Man played two fowards who couldn’t shoot, with a guy who is going to be camped in the paint all game, didn’t get a shot blocker to go with Oscar and had one shooter on the roster.
Oscar to enter draft
- Thread starter Catfan in Tn.
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Had a shot blocker in Ugonna. Never used him. But shame on us for doubting the great and all knowing JVC.
Good point, but Ugonna was raw, but he definitely should have got mins
It says he’s a carpetbagger, using our program to enrich himself and his cronies.
He did say maybe staying so… I won’t get my hopes up.
John Calipari shares scoop on Oscar Tshiebwe's NBA Draft decision
Kentucky head coach John Calipari revealed the next step Oscar Tshiebwe plans to take in his basketball career.www.on3.com
How do you get a guy minutes when it looks like you might not make the tournament. I love Oscar but if Cal doesn't get us far in the next tournament he is gone. He cannot afford to show favoritism if he plans on keeping his job.. he is so close of being gone himself
Was going to post the same. Plus, his “weaknesses” hadn’t been exposed the way they were this season. Never pass up an opportunity to get a year closer to that second contract.
Best of luck to Oscar!!! A rare bright spot for fans over the past 3 seasons.
3 of those 3 games Cals coaching failed him.
You are absolutely correct on this. There isn't another coach in America who wouldn't have found a way to work Ugonna into decent minutes as a defensive / rebounding / lob role, and parked Oscar on the bench until he committed to proper pick and rolls and playing defense. And we can't say Ugonna would have slowed the team down, because we had Mr Dribble Top Key stalling gameplay everytime he came in.
Whatever path you take Oscar...Good luck and thanks for wearing the Kentucky uniform.
Sorry gentlemen, I’ve been say it for weeks. Cal doesn’t want Oscar back. This is just the latest example of many that Cal is basically telling Oscar - we do not have room for you here. It is what it is.
And - BEST OF LUCK OSCAR! I truly love the kid. I was at Rupp for his 38 and 24 game. Amazing. It was awesome to watch.
There's some irony in that one of the most disliked coaches in UK history telling one of the most admired and loved UK players in the recent past that he needs to move along.
Yeah. I’m not big on the dude. Even before Ralph’s comments, I didn’t really want him. He’s a terrible fit and can’t defend.
Just because he is despised by the people on this forum doesn't mean
he is one of the most disliked coaches in UK history. It is time for Oscar
to leave. His horrible defense was the biggest problem the team faced
this year. There 's no use trying to deny that fact. Opposing teams
acknowledged the fact that they felt his defense made it easy to attack
the team offensively.
The only reason for him to return is he might make more money than he would
if he goes to the NBA. That would be a very selfish reason for him to return.
Cal should’ve adjusted and played a different defense. You can’t sit a generational rebounder like Oscar. Just can’t do it. His rebounding gives you too many extra possessions.
Rafters is a better representation of the attitudes of BBN than some random fan's opinion ... just because you say so. Again, it's not "time" for him to leave just because it's your opinion. Oscar committed to play and to be coached ... he made that commitment to UK. That's got to mean something ... to be worth something. You don't just decide to move him along, unless you're a Carpetbagging Clown Coach that has overdosed on OAD fraud. Oscar's defense wasn't the problem with this team this year nor last year. He contributed in so many other ways that won him national honors, on the court that hadn't been seen at UK for many years, if ever, and yet you complain about his defense? You don't sound to be rational nor reasonable. So, Oscar returning for NIL money is selfish? Oscar does more to honestly "earn" his NIL money than Calipari does collecting an obnoxious salary while doing far less for the team than Oscar.
The sad part is that Cal "can" do it and the results speak for themselves.
If he doesn’t stay in draft, then he is transferring maybe? Is there a deadline to put your name in transfer portal?
Just reading the tea leaves my man. His comments on his radio show about starting a couple 7 footers next year, all the talk about how they didn’t see eye to eye during the season (which was apparent because they were literally calling each other out in the media at times, not a good look), and now Cal coming out and basically making this announcement for Oscar. He doesn’t normally do that, he almost always lets guys make their own announcement. It’s not hard to see.
Rafters in my opinion is an accurate representation of many of the angriest
fans who are part of the UK fan base. Most Kentucky fans do not hate
Cal's guts the way many fans on this forum do. Nobody mentioned Oscar's
horrible defense last year because team's were figuring him out. After
watching tape of his play, teams realized how easy it would be to attack
him defensively.
I like Oscar but he would hurt the development of Ugo and Bradshaw if
he returns. I didn't call Oscar selfish. If he comes back to college for NIL
money then that would be a selfish act.
💯 This was Calipari’s 2nd season with Oscar & he knew exactly what type of player he is & he also knew the type of players he was putting on the floor around Oscar. What was stopping him from getting the right piece(s) to plug in next to Oscar? Like you said, you can’t bench a generational rebounder like him.
The logical solution would’ve been to go find a cpl guys whose strengths offset Oscar’s weaknesses, or, to adapt your approach to fit your roster. Our coach did neither. He instead chose to run it back & surround him with very little shooting, floor spacing & post defense, yet again. Oscar is a flawed player & he does deserve criticism for his defense & lazy play, at times. But, the coach didn’t do much to put him in the best situations to succeed &, essentially, wasted two years with the best UK rebounder of my lifetime.
And, FTR, some ppl on this board must live in a part of the state, or, another state, that is the Bizarro version of where I live. Irl, here, ppl have wanted Calipari gone for at least 2-3 years. It’s very reflective of this board. 3/4 ppl I talk to can’t stand him, or, the way he has run the program.
Almost every poll I see on here (and everywhere else online) says 75-80% (minimum) are done with him. Yet, a few delusional posters will say it’s only a handful of miserable ppl, on this board, with an agenda, as they slam players in defense of the coach. Hilarious. Even national writers & analysts are saying it, now. I’ve been posting here since the late 90s & in my experiences, this board has been a perfect microcosm of the fanbase, in general.
It has been reported that on twitter UK fans are much more supportive
of Cal than fans on some online forums. Some observers seem to feel there
is a bit of a generational divide. Younger people seem to be much more
optimistic about the team. I expect UK to regain its status as a national
power this upcoming season.
I bet if Oscar doesn’t go pro I bet he transfers to another program!
I care about the Program before I care about any one coach. If that coach proves himself to be incompetent and deranged, while having a free hand in damaging the Program, I want him to stop or be gone ... that makes me concerned and not angry. I'd say that you're not a psychologist, but you conveniently toss the word "hate" around because it serves "your" purpose. I don't hate anyone. You mention Oscar's "horrible" play and go on to "claim" Oscar would hurt Ugo and Bradshaw's development. You must think pretty highly of your assessments ... are you a coach? I think Ugo said Oscar being here was a reason he wanted to come to UK. If Cal runs Oscar off, Ugo may transfer which has been rumored and will be a bad reflection on Cal. You say that you didn't call Oscar selfish but yet, in your last sentence, you just did it again. You think it's OK for you to criticize Oscar for doing something that he decides might be in his own best interest. You will probably think yourself sage and wise b/c Oscar is probably gone, I would assume much to your delight, but in my opinion, it will be for all the wrong reasons ... again, IMO.
I expect him to be drafted 25-45 range. This will put Kentucky back next year. We really needed next season to see him with talent. Plus he would have been drafted in the first next year. wonder who we see cut the nets next year. UCLA UNC or Kansas?
Its hard, I know. But maybe it'll help if you start by listing all of Dan Issel's and Kenny Walker's Sweet 16's just for comparison sake.
Meaning, the ish ain't easy and the best teams and players often don't get there.
Oscar is going to go down as one of the most polarizing players in UK history. He has one elite skill (rebounding) that unfortunately doesn't translate well to the NBA. The rest of his skills are below average and he is liability on the defensive end. However he said all the right things and treated the fans well, all the while alienating his teammates, some of which were not his biggest fan. He gave great effort, but often showed his teammates up, while acting as if he didn't make any mistakes. He is a 2 time AA, but isn't really looked as an all time great. To sum it up he is "Polarizing".
I’ve said on here, several times before, that I can, SOMEWHAT, understand younger fans being more positive/less negative bc they haven’t been around long enough to know what they’re missing, or, why older fans demand so much more. So, that makes sense. And, I don’t really do Twitter, so, I’ll take your word for that.
But, I don’t understand how ANYBODY, who was around for the 40s-90s could be happy with the status quo. And, not just Ws & Ls. But, also the way the program is being managed. This looks & feels NOTHING like the UK basketball I lived for from 1978 thru the mid 2000s. But, the entire sport has gotten worse & isn’t even a shadow of what it was 20-30 years ago.
I hope you’re right & we have a dominant season in 24. But, I’m not holding my breath as long as Calipari is calling the shots & relying on FR & non-shooters to carry the load. And, I’m at the point that I don’t want him back even if he wins it all. I don’t appreciate what he’s turned the program into & not even a national championship will change that. The hate might seem irrational to younger fans, but, it’s born out of love & it’s valid. NONE of us WANT to hate the coach, or, to be unhappy.
NCAA W/L records for some of UK's greatest players:
Sam Bowie 4-3
Dan Issel and Mike Pratt 3-3
Minniefield, Hord, Hurt 3-4
Dampier, Riley 3-1
Mike Casey 2-4
Jodie Meeks 1-1
Cotton Nash 1-3
Rex Chapman 2-2 (the 2 wins were later vacated)
I get your point & Issel is a good example. But, not Walker. He never did worse than the S16.
83-E8
84-FF
85-S16
86-E8
It all starts with coaching ... who do you see coaching this "national power" you mention? It's all about roster development with wise recruiting on a position-by-position basis to sustain success year after year. Who do you see making all of this happen with consistency? Calipari has never done any of this while here at UK. Cal believes in wholesale roster turnover year after year for some incredibly stupid reason. So, to believe UK will be reclaiming its status as some national power, without coaching and suffering from coaching malfeasance and mismanagement is sad and laughable. UK winning a NC next year would require the incoming players to be talented to an extent to overcome the failures and mismanagement of this so-called coach. If that were to happen, he would have to recruit super-talented players at every position each and every year. Only a moron could believe anyone could pull that off. John Calipari certainly can't do it despite the fact this narcissist may believe he can. He will continue to spill his line of BS as long as contract allows him to continue his destruction of the program while being paid his obnoxious salary. If anyone tries to justify all of this, I would say they're Calipari fans first and foremost and have little regard for the health of the Program because this Program is suffering and yet you talk of "national power status" as if it's expected because of UK's past while disregarding the Carpetbagging Clown Coach that is in the process of destroying it. My opinion is not hate ... it's concern for the well-being of the Program.
Kentucky has been a national power in the past with great freshmen players and Cal as the coach. I believe Uk
will be a national power next year with exciting players like Wagner and Edwards coming in. You disagree. We won't
know who is right for months. Why argue about it now? Life is too short.
Cal could have the original USA dream team and still not win.
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