NBA Off-Season Discussion Thread

[The Young One]

He still would have been a lottery pick regardless. Kobe was supposed to have attitude problems and he got drafted 13th.

Jerry thought Kobe was the most selfish player he'd ever seen when he first started scouting him. I cosign your point

 

[RipCity32]

Kobe still is selfish

 

[Mexi]

Kobe still is selfish

dammit

>.<

lol

 

[The Young One]

Kobe still is selfish

At times most definitely he damn near shot the lakers outta game 7.

 

[$tunna]

He doesnt develop the top 10 guys he gets. I watched Demarcus Cousins work Lance Stephensons hs team something serious. I watched Derrick Rose make Brandon Jennings cry. Ive seen Reke go head to head with D-Rose and Eric Gordon after just getting out the 10th grade and hold his own. These guys dont need cal.

Demarcus was not the same player I gurantee you. I have people that have watched him too that know he was a whole different level in college. Brandon Jennings was a soph when they played. And all these examples are against other High school players. I'm saying you can't act like Coach Cal doesn't develop them at all. Just because they were really good in HS doesn't automatically make them great College players. All his players get better as the year progresses in college I promise you.

 

[$tunna]

Coach Cal doesn't need to develop anything, and he doesn't.. There is a reason his teams never win when they have the most talent, he's a horrible coach and doesn't get everything out of his players..

Not all his teams have the most talent and hey I don't see any of his players complaining.

 

[V23]

When you look at guys like Derrick Rose, Brandon Jennings, John Wall, and Derrick Favors, it really shows how silly the age restriction thing is for the NBA.

The guys who would have gone to college still would have gone, like Wes Johnson, Evan Turner, and Jonny Flynn.

 

[elcheato]

They don't complain because they are there for 1 year because the one and done rule is gone.. He gives them free reigns to do whatever they want, and they probably get paid to play at Kentucky.

 

[RipCity32]

Coach Cal does develop his players, he wouldn't be as highly regarded if he didn't.
Reason he doesn't win is cause his players all bounce after 1 year and could care less if they win a championship in college, they just wanna go to the pros.

 

[Mexi]

while we're talking about Cal

I recently saw a replay of the NBA draft 1996
I just saw up to Kobe

Cal wanted to take Kobe 8, but he decided on the older Kerry Kittles (who i miss btw)
and he mentioned it. even said we feel that Kobe is going to be a fantastic player one day, but Kittles is right for us

a few months ago, i saw an article saying Jerry West intimidated Cal into not taking Kobe

 

[The Young One]

Demarcus was not the same player I gurantee you. I have people that have watched him too that know he was a whole different level in college. Brandon Jennings was a soph when they played. And all these examples are against other High school players. I'm saying you can't act like Coach Cal doesn't develop them at all. Just because they were really good in HS doesn't automatically make them great College players. All his players get better as the year progresses in college I promise you.

1. Brandon Jennings was a junior during that game. I know for a fact cuz Rose was a senior. And Jennings was in the class of 08 and Rose was in the class of 07.

2. Nobody on this site watches more HS ball than me. Demarcus was rated as the number 2 player on rivals. He was gonna make the league regardless. He would've been a lotto pick if he went to UAB like he originally planned to but didnt. But thats another story.

3.They werent really good hs players. Derrick Rose is a Chicago HS basketball legend. I have some senior games of his. And the announcers called him the best guard to come from chicago since Zeke. Reke was projected to be a nba player since he was a 7th grader.

4. And last but not least Cal held Reke back at the beginning of the season by having him play the 2 guard and not have the ball in his hands like normally. Then when he realized hey my best player isnt playing well he got all the credit for putting him at pg. But Reke has been playing point his whole life. Cal almost cost him a lotto spot.

 

[elcheato]

while we're talking about Cal

I recently saw a replay of the NBA draft 1996
I just saw up to Kobe

Cal wanted to take Kobe 8, but he decided on the older Kerry Kittles (who i miss btw)

a few months ago, i saw an article saying Jerry West intimidated Cal into not taking Kobe

It has more to do with Kobe saying he would only play for LA.

 

[V23]

Coach Cal does develop his players, he wouldn't be as highly regarded if he didn't.
Reason he doesn't win is cause his players all bounce after 1 year and could care less if they win a championship in college, they just wanna go to the pros.

Only in a basketball sense though. You look at some of the great college coaches like Wooden and Gene Keady. They wanted their guys not only to be good players, but good men as well.

Cal is different, he's just looking at it from his benefit. But I guess you can say that the culture of the sport has changed.

 

[$tunna]

They don't complain because they are there for 1 year because the one and done rule is gone.. He gives them free reigns to do whatever they want, and they probably get paid to play at Kentucky.

Lol That couldn't be true because they would have been coming to UK before Cal got there

 

[Mexi]

It has more to do with Kobe saying he would only play for LA.

because of West

First West had to take the huge gamble of trading veteran center Vlade Divac to the Charlotte Hornets for their thirteenth pick in the draft. Then he learned that John Calipari, the coach of the New Jersey Nets, planned to take [Kobe] Bryant with the eighth pick before the Lakers could snare him at thirteen.

“Jerry wanted Kobe, so he basically called up and talked Cal out of drafting Kobe,” explained Hal Wiseel, who was with the Nets at the time. West encouraged the Bryant family to talk to Calipari and explain that their son really wanted to play for the Lakers. “He knew if we didn’t take him at eight, he’d drop to Charlotte, and he could make the deal with Charlotte,” Wissel recalled. “Cal was young in the league and, hey, it’s Jerry West on the phone.”

 

[elcheato]

Lol That couldn't be true because they would have been coming to UK before Cal got there

I meant more in a sense of they are getting paid to play there because of Cal..

 

[RipCity32]

Only in a basketball sense though. You look at some of the great college coaches like Wooden and Gene Keady. They wanted their guys not only to be good players, but good men as well.

Cal is different, he's just looking at it from his benefit. But I guess you can say that the culture of the sport has changed.

Point taken.

Guess it all depends on what the person believes develops means.

 

[V23]

Lol That couldn't be true because they would have been coming to UK before Cal got there

Wall was going to go to Memphis but he followed Cal. Same with Cousins and UAB.

 

[elcheato]

because of West

or because the saint Kobe is a baby and would only go one place..

 

[$tunna]

1. Brandon Jennings was a junior during that game. I know for a fact cuz Rose was a senior. And Jennings was in the class of 08 and Rose was in the class of 07.

2. Nobody on this site watches more HS ball than me. Demarcus was rated as the number 2 player on rivals. He was gonna make the league regardless. He would've been a lotto pick if he went to UAB like he originally planned to but didnt. But thats another story.

3.They werent really good hs players. Derrick Rose is a Chicago HS basketball legend. I have some senior games of his. And the announcers called him the best guard to come from chicago since Zeke. Reke was projected to be a nba player since he was a 7th grader.

4. And last but not least Cal held Reke back at the beginning of the season by having him play the 2 guard and not have the ball in his hands like normally. Then when he realized hey my best player isnt playing well he got all the credit for putting him at pg. But Reke has been playing point his whole life. Cal almost cost him a lotto spot.

Cal got all his PGs top 5 and above so I don't see a problem. If they weren't the best they wouldn't play for him. I refuse to believe he did not do anything to develop Demarcus. If he would have went to UAB he would have been a better version of Hassan Whiteside without the blocks. You can't tell me Cal isn't developing these dudes at all.