Jayson Tatum: "the one who got away" for Calipari.

[Son_Of_Saul]

Kid went off today on the Sixers and scored 51 point in a close-out game 7.

He's 6'8" and probably the perfect example of what a star-level small forward should look like. I know Duke had this kid locked up from his junior year on, but I always saw Tatum as the last piece to the perfect Calipari lineup. Kentucky was on him from his freshman year on, and we had a shot at landing him before his junior year.

Think about. You get Tatum and he's playing next to Fox, Monk, and Bam. You put him at the 4 spot on that team, and there's a serious belief that they might have run the table at 40-0, as four freshmen and a sophomore in Briscoe.

If Calipari had landed him, we'd seriously have the best 4 man in the league in Davis, the best shooting guard in the league in Devin Booker, a first-team All NBA point guard in SGA, and two other centers who can make the case for being top 5 big men in the league in Bam and Towns.

Your Kentucky starting five: SGA, Booker, Tatum, Davis, and Bam.

Tatum would have looked awesome wearing Kentucky blue. Whoever his handlers were made a huge mistake in pushing him to Duke. 40-0 on a legacy Kentucky team and playing with Fox, Monk, and Bam - as opposed to playing with Kennard, Grayson Allen, and a broke down version of Harry Giles? It's a no brainer retrospectively.

 

[Airborne8202]

Tatum is such a better basketball player now than he was at Duke, which should be expected, but he has surprised me on just how really good he is..he really developed into a stud

 

[RunninRichie]

Missing piece was Jarret Allen not Tatum. Bam at the 4 with Allen cleaning up the boards and blocking shots. With Fox and Monk driving who could lob the ball to either one. Yeah its a no brainer. Briscoe would be serviceable at the 3. We win the title.

 

[HerrosHeroes]

No one stops the Celtics and Area 51.
Jason Tatum is an Alien.

 

[bbncal02]

Missing piece was Jarret Allen not Tatum. Bam at the 4 with Allen cleaning up the boards and blocking shots. With Fox and Monk driving who could lob the ball to either one. Yeah its a no brainer. Briscoe would be serviceable at the 3. We win the title.

We win the title regardless if not for a royal screwing. But you’re right. Even Higgins couldn’t have screwed us bad enough then.

 

[Montana81]

Missing piece was Jarret Allen not Tatum. Bam at the 4 with Allen cleaning up the boards and blocking shots. With Fox and Monk driving who could lob the ball to either one. Yeah its a no brainer. Briscoe would be serviceable at the 3. We win the title.

I always thought it was Bridges. Alternatively if we could have gotten Poythress to use his medical redshirt and come back that would have worked too.

Derek Willis worked until we went against a team with a more physical front line. Poythress could have been huge in that second UNC game however.

 

[kydmb99]

Tatum underwhelmed at Duke IIRC

 

[Cowtown Cat]

While I agree, we never had a legit shot. The one that really got away, however, was Bridges. We easily cut down the nets with that guy added. No doubt in my mind.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

I always thought it was Bridges. Alternatively if we could have gotten Poythress to use his medical redshirt and come back that would have worked too.

Derek Willis worked until we went against a team with a more physical front line. Poythress could have been huge in that second UNC game however.

Don’t forget about Matthews. That loss hurt bigly.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

I always thought it was Bridges. Alternatively if we could have gotten Poythress to use his medical redshirt and come back that would have worked too.

Derek Willis worked until we went against a team with a more physical front line. Poythress could have been huge in that second UNC game however.

Bridges is the answer.

 

[Dontworryboutit23]

Kid went off today on the Sixers and scored 51 point in a close-out game 7.

He's 6'8" and probably the perfect example of what a star-level small forward should look like. I know Duke had this kid locked up from his junior year on, but I always saw Tatum as the last piece to the perfect Calipari lineup. Kentucky was on him from his freshman year on, and we had a shot at landing him before his junior year.

Think about. You get Tatum and he's playing next to Fox, Monk, and Bam. You put him at the 4 spot on that team, and there's a serious belief that they might have run the table at 40-0, as four freshmen and a sophomore in Briscoe.

If Calipari had landed him, we'd seriously have the best 4 man in the league in Davis, the best shooting guard in the league in Devin Booker, a first-team All NBA point guard in SGA, and two other centers who can make the case for being top 5 big men in the league in Bam and Towns.

Your Kentucky starting five: SGA, Booker, Tatum, Davis, and Bam.

Tatum would have looked awesome wearing Kentucky blue. Whoever his handlers were made a huge mistake in pushing him to Duke. 40-0 on a legacy Kentucky team and playing with Fox, Monk, and Bam - as opposed to playing with Kennard, Grayson Allen, and a broke down version of Harry Giles? It's a no brainer retrospectively.

I think more miles bridges is the that got away, Tatum was never coming here, bridges on that 2017 team and they have every piece needed

 

[SparksCat]

Derek Willis worked well. That is some funny stuff


You mean the guy that was so drunk he was lying in the middle of the road

Announcers all year were saying we need “inspired Willis”

Who left Maye wide open for the game winning shot? Inspired Willis. For some reason Willis guarded him until half-court and then just quit guarding him

 

[UKBB4Ever]

Tatum will disappear like the dookie he is.

He fell apart in the finals last year. He got lucky and got to play Harden this series.

They should sweep Miami. But they won’t.

 

[UK90]

Yep, and he would've fit perfectly starting at that 4 spot (and with Willis as his top notch backup). Tatum, Bam, Monk and Fox starting together would've been about as talented a foursome as CBB has ever seen.

 

[UK90]

Who left Maye wide open for the game winning shot? Inspired Willis. For some reason Willis guarded him until half-court and then just quit guarding him

Willis’ defense on that play is indeed forever baffling. Didn’t even try to cover the guy he was supposed to be guarding, instead just ran straight to the rim with no concern for where Maye was.

Oh well, people can make weird decisions when they’re under pressure in those final second moments.

 

[mcwildcats04]

I always thought it was Bridges. Alternatively if we could have gotten Poythress to use his medical redshirt and come back that would have worked too.

Derek Willis worked until we went against a team with a more physical front line. Poythress could have been huge in that second UNC game however.

Were we close to Villanova in Bridges' recruitment? I don't recall there being a lot of buzz for us with him but it's been a while.

 

[shaudyshaud]

Were we close to Villanova in Bridges' recruitment? I don't recall there being a lot of buzz for us with him but it's been a while.

Miles Bridges not Mikal

 

[UK90]

Were we close to Villanova in Bridges' recruitment? I don't recall there being a lot of buzz for us with him but it's been a while.

You're confusing your Bridges. The one we almost got was Miles, a mega-hyped top 10 recruit in that class.

Mikal is the Villanova Bridges. He was in a different class and a much lower rated prospect that we didn't even consider recruiting.

 

[ALL4UK]

Be careful making predictions. Cal is still the coach in all those scenarios…right?

 

[mcwildcats04]

You're confusing your Bridges. The one we almost got was Miles, a mega-hyped top 10 recruit in that class.

Mikal is the Villanova Bridges. He was in a different class and a much lower rated prospect that we didn't even consider recruiting.

Ah yes, my bad, the Sparty Bridges. I do remember us being close in landing him.

 

[ukcatz12]

Whoever his handlers were made a huge mistake in pushing him to Duke

Seems like an odd thing to say considering he was the #3 pick, is the central piece of one of the two premier franchises in the NBA, makes over $30 million a year, and is probably going to get a supermax deal north of $300 million next year. It's worked out for him just about as well as it possibly can.

 

[ralphdaltonfan]

Jayson Tatum was never seriously considering Kentucky. They used Team USA to lock that one up and Calipari was smart to not waste time. The guy who got away that was going to come with Fox/Monk/Bam was Miles Bridges. That all changed on trip to East Lansing when Draymond and his agent came and talked him out of joining the other 3.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Seems like an odd thing to say considering he was the #3 pick, is the central piece of one of the two premier franchises in the NBA, makes over $30 million a year, and is probably going to get a supermax deal north of $300 million next year. It's worked out for him just about as well as it possibly can.

In your effort to play the role of the contrarian you missed the point. He would have won a championship and actually had fun doing it while playing with Fox, Monk, and Bam.

 

[Wildcats1st]

Tatum yeah would have been a title run. Bridges many other 4s. Derek Willis was a major weakness. Since 2015 cal has put out all these incomplete teams that have serious piece or pieces missing.

2016 no front court
2017 no PF
2018 he had no idea what he had that May be the most complete team.
2019 no center Travis was massively undersized.
2020 pg was gonna be the issue
2021 you name it but atleast we had mintz
2022 no rim protector no depth
2023 no depth in the backcourt no rim protector

2024 no men, no real front court,
It will be a shame to have these guards and not have a stud front court. Cal is in must win mode he can’t screw up his roster.

 

[NociHTTP]

Tatum yeah would have been a title run. Bridges many other 4s. Derek Willis was a major weakness. Since 2015 cal has put out all these incomplete teams that have serious piece or pieces missing.

2016 no front court
2017 no PF
2018 he had no idea what he had that May be the most complete team.
2019 no center Travis was massively undersized.
2020 pg was gonna be the issue
2021 you name it but atleast we had mintz
2022 no rim protector no depth
2023 no depth in the backcourt no rim protector

2024 no men, no real front court,
It will be a shame to have these guards and not have a stud front court. Cal is in must win mode he can’t screw up his roster.

The thing that upsets me is that Calipari does not ever visibly / verbally indicate that his priorities are aligned with those of the fans or the school. He goes out of his way to make that clear. And, boy could he screw up this roster. He just does not fit well with UK.

 

[Wildcats1st]

The thing that upsets me is that Calipari does not ever visibly / verbally indicate that his priorities are aligned with those of the fans or the school. He goes out of his way to make that clear. And, boy could he screw up this roster. He just does not fit well with UK.

Cals already screwed it up thinking talented freshmen are the key. The key to winning now is player development and retention and hitting the portal hard. I’m not opposed to talented freshmen it’s an issue of balance. Cal can’t find it.

 

[UKNothinButNet]

Cals already screwed it up thinking talented freshmen are the key. The key to winning now is player development and retention and hitting the portal hard. I’m not opposed to talented freshmen it’s an issue of balance. Cal can’t find it.

Can't find something you're not looking for!