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The Lakers' dumpster fire makes me marvel more at what Calipari did last year
Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:29 am
Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:29 am
Whether you like him, UK, or the "one and done", Calipari assembled a remarkably talented squad last year. And most of those players had offers from top 10 teams and had numerous awards.
Look at the Lakers. NBA All-Star players galore. They are really in danger of not making the playoffs. I keep waiting for them to surge, make some run, but even if they do, realistically the best they can do is be a 6 seed. 8 seed on the final day is more likely.
What Calipari did molding a bunch of kids who had been the star and doing a superb balancing act with minutes and plays was remarkable last year.
As the Lakers prove talent doesn't guarantee success. It helps, but you have to do the heavy lifting,too.
Look at the Lakers. NBA All-Star players galore. They are really in danger of not making the playoffs. I keep waiting for them to surge, make some run, but even if they do, realistically the best they can do is be a 6 seed. 8 seed on the final day is more likely.
What Calipari did molding a bunch of kids who had been the star and doing a superb balancing act with minutes and plays was remarkable last year.
As the Lakers prove talent doesn't guarantee success. It helps, but you have to do the heavy lifting,too.
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Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:31 am to I-59 Tiger
So how do you explain this years Kentucky team?
Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:31 am to I-59 Tiger
This might bring a tear to my eye. 
It's obviously a different kind of coaching but he doesn't get enough credit for it IMO. And you can point to the current group as an example of just how hard it is to teach young players good defense.
It's obviously a different kind of coaching but he doesn't get enough credit for it IMO. And you can point to the current group as an example of just how hard it is to teach young players good defense.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:33 am to I-59 Tiger
uk didn't have any little bitches like howard on the team.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:33 am to sharpSee
quote:
So how do you explain this years Kentucky team?
No vets. Which you still have to have to some degree (even if they're sophomores). That said, he did just as much for the vets on last year's squad as he did the freshman. Darius Miller is a great example of this. When Calipari got him, he was a hot mess and on-the-court headcase after what Gillispie put him through. I'm talking passing up wide open game winning shots against Ole Miss type headcase. I think without Cal he's nowhere near sniffing a NBA roster.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:34 am to BluegrassBelle
Coach PayCal can't coach X's and O's... he wins with talent.
This post was edited on 1/24/13 at 8:35 am
Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:35 am to heartbreakTiger
quote:
uk didn't have any little bitches like howard on the team.
I hear 'ya,but on October 15 to Thanksgiving of last 2011 I bet they did. But in SEC play and in the tourney they didn't.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:36 am to HoLeInOnEr05
quote:
Coach PayCal can't coach X's and O's... he wins with talent
Hey,Pinhead? Did you read the post ? No, you don't just win with "talent" and get out of the way.
And we know first hand that Good Ol' Roy buys them ,too. Exhibit A: Lester Earl.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:36 am to sharpSee
quote:
So how do you explain this years Kentucky team?
Literally luck of the draw. Sometimes top recruits can produce a championship team; often not.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:38 am to davesdawgs
quote:
Literally luck of the draw. Sometimes top recruits can produce a championship team; often not.
If this is true, then Cal deserves less credit, which is contrary to OP's point and is the point I was making.
ETA: Cal would deserve less coaching credit. He still deserves all the credit for the 'crootin.
This post was edited on 1/24/13 at 8:40 am
Posted on 1/24/13 at 8:39 am to sharpSee
comparing college and nba. sigh.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 9:05 am to bbap
quote:
comparing college and nba. sigh.
Not to get all academic and such but you see the same things in other sports, and organizational behavior. It's even been documented in Harvard Business Review cases such as this one (a really interesting read by the way)
You can literally have all the talent in the world but if they don't play as a cohesive unit, and don't all buy into each other and the system, a team with far more talent will struggle to compete against even the weakest of competition.
It takes a special kind of coach with the interpersonal skills to break down egos and individual personalities and get them to form a unit...which is what the OP is getting at.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 9:10 am to sharpSee
quote:this
So how do you explain this years Kentucky team?
Posted on 1/24/13 at 10:05 am to cowboy4ever
Seems this year's Kentucky team thought all they had to do was show-up and win on talent -- not realizing that last year's team worked hard and played like a team. Put another way -- last year's team was coachable. This year's is not -- probably because last year's made it look easy.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 10:12 am to cowboy4ever
quote:
this
So Cal gets his teams to an Elite Eight, Final Four, and wins the National Championship with young rosters and ONE year negates any coaching he did with those other squads?
I think you all are underestimating how hard it is for any coach to win at that level in CBB.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 11:40 am to I-59 Tiger
huh? Calipari has had a collection of one-and-done superstars just about every other year he's been there. It's just probability that one of his collections would click and dominate.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 11:47 am to Lordofwrath88
Belle, you're my hero! Your posts are spot on every time... 
Posted on 1/24/13 at 11:55 am to Lordofwrath88
quote:
huh? Calipari has had a collection of one-and-done superstars just about every other year he's been there. It's just probability that one of his collections would click and dominate.
So an Elite Eight, Final Four, and National Championship 3 out of 4 years is just probability?
Posted on 1/24/13 at 12:00 pm to BluegrassBelle
No, it makes you marvel at what Phil Jackson did. Repeatedly.
Posted on 1/24/13 at 4:40 pm to See5
This threads just proves that sec fans outside of UK are generally retarded when it comes to college basketball.
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