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Diallo update

LOL if there are so many regular posters here with so called insight on recruits and players why does this site have premium info ?
 
Some have said he was the #1 SG coming out of HS but he has no shot ? Has anyone on here seen this kid play ?
 
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Here's what I know--any decision anyone makes is either/or---or if you prefer 50-50. I mean you either choose to do something or don't. What I do know, is when business is slow, and drama can be created, it's best to feed the beast and create bull$hit stories and melodrama.

Diallo isn't doing anything for attention. No doubt the kid prefers to go Pro if he could. Every player that enters the Draft with/without an Agent wants to make the NBA. That's completely normal and understandable. My issue with this is how honest Calipari has been about his hatred for the D-League. For all the "Cal pushes guys to the NBA...." he does if he knows it's best for them and off what he's been told. Does it help his brand/program? Of course. But unlike a lot of coaches, he actually does care about his players and if you doubt that, the loyalty from guys who don't play or are stars is amazingly consistent. A lot of stars are always good with former coaches but fact he has a lot of fringe guys who stay loyal to him, means he follows through and is honest with them.

Now I'll say this without knowledge of anything being said but don't think it takes any to figure out what is going on. Everything has gone according to what Cal/UK and Diallo discussed when they recruited/signed him. Only thing that is changing is he's actually gotten a taste of the NBA and he's deciding whether to gamble on himself and go his own route, or take the advice he's gotten. If he had a guarantee, he'd have announced by now. You don't "search" for a guarantee-you work for it. Calipari will tell any player that avoiding the D-League is best way to go. He's repeatedly stated so.

So you have a decision to make--do I trust the guy who has been honest and followed through with his end or do I bet on fact that I can get into the 1st Round or if I can't I'll work hard to make it? People speculating on teams who will "Gamble" omit facts. They forget to mention that Thon Maker was 7'1 and was taken by a team that has had success with a player with great length/versatility. They forget to state that Maker played an entire year didn't have his last game in November. They forget to mention that Diallo in fact chose to go to college early to prepare for the following year because he wasn't hearing what he liked in terms of going straight to league--which was an option he had/passed.

So you have percentages, talk of sweating decisions, people acting like UK/Calipari are going to "lose out on Cam Johnson because they are slow playing him" despite fact Johnson himself said he'd be announcing in late May and Diallo has until tomorrow to make a decision--which seems to be normal and on track if you ask me. Same people were going nuts about Mo Bamba's Timeline-when he said he'd be announcing sometime in May--and he did. The relationship Calipari has with Johnson family, they know what is going on. Whether he ends up at UK or not, to think they just do things to risk their chances with kids is insane. Sometimes you have to appreciate what you have and in this case, Diallo would be a "loss". You can't lose what you never had (Bamba) but Diallo was seen as a guy that could be ready to step up and help incoming guys acclimate with Gabriel and to a lesser degree Killeya Jones--who needs to learn to compete and play hard when on the court and not just about offense/pts.

I think the kid needs to trust the guy who has been straight all along. Why doubt the man? He's told you truth and he's proven to be biggest supporter of telling his players to go in CBB if they have a good situation or have to--hell if he had to go--this would've been done already. We know Cal will be supportive no matter what, but this isn't hard to see--he thinks Diallo needs to return and Diallo's only decision is whether to trust Cal and do what he's being advised or go his own path and gamble? Business decisions take into account what's best for business, not what is best for appearances. Good luck to him no matter what, and hope this goes well for all parties, but spare me the constant shifts in information and lunacy with no source hacks like Ford, or the Frolf King Adam Zagoria.
 
I'm not sure why there is so much animosity against HD and no issue with CJ?

Diallo - NBA or UK

Cam Johnson - begging to get into UNC but if not, will accept a UK scholarship (assuming HD stays in the draft).


I'll take the kid preferring the NBA over us than UNC.
this, this and effin THIS






did I say, this?
 
I'd just assume take the shooter (Johnson) if we could. He big enough to satisfy the Cal big guard fetish and is proven against high level competition. I value shooting more than slashing and dunking though.

Either way I want one of the two. Back court will be really thin without one of them.
Johnson is solid and has experience. However, Diallo offers a lock down defender who can attack the basket at will. He may take some time to reign in but he adds a dimension besides just shooter.
Shooting is extremely important but many will be disappointed at other aspects of Johnson's game.
 
Why not just get off Cam's back. UNC is by far his best opportunity
for major pt at a major FF contender. A position currently empty.
Would be competing with Knox & Vando for at UK a wing position, plus
lesser rated players like Alex and Baker.
Why would he not choose UNC if made eligible?
replace contender for FF with a million dollars
and,explain how this is soooo different from HD situation?

oh, Johnson is so great; that he would have been a lotto pick this year, but his heart is in winning a title somewhere (anywhere)
 
Thanks for the info @ralphdaltonfan interesting to hear that Cal doesn't like the d-league. Kind of a surprise since many on here are convinced that d-league coaches can develop talent just as well as college coaches can, and can just as easily help them make the real league. My take on it is, if your only concern is making money as soon as possible then d-league is fine, but if you want a fair shake at being a contributor and eventual star on an NBA roster, then do your developing and learning with a college coach.
 
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Wonder what Cal thinks..Will we ever know?
When Cal brought Diallo in, Johnson was unavailable.
Cal will never say, but I still would like to know if Diallo or
Johnson is a better fit in Cal's mind.........Maybe Cal is urging
Diallo to the NBA.
s
 
If Cam was as good as some on here think then he would be a lottery pick and not a grad transfer.

This is my concern with Cam. He's being painted as a big piece to a puzzle and I can't get the thought out of my head that he could be another Mulder(who I do like). Give me Diallo first and then if Cam wants to tag along I'll take him too. JMO though
 
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little.gif
 
this, this and effin THIS






did I say, this?


It's obvious that Cam is trying to get to UNC but I'm not so sure it's because it's UNC. I'd say it's more to do with his playing situation and the minutes available. The fact that a kid or recruit likes a school doesn't make me want him to pick UK any less.

I don't like the fact that he seems to prefer UNC but that doesn't mean that I don't want him anymore. I'm ok with either one of them, just as long as we get one of them. IDC that one likes UNC and one wants to be in the league.
 
Diallo is Archie Goodwin with better hops. Please give me Cam. Everyone on the fence has returned so I fully expect Diallo to bolt. We need Johnson.
 
Diallo is Archie Goodwin with better hops. Please give me Cam. Everyone on the fence has returned so I fully expect Diallo to bolt. We need Johnson.
You always take the first round pick and worry about the rest later. Diallo is simply more talented.
 
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I'd like to take our chances with the missing shots complaint please :smiley:

You may be right. Even though we have Richards, who is a decent shot blocker, without a rim protector, like Bamba, we probably have a greater need for perimeter defense. We have enough shooters on this team, that I think we will be ok. Keeping opposing guards from getting to the basket, would be refreshing, after last year.
 
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Ok, I give up. Lol. But I'm not going to read through 4 pages to see what game is being played. I'll just move along.

I kind of meant sooner or later Diallo will have to play...I doubt he can avoid it.
 
That's what the scout told me at one of his workouts. Jumper needs a lot of work as well as basketball IQ, which is understandable since he hasn't played in a real game in awhile.


MJ said tonight that the scouts he talked to who were present said he was the worst one at his workouts. Probably due to shooting. If I knew we would get him, I'd almost just as soon have CJ for the shooting, but HD will probably be a better defender. I just want one of them dammit.
 
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