Justin Edwards: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 23 minutes.
- Thread starter Son_Of_Saul
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It is about paying a debt.
And he grabbed the first rebound of the game. 30 seconds in 🤦♂️. So in 22 1/2 minutes, he grabbed a single rebound.
Still starting. Why? Why not start Big Z?
He is awful and I’m tired of sugarcoating it. The kid isn’t UK material I don’t care what scouts or our coaching staff saw in him. He doesn’t have the GUTS to play here.
Like I said in another thread, Calipari is not doing him or this team justice playing Edwards at the detriment of this team and as a result his draft stock has plummeted too. No one is a winner here.
He honestly looks like he just started playing basketball. I don't know if it's all mental or what, but he is genuinely hurting this team right now.
That said, this is Cal's fault, not Edwards. Justin isn't going to refuse to play (nor should he). It's on the guy who keeps starting him every game. I know, it doesn't matter who starts, his mins have been going down in SEC play, blah blah blah, but what kind of a message does that send to other players who have been busting their asses coming off the bench every game?
That said, this is Cal's fault, not Edwards. Justin isn't going to refuse to play (nor should he). It's on the guy who keeps starting him every game. I know, it doesn't matter who starts, his mins have been going down in SEC play, blah blah blah, but what kind of a message does that send to other players who have been busting their asses coming off the bench every game?
Wonder if the mock dress will move him completely out this week.
I mean, you really can’t point to a single thing he does well or even to any potential. And he is 20 years old.
And didn't score a point until two meaningless free throws at games end and had 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks.
Klutch will make sure he gets drafted in the late second round, just like Livingston, but it's been hard to watch. I feel bad for the kid. Calipari keeps putting him out there as his choice for the spelling bee, and the kid keeps spelling the same words wrong.
It's becoming embarrassing and I kind of pity the kid at this point.
Livingston wasn't even this bad. Edwards is on an entirely different level.
He also drove to the basket and got blocked. Then he drove to the basket and was called for a charge. Lol.
It is bad enough that Cal started Edwards when the score was 0-0, but to start him in the second half when we were down by 8 and not playing well was unbelievable.
And Edwards scored two points because he happened to be in the game when we were down 16 with 2:38 left to play. This guy is brutal.
We've been snakebit with the last few "elite" small forwards. Edwards, Whitney, Boston, Livingston.
It's really bizarre at this point. I thought Edwards would be really good. I think we all did. It's absolutely mind boggling how far he's plummeted in terms of draft stock.
It's really bizarre at this point. I thought Edwards would be really good. I think we all did. It's absolutely mind boggling how far he's plummeted in terms of draft stock.
Just when I thought he had taken a half a step forward(he had been marginally better) the last couple of games tonight happpened. Then to say he is out there as one of the 5 best defenders, no. That's not true. You don't get to foul out the last game, play mostly ole' defense tonight, and then be called "part" of the defensive unit.
I feel bad for him. I want so much for him to be good. He's just not right now.
I feel bad for him. I want so much for him to be good. He's just not right now.
Yep, it is one thing to get to the league on the rookie contract but being good enough to get a 2nd contract, make a career out of it is an entirely different situation.
I never call out fans, but come on, those of us that kept defending Edwards...It's time to admit the kid doesn't have it. Time to sit.
And the insane thing is that as bad as he's been, his circle will push him to leave after this year.
He'll bounce around on his initial contract, then end up in the gutter leagues.
You are correct. He isn't a player who you can clearly see he has skills but things are just not going well. I have seen rec league players look better. He is void of any potential. The people who thought he might be the first pick in the draft should be fired.
It's gotta be a good deal mental at this point. He had a few times in the second half where he was passed the ball and seemed like he made up his mind to pass it to someone else before he even got the ball. And it wasn't one of those quick passes to an open guy. It was a Ben Simmons type "I'm scared to have the ball" pass.
And it kills me that we have had Thiero to use at the small forward position for the last two years. Last year Cal tried to use him as a guard at times and this year he used him primarily at the 4.
He is a guy that puts tremendous pressure on the defender and attacks the glass and is perfectly happy to be the last option on offense, and can still give you 15 points on a given night. And I believe he can do what he did against KU from the three or four position.
But it just doesn’t matter how we feel. CCC is going to keep playing him and there’s nothing we can do about it.
All this talk that CCC does about not being handcuffed by players and entourages. Well, we the fans have been handcuffed. We just have to watch him ruin this program.
It isn't mental. The kid has no skills. When he has the ball during a fast break, I am yelling at the tv for him to pass because rarely does anything good comes from him driving the ball. I don't believe he could start at WKU if he had to earn it.
Sadly, the only thing you can do is continue to raise discontent here. Not that actual Kentucky and CBB writers aren't picking up on this.
But we have to make it so loud that Cal will start to have no choice but to sit him more.
The other problem is, we REALLY need Thiero back. Not only for what he gives us, but for the minutes he will take from Edwards. Edwards is going to keep getting minutes as long as Thiero is out and we don't really have another true 3.
Not sure why Edwards got the uptick in minutes tonight. He was trending down for weeks. Did Cal take minutes away from Reed, who was also struggling during this game? Idk.
But we have to make it so loud that Cal will start to have no choice but to sit him more.
The other problem is, we REALLY need Thiero back. Not only for what he gives us, but for the minutes he will take from Edwards. Edwards is going to keep getting minutes as long as Thiero is out and we don't really have another true 3.
Not sure why Edwards got the uptick in minutes tonight. He was trending down for weeks. Did Cal take minutes away from Reed, who was also struggling during this game? Idk.
A move to the bench is not going to hurt Edwards. Went back and checked Skal's stats, as disappointing as he was, started 18 of 36 games, benched most of SEC play and still ended up in the NBA after being on the bench so why is Edwards absolved of such a move as well? Point being, Edwards has had his chances and it is not going to kill him to take a different role off the bench and it is bullshit for Cal to think he has to play him at the mercy of this team because of his 'draft stock.' To hell with that.
SF position has been iffy for us in the Cal era of his recruits . Even the highly ranked ones
MKG,Knox , Keldon Johnson were the good/solid ones. I might be forgetting a few .
MKG,Knox , Keldon Johnson were the good/solid ones. I might be forgetting a few .
But there's another option: go with this team's strength and play three guards simultaneously. Put Reeves at the 3. He can't be any worse on defense than Edwards has been.
I also wish Edwards would go to Cal and tell him, "I need to come off the bench" the way MKG did regarding getting Darius Miller going.
Edwards seems like he has no sense of the bigger picture. He's lost in his own mind right now.
Cal did well with Miller as well, but obviously he was a BCG recruit.
James Young played the 3 for us and Edwards makes him look like Kobe at this point.
Skal is tall and athletic and Edwards is neither tall nor athletic. He can't shoot, he can't dribble, and he gets blocked by the rim more than any other Kentucky player.
Starting the kid is actually just exposing him more. I mean if we are on a message board asking how in the world he puts up these stats in 23 minutes, what do you think professional scouts are thinking?
An undisclosed injury is actually the best thing that could happen to the dude. And then you come out and say that he’s been dealing with it all season. If Cal wants to actually help him - that’s the ticket.
Cal's playing simple from a recruiting angle. He knows guys like Dybantsa, Acuff and Maleek Thomas are watching.
He knows they'll like it when Edwards is shown loyalty by Cal, even if a three guard lineup is the most sensible option at this point.
That wasn't my point, it was if he can sit on the bench and be a top ranked recruit. So can Edwards.
Or some personal tragedy/depression none of us know about.
I simply don't think Cal wants Edwards back for a second season. It would be a recruiting disaster. He knows he's got to get Edwards going before March. If it costs us a couple of games or even a tournament win, so be it. There's draft stock to increase.
Won't be much of a 'recruiting angle' when rival coaches start using his recent track record with Small Forwards against him.
Have to play Thiero.. our defense is just too bad right now. We need at least ONE guy who is proven to not be a revolving door on defense.
Yeah funny you mention that about Edwards subbing out. Someone said Edwards shouldn't pull himself out and then said "and why should he?"
Uh, no. When you're that bad, maybe you SHOULD have the common courtesy to pull yourself out instead of costing the team win after win just so you can try to salvage your draft stock.
Nothing personal as Edwards seems like a good kid, but…as a basketball player, I dislike him even more than I did BJ Boston. They both were not good at basketball, but BJ didn’t have a better player sitting behind him—he was our only option at that position. Edwards, on the other hand, is different. For every minute he’s in the game, it means there’s someone better sitting on the bench for those 23 minutes
I'll reiterate this more and more the longer Edwards continues to be trash.
Fans HAVE to be louder and louder on this. It's something that this fanbase can maybe have an affect on. Heck show up with signs that say "maybe Edwards should come off the bench". These forums, call ins, spread the word.
And honestly, DJ is only slightly behind. I think he's far worse as a PG than we realize yet. This half court game totally exposed DJ.
Fans HAVE to be louder and louder on this. It's something that this fanbase can maybe have an affect on. Heck show up with signs that say "maybe Edwards should come off the bench". These forums, call ins, spread the word.
And honestly, DJ is only slightly behind. I think he's far worse as a PG than we realize yet. This half court game totally exposed DJ.
I think they certainly did from 2013-2018, when we lost out on Parker, Ingram, Wiggins, Isaacs, Bridges, Oubre, Stanley Johnson, Tatum, Barrett, Reddish, Williamson, Brown, and many others.
It's cyclical recruiting failure for Cal when it comes to the small forward spot. The recent small forwards just didn't have a point of reference because Cal really hadn't landed very many of them lately.
Yes. Unfortunately, DJ is statistically the worst defender on the team. But Reeves, Dilly, and Reed struggle in their own ways. Seems like good idea to have one dude who can play defense and who simultaneously doesn’t need to be a primary option on offense - play a lot.
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