Dilly and Shep both in Givony's espn NBA mock draft top 5
- Thread starter Smashcat
- Start date
Two from the same team projected in the top five picks (and the top 2 college players) …yet NEITHER of them are in the starting lineup.
That insane situation could not happen anywhere else ever in CBB history other than with John Calipari at UK.
That insane situation could not happen anywhere else ever in CBB history other than with John Calipari at UK.
We gotta admit at this point, Cal worked his magic. These guys just perform awesome off the bench, and you better believe that’s a green flag to scouts the way they’ve both handled it while dominating that role and shooting up the draft boards. Cal made some comments the other day about how lots of Freshman will make mistakes in the game, get yanked, then go to the bench and sulk and put their heads down. They aren’t meaning to be negative, doesn’t make them a bad kid or a bad teammate in most cases. Usually it’s just because it’s tough to go through the struggles of being a Freshman. That’s not an issue with Rob or Reed, they are students of the game, they are completely focused on the bench playing the game in their heads the entire time, focused on what they will do when they get in, what they can exploit against whoever we’re playing. Reed is just unflappable and even keel. Rob shows more emotion for sure, but look at the kids eyes when he’s on the court, you see unshakeable focus and confidence. These 2 are just different.
First, I have no problem, whatsoever, with Reed and Dilly coming off the bench. None whatsoever. Absolutely game changer.
Second, Reed is gone everyone. I know Padgett may think otherwise, but if Reed is a top five pick, let alone lottery at minimum (which he 100% is), he is gone, and he should be. Anyone who thinks he is coming back is getting their hopes up for no reason.
Second, Reed is gone everyone. I know Padgett may think otherwise, but if Reed is a top five pick, let alone lottery at minimum (which he 100% is), he is gone, and he should be. Anyone who thinks he is coming back is getting their hopes up for no reason.
How has Cal worked any magic? This team has 8 losses with two top 5 picks on the roster and a plethora of other future nba players. To say he has worked magic and try to credit Reed and Robs success to Cal bringing them off the bench is beyond absurd. These 2 guys would perform awesome in any role because they are awesome players. No need to analyze it any further than that and try to give Cal the credit for their success.
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Go on somewhere bro you don’t know how any of this works.
Yup that’s right. You’ve never known any NBA players so you don’t know shit. But you’ll keep running your suck anyway.
The thing about the “plethora of NBA players” is freshmen don’t automatically start playing up to their potential once they step foot on a college court. It takes time. 99% never play defense or run structured offense in high school or AAU ball. They’re bound to have a few hiccups along the way. They’re starting to round into form at the right time. And to be honest, they’re 3 plays away from being 24-5. Missed 3 pointer against Texas A&M, Dilly missed free throw against Florida and a blockout on the LSU tip in. I like this team.
Cal is gonna use this to say he can turn 2 bench players into top 5 picks. It's all a marketing ploy at this point.
That's why we bench the starting lineup as early as 2 mins into each half now. It's just for show.
That's why we bench the starting lineup as early as 2 mins into each half now. It's just for show.
To say I have to know NBA players to see and point out obvious facts indicates to me that you have an inflated ego which hurts your capacity for rational thought.
Do you really think Reed and Rob would play any different if they were starting? I mean come on dude explain to me how that is even a thing that you could come up with? Yeah Reed and Rob are students of the game that much is apparent. Do you think Cal bringing them off the bench is the reason they are selfless team oriented players with unreal talent? If so I have nothing else to say to you.
And I will continue to give my opinions on any and everything I please and there isn't a darn thing you or anyone can do about it. The fact that you correlate that to running "my suck" tells me all I need to know about where your headspace is at and your overall emotional intelligence. Have a nice day.
We have 3 potential lottery picks coming off the bench
It’s to protect DJ and probably live up to old promises that Cal swears he doesn’t make.
I agree with most of this post, but NOT the "Cal magic" line. Sheppard and Dillingham are indeed different and special players. But their success has come despite Cal refusing to start them, certainly not because of it.
The fact is, with 8 losses, this team has plainly underachieved in relation to its talent level. Nobody else has nearly as much NBA talent as we do, nobody else has nearly as much depth on the bench, nobody else has multiple lottery picks, etc.
It's inexcusable for this roster to have so many losses, which hardly speaks well of Cal's insistence on not starting his best players.
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What a colossal failure this season would be without a deep tournament run
I do understand that and I agree with how close we are from only having a handful of losses but it is what it is. Those games shouldn't have been that close if Cal didn't underestimate his opponents and see them as oppurtunities to get some of our lesser productive players more minutes than what they deserved. I like thos team also but I never fully trust Cal.
Except we don't just have the NBA freshmen. This team also has stud 5th year seniors like Reeves and Mitchell, one of whom is having an All American caliber season.
On paper, this roster appears to have all the ingredients ....sheer talent, depth, experience, size, etc. ...to be a truly dominant team. But they have not been, largely due to bad defense and weird lineup choices.
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"Worked his magic" aka being more focused on draft stocks than winning games
Well, the trick there is 2. Sven Nater never started.
One of the starting guards is an All America candidate playing his 5th season. The other is a better defender than either of the other freshman.
So, no. Not insane. Not even difficult to understand.
Yeah 2 of them is insane. UNC had Marvin Williams on the bench when they won in 2005 and he went 2nd overall, but I can't think of any other time it's happened.
This is my biggest fear. This team will be hard to say goodbye to. Anything less than a FF and maybe and EE will feel like a squandered opportunity.
That is NOT comparable to this. Swen Nater was not a lottery pick and he was still just an undeveloped project during his two years at UCLA (and even in his later years he was just a one dimensional rebounding specialist). And the reason he didn't start in his two UCLA seasons is because the center starting ahead of him (Bill Walton) was clearly and indisputably the better player.
That's vastly different than this situation where we have two non-starting high lottery locks who have clearly and indisputably been better than players starting ahead of them. Indeed, they've been better than every player on this team except for Reeves.
I agree. Opposing coaches will use that against him as well. Similar to what Oats said to Perry “You will get tired of playing behind 5 stars.” I guess if you are like Reed and Rob you will get an opportunity obviously. I don’t see Travis having the amount of success that Reed has though. Few would
Shep will have another electrifying guard next season with the Boogie man, Boogie Fland dressing out for the Big Blue next season. Fland recently scored 44 points in a game and had around 10 rebounds. It said that he is an electrifying guard with the way he plays. Mostly just need that big time 3 from the portal to have another exciting season next year.
Imagine being upset because the freshman or who plays the most minutes doesn't start. It's even funnier when it's the same people who always yelled Cal only cares about his draft picks.
Reed and Rob seem more than content in their roles. Why are some of you trying to be mad for them?
Reed and Rob seem more than content in their roles. Why are some of you trying to be mad for them?
The only thing people are upset about is we have 8 losses, a record 3 straight losses in Rupp, a loss to a mid major in Rupp, we’re not even a top 4 seed in our own conference, and we lost a lot of games by not playing our best players. No one would complain if we were a top 5 team. All Cal had to do is win games. That’s it, just win baby.
Because the best players should start. This is how literally every basketball team ever assembled has done it except the 2023-2024 UK basketball team coached by John Calipari.
This isn’t rocket science for everyone with a functioning brain.
I think top5 is a little high for both of them presently. Like Givony's top5 doesn't have Knecht and I think that's a big mistake. Hard for me to pass on a 6 foot 6 total offensive weapon like that.
That said, if Reed and Dilly keep playing like this, I guess it can happen.
That said, if Reed and Dilly keep playing like this, I guess it can happen.
4 of the losses came with the player you all are whining about not starting actually started. He went 1-4 as a starter for a lower winning percentage than Devin Askew. The 3 home losses in a row were with him starting as well.
Currently we are a top 4 in our conference. We may not end that way, but we are there as of now.
Everry teams has lost games. We have 1 bad loss in UNCw, and even they are a projected tournament team if I am not mistaken.
We've played our best players in most every game that they were available. We've still lost.
Maybe let the season play out before you meltdown over it.
Now do the 4 games where we lost - and where would we be sitting if we won those 4 games. Then you can keep whining about Kentucky fans that want high seeds and final fours.
That "vastly" does a lot of work. Ditto with "just a one dimensional rebounding specialist." He was a 2 x ABA All-Star. 10 year pro career in the ABA/NBA. Only player to have led both leagues in rebounding.
The NBA draft potential of players gets deprecated sometimes and pumped at others. The NBA will draft, we're told, on potential. Which means "not now". We play games now. And we not only have trouble with defense, we have trouble rebounding. Calipari wants a taller player on the court a lot.
Since all the players get lots of minutes, the issue seems to me to be pre-eminently one of "I'm a fidgeter. Hear me roar." Real Princess and the Pea stuff.
You realize we have lost more than 4, right?
Uhh, well, our worst loss was to UNCw. Reed started that game. We would be much better off without that loss.
He additionally lost the UF game as a starter, and it was his man that made the last second 3 to tie the game. He also started the USC and UT games. The whole team played like shit in those two games.
Reed didn't start vs LSU, but he was the one that got scored on by LSU to win the game.
I am laughing at you, not whining.
Didn't UCONN just win the title with a similar record as us and as a 4 seed?
So your argument is what exactly? You keep listing all of our awful losses, what point are you making? Are you arguing Reed Sheppard was responsible? I can’t tell what you’re arguing in your word salad. Spell it out. Concisely.
People can say all they want about starters not mattering but let’s be honest these two need to start every single game. Kentucky is better with them out there, we usually start slow when they are on the bench anyways. Can’t have mistakes in the tournament
That it's incredibly stupid to be whining about Reed not starting. His record indicates that it isn't his strength. His record does indicate he is phenomenal off the bench and at closing games, both of which he does. He also plays the majority of the minutes for freshman most games.
I know he was an ABA all star and the rest, but that was solely because of his crazy rebounding numbers. I'll concede that the man was a rebounding machine, but that was really his only solid basketball skill ...hence why I think it apt to call him a "rebounding specialist."
And, btw, Swen Nater did not even make his high school team. He had never played organized basketball in his entire life until he went to junior college, and was still extremely raw when he showed up at UCLA. It’s ludicrous to claim that Bill Walton starting over that guy is comparable to Wagner/Edwards starting over Sheppard/Dillingham.
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