Kentucky

[pearljammer10]

Kentucky also had five first-rounders in 2010 (John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton).

I believe that was the first time five guys from the same school were selected in the first round.  However, I think that Darius Miller was a starter on that team, while Orton came off the bench.

Its amazing how a programs team can be completely weeded out by the draft, then still be huge players in the tourney with a completely new squad. What a great program Kentucky is running.

[manl_lui]

Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist will be very solid pros.  The other three guys I don't think will amount to much. 

yeah from what I've seen of Davis, he seems pretty legit. Him and Kemba Walker should be some real nice young pieces to build around down there in Charlotte.

a starting lineup with Kemba and Davis would be pretty good, hopefully Charlotte can achieve what the Thunder did. If they do, Kemba and Davis will be so fun to watch going forward

[RyNye]

Just out of curiosity, why is it that everyone is so excited about Davis?

I dislike college basketball, so I never watch it until March Madness, and even then I only watch the big matchup games. So I have only seen Davis playing these past couple of weeks, and honestly he hasn't really shown all that much in the tourney so far. He's not bad, sure, I can definitely see he is a solid basketball player. But he hasn't done anything in this tourney that makes me say, "WOW! He is going to be a SUPERSTAR!"

So why is it that everyone things he is going to be a sure-fire NBA superstar? I've heard people say he is the biggest consensus #1 pick since Lebron. I remember seeing Lebron in high school games, and you could immediately tell he was amazing. I have never seen Davis do anything amazing, every time I watch him play he is just solid.

(EDIT: Alright, since I know some people here are trigger happy, let me just say that I am ASKING, I am not criticizing. I genuinely dislike college ball, so I never watch it until this time of year. I am really curious what it is that is so amazing about Davis? Is it just that he is athletic and big? Good two way player? What? And I am asking here instead of looking at a scouting report is because I do not trust scouting reports in the least. They always give glowing commendations to even second round draft picks.)

[paintitgreen]

RyNye, I think that him being the surefire number 1 (and I think the claim that he's the first surefire number 1 pick in years is inaccurate media hyperbole - Blake Griffin in 2009 and John Wall in 2010 were the undisputed top picks, and while they ended up being incorrect, Oden in 2007 and Bogut in 2005 were concensus choices) has more to do with the fact that this is a deep, but not at all top-heavy, draft. There are a lot of NBA players to be had, but I don't think anybody has that good a chance to be a superstar.

Davis is closest because he's an extremely athletic big man with a lot of length, a nice (not great, but nice especially for a big man) outside shot that due to his height, arm length and leaping ability, he will be able to get off over anybody, and most importantly he's ready to step in and play NBA defense right away with the potential to be a game changer on that end. Great shotblocker, good communicator, quick feet, and athletic and long enough (7'4" wingspan) to defend multiple positions. He also is comfortable with the ball in his hands but doesn't need it. He also is by all accounts a great kid who always plays and works hard. Just a lot of skills, natural talent, athleticism and of course you can't teach size (or work ethic).

Over the last few years, teams have realized more and more exactly how important it is that your star players play defense and that's helping Davis too. He'll never be one of the 10 or probably even 20 best offensive players in the league, but in a short time he could be one of the most impactful defensive players while giving you solid efficient offense.

Frankly, I think guys like Kidd-Gilchrist (if he develops his outside shot, already has the ability to attack the rim, plays hard, and is a good perimeter defender), Andre Drummond (if he had the same level of dedication as Davis, at 6'11", 275 with a 7'5" reach, he'd be number 1), and Jeremy Lamb (if he got a bit stronger and asserted himself more) have higher ceilings than Davis. But Davis has far less of a chance than any of those guys to fail at the pro level. With his size, skill, athleticism and already proven work ethic, I don't think there's any way Davis is a bust, and any of those other guys could be.

One additional note: a main reason I think Kidd-Gilchrist has a higher ceiling is that when I watch Kentucky - and this could be more a function of which of their games I have seen - it's clear that Davis is the best player right now, but Kidd-Gilchrist can take over on the offensive end much more, and when he gets going, it seems like they hit another level. But Davis is at the top because he's still doing his thing at those times, and keeps Kentucky in every game when MKG or Jones isn't taking over.

[paintitgreen]

Kentucky also had five first-rounders in 2010 (John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton).

I believe that was the first time five guys from the same school were selected in the first round.  However, I think that Darius Miller was a starter on that team, while Orton came off the bench.

Its amazing how a programs team can be completely weeded out by the draft, then still be huge players in the tourney with a completely new squad. What a great program Kentucky is running.

I have some issues with Calipari. First he's a big cheating cheater. But at the same time, I don't care much about the rules of the corrupt NCAA, so it doesn't bug me too much. Second, I remember how badly I was rolling my eyes at the 2010 draft. Calipari called it "the greatest day in the history of Kentucky basketball." I remember thinking, they just lost five first round talents, all of whom could have returned to compete for a national championship in 2011, and four of whom played only one season in which they didn't win it all. Wouldn't the days they won their multiple championships be significantly better days?

But while I think he's wrong, I see his point more. He's made it clear that Kentucky is the place to be if you want to get in the draft, be picked high, and make a lot of money. That's why they'll lose an entire class, but over the next couple of years draw in talent like Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb, Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague. Prospects know that it doesn't matter if you're not the best player on Kentucky, you're still gonna be drafted high (Eric Bledsoe was a backup and was drafted 18th after his freshman year). Calipari has mastered the one-and-done system, which is what you have to buy into if you want to get the best talent. Tip of the camp to him, sinner that he is.

[KY Celts fan]

@RyNye

I've watched every Kentucky game this year. I may be a little bias, but Davis has game-changing NBA level defensive skills. He's a monster around the rim and is progressing on his outside shot. I agree that he hasn't blown anyone away during this run, but that has a lot to do with how unselfish he is along with the quality of teammates he has.

Lebron blew everyone away because he was an athletic freak playing against high school kids. None of his other teammates went pro. Neither Bogut or Griffin played with any NBA talent. Davis is playing with two other lottery picks this year, a 2nd-rounder in Miller, and two future first round picks in Teague and Doron Lamb (I think they both stay another year to improve their draft standings). He's playing with the starting lineup of a very young NBA team, so he doesn't have to be that dominant. I think if he played for say Wake Forest, I suspect he'd be having one of the single greatest years in college basketball history because he would the only person on that team with professional talent.

Personally, I think Davis does have some of the greatest potential any player in the past decade. He just needs to gain about 40 lbs.

[KY Celts fan]

I have some issues with Calipari. First he's a big cheating cheater.

How is that? Because he's been cleared in every investigation he's been involved in. So unless you have some unheard of evidence that the NCAA has never EVER been able to find, what you say is false.

Second, I remember how badly I was rolling my eyes at the 2010 draft. Calipari called it "the greatest day in the history of Kentucky basketball."

Believe me, all of BBN was rolling their eyes right along with you. We know where our pride lies and it's in our seven championship banners and not in our draft picks. And Eric Bledsoe was a starter here, playing in a two pg lineup. Very similar to what LAC was using this year with Paul and Billups. Daniel Orton on the other hand was a backup and should have stayed for another year or two.

[paintitgreen]

Thanks for the correction on Bledsoe v. Orton coming off the bench. Agree with you about Teague and Lamb. Teague could try to take advantage of the weak point guard crop this year, but I've read that it doesn't project to get any better next year so if he ups his stock, he could be a lottery pick next season just by virtue of being the best at a relatively weak position.

As for Calipari, the fact is that he took four teams at three different schools to the Final Four, and two of the appearances have been vacated. If your team is consistently dirty enough to get reprimanded by a corrupt organization that governs hundreds of teams that ignore its stupid self-serving rules, then I don't care if they didn't personally come down on him, he's running a dirty program and there's no way he doesn't know that. Pete Carroll was never personally implicated and I think he was a big cheating cheater too. The NCAA comes down on athletes and programs, not coaches. Believe me, I hate the NCAA. I don't hate Calipari. But I do think he ignores the rules flagrantly. Or maybe he's just not as good at cheating as say Nick Saban.

And I actually have a soft spot for Calipari - my issues may come because I want him to be even better. I'm 32. Growing up, I could never get fully attached to BC's teams. The first teams I loved were Tark's Running Rebels (Greg Anthony was my first favorite college basketball player) and the Fab Five (Jalen Rose was the second). When UMass broke out, I just jumped right on the bandwagon. Mike Williams was my personal favorite, closely followed by Lou Roe, but Donta Bright, Dana Dingle, Edgar Padilla, Carmelo Travieso and of course Camby, I just loved those teams. I loved when Calipari got in taunting matches with John Chaney and was devastated the year they lost to lame ass Big Country Bryant Reeves and Oklahoma State.

So I'll always have a soft spot for him. And in a lot of ways, given that I think the NCAA is so corrupt, I don't actually care that he disregards their rules. Truthfully, I was more bothered when he made the "greatest day in Kentucky basketball history" comment. I just thought he was being a little extra self-serving and ignoring the point of what Kentucky fans want - championships, not lottery picks. And media hyperbole that ignores the forest for the trees always bugs me. Still, given the boost it gives to his ability to recruit the best players, it WAS a good day for Kentucky. Just not the best.