He was not ready for the pros, was too erratic in college.Zero points in 18 minutes. His team scored 102. Yikes.
He was not ready for the pros, was too erratic in college.Zero points in 18 minutes. His team scored 102. Yikes.
Agree 100%. SOME (not saying all) of the same people throw up their hands and wonder why everything doesn;t work out for them as far as final fours, etc. Pathetic to act like jerks and expect others to chop chop for you.Edwards was misused here, shouldn't have started, and clearly isn't ready for the NBA - and may never be. But it seems like some people are gloating over it and eagerly anticipating his failure, and that's a really bad look...
I agree. Unfortunately there a lot of people laughing at him and taking joy in this which reinforces my believe that this fanbase has way too many douchebags in it.I feel bad for the kid. I don’t take Any Joy from this!!!
I'm sure I'll get ROASTED for this because JR is now a Cat...BUT...JR was somewhere around 8-10 most productive player on BYU's roster, per the metrics. Those were the same metrics that had Reed, Antonio, and Rob 1, 2, and 3 on last years teams. JR is good, but he's not THAT good. At the end of the day he was a volume scorer on a decent team.Doesn't happen a lot, but Pope brought Jackson Robinson off the bench at BYU
No, what is stupid is not playing Reed, Antonio, and Rob together very much at all. What is stupid is, per the metrics, playing your best lineup together for like 4 mins per game (27th most minutes of any lineup construction, IIRC). And what is also stupid, is calling other people stupid for understanding that. It's not just "Reed and Rob" (which, btw, was INSANELY stupid for not starting them), it's the entire effed up nature of which Cal tried to roll lineups out. Just backwards thinking old man crap. And his lazy assed staff perpetuated it. You'd be hard-pressed to find a worse mis-managed team than the 23-24 Cats.They didn't. That is the mantra here now though. Rob and Reed were "benched" the whole year. Never played. I understand the Cal hate, and even the complaints about Rob and Reed not starting, but to continue to say that they were "benched" is stupid.
A player like Edwards is most likely leaving no matter what Cal said . He had one foot out of the door once he committed .We hear plenty about Cal's Green Room appearances, but where is he when players like Edwards are permanently damaged by Cal's hyperbole. There is no way this kid should have ever left college after one season. If Cal had been honest with Edwards and his family, he would have done the responsible thing which is to return. I am certain that Cal university supports will quickly proclaim his innocence, but that is certainly not true. Cal university falsely convinces way too many players that they are failures if they stay in college longer than one season. They also realize that if they don't leave, Cal will recruit over them which will relegate them to bench players.
I absolutely 1,000% love Dillingham for saying Welch was the reason his shot was so good!!! Totally calling out Calipari for his fraudulent sales pitch and offense. We all knew after the blue and white game Dillingham was by far our best player, and Calipari promptly benches him for the glory of Wagner and Edwards.Calipari failed Edwards. He shouldve have been coming off the bench. He knew he was starting no matter what. He didn't have to try to get better. Dude's body looked the same all year. Believe someone on HOB said he had a poor work ethic. He should have been coming off the bench. To fight for his minutes, and not get exposed so much. He probably could have gotten drafted off flashes, and ''potential''. But instead he got exposed, owned, and complacent. Just another Calipari special.
Dillingham knew it too. He obv wasn't a Calipari fan. I remember once he told Cal to STFU. Total beast.
The battered wife syndrome is just so strong in some of these submissive types Cal dominated. Starting to look like it will be permanent for some of them.If you’re going to try and make the argument that any coach in America would have started games and halftime with Reed and Dilly both sitting the bench then save your time. It’s stupid, nobody would do it, and if you got sold on that then I feel for you for real.
You are right but neither Reed nor Dilly would have played Edwards positionIf you’re going to try and make the argument that any coach in America would have started games and halftime with Reed and Dilly both sitting the bench then save your time. It’s stupid, nobody would do it, and if you got sold on that then I feel for you for real.
Eh, so you don't think the assistant coaches should coach? Why they getting paid? I'm not defending Cal but assistant coaches all over America teach kids things the head coach doesntI absolutely 1,000% love Dillingham for saying Welch was the reason his shot was so good!!! Totally calling out Calipari for his fraudulent sales pitch and offense. We all knew after the blue and white game Dillingham was by far our best player, and Calipari promptly benches him for the glory of Wagner and Edwards.
The kid just isn't that good. Slow, not a great athlete, average shooter at best, showed very little emotion during games, didn't seem to catch on to the plays if any were called.I feel bad for the kid. I don’t take Any Joy from this!!!
Other than the beginning of almost every half of basketball we played this past season?When did best players sit the bench?
Everyone here is a grown adult who should be perfectly capable of separating their thoughts for Edwards from their thoughts about Calipari and his system. By every account Justin was a great kid, worked hard, and never created a problem for the team. It's disappointing seeing so many people take pleasure in the fact that he didn't get drafted and has not yet performed well in Summer League.All animus directed towards Edwards flows through the Calipari conduit. Cal’s system set everyone up to have negative feelings regarding his situation.
Edwards could have come off the bench and had the same exact results on draft night. There might have even been a narrative that because he played behind 3 star guards that he had some ability that was overshadowed waiting to be unlocked.
Instead, he became the personification of the corruption of the Calipari era.
Justin is sadly destined for The Lenny Cooke Hall of Fame.Are you aware that he was a 20 year old freshman and turns 21 this year?
This ain’t a case of a kid with a lot of untapped potential. Instead, it’s a case of a kid who got vastly overrated when he was young because scouts failed to notice that he was two years older than the others in his class. And his stock now keeps dropping the older he gets because the others in his class have matured and surpassed him.
He’s never gonna be “a really good player” in the NBA. He’ll just be another of those “once overrated” prospects who scraps for a roster spot for a couple years before realizing his best fit is overseas.
Who’s taking pleasure?Everyone here is a grown adult who should be perfectly capable of separating their thoughts for Edwards from their thoughts about Calipari and his system. By every account Justin was a great kid, worked hard, and never created a problem for the team. It's disappointing seeing so many people take pleasure in the fact that he didn't get drafted and has not yet performed well in Summer League.
At the end of the day he's a former Cat whose worst sin is not living up to the ranking a group of nameless experts gave him coming out of high school. He should be supported by our fans in the same way a guy like John Wall is and was.
Your post brought back memories of my feelings about Saul Smith.All animus directed towards Edwards flows through the Calipari conduit. Cal’s system set everyone up to have negative feelings regarding his situation.
Edwards could have come off the bench and had the same exact results on draft night. There might have even been a narrative that because he played behind 3 star guards that he had some ability that was overshadowed waiting to be unlocked.
Instead, he became the personification of the corruption of the Calipari era.
Edwards could have transferred anywhere he wanted too for college ball, he was not forced into the nba. I’m in no way taking up for cal here, he misused Edwards all year long but Edwards going and staying in the draft is not on cal but edwards himself. Bradshaw had enough sense to stay in college and to get away from cal.If this is more about the NBA than Cal university, provide other examples. What are the names of the other coaches who brag about pushing players out of their system to free up space for the next OAD?
The battered wife syndrome is just so strong in some of these submissive types Cal dominated. Starting to look like it will be permanent for some of them.
“He only hit me because I deserved it. I miss him so much. What does Arkansas got that I haven’t got? 😭 ”
If people sound like they are enjoying Edwards situation, you’re probably misreading it because it’s enjoying Calipari looking like a fool. Again many here that Calipari hoodwinked still try and find something they can hit back with because their favorite defense is gone. Even the national media is laughing at Calipari for THE SAME THINGS many here tried to tell you but you refused to allow common sense come through. The salesman sold you that’s all this is.
Again, and again, no coach would start Edwards or Wagner. Yes it was a problem because basketball is a game of momentum and swings, and that type of crap is why Kentucky would go stagnant after many swings. We built a lead oh look, Wagner is shooting. Edwards is driving. The fact is the 3 R’s, under ANY OTHER COACH would have been on the floor. He threw the season over playing favorites and screwing around with agents. He gave horrible excuses like “getting Edwards ready for March” and “Reed doesn’t mind he’s not selfish”. He sold it as some kind of team effort as to why his best players weren’t on the floor at the right time and his 3 best rarely played together. It was simply he DIDNT want Reed Dilly and Reeves to show up his favorites. And if you still can’t get this there’s no helping you. If you still can’t understand the problems with starting Edwards and Wagner can’t help ya. If you still don’t understand momentum and swings in the game of basketball you’re so far gone there’s nothing that will show you.
If anything most of us are sad for Edwards because what many of us saw in real time was a coach tanking his stock as he was too stupid and ignorant to understand what everyone including the national media does. And someone chime in, are some of you actually confused when you turn on a game and see the coach starting his BEST PLAYERS? Are you wondering why every coach out here isn’t benching his best during quarters and starts / halftimes? Are you confused as to why he’s playing his 3 best players the majority of minutes? Because if you’re still not getting this with Calipari then I assume you’re confused a lot watching basketball?
Get off this crap It’s stupid. There’s no defending it and the more you do the worse you look.
Just shows how little basketball knowledge some people have. It's crazy to watch Edward's all year and come to that conclusion l. It blows my mind.We had posters saying he would turn out to be one of the better players from this draft class when all is said and done. I just don’t see it.
And it’s not like it’s just Edwards. EJ, Livingston, Juzang, Hopkins, Matthews, Wagner… Big Z next man up.
The big problem with bringing Reed and Rob off the bench was because Cal waited too long to bring them in. How many times were the Cats down by 8-10 points before he brought them in?Doesn't happen a lot, but Pope brought Jackson Robinson off the bench at BYU
"In the gym" doesn't mean anything. Just because you enter the box and leave the box doesn't mean anything meaningful happens inside. His body didn't change an OUNCE from day 1 through the end of the season. Results are what matter, and gaslighting us won't work.If you go back and look you will see the exact opposite, including Reed and his mom saying he was in the gym more than most everyone. Just because you read it once on a message board doesn't make it fair to repeat it and desparage a kid that is just trying to live his dream.
People forget that many 19/20 year old kids are still developing. Don't let your hate for Cal result in hating and/or rooting against some of these kids that played for him. Edwards still has some time to develop into the player that many think he can turn into. Personally, I hope he proves the naysayers wrong.Destined for a life overseas
It seems that Edwards is his own worst enemy. 50% of the battle is in your head, and seemed that he got in his own head. Also, the kid's confidence was crushed during the first part of the season that he has clearly not overcome. Thankfully, this can all be fixed and hoping that he will.Not surprising, he isn’t a pro. Edwards looked lost in many college games. I can’t see how he suddenly starts excelling in faster, more competitive games.