Cal's Double Standard

[wildcatwelder]

You think it is intelligent to suggest that we only sign 5 star players and not let any others on the team? That was dumb in my opinion.

You have cried and complained about Cal since 2010, that is a fact.

You tell us who should be our coach.

That WAS dumb....no question.

 

[brianpoe]

They went though those things because there were other 5 stars to play over them. There was nothing spectacular about Briscoe's game but you didn't hear Cal tell him that he had one more chance. Amazing, he told Briscoe that he needed to shoot the ball. Are you kidding me? Briscoe is not a shooter. He needs to spend a lot more time in the gym developing a shot before he starts jacking up too many jumpers.

You tell em coach.

You know more than the $8M HOF coach who is with them everyday.

You dont even know that Briscoe brings Cal's #1 requirement: defense - and he rebounds much better than Willis.

I am not even going to compare Murray to him, even though you wont admit it you know he is 100 times better.

 

[LmdCat]

You think it is intelligent to suggest that we only sign 5 star players and not let any others on the team? That was dumb in my opinion.

You have cried and complained about Cal since 2010, that is a fact.

You tell us who should be our coach.

This discussion has nothing to do with who should be our coach. Our coach is whoever the university is willing to pay to do the job. This discussion is about a young man that could bring much needed scoring to the this team if he didn't have to worry about being jerked out of the game after every single mistake. There were a couple of times that Cal got so upset with Briscoe and Murray that he took Willis out of the game. That certainly got their attention.

 

[LmdCat]

You tell em coach.

You know more than the $8M HOF coach who is with them everyday.

You dont even know that Briscoe brings Cal's #1 requirement: defense - and he rebounds much better than Willis.

I am not even going to compare Murray to him, even though you wont admit it you know he is 100 times better.

I know that you don't know anymore about Cal's thinking than I do.

 

[brianpoe]

This discussion has nothing to do with who should be our coach. Our coach is whoever the university is willing to pay to do the job. This discussion is about a young man that could bring much needed scoring to the this team if he didn't have to worry about being jerked out of the game after every single mistake. There were a couple of times that Cal got so upset with Briscoe and Murray that he took Willis out of the game. That certainly got their attention.

Several posters have addressed your issue, but you refuse to understand.

Defense and rebounding are number 1 - how about when Willis was on the line/stepped over it on the throw in and turned the ball over? The announcers even missed it, was that ok to play though?

 

[ManitouDan]

Hate to see race drug into this topic . Just sad and ne need for it . Cal's choice to play/not play DW obviously has ZERO to do with race. Could we just grow up and leave that out . And I'm a big fan(boi) of DW .

Anyway I've seen a TON of people point out DW's positives must outweigh his negatives and I agree . But has 1 person , just one , pointed out the rousing put back dunk that Willis had .? I knew , just knew , as soon as he allowed that 3 ball he was going to get the hook . And 2 seconds later Cal was grabbing a body to get him out . Yes , DW screwed up , he should have closed out quicker on that guy . But how can he get addt' positives to equal out his weak D if he gets that quick a hook ? Its got to play in his head some , knowing if he makes a mistake its straight to the pine . Hopefully I wont get flamed for honestly trying to offer a differing opinion than most others . My point is let the kid play thru a couple imperfections like the other guys . Love them all and tonight was FUN .

 

[brianpoe]

I know that you don't know anymore about Cal's thinking than I do.

I dont pretend to, these are obvious to any half way knowledgeable fan, see everybody else's responses here. You are the only one confused and upset.

 

[JohnBlue_]

Any other night you might be able to pull off second guessing about why Derek gets pulled. Not tonight though, they showed Cal explaining exactly why he took him out on TV tonight. That's 100% on Willis, you can complain all you want about others but only Willis controls his fate. Excuses don't equal playing time. Learn that and you'll understand why he doesn't play more.

 

[brianpoe]

DW's put back dunk was awesome!

DW's 3's were great.

DW letting the only shooter (after 3 straight days of practice about the kid) score 2 buckets and fouling him on another were bad.

DW's rebounding wasn't good.

DW's turnover trying to drive between two people were bad.

DW's turnover on the throw in was awful.

DW is a junior, he shouldnt have to play through so many mental mistakes.

 

[DwayneMeighan]

They went though those things because there were other 5 stars to play over them. There was nothing spectacular about Briscoe's game but you didn't hear Cal tell him that he had one more chance. Amazing, he told Briscoe that he needed to shoot the ball. Are you kidding me? Briscoe is not a shooter. He needs to spend a lot more time in the gym developing a shot before he starts jacking up too many jumpers.

If you honestly think that Willis is a better option or brings as much to a basketball team as Briscoe then just give up on the sport because you have absolutely no friggin' clue.

Newsflash, this isn't the participation league. The better players on the team get a longer leash and play the majority of the minutes because their pros are much more so than their cons.

It's like that on every single team across the country from middle school to the pros, across all sports. It's not a double standard, it's not favoritism, it's life in competitive athletics.

 

[LmdCat]

Several posters have addressed your issue, but you refuse to understand.

Defense and rebounding are number 1 - how about when Willis was on the line/stepped over it on the throw in and turned the ball over? The announcers even missed it, was that ok to play though?

It was certainly an undesirable turnover, but please don't act like Willis is the only player to do something like that. That mistake occurs at every level of basketball including the NBA and Willis certainly isn't the only UK player to make that mistake. Why not mention Murray saving the ball going out of bounds under Ole Miss goal which resulted in an easy Ole Miss basket?

 

[ManitouDan]

I understand why he got pulled , the entire point of this discussion is does the same criteria apply to others .

 

[brianpoe]

It was certainly an undesirable turnover, but please don't act like Willis is the only player to do something like that. That mistake occurs at every level of basketball including the NBA and Willis certainly isn't the only UK player to make that mistake. Why not mention Murray saving the ball going out of bounds under Ole Miss goal which resulted in an easy Ole Miss basket?

Awful play by a FRESHMAN - who happens to be our best scorer and better defender than DW.

I dont mention DW and Murray in the same breath because that would be unintelligent.

 

[brianpoe]

I understand why he got pulled , the entire point of this discussion is does the same criteria apply to others .

No it doesnt it and why should it? It never has and never will. Seriously Dan you dont understand that better players get a longer leash?

You dont understand that FRESHMEN we will need in March get more lead way?


This isnt Jr Pro, everybody gets a full quarter to play.

 

[wildcatwelder]

It's really quite simple: this teams fortunes do not rise and fall on Willis nearly as much as they do with say, Briscoe. That's because Briscoe plays defense MUCH better than Willis, and defense is what Cal is trying to get Willis to play at a higher level.

Willis has had 3 years to improve on that front and, by and large, has not. Granted, Willis is a better shooter, but it's not as if his offense will win any games for us, rather, his lack of defense could cause us to lose some games.

 

[LmdCat]

If you honestly think that Willis is a better option or brings as much to a basketball team as Briscoe then just give up on the sport because you have absolutely no friggin' clue.

Newsflash, this isn't the participation league. The better players on the team get a longer leash and play the majority of the minutes because their pros are much more so than their cons.

It's like that on every single team across the country from middle school to the pros, across all sports. It's not a double standard, it's not favoritism, it's life in competitive athletics.

Basketball is a team sport and each player's skills are what makes the team successful.

This has nothing to do with who is better. This is all about being fair. Briscoe might handle the ball better and is a better defender, but he certainly isn't a better shooter from the field or the free throw line. Until Willis is allowed to relax and stop looking over his shoulder after every mistake, we will never know just how good he is or could be.

 

[brianpoe]

Basketball is a team sport and each player's skills are what makes the team successful.

This has nothing to do with who is better. This is all about being fair. Briscoe might handle the ball better and is a better defender, but he certainly isn't a better shooter from the field or the free throw line. Until Willis is allowed to relax and stop looking over his shoulder after every mistake, we will never know just how good he is or could be.

Fair? You need to go back to Junior Pro buddy, this is big boy basketball. Fair? Geez you are losing it.


"we will never know just how good he is or could be" - This is your major issue - WE dont need to know, Cal does. You are nobody. You do nothing for this team. You need to know we win games, we go to FFs and just won a title a couple years ago.

 

[LmdCat]

It's really quite simple: this teams fortunes do not rise and fall on Willis nearly as much as they do with say, Briscoe. That's because Briscoe plays defense MUCH better than Willis, and defense is what Cal is trying to get Willis to play at a higher level.

Willis has had 3 years to improve on that front and, by and large, has not. Granted, Willis is a better shooter, but it's not as if his offense will win any games for us, rather, his lack of defense could cause us to lose some games.

This team's fortune could very well fall on Wills, if someone other than Ulis and Murray don't develop a shot.

 

[jedwar]

Basketball is a team sport and each player's skills are what makes the team successful.

This has nothing to do with who is better. This is all about being fair. Briscoe might handle the ball better and is a better defender, but he certainly isn't a better shooter from the field or the free throw line. Until Willis is allowed to relax and stop looking over his shoulder after every mistake, we will never know just how good he is or could be.

What? Seriously????? Well heck let's play everyone cause they put time in. That's fair right?

It has EVERYTHING to do with who's better and gives us the best chance to win.

 

[jedwar]

Fair? You need to go back to Junior Pro buddy, this is big boy basketball. Fair? Geez you are losing it.


"we will never know just how good he is or could be" - This is your major issue - WE dont need to know, Cal does. You are nobody. You do nothing for this team. You need to know we win games, we go to FFs and just won a title a couple years ago.

No joke. Not sure more can be said now.

 

[wildcatwelder]

Basketball is a team sport and each player's skills are what makes the team successful.

This has nothing to do with who is better. This is all about being fair. Briscoe might handle the ball better and is a better defender, but he certainly isn't a better shooter from the field or the free throw line. Until Willis is allowed to relax and stop looking over his shoulder after every mistake, we will never know just how good he is or could be.

OK, I HAVE to address this: "fair"??? This isn't Socialism, this is a college basketball team where the coach, a HOF'er I might add, determines who plays, who get's a longer leash, etc.; all in the name of improving the TEAM overall.

 

[rolaid]

Of course there is a double standard...every time Briscoe bricks a jumper or misses two free throws or gambles on D and leads to a basket...he stays in. Any shot from Briscoe outside a layup is a turnover. Briscoe is a 5* and treated as such.

So Coaches have perceived favorites and its been that way for years. It is what it is. Willis should have went to Purdue when he had his chance. You can't play ball and be worried every mistake will get you pulled.

 

[wildcatwelder]

This team's fortune could very well fall on Wills, if someone other than Ulis and Murray don't develop a shot.

Defense....defense wins Championships. No, we don't need to concern ourselves with whether or not Willis will become "the man" because he won't. He's a role player, and he can fill that role quite nicely as long as he understands it does the team no good to hit two 3's while at the same time giving up 8 points. See how that works?

 

[Blueworld_3.0]

Not defending Willis as I think he has some shortcomings but, Murray plays some pretty weak defense a lot of the time. He gets away with it though because we need his offense. DW needs to make good offensive decisions and make it hard for Cal to take him off the floor.

 

[brianpoe]

Of course there is a double standard...every time Briscoe bricks a jumper or misses two free throws or gambles on D and leads to a basket...he stays in. Any shot from Briscoe outside a layup is a turnover. Briscoe is a 5* and treated as such.

So Coaches have perceived favorites and its been that way for years. It is what it is. Willis should have went to Purdue when he had his chance. You can't play ball and be worried every mistake will get you pulled.

I'm sure he would have played a lot at Purdue after admitting he didnt do the work he needed to the first 2 years...


You guys are unreal tonight. Did we win?

 

[Woodrow_Call_1998]

Basketball is a team sport and each player's skills are what makes the team successful.

This has nothing to do with who is better. This is all about being fair. Briscoe might handle the ball better and is a better defender, but he certainly isn't a better shooter from the field or the free throw line. Until Willis is allowed to relax and stop looking over his shoulder after every mistake, we will never know just how good he is or could be.

Coach Cal has coached a whole lot of players in his coaching career. I think our hall of fame coach knows how to handle his players. Saying he is unfair is absolutely insane. The team played terrific tonight and your on here complaining over one players playing time. Like you said it is a team sport and the team won the damn game.

 

[LmdCat]

Fair? You need to go back to Junior Pro buddy, this is big boy basketball. Fair? Geez you are losing it.


"we will never know just how good he is or could be" - This is your major issue - WE dont need to know, Cal does. You are nobody. You do nothing for this team. You need to know we win games, we go to FFs and just won a title a couple years ago.

We know exactly what Cal knows and wants. Unfortunately many of you don't listen to him or you try to restate what he means when he says things like putting 8 players into NBA was his goal and not winning an NC. That kind of thinking is the reason why little time is spent developing Willis into the shooter that he could be. Leveraging Willis' shooting might help win an NC but it won't get another body into the NBA. So, where is the priority? Is it winning an NC or getting 5 stars into the NBA?

 

[brianpoe]

We know exactly what Cal knows and wants. Unfortunately many of you don't listen to him or you try to restate what he means when he says things like putting 8 players into NBA was his goal and not winning an NC. That kind of thinking is the reason why little time is spent developing Willis into the shooter that he could be. Leveraging Willis' shooting might help win an NC but it won't get another body into the NBA. So, where is the priority? Is it winning an NC or getting 5 stars into the NBA?

Here we go.


"is the reason why little time is spent developing Willis into the shooter that he could be" just how do you know how much time was spent developing Willis's shot?

You dont - keep making yourself look dumb.

You think Cal doesnt want to win a NC? - That is dumb.


You think he yells like an idiot with a 30 point lead and less than 2 minutes to go in the game because of the draft? - Dumb


You dont understand the players first mantra after 6 years? Super duper dumb.

 

[LmdCat]

Defense....defense wins Championships. No, we don't need to concern ourselves with whether or not Willis will become "the man" because he won't. He's a role player, and he can fill that role quite nicely as long as he understands it does the team no good to hit two 3's while at the same time giving up 8 points. See how that works?

Cameron Mills wasn't the man, but UK sure benefited from his 3 point shooting. Based on your thinking, we would have no place for a Cameron Mills on this team because he would never be "the man."

 

[DwayneMeighan]

This has nothing to do with who is better. This is all about being fair

Umm... at this level fair has absolutely nothing to do with it. It is all about who contributes more to the team. Always has been, always will be. The better players have a longer leash and play the majority of the minutes. This isn't something that is new and only Cal does. Again, it's life. If Willis wants more basketball minutes than Briscoe, then all he has to do is be better at basketball and contribute more to the team than Briscoe. It's that simple.

 

[LmdCat]

Here we go.


"is the reason why little time is spent developing Willis into the shooter that he could be" just how do you know how much time was spent developing Willis's shot?

You dont - keep making yourself look dumb.

You think Cal doesnt want to win a NC? - That is dumb.


You think he yells like an idiot with a 30 point lead and less than 2 minutes to go in the game because of the draft? - Dumb


You dont understand the players first mantra after 6 years? Super duper dumb.

You think you know more about what Cal means than he does? Now that is dumb!!!!

 

[kybassfan]

Basketball is a team sport and each player's skills are what makes the team successful.

This has nothing to do with who is better. This is all about being fair. Briscoe might handle the ball better and is a better defender, but he certainly isn't a better shooter from the field or the free throw line. Until Willis is allowed to relax and stop looking over his shoulder after every mistake, we will never know just how good he is or could be.

This is a revealing post. Fair is irrelevant to every individual on the floor except the zebras. Calipari's job at this point is to have the team in peak form in March. That means getting his best players playing their best. Equal time, fair chances or players relaxing is completely absolutely and totally irrelevant. Soccer mom's are worried about fair in pee wee football.

Cal very likely doesn't give a rats ass whether Willis plays another minute. I'm sure he knows exactly what Willis needs to do to help the team. I'm sure he's told Willis what is required of him to fill that role. If Willis doesn't get that done, Willis doesn't get the minutes. End of story.

 

[UKWildcats#8]

UK isn't winning any national titles playing the likes of Willis and Hawkins big minutes. As I said earlier in the thread...play lower ranked players more and then the same people bashing Cal for whatever the hell they are in this thread would be bashing him for not winning enough and getting to Final Fours (like they did with Tubby).

 

[jedwar]

We know exactly what Cal knows and wants. Unfortunately many of you don't listen to him or you try to restate what he means when he says things like putting 8 players into NBA was his goal and not winning an NC. That kind of thinking is the reason why little time is spent developing Willis into the shooter that he could be. Leveraging Willis' shooting might help win an NC but it won't get another body into the NBA. So, where is the priority? Is it winning an NC or getting 5 stars into the NBA?

Shooting isn't Willis' issue. Defense and boards are.

He says things about getting guys into the NBA to get them here. Getting all these 5 stars is the reason we have had so much success under Cal. 4 FFs in 6 seasons. We all would have liked to win more NCs but Cal is doing amazing things.

 

[brianpoe]

Cameron Mills wasn't the man, but UK sure benefited from his 3 point shooting. Based on your thinking, we would have no place for a Cameron Mills on this team because he would never be "the man."

How many times did Cam make dumb turnovers or even cost us points on defense?

Do you understand the difference in ball line defense versus pressure man to man?

 

[LmdCat]

Umm... at this level fair has absolutely nothing to do with it. It is all about who contributes more to the team. Always has been, always will be. The better players have a longer leash and play the majority of the minutes. This isn't something that is new and only Cal does. Again, it's life. If Willis wants more basketball minutes than Briscoe, then all he has to do is be better at basketball and contribute more to the team than Briscoe. It's that simple.

You have no idea just how good either of these players are. You act as if Briscoe had a great game today. There was nothing stellar about his play tonight.

 

[brianpoe]

You think you know more about what Cal means than he does? Now that is dumb!!!!

When did I say that?

You are the one telling us how much they worked on WIllis' shot, you are the one saying Cal is wrong.

You are saying so much silly junk that you keep digging a deeper hole...

 

[Woodrow_Call_1998]

We know exactly what Cal knows and wants. Unfortunately many of you don't listen to him or you try to restate what he means when he says things like putting 8 players into NBA was his goal and not winning an NC. That kind of thinking is the reason why little time is spent developing Willis into the shooter that he could be. Leveraging Willis' shooting might help win an NC but it won't get another body into the NBA. So, where is the priority? Is it winning an NC or getting 5 stars into the NBA?

Coach Cal helps kids make their dreams come true. I'm happy that he helps his players become millionaires and prepares them for the NBA.

 

[brianpoe]

Coach Cal helps kids make their dreams come true. I'm happy that he helps his players become millionaires and prepares them for the NBA.

And just might be a reason why we get good players and win a bunch of games.

LMD enjoyed bitching about the drought since 98 until Cal came, now he has to find other reasons.

 

[kybassfan]

You have no idea just how good either of these players are. You act as if Briscoe had a great game today. There was nothing stellar about his play tonight.

Briscoe damn sure played better defense than Willis. Briscoe's upside is much higher come March. Briscoe was dealing with an ankle.