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Swanigan ... Hearing good things

C8TS

Junior
Nov 8, 2011
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Once again, take it for what it's worth but this time I am hearing good things from my guy (the AAU connection) that Swanigan is coming to UK. I hope he is right again!

California is working hard to get a spot open for him to join Rabb and Brown (that was the plan all along), but it looks to be too late. Go Cats!
 
Honestly do we need more players? We are loaded now and adding more players will only bench talent. I don't see a reason to add anybody else unless the curse(injury) is going to happen again like it has the past few years.
 
Once again, take it for what it's worth but this time I am hearing good things from my guy (the AAU connection) that Swanigan is coming to UK. I hope he is right again!

California is working hard to get a spot open for him to join Rabb and Brown (that was the plan all along), but it looks to be too late. Go Cats!
Word is he wants a personal chef and as we saw last year... Everybody eats at UK.
 
IMO the longer it drags out the better chance we have. If he decommitted from MSU to go to another school the decision would have been made within a couple of days.
 
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he can play the 4 at KY. It will cause POY to go back to the 3 but that is fine with me. He can guard the 3 spot and our guards will be good enough scorers and shooters that we dont need AP to be a dominant offensive threat.

Ullis
Brisco
Poythress
Swanigan
Skal

:cool:
 
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Honestly do we need more players? We are loaded now and adding more players will only bench talent. I don't see a reason to add anybody else unless the curse(injury) is going to happen again like it has the past few years.

We have THREE frontcourt players, dude. In what universe is that "loaded"?

Not that I am especially thrilled about this guy, if that rumor about his demands at MSU is accurate. Don't think Cal would give in to those either, so maybe it's bogus.
 
Honestly do we need more players?

Yes.

I don't think the situation is dire but right now E.J. Floreal is going to have to be the 10th man in practice. On the court we're going to have to play two freshmen 30+ minutes, a 5'9" point guard 35+ minutes, and a guy coming off major knee surgery virtually all the time. Behind those guys we'll have to rely on two Kentucky kids, one of whom has been a spot player and the other who's never played meaningful minutes in his career.

Absolutely we need people. I'm not sure what posters are looking at when they say the roster is set.
 
Does UK NEED more players, no. Could UK use more players, absolutely! Swanigan adds the bulk up front that UK is missing. As long as his isn't the prima donna he is being made out to be I say bring him on down, otherwise the team and its chemistry will be better off without the addition.
 
Good point Joneslab. We have ONE reserve for the 4,5 spots.

UK has one traditional replacement for the 4 or 5. If UK didn't add Swanigan they could rotate Derek WIllis for Alex at the 4. Its not ideal and I don't know how Derek would do defensively, but he would definitely stretch the floor and bring a change of pace.
 
We have THREE frontcourt players, dude. In what universe is that "loaded"?

Not that I am especially thrilled about this guy, if that rumor about his demands at MSU is accurate. Don't think Cal would give in to those either, so maybe it's bogus.

I get tired of having to keep posting this but the "demands" he made of MSU was a made up story. It was a rumor originated on an MSU board. It has been completely debunked.
 
I swear to Jehovah if Alex Poythress plays more than 2 minutes at the SF spot next year I'm driving to Lexington and personally crapping in a paper bag, setting it on fire, knocking on Cal's door, and running away.

I'll at least break a remote against the wall... maybe a window.
You'd never make it over the big ass gate at his house. LOL.
 
I swear to Jehovah if Alex Poythress plays more than 2 minutes at the SF spot next year I'm driving to Lexington and personally crapping in a paper bag, setting it on fire, knocking on Cal's door, and running away.

I'll at least break a remote against the wall... maybe a window.

Why? He doesn't need to be a prolific scorer. He can shut down any 3 in america. I was basing it on if CS chose Kentucky.
 
I swear to Jehovah if Alex Poythress plays more than 2 minutes at the SF spot next year I'm driving to Lexington and personally crapping in a paper bag, setting it on fire, knocking on Cal's door, and running away.

I'll at least break a remote against the wall... maybe a window.

He's going to have to be out there though.

We'll likely only have 7 or 8 competent players, so true position is going to take a backseat to just general need.

Defensively Poythress is going to be the anchor of the team. This team is going to have such a razor thin margin for error offensively that the defense is going to have to be outrageous for us to beat good teams.
 
Lee, Poythress, Skal, Willis are enough at the 4/5. We can manage. Yeah, it would be nice to grab another big, but it's not a desperate need.

I feel an elite perimeter scorer is a much greater need.
 
With enough motivation, one can do anything.



I understand what you were basing it off of and on defense he would be fine. But if I have to spend any notable time next year watching Poythress try to create from the perimeter only to dribble the ball off his foot, travel, step out of bounds, and generally look like a newborn deer trying to walk then I'm breaking stuff. I've already planned it. He can guard the 3 on defense all he wants. I love it. On offense he needs to stick within 15 feet of the rim.


If he can get 10 and 5 a game from the three (all basing if we got CS) I would take him at the three all day long over a Matthews or Mulder who will lack defensive presence.
 
Honestly do we need more players? We are loaded now and adding more players will only bench talent. I don't see a reason to add anybody else unless the curse(injury) is going to happen again like it has the past few years.
"Need" for what exactly?

UK doesn't likely need another excellent player in order to be really, really good or even be viewed as a title contender. However, there is no real harm in adding another great talent so long as the kid isn't a head case.

Take last years team. We certainly didn't "need" Alex Poythress in order to win a title nor to be an incredible team. However, would you not have liked to have had the option of playing Poythress on Dekker during that Wisconsin game or just have his athleticism available for that Notre Dame game?

Point being that there are always specific scenarios in which having another solid player with a unique skill set becomes the difference between a win or a loss or maybe just a close win or a blowout, etc.
 
Agreed. Just don't have he, Swanigan, and Labissiere out there at the same time then.

I generally hate it when people make broad statements based on seeing guys once in an all-star game, but I'M GOING TO DO IT: Swanigan is going to need a little time, IMO. He'd be a big addition for this team's frontcourt but I don't see him starting at the D1 level anywhere, at least not right away.

But Lee may. In that case I think Poythress will play quite a few minutes at the 3.

Best-case scenario is Cal plays him like he did Lyles late in the year and inverts the 3 and 4. Best-best-case scenario is that Poythress improves his ballhandling and turns into Bahamas Poythress.
 
UK really needs a wing not another big. Not sure what Cal would do but I could see where one guy between Poy/Swanigan would come off the bench ala a MKG/Miller situation. Or he could hybrid Poy and use him at the 4 and the 3 as needed.

At this point, if the kid comes, I'll be happy bc it's more talent and another body but I'm not even going to begin to get excited after the way the recruiting season has gone.
 
I'd rather have another shooter/scorer out there to open up the offense and give guys like Poythress more chances for offensive boards and to create driving lanes for lobs.

I guess basically I'm more worried about scoring next season that I am defense. With proven defense guys like Ulis, Poythress, Lee, and Hawkins combined with the reputation Labissiere brings... I'm not so worried about defense. Poythress at the 3 may get 10 a game. Poythress at the 4 roaming around the rim playing the Montrezl Harrell role could get 14-15 taking into account fouls in the paint and his good FT shooting, added to a shooter on the wing.

What you're suggesting would somewhat add to defense and take away offense. I don't feel like that's what this team is gonna need.


Agree somewhat. However I feel that our guards are going to light it up next year, in turn meaning if POY plays the 3 his scoring will not be relied on as much from stretching the defense. I think Briscoe and Ullis will cause plenty of spacing issues for defenses with their ability to shoot and drive.
 
He's going to have to be out there though.

We'll likely only have 7 or 8 competent players, so true position is going to take a backseat to just general need.

Defensively Poythress is going to be the anchor of the team. This team is going to have such a razor thin margin for error offensively that the defense is going to have to be outrageous for us to beat good teams.
As it stands right now, UK has 9 competent players. While Hawkins and Willis probably aren't players you want starting, they are more than capable of playing 15-20 minutes off the bench.

I don't know if people have been jaded by this past year, but Cal will not have depth like that very often (if ever again). UK won the championship with Miller, Wiltjer and Vargas (Hawkins and Willis are surely on Vargas' level) as the only capable bench players, and they made the final four with Lamb and Vargas as the only capable bench players.
 
I swear to Jehovah if Alex Poythress plays more than 2 minutes at the SF spot next year I'm driving to Lexington and personally crapping in a paper bag, setting it on fire, knocking on Cal's door, and running away.

I'll at least break a remote against the wall... maybe a window.

This. Caleb and Marcus Lee backing up Alex and Skal would be best. Alex HAS to be a beast next year for this team to compete for a title.
 
Hasn't anyone else questioned the validity about the reason Swanigan will not be going to Michigan is that he demanded a personal chef? I mean how ridiculous does that sound? It would appear to me that anything near a reasonable demand over food would be met without incident because all of the major programs have chefs or at least a staff that makes sure they eat well. I know they do at Kentucky and would bet the first thing Cal thought about when that silly rumor started was that he would like to talk with Caleb again and inform him about the great service Kentucky offers in that regard. JMO, but there must have been some other factors involved in his walking away. I fear it is simply he wants to join Rabb and Brown at Cal - and that is the real hold up, waiting for Martin to make room for him since they already have 13 schollys given
 
Lee, Poythress, Skal, Willis are enough at the 4/5. We can manage. Yeah, it would be nice to grab another big, but it's not a desperate need.

I feel an elite perimeter scorer is a much greater need.

I realize this isn't a popular thought on this board but Willis has the potential to be that other perimeter scorer. Without Swanigan Willis will have to play a lot of 4. He's not a 4 primarily because of his lack of strength. I truly believe Willis will produce; not averaging double figures by any stretch, but knocking down the occasional three and keeping defenses honest. He's also really good at feeding the post.

So while I agree with you that another perimeter scorer is a dire need I think getting Swanigan would allow us to get both a bruiser inside and a perimeter scorer in Willis because he would get to play more outside.
 
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I'd be thrilled if we actually landed Swanigan. But I, too, want to see Poythress as little as possible at the small forward spot. His handles just aren't good enough to take opposing 3's off the dribble. He's just much more grabbing rebounds, making put backs and catching alley oops. My hope is that Caleb would be willing to come off the bench. If Poy played spot minutes at the 3 for occasional matchup purposes I could live with it. Maybe 20 at PF and 5 at small. Then if Skal got 30 minutes at center that would give Swanigan and Lee 30 minutes to split at the 4 and 5 spots.
 
Almost no chance this guy comes to UK, and with his flip flopping mentality I won't celebrate a second if he does.
 
I thought Swanigan was the consensus best rebounder in this class??? Now people say we don't need him? Can we talk again about how UK got killed on the boards by Wisconsin??

Jeez louise guys. If we don't get Swanigan, so be it. But please stop saying we don't need him or someone like him.
 
I honestly like the dynamic of the team now with a guard heavy lineup at Poy getting the majority of 4 slot minutes.

Adding a big, in my personal opinion, changes that dynamic and makes us another grind it out team.
 
This. Caleb and Marcus Lee backing up Alex and Skal would be best. Alex HAS to be a beast next year for this team to compete for a title.

Swanigan won't go anywhere where he's backing up anybody. If he comes here he starts.

Heck, people are so worried about Poy starting at the 3 (and deservedly so), you could start CS, Skal, and Poy together and on offense have CS down low, Poy as the 4, and Skal as the 3. Skal has a beautiful mid-range game. We get so bogged down with positions, sometimes it's just best to put your 5 best players out there and figure it out. That's not coaching 101 but sometimes it works.
 
So, the team that Kentucky started the season with last year -- with WCS at 5, Karl Towns at 4, and Poythress essentially at 3 -- you remember, the team that obliterated Kansas by 32 and everybody else until Poythress was hurt -- you weren't happy with that? I hope you aren't one of those delusional people who think Kentucky was somehow better once Alex was hurt? Because with Alex the team likely rolls Wisconsin and Duke and finishes 40-0.

I'm not sure why having Skal in the WCS slot, Swanigan in the Towns slot and Poythress in the Poythress slot would incite you to juvenile hijinks. Cal is more than capable of running a line-up without a classic 3. The UMass team all the way back in 1996 didn't have one -- it had two undersized power forwards in Dana DIngle and Donta Bright playing with Camby and two short guards.

Not trying to nit pick but WCS played the 4 all year and Towns was the 5.
 
Honestly do we need more players? We are loaded now and adding more players will only bench talent. I don't see a reason to add anybody else unless the curse(injury) is going to happen again like it has the past few years.
Almost no chance this guy comes to UK, and with his flip flopping mentality I won't celebrate a second if he does.

Surely you won't take your ball and go home, will you?
 
I honestly like the dynamic of the team now with a guard heavy lineup at Poy getting the majority of 4 slot minutes.

Adding a big, in my personal opinion, changes that dynamic and makes us another grind it out team.

I'm kind of with you on that. I also believe Poythress (at PF) and Lee are ready for bigger roles and just need the minutes.
 
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Of course UK needs post help. I'd remind you that Poythress is far from a sure thing. Who knows when he can return or how effective he'll be. To assume he'll automatically return to his pre-injury form is beyond optimistic.
 
I would love to have him but I'm not getting my hopes up. The UK talk may just be a bid to garner more attention.
 
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