Why are people hell bent on making it Reed vs Wagner?

[fisherscatfan]

Reed’s play YTD clearly warrants his time. I have been very much a proponent of Reed getting as much playing time as possible but why is everyone focused on that time coming from Wagner?

There is one player getting a lot of time based on ranking not performance and that is Edwards. Reed and Wagner need the bulk of guard of minutes and then Reeves, Dillingham and Edwards can get minutes based on which one is playing well. Edwards has not showed much especially on D and his offense doesn’t come close to offsetting his D. Dillingham needs to play under control and when he does he is special. Reeves if he is not hitting the shot (which is in most key situations) doesn’t bring much either.

So does anyone really believe this is a Reed vs Wagner? I just don’t see it that way. My thoughts are based on what I think makes this UK team better and not projections.

 

[UK90]

Yep, our best starting lineup right now would probably be a with Reed, Wagner and Reeves all starting.

But that would mean benching Edwards … the projected lottery pick … and we all know Cal ain’t gonna do that.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

Yep, our best starting lineup right now would probably be a with Reed, Wagner and Reeves all starting.

But that would mean benching Edwards … the projected lottery pick … and we all know Cal ain’t gonna do that.

Dillingham is projected lottery and Sheppard is projected first.

Yet the not gonna do that coach plays a transfer in front of both.

Must be promises made to Reeves?

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Dillingham is projected lottery and Sheppard is projected first.

Yet the not gonna do that coach plays a transfer in front of both.

Must be promises made to Reeves?

Dillingham and Sheppard weren’t projected as the number 1 pick. That’s the difference.

 

[Mike_Edwards]

Dilly and Reed off the bench is obviously working. Why fix something that isn’t broke? There’s a certain portion of BBN that isn’t happy unless there’s controversy. Then there’s the people here that aren’t even UK fans here just to stir up drama.

 

[ck-2]

Dilly and Reed off the bench is obviously working. Why fix something that isn’t broke? There’s a certain portion of BBN that isn’t happy unless there’s controversy. Then there’s the people here that aren’t even UK fans here just to stir up drama.

Yes it’s working so far, but will it work now that conference play is about to kickoff? Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to look down the road and think that the first five mins of each game doesn’t matter. I’m all for what leads to wins time will tell about the lineups.
Fans of a team wondering why the best player (statistically) isn’t starting isn’t some crazy concept.

 

[JonathanW]

Yep, our best starting lineup right now would probably be a with Reed, Wagner and Reeves all starting.

But that would mean benching Edwards … the projected lottery pick … and we all know Cal ain’t gonna do that.

He has done it before

 

[UKortho]

Reed’s play YTD clearly warrants his time. I have been very much a proponent of Reed getting as much playing time as possible but why is everyone focused on that time coming from Wagner?

There is one player getting a lot of time based on ranking not performance and that is Edwards. Reed and Wagner need the bulk of guard of minutes and then Reeves, Dillingham and Edwards can get minutes based on which one is playing well. Edwards has not showed much especially on D and his offense doesn’t come close to offsetting his D. Dillingham needs to play under control and when he does he is special. Reeves if he is not hitting the shot (which is in most key situations) doesn’t bring much either.

So does anyone really believe this is a Reed vs Wagner? I just don’t see it that way. My thoughts are based on what I think makes this UK team better and not projections.

Wagner is only behind Ugonna as the worst shooter on the team. Guess how many times he shoots when he is in a game- second most behind Dilly. That’s a problem that needs to be fixed.

 

[UKortho]

Dillingham and Sheppard weren’t projected as the number 1 pick. That’s the difference.

Yep. Cal doesn’t want players draft positions falling under his watch. I get it- but it hurts the team.

 

[ck-2]

Wagner is only behind Ugonna as the worst shooter on the team. Guess how many times he shoots when he is in a game- second most behind Dilly. That’s a problem that needs to be fixed.

Seems like every year there’s a guy who really struggles with his outside shot and he seems to always have the green light. I’ve always wondered how those guys shoot in practice. Because unless you can consistently knock those shots down in practice you don’t need to be taking them in the game. Just my opinion.

 

[LmdCat]

Reed’s play YTD clearly warrants his time. I have been very much a proponent of Reed getting as much playing time as possible but why is everyone focused on that time coming from Wagner?

There is one player getting a lot of time based on ranking not performance and that is Edwards. Reed and Wagner need the bulk of guard of minutes and then Reeves, Dillingham and Edwards can get minutes based on which one is playing well. Edwards has not showed much especially on D and his offense doesn’t come close to offsetting his D. Dillingham needs to play under control and when he does he is special. Reeves if he is not hitting the shot (which is in most key situations) doesn’t bring much either.

So does anyone really believe this is a Reed vs Wagner? I just don’t see it that way. My thoughts are based on what I think makes this UK team better and not projections.

Dilly's upside appears to be great enough that allowing him to play through his few mistakes make sense. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about Edwards. He rarely plays well and he makes it worse by playing selfishly more often than not.

 

[Woodsmoke]

Wagner is only behind Ugonna as the worst shooter on the team. Guess how many times he shoots when he is in a game- second most behind Dilly. That’s a problem that needs to be fixed.

Not a problem with Cal so you shouldn’t be concerned about it.

 

[Fancatstik]

Because Reed is the next Larry Bird. Haven't you been reading?

 

[plumdog69]

They are both great.

 

[HerrosHeroes]

Dillingham is projected lottery and Sheppard is projected first.

Yet the not gonna do that coach plays a transfer in front of both.

Must be promises made to Reeves?

As long as Reeves is hitting 45% of threes, leading the team in scoring and scoring the most points (30) v UL in nearly 30 yrs; Id say we are ok the way things are.
Reeves knows he cant slack off this season or he will ride pine. It shows.

 

[HerrosHeroes]

Cal will do more of whats best for the team this yr than ever before. You know why? Because he’s on a shorter leash than ever before.

Its been going on 9 yrs since UK has made the FF under his watch; he’s officially on the hot seat and he knows it.

The minutes the players are getting bears this out.

 

[SaltyCat25]

Because DJ Wagner is jealous of Reed Sheppard and won’t pass him the ball according to @UK96GOAT .

 

[barbourfor3]

There’s gonna be a lot of games where teams slow it down and force a half court game, we’re gonna need Wagner in those games.

What concerns me with him starting is we always seem to start slow and struggle to score. We’ve seen it just about all season so it’s not an anomaly. Right now everyone is getting minutes and they seem to have good chemistry so it is what it is. Better to have this than to have to rely on one guy to score

 

[K_TIME]

They are both great.

But the numbers (and eye test) suggest that is not reality.

- Wagner plays the same minutes and is shooting a horrendous FG and 3pt percentage. Luckily there are enough minutes and I'd prefer to keep all players minutes below 32 minutes a game to stay fresher and play harder during time on court. The only case you can make is DJ is the better backcourt defender (which is hard to make the case so far)

And not to get into a Cal bashing thread but some fans have seen over all the year, both good and bad, the higher rated kids get the nod over lesser rated kids....at least to start the season. Quickley/Whitney, Wenyen/Derek Willis, Vargas/Jorts, Livingston/Reeves, BJ Boston/Mintz, Skal his year, etc... And this year is the same old song playing out to a degree.

NAME		GP	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG%	FT%	3P%
Antonio Reeves G		11	30.3	18.3	4.2	1.5	0.6	0.2	1.1	50.7	82.9	45.5
Rob Dillingham G		11	23	14.2	3.9	4.3	1.5	0.1	1.6	46.8	71.4	44.4
Tre Mitchell F		11	34.1	13.2	6.7	3.5	1.2	1.4	1.4	54	66.7	38.5
Reed Sheppard G		11	26.5	12.6	4.6	4.3	2.8	0.8	1.5	58.5	89.5	57.8
D.J. Wagner G		10	26.5	11.7	2.1	3.6	1.2	0.5	1.4	40	73.1	27.8
Justin Edwards G		11	24.9	9.9	4.6	0.9	0.9	0.5	1.1	46.7	71.4	25.8
Aaron Bradshaw F		4	21	8.5	5	0	0.8	1.3	0.8	61.9	54.5	66.7
Adou Thiero G		10	22.9	7.6	5.6	0.8	0.7	1.1	0.9	52.9	76	30

 

[Fox2monk]

Reed’s play YTD clearly warrants his time. I have been very much a proponent of Reed getting as much playing time as possible but why is everyone focused on that time coming from Wagner?

There is one player getting a lot of time based on ranking not performance and that is Edwards. Reed and Wagner need the bulk of guard of minutes and then Reeves, Dillingham and Edwards can get minutes based on which one is playing well. Edwards has not showed much especially on D and his offense doesn’t come close to offsetting his D. Dillingham needs to play under control and when he does he is special. Reeves if he is not hitting the shot (which is in most key situations) doesn’t bring much either.

So does anyone really believe this is a Reed vs Wagner? I just don’t see it that way. My thoughts are based on what I think makes this UK team better and not projections.

It shouldn’t be a big deal, everyone gets along and everyone is playing well overall. This team is good and having fun. Shouldn’t matter.

 

[Bleedin Blue in Ohio]

Keep the starters as is. I think what will be most important is a 3-guard lineup down the stretch in games. Last 8 minutes of games is where guard play is most important. Control the clock, the tempo, and bury teams on the foul line. This team is positioned for that and can still rotate 1 in and out and still have 3 guards on the court. What we saw down the stretch vs UNC is what this teams NCAA tournament will look like. Wagner and Dilly driving g and scoring down the stretch in games and kicking it out for shooters like Sheppard and Reeves. Those guards are the key to cutting down the nets in March.

 

[TFCats11]

This isn’t about Wagner, but show me one player in all of D1 that is the overall statistical leader for his team who comes off the bench!

Can’t find one? Try the NBA next… Still can’t find one?

Only one JVC would own a stat like that😭😭😭

 

[Mike-McD]

Dilly and Reed off the bench is obviously working. Why fix something that isn’t broke? There’s a certain portion of BBN that isn’t happy unless there’s controversy. Then there’s the people here that aren’t even UK fans here just to stir up drama.

I bet starting them would work better.

Why would it stir up drama? Shouldn't our team be unselfish enough to realize that the best performers should be starting?

Or does Cal not "want to take their hearts" again?

 

[JonathanW]

I prefer playing ALL 4 guards, like we have been, letting the hit hand(s) play a little longer.

 

[SaltyCat25]

I prefer playing ALL 4 guards, like we have been, letting the hit hand(s) play a little longer.

My favorite is crunch time when Dillingham, Sheppard, and Wagner are all in at the same time.

*Listed in alphabetical order

 

[GoBIG BLUE]

Because DJ Wagner is jealous of Reed Sheppard and won’t pass him the ball according to @UK96GOAT .

Has this been witnessed gor real or just an assumption?

 

[Slowwalker]

Dillingham is projected lottery and Sheppard is projected first.

Yet the not gonna do that coach plays a transfer in front of both.

Must be promises made to Reeves?

Or Cal is actually playing who he sees as most deserving and who provides us the best opportunity to win.

 

[UK96GOAT]

Has this been witnessed gor real or just an assumption?

I said it was my opinion and even said I may be wrong but I did state facts that make me wonder. In the last 7 games, since the game Sheppard went 9-10 and was assisted in 7 of those 9 shots, he has made 30 FGs and only assisted 1 by Wagner during the last 7 games. Antonio Reeves and Justin Edwards has assisted Sheppard 0 times during that stretch. These are the 3 guards that start and they absolutely don’t try to find the best shooter on the team. Wagner assisted other players during that stretch. Jordan Burks has assisted Sheppard twice as much as Wagner, Reeves, and Edwards combined over the last 7 games. Don’t believe me? Look at the play by play for each game on ESPNs website and it will tell you who assisted who. I didn’t want to take the time to do the research but Salty kept saying I was making things up. I knew what I see with my eyes, but had to look it up to give him some facts. I even said maybe my opinion was wrong and those 3 aren’t jealous of Sheppard. Maybe, they are just natural ball hogs.

 

[ganner918]

Because people aren't happy unless they have something to fight over

 

[GoBIG BLUE]

I said it was my opinion and even said I may be wrong but I did state facts that make me wonder. In the last 7 games, since the game Sheppard went 9-10 and was assisted in 7 of those 9 shots, he has made 30 FGs and only assisted 1 by Wagner during the last 7 games. Antonio Reeves and Justin Edwards has assisted Sheppard 0 times during that stretch. These are the 3 guards that start and they absolutely don’t try to find the best shooter on the team. Wagner assisted other players during that stretch. Jordan Burks has assisted Sheppard twice as much as Wagner, Reeves, and Edwards combined over the last 7 games. Don’t believe me? Look at the play by play for each game on ESPNs website and it will tell you who assisted who. I didn’t want to take the time to do the research but Salty kept saying I was making things up. I knew what I see with my eyes, but had to look it up to give him some facts. I even said maybe my opinion was wrong and those 3 aren’t jealous of Sheppard. Maybe, they are just natural ball hogs.

Curious. It does raise my eyebrow as well. Like you mentioned, Wagner and Edwards may just be more of a ball hog'ish type rather than anything personal coming into play... regardless, I hope our guards can increase effective distribution of the ball to our best shooters (shep,reeves, dilly, Mitchell). Time will tell.
Oh and FWIW.
I was accused of just 'wanting something to conplain about' when I witnessed an odd interaction at the end of one of our ball games. Sometimes our eyes will tell us something and heaven forbid we share anything remotely negative regarding our boys. Even posted as a question, or passing opinion. Lol.
Thanks for the insight.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

My favorite is crunch time when Dillingham, Sheppard, and Wagner are all in at the same time.

*Listed in alphabetical order

I love this lineup! Only problem is, you basically have to take Reeves off the floor to do this, and he’s a good FT shooter. Not to mention, he’s one of our best shooters. Reckon you could play a 4 guard lineup, depending on matchups.

 

[UK96GOAT]

The lineup I want to see together are Bradshaw, Mitchell, Thiero, Sheppard, and Dillingham. Not saying it will be the best but I would like to see them give it a try.

 

[the stat man]

Yea

Dilly and Reed off the bench is obviously working. Why fix something that isn’t broke? There’s a certain portion of BBN that isn’t happy unless there’s controversy. Then there’s the people here that aren’t even UK fans here just to stir up drama.

Yea he’ll it works great as it is but left just find a reason to bitch about. Well Reed and Rob come in they give a great lift in energy and are definitely as good as the other teams starters and much better than the other team substitutes so to
Me that’s a huge advantage for Kentucky!

 

[THE_HOOK]

Ignorance.

 

[jeffky]

 

[NorfolkNWaypal]

Maybe because it's obvious DJ is getting preferential treatment over Sheppard. There's not another coach in the nation who would have Shep coming off the bench at this point in the season.

 

[HagginHall1999]

Maybe because it's obvious DJ is getting preferential treatment over Sheppard. There's not another coach in the nation who would have Shep coming off the bench at this point in the season.

Reed should play 120 minutes per game between the 1-3 spots, he really should. Reed should run so much he looks like Christian Bale in The Machinist.

Cal shouldn't play DJ at all. It is not important for him to make progress because Reed can play all 3 spots for the entirety of every game!

Everyone, get their pitch forks! Reed and DJ are both playing 26.5 minutes per game, preferential treatment, I tell ya, muah see, preferential treatment!! George is getting upset!!

 

[LmdCat]

But the numbers (and eye test) suggest that is not reality.

- Wagner plays the same minutes and is shooting a horrendous FG and 3pt percentage. Luckily there are enough minutes and I'd prefer to keep all players minutes below 32 minutes a game to stay fresher and play harder during time on court. The only case you can make is DJ is the better backcourt defender (which is hard to make the case so far)

And not to get into a Cal bashing thread but some fans have seen over all the year, both good and bad, the higher rated kids get the nod over lesser rated kids....at least to start the season. Quickley/Whitney, Wenyen/Derek Willis, Vargas/Jorts, Livingston/Reeves, BJ Boston/Mintz, Skal his year, etc... And this year is the same old song playing out to a degree.

NAME		GP	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG%	FT%	3P%
Antonio Reeves G		11	30.3	18.3	4.2	1.5	0.6	0.2	1.1	50.7	82.9	45.5
Rob Dillingham G		11	23	14.2	3.9	4.3	1.5	0.1	1.6	46.8	71.4	44.4
Tre Mitchell F		11	34.1	13.2	6.7	3.5	1.2	1.4	1.4	54	66.7	38.5
Reed Sheppard G		11	26.5	12.6	4.6	4.3	2.8	0.8	1.5	58.5	89.5	57.8
D.J. Wagner G		10	26.5	11.7	2.1	3.6	1.2	0.5	1.4	40	73.1	27.8
Justin Edwards G		11	24.9	9.9	4.6	0.9	0.9	0.5	1.1	46.7	71.4	25.8
Aaron Bradshaw F		4	21	8.5	5	0	0.8	1.3	0.8	61.9	54.5	66.7
Adou Thiero G		10	22.9	7.6	5.6	0.8	0.7	1.1	0.9	52.9	76	30

Oh no! Hit him with the facts. Lol

 

[LmdCat]

Reed should play 120 minutes per game between the 1-3 spots, he really should. Reed should run so much he looks like Christian Bale in The Machinist.

Cal shouldn't play DJ at all. It is not important for him to make progress because Reed can play all 3 spots for the entirety of every game!

Everyone, get their pitch forks! Reed and DJ are both playing 26.5 minutes per game, preferential treatment, I tell ya, muah see, preferential treatment!! George is getting upset!!

View embedded media

Raw minutes played don't provide much to this debate. How about earned minutes based on value to the team when on the court?

 

[HoneyMoon155]

Raw minutes played don't provide much to this debate. How about earned minutes based on value to the team when on the court?

You really don’t think DJ is valuable? He’s been playing fine I don’t understand why you and others act like he’s just been pure trash