yep - I do.
But I hope you (and others) understand something - I really want Willis to be this good. I mean really, REALLY want him to be this good - might be why I'm being overly cautious in the optimism
Who was the poster that said those of us asking for Willis PT....
- Thread starter JC for 3
- Start date
But I hope you (and others) understand something - I really want Willis to be this good. I mean really, REALLY want him to be this good - might be why I'm being overly cautious in the optimism
Funny you don't think his effort was bad seeing as how Willis himself has even said publicly that he gave up last year, lost focus and stopped giving effort.
Willis has always had the physical abilities to defend and rebound, he just wasn't putting in the effort to do it, and that's why Cal was always hard on him. Cal knew Willis was capable but just wasn't trying hard enough.
Sorry, but playing more minutes during a few Sec games didn't magically make him all the sudden be able to do those two things much better. Being more focused and giving more effort did.
Bkocats, I know you are one of the good guys. I understand the cautious optimism.
thanks - sometimes it's hard to make a point clear without it coming across as either bashing or sunshine pumping, LOL
That's not the point. It's your point and it's been invalidated by many on this thread. Willis just started doing the things in practice that showed he was ready for a chance at more floor time. When he got it he took advantage of it. Credit to him and Cal for getting him to play at this level not to the knuckleheads who thought he should be on the floor more when he clearly had not earned it in practice or during games.
7
We were all blind according to some...why we were all seeing with our eyes was just a figment of our imaginations
That's because he was making mistakes he was being coached not to make over and over. Add that to not getting rebounds and 50-50 balls and he goes back to the bench. He's rebounding and getting a lot of loose balls now so he always had it in him, he just wasn't doing it. Credit to him and the coaches. He deserves minutes now instead of them being given to him.
This. This. This.
I don't know how many times I've seen Willis get both hands on a rebound and not secure it. How many times he's missed a defensive assignment or gotten beat. He's playing good, and in turn has gotten more playing time.
You act like Cal just decided to put him out there longer and he suddenly figured it out. When in reality, he's starting to do what's expected of him, and he's getting floor time.
Not sure why it's so hard for you to understand earning it. Earn the time on the floor to get the experience. He doesn't get the experience so he can earn the playing time. What's so hard to understand about that?
And I lol at the folks who say "he didn't earn it in practice". You have no idea what goes on in practice. I know DW accepted his responsibility but some of you guys act like Cal is above making a mistake on a kid when he has openly admitted he did on Skal.
We're talking about Willis. I'm sure there are plenty of other threads about what Cal has done wrong with those 2.
If you can't see that there were very real and very valid reasons as to why Willis wasn't playing much a month ago, then you are blind.
You can't compare Willis like he was playing back then to Willis like he is playing now and claim you were right all along.
The way Willis is playing today is totally different than the way Willis was playing then. The Willis back then did not deserve more minutes.
The Willis today is more focused, engaged, and playing with a lot more effort. The Willis today does deserve more minutes and he is getting them.
We know what Cal says goes on in practice and that's good enough for me.
Then why no threads calling for more time for Hawkins. There must be some other factor...
Yea, but the point is Willis wouldn't have gotten the chance to do this if Lee or Skal had just played decently, and the blind on here would continue to say, "Willis can't play". As I said earlier, 6'9 kids that are long and athletic that can stretch the floor don't grow on trees, even at Kentucky. There has to be a chance for growth and nothing beats experience.
Willis himself told us what was going on in practice himself. He quit and gave up for the entire year. That's no one's fault but his own.
Now that that year is over we're all just supposed to kiss his ass and forget all about it? Bottom line is, if Willis was worried about getting better at basketball and possibly getting major playing time this year, then maybe he should have thought about that before he quit on his team.
As far as I'm concerned Willis should be thanking Cal that he still even has a spot on the team. Most coaches wouldn't have put up with that kind of selfish behaviour and would have encouraged him to move on or buried him on the bench for good.
LMAO.What'd you expect him to do? Throw Cal under the bus? And you keep saying "quit on his team" and calling him selfish. Have not heard anuone else say those terms. It's obvious to me that Willis got playing time because Skal and Lee didn't produce. If they had, Willis would never have gotten off the bench cause Cal is loyal to the McD's AA and 5 stars. But Willis was clearly plan C or D.
So there is no other player who has their opponent score 10 points on them? Maybe some of you should watch Willis less and others more, I see others who play piss poor defense also.
That's your point and you seem to think you're right. How do you know if Lee or Skal had just played decently Willis wouldn't have got his chance? You don't, just like you said we don't know what goes on in practice. It's ok for you to make assumptions but nobody else can I guess. A lot of other people and me have made many valid points as to why Willis is getting his chance now(and playing great) and you refuse to understand.
You all realize we're going to keep arguing till we're blue (no pun intended) in the face? Either he earned playing time because of production, or he produced because he got playing time.
Really - like the chicken and the egg - does it matter which came first? Point is, Willis is being productive, is helping the team to be better. That's all we need to concern ourselves with, right now.
Really - like the chicken and the egg - does it matter which came first? Point is, Willis is being productive, is helping the team to be better. That's all we need to concern ourselves with, right now.
There have been threads in the past calling for more playing time for Hawkins.
yep, plenty early on
kind of hard to call for playing time for Hawkins now, when he can't play at all
We going to play the he said game? So for those saying we can never question Cal's judgement, well he admitted he messed up yesterday.
Regardless, my point wasn't "it had nothing to do with effort".. of course it does.. My point was that it wasn't "only effort". Minutes in a real game, when you're not playing against your teammates, with something on the line is always important, SEC game or not.
As far as last year, I imagine Willis just gave up seeing what the roster was. I can't fully blame him, I guess.
But Willis was putting in plenty of effort 5-6 games ago, and even earlier. It was mistakes and lapses that got him yanked.
Not trying to get in the middle of this pissing match, but what's your point here? That's how a depth chart works. Sucks for whoever is on the bottom, but such is life in competitive athletics.
True. But there will always be the "See? We (us knowledgeable fans) have been asking for Willis to get more PT for weeks and Cal is finally giving in." crowd. They simply can't wait to pat themselves on the back for being "right" even though most wouldn't know shit from apple butter.
Most of this thread hasn't exactly been on point the way I remember much of the discussion. Most of it didn't start until Willis had a good game against Auburn. Several people mentioned that he should play more based on that game several others simply applauded his efforts and results, then Kybassfan started calling everyone fanboi's - again. He has been doing that all year as soon as anyone complimented Willis in any way. He was not in favor of Willis starting, but clearly Cal was since he has started every game since. So, yes, there is crow to eat but it takes a big person to admit it and I don't ever expect to see that from Kybassfan. As for in state players, there is just an extra level of pride in them. That is normal but it doesn't mean anyone prefers them.
Nope.
Like Jorts and Miller and WCS early in his career, they got their starting spots after languishing on the bench by finally giving in and doing what Cal asked of them - and they all turned into better players than any of us could've expected, just like Derek has.
Cal can't help you if you don't help yourself by putting in the effort on D and rebounding, in practice and in games.
It's not a coincidence that those guys all went from spotty, unreliable types into monsters in the college game. Cal wasn't holding back their true potential for kicks.
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My biggest worry about him is the KU game. Most have probably noticed, but since Willis has been starting and getting more minutes, Cal has been forced to move Poythress. Willis isn't strong enough to defend the five spot, nor does he have an offensive game suited for it. That has forced Cal to play Poythress at the five instead.
Although it's been working out okay so far, with KU that means that arguably UK's best interior defender (Poythress) will be wasted on KU's worse offensive players (Lucas and Traylor), and arguably UK's worse defender (Willis) will be tasked with guarding KU's best everything, offensive player (Ellis).
Ellis has an all around offensive game. He can shoot the three, put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket, and he has a very, very good offensive post game. Not going to lie, Willis having to guard him scares me. Hopefully Cal will change things up and tell Willis that he's just going to have to man up and guard the five position, allowing Poythress to guard Ellis.
how can you grade (compare) a freshman with a junior?
one has had 3 years to get it...the other, 5 months
You shouldn't compare them anyways, not because their time with Kentucky but because what's allotted for them, and expected of them, before they even step foot on campus.
Let's not pretend that aren't two types of players in Cal's system: Highly touted recruits, everyone else. And because of that, it's kind of like the preseason top25. If you're in the top25, you have to work to get out of it... if you're out of it, you have to work to get into it. Willis was never expected to be an integral part of Cal's team, while Murray was.
Not that I disagree with that.. Recruits should have more leeway.. to start with, at least. We need them more than the reserves and bench.
Sure, directed at anyone. I think Rip was sort of on the pro-Willis side? (not to split this up)
People have to understand that no matter what Willis did well, didn't do well, did or didn't do.. he's in the "other" group. And I could be way off base, but I do believe that "other" group has to work double time if they want playing time. I think there are certain priviledges given to the recruits, in part because they are better players, and aprt because it fits Calipari's recruiting, style and branding.
Hey, I love it, it's how he recruits so well. But I do think, at times, it calls for adjusting, like this year. We needed more out of our bench, and less from certain starters. Willis showed more effort, and confidence, and now he's a borderline integral part of the team. And in some ways, like Jorts, he has the most to prove, and will play with some of the most energy and fire on the team.
Bottom line: EIther way, we're winning!
People have to understand that no matter what Willis did well, didn't do well, did or didn't do.. he's in the "other" group. And I could be way off base, but I do believe that "other" group has to work double time if they want playing time. I think there are certain priviledges given to the recruits, in part because they are better players, and aprt because it fits Calipari's recruiting, style and branding.
Hey, I love it, it's how he recruits so well. But I do think, at times, it calls for adjusting, like this year. We needed more out of our bench, and less from certain starters. Willis showed more effort, and confidence, and now he's a borderline integral part of the team. And in some ways, like Jorts, he has the most to prove, and will play with some of the most energy and fire on the team.
Bottom line: EIther way, we're winning!
The best piece of in-game evidence I can find is the game where DW saved a bad pass from sailing out of bounds, backs up with the ball and nails a three. Soon after that, Cal is calling him out during his halftime interview for allowing somebody to heave a three that went in. (The same guy had taken a couple of 3-point attempts already and looked bad in doing so).
Cal did have him on the shortest of leashes. Briscoe and Murray could make a bunch of 'Archie Plays' time and time again and stay on the floor.
Has DW picked up the defensive intensity and rebounding? Of course he has. The fact remains that for most of the season, while he was on the floor, he was having to play in fear of making a mistake because he knew he'd be headed to the bench.
Then came the week of practices that were basically all scrimmages. None of us got to see that (unless there are some here with the special privilege of watching practices). Something obviously happened there. I have all the trust in the world in Cal, but he has admitted to making mistakes along the way.
The fact that he is a 6'9 kid that can shoot and provide scoring (and now rebounding and defense as well), maybe that short leash on DW is now gone.
Cal did have him on the shortest of leashes. Briscoe and Murray could make a bunch of 'Archie Plays' time and time again and stay on the floor.
Has DW picked up the defensive intensity and rebounding? Of course he has. The fact remains that for most of the season, while he was on the floor, he was having to play in fear of making a mistake because he knew he'd be headed to the bench.
Then came the week of practices that were basically all scrimmages. None of us got to see that (unless there are some here with the special privilege of watching practices). Something obviously happened there. I have all the trust in the world in Cal, but he has admitted to making mistakes along the way.
The fact that he is a 6'9 kid that can shoot and provide scoring (and now rebounding and defense as well), maybe that short leash on DW is now gone.
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