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The players aren't good, the coach is fine

HoptownCat93

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Dec 7, 2015
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Star ratings all come down to potential. Not all players are ready to go from day 1. Usually 1-2 guys are just dominant players and/or we have 1-2 vets to see the team along. We have all freshman who are just above average with no veterans. The coach can only do so much. They guys got here in the summer and he learned early he didn't have 2 players (Baker/Vanderbilt) he thought would contribute. He had to learn how to play them and what their strengths are in a shorter time than usual.

We have good players, but defensive lapses and turnovers are killing us. We have 2 freshman PG's who were borderline top 25 players. I feel like that just an age thing that has to be played through.
Jon Hood was a 4 star and Marcus Lee was a 5 star. I think Ryan Harrow was a 4/5star coming out.
Rivals had Devin Booker as a 4 star. Harrellson was what? a 2/3 star juco jump shooter.

We cry about not having players staying around for 2-4 years, well this is how its done if you guys want that. You have to have a rough year where guys just are not ready.

Look at the 2013-2014 classes after the 2012 mass exodus. We struggled for 2 years but look at how it paid dividends long term having some guys comeback after struggles.
13: Noel(1), Goodwin(1), Poythress(4), WCS(3)
14: Andrew(2), Aaron(2), Randle(1), Young(1), Dakari(2), Lee(3), Hawkins(4), Willis(4)

Those 2 years we had an NIT and a 8 seed, but they turned it around. The struggles and not having top guys/experience led to several coming back. Those to a Runner-Up, 38-1 season, and an elite 8 loss at the buzzer to the national champions. Heck, remember the regular season struggles of 2011? Better team yes, but TJones and Lamb probably don't come back if that team powers through the SEC that year.

Most years we are great and just 1-2 players away, and guess what? When you are 1-2 players away, theres a good chance you'll get those 1-2 players you need back(Harrisons, Jones, Lamb, Willie, Poy, Darkari) I mean a bad injury in 2015 to Poy and we are 40-0 with ease.

These guys as freshman compete, but don't know what they are doing. Add in 2-3 shooters and a year of experience and I really like this group next season. And who knows? A lucky draw and they could come together in March.
 
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The players aren’t bad, they’re actually probably REALLY good, individually. As a team, they suck.


Also, Cal is fine.
 
Let's just blame everything on the players, and not one blame goes to the 7 million a year coach who recruited said players. That seems fair.
I doubt ANY coach in the country would do better with these guys. I understand he's paid a lot to win every year, but sometimes you just don't have the horses. We missed some guys in recruiting and nothing came back, kind of like in 2014-15 everyone came back and we hit our 4 targets in recruiting. Its just a perfect storm type year. And yet, the Cats still will probably be in the tourney.

Yes he did recruit them, but he also recruited Bagley, Trae Young, and Mo Bamba and they didn't come. He got the next best guys who just aren't top 10 draft picks, but are talented enough long term.

I had LOW expectations of this year. This is the youngest team combined with the TOUGHEST schedule we have ever played under Calipari. They've hit a wall, but the issues I see are just from youth and they don't have 1 guy to carry them out of it right now. They won't win a title this year, but if you expected them to win then you had crazy expectations. Next year will be special and you will all be back praising Cal again, just watch.

I'll take his results over 8 years over any coach not in Carmeron Indoor.
 
Ehh, thay aren't even really that bad of a team. They just aren't the top level talent guys we typically get a couple of yearly and are instead the really good players that will all need time, expereince, and a lot of coaching to reach their ceiling. This team is the first step to building us into what most on this board said they wanted, a deeper team of solid experienced players to go with a couple of studs each year. Of course we could get shocked and have more leave than should, but histrocally under Cal, when we struggle or have a down year, more players tend to return than initally expected.

This team plays better D than most any young team you will find. They have had a chance to win almost every game they've played and just lost it towards the end, which is a major sign of youth and inexperience.

Can any of you negative nancies actually tell me what your honest expectations for this team were and why that was? I honestly want to hear where some of your expectations came from.
 
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Let's just blame everything on the players, and not one blame goes to the 7 million a year coach who recruited said players. That seems fair.
He can't play the game for them. At a certain point they have to listen to what they are being told. He can only do so much, the rest they have to contribute.

Honest question. What team in the country would you want to have right now?
 
They aren’t bad players- just typical freshmen which is atypical to what we have previously had. Start five freshmen outside of Duke’s team and see what what the results are. There isn’t one team that would have 17 wins. And Duke’s team starting a senior guard still has 5 losses.
 
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They aren’t bad players- just typical freshmen which is atypical to what we have previously had. Start five freshmen outside of Duke’s team and see what what the results are. There isn’t one team that would have 17 wins. And Duke’s team starting a senior guard still has 5 losses.
And 3 to far worse teams than any we have.
 
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I doubt ANY coach in the country would do better with these guys. I understand he's paid a lot to win every year, but sometimes you just don't have the horses. We missed some guys in recruiting and nothing came back, kind of like in 2014-15 everyone came back and we hit our 4 targets in recruiting. Its just a perfect storm type year. And yet, the Cats still will probably be in the tourney.

Yes he did recruit them, but he also recruited Bagley, Trae Young, and Mo Bamba and they didn't come. He got the next best guys who just aren't top 10 draft picks, but are talented enough long term.

I had LOW expectations of this year. This is the youngest team combined with the TOUGHEST schedule we have ever played under Calipari. They've hit a wall, but the issues I see are just from youth and they don't have 1 guy to carry them out of it right now. They won't win a title this year, but if you expected them to win then you had crazy expectations. Next year will be special and you will all be back praising Cal again, just watch.

I'll take his results over 8 years over any coach not in Carmeron Indoor.
Not being Negative, I think Cal has done a great job, but I do not see how next year will be that much better. More than likely we are going to lose Knox,Shai, & Diallo, & I would not be surprised to see Vanderbilt, & Gabriel leave.

That is why so many fans are frustrated with this season we are not playing very well & we are still going to lose three players in the draft & maybe more than that.
 
It is impossible to know what another coach would do with this team. They might perform better under a different offensive scheme. Wiltjer was a star at Gonzaga in a wide open offense rather than a dribble drive. But, reality is he was good but likely not NBA material ever so he plays now overseas. At Kentucky he was not a focus, and more often than not missed shots in critical times. He was way different at Gonzaga.

My impression with Cal is he is much more focused on switching screens defenses and recruits physical styled players more often than pure shooters. Against, Auburn, Missouri, and the first half of Texas A & M our defense was really good. The problems was and is, our offense relies on isolation plays, passing to the post, and dribble drive. Our players are not good with dribbling, passing, and overall decision making. Plus, we have no real great shooters other than when Knox is on. So other teams can put up a ton of 3's and percentages are they will hit some. Meanwhile, we turn the ball over. It is a true statistical oddity with our team that we can control the paint on offense and lose game after game. It is a consequence of those other factors. Personally, given we have no super center, I would like to see Cal go away from his same offense that he is doing. There is no KAT, Davis, Cousins, etc. in the middle. Who do we pass to?
 
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