Humphries and Wynyard

[EvilMD]

We have some touchy fans on here. Hoosier guy is right. Cal does emphasize the guys with the most upside, even if they aren't showing it. His plan is for those players to learn and play through their mistakes so that the team has more upside in March. And his plan has worked four of the last five years.

That being said, I don't know why he can't give Isaac five minutes. Certainly there are three or four things you can teach him to specialize in (i.e. setting picks).

 

[bigbluedon]

Glad somebody else brought this up....I think one or both of them are the key to the season...Just hear me out......

We are losing games in the 2nd half, and we have great guards, so that tells me that our inside boys are not only wearing down in the 2nd half, they are getting in foul trouble. Isaac and Tai don't need to do anything but come in and bump some guys around, maybe grab some rebounds, and just put some physicality on the opponents.

Guys our lightweight front court is not getting it done. End of story. We don't need Isaac or Tai to be Anthony Davis, we need them to give us a little Josh Harrelson time. 5 to 10 minutes a game between them.

Am I the only one that thinks they can help this team? Seriously, can they be any worse?

Most people on this board dont seem to agree with you..I think you bring up good points. What is the worst that can happen? We lose? Oops we already are. oh well.

 

[GLR5555]

I don't see any way they could be much more ineffective than Lee.

 

[UofKBlue]

At least Lee tries to slide his feet and is athletic enough to try and play defense. But have any of you watched Humphries? My goodness, I could drive around him for a basket. Lee at least gives us a shot blocking presence and a perimeter defender that will allow us to switch high ball screens. Humphries would only work to clog up the middle in a zone.

 

[brianpoe]

Come on, dude. Don't be like the U of L fans on their board.

Thanks MD...however, you missed the early comment from our Indiana friend, of which he has since apologized.

I wanst giving an IU fan any slack whose 1st post endorsed the premise that Cal could care less about winning, NIT's are ok, as long he gets kids drafted.

Again, he backed off that statement, I'm good with that.

Get all the facts brother before you go slapping your brethren around.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Cal is stupid. Haha

When did I ever say that? I shouldn't need to preface my post by saying "I agree with 99% of what Cal does, and rarely, if ever, question him".. but maybe I need to.

And why can't we question him at times? He's admitted to making a few mistakes already this year, and despite what some think he'd be the first to tell you that he's still learning the game itself, learning a new team every year.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

And again, you can't get on Hump's case for any of his missteps this year. Comparing him to Lee, a player with about 5x the college experience, is unfair.

No on here is some Hump fan, or Willis' best friend. The people advocating for these players just want to see what's there. If Hump can't show progress in 2-3 weeks time with 5-8mpg, then I'll be the first to say that his minutes cap out there. I have no allegiance to our bench players.. no one does.

 

[meteordealer]

I can't even imagine how bad they must be in practice if they can't beat out Skal and Lee for minutes. Must be playing like high school JV players or something.

Up until 5 or 6 games ago, people thought Derek Willis was awful because Cal kept him on the bench.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I will concede that Willis is an interesting scenario.. He got playing time for a number of reason, partly because we needed him, part because his confidence rose by getting more time, and part because he sort of has his own "wake-up"call.

But I agree.. If Cal kept him on the bench, he'd most likely be the same player he was the last 2 years. Tai and Hump may not be good right now, but they won't get better by being on the bench.

 

[CUT-NETS]

What does Crean develop?

Thanks for your input, you guys have sucked so long you need to comment on a real blue blood?

I'm actually not sure if I disagree with his original premise in that players with more NBA aspirations (along with the body type and athleticism) are given more opportunities than those without. As a matter of fact, Cal has said as much with his comment of "I can't hide you here". His promise to the "elite recruits" is that he will give them every opportunity to show-case their skills for that first year without fear of being taken out or penalized for their mistakes. "I can't hide you" actually means, if you don't play well then your weaknesses will continue to get exposed because Im going to continue playing you, that's my promise, but I can't hide you when you make those mistakes. If you do play well you will get drafted. Its brilliant in that players are guaranteed the playing time and the opportunity to show-case themselves on the biggest stage without fear of being taken out if they make a mistake. It bites us (Kentucky) in the ass if they aren't as projected.

Think about the comment he made to Ulis "if you don't think you can leave early, don't come here".

Also, what would it look like to the next big time 5-star recruit if Cal sits these kids like what Bill Self does? He simply can't afford to do it for a number of reasons, regardless if it hurts the team.

Many posters on here want to use the excuse of "well Cal has to let them play through their mistakes to get them ready for March. Its the method to his madness". There is something to that; I understand giving your most talented players the opportunity to learn during the regular season and have them ready for post season, but how do we really know that a kid like Humphries couldn't get much better throughout a season while getting to play through mistakes?

For better or for worse, Cal definitely walks a fine line when it comes to his philosophies on playing time for players looking at the NBA and players that aren't necessarily that kind of material. If nothing else, its questionable.

 

[brianpoe]

I'm actually not sure if I disagree with his original premise in that players with more NBA aspirations (along with the body type and athleticism) are given more opportunities than those without. As a matter of fact, Cal has said as much with his comment of "I can't hide you here". His promise to the "elite recruits" is that he will give them every opportunity to show-case their skills for that first year without fear of being taken out or penalized for their mistakes. "I can't hide you" actually means, if you don't play well then your weaknesses will continue to get exposed because Im going to continue playing you, that's my promise, but I can't hide you when you make those mistakes. If you do play well you will get drafted. Its brilliant in that players are guaranteed the playing time and the opportunity to show-case themselves on the biggest stage without fear of being taken out if they make a mistake. It bites us (Kentucky) in the ass if they aren't as projected.

Think about the comment he made to Ulis "if you don't think you can leave early, don't come here".

Also, what would it look like to the next big time 5-star recruit if Cal sits these kids like what Bill Self does? He simply can't afford to do it for a number of reasons, regardless if it hurts the team.

Many posters on here want to use the excuse of "well Cal has to let them play through their mistakes to get them ready for March. Its the method to his madness". There is something to that; I understand giving your most talented players the opportunity to learn during the regular season and have them ready for post season, but how do we really know that a kid like Humphries couldn't get much better throughout a season while getting to play through mistakes?

For better or for worse, Cal definitely walks a fine line when it comes to his philosophies on playing time for players looking at the NBA and players that aren't necessarily that kind of
. If nothing else, its questionable.

All very good points... if Cal wasn't playing Willis and sitting Skal... so no.


The only thing that is questionable is how we as fans think we know more about the abilities of players watching them once a week on tv versus a HOF coach who is with them every day.

 

[CUT-NETS]

All very good points... if Cal wasn't playing Willis and sitting Skal... so no.


The only thing that is questionable is how we as fans think we know more about the abilities of players watching them once a week on tv versus a HOF coach who is with them every day.

So do you believe some players have longer leashes than others or no?

 

[brianpoe]

So do you believe some players have longer leashes than others or no?

You have to be a total idiot that knows zero about basketball to not know that EVERY TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF BASKETBALL had/has players with longer leashes.

The better the player - the longer the leash, I am not going to take the time to tell the only person in the world, outside of Lmd, why this is, ask any 10 year old Jr Pro player, even they know.

 

[struggler]

Not at all a conspiracy guy here - but something just seems wrong here. Some have said - and it seems rightfully so - that Cal is playing this OAD's for exposure and they will get minutes even if it's not a winning strategy. If so, and it's looking more and more so, that is just sad. I've tried to stay positive and will continue to, but after watching last night... 1) I feel sorry for Ulis 2) Murray is hard to watch when he's not on offensively 3) Briscoe just seems limited - struggled to create and regressed from the pull up jumper. 4) Willis gives effort - last night he was just avg though 5) Alex... I just... I don't know what to say. Strong start on offense, but seems lost and slow on defense far too often - just disengaged from the game. Fouls a ton. He may be a great person - but I've given up on him being consistent. 6) Skal - Positive - decent jump shot. Negative - No D. or rebounds. Never seen a big, as a guard is getting penetration, move away from the hoop. No chance of a rebound without fouling, no chance of a put back or pass even. He is constantly out of position and making the 100% wrong basketball decisions. You can tell Ulis is so frustrated - he's more in the way by being out of position than a help. 7) Lee - great kid and want him to do well - but man has he been very mediocre this season. Flashes of potential, but long periods of not.

So if the goal is exposure to potential NBA play - it's not working for anyone but Ulis and maybe Murray. If the goal is to win - why not try to get Mulder to score? He can defend as well as Murray and Murray was pretty cold shooting last night. Why not Humphries and or Wynyard? Skal is giving you nothing! Very little offense (I contend Hump and Tai would easily replace his few points with put backs or maybe being in the position to score down under) No defense, not even a body to block off a driving lane. and NO REBOUNDS - OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE - how many teams have gotten a second and third look because he cannot rebound. Even if he's in the right place (which is rare because he steps away from the rim when the ball goes toward it), it get's stripped right out of his Charmin soft hands. Skal... just end the experiment for the season - work with him in the background - maybe come back next season, but he is so unproductive - even counter productive. Just end it. He's damaged goods at the moment and every opponent knows it. Again - may be a great kid, but, if this is about winning - he should not see 1 second of PT unless as a last resort. Let the bangers at least try to get rebounds, defensive stops and put backs. There is NO WAY they are worse or less productive. That is a frustration, if the goal is winning.

Sorry - super frustrated - had to vent. move along. Much love to Tyler Ulis - always loved the kid from the first mix tape I saw. I think he's about to go full "Chi-town bitch slap" on a couple of teammates mid game if something doesn't change. Not fair to him - at all. He's working his rear off and not getting the support he needs from teammates or coaching staff. Last night, our "strategy" was not working. Sure - we went cold shooting for a stretch in the second half, but to have so few offensive options is inexcusable. Give up a huge lead, inexcusable.

 

[GLR5555]

Tai must be down right awful if he cant find the floor at all.

 

[Ben101er]

Humphries got burned bad the last time he played.

So has almost everyone else on the team, and it was the 2nd half, last night.

 

[oldsports_]

At least Lee tries to slide his feet and is athletic enough to try and play defense. But have any of you watched Humphries? My goodness, I could drive around him for a basket. Lee at least gives us a shot blocking presence and a perimeter defender that will allow us to switch high ball screens. Humphries would only work to clog up the middle in a zone.

Who is getting 30 points scored on him the last 2

At least Lee tries to slide his feet and is athletic enough to try and play defense. But have any of you watched Humphries? My goodness, I could drive around him for a basket. Lee at least gives us a shot blocking presence and a perimeter defender that will allow us to switch high ball screens. Humphries would only work to clog up the middle in a zone.

Murray was torched twice for 30 pts by opposing player last 2 games. Quit worrying about Humphries not being able to guard anyone. Just saying

 

[CUT-NETS]

You have to be a total idiot that knows zero about basketball to not know that EVERY TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF BASKETBALL had/has players with longer leashes.

The better the player - the longer the leash, I am not going to take the time to tell the only person in the world, outside of Lmd, why this is, ask any 10 year old Jr Pro player, even they know.

You know exactly what I am referring to and you know that its true that Cal does indeed play and give longer leashes to those with NBA aspirations. Even if to the detriment of the team sometimes. God himself couldn't convince me otherwise.

 

[GLR5555]

At least Lee tries to slide his feet and is athletic enough to try and play defense. But have any of you watched Humphries? My goodness, I could drive around him for a basket. Lee at least gives us a shot blocking presence and a perimeter defender that will allow us to switch high ball screens. Humphries would only work to clog up the middle in a zone.

I agree with this. I would like for Tai to get the opportunity Isaac has gotten.

 

[brianpoe]

Not at all a conspiracy guy here - but something just seems wrong here. Some have said - and it seems rightfully so - that Cal is playing this OAD's for exposure and they will get minutes even if it's not a winning strategy. If so, and it's looking more and more so, that is just sad. I've tried to stay positive and will continue to, but after watching last night... 1) I feel sorry for Ulis 2) Murray is hard to watch when he's not on offensively 3) Briscoe just seems limited - struggled to create and regressed from the pull up jumper. 4) Willis gives effort - last night he was just avg though 5) Alex... I just... I don't know what to say. Strong start on offense, but seems lost and slow on defense far too often - just disengaged from the game. Fouls a ton. He may be a great person - but I've given up on him being consistent. 6) Skal - Positive - decent jump shot. Negative - No D. or rebounds. Never seen a big, as a guard is getting penetration, move away from the hoop. No chance of a rebound without fouling, no chance of a put back or pass even. He is constantly out of position and making the 100% wrong basketball decisions. You can tell Ulis is so frustrated - he's more in the way by being out of position than a help. 7) Lee - great kid and want him to do well - but man has he been very mediocre this season. Flashes of potential, but long periods of not.

So if the goal is exposure to potential NBA play - it's not working for anyone but Ulis and maybe Murray. If the goal is to win - why not try to get Mulder to score? He can defend as well as Murray and Murray was pretty cold shooting last night. Why not Humphries and or Wynyard? Skal is giving you nothing! Very little offense (I contend Hump and Tai would easily replace his few points with put backs or maybe being in the position to score down under) No defense, not even a body to block off a driving lane. and NO REBOUNDS - OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE - how many teams have gotten a second and third look because he cannot rebound. Even if he's in the right place (which is rare because he steps away from the rim when the ball goes toward it), it get's stripped right out of his Charmin soft hands. Skal... just end the experiment for the season - work with him in the background - maybe come back next season, but he is so unproductive - even counter productive. Just end it. He's damaged goods at the moment and every opponent knows it. Again - may be a great kid, but, if this is about winning - he should not see 1 second of PT unless as a last resort. Let the bangers at least try to get rebounds, defensive stops and put backs. There is NO WAY they are worse or less productive. That is a frustration, if the goal is winning.

Sorry - super frustrated - had to vent. move along. Much love to Tyler Ulis - always loved the kid from the first mix tape I saw. I think he's about to go full "Chi-town bitch slap" on a couple of teammates mid game if something doesn't change. Not fair to him - at all. He's working his rear off and not getting the support he needs from teammates or coaching staff. Last night, our "strategy" was not working. Sure - we went cold shooting for a stretch in the second half, but to have so few offensive options is inexcusable. Give up a huge lead, inexcusable.

The problem with this take is that you simply do not how bad the guys who are not playing may be.

Cal doesnt owe it to any of us to prove it either.

I'd love to see Hump and Tai - doesn't mean that Skal and Lee, as bad as they have been, are still much better than those two...(i hate saying that).


We havent seen Mulder or Mathews outplay any starters either.

Willis is playing much more than Skal, and you have no evidence better players are sitting, so this NBA hype theory doesnt hold water.

 

[SDcatfan13]

I understand people calling for Humphries, as I don't think it'd hurt to at least get some clock and develop into a better player for the future, plus he wouldn't hurt the team any more than Lee has recently. I do think it's too late for Wynyard, as it would be best to just redshirt this far into the season.

 

[struggler]

The problem with this take is that you simply do not how bad the guys who are not playing may be.

Cal doesnt owe it to any of us to prove it either.

I'd love to see Hump and Tai - doesn't mean that Skal and Lee, as bad as they have been, are still much better than those two...(i hate saying that).


We havent seen Mulder or Mathews outplay any starters either.

Willis is playing much more than Skal, and you have no evidence better players are sitting, so this NBA hype theory doesnt hold water.

No offense - you are clearly a respected poster, but with due respect you're kind of making my point. Cal owes us nothing - sure - but the point is No - we don't know how bad... or good... the guys not playing MAY be. We DO know how bad the guys playing are. Hump played a bit and was certainly no worse that Skal - Skal is an experiment that is failing over and over and needs to stop. His stats are embarrassingly poor for a D1 second string player - much less a "5 star Lottery pick". Hump and Tai may be terrible, but I don't buy it and would like to see someone who has played the 5, wants to play the 5, play the 5. I refuse to believe that while it will not be mistake free, it can't be worse than Skal. I' will gladly be wrong if so. True Willis has likely taken most of Skal's minutes, point being Skal needs none - Period. Skal is simply unwatchable at this point.

Point taken on Mulder and Matthews - My argument is mostly re: the bigs and not the guards, but when Murray is not shooting well... idk. Matthews has yet to show me a lot, but both Mulder and Matthews are on the previously mentioned short leash. Willis finally broke through (granted more out of necessity as Skal is Skal), but overall Willis has benefited from being allowed to get into the flow of the game as opposed to being one and done (mistakes-wise that is). Just a no win frustrating situation unless something changes.

Point is - no I have no more proof - but no one other than the coaching staff does. It's hard to beleive with Skal and to some extent Lee, it could be worse.

 

[brianpoe]

No offense - you are clearly a respected poster, but with due respect you're kind of making my point. Cal owes us nothing - sure - but the point is No - we don't know how bad... or good... the guys not playing MAY be. We DO know how bad the guys playing are. Hump played a bit and was certainly no worse that Skal - Skal is an experiment that is failing over and over and needs to stop. His stats are embarrassingly poor for a D1 second string player - much less a "5 star Lottery pick". Hump and Tai may be terrible, but I don't buy it and would like to see someone who has played the 5, wants to play the 5, play the 5. I refuse to believe that while it will not be mistake free, it can't be worse than Skal. I' will gladly be wrong if so. True Willis has likely taken most of Skal's minutes, point being Skal needs none - Period. Skal is simply unwatchable at this point.

Point taken on Mulder and Matthews - My argument is mostly re: the bigs and not the guards, but when Murray is not shooting well... idk. Matthews has yet to show me a lot, but both Mulder and Matthews are on the previously mentioned short leash. Willis finally broke through (granted more out of necessity as Skal is Skal), but overall Willis have benefited from being allowed to get into the flow of the game as opposed to being one and done (mistakes-wise that is). Just a no win frustrating situation unless something changes.

Look brother, I agree with you on most of this.

I dont buy the out of shape crap Cal gives us.

My point was more to your line of NBA preference, which has been a bit disproven with Skal and Derek.

I find it hard to believe he is tanking this season for NBA visibility.

I do want Cal to prove to me that Hump and Tai would be worse on the boards than Lee and Skal with extended time... he doesnt owe it to me though.

I'm just sad if they really stink this bad...

 

[Floydboy12]

What continues to make me question whether Humphries or Wynyard could contribute is the play of Willis. Given extended minutes he has proven to be our most consistent big. I truly wish Humphries and Wynyard had received some extended game time minutes earlier in the season to see if they might give us some of the same. If so we might not be so thin up front at this point, if just one of them had proven to be effective.

 

[EvilMD]

One thing I know is that while American players spin move to their left, Aussie and Kiwi players spin the opposite way.

 

[Wall2Boogie]

Humphries and waynard. The future Ernie and Bernie show. Color me skeptical either will contribute anything for Atleast 2 years

 

[UKCatnNC]

Humphries got burned bad the last time he played.

And Skal don't get burned?

 

[brianpoe]

Humphries and waynard. The future Ernie and Bernie show. Color me skeptical either will contribute anything for Atleast 2 years

Really?

A UT reference after that game? Thanks Boogie.

 

[CUT-NETS]

Look brother, I agree with you on most of this.

I dont buy the out of shape crap Cal gives us.

My point was more to your line of NBA preference, which has been a bit disproven with Skal and Derek.

I find it hard to believe he is tanking this season for NBA visibility.

I do want Cal to prove to me that Hump and Tai would be worse on the boards than Lee and Skal with extended time... he doesnt owe it to me though.

I'm just sad if they really stink this bad...

I think that's his point; none of us know if they stink or not? Why do you keep saying that? I dare say you are allowed in the practice facility to watch them

 

[TheBigBlueSpectacle]

Hump and Tai... Should be getting 5mpg from here on out. Whether it's those shitbag officials fault's or not (it's their fault).. We still have to deal with the fouls.

Our frontcourt is weak. Skal can't play downlow, Poy is prone to lapses, and Lee is just too far off the mark.

They will do us no favors in the tournament. Cal is rarely, if ever, in a situation where a section of his team is so void of talent AND depth. You gotta get Tai and Hump in there. At worst, they sop up fouls and that should keep players from fouling out until the very end. At most they turn into a Willis/Jorts scenario, where hustle trumps talent and leads to production.

I don't see how any poster can justify not giving them minutes at this point, just to see what's there after a few weeks of burn.

Funny that you said "I will remember your name" at people when they essentially said the same thing. It's ok now?

 

[_NewWorldOrder_]

They aren't that good. I said the other day I wouldn't be surprised if one of them transfer and people thought that was crazy. They aint gonna get minutes at UK. Not this year, not next year, and probably not their Jr. or Sr. years either. The best they could hope for is to be the backup bigs their jr. or sr. year. But mark my words. One of those kids will leave before its over with. And I hate to say this but I hope Lee enters the draft this year no matter what. I don't want him in the way of Bolden committing or in the way of superstar bigs like Bam, Gabriel, Bolden, and even SKJ.

 

[brianpoe]

I think that's his point; none of us know if they stink or not? Why do you keep saying that? I dare say you are allowed in the practice facility to watch them

You are so intelligent when addressing other posters...

I think you wear brianpoe pajamas....

I never said they do stink.

In fact I said I wish they would play so I can see them with my own eyes.

I also said I do not buy the out of shape line from Cal.

The only plausible excuse left is that they are worse than Lee and Skal, if that is the case, then they stink.

And I said it made me sad if it were true.


This is the first time i have said this, so your question "Why do you keep saying that?" is so damn stupid.


"I dare say you are allowed in the practice facility to watch them" again, I said I wish they would play so I could see them, which implies I have not seen them in practice.


Damn Zip, am I living rent free in that cranium of yours or what?

Stop being so intimidated and communicate with some semblance of intelligence.

Try to stop being dishonest and putting words into other people's posts. You cannot win with me using these childish tactics.


Here's hoping your next attempt is much better.

 

[EvilMD]

Not good compared to Davis, Cousins or Towns. Good compared to most players in the country. Foolish to think otherwise.

 

[CUT-NETS]

You are so intelligent when addressing other posters...

I think you wear brianpoe pajamas....

I never said they do stink.

In fact I said I wish they would play so I can see them with my own eyes.

I also said I do not buy the out of shape line from Cal.

The only plausible excuse left is that they are worse than Lee and Skal, if that is the case, then they stink.

And I said it made me sad if it were true.


This is the first time i have said this, so your question "Why do you keep saying that?" is so damn stupid.


"I dare say you are allowed in the practice facility to watch them" again, I said I wish they would play so I could see them, which implies I have not seen them in practice.


Damn Zip, am I living rent free in that cranium of yours or what?

Stop being so intimidated and communicate with some semblance of intelligence.

Try to stop being dishonest and putting words into other people's posts. You cannot win with me using these childish tactics.


Here's hoping your next attempt is much better.

Can you go watch them play in Rupp?

 

[brianpoe]

Can you go watch them play in Rupp?

Yep

Would you like to go with me?

Are you really this intimidated of me or infatuated with me?

 

[kybassfan]

At this point, I don't really expect to see Tai unless we lose 2 bigs to injury. Not sure about Hump. Seems we read somewhere he's dealing with conditioning.

 

[EvilMD]

Cal is giving Poy and Lee every chance in the world. He's afraid they will go undrafted.