WCS reports out of shape to kings camp

[LmdCat]

Totally agree.

Two of my cousins, one is deceased, had/has the trait. They were brothers. One died from complications associated with the trait and the other one lives in the south because warm weather is better for his condition. Periodically he experiences conditions called crisis which require several days in the hospital to recover. Make no mistake about it, the trait can be debilitating.

 

[Deacon Jim]

Yea, but I bet know one on here knew that he played football in high school !!! Yep, wide receiver .

 

[Smashcat]

Should do well when he gets in shape

Bill HerendaVerified account ‏@billherenda 10h10 hours ago
Karl on Willie Cauley-Stein 6 pts, 5 rebs, 2 blocks in 21 minutes 1 steal “Willie was actually pretty good for a rookie” @KentuckyMBB #Kings

 

[kybassfan]

Two of my cousins, one is deceased, had/has the trait. They were brothers. One died from complications associated with the trait and the other one lives in the south because warm weather is better for his condition. Periodically he experiences conditions called crisis which require several days in the hospital to recover. Make no mistake about it, the trait can be debilitating.

Sorry for your loss, but thank you for bringing some accuracy to this thread. The trait can and does have some serious impact on ones health.

 

[ThunderCat98]

One thing to keep in mind - out of shape for your average Joe and out of NBA shape are two different things. In other words, he likely showed up behind on his cardio. I doubt he was fat and sloppy from eating Cheetos and powdered donuts.

 

[kentucky_wildcat_#1]

Not the smartest move a guy like WCS could have made. I don't know what he's thinking by showing up out of shape. You're in the NBA, but you haven't made it yet. When you're drafted that high, you have a ton of expectations that come with it. This dude has always been considered a weird one, but I wouldn't have guessed he would start out his career on a negative. The Kings are going to be a fun team to watch with just all of the different personalities on the squd. WCS ain't the most talented guy in the draft so you would think he would want all the advantages he could get coming in and reporting to camp out of shape wouldn't be cool.

 

[kybassfan]

Should do well when he gets in shape

Bill HerendaVerified account ‏@billherenda 10h10 hours ago
Karl on Willie Cauley-Stein 6 pts, 5 rebs, 2 blocks in 21 minutes 1 steal “Willie was actually pretty good for a rookie” @KentuckyMBB #Kings

It took him 21 minutes to run up and down the floor twice? (Sarcasm)

Not so bad as we've been led to believe. We've got some fans that will be so disappointed if he succeeds, apparently.

 

[JCTNKAT]

What a bunch of maroons(sic). Anybody watch the Kings first preseason game Monday night before shooting off your mouths? I did. He didn't look bad at all for a rookie. Like Smashcat, said, quoting Sun's coach Karl, 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks (and a steal) in 21 minutes, "pretty good for a rookie". He ran the floor well, hustled on defense, had a couple of his shots blocked and got beat a couple times on defense, but for the most part played the kind of good defense expected of him. He was winded when he came out and probably needs to work on his conditioning more, but he is a rookie and its all new to him. He ran the floor hard and got winded playing for Cal, too and would take himself out rather than hurt the team. In the Kings game he wasn't the only one winded.

There is a small minority of people on here that have rooted against Cauley-Stein from the day he put on the blue uniform and look for any excuse to put him down. It's always the same bunch. I don't know it it's the tattoos or just him being his own person or what their problem is. They claim to be UK fans, they should be ashamed of themselves. Like Kybassfan said some "fans" will be disappointed if he succeeds.

 

[sefus12]

Training camps are famous for strategically placed trash cans. Willie wasn't the first player to show up at camp out of condition, and he won't be the last.

Hopefully, lesson learned for him. Not sure why our fan base is so freaked out about it. Other than our plans to have all 24 participants in a future all star game and 3 billion dollars worth of contracts.

They are freaked out because some on here are still 100% butt-hurt about the Final Four loss and blame WCS for it. When they get any reason at all to rag him, they will. Kind of pathetic, especially considering WCS was a first-class person on and off the court in his time at UK and a consensus All-American/DPOY on one of the best defenses college bball has ever seen.

 

[.S&C.]

They are freaked out because some on here are still 100% butt-hurt about the Final Four loss and blame WCS for it. When they get any reason at all to rag him, they will. Kind of pathetic, especially considering WCS was a first-class person on and off the court in his time at UK and a consensus All-American/DPOY on one of the best defenses college bball has ever seen.

You turned this into a conversation about the final four loss, then begin to cast motive on peoples thoughts about Willie maybe not putting in the work. Come on.

Maybe Willie just doesn't work at this the way lots of people believe he should.

And I don't find it strange that people are pissed about losing a final four we shouldn't have. I find it more pathetic @ the small segment of fans who just wanted the whole thing dropped from the get go because Calipari didn't walk out looking very good at the end of the year. So they start all this "you're butthurt" crap as a deterrent. It was and is a preemptive strike on anyone who was going to question it.It's stupid now just like it was then.

Willie has got to go hard at this if he wants to be a success. If he just wants to be average, then he's on his way apparently, final four losses aside.

 

[lakercat]

Kid is 22 years old. Most people I know didn't quite "get it" when it came to work at that age, especially when they had never had a real job before AND if they were in a SUPER high pressure job for the first time. It takes a little bit of time.

I held a REAL job at 15. There is no pressure; he is getting paid MILLIONS of dollars to play a sport. Show up unprepared, you get yelled at; show up at my job unprepared and give a half-effort, and you're canned. Do a poor job there, and you get benched (aka,"work" even less); do a poor job at my job, and you're unemployed. Living in an at-will state, I can be fired tomorrow for no reason at all; Willie is under contract, ergo, he cannot lose his job and his pay. I was a supervisor at that age. At what point do we stop calling these adults "kids"? At what point do we stop making excuses? I made stupid choices at 18-21, but I paid the consequences. Note, that I was held ACCOUNTABLE with no excuses. WCS disappeared in multiple stretches; the Wisconsin game was just one of several in which he was a no-show. I wish I could produce only when I felt like it, and still be paid. It's time for Willie to grow up, or get out.

 

[CELTICAT]

I held a REAL job at 15. There is no pressure; he is getting paid MILLIONS of dollars to play a sport. Show up unprepared, you get yelled at; show up at my job unprepared and give a half-effort, and you're canned. Do a poor job there, and you get benched (aka,"work" even less); do a poor job at my job, and you're unemployed. Living in an at-will state, I can be fired tomorrow for no reason at all; Willie is under contract, ergo, he cannot lose his job and his pay. I was a supervisor at that age. At what point do we stop calling these adults "kids"? At what point do we stop making excuses? I made stupid choices at 18-21, but I paid the consequences. Note, that I was held ACCOUNTABLE with no excuses. WCS disappeared in multiple stretches; the Wisconsin game was just one of several in which he was a no-show. I wish I could produce only when I felt like it, and still be paid. It's time for Willie to grow up, or get out.

I'm sorry your life sucks but I don't think that's a good reason to give WCS a hard time.

FWIW, I think based on his play that this was a rather sensationalized story. It's a not so unusual "welcome to camp, rookie" scenario that been spun into a false narrative concerning his drive/character.

 

[mj2k10]

I held a REAL job at 15. There is no pressure; he is getting paid MILLIONS of dollars to play a sport. Show up unprepared, you get yelled at; show up at my job unprepared and give a half-effort, and you're canned. Do a poor job there, and you get benched (aka,"work" even less); do a poor job at my job, and you're unemployed. Living in an at-will state, I can be fired tomorrow for no reason at all; Willie is under contract, ergo, he cannot lose his job and his pay. I was a supervisor at that age. At what point do we stop calling these adults "kids"? At what point do we stop making excuses? I made stupid choices at 18-21, but I paid the consequences. Note, that I was held ACCOUNTABLE with no excuses. WCS disappeared in multiple stretches; the Wisconsin game was just one of several in which he was a no-show. I wish I could produce only when I felt like it, and still be paid. It's time for Willie to grow up, or get out.

What an incredibly silly rant.

You're not the one who decides if "WCS disappeared in multiple stretches". You can sit at home and think you know exactly what was going on, but you have no clue. You just assume that when he wasn't playing well, he wasn't trying very hard, as if those 2 things are completely synonymous.

They aren't.

The people who decide whether WCS disappeared in multiple stretches, and how important that is to his overall performance, are the people who pay him. Those people decided to select him 6th overall in the draft.

 

[kybassfan]

I held a REAL job at 15. There is no pressure; he is getting paid MILLIONS of dollars to play a sport. Show up unprepared, you get yelled at; show up at my job unprepared and give a half-effort, and you're canned. Do a poor job there, and you get benched (aka,"work" even less); do a poor job at my job, and you're unemployed. Living in an at-will state, I can be fired tomorrow for no reason at all; Willie is under contract, ergo, he cannot lose his job and his pay. I was a supervisor at that age. At what point do we stop calling these adults "kids"? At what point do we stop making excuses? I made stupid choices at 18-21, but I paid the consequences. Note, that I was held ACCOUNTABLE with no excuses. WCS disappeared in multiple stretches; the Wisconsin game was just one of several in which he was a no-show. I wish I could produce only when I felt like it, and still be paid. It's time for Willie to grow up, or get out.

I think you miss the point. If you were 7' 1, exceptionally quick, could jump out of the gym and had way above par hand eye coordination, you'd be in Willie's boat. He is paid what the market will bear. The talent and athletic skills he brings to the table are unique and they command privilege.

I'm guessing folks with your skills are a dime a dozen. That's no dig at you except to say you fit right in with the rest of us. Our world is different than Willie's. We do not have an off the chart skill set. You were held accountable because there are 50 just like you waiting to take food from your kids. You will never understand the world of the elite professional athlete by looking at you own situation.

Again, I'm not picking on you. I'm pointing out the frailty of the analogy you are trying to use. Fairness and equity are irrelevant in this context, this is free enterprise and the market bears us no entitlement.

Bottom line is that Willie can play like he damn well pleases. The market will decide the value of his play and compensate him accordingly. That you walked to school and it was up hill both ways matters only to you. If you were Willie, somebody would have offered you a ride.

 

[lakercat]

I think you miss the point. If you were 7' 1, exceptionally quick, could jump out of the gym and had way above par hand eye coordination, you'd be in Willie's boat. He is paid what the market will bear. The talent and athletic skills he brings to the table are unique and they command privilege.

I'm guessing folks with your skills are a dime a dozen. That's no dig at you except to say you fit right in with the rest of us. Our world is different than Willie's. We do not have an off the chart skill set. You were held accountable because there are 50 just like you waiting to take food from your kids. You will never understand the world of the elite professional athlete by looking at you own situation.

Again, I'm not picking on you. I'm pointing out the frailty of the analogy you are trying to use. Fairness and equity are irrelevant in this context, this is free enterprise and the market bears us no entitlement.

Bottom line is that Willie can play like he damn well pleases. The market will decide the value of his play and compensate him accordingly. That you walked to school and it was up hill both ways matters only to you. If you were Willie, somebody would have offered you a ride.

I think that you're missing the point of my post. I am not envious of Willie; in fact, I am happy for him, but I am not going to make excuses for him either. Moreover, he's responsible for Willie, and Willie only in this matter. If he does what he is supposed to do, he will do fine; he can control most what happens in his career (except injuries, which I never wish on anyone). I make enough money to be self-sufficient; I have good job security; my life doesn't suck, but nice try (this is to the other poster). I understand how the market works; part of my job is to understand the market. He is blessed physically; it is his responsibility to do what he's supposed to do, or his dream could end earlier than he would like. He has other-worldly skills that we can only dream about. I'm not attacking Willie at all; I am attacking the "he is just a "kid"" paradigm. I am attacking the lack of accountability across the board. Not fawning over a UK player =/= attacking, or ranting about a player.

Bottom line: Stop making excuses for the behavior of others (this is in response to the ORIGINAL post which I quoted). That was the point of my post. I'm not a sunshine pumper like many of these people are here. I'm not the one who decides that Willie disappeared, but many fans, including myself didn't feel that Willie played hard all of the time (playing poorly =/= playing with half effort; it's fairly easy to tell the difference). Everyone has a bad day; when there is a pattern, that is when it becomes an issue. I am a mid-level manager; I can decipher the difference between not performing well, and not trying. I think those principles are true in athletics, and in the ordinary work environment. .Besides, the NBA drafts on a lot on potential, potential means you haven't done anything yet (Hasheem Thabeet, anyone?), but I digress. I love Willie, and I want him to do well; but it's the NBA now. I want to see him develop his talents and see him in an all-star game. However, he's getting paid now, no excuses.

 

[kybassfan]

I think that you're missing the point of my post. I am not envious of Willie; in fact, I am happy for him, but I am not going to make excuses for him either. Moreover, he's responsible for Willie, and Willie only in this matter. If he does what he is supposed to do, he will do fine; he can control most what happens in his career (except injuries, which I never wish on anyone). I make enough money to be self-sufficient; I have good job security; my life doesn't suck, but nice try (this is to the other poster). I understand how the market works; part of my job is to understand the market. He is blessed physically; it is his responsibility to do what he's supposed to do, or his dream could end earlier than he would like. He has other-worldly skills that we can only dream about. I'm not attacking Willie at all; I am attacking the "he is just a "kid"" paradigm. I am attacking the lack of accountability across the board. Not fawning over a UK player =/= attacking, or ranting about a player.

Bottom line: Stop making excuses for the behavior of others (this is in response to the ORIGINAL post which I quoted). That was the point of my post. I'm not a sunshine pumper like many of these people are here. I'm not the one who decides that Willie disappeared, but many fans, including myself didn't feel that Willie played hard all of the time (playing poorly =/= playing with half effort; it's fairly easy to tell the difference). Everyone has a bad day; when there is a pattern, that is when it becomes an issue. I am a mid-level manager; I can decipher the difference between not performing well, and not trying. I think those principles are true in athletics, and in the ordinary work environment. .Besides, the NBA drafts on a lot on potential, potential means you haven't done anything yet (Hasheem Thabeet, anyone?), but I digress. I love Willie, and I want him to do well; but it's the NBA now. I want to see him develop his talents and see him in an all-star game. However, he's getting paid now, no excuses.

I'm just telling you how the world works. Willie can do as willie pleases. Willie is accountable to exactly one person: Willie. The guy that had to decide if Willie played hard was Calipari. He benched Willis for that reason. He kept Willie in the game. Why? Willie was one of a kind. Willie worked hard enough for him. You having to walk to work up hill both ways while being accountable or whatever that mess was about are completely irrelevant.

He's an adult. He has a singular set of abilities. He was made a multi-millionaire just for possessing them. It is good to be him.

There's a lot of crap on this thread. Like the bogus assertion that Sickle Cell Trait is asymptomatic. That's completely false. Like some armchair jockey thinking a player isn't working hard just because the jockey isn't out of breath. However, the jockey has NO idea what the player's assignment is or whether some other issue is affecting performance. And then there was the "asked to be taken out after two trips up and down the floor" when his game production doesn't reflect that at all.

Truth be told, you got ZERO idea how hard he was working, is working or will be working. You got no facts.

I've got one fact. Willie controls his own destiny. He will do exactly what he wants to do. Deal with it.