Should Calipari bench Skal?
- Thread starter screwduke
- Start date
Coach Cal played him for 21 minutes. Today with 0 foul trouble.
I'm going to guess this minutes will go down unless he starts to show a lot of sign of improvement.
I think he should bench him. I would like to see Humphries go in and focus on getting double digit rebound.
I'm going to guess this minutes will go down unless he starts to show a lot of sign of improvement.
I think he should bench him. I would like to see Humphries go in and focus on getting double digit rebound.
No.
Its way too early to bench him. Maybe he's just following the progression of a normal freshman?
We are so so spoiled here
Its way too early to bench him. Maybe he's just following the progression of a normal freshman?
We are so so spoiled here
Depends on what the goals for the team are vs. his goals for Skal. Which is greater?
Bench looks good to me . How long keep can we keep sucking on O before we insert someone who might give us 8 points and 6-7 rebounds instead of 3 and 1 ? I'm not saying bury him on the pine but until he shows some willingness to rebound and defend the rim he is dang near useless .
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anon_q409idbs5m40a
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Can't remember the last time I saw such a highly rated recruit, and 7' at that, be completely lost, outmuscled with zero basketball IQ.
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anon_q409idbs5m40a
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Not the same kid I saw in the All-Star game last Summer. He had a great touch and a really nice mid-range jumper. Haven't seen any of that so far. Has a really bad habit of bringing the ball down to his knees when he gets it. That's fundamental basketball and it's surprising that he still does it.
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anon_q409idbs5m40a
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One of two things happens if Coach benches him, it either lights a fire under his ass or he loses him(emotionally) altogether. I know UK needs better production from the position but I also feel they need this kid come March. So I trust Coach to make the right decision for the program.
My question is what good does benching him do? By benching him Cal is essentially conceding that Skal will never develop into a solid player. It is frustrating, but he needs to get minutes to develop. I truly believe Cal is the best in the country at developing young talent, and he knows that he needs Skal in March for this team to have a chance. He isn't going to totally give up on him just because it may marginally improve the team in the short term. Not to mention benching Skal would be a nightmare for recruiting, which believe it or not does matter.
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anon_q409idbs5m40a
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That's a valid point but maybe he's feeling some pressure and would do better coming off the bench. Not sure about his work ethic but being benched always sends a message to someone that they need to step it up. Skal, along with other players, may not be responding to Cal like his players in the past have.
First off, I really think who "starts" is pretty irrelevant. The only thing that matters is who gets minutes. Cal can start Johnny David at PG if he wanted to. When I hear the term "benched" it makes me think permanently, or at least significantly less minutes. No way Skal should be getting less than 20 minutes a game. Contrary to popular belief he is actually a decent defender (does a really good job denying entry passes, is rarely out of position, and hasn't been straight up bullied more than once or twice a game), and even though his rebounding is frustrating and offensive game lacking, I really don't think you are getting much more out of Humphries/Wynyard, and they have a much lower ceiling for the end of this season than Skal does.
Now, maybe you are right that Skal is the type of kid that would respond to being benched but I really don't see it. He seems to be cut from the same cloth as Poythress and dare I say it- Harrow- in that he needs to be constantly praised and any sort of negativity really makes him more discouraged than anything. Cal is a very good judge on what motivates his players, so I'm sure that is he thinks Skal needs to be benched to motivate him than he will do that. I just don't see it.
Unless he's willing to try him as a stretch 4, then yes. He isn't tough enough to play the Cousins/Davis/Randle/Towns style that Cal wants on offense from his big men, and he isn't at least giving us a Noel or WCS performance on defense to make up for it.
It's rather hard for me to believe that a few of the guys we've got on the bench wouldn't at least give us something at the 5 spot. IMO, Cal should either put in someone that will play the position with the toughness he expects down low, or play more to the strength of the player that he's actually giving the playing time to. Trying to force a square peg into a round hole does nothing for nobody.
It's rather hard for me to believe that a few of the guys we've got on the bench wouldn't at least give us something at the 5 spot. IMO, Cal should either put in someone that will play the position with the toughness he expects down low, or play more to the strength of the player that he's actually giving the playing time to. Trying to force a square peg into a round hole does nothing for nobody.
Yes. He has earned walk on minutes as of now. Would be nice to have a JV team for him to play on.
He has too far to go to make a big difference this season.
He has too far to go to make a big difference this season.
Skal is being used wrong. He is a perimeter player. He needs to be in a pick and pop offense, not trying to muscle people into the paint on post ups.
It would be like benching Adrian Peterson for not being able to throw 60 yard touchdown passes. Honestly, Cal looks like a fool trying to force him into this role.
It would be like benching Adrian Peterson for not being able to throw 60 yard touchdown passes. Honestly, Cal looks like a fool trying to force him into this role.
I voted no and if possible it would have been 'absolutely' no.....THE GUY NEEDS REPS!
Game reps! You bench him and we still have nothing for the stretch/March when we want to make a run.....Take our lumps now and give him 28-32 minutes NOW so he will be prepared come tournament time
Game reps! You bench him and we still have nothing for the stretch/March when we want to make a run.....Take our lumps now and give him 28-32 minutes NOW so he will be prepared come tournament time
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Cal has never benched a 5* player for very long at a time. Aka Andrew Harrison, players behind him were visibly better and he continued to provide the promise of the NBA. We lost a chance at another championship because of this, he says he makes no promises. His track record shows otherwise. I love Cal as a coach but his failure to use his bench has hurt us at times. Skal will play as long as he can tie his shoes imo.
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anon_q409idbs5m40a
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I think we need to take a look at just what "Benching" means. Does it mean buried on the bench with no PT or a reduced role? It appears that Skal is not used to this level of competition and has tendencies of freshmen we used to see in the '70's. He has a lot of upside but is going to have to put in some work, ala Nazr Mohammed.
Does a 50lb bag of flour make a big biscuit???? No way does he deserve to start, if so it completely trumps your "you earn your minutes here" speech.
I have nothing to base it on, but I feel like Skal would crumble if he got benched.
Although I think his pathetic performances on the court are crushing him mentally too.
I personally don't care about his draft stock. Just play him at the 3 or 4, face up and let him do his thing. To me that's what the NBA sees in him, so why force the issue with trying to get him to play on the block?
Although I think his pathetic performances on the court are crushing him mentally too.
I personally don't care about his draft stock. Just play him at the 3 or 4, face up and let him do his thing. To me that's what the NBA sees in him, so why force the issue with trying to get him to play on the block?
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anon_q409idbs5m40a
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It can't hurt to try. Obviously, what we're seeing now is not working so a change is needed.
Well, Cal is stubborn and wants to round out his game. I get that, which means he's not going to change his plan.
Maybe start him on the wing, after he makes a few jumpers and gets into the game, the put him on the block. Maybe alternate each time down the court? I don't know, he just doesn't seem to accept the challenge of banging in the paint. It's has to be mentally draining to get embarrassed over and over again.
All-star games play little defense, let alone a physical game. Skal is fine in that environment, but he can't compete against physical players. That is the difference. Every coach knows this about him so they go after him and Skal can't handle it.
No one is talking about absolutes here. Cal himself says the bench is his greatest motivator. Well, motivate Skal. Pretty simple really. Having to play a recruit to protect our recruiting when it may not be the best thing for the team is absurd. Talk about being held hostage. That's a big part of the reason Cal left Andrew in against Wisconsin, imo.
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anon_q409idbs5m40a
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That's true about the lack of defense but what has happened to his mid-range jumper? When I first saw him I thought that was what we had been lacking for the past few years. Turns out that we're still lacking it. You're right, he can't compete in a physical environment and needs to really get a lot stronger.
t's
Exactly - a message needs to be sent. He should lose his starting role and EARN it back.
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