10 minutes ago, Matney said:

Oscar is a special person and for me personally he is a tremendous Christian role model for my children, but as a basketball player he is flawed in so many ways. 
 

 

Hes definitely flawed and got absused for those flaws this year. But I'd take an Oscar on my team every year if I had pieces that fit with it.

7 minutes ago, Kentucky Windage said:

If you hard hedge with Oscar, then your best big guy and primary rebounder would've played eight total minutes in this game due to foul trouble. 

Darn, sounds to me like there’s some people on here that don’t know the correct way to teach a hard hedge on a ballscreen, I guess having Oscar to try and trap Nowell is the best way, or just have him guard him 1 on 1, oh wait, neither of those  worked too well today did they?  And I love Oscar but when was he EVER a rim protector??

4 minutes ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

Darn, sounds to me like there’s some people on here that don’t know the correct way to teach a hard hedge on a ballscreen, I guess having Oscar to try and trap Nowell is the best way, or just have him guard him 1 on 1, oh wait, neither of those  worked too well today did they?

Plenty of people understand what you're trying to sell here. And I'm telling you, I've seen Oscar do it and it's an automatic foul. Cats would've lost by 15+. Oscar is just too raw of a defender but he's a necessity because of his rebounding ability. 

3 minutes ago, Kentucky Windage said:

Plenty of people understand what you're trying to sell here. And I'm telling you, I've seen Oscar do it and it's an automatic foul. Cats would've lost by 15+. Oscar is just too raw of a defender but he's a necessity because of his rebounding ability. 

Oscar has good footwork on offense and when rebounding. Terrible footwork on defense.

I love the dude but it's like a create your own player and someone used all their attributes elsewhere and forgot defense is extremely important. It's why he's going massively struggle if he gets a shot in the League.

Everything people wanted Oscar to do today is why he's gonna get crushed in the NBA. Cause he's terrible at it.

5 minutes ago, Kentucky Windage said:

Plenty of people understand what you're trying to sell here. And I'm telling you, I've seen Oscar do it and it's an automatic foul. Cats would've lost by 15+. Oscar is just too raw of a defender but he's a necessity because of his rebounding ability. 

Not trying to SELL anything, I watched Oscar hard hedge against Auburn and Green, he’s pretty good, think we beat them by 28 or something like that, film doesn’t lie guys!!

12 minutes ago, MJAlltheWay24 said:

Oscar has good footwork on offense and when rebounding. Terrible footwork on defense.

I love the dude but it's like a create your own player and someone used all their attributes elsewhere and forgot defense is extremely important. It's why he's going massively struggle if he gets a shot in the League.

Everything people wanted Oscar to do today is why he's gonna get crushed in the NBA. Cause he's terrible at it.

I couldn’t agree more.

Edited March 20, 20233 yr by theguru

4 minutes ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

Not trying to SELL anything, I watched Oscar hard hedge against Auburn and Green, he’s pretty good, think we beat them by 28 or something like that, film doesn’t lie!!

Literally what you're wanting him to do is why he's going to struggle finding any time in the NBA, cause he can't do it.

If he was good at it, he wouldn't have been here again for a 2nd year. It's why he had to return.

9 minutes ago, MJAlltheWay24 said:

Literally what you're wanting him to do is why he's going to struggle finding any time in the NBA, cause he can't do it.

They play drop coverage or just switch about 90-95% of the time in the NBA, almost nobody hard hedges.

Edited March 20, 20233 yr by theguru

6 minutes ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

They play drop coverage or just switch about 90-95% of the time in the NBA, almost nobody hard hedges.

Until you get to when it matters. Oscar can't guard that action, nor switch. He would get destroyed. If he didn't, he would have been a great get for someone in the first round last year.

End of the day...1/21 from 2 of your top 3 scorers, as well as several extremely weak turnovers, can kinda start and end the conversation, no matter how what else anyone wants to discuss. 

12 minutes ago, MJAlltheWay24 said:

Until you get to when it matters. Oscar can't guard that action, nor switch. He would get destroyed. If he didn't, he would have been a great get for someone in the first round last year.

I’m not saying Oscar will play in the NBA, where did I EVER touch on that!!!  I’m talking about college, today, and the way Cal had them playing it is why Nowell destroyed them.

Edited March 20, 20233 yr by theguru

31 minutes ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

I’m not saying Oscar will play in the NBA, where did I EVER touch on that!!!  I’m talking about college, today, and the way Cal had them playing it is why Nowell destroyed them.

You didn't. I bought up the NBA.

And I brought it up because he sucks at doing what you want him to do, thus it was one of the glaring reasons he wasn't gonna get drafted at a decent spot last year and he won't this year either. It's literally one of his biggest weaknesses.

9 hours ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

You sound like me, making all my points!!!

Marcus Camby at Umass???  DOMINANT in college!!!  Derrick Rose at Memphis??  DOMINANT in college!!  Anybody that thinks Cal got the UK job because of his coaching is SADLY MISTAKEN, he got it because of his recruiting, HE EVEN SAID SO AT HIS PRESSER, “I’m here because I can recruit the best of the best!!!”

Marcus Camby wasn't on the '92 team that went to the Sweet 16.

Rose wasn't on the earlier Memphis team that went to the Elite 8 back to back years.

I'm not apologist for Cal but it's not like his whole resume is about recruiting alone.

Reading the last three pages while I drink coffee on Monday morning. Sounds like a coaching clinic on defending the pick and roll lol. Lot of people bashing Oscar. I'm neither a big UK fan nor Calipari fan.....BUT..... it's tough to blame Oscar or even St. John of Calipari when you shoot 2 for 22 from three and you just flat out get outplayed by KState's point guard down the stretch. He's a stud.... probably not a McDonald's All American, just likes their food. One last point.....you all bash Big Oscar for his lack of defensive ability. Does this maybe explain why he was so unhappy at WVU with Coach Higgins? Just a thought. On to the next "best group of players ever assembled at UK".

1 hour ago, Hatz said:

Marcus Camby wasn't on the '92 team that went to the Sweet 16.

Rose wasn't on the earlier Memphis team that went to the Elite 8 back to back years.

I'm not apologist for Cal but it's not like his whole resume is about recruiting alone.

What gets me about the "he is just a recruiter" argument - which is a weak one - is that college basketball is probably about as much recruiting than it is anything else. It is as if people act like that is not part of being a head coach. There is a reason through the years teams with NBA talent generally win the tournament. That said, with the transfer portal being open for business and many of the top guys not playing in college, the recruiting game has changed.