Cal’s call-in show 1/8

[OmahaCats]

Because Wager and Edwards were promised starting that’s why

Because the rotation works. That’s why

 

[Mike-McD]

Cal has done so much for the state outside of basketball. Kentucky fans as a whole are some of the most knowledgeable and fervent fans in all of sport. They also feel compelled to let Cal know, constantly, what changes they would make. As a hall of famer, championship winning, coach with tons of wins and a long career, it has to be absolutely draining having to hear it over and over.

If any of you think interacting with Cal through any medium and giving him advice is legitimately going to spark a lightbulb for him and get him to implement your idea, you’re laughably out of touch.

He is a bit abrasive because of the above, in my opinion anyway. But he’s never cruel about it, he either brushes it off, calls you a basketball Bennie, or makes a joke like above. And so many of you are so thin skinned you can’t handle it.

As someone who would never try to offer up unsolicited advice to a HoF coach, I find it pretty funny.

Poor, poor Cal. Making $9M a year, can't handle the fans. Boo freaking hoo.

 

[Mike-McD]

Because the rotation works. That’s why

It only works because and when Sheppard is in the game.

 

[treyforuk]

Back injuries are not an exact science either. You can feel great one day, they sleep on it slightly wrong and feel like you been shot.

Someone (Pilgram?), mentioned injury is due from his body adjusting to growth spurt. Make sense?

 

[the nail at the foul line]

I would like to ask Cal about his tourney success this decade. Be smarmy now.

Until he proves it in tourney again the jury is still out.

 

[baseball is life]

It only works because and when Sheppard is in the game.

So why didn't we win when Shep played 30+ minutes against UNCW?

 

[nickhorvathsuxazz]

What was Reed’s stat line in that game again? This argument holds zero water.

I had to go back and check, because I remembered him being "off" that game. Other than 3 turnovers which are a little high for his usual #'s, he had an outstanding game: 25 pts (9-17; 3-6), 9 rebounds, 6 assists and a couple of steals. It was Rob who had the really bad game: 2 pts, 4 boards, 3 assts, 4 to's, 4 fouls

 

[baseball is life]

I had to go back and check, because I remembered him being "off" that game. Other than 3 turnovers which are a little high for his usual #'s, he had an outstanding game: 25 pts (9-17; 3-6), 9 rebounds, 6 assists and a couple of steals. It was Rob who had the really bad game: 2 pts, 4 boards, 3 assts, 4 to's, 4 fouls

And with the extended minutes Reed became a swinging gate down the stretch defensively. Gave up as many as he gave us

 

[Kybluedude]

I'd prefer that Justin Edwards deal with his demons in mid-January as opposed to March or April when we're in a close tournament game and he decides to make a few "I've got skills" plays that kill the team's in the last four minutes of a season-ending tourney game.

Cal should absolutely split the oak tree of Edwards' soul wide open over the next two to four weeks. Push him and make him confront his ego. Challenge him and push him to the edge of his soul's highest mountains and lowest valley. Let his feet dangle over the cliffside for a few games, and let the roaring wind of real, uncensored competition toy with his fragility.

Then let him see that he could survive it all, and let him taste that. When it's done, rebuild him and affirm him.

But whatever Cal does, he should absolutely resist the urge to keep holding this kid's hand for the long term. Edwards knows what it takes to scale the mountain now. Let him try it for a spell on his own. He has all the tools. Give him a window to remain a starter. Two weeks. He needs to earn it.

"Show us what you're made of, Justin" should be Cal's mantra going forward.

That sounds dangerous and dramatic but I get your drift.

 

[ukcatz12]

It's amazing how brainwashed some of you are.

The same crew that have praised Cal for not showing favoritism and for only playing guys who "earn it", are now making concessions for Cal playing a guy - Edwards - who has no business starting.

I get that Edwards is a guy who Cal doesn't want to split his ego wide open by benching him, but I thought this program was about promoting "I cant hide you" and "this isn't for everyone" - mantras that point to guys earning their time and, to use Cal's own metaphor, "Getting on the train because the train's moving."

If Edwards remains in his hibernation mode for another two weeks, it's time to bench him in favor of a three guard lineup. At present, he can't even finish in transition. His time as a starter should be on the clock.

And it's bigger than rotation styles at this point, people. There is a principle at stake here. Stop rewarding guys who don't earn it, especially when they've had two months to prove themselves. Maybe a dose of humility would go a long way in getting the most out of Justin Edwards. It would probably be the first time in his life that he came off the bench. Let's see what he's made of.

Edward's minutes have trended down significantly since the beginning of the year. He's only averaging 18 minutes over the last five games. As he continues to show little improvement his minutes have continued to decrease. I don't really get too caught up in who starts each half, having sparks come off the bench is a strategy that seems to be working, but let's not act like Edwards is getting currently crazy amounts of minutes.

 

[Rockfly78]

You mean that game where Dillingham and Edwards collectively shot 5-23 from the field? The game where those two combined for 6 turnovers and looked horrible?

The one where Reed shot 9/17 from the field, 3/6 from three, 4/4 from the line, scored 25 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, had 6 assists, and two steals?

You're right. We shouldn't forget that game. It clearly showed us Reed is more than capable of being our best player when he plays heavy minutes.

yes that's the one. we didn't lose because reed started. but it is data relative to the conversation

Thankfully, Reed does play heave mins.

 

[Rockfly78]

What was Reed’s stat line in that game again? This argument holds zero water.

I don't know his stats for that game

It's also not really an argument, at least not from me. I'm not saying we lost because Reed started. I think the lineup and rotation is fine. I actually think it's optimal. but Reed starting in our worst game is still relative data.

 

[Rockfly78]

Poor, poor Cal. Making $9M a year, can't handle the fans. Boo freaking hoo.

Looks to me like he's handling yall pretty well. Everything he says triggers you and he knows it. He's the biggest troll out there but it's like taking candy from a baby.

 

[Rockfly78]

It only works because and when Sheppard is in the game.

lol

 

[ukcatz12]

Looks to me like he's handling yall pretty well. Everything he says triggers you and he knows it. He's the biggest troll out there but it's like taking candy from a baby.

Lol I was going to say the same. Cal's always been a troll. John Chaney didn't threaten to kill him for no reason, he's good at getting under people's skin and is rarely serious about things. He didn't really watch Little House on the Prairie instead of game tape, but he knows it riles people up a bit when he says things like that and he likes to have a little fun. And I'd probably do the same thing as him if I were in his shoes.

The job is an absolute pressure cooker and it probably helps to blow off a little steam by having some fun and trolling a bit during press conferences.

 

[qwesley]

On the 2018 team a very raw FR Nick Richards started every game but only averaged 14 or so MPG. I would argue that hurt us against KSU by getting us in a early hole against an inferior opponent and giving them momentum.

 

[ORCAT]

Believe whatever you want. There have been articles since he got to the league about how much Lamar Jackson means to the black community. He's a southern black guy who uses southern black slang and wears southern black culture on his sleeve. So the black community roots for him. That's not perfectly fine.

And with Reed it's the same way. You relate to someone with your background more, and there are millions of white Kentucky kids, Reed among them, who grew up pretending to hit the national title winning shot for UK. So when you see one of your own succeeding, and in Reed's cause succeeding more than most people thought, you throw your entire fandom behind them.

I've said in just about every comment in this thread there's nothing wrong with doing that. Not sure how much more clear I can be about that. But for the sake of this thread and to prevent things from getting to a place where the mods need to nuke the thread this will be the last I say about it.

Yes, I've read your remarks and know how clear you think you've made it but that doesn't make it right as you appear to believe. You make many assumptions about how others feel and I believe your thoughts are pretty outdated and not very accurate. Not going to go on any more about this either, we just disagree over your points and it seems a number of other posters don't care for your reasoning either from what I see in this thread. But, no point in going further on this. Have a great day and GO CATS!!!!

 

[MegaBlue05]

Some jacka$$ called Sunday Morning show complaining to Pilgrim about Adou and "general soreness" of a 20 year old and how it was ridiculous he wasn't playing.

When I was 20 I hurt my back so bad I was standing at a 45 degree andle for almost 2 weeks. Backs are nothing to mess with...don't care how old he is.

This.

I pinched a nerve in my lower back when I was 16 playing high school baseball (swinging for the fences without the power to back it up). It was worse in terms of pain, soreness and time to heal than most other injuries I got playing sports. The back is crucial and also very delicate when injured.

 

[ck-2]

Lol I was going to say the same. Cal's always been a troll. John Chaney didn't threaten to kill him for no reason, he's good at getting under people's skin and is rarely serious about things. He didn't really watch Little House on the Prairie instead of game tape, but he knows it riles people up a bit when he says things like that and he likes to have a little fun. And I'd probably do the same thing as him if I were in his shoes.

The job is an absolute pressure cooker and it probably helps to blow off a little steam by having some fun and trolling a bit during press conferences.

Thing is he wasn’t really a troll here at KY towards the fanbase until HIS performance took a nosedive. Which to me means he’s bitter and doesn’t like to be questioned about it. And that comes with the job.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

I don't know his stats for that game

It's also not really an argument, at least not from me. I'm not saying we lost because Reed started. I think the lineup and rotation is fine. I actually think it's optimal. but Reed starting in our worst game is still relative data.

The only reason we didn’t get beat by 20+ was solely because of Reed. The whole team elevates to another level almost immediately after Reed enters the game. It’s beyond obvious at this point. To say otherwise is just absolutely foolish and basically bullshit.

 

[catlogic15]

It amazes me how much disrespect Wagner gets on this board. In my opinion he is the glue.

 

[rob_47]

It amazes me how much disrespect Wagner gets on this board. In my opinion he is the glue.

Nobody is disrespecting Wagner. Dj should start along with Reeves and Reed.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Nobody is disrespecting Wagner. Dj should start along with Reeves and Reed.

Yep. Edwards shouldn’t be starting in any scenario with everyone available. He’s the weak link in the starting 5. Hell, Cal starts him over Adou even. Lmfao absurd.

 

[STL_Cat]

If you think there would still be the same fervor over Reed starting if he wasn't a white kid from Kentucky you're kidding yourself. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but the fanbase absolutely would not care about this as much if he were a black kid from NJ.

You’re so right. I still remember when the board thought Quickley should be starting over Khalil Whitney, and even further back when we thought SGA should be starting over Quade Green.

Quickley and SGA were also white dudes from Kentucky, which is clearly all most of our fans care about.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

I know things are going well when all people have to bitch about is who starts. Hope this keeps up through early April.

 

[gharding07]

I know things are going well when all people have to bitch about is who starts. Hope this keeps up through early April.

It's ridiculous. I get it if we were consistently losing games..but good god people. Cant please anyone anymore. Edwards plays 15-18 minutes, and thats perfect. Reed and or Rob are in at the end of the game when it matters.

 

[Rockfly78]

The only reason we didn’t get beat by 20+ was solely because of Reed. The whole team elevates to another level almost immediately after Reed enters the game. It’s beyond obvious at this point. To say otherwise is just absolutely foolish and basically bullshit.

No one is disagreeing with this

 

[crawfords corner]

I still can't believe this guy https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/gamelog/_/id/4897714/trazarien-white doesn't start for UNCW. When he transfers for next season someone is going to be getting a heck of a player(if he dont go for the NBA)

 

[KAB Cats]

Who starts is a non-issue to me and I like the change of pace 1-2 punch of bringing Rob and Reed of bench. I'm totally ambivalent though to be honest. Reed is currently 3rd in total minutes played. The two above him are Tre Mitchell and Antonio Reeves, which makes total sense.

It's also difficult to pull causation from effect and it's difficult to ascertain to what degree, if any, Reed coming off the bench contributes to his play. I doubt that's a non-zero impact as at minimum you have two very good players at full energy going against guards who already have depleted energy.

And, for what it's worth, Calipari mentioning Richie is why he has the perfect personality for the UK job. There are always people who get their jimmies rustled, but UK fans want that. It's why we hire fast talking Italians. I mean, the prototype for a Kentucky coach is pretty much a fast talking Italian who can recruit and play fast if we are being honest.

 

[Sparkaces1]

Yep. Edwards shouldn’t be starting in any scenario with everyone available. He’s the weak link in the starting 5. Hell, Cal starts him over Adou even. Lmfao absurd.

This is what is crazy to me there is no way Edwards is better than Adou at anything on a basketball court.

 

[KAB Cats]

This is what is crazy to me there is no way Edwards is better than Adou at anything on a basketball court.

Edwards is a better shooter and scorer IMO. Edwards problem is defense.

 

[Mike-D]

View embedded media

Cal talking analytics is hilarious. I love it though. We lead the nation in long 2's for years.

 

[ralphdaltonfan]

Cal's in mode which has me nervous for tonight's game. He's the CBB Coaching version of ADD. Once he gets the euphoria of a win that has him thinking a team is what he envisioned, he forgets to guard against reality and an example is if Adou can play-he needs to play-even if it's less minutes. You just won a big road game in the conference and you need to hold "serve" at home. Not that you want to be peaking now but you want to build off a big road win in tough game with showing everyone you are serious. Seeding matters in the NCAA's. Pissing away games like tonight is what has killed the program recently. Even in '20 the year he talked up their "run" they were robbed of-you had the Utah/Ohio St/South Carolina/Tennessee losses that were just duds that would've dropped them a seed line even if they succeeded in SEC Tournament.

This team has had a good feel and "different" feel than past teams but then we saw the UNC Wilmington clunker, after another "Swaggy" Cal time. Just go kick some ass tonight and get the focus on Missouri-not who played young guys first..what Coach K's podcast is about, who should be starting/playing, etc...

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Edwards is a better shooter and scorer IMO. Edwards problem is defense.

Both are debatable.

 

[ralphdaltonfan]

Edwards is a better shooter and scorer IMO. Edwards problem is defense.

Specifically not playing to the scout. They tell him that guy is a shooter-and he'll half ass close out and have hand down-and 3's get rained on him. Same with Rob--how many 3's have been shot right in his face with him under a screen? Think he'd have learned from Kansas but still does it-and UF hit a huge 3 late that could've been a killer, but thankfully wasn't.

 

[Mike-D]

Poor, poor Cal. Making $9M a year, can't handle the fans. Boo freaking hoo.

Part of Cal's job, it's literally in his contract, is doing post game press conferences, where he takes calls. After the last few years, it's human nature for people to start questioning the man and the direction of the program. So far this season, things seem to be going back in the right direction. I don't understand why fans think a man making damn near 25-30k a day, can't answer some tough questions, when warranted.

 

[KAB Cats]

Both are debatable.

I'd give you that. Statistically, it's kind of a rub, but I think Edwards best quality is his mid-range shooting where Adou is very good in penetration scenarios. Statistics aside, I think Edwards has better form on his jump shot. If Adou figures that out, he's Kelenna Azubuike

 

[GoAndRunIsGoneAndDone]

Haven't watched Mizzou much if at all. How do we match up with them by position? For some, maybe I should re-phrase that and ask, do they have any white guys Shep can guard? Come on guys!

Looking forward to seeing them play again tonight and pulling out another win. I am curious how we match up with them, if anyone wants to talk bball.

 

[Cats192]

Because Wager and Edwards were promised starting that’s why

This is silly.

Cal had a higher rated Quade Green lose his spot to SGA.
Cal had a 5 star Khalil Whitney LEAVE THE TEAM because he benched him.
Cal played Derek Willis over 5 star freshmen.
Cal played Dominique Hawkins significant minutes.

You guys like your little narrative of "Cal only likes the kids that can go to the NBA" and ignore history.

 

[Mike-D]

This is silly.

Cal had a higher rated Quade Green lose his spot to SGA.
Cal had a 5 star Khalil Whitney LEAVE THE TEAM because he benched him.
Cal played Derek Willis over 5 star freshmen.
Cal played Dominique Hawkins significant minutes.

You guys like your little narrative of "Cal only likes the kids that can go to the NBA" and ignore history.

Cal makes changes when we are losing. He's not changing the starting 5 sitting at a #6 ranking, and I don't blame em one bit.