Yeah, I was talking about this the other day. It doesn't make sense that Calipari's teams always seem to have people out with injuries, and then stay out for longer periods of time, while most other teams remain relatively healthy and return from minor injuries quickly. I have a couple theories...
1. Some of Calipari's more pampered players don't prepare themselves properly. They don't stretch well. They don't work out and lift weights much. They just depend on their athleticism and Cal lets them get away with it because they're favorites. They try to get out there and go 100% in games and they get injured.
2. His players who do get injured and, because of the same permitted laziness I mentioned in #1, they don't return quickly from injury because Calipari's "players first" mantra doesn't require them to work as hard as they can to get back.
#3 Cal is just snake-bit and unlucky and his players just get injured more often than other teams' players.
#4 Cal pushes his players too hard and they end up injured more often because they're pushing themselves to please him. Once they get injured, he feels guilty and doesn't push them to get back quickly.
I think it's #1 and #2.
Yep 1 & 2 ...
And you know, Cal's young freshman talent comes into Division one competition to go against 4, 5th year guys.... Mature, experienced guys that are conditioned pretty well oftentimes, at the start of a season.
Cal's freshmen aren't conditioned to handle that from the get go, for the most part.
It seems to me that from the outset, Calipari's teams are playing catch-up in today's game.
Not only is early season conditioning a concern, but as the season moves along, and guys do get injured and banged up, Cal has had to focus on his studs players so much and so often, by mid season, they're burnt out, having played so many minutes, they have to overcompensate for Cal's philosophy because there's no other alternative. There's no other players that can come in to give them the needed rest later in the year, and by then, it's too late.
We've seen everything from Cal. Top to bottom. When you see a team like Ark little rock and they intercept the lob inbounds to Big Z, it is painfully apparent everyone else has seen everything from Cal, too.
He doesn't have the ability to overcome that any longer. His players having to win IN SPITE of his coaching pretty much says it all.
I wanted him GONE after that horrid 9-16 season or whatever the hell it was. I railed hardcore against him at that point. It was 4, 5 years ago?!?
Just thankful he is finally gone. I breathe and rest easier because I love Kentucky basketball, and I truly feel like Calipari never really did. From the start.
