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Latest ESPN NBA mock draft

He absolutely has created a culture where you're expected to leave after one year. You think Bradshaw is considering the draft anywhere else if he's having this same season? Cal's record for players staying for one year, whether it be leaving for the draft or transferring, is astronomically high.
Bradshaw was never going to play two seasons of college basketball anywhere. Klutch would not allow that to happen.
 
Are you kidding? At the very least Rob and Reed should go. And probably Wagner and Ugo.
Based on what?

Rob - yes, I agree. I don't think he will get his stock any higher. And honestly I think he will be a star in the league. Iverson / Trae Young level.

Reed - should he? not necessarily. See my long reply above on that. Would it be a mistake if he did? Probably not.
 
Long time lurker, first time poster....I love Reed and thought he would be here at least 2 years. But I don't see how he doesn't leave if he is a lottery pick. Too much to risk coming back.
 
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The "greatest night in UK basketball history". :rolleyes:

3. Rob Dillingham
12. Reed Sheppard
27. DJ Wagner

2nd Round
38: Ugonna Onyenso
51. Justin Edwards
That's BS.

Dillingham is appropriately placed, but the rest all about 10 draft spots above where they'll actually be drafted.
 
Long time lurker, first time poster....I love Reed and thought he would be here at least 2 years. But I don't see how he doesn't leave if he is a lottery pick. Too much to risk coming back.
What's there to risk? Career-ending injury? Name five guys who faced something like that because they came back to college.

What else is there to risk? Diminished skillset and the risk of "being exposed?" Reed doesn't have an artificial skill set. The NBA already knows he's a terrible defender, but his actual skills will only get better (passing, shooting, playmaking). He could become a legit top 5 pick next year, win POY, and truly contend for a national title as the best sophomore in the country.

So really, what exactly is the risk? I'm not buying it.
 
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Ugo is on draft boards b/c of his ridiculous blocked shot stats .... but he is sooooo slow with bad hands and a non-existent jumper (he lucked into the one last game in the lane, let's be honest) he will not work in today's NBA, at least not yet.

He'll declare, guaranteed, and we'll wait
This is one of the things that pisses me off about Cal. He gives the guys time to decide - too much time. By the time they decide they're gone anyway, we've missed out on many of the premium transfers. He got lucky last summer with Mitchell and Reeves.

Can you imagine this current team without them? We'd be a bubble team and probably be staring at a 16-9 or 15-10 record right now.
 
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What's there to risk? Career-ending injury? Name five guys who faced something like that because they came back to college.

What else is there to risk? Diminished skillset and the risk of "being exposed?" Reed doesn't have an artificial skill set. The NBA already knows he's a terrible defender, but his actual skills will only get better (passing, shooting, playmaking). He could become a legit top 5 pick next year, win POY, and truly contend for a national title as the best sophomore in the country.

So really, what exactly is the risk? I'm not buying it.
Also, injuries that used to be career ending are not career ending now. Plus, he'll have plenty of money to buy insurance against an injury serious enough to diminish his draft value.
 
Yikes this thread all around.

Regardless of what a mock says at the moment Dilly will be a top 5 pick if not top 2 , Wagner top 10-20 , Bradshaw late 1st , Ugo the same , Edwards somewhere between 20-45 , same with Reeves , Mitchell will be a free agent signee and I believe Reed would be a lotto lock BUT UNLESS we win the title which isn't out of the realm of possible he will come back 1 more year . Hell even if we do I think he might to chase history and repeat . I think Big Z might come back too though if he went he would be a mid 2nd rounder IMO .

The NBA draft and how UK OWNS it and the NBA in general is WHY MOST years ( all Cal's except last year , 2013 and the Covid year ) we have a great shot at the final 4 . Though is really hard to do when you are perpetually young I would still always take 5 or more future NBAers and a team with an average age of 19 or so over one with 1-2 NBAers and average age of 23 especially if the best NBAers on the squad are guards and wings as thats what wins in the dance .
 
This is why I don’t watch the nba any longer, or at least one of the reasons. Why JE would be drafted into a professional basketball league at this stage is just mind boggling. Spare me the potential crap!!! You should have to show potential and earn a professional contract as opposed to just being given one. I hope he improves and gets there but this is just nonsensical to me.
And this shouldn’t be seen as an Edwards hate post. Reeves is 1000% an NBA player right now and Edwards is a “potential” bust or solid rotation guy but not star.

The NBA is broken when they have devalued older guys (or valued youth) more than production and a guy like Reeves with 6’6 height, elite shooting, 3 level scorer, and solid handles can’t even make the late season draft boards

Edwards has played much better the last 2 weeks and I personally think he could make a huge year 2 jump similar to Quickly and Washington
 
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Scouts will say that Reeves has peaked while Dillingham, Sheppard, Wagner, Edwards and Bradshaw have upside which will translate into Reeves going undrafted and zero chance all 5 of the freshmen make it big in the league. Just the way it usually works.
 
That's BS.

Dillingham is appropriately placed, but the rest all about 10 draft spots above where they'll actually be drafted.
If true that has Reed at #22.
Can you name 21 players that would be drafted ahead of him.?
Reed is at worst the #3 draft prospect in the SEC.
 
Edwards even being a pick shows how watered down the league us.

It's one thing to be drafted but to stay is another. If that was my long term goal I would make sure I got and proved everything I could in college before heading off unless I was a lotto pick.
 
He absolutely has created a culture where you're expected to leave after one year. You think Bradshaw is considering the draft anywhere else if he's having this same season? Cal's record for players staying for one year, whether it be leaving for the draft or transferring, is astronomically high.
Yes. Bradshaw - and all others are looking to the NBA at the first opportunity they can get.

Either Calipari recruits those types of players or he recruits a step below. But - any player that can smell the NBA are out the door...and that's the way it should be. A player cannot pass up the $$$$...it is life changing.
 
What's there to risk? Career-ending injury? Name five guys who faced something like that because they came back to college.

What else is there to risk? Diminished skillset and the risk of "being exposed?" Reed doesn't have an artificial skill set. The NBA already knows he's a terrible defender, but his actual skills will only get better (passing, shooting, playmaking). He could become a legit top 5 pick next year, win POY, and truly contend for a national title as the best sophomore in the country.

So really, what exactly is the risk? I'm not buying it.
The risk is that he won't get drafted in the future at the #12 spot.

Assuming he is indeed drafted at number 12. There is literally no argument to be made to come back for another season.

If he comes back for another season, that is $4 million of lost income...admittedly, offset by a couple hundred thousand dollars in NIL money. You turn down $4 million often?

If he comes back for another season and improves his draft position (maybe), he stands to make $5.5million in his first year - only $1.5million increase. Do the math...it's not hard to understand.
 
Bradshaw leaving isn't something Calipari has created.

What Calipari has created is a system of recruiting the best players, coaching them while they are here, and giving them information on their draft prospects should they want to enter the draft. Nothing more...nothing less.

Maybe a person could argue that Calipari should recruit outside of the 5* prospects and coach those kids for more than 1 year? But, realistically if a player is projected in the draft, they are leaving. The $$$$ incentive is too great. I don't think what they make in NIL while here is enough to sway that decision.
Thanks for a sensible post about this. Some of our fan base has lost their minds
 
He absolutely has created a culture where you're expected to leave after one year. You think Bradshaw is considering the draft anywhere else if he's having this same season? Cal's record for players staying for one year, whether it be leaving for the draft or transferring, is astronomically high.
And a higher than average percentage of these players excel in the NBA.
 
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He absolutely has created a culture where you're expected to leave after one year. You think Bradshaw is considering the draft anywhere else if he's having this same season? Cal's record for players staying for one year, whether it be leaving for the draft or transferring, is astronomically high.

UK once had one of the best anthropologists in the country working there -- Tom Dillehay. He had found evidence that contradicted established theories about how long humans have lived in the Western Hemisphere. He got hired away by Vanderbilt.

I don't think I heard anyone complain.

The actual stuff that the university is in the business of doing: learning.

I hope that nobody imagines that players owe the fans anything beyond playing their best while they're here. They're in the entertainment business.
 
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Reeves is a draft pick. He is the best player on the team.
Wonder what "promises" Cal gave to Reeves? He obviously hasn't earned his spot. The experts here at RR have convinvec me of that. Same with Mitchell pre injury. What kind of promises were made to him?

The players never say there were promises. Gotta get the scoop from here. So, what's up?
 
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