Kofi announcing Friday
- Thread starter Cats192
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Agree to a certain extent. My only concern is foul truble or an injury to Big O. Need another big just for that reason imo. Duren is someone you take no matter what.
The great Lance Ware is the answer.He was a stud last season with all those offensive moves.
Because these guys really don't know a thing. They guess and surmise for a living and portray their info as solid and well informed.
Given it looks like he is returning to Illinois obviously is disappointing. Big fish, little pond now and again I think those that don't challenge themselves don't grow as much as those who do. So, he will be a star on his team but what will otherwise be different for him if he was not NBA ready. However, perhaps the comfort of staying put is the main issue. It's OK, I think Oscar will be just as good.
Cal used to always say he was opposed to taking transfers, mostly meaning mid-majors, due to the impact is has on those teams. Now, of course, with the portal that kind of thinking is out the window. However, maybe taking 'O' and Chin and then Kofi, with Oscar already in the fold, was just a bridge too far for Cal?
I think you probably take either guy no matter what, especially if you like to play like Cal does.
I just think modern basketbal is about spacing, shooting, multiple shot creators, and having guys who can switch onto shooters.
We've trotted out some of the most talented, dominant bigs college basketball has seen over the past decade and our best team was the one with a 200 pound fluid athlete in the lane surrounded by what I described above.
Look at the last 10 champions. How many had a massive big man? How many had two? The Suns are in the driver's seat for the NBA title playing Jae Crowder and Mikal Bridges at the 4 alongside an athletic center.
If the 2010 team had Derek Willis instead of Patrick Patterson, maybe they beat West Virginia, even if that's a less talented trade-off by far.
I just think modern basketbal is about spacing, shooting, multiple shot creators, and having guys who can switch onto shooters.
We've trotted out some of the most talented, dominant bigs college basketball has seen over the past decade and our best team was the one with a 200 pound fluid athlete in the lane surrounded by what I described above.
Look at the last 10 champions. How many had a massive big man? How many had two? The Suns are in the driver's seat for the NBA title playing Jae Crowder and Mikal Bridges at the 4 alongside an athletic center.
If the 2010 team had Derek Willis instead of Patrick Patterson, maybe they beat West Virginia, even if that's a less talented trade-off by far.
I don't think whatever decision Cal did or didn't make had anything to do with compassion or fairness to Illinois.
Well yes if you have a Boogie and Wall you take the lesser player if he's a good fit.Trouble is this team has no star like Wall so you need the best players.
If Antigua wanted him and Cal said no, I think Cal should’ve listened to him. It’s not like Cal has been tearing it up since O left.
I tend to agree. But the other is a remote possibility. Let's hope this has something to do with Duren instead!
That's part of why this all sounds fishy in the first place. You've seen Cal let O and Chin already choose who they're going after in recruiting.
It wouldn't make sense to do that and then nix their plan to bring in a guy they've already worked with successfully and could apparently have if they want him.
Maybe the assistants told Cal he wouldn't fit with what we already have. Or maybe this whole thing was bad reporting from the start just because we hired his former assistants and Kentucky was never actually involved.
I'm not buying the Cal didn't want him story.It's just another huge miss like many Cal has had of late.Sadly I believe Jalen will be the next.We always seem one guy short in the end....
Well in Kentucky fans' minds we're always one player short because that's an easy excuse when you lose.
In all honesty the times we've had championship caliber teams we've simply lost. One player would've maybe made a difference, but hell you can say that for everybody.
In 2011 we probably should have won that game against UCONN. In 2014 ditto. In '15 we had a superteam, and yet that one player we might've needed was already on the roster--Poythress. In 2017 we were a last-second shot away. In 2019 we were an overtime away.
I just don't buy the "If we would've had that one player" argument. Everybody in America is a player or two short of where they would've liked to be.
How do you "miss" on a transfer who goes back to school? What are you supposed to do? Cal hired his former assistants and plays one of the most big man friendly styles in the nation.
Cal is the one who started all that UK eats first and they get any player they want BS.Trouble is now he's really missing his top targets.Anyone really think he has a shot at Jalen?I don't.
You can't "get" a guy who doesn't transfer though.
Has anyone done better in the portal than we have this summer? That looks a lot like eating first. He grabbed a guy who fit every need we had.
This isn't fooling anyone or making anyone laugh. Please stop.
I have my doubts that some of those guys were his first choice.His top big went to Duke,a guard he wanted to the Zags,etc.I don't buy Wheeler his first guard choice either.Surely you aren't saying his recruiting has been as good lately?
Tshiebwe was not replaced. He started all 10 games he played in for WVU. He might have been played out of position (I didn’t watch WVU with Tshiebwe last season, so I am not sure how he was used), but he was not removed as a starter.
He played alongside Culver and it didn’t work. That might be why Cal didn’t want to add Cockburn.
If Tshiebwe is a pure 5 and Cockburn is a pure 5, then the fit is not there.
Duren is a 4/5. He is more mobile than Tshiebwe or Cockburn, so he is a better fit, so maybe that makes more sense.
I don’t look for us to add anyone else, I think we roll with what we have.
Tshiebwe starts at the 5 and gets about 25 minutes a game. Collins backs him up and gets about 15 minutes a game.
I am good with that. Two 5-stars in the middle. Most teams would love that situation. And in today’s game, do we really need two behemoths inside?
I know we all wanted an All-American dominant big man, but I think we will be fine without him.
We're talking about a transfer who isn't going to actually transfer.
You said that was indicative of it being BS when Cal said Kentucky eats first.
I pointed out that Cal has pretty obviously been successful in the transfer portal.
If you want to complain about Paolo Banchero, either start a thread or get a time machine. This thread is about Kofi Cockburn. Him choosing not to transfer isn't a "miss." You can't get guys who aren't available.
But I the point is that this isn't just a one time miss.Cal keeps missing on his top targets and it's costing us big time.It's going to be the same with Jalen.What will be the excuse for that?
If that's the point then you should have been complaining before the Kofi news too.
Cal hired two elite assistants and shipped off some folks who were dropping the ball. We've seen what appears to be an increase in recruiting momentum, but you can't expect that to pay off when this current class was already settled.
As it stands, Kofi Cockburn wasn't a top target. He doesn't appear to even be transferring. If there's a ball to be dropped here, you'd think it would be the two coaches who already know Kofi.
But again, a guy not transferring isn't a miss.
This.
A kid withdrew from the draft and instead of the usual "I'm coming back," he decided to make a bigger spectacle of it. And now all that spectacle will reveal he's just going back. Some sort of attempt to bring himself attention.
Great post. but I actually think we could get an All-American "type" player out of Oscar. His per40 minutes aren't far off. If he can stay on the court, he should easily be a 15/10 guy.
The key, as we all know, is IF he can stay on the floor. But the talent is there, for sure.
If Cal turned down an all american after last seasons nightmare something is very wrong.
We will be OKAY?That is our expections right now.Not a title contendor but an okay team?Wow.
Yeah I think I'm ready to fully ignore any "insider" on anything, basketball related. I do still see some reliable stuff from the football side.
The problem is, you've gotta look at Oscar's per 25. Because that's what the refs are gonna restrict him to.
I am good with the roster as is.
This is about as complete a roster as we could realistically hope for given the situation (coming off a 9 win season, having a couple of terrible assistants until the last month or so, restrictions due to COVID, etc.). We have experience, size, talent, shooting, versatility, and depth.
I am excited about this roster. That doesn’t mean I have ordered my 40-0 shirt. That means I am cautiously optimistic about this team. It has the pieces to make a run this season, if everything comes together. I’m not expecting a title, but I think we will be pretty good.
This is about as complete a roster as we could realistically hope for given the situation (coming off a 9 win season, having a couple of terrible assistants until the last month or so, restrictions due to COVID, etc.). We have experience, size, talent, shooting, versatility, and depth.
I am excited about this roster. That doesn’t mean I have ordered my 40-0 shirt. That means I am cautiously optimistic about this team. It has the pieces to make a run this season, if everything comes together. I’m not expecting a title, but I think we will be pretty good.
They wanted Duren, right? So it's not like the UK staff thinks they're "set" on the interior.
I wouldn't either. OT is a nice big man, but no surefire 1st round pick. His backups are projects. If the UK staff didn't go all-in on Cockburn, that's a huge act of incompetency on their part, especially if they don't simultaneously feel solid on landing Duren.
Additionally, Cal has been talking smack about seeking out retribution on his opponents next season. I'm not sure that's a wise move when you have a team littered with G-League projects and not one bona fide lottery pick or All-American player. Cockburn would have been that guy. Right now, we merely look like a possible top 3 SEC contender. I'm not sure that's the type of thing that will generate the spark Cal needs coming off a 9 win season.
Our star being a guy who is a sitting duck in pick and roll would have done us in too if we're being honest.
We have a top 10-15 team on paper. That equates to a title contender, IMHO.
Very true.
Illinois was a 1 seed and got sent home early because of this.
Do we honestly think Cal would have done it differently?
Underwood was stubborn in that game, but Cal has a tendency to take stubborn to a whole other level.
None of that has anything to do with not being able to land a guy who isn't transferring.
If you're equating All American and lottery pick values, I think we have a realistic shot of having two lottery picks on this team, one of which we're going to actually get to play and use properly if the roster doesn't change.
As with all transfers, if Kofi were *that* good he wouldn't be about to play college basketball at age 22.
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