Question, without John Wall, is UK a dominant team? Are Cousins and Patterson enough to carry the team without him?

 

Answer: No. Because you have to have good/great guard play to win at the college level. And while Bledsoe is good, he's not "Wall good" right now, meaning I don't think he could carry the team himself for an extended number of games.

Answer: No. Because you have to have good/great guard play to win at the college level. And while Bledsoe is good, he's not "Wall good" right now, meaning I don't think he could carry the team himself for an extended number of games.

 

Also, when Wall is out, everyone seems to be kind of in a holding pattern waiting on him to come back in. God forbid, if he were to be "out" out, then I think Bledsoe could do the job more than adequately. Not like Wall, but better than we've seen him do so far.

No man I just skimmed over the article. But what sense does it make to say that they don't have a Bill Walton or a Lew Alcindor? Very few teams ever have a player of their caliber.

 

I also think that college basketball is kind of weak right now in the post, and players like Cousins and Patterson are more dominant than they should be. JMO.

You should read the article before throwing stones.

 

He was quoting John Wooden, who said all of his "special" teams had one constant, a donimating big man. He named a few of them.

 

Tipton said UK doesn't have that, but went on to give the stats for our two big guys.

Granted, I've only watched one UK game this year, the UL game. But, when John Wall was out of the game, UL came back. Question, without John Wall, is UK a dominant team? Are Cousins and Patterson enough to carry the team without him?

It does not matter -Wall is on the Kentucky roster. That is like saying the Lakers would not be as good with out Koby!:ohbrother:

Answer: No. Because you have to have good/great guard play to win at the college level. And while Bledsoe is good, he's not "Wall good" right now, meaning I don't think he could carry the team himself for an extended number of games.

 

Thanks.

 

Also, when Wall is out, everyone seems to be kind of in a holding pattern waiting on him to come back in. God forbid, if he were to be "out" out, then I think Bledsoe could do the job more than adequately. Not like Wall, but better than we've seen him do so far.

I think you're right. Do you think they would be as dominant without Wall, in the event he was "out" out? Meaning, if they KNEW that he wasn't coming back in later in the game, do you think they would be as dominant as they are?

 

It does not matter -Wall is on the Kentucky roster. That is like saying the Lakers would not be as good with out Koby!:ohbrother:

 

I'm not sure what you mean by that. Are the Lakers as good when Kobe isn't playing?

I definitely don't think that they would be as dominant rockmom, but I do still think that they would be a good time. I think Coach Cal should honestly run some offense in the practices with Wall on the sidelines, just in case. Get Bledsoe more used to running the offense, just in case. This may already be happening, I don't know what goes on in practice.

Thanks.

 

 

I think you're right. Do you think they would be as dominant without Wall, in the event he was "out" out? Meaning, if they KNEW that he wasn't coming back in later in the game, do you think they would be as dominant as they are?

 

 

 

I'm not sure what you mean by that. Are the Lakers as good when Kobe isn't playing?

 

I think what he meant is that it's a silly statement. Obviously, they aren't going to be as good without Wall, he's their best player. Just like UofL wouldn't have been as good last year without TWill, or the Lakers without Kobe....

Patterson and Cousins are well on their way to being All-Americans. Instead of one great guy down low, we have two. Darn!

Patterson and Cousins are well on their way to being All-Americans. Instead of one great guy down low, we have two. Darn!

 

I don't know about AA honors for Cousins, but definitely Patterson.

 

How crazy is it that the Cats could potentially have 2 All-Americans this year, maybe even both 1st teamers?

Jerry Tipton could write an article on the Corbin phone book and people would complain that it was negative against UK

 

:laugh:

You should read the article before throwing stones.

 

He was quoting John Wooden, who said all of his "special" teams had one constant, a donimating big man. He named a few of them.

 

Tipton said UK doesn't have that, but went on to give the stats for our two big guys.

 

I did go back and read it and it's a crazy article IMO. Times have changed. No one has Kareem or Walton types in the middle now. It's just a stupid article and a bad attempt to make a point IMO.

Granted, I've only watched one UK game this year, the UL game. But, when John Wall was out of the game, UL came back. Question, without John Wall, is UK a dominant team? Are Cousins and Patterson enough to carry the team without him?

 

Obviously not. John Wall is the future #1 NBA draft pick and will be a consensus all-american.

 

But Demarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson have combined to form the most dominating frontcourt in college basketball.

 

Some of that is due to Wall; however, it could also be argued that they'd be putting up bigger numbers without Wall, as Kentucky would most likely pound the ball inside more frequently.

Tipton is a joke....

I don't think Cousins and/or Patterson are dominant big men in the sense of posting up on the block and scaring teams with that aspect of their game. But, the fact is, that type of dominant big man is a dying breed. Forget college...there's aren't many guys like that in the NBA.

 

You don't need a guy like that to win. UK gets big time production from their bigs, as noted in this thread. That's what is important. Patterson and Cousins produce somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 and 20 on average. Along with the rebounding, they also provide the defensive presence that is necessary to succeed.

 

So, if you want to look at "dominant big man" in the traditional sense of a Bill Walton, or more recently, a Tim Duncan...then no, UK doesn't have that guy. Cousins has the potential, but isn't polished enough offensively and Patterson has expanded his game and now scores a good percentage of his points from the face-up position on jumpers or drives. However, if you look at what they give you in terms of defense, rebounding and points, how many teams in the NCAA can match what UK gets from its 4 and 5?

 

Both guys demand attention in the post and are surrounded by talent. UK doesn't rely on having a Tim Duncan.

 

And, they have shot the 3-ball quite well and consistently to date...they're subject to an off night or a slump like pretty much anyone else who shoots from long distance.

 

I didn't read the article, BTW. In the past when I have, I haven't had nearly as big a problem with them as some do. The fact is, UK has a very good team with tremendous talent...but much of it is still raw. They're good, but they can be much better. All of the freshmen have plenty of room to improve. Perhaps they need some criticism to keep them from losing focus and losing that drive and motivation to keep getting better. Cousins, for example, as productive as he is, could be even better if he works on his offensive game...passing from the post and recognizing when to pass and when to attack, in addition to just working on his moves around the basket, come to mind as immediate areas where Cousins could get much better.

 

Wall, as great as he is, can cut down on TO's and improve his shooting. Same for Bledsoe.

I just hope they can continue to hit the 3 against all the competition and not just teams like Hartford. They sure were off the mark against Louisville from the 3.

 

25% vs. UConn

37.5% vs. UNC

50% vs. IU

 

:idunno: