SB Nation User Blog: Blueobsessed

DDMO and Coach Cal’s Style of Developing Talent

Blueobsessed — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:52:59 -0000

Promoted from the diaries -- Ed.

Obviously, Coach Calipari is known as a great recruiter, but even he has not had the quality of talent that he finds on this year’s Cats team. Like many of you, I have been yearning for a new up-tempo style of play that will attract major high school talent. One of the most important jobs of a college is to develop the overall skills of a player so he can play a number of different positions and become both marketable to the NBA and hard to guard at the collegiate level.

To me, the DDMO will provide UK’s players with a variety of new weapons with which to dispatch their opponents. With Coach stating that "he would not play anyone over 28 minutes a game," it seems I am about to get my wish of seeing waves and waves of blue and white players playing in the games. For the last few years, I would have liked to see the development of our "secondary" players to assist in case of an injury or, of course, in order to find that "diamond in the rough." This development has to happen with REAL game experience in a TEAM setting.

As the first week of practice draws to a close, let’s look at the current level of talent and how individuals must both develop their talents and mesh into a team concept.

The Newbies:

Though extremely talented, it is always tough to pin a teams hopes on freshmen and a JUCO transfer. This is why these guys have to have quality playing time in order to be ready for March Madness. Due to this need we could lose some close games early, but it is necessary.

John Wall: All-world talent, but has to learn to play with the various levels of talents on the team. Not everyone can take the hard, low or high pass. Who will needs the soft pass and time to finish the play. To be effective, John will have to learn "when to gun and when to run" the team. Because of his size, I see Wall having to play both the 1 and 2 guard positions. He has to be able to play defense as well as lead the team offensively.

Eric Bledsoe: Just too talented to ride the bench behind John Wall. He has to play PG a lot and play it well. That means great FT %, high assist to turnover ratio, develop his perimeter shooting, play big defensively and use his speed. If he is on the court the same time as John Wall he needs to learn to compliment John, not compete against him.

Jon Hood: He must live in the weight room. He cannot become another Perry Stevenson. He must put on the muscle, and quickly. His perimeter shot is needed, but not at the expense of being outrebounded or outmuscled under the basket. He needs to plan to play the 2 guard, but be ready to play the 3. Sound fundamentals and defensive skills will get him noticed. Blocking out, rebounding, diving for loose balls and a high assist to turnover ratio will help ease the loss of Jodie Meeks in the 2 position. This team will score in the other four positions, so we don’t need to pressure anyone to try to be Jodie.

Darnell Dodson: Unbelievable talent. Shoots left or right handed, a good FT shooter, can drive to the basket, good size and speed. Like everyone else, Darnell has to learn to be the team player that is needed at the 2 or 3 guard position. He can’t wait until next year, this JUCO must play well this year.

DeMarcus Cousins: A real big man athlete with great basketball skills. Cousins has the God-given talent to dominate the entire nation at the center position. It is however, in his personal interest to develop his PF skills. With Cousins playing PF, Orton can play center. This would help UK this year and Cousins’ marketability in the NBA, as well. I do not believe he will dominate at the Center position in the NBA. Cousins can be the dominating center UK needs. The question is can the big men run with the fast guards or will the team have to slow down the pace for them to catch up? DeMarcus has to realize, this is his time.

Daniel Orton: Super strong, very good center. Less athletic than Cousins and yet is no slouch as a center. UK is probably in the best position for big men that it has been since Robey and Phillips. Daniel has muscle, good skills and great size. He is still recuperating from an injury, but now is the time for him to work on foot speed, FT%, ball handling and perimeter shooting. Orton can be the dominant 6th man (at PF and C) that every championship team needs.

The Oldies:

Patrick Patterson: Superstar and the emotional and physical leader of this team. PP has to become the go-to man. He needs to develop small forward skills on both defense, and offense. He has great speed for a big man and he should not ever slow down the offense, but the speed of the offense will demand that he take breaks. Patrick will need to play at least two different positions and possibly three. His outside shot has never been a thing of beauty, but it must develop. We may lose some games, but he has to shoot from the outside. In fact all of the SF, PF and Cs who play must shoot from the outside.

Mark Krebs: Speaking of outside shooting, this big guard has got to shoot. He is a senior and he has to bring this team leadership. He has good size. He has to guard well and keep up with the speed of the game. An excellent FT%, perimeter shooting and excellent defense will get this young man playing time.

DeAndre Liggins: To me one of the most versatile athletes on the team. He can play the 1, 2 or 3 position. Since we are loaded at the PG position this year, DeAndre can concentrate on the 2 or 3, but no doubt he will learn a lot playing against Wall and Bledsoe. DeAndre has excellent speed, he just has to decide where and when to use it. He is a great ball handler and really can hand out a lot of assists. However, to be effective, he has to be able to hit the three point shot. He is such a good athlete; it will be hard to sit him on the bench very long.

Darius Miller: A strong contender to start at the 3 position. He is quick, very strong and fundamentally sound. He can bring the ball up the court in a press and does very well at the free throw line. He has to hit his three point shots and play good defense to get a lot of playing time. Darius can also play the 2 guard. Since he, like Liggins, has experience, it will be hard to keep him off the floor. At 6’7" and 225 lbs., he may play some PF.

Josh Harrellson: Jorts is the surprise of the team. The JUCO jinx is over. A new coach likes what he does and he seems to be thriving. Talk about "a diamond in the rough", Josh may be the reason Pilgrim was encouraged to move on. While not as strong as some PF’s, Josh uses his size well and could be another person who fills in with a few minutes of all out gut busting play to spell the starters. He simply cannot slow down the pace when he is in the game.

Perry Stevenson: I think Perry has to become a SF. This team has so much talent, Perry has to be able to shoot the 12-15 footer like I know he can, guard a smaller faster player, rebound and block all the shots he can. He can’t get stuck under the basket where he is at a disadvantage. He needs to develop a handle and drive to the basket and take the pull up shot or the easy dunk. He has to cut down on his turnovers.

Ramon Harris: Senior with a good handle, speed and size for the 2 and 3 position. He is tough as nails although somewhat injury prone. He has to improve his FT % and outside shooting. His defense is good, but again with the talent on this team it has to be great and he has to have improved offensive skills for him to get much playing time. He too has to cut down on his turnovers.

There you have it. Wave after wave of Blue Crush. A tsunami of talent under the direction of a coach who goes for the jugular and won’t let go. We may not win them all as we are learning this DDMO system, but I do expect the waves to keep coming.

A bigger, badder James Lee- type of "enforcer" is here to play hoops!

Blueobsessed — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:24:33 -0000

For some time now, I have felt UK basketball has lacked the big strong athlete with an "on-court attitude". While we have had excellent players, they have either had to play up a position from what they would play in the NBA or they had more introverted personalities. While these smaller, but skilled players lead quietly by example, they never intimidated the opponent or established the type of swagger for which UK has been known. This level of intimidation can easily translate into 5-10 points during the course of each game.

There is a prototype for the type of player I think filled this position. James Lee comes to mind, with his marvelous build and leaping ability, he repeatedly finished off fast breaks with a thunderous dunk! Though only 6'5" you simply could not muscle him out of position for a rebound. His defense was "in your face", rugged, very physical Kentucky basketball. "Not HERE"! was his motto. If you played against Lee, contact was inevitable.

So now we have a well-documented tough guy coming to campus. IMO DeMarcus Cousins will be the "enforcer" for this team. John Wall will wow us with his speed and skill, but he will not muscle people around. Patrick Patterson has a wonderful "blue collar" work ethic, and will be a "beast" along side of Cousins, but he has more of a "businesslike" approach to his game. Cousins, on the other hand, is the "James Lee reincarnation" I have been awaiting to see don the proud blue and white.

Cousins says it best himself, “On the court, I’m a badass. I’m mean. I’m there to cut your throat. I’m not there to be nice. Off the court, I’m cool. I’m chill. I play around with you. I’m nothing like people say I am. Anyone that’s taken the time to get to know me will tell you that. But on the court … like I said, I’m there to cut your throat.”

That is pretty straight forward. Cousins is not just a big, physical presence, but also a terrific athlete with a better basketball skills than most PF and Centers he will play this year. Add those two characteristics to the natural tendancy to be an extravert and not be bullied and you have a dynamic combination for a front court player.

Cousins dunks during the McDonald’s All-American Game. (AP Photo/McDonald’s,Henry Ray Abframs)

“He’s not really angry or mad all the time,” Patterson said, “but he plays with that anger and fire and frustration. He leaves it on the court. He’s not a bad person, but he’s not going to let up. He’s not going to let you see the light of day. Even when he’s beating you down, he’s still not going to stop. He’s got such good footwork for a freshman and he’s not afraid to dribble the ball. He’ll grab it off the rim and take off down the court without hesitation. He’s just so naturally strong. Even when he was young and skinny, I bet he was strong!”

So if you beat our fast guards off the dribble on offense, you will meet Cousins in the middle. He is no "gentle giant" guarding the goal. You will meet your your worst nightmare.

"Resistance is futile!" Contact is inevitable!

The road to excellence, what do we need this year?

Blueobsessed — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 11:53:25 -0000

As we all know we have lost Jodie Meeks and seven other players from last year's 15 man squad. Jodie's accomplishments have been well chronicled (most minutes played, most FG made, most FG attempted, most 3 pt. made, most 3 pt attempted, most FT made, most FT attempted, and most points scored (32% of entire team's offensive output). After looking at last year's stat sheet, I began to wonder how the other seven players contributed and what will be needed from the rest of the team fo us to have the outstanding year we all want and need.

At first glance, it is obvious, that Coach Cal, encouraged those players with the least experience to find playing time at other schools. With the exception of Michael Porter, only Kevin Galloway averaged ten minutes per game. Everyone else played considerably less. This lack of playing time greatly influenced these players ability to contribute on the court. Given their lack of experience and productivity, it was a no brainer to give first dibs for PT to superior athletes who, though just as inexperienced, bring higher potential into each game.

It was interesting to me that when you subtract Jodie's contribution from the total team effort and look at the contribution of the remainder of the players who have left, you find that they really didn't contribute a gret deal. Remember, there are now 14 players left. Since Jodie scored 32% of the entire team's points, of the other 68% of scoring left the 7 players who are no longer on the team only contributed 17%. If you take Jodie out of the personal foul and fouling out categories (Jodie never fouled out of a game), you find that this group was responsible for 27% of the fouls and 36% of the people who fouled out. This group did not get to the line much and didn't really help us in rebounding much either. Even though they comprised 50% of the remainder of the team (AJ = "After Jodie") they only rebounded 15% of the remaining total rebounds.

It was surprising, mainly due to Porter's contribution, how well the group who left did with three point shooting. When you take Jodie out of the equation, the other 14 players only shot .300 from beyond the arc. Those 7 who left shot .312 and made 47% of the three pointers after subtracting Jodie's 3's. The group who has left also had a slightly higher free throw average .(729)than those who are left on the team (.718). Obviously though they did not shoot as many fouls or have the chance to miss as many FT.

What does this all mean? Well we are returning 4 players with an average of 26.3 minutes of PT. The other 3 players average 9.2. Now I know the higher PT players skew the average, but I like to look at the group not the individuals. This expereince should help us.

As been stated before, we need more shots taken by all of the players. Last year Jodie took 29% of all of the shots. I think what is important is that this year, these shots do not have to go in, they just have to be taken. Patterson, Cousins and Orton will have to dominate the offensive and defensive boards. I believe when the stats are finally written for this coming season, Patterson and maybe one other player will average a "double double" for the entire year. Additionally, we will have to have a couple players average at 5-7 rebounds a game. With an increase in offensive rebounds, we should see more players average in double figures in scoring for the season. I personally would like to see Patterson average over 20 points a game and 4-5 others in double figures. This team must hit their free throws for this level of scoring to happen. I would like to see Miller, Wall and Bledsoe lead the way with averages over 80%. I think it is possible that Patterson could join them on that high plateau.

I believe this team will be zoned to death. I don't think anyone will want to run with our speed team, but a few may want to muscle with our strength team. To keep defenses honest everyone must be ready to fire the three ball. Patterson tried only one all of last year. Stevenson, Harris and Liggins must improve. Dotson may be the savior in this department, but everyone is is going to have to shoot the three ball.

With the depth that we have, I expect Patterson and Wall to the most minutes in several positions. Maybe finding that both these guys play over 30 min. agame. I think Miller, Bledsoe, Dotson Cousins and Orton will play in the 20 minutes. I hope that Liggins Harrellson, Stevenson, average in the teens. Unless things change, I find it hard for Harris and Krebs to play more than 5-6 minutes a game. Turnovers may dictate how much time a person gets. If we get to run I expect to see more assists.

The bottom line is that we no longer have to rely on one player. Yes, we have Patterson, but we have so many other weapons to use against the opposition. We just need to execute, have fun, and watch the stats rack up!

How will opponents defend against this year's team?

Blueobsessed — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:40:59 -0000

We are all excited about the upcoming season. Everyone knows we are young, lacking collegiate experience and yet extremely athletic. I thought I would explore some of the intangibles that early in the season might be problematic for this group of young men as they seek to find their individual roles on "THE TEAM". These "problems" will certainly not be missed by opposing coaches so it will be interesting to see how Coach Cal prepares the team as our opponents try to exploit them.

The obvious concern early on, is the need for reliable outside shooting. Three point shooting may not necessarily be a "have to", but accurate 12-15 foot shooting will be. If our big guys can establish a real presence down low for offensive rebounds, I believe our outside shooters will feel more relaxed, but the question still arises about playing in front of hostile crowds with the game on the line. I expect to see a variety of presses tried and obviously zones of different types; particularly matchup zones on Patterson. So here go the intangibles:

Freshmen playing in front of a noisy (I hope) Rupp Arena crowd. (controlling one's emotions and playing within oneself)
Freshmen playing in front of a noisy, hostle crowd. (Starkville, Vandy, Gainsville)
Freshmen big men playing against older players their own size who will mug you like Ga. did Patterson in Rupp last year.
Freshmen keeping their cool when fouled like Bradley was at Georgia two years ago.
Freshmen point guards detecting disguised defenses and surprise presses.
The entire team adjusting to a "team speed" that is comfortable for ALL the players.
To DDMO or not to DDMO . . . that is the question.
Can the wings hit the outside shots?
Will Patterson be able to play a wing so Orton and Cousins can be on the floor at the same time?

IMO the extreme talent of this year's freshmen class negates their collegiate inexperience. Obviously, I could be wrong. Liggins struggled last year after being listed as a 5* most of his senior year and then downgraded to a very high 4* recruit. Nevertheless, I see Wall and Bledsoe playing a lot together in the guard position. This should ensure a lower number of turnovers, more assists, more steals and more fast breaks. They give us incredible speed and ball handling skill. They will, however, have to score, for us to win consistently. This scoring will either be from long range, short pull ups or taking their defender to the basket. In essence we would be playing two PGs. Playing good defense is the main thing that will dictate how much Wall and Bledsoe play.

If we choose to go bigger at the SG or small wing, UK would have better rebounding capability, but lose some speed. Again to play, these bigger players (Miller, Harris, Dotson, Hood, Krebs and Liggins) will have to make outside or driving shots and play outstanding defense.

The problem of shooting accuracy is also found in the other wing position. It encouraging that Patterson has been reported consistently knocking down the 12-15 footer and the three this summer. I don't know if he will play the wing or will always be a collegiate post player, but either way we will need outside shooting from him. Other than the players listed in the preceeding paragraph, I don't see anyone else than Patterson being able to play the other wing.

That leaves the inside post game and along with the point guard position, IMO this will be one of the strong points of this "TEAM". These guys (Cousins, Orton, Stevenson, and Harrison) simply HAVE TO outrebound and overpower the opposition. We need an enforcer. I hope Cousins' personality fits this need. We need to block shots, but have to make sure we get the defensive and offensive rebounds first of all. We need swagger here. Certainly the talent is there.

Finally, the entire team will have to make their free throws. We can't have any weak link who can be fouled at the end of the game. So there you have it. Good ball handling, lots of assists, good team speed, outside shooting rebounding and an outstanding TEAM defense will make it hard for opponents to defend against us this year.

Building a TEAM . . . the importance of fun and creativity

Blueobsessed — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:09:26 -0000

Enjoying UK Basketball again

There is something about having fun that imprints knowledge on the brain more effectively and more completely. This is not to say that drills are not important in order to get the fundamentals right, but during game situations, creativity needs to be encouraged in order to allow the learner/player the ability to apply what he has learn in new and challenging situations. What helps is that the learner in a basketball game is not alone when he applies this new learning. He is part of a group effort . . . a team working together toward a common goal. If this experience of working together can be turned into effortless fun and not boring work, the energy level rises as does the enjoyment level of each player. Obviously, victories add to the enjoyment level, but I am talking about something that has been missing for some time now in Kentucky basketball, FUN and CREATIVITY on the court!

More after the jump ...

I have been watching the video of Anderson bouncing the ball off the glass and setting up McCarty's slam and have been thinking. I don't know whether Anderson and McCarty liked each other or not. I do know that Anderson gave up a gimmee to have fun and that McCarty made sure that this creative play was not lost by finishing the play. Based on the reaction of both players, it was fun to do this. I would go so far as to think that if it wasn't rehearsed, it was dreamed about prior to this game and may have also happened during some fun part of practice. These guys enjoyed doing this.

This new offense that Coach Cal has brought to Lexington depends on having talented players who can beat their man off the dribble and make outside shots, but it has another interesting side. It fosters CREATIVITY and FUN on the court. It also takes players who may be small for their positions and after increasing their skill sets, puts them in other positions that will permit them to dominate.

I know there are a lot of reasons that the truly excited players who rushed their coach at half court last year during Midnight Madness were so disappointed at the end their season and almost seemed glad it was over. IMO somewhere we, as the BBN, last year focused on the negative rather than the positive. I heard a lot of discussions that tended to explain the weak link or chink in UK's armor. Much of our discussion was about individual weaknesses and not team strength. I hope that disappears. I hope this year will be fun for our team. In order for that to happen we will need certain traits to exist that were also on last year's team.

We will need a teamwide toughness exhibited by Porter, Harris and Patterson
We wil need a blue collar work ethic demonstated by Patterson
We will need a creativity of play that I hope will be led by Bledsoe and Wall
We will need teamwide foul shooting excellence that will make people pay for fouling us
We will need a positive attitude even when we turn the ball over.
We will need courage to take the shot, even if someone else thinks its wasn't there. All of our players have to be respected for their shooting. You can't make a shot if you don't take a shot.
We need to be defensive experts like Harris in every position; teamwide.
We need an enforcer to step forward and to announce to the other team, "We will not be pushed around". This person could be Cousins. No one should outrebound us; either offensively or defensively.
We need to share the ball, be creative and have fun. One advantage of having "one and done" players forces everyone out of dreaming about the future and enjoy living in the now. Bring it on!

Wondering about playing time for Coach Cal as the team gels.

Blueobsessed — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:32:29 -0000

My wishlist for next year's team.

All 12 players play as a team with several players playing multiple positions.
Patterson plays some at SF, PF and C. It would be exciting to see him dominate all three positions both offensively and defensively and have an outside shot.
Miller, Dotson play some SG against the slower, big teams and SF against quicker teams.
Wall play PG mostly, but play SG against teams like Vandy and USC. With Bledsoe at PG, we would have the speed/strength to keep up defensively and wear down quick teams when we play offense.
Cousins and Orton will both switch off playing PF and C.
Stevenson plays PF
Harrellson plays C
Hood and Harris play SG and SF

Maybe it would look like this:

Starting line up:

PG: Bledsoe (20 min/game average)

SG: Wall (30 min/game average between PG and SG)

SF: Miller (30 min/game average between SG and SF)

PF: Patterson (35 min/game average between SF, PF, C)

C: Cousins (25 min/game average between PF and C)

Substitutions:

Dotson (20 min/game average between SG and SF)

Orton (20 min/game average between PF and C)

Hood (5 min/game or less at SG)

Harris (5 min/game or less at SG)

Stevenson (5 min or less at PF)

Harrellson (5 min or less at C)

"Misreading" or "Miscoaching" Meek's talent

Blueobsessed — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:09:26 -0000

Could it be that having three coaches in four years caused Jodie to say enough is enough? Obviously the crowning blow came when Jodie told the opposition, "The coach told me not to shoot"! That level of frustration is not characterisitc of the stoic Jodie Meeks we have all come to love.

I want to suggest another possibility. Obviously, Meeks is NBA caliber, but I wonder if he really was groomed for the correct position. From day one at Kentucky, Jodie needed to have been told that his future at the next level was at the PG/LG position. Jasper had the size, speed, handle and leaping ability to play that position, but Jodie needed to develop the skill set for that position as well. It is unfair to our recruits who are really outstanding athletes, not to advise them about the next level. Let's consider some of our talented players:

Rondo had only one position he could play and that was PG. Although relatively small, his "hop", large hands and even longer wingspan are unreal for an athlete with his kind of speed.
Bradley may have been needed to play SG at UK, but he should have been groomed early on as a PG.
Crawford, at 6'5", should have been developed into a SG. Even on the collegiate level his size limited him.
Patterson should play SF and should develop a handle and an outside shot this year.
Morris should have been groomed as a PF, not a center. He may have had to play center, but he should have been groomed as a PF.

Anyone can find exceptions to my suggestions, but in the NBA SIZE DOES MATTER! They measure you before they ever watch you in a tryout. For all of Rondo's talent, he had to add muscle through the use of a personal trainer and sit for a year before taking the reins as a pro PG. Bradley is still trying to learn the game in Europe, but each year, the league will take bigger and faster PGs before selecting him. Crawford will play SG not SF in the NBA. Unfortunately, the SG position is a position that good defenders with larger wingspan and height (6'7") and can shoot find themselves.

It is a fact that for SG, Jodie is too small and will not get a great deal of looks unless he can shut people down defensively. At 6'4" he could be a fast PG, who can muscle a lot of smaller PGs. He has to develop that handle. Morris made the same mistake and chose not to return. if he had played one year next to Patterson, it would have made hime more marketable as a PF. Jodie needed to play this year with John Wall the number 1 draft pick of 2010 and Eric Bledsoe. It would have improved his skills much more quickly than sitting on the bench and playing the amount of time Morris currently plays in the NBA.

IMO Patterson has made the correct decision. He will play a year with Cousins and Orton and bang with 250 pounders everyday. He could even fill in some at SF so the two big men can play side by side. Patrick needs a year to gain more weight and strength. I hope he gets to 250 pounds. Then he will be nearing the size of one Cav SF. This year I hope Patterson gives up on playing PF and starts shooting the threes and drives to the basket. IMO SF is where his future lies.

In closing, I hope Coach Cal will help these star athletes get to the next level. Three coaches have seen Jodie as a SG. Any player who is 6'4" and only has only a 37" leap can play SG in the NBA, but it will be difficult. Any 6'8"-6'9" , 235 lb. player who wants to become an NBA PF also has a hard road ahead of him. Additionally, every year Jodie and Pat will be challenged by younger players both from across the nation and across the world. They need to be ready before they enter the NBA. The NBA does not pay for On the Job Training. They want instant success. What do you think?

NBA: Oklahoma City and Washington need shooting guards this year!

Blueobsessed — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:33:37 -0000

While I believe Detroit and Atlanta have very good shooting guards, I think that Oklahoma City and/or Washington could be looking at players like Jodie Meeks for some much needed offense next year.

This causes a dilemma. It is one thing to say something like, "if I am drafted in the second round, I will go back to college.", but it is another thing to realize that a team that drafts you in the second round may not be able to afford to lose you to next year's draft. In essence, then, a second round draft could have a "guaranteed" contract, abeit at a reduced amount from what first round or lottery picks would command. So the dilemma is: do I go now for less money, hone my skills in the NBA and get better and then command a salary increase. Or do I wait a year, hone my skills in the college game, become an All-American and become a lottery pick next year.

Since the NBA is a business, let's look at how perception influences how athletes are paid. Like politics, name recognition is everything. You get that recognition by dominating the opponents at your same position. On several championship teams there have been examples of excellent relatively unknown players who have been instrumental to assisting a team in reaching a chamionship title. These players are way underpaid relative to the stars and unfortunately stay that way. The stars of the NBA continue to get paid large sums, with major endorsements and every year new "lottery" picks are brought into the league in the hopes of becoming new "stars". Nevertheless, a great deal of the rebounding, assists, defense and yes scoring are contributed by a group of unsung heros who really don't get paid well in comparison to "the stars". It would be interesting to examine the pay of players who score over 20 pt. a game or maybe average a double/double, but are not regularly considered "a star".

The college scene is, of course, not as financially as attractive. You do get a degree and a chance to develop your name recognition. Winning the national tournament is the goal of every team, because in college, teams can beat great individual effort. Injuries can occur. However, being successful head to head with the nation's finest increases your name recognition nationwide. The media cannot ignore you and the NBA scouts will want you. Now you are in the driver's seat , because you are a lottery pick. Based on your previous performance the pros are willing to invest in you.

I fully expect either Washington or Oklahoma City to try to convince Jodie to stay in the draft. They need him, but they don't want to give up a first round draft pick to get him. They want to "guarantee" him a second round pick and a "guaranteed" contract. I believe it will be a substantial amount of money, but I also believe that as businessmen, they see Jodie as one of the unnamed players that help you win a championship and will always pay him accordingly.

In the final analysis, all Jodie has to offer this year are the skills he currently has. Accepting a contract too soon could mean money, but also being lost in the crowd of NBA players who never get recognition, financially or otherwise. I hope Jodie comes back to Kentucky and enters next year's draft with star status.

As we wait for the PG situation to be resolved . . .

Blueobsessed — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 21:43:53 -0000

look at the possiblities for the depth of our team. Not only will the first team be awesome, but the second team will be made up exceptional talent, as well. In fact, the way I figure it, some of the third team players could be some of the most experienced players on the team. These experienced players will be able to lay claim to having been coached by Tubby Smith, Billie Gillispie, and Coach Cal. That is quite a coaching pedigree. Like everyone else, I am not sure of the status of Liggins, Stewart, Williams and Harrellson, but not counting their talent, look at the talent we can put on the floor and literally run the opposition down. As you will notice, I also assume Jodie and Pat will return.

PG: ? , Galloway

SG: Meeks, Hood

SF: Dotson, Miller, Harris

PF: Patterson, Pilgrim, Stephenson

C: Cousins, Orton

Notice each position has several large players or players who play large. For the first time I can remember, except for Galloway and Pilgrim, we have a four or five star player on all positions of the first and second strings. This scenario even has a four star (Stephenson) possibly on the third team. If the players truly become interchangeable (heard that before), then adding fresh legs throughout the season will keep everyone fresh for March and give the newbies a season of experience.

This lineup should be a good reason for me to get HDTV. I can be patriotic by helping the economy, and then sit back and watch Big Blue roll. What do you think?Will Mama by it?

2009-2010 CATS and beyond

Blueobsessed — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:11:34 -0000

For a number of reasons the fellows who will make up the 2009-20010 Kentucky Wildcats basketball team will have been recruited by three very well known coaches and the seniors, will by the end of the year, have played under three different big name coaches. In the process the team composition has evolved into a group of very tough, long athletic players.

Two players sould have been ready to command huge dollars in the NBA by this time. However, due to injuries, lack of depth and a continual transition of coaches, Meeks and Patterson still lack some basic skills that keep them, IMO, from being high lottery picks. As a guard, Jodie needs to improve his handle and midrange shot. As a potential small forward in the pros, Patrick needs to improve his mid and long range shooting. As a power forward, Patrick must get bigger and stronger. He is currently a tweener like Chuck Hayes.

For the last few years, KY has been looking for an outstanding PG; and the quest continues. Physically and emotionally, I don't believe I have seen a tougher point guard than Porter. The problem was that he was really a shooting guard. He took a great deal of physical abuse on the floor from other players and a great deal of emotional abuse (criticism) from the fanbase. However, he rose to the challenge every game and played his heart out. Always the loyal soldier, he did what was asked of him. I hope is walks on, or at least is recognized on senior night. It will not be complete without him.

So now we are left with four additional seniors to lead the team. Galloway is a gifted athelete who has a great handle, but must develop his outside/FT shot, Meeks who I hope for his sake will return, Ramon who is the best defender coming back from last year's team who has to become more offensively minded and Stevenson who cannot not get lost in a game and must dominate.

To this class, we find three juniors. The beast Matt Pilgrim is finally unleashed. At 6'8" 233 lbs, he is claimed to be a great rebounder and quick enough to play SF. Along side of him is Stewart, who has may really florish under Coach Cal's system. At 6'8" and 218 lbs., Stewart is a fine athlete. Finally we come to Josh Harrellson(6'10" 260 lbs), one of my three sons(Patterson and Stevenson). These three big men along with Orton (265), Cousins(250) and Patterson(235) make the deepest and highest quality front court I can ever remember. No one, and I mean no one should push us around like Georgia did last year.

This leads me to the sophomores. Miller (6'7" 225lbs) can playt the 2 or 3 and sometimes brought the ball up the court last year.He is alredy getting high praise from Coach Cal. Liggins (6'6" and 208 lbs.) has shown some talent at the PG but will need to make better decisions. He also must become a team player, because the talent level around him has risen exponentially.

The freshmen on this class are among the most talented athletes on the team. That is both good and bad. Good in the case that by March, barring injuries, we will have a dynomite team. Bad in terms of most freshmen have games early in their career riddled with mental mistakes that cost games. Poor defense, missed FTs, or fouling the three point shooter late in the game are just examples of what can happen. Nevertheless, Cousins (6'10 250 lbs.) gives us the enforcer that this team desparately needs. Orton (6'10" 260 lbs.) (hope he stays) is another 5 star beast. Hood (high 4 star 6'6" 185 lbs.) is ranked higher than Meeks was when he graduated from HS.

With Coach Cal's system, I forsee a team that plays 9 players many of whom have years of experience and all who were ranked a four or five star coming out of high school. These players are backed up by four experienced two star players who are good athletes. Coach Cal can certainly "call off the dogs" and still increase the lead with this team. We will just keep coming.

Finally, if someone gives up their scholarship, and walks on, transfers or something else happens, we have the opportunite to add a quality PG to this equation. It is a very exciting prospect.