and Jim to be great coaches?

Not sure I understand your comment. I was saying with five star talent anyone can win. I just can't beleive Calipari went to the NIT in 2012/13. It just doesn't seem possible with the talent he had. Too many players thinking about their NBA salaries.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Not sure I understand your comment. I was saying with five star talent anyone can win. I just can't beleive Calipari went to the NIT in 2012/13. It just doesn't seem possible with the talent he had. Too many players thinking about their NBA salaries.

The 2008 team had three McDonald's all Americans, and Paul Harris.

 

[Dave85]

The Calipari stuff is nonsense. He turned UMass and Memphis into national title contenders, and at Kentucky has been to three final fours and a title. But 2013 defines him a a coach? GMAFB.

And it has nothing to do with JAB being an elite coach. Which he is.

I agree with your first part. But I wasn't talking about whether JAB was an elite. I just thought this year going to be a real test of his special powers.

 

[Dave85]

The 2008 team had three McDonald's all Americans, and Paul Harris.

Good point.

 

[SoBeCuse]

Not sure I understand your comment. I was saying with five star talent anyone can win. I just can't beleive Calipari went to the NIT in 2012/13. It just doesn't seem possible with the talent he had. Too many players thinking about their NBA salaries.

That has been discussed ad nauseam here. You can't win them all I suppose. Sometimes this one & done method burns you and you get uncoachable divas who don't buy into team ball. Usually Cal is masterful at this and motivating players. Plus, some of them seemed a little overrated including Noel. Once Noel went down I think the team sort of gave up early.

 

[sufandu]

That has been discussed ad nauseam here. You can't win them all I suppose. Sometimes this one & done method burns you and you get uncoachable divas who don't buy into team ball. Usually Cal is masterful at this and motivating players. Plus, some of them seemed a little overrated including Noel. Once Noel went down I think the team sort of gave up early.

That class seems to be his weakest "one-and-done" class to this point. Alex Poythress looked like a stud at times during that year. Last year and this year before he got hurt he averaged less than 6 points per game.

 

[reedny]

Let's just play this out. And I'll agree with you [for the purposes of this post] that McCullough leaves this offseason. If that's the case, then the likely starting lineup becomes:

PG--Joseph
SG--Cooney
SF--Richardson
PF--Roberson
C---Bryant

Gbinije or BJ could start at 3 instead of Richardson--just speculating there. But adding in the newcomers, that leaves the following as bench players:

Gbinije
BJ
Howard
Diagne
Lydon
Obokoh
Patterson

Here's how I see the bench breaking down:

PG--Howard will either backup Joseph, or won't play much, with the more experieinced combination of Gbinije / Cooney / Patterson backing him up in some capacity.

SG--Gbinije could play here, so could Richardson. Patterson could as well, although if the newbies play well he could also be edged out.

SF--unlike this year, we'll return lots of experience at this position. If BJ finds his scoring touch, he could start or be the sixth man super scoring sub.

PF--not much depth here, and Roberson is a bit undersized. Diange will probably play a bit here. I don't see Lydon playing much next year.

C--Diange could back up here, as well. I expect Obokoh to play a lot more than this year.


So reviewing it all, I think that Lydon is the odd man out for next season--but will be the guy who emerges as a sophomore and provides us with some bench scoring.

This year, the 3 position to date has been a position of weakness, but it looks like a strength next season.

I'm not going to count on Coleman; if he returns and is physically capable, that changes the equation with the bigs a bit.

Of the incumbents, Patterson is the only one [my opinion only] who is in danger of having a more diminished role. If he doesn't find a way to work himself back into the rotation this year, he might be finished for his career in Orange, and I'd expect him to transfer.

DC2? He'll be a senior (hard to believe, with the lack of PT/injuries he's had).

 

[RF2044]

DC2? He'll be a senior (hard to believe, with the lack of PT/injuries he's had).

I discussed him at the bottom--I'm leaving him out of future projections until his injury situation is resolved, in terms of whether he bounces back. As stated above, if he can play [even if he doesn't start], that changes the equation for the bigs quite a bit.

 

[reedny]

I hope I'm wrong, and a mixture of us are right. I'd love to see Bryant playing for SU next season, I just don't see any reason why he would pick us over Kentucky at this point outside of Syracuse being close to home.

Here we go with the Kentucky koolaid again. It's one thing to be respectful to other fans who come on the board in earnest to talk about hoops. It's quite another to pass yourself off as an SU fan when you are clearly so blue that you can't even understand why a recruit would pick any school other than Kentucky? That is seriously jaded, my friend.

You might recall that DC2 had a Ky offer and picked SU. Amazing I know. SU is in his home state (and Bryant's) and it's the only high major program in New York outside the big apple. DC2 loves the Cuse. And I think Bryant feels the same way, and his mom does too. Go figure!!

And not for nothing, but maybe Bryant wants to attend real classes where BB players actually have to study, submit papers and take tests ... and suffer the consequences if they don/t. Maybe Bryant's family values a legitimate college experience instead of having their son hang out with all the handlers/rappers/and money people surrounding K'ys D-League program.

 

[reedny]

I discussed him at the bottom--I'm leaving him out of future projections until his injury situation is resolved, in terms of whether he bounces back. As stated above, if he can play [even if he doesn't start], that changes the equation for the bigs quite a bit.

I looked at your lineups and missed this line at the bottom:

I'm not going to count on Coleman; if he returns and is physically capable, that changes the equation with the bigs a bit.

 

[SoBeCuse]

That class seems to be his weakest "one-and-done" class to this point. Alex Poythress looked like a stud at times during that year. Last year and this year before he got hurt he averaged less than 6 points per game.

Agreed. The first or second game I saw Poythress play I was seriously WOWed. Then like you say he regressed because of the injury or whatever.

 

[two3zone]

Here we go with the Kentucky koolaid again. It's one thing to be respectful to other fans who come on the board in earnest to talk about hoops. It's quite another to pass yourself off as an SU fan when you are clearly so blue that you can't even understand why a recruit would pick any school other than Kentucky? That is seriously jaded, my friend.

You might recall that DC2 had a Ky offer and picked SU. Amazing I know. SU is in his home state (and Bryant's) and it's the only high major program in New York outside the big apple. DC2 loves the Cuse. And I think Bryant feels the same way, and his mom does too. Go figure!!

And not for nothing, but maybe Bryant wants to attend real classes where BB players actually have to study, submit papers and take tests ... and suffer the consequences if they don/t. Maybe Bryant's family values a legitimate college experience instead of having their son hang out with all the handlers/rappers/and money people surrounding K'ys D-League program.

You're right, I don't understand why a big that is a one or two and done player would choose Syracuse over Kentucky. That has nothing to do with my fanhood.

Yes, I do recall DC2 and he picked SU, and I know how that panned out.

 

[Eagles20]

Here we go with the Kentucky koolaid again. It's one thing to be respectful to other fans who come on the board in earnest to talk about hoops. It's quite another to pass yourself off as an SU fan when you are clearly so blue that you can't even understand why a recruit would pick any school other than Kentucky? That is seriously jaded, my friend.

You might recall that DC2 had a Ky offer and picked SU. Amazing I know. SU is in his home state (and Bryant's) and it's the only high major program in New York outside the big apple. DC2 loves the Cuse. And I think Bryant feels the same way, and his mom does too. Go figure!!

And not for nothing, but maybe Bryant wants to attend real classes where BB players actually have to study, submit papers and take tests ... and suffer the consequences if they don/t. Maybe Bryant's family values a legitimate college experience instead of having their son hang out with all the handlers/rappers/and money people surrounding K'ys D-League program.

O geez... Here we go with the Kentucky koolade comment. People act like they are a rival or something of syracuse. It's like all the people who hate Duke for no reason who aren't UNC fans...It just speaks for their success i guess

 

[tbonezone]

based on what we've seen so far and assuming mcullough leaves... nobody's job is safe. plenty of room for upgrade.

 

[reedny]

You're right, I don't understand why a big that is a one or two and done player would choose Syracuse over Kentucky. That has nothing to do with my fanhood.

Yes, I do recall DC2 and he picked SU, and I know how that panned out.

Panned out? He's injured. Did you think his knee would miraculously heal if he didn't have to walk to any classes at Ky?

 

[reedny]

O geez... Here we go with the Kentucky koolade comment. People act like they are a rival or something of syracuse. It's like all the people who hate Duke for no reason who aren't UNC fans...It just speaks for their success i guess

Yah, that's it ... I hate Ky because they're "successful" and, also, "I hate Duke", lol. Or... maybe I respect Duke (and Coach K) because they run a top-notch program with high academic standards, as opposed to Ky -- where they can't even say "student-athlete" with a straight face. lol