Feeling like Hunter will not come to Kentucky and I’m okay with that. I think Oscar brings more of what the team needs next season anyways. Hoping Calipari is begging Oscar to return at this point.
Chances Oscar returns?
- Thread starter Wildcat-Lane
- Start date
They can get him Dickinson 2 mil nil. Oscar and a bunch of energetic extreme talented kids
OT vs HD in champions classic. Sounds good to me. lol
OT vs HD in champions classic. Sounds good to me. lol
After all the pumper hype that we wait til next year, and don’t judge Cal until then WE ARE GONNA SUCJ
He may make it to the league, but (IMO) he does not stick. He does one thing well, at the expense of other things that he isn't good at. He can't keep his mouth shut (a problem at WVU and at UK), and most in the league don't want to hear a preacher. They're there to play ball and spend their money. He'll end up working for God, if he can keep his nose clean and head down.
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There's a whole lot of guys that have that nasty word called potential. There's no mystery with Oscar. It is what it is.
It sucj’s to SUCJ !!!!
You might be right?
But rebounding translates all levels. He’s an extraordinary rebounder.
His offense will be better in the show.
He won’t guard the pick and roll. Not many can. It’s hard to guard. That’s why teams use it.
Shaq never could guard it. He’s no Shaq. But that alone won’t keep him off a team.
And teams do value high character guys. And he is that.
I think he opens some eyes at the combine.
You are aware that Chuck Hayes had a long, fruitful in the NBA. Are you suggesting that Chuck was a more promising prospect that Oscar? I’d argue at this point in their careers Oscar has more potential. As for only doing one thing well see Dennis Rodman for a non UK example. Again, Oscar can be taught defense if he has a willing teacher.
As for the bigoted comments about telling him to keep his mouth shut about his religion… dude tone down the religious discrimination. Unless you have proof he was a headache to deal with then don’t spread gossip about the dude that carried us to straight ncaa appearances and is the only reason we had a chance at run either year.
If he can keep his nose clean? The worst thing that’s been posted here is a rumor that he annoyed his teammates and coaches with his religion. A rumor. No confirmed sources. And you think he’s some big bad trouble maker? Says more about you than him.
"Players who declare for the draft have until the NCAA-mandated June 1 deadline to withdraw their eligibility and return to school. Players can also return to school if they aren't selected in the two-round draft but only if they participate in the NBA Draft Combine, which will take place next month in Chicago."
Alijah Martin declares for NBA Draft, but it may not be end of his college career
One of the stars of Florida Atlantic's run to the Final Four is ready to take his game to the next level, but that doesn't mean his college career is over.
www.wptv.com
I agree Oscar could carve out a spot and stick around for a while. He would be a great 12th / 13th man if nothing else. I think the Rodman comparison is inaccurate though. Rodman was not only a monster rebounder, he was one of the top defenders in the league. He even won the defensive player of the year when he was in Detroit.
I don’t know if he’ll ever be defensive player of the year but I do think he is capable of better defense than what he showed last season. Hell in his NPOY season he played better defense. I think he needs a coach that’s willing and capable of teaching him how to improve his man-to-man defense and I think he needs a strength and conditioning program focused on his lateral quickness. He’s a tremendous talent and the interest he’s getting from the NBA is proof of that. People don’t accidentally get invited to the NBA combine and people don’t accidentally get praise from nba teams at said combine.
There is a lot of mis guided criticism towards Oscar on this board that has nothing with his ability to play basketball and the poster I replied to proved that with discriminatory rhetoric.
Agree with you on the rebounding-that translates when you see guys like Reggie Evans carve out a niche for instance. He had one skill and that was rebounding. Like Oscar, Evans was old coming out of CBB too.
You lost me with his offensive game. He's a crude offensive player in CBB, that usually is a death sentence for NBA offensive production. His rebounding would have to be retrieve kick because where he'll really struggle is finishing around hoop. If you want to a glance at what it'll look like-go watch Oscar against Alabama this year. That's projecting him in the NBA.
Defensively the pick and roll is less of a problem because as you said, it's impossible to defend for most teams, which is why everyone in the NBA runs it. But the switch offs is where he's truly awful. Lacks lateral movement and quick feet and doesn't close well on shooters. Then when he's caught trying to chase, he's not an elite rim protector so he'll get scored on there as well. Luka Garza hangs around because of his offensive skill and being a good teammate. Oscar needs to focus on rebounding and being a good teammate. That can keep you in league longer than you should be there and hope that happens for him.
All he needs to do is be the best at what he's good at--get rebounds--make some hustle plays and he can make a team. He really wants to move on and give Pro ball a shot and I'm pulling for him to have a strong showing at the Combine.
I hope he does well but we are screwed on bigs if he leaves.Cal has done nothing and not much is left that we have a real shot at.
Onyenso and Bradhsaw are on the team. Ugo is going to play and he's going to do alright. You can win basketball games without Oscar Tshiebwe. You lose some rebounding but gain rim protection and defensive presence. You also will have a 7'1 guy in Bradshaw and they are on a few guys who can be reserves too--the Miranda contact was eye opening based on fact he was a heavy lean to Kentucky out of HS and out of all 3 if he were to be focused, he's has the most individual talent. You've seen them reach out to the Kansas kid for the Lance Ware role and they are on a guy like Grant Nelson if he decides to not stay in Draft. Same with Kobe Brown if he decides he'd rather go elsewhere as a grad transfer. At some point players leave/new guys emerge.
Remember when Tshiebwe left WVU he was getting high and was out of shape and lazy. Nobody saw a NPOY season coming from him at all. Not the WVU fans or the Kentucky fans. The beauty of CBB is that guys move on and others get opportunities. Orlando Antigua has done a fine job developing big men at Illinois and Kentucky--Kofi Cockburn and Oscar Tshiebwe specifically. Why can't he continue to succeed here with guys who have impressive physical traits and more skill entering CBB or in case of Onyenso--had a year to work with him and will provide a different presence for the team?
Some of the posts I've seen reinforce the need to get this back to Kentucky Basketball and not Oscar Tshiebwe University.
Frankly if Bradshaw is the 4 the season is over before starting.
I'm going to wait and see what happens. You can label anyone anything in starting lineup and how they play is more important. It's more important to get the roster correct than rush to fill it. I'm the opposite camp regarding Oscar and how he fits with '24 team. Oscar wants to move on from CBB and that would mean he didn't achieve a goal HE wanted. Everything at Kentucky the last 2 yrs has been about him and you have some media living in Fantasy land talking about "he'll play like he did against Duke and excel in a lesser role...." Now add human element to things. Less $. Less PT. Less of a role. That really going to hold up for a guy who would be coming back for an extra year of CBB? Think he'd be happy about that? This team is not built to play 4 around 1 and that's the only offense he's contributed in because he can't get on the glass if he's off the ball and facing up if you go random/DDM/5 out.
If he returns, I'm not going to throw a tirade or anything but ready to move on and see what the new group can do with some additions from Portal.
If he doesn't like what he hears at the NBA Combine, I think he'll explore option of leaving Missouri. If that's the case, I would expect Kentucky to reach out and see if he has interest. Defer to others if they know more about him personally but the way Kentucky would like to play, yes I think he'd be interested.
But all Kentucky can do is reach out. They can't force guys to come.
So a guy who reclassifies to move up a year and play backup minutes sparingly but get his legs under him is going to be held to an appearance in November and is not capable of improving or contributing? I thought he did a good job against Hunter Dickinson in the London game and Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster are holding a circle jerk celebrating him going to Kansas.
Players can/do improve too. They don't just stay the same. Did you expect Tshiebwe to be a NPOY in '22? So the program is bad if guys don't stay but also if they stay--they'll all suck and never get better because they once played like crap against a top 5 team on the road an experienced frontcourt? Got it.
Looks like he's the starter so we can revisit this after the season but I'm not expecting much. from him.
NBA Draft Room has him at 77. That's undrafted. He could go in the later second round or sign a 2 way deal. But he's not a sure thing. He'd be rolling the dice unless he gets a guarantee from a team.
Depends on what you expect. If you want a NPOY candidate that isn't happening. If you want a guy who can protect the rim and finish around the rim, has good touch and high upside, you'll likely be pleased with his progress.
It's not about him replacing Oscar Tshiebwe, it's about how does he get better and help the team around him.
Let's wait until the roster is complete but I missed the team domination of the past 2 years. I think Oscar was a great CBB player too. But you can win without him. Teams have proven that in SEC and Nationally. If he returns, you can win with him too. My skepticism isn't about Oscar the player as much as this notion the program can't be better without him.
Of course we can win without Oscar but Cal has to at least do better than Ugo at this stage of his game.We are the 4th or 5th best team in the SEC with him IMO.
Kentucky has been the 4th or 5th best team in SEC with him. What's the difference?
True but to be fair Oscar hasn't been the problem in the tourney.The guards went to pot plus Brooks and then Toppin the next season.
If that’s so then I’m afraid this will be Cal’s last season.
Never said Oscar was the problem, but he's human. He would prefer to move on. You tell your HC you are out at end of this season prior to it starting....usually means you are ready to be done. He's older than most prospects, returning to CBB would be a concession that he's not going to play NBA basketball in all likelihood and if we're to believe the media (I don't) he'd be taking less $, less playing time, and less of a role.
Oscar's played 4 years of CBB, hope he does well this upcoming week and moves on with his goals. He's earned that. He did everything he could to help Kentucky.
Well then the majority of the board would be happy either way.
Go back to what roster building formula worked and either produce a better season or you move on. Either way, there's no losing for the fans in that scenario.
If I had a choice between Oscar at the 5 and Bradshaw at the 4; or Bradshaw at the 5 and Livingston at the 4, I'm going with the 2nd option.
I to think once he gets there he’ll carve out a long career and help someone become a better team. He has a lot of Potential to become a Ben Wallace type player and that’s a huge for anyone who wants a hard worker who’ll fight for every single rebound and can get you 15-20 points as well per game. He can actually guard the forwards in that league and the big guys stay at the three point line now so , lol. Love Oscar and really want him to get whatever he wants in life, I’m torn between wanting him to make the NBA this season and wanting him back at Kentucky. Haha. Hopefully he’s back and wants to play with the team we have this upcoming season, he and Ugo would be unbelievable together in my opinion and Oscar could play his game. Whatever he decides, I’m just happy for him. Go Cats
The NBA and everyone else could use a lot more God if you ask me. God loves you no matter what my friend. Oscar is going to do great things in the NBA or out. Thanks.
