Paging Darius Miller, crickets...

 

Wanting a kid to be a leader doesn't make him one unfortunately. Just not who Miller is on or off the court...

Paging Darius Miller, crickets...

 

Followed by that odd silence.

 

Darius just needs to be more "selfish" for this team. He needs to look more for his shot and if its not there then create. But if his shot is not there, the ball just gets passed along. Not a threat on the court, just a stand still shooter and those guys can be really easy to guard defensively.

Losing on the road has really gotten into there heads. GT is right, they need a leader on the floor. Knight is trying, but the crazy shots he was throwing up at the end of the game suggest he has a long way to go.

Knight is fine as the leader(last night he stepped up down the stretch and made some shots- he was just gassed); the team as a whole is just not mentally tough; they don't protect the ball at crunch time; they don't run the offense until they get good shots in crunch time; they don't make important stops at crunch time; they are mentally weak!

1. They are not very good defensively.

2. They are either too selfish or are not a very good passing team.

3. Jones needs to develop a post game.

4. They don't have a go-to guy at crunch time.

5. no Bench

I think this season is about as low as it goes for Cal. I just don't see losing the kind of numbers he lost last year as a regular occurrence. And to this point he's brought steallar classes every year. In another year or two he should have a good rotation going of 1 and done guys, plus 3 and 4 year players, but he started with a pretty bare cupboard.

 

That said, I'm definitely willing to accept a more up and down type team (from one year to the next) IF the high points are final fours and national titles.

 

I'm kind of with the same mind as that. Two years in a row an entirely new starting lineup had to be found, that has made it difficult for the upperclassmen to be the leaders they need to be. This class clearly isn't as star-studded as last year's, so I don't think the same concerns will be present in this offseason as last in terms of continuity.

 

I would caution UK fans, however, into thinking every year's going to be a monster class like last year's was. Calipari may have set his bar too high in his first season (kind of like Tubby).

With what GT said, think about this. Patterson was a big leadership role on the floor and Wall was CLUTCH in close games. Think of how many close games UK has lost this year. Wall was making amazing plays at the end of games last year to win these games.

With what GT said, think about this. Patterson was a big leadership role on the floor and Wall was CLUTCH in close games. Think of how many close games UK has lost this year. Wall was making amazing plays at the end of games last year to win these games.

 

And the Patterson role is the one I'm talking about. Even if Knight had made some of the buzzer beater shots that didn't go down, I still don't think this team has that strong leader like PPat was last year. Making big shots doesn't make you a leader, it just means you can make clutch shots to save the day. At the highest levels you have to have that guy that can bring the team together both on and off the court as a peer instead of a coach. Uk had both roles filled last year and don't have either right now. That's the difference between good and great...

I agree with most of you; the biggest problems that I see are no leadership and no depth. Both are very important components of having a successful team.

This is a prime example of the downside of Calipari's high-risk recruiting philosophy. If that is going to be the long-term philosophy while he's at UK, a season like this is always a risk. Difficult to build toughness, confidence and leadership when the upperclassmen have the mindset that they have to defer to the frosh on everything.

 

I agree Schue. As long as one-and-doners are recruited, seasons like this will be the norm rather than a risk in my opinion.

And how can you have depth and leadership when the program has a revolving door of players each year?

And how can you have depth and leadership when the program has a revolving door of players each year?

 

That's the 4 mil a year question. It has to be cultivated at the bottom of the roster, and he hasn't had the time to show he can establish that yet. Flip side is time isn't your friend in Lexington if you can't hang #8...

And how can you have depth and leadership when the program has a revolving door of players each year?

 

I wouldn't overblow this leadership nonsense; if that was the case, they wouldn't be winning close games at home or on neutral sites as they have done this year; it would be more impacting than just on the road; Knight is their unquestioned leader, too much in the Arkansas game; when at home, they are able to get through because of their confidence and usual lead; on the road they lack the mental toughness to make a play when the chips are down.

I wouldn't overblow this leadership nonsense; if that was the case, they wouldn't be winning close games at home or on neutral sites as they have done this year; it would be more impacting than just on the road; Knight is their unquestioned leader, too much in the Arkansas game; when at home, they are able to get through because of their confidence and usual lead; on the road they lack the mental toughness to make a play when the chips are down.

 

Leadership nonsense? :lol:

 

Ask Texas last year how having a boatload of talent and no leader did for them. Upperclassmen like Jordan Hamilton and Balbay are ready to fill the role this year and it changes drastically. Are you really trying to down play the role of a true leader on the roster as opposed to not having one? Knight is a GREAT kid and wants the ball in his hands. That makes him clutch, not a leader...

That's the 4 mil a year question. It has to be cultivated at the bottom of the roster, and he hasn't had the time to show he can establish that yet. Flip side is time isn't your friend in Lexington if you can't hang #8...

 

Right. I just don't see Big Blue fans settling for an occasional elite eight or a rare final four in the years to come under Cal. I see no championships with this coach.

You stated in your post "it has to be cultivated at the bottom of the roster." I agree , but it doesn't look good when you have guys who have been around longer than a year that come off the bench, bolt for other schools.