Miles Bridges might return to Michigan State
- Thread starter Smashcat
- Start date
You're a troll. Just joined a month ago. Is that all @ZaytovenCat has time for in his mother's basement? Making multiple fake personas to troll Rupp Rafters with?
Two years ago, officiating didn't cost us the game against Wisconsin. Leaving the twins in the last 3 minutes cost us the game. We had two successive 30 second turnovers, without getting a shot. Wisconsin's center had four fouls, and was letting Towns have his way with him. Cal should have called TO, and told the players that if the third pass didn't go into Towns, they would have a seat on the bench.
This year, it appeared we had no plan after Monk made the three. We knew UNC would grab the ball out of bounds and break back down the court before we could set up. I expected Cal to call TO after Monk made the shot, which would have slowed UNC down and allowed us to set our defense.
OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!
And if Cal had the season Izzo just had with a top 3 recruiting class, you'd all want him fired.
Not to mention Cal has had as much success in eight seasons at Kentucky as Izzo has had in his career, but the internet stays on their knees for one while pretending the other can't coach.
Not to mention Cal has had as much success in eight seasons at Kentucky as Izzo has had in his career, but the internet stays on their knees for one while pretending the other can't coach.
Game was only close due to the Twins outstanding play up until that point. Booker and Ulis sucked something awful on defense that game..Wisconsin would have scored at will the last 5 minutes and put up 80+ on UK. Not like Ulis and Booker lit it up on offense either.
And the shot clock violation they missed was the defining factor. UK gets that stop, they are up 2 with 2 to play and maybe they come down and hit a 3 to go up 5. We shall never know.
I'm not a Democrat and I'm pretty damn selfish.. If a player returned,, lost draft positions and money to win a title,, I'd be happy as hell..
Yep. For the record- Aaron and Andrew combined for 25 points on 10/21 shooting in that game, with only 1 TO. And blaming them for UK's defensive struggles seems like a stretch. Koenig, Gasser, Jackson, and Dukan combined for 23 points on 7/19 shooting. OTOH, Kaminsky, Dekker, and Hayes went for 48 on 16/29 shooting.
UK tried to milk clock way too early that game, and some of that clearly falls on Cal. But I'm not certain that playing Ulis and/or Booker was the answer. To me, it just felt like, after 2 successive possessions of utter futility, Cal should have had them run something designed to get a specific shot from a specific player- with 0 regard for the shotclock. It felt like priorities were out of whack. With a 4 point lead and 5 minutes left, the #1 priority shouldn't be to burn clock, but to get it to a 3 possession game.
UK gets it out to 3 possessions inside the last 5 minutes, UK wins that game.
Cal cares for his players best interests and advices them accordingly. It doesn't mean he agrees with their decision, even if he publicslly supports it. He's good man.
Cal is not comparable to a guy we should have fired after 5 years. Cal is going to be judged on his own. He won't be judged against Tubby, He'll be judged against K, Roy, Pitino, Calhoun etc. that's the bar HE set for himself.
Cal is great no one wants him banished. But some of these moves only happen here. Regular Transfers have nothing to do with it.
Our program is not "a" development league. This is a college basketball team. If you come here with the mindset that staying until a degree is NOT an acceptable outcome, then you shouldn't come here. Some of these guys like hump had no intention of seeing this through. I can go a long way with Cal but turning Kentucky into a European G league development team is not a place I'll go.
You just don't get it do you? The reason these kids come to Kentucky is because they like what Cal says and does.
How hurt would you have to get to bad ? People say that all the time and people come back from injuries all the time. It be nice if some of our guys came back the best guys but that happens once every ten years. yes I am bitter.
why....to get ripped on by fans non stop? how much hate did poythress get while he was here? fans wanted briscoe benched.
Honest question.
First let me say, I do not believe Cal tries to get kids to return, even the Briscoe's. I think he enjoys the reputation he earns for putting so many in the draft, and retaining players will not allow for that to happen at his pace. There's plenty of evidence that shows Cal wants these guys to leave, or at least doesn't push them regardless of situation. NBA ya want? Ok.
So my question is, if that's even a possibility (which it absolutely is) does Cal not only carry credit for their careers and "dreams", but also some blame for not being able to retain guys that leave here without a degree and flame out?
Part of being a collegiate head coach is explaining the benefit of that college degree. And most greats are easily able to get that message through, not Cal.
Obviously for AD and Wall, this is not in discussion. But for some of these guys why is some wild chance at African water basketball better than UK and a guaranteed degree before you're 22? Why do players feel you are you a failure at UK if you graduate? Why does Cal have obvious issues getting around that? I think it's actually explained in my first paragraph.
Jones would not have returned if not for the NBA lockout. 100% guarantee.
And we probably wouldn't have that title if he hadn't returned. It goes to the point some are making about returnees actually.
I'm not so quick to question the methods/motives of a hall of famer coach. I rode the bench in middle school. But while I don't understand the arrogance it takes to think you can out coach the best, I do appreciate the entertainment these efforts provide. I'm diggin' UK basketball.
BS. You have no idea what Izzo advised Bridges to do.
Yes, but some of these best coaches ever rode the bench in middle school.
Ever tried the profession?
So who "probably" would have won the title?
Kansas, with Thomas Robinson who returned when he could have left the year before? Maybe UNC who returned Barnes and Zeller when they could have left the year before? Maybe Ohio st. who returned Sullinger ?
Or was Jones the only player in America to return strictly because of the impending lockout?
People are squawking about fringe guys leaving for the league, and I can’t say it’s not a bad point. It’s probably the only drawback to the OAD Kentucky system, in that fringe guys get swept up in the philosophy about as much as real OAD players. It makes kids either look elsewhere when they’re realize they’re not a OAD and now have to compete with real future NBA players (Lee, Matthews, Wiltjer, Poole, etc.) or leave for the pros anyway for the same reasons (Humphries, Briscoe, Aaron Harrison, Orton, Teague, etc.). It’s a negative that comes with system.
Have to take the good with the bad though, and I’m okay with it for the most part if it means Cal keeps bringing in the Mohamed Bamba’s of the world. Plus, let's be honest here (and this point is directed generally), Bridges returning, if he does return, is an anomaly for a guy with his skillset. It's not that common.
It's not that Cal pushes the kids out the door and it's also not that Cal is such a great humanitarian. He sells that UK is the place for you to get to the NBA as quickly as possible. So, the kids that come here are those kids. They are not the ones that want a 4 year college experience. As soon as there is a glimmer of professional interest they are gone. To his and their credit, even though they have one foot out door, they represent the university well and embrace the college experience while they are here.
ACL tear has ruined many careers. You could argue, "well it would tear it in the NBA too!" But if you're lottery, or even first round, that's a promised contract of 6-7 figures that you're throwing away to come back to school.
I think this is accurate, and I think he could do both. For some reason he doesnt and I don't know if it's his message can't get through or the beast has grown a bit wild.
Jones was for sure gone. UNC players? Indiana players? Who knows.
But Jones and Lamb were both gone.
I never heard Jones or anyone say that and you say 100%. Cal stated "he came to me and said he wasn't ready to leave, so I let him come back." I very well could have missed it but can honest,y say I never saw anyone say that.
Jones was not coming back to UK for a sophomore season. Lamb was even thought to have returned because of the lockout. I think it's fairly easy to say by now that Jones was gone. And IIRC Jones was listed higher in the mocks his freshman year. Might be corrected on that.
I asked you who probably would have won the title, are you going to answer?
Kansas obviously came the closest and they returned Robinson as a sophomore who went ahead of Jones in the draft.
I think that Cal gets credit to the extent of what he did for the players while at UK. So if a guy leaves and does flame out I guess you can say that Cal didn't do his part coaching him into a better player and thus gets some of the blame.
As far as the actual decision to go or not go. I don't give Cal credit or blame for that. I believe that he's truly doing what's best for the players by giving them all the information, letting them decide and then not pushing nor begging them to change their minds. I don't see this as a Cal thing. If anything I think it's pretty shitty that you have college coaches that ARE HOLDING players back from realizing their dreams just so that they can squeeze another year or two out of them. That's just crappy.
To some extent, you have to change what you are selling. If you make the college experience more the center piece of your pitch, kids like Fox or Tatum are not affected because they will go pro after one year no matter what. But maybe someone like Dakari becomes someone like Meeks and becomes a 4 year player. On the other hand, maybe he doesn't come to UK at all.
I'm sorry but I can't assume that based on what Cal said. I have no recollection of Lamb but never thought he was good enough on the defensive side to go. There have been plenty of 5 stars come back though. I only know of one at mich. st. right off hand but I don't watch them that much.
Here is the thing and I have seen others make this comment and then I have seen more say I wish Cal would recruit the kinda kid who wants to come back. But bridges didn't go omg I love MSU I am staying he walked away from agent negotiations meaning he wasn't liking what he was hearing which was probably they want to see if he injury prone or needs to show more SF skills. This was probably not some big show of team or state loyalty this was an admission he will have to wait one more season to realize his dream
But he also didn't say " If I can just get into the 1st round or high 2nd round with some guaranteed money I'll go and just get better in the D-league."
Bridges staying is soley Miles. Izzo advised him to go pro.
Are their lives your property, that they are to determine what they do for You? They aren't allowed to make adult decisions and choices. Okay.
