Alex Poythress (not negative at all)

[CHAMPCAT11]

Alex is one of the finest student athletes you could ever find. If you looked at 50 of the most vital requirements to be an All American and future success story whether as basketball player or business man he shines in 49 of the 50 categories. His only shortcoming seems to be that he's just too timid / humble to play every minute of every game like the 'beast' Cal wants him to be and quite frankly how we need him to be. Why can't he crank up his motor i.e. MKG when we need him ? I admire the heck out of him but he could take over a lot of games for us if he could bring it like he's capable of doing.

 

[kybassfan]

Alex is one of the finest student athletes you could ever find. If you looked at 50 of the most vital requirements to be an All American and future success story whether as basketball player or business man he shines in 49 of the 50 categories. His only shortcoming seems to be that he's just too timid / humble to play every minute of every game like the 'beast' Cal wants him to be and quite frankly how we need him to be. Why can't he crank up his motor i.e. MKG when we need him ? I admire the heck out of him but he could take over a lot of games for us if he could bring it like he's capable of doing.

Funny thing about that. There is at least one guy that doesn't consider Alex to be timid.

“He’s still trying to bully. You can’t bully. You have to be an athlete. You have to go by people. You can’t go through. But, again, he’s coming off an ACL, guys. And I’m hard on him, but I’m allowed to be. You guys are not allowed. I’m hard on him. I’m expecting more than he’s – my son, who had an ACL, called me yesterday and says, ‘you have to leave Karl alone, Dad.’ Did I just say Karl? Did he have a double-double yesterday? But he said, ‘You have to leave Alex alone. I had that injury."

Who is that one guy? Some dude named John Calipari. Wonder if he knows anything about Poythress and basketball?

Any of you guys heard of this Calipari guy?

 

[CHAMPCAT11]

Funny thing about that. There is at least one guy that doesn't consider Alex to be timid.

“He’s still trying to bully. You can’t bully. You have to be an athlete. You have to go by people. You can’t go through. But, again, he’s coming off an ACL, guys. And I’m hard on him, but I’m allowed to be. You guys are not allowed. I’m hard on him. I’m expecting more than he’s – my son, who had an ACL, called me yesterday and says, ‘you have to leave Karl alone, Dad.’ Did I just say Karl? Did he have a double-double yesterday? But he said, ‘You have to leave Alex alone. I had that injury."

Who is that one guy? Some dude named John Calipari. Wonder if he knows anything about Poythress and basketball?

Any of you guys heard of this Calipari guy?

That's not the right answer. You try that sarcastic humor on a lot of your posts and you fail almost every time. I can see why Cal gets upset with fans like you.

 

[kybassfan]

That's not the right answer. You try that sarcastic humor on a lot of your posts and you fail almost every time. I can see why Cal gets upset with fans like you.

No answer I see.

 

[CHAMPCAT11]

No answer I see.

Appreciate the polite response. I went back and I may not have been totally clear on how much I like Alex. No way I'd ever criticize him and I hope I didn't come across that way. I know he has all the tools and more. I just hope he plays the rest of the season strong and helps carry the team. We really need him.

 

[smackcats]

He's is, and has always been, a sixth man type. 5-8 minutes a half. That's his strength.

 

[kybassfan]

Appreciate the polite response. I went back and I may not have been totally clear on how much I like Alex. No way I'd ever criticize him and I hope I didn't come across that way. I know he has all the tools and more. I just hope he plays the rest of the season strong and helps carry the team. We really need him.

I was specifically targeting the timid comment. I hear that so much it gets irritating. Alex isn't timid. His coach clearly doesn't think he's timid. I do think he's trying not to knock people down so much. I also think his lateral movement is still way below pre-injury levels.

So the timid thing is trite and insubstantial. Everything else you said is cool.

 

[whhs22]

biggest issue with Alex and his game to me are his hands and ball control. seems his hands are timid, and every time he goes to put the ball on the floor I cringe.

not being critical of the young man , but at some point you just gotta accept what someone can and cannot do.

 

[ganner918]

He's is, and has always been, a sixth man type. 5-8 minutes a half. That's his strength.

Alex is our best rebounder. He's not a creator with the ball in his hands, but he's much more than a 10-15 min a game player.

 

[UKBrassowTipIN]

Again fans not understanding the complete game..he's one of the best defenders on the team. Last yr before he got hurt, the players he guarded only avg 13% from the field. We won the sweet sixteen game against uofl bc of him...when they switched him on pushoff hancock he didn't score again.

 

[StubbornPenny]

I haven't crunched any numbers, but his defense doesn't look as fierce this season... chalk it up the the ACL, I guess. I have seen signs of him skying for blocks lately. That's a great development. Just seems the lateral movement isn't where it was. I think it'll be okay.

If he could hit anything outside of 2 feet, he'd be a remarkably different player. Just the threat of a decent shot would open up the middle a little. He had a big big three against OSU for what felt like the first time since his freshmen season, so credit where credit is due. As long as he's good enough to make his defender play him honest, everything else he's doing is fine. But he has to be able to knock down that shot. It's maddening, because he shot well his freshman year, and can still hit free throws... the in game shots just haven't been falling, and I don't know if they consistently will. It would make a world of difference if he suddenly discovered that shot.

Any post up moves would be highly appreciated. He's just never developed one. Hell, if he even had one go to move, I feel we could play him at center! 6'8'' isn't too bad for a college center, he can jump like crazy, strong, good defender especially on slower players (and when he gains more lateral movement)... He seems to get called for a lot of BS fouls that the refs don't call on centers too. Sign me up for him at C and Skal at PF... but only if Poy can handle any offensive duty in the post.

He can't dribble, he can't drive, and he never will. Don't ask him to do it.

Rebounding is tricky. People say he can't hold onto the ball during a rebound. Well, sometimes with these athletic guys (Lee included), the normal player would have never been able to get a hand on the ball in the first place, so we wouldn't criticize him. These players somehow get a shot at it, but lose it. I won't criticize Poy or Lee for getting hands on the ball. I'll criticize them if they don't scrap for it in the first place.

Overall, I think he's doing pretty good for having torn an ACL a year ago. He'll never be a superstar. But if he can show any iota of offense outside of dunks, he becomes an infinitely more valuable player. I don't think the answer is motor, I think the answer is zen. He needs to stop thinking about it so much.

 

[ukwazoo]

He is so much like Darius Miller it's scary. He'll have a game or two where he's impressive as hell and you think he's finally flipped the switch. And then he'll disappear for two weeks.

He's not going to change. It's who he is. We just have to hope he makes the big plays at the perfect time, a la Darius.

 

[BlueBomb]

Funny how people say they're not trying to be critical of Alex....then they proceed with being critical.

That would be like me saying: You know, I'm not trying to knock you as a poster on this board or anything, but I really don't think you're a very good poster. But I'm not trying to knock you.

 

[.S&C.]

Alex is what he is. As far as "timid" goes, I think most of that's out of him. Quoting Calipari isn't going to solve some riddle though. Cal uses coach speak and half of what he says should be taken with a grain of salt. I could post countless Calipari comments that aren't necessarily true.

 

[hotelblue]

it is my opinion that most everyone has underrated alex's effort on the offensive glass. when our missed shots go up there's already three opposing players boxing us out (because they can this year) in the painted area. Alex is coming in from the box extended taking the ball out of mid air and landing with three guys around him. he is our only guy that can snatch it from the other team besides lee sometimes. if he learned how to protect the ball when he's coming down with it and gather himself he's going to score.

he's gotten his shot blocked twice badly. that's not alex. when he gets his balance down after such soaring jumps he's going to be effective. the will to make the play is there, but since we have no one clogging the land he's getting the ball swiped when he comes down with it or jumping away with a weak shot. when he can double jump more effectively and go right back at the rim he will look like a beast. jmho

 

[donkat]

Alex is an athlete devoid of basketball skills. He has shown no improvement in four years here. He gives minimal effort. He does not compete. He does not make his team mates better. He is a senior who disappears and leaves the load on underclass men. Alex undoubtably has many,many good qualities but few of them relate to basketball.

 

[UKCats2000]

He is so much like Darius Miller it's scary. He'll have a game or two where he's impressive as hell and you think he's finally flipped the switch. And then he'll disappear for two weeks.

He's not going to change. It's who he is. We just have to hope he makes the big plays at the perfect time, a la Darius.

Darius was inconsistent at times, but that's where I think the similarities end. 34th all time scoring, 23rd all time assists, 28th all time steals, 20th all time free throw %, 10th all time 3 pt made, 22nd all time 3 pt %, SEC tourney MVP, SEC 6th man of year, some big games during our 2012 tourney run...

 

[crestcat]

Darius was inconsistent at times, but that's where I think the similarities end. 34th all time scoring, 23rd all time assists, 28th all time steals, 20th all time free throw %, 10th all time 3 pt made, 22nd all time 3 pt %, SEC tourney MVP, SEC 6th man of year, some big games during our 2012 tourney run...

Agreed, completely different skill sets. Darius had the ability to take over a game but he just would not assert himself, loved him but he drove me crazy.

 

[WildcatDJ]

I was specifically targeting the timid comment. I hear that so much it gets irritating. Alex isn't timid. His coach clearly doesn't think he's timid. I do think he's trying not to knock people down so much. I also think his lateral movement is still way below pre-injury levels.

So the timid thing is trite and insubstantial. Everything else you said is cool.

Spot on.

He is trying to bully right now, which was a beautiful thing to watch when he played the 3. Now he's trying to overpower guys that are 2-3 inches taller with more quickness and leaping ability.

He has to start using more finesse and pump fakes. Then he can murder the rim when he creates a lane to the rim.

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

Alex is an athlete devoid of basketball skills. He has shown no improvement in four years here. He gives minimal effort. He does not compete. He does not make his team mates better. He is a senior who disappears and leaves the load on underclass men. Alex undoubtably has many,many good qualities but few of them relate to basketball.

You're pathetic. There are legitimate ways to critique Poythress without basically calling him a bum. I don't know if Usain Bolt has any basketball skills, but I'm sure there are plenty of elite athletes that don't. And I am sure if you put those athletes in these games, they would never come close to putting up even ONE double double, or scoring 20+ in any game. Your post says far more about you than it does Alex.

 

[Blueaz]

Alex is an athlete devoid of basketball skills. He has shown no improvement in four years here. He gives minimal effort. He does not compete. He does not make his team mates better. He is a senior who disappears and leaves the load on underclass men. Alex undoubtably has many,many good qualities but few of them relate to basketball.

Glad you have shown that you are devoid of any skills

 

[truebluewildcat]

I know Cal farts more basketball knowledge than I'll ever know...but I have to disagree with his take...

we've lost twice not because we got out athleted or overwhelmed with skill...no team in the country has more athletic prowess or skill...and AP may be one of the best raw god given athletes...we lost those games because we got "bullied"...

bruins and buckeyes were both physical with us...

that's not to say our guys aren't fighting or putting forth tremendous effort...we know they are...

we have a roster full of athletes and that's great but somebody is going to have to become a brawler in the post...in fact a couple people are going to need to become enforcers...

too many times there are 4 opponents fighting each other for a board and maybe 1 of our guys...

skal is getting thrown around and boxed out to the bench...sometimes on offense when he is fed the ball it seems like one bump throws him off and he loses the ball or takes a bad shot because he is flat out getting "bullied"...

Boogie, AD, Jones, WCS, and KAT could all hold down the post with their elite ability/athletic prowess alone and it shined brighter than their aggression/bullishness, but they all had enough of both...

I don't know that AP and Lee are on that level in either category...those two are battling hard, no doubt...but they need help...AP simply isn't big enough to command the post on both ends for the entire game...

really would like to see what Humphries can be....

i want our guys to be athletes as well...but sometimes that isn't going to be enough...especially when the other squad has athletes who are also bullies...

Regardless Cal may have to start going with a big line up and rule the post and crash the boards by committee...