Is there a causation between Kentucky and lack of winning in the NBA?

[A Future of Stevens]

So there is obviously a correlation under the Callipari regime between high end talent playing at Kentucky and not being on winning teams.

So the obvious talents who have yet been able to win meaningful games while still putting up numbers:
-Anthony Davis - Made the playoffs once, its all due to his teammates.
-KAT - still early obviously, very talented.
- Julius Randle- Until this year ( Lakers may still be young to actually win enough for the Playoffs)
-WCS
-Nerlens Noel
-Kanter (struggled, but Utah got better once he was moved)
-Brandon Knight - Had a few good years in Milwaukee but has struggled
-Cousins- beating a dead horse
-John Wall - made the playoffs once, putting up numbers on bad teams

People that have had success:
-Rondo - edit: played for a diff coach, thanks FWF. Arguably the most successful player out of Kentucky in the last few decade
-Patrick Patterson- good team around him
-Bledsoe- Up and down, but talented, pushed for playoffs for a few years
-MKG

Obviously it is still early for everyone from KAT to Booker, so the rest remains to be seen. But if you stop and look at the players from Kentucky over the last few years it is mostly top end talents putting up great to absurd numbers on terrible teams.

Is this just a function of being immensely talented one and done players that go early in the draft? Or is there something more going on here. Are these players learning things that make it hard to succeed in an NBA environment?

Open forum for your opinion. Lets keep the callouts to a minimum and try to have a thoughtful discussion on this topic. What do you wonderful people think?

[Evantime34]

My opinion on the connection: Kentucky players usually go high in the draft, teams that draft high are bad, bad teams don't make the playoffs.

Or

Kentucky players usually go high in the draft, teams that draft high are often poorly run, poorly run teams rarely make the playoffs.

[max215]

My opinion on the connection: Kentucky players usually go high in the draft, teams that draft high are bad, bad teams don't make the playoffs.

Or

Kentucky players usually go high in the draft, teams that draft high are often poorly run, poorly run teams rarely make the playoffs.

Yup.

[A Future of Stevens]

My opinion on the connection: Kentucky players usually go high in the draft, teams that draft high are bad, bad teams don't make the playoffs.

Or

Kentucky players usually go high in the draft, teams that draft high are often poorly run, poorly run teams rarely make the playoffs.

This is what I always thought as well. Yet I can't get past the fact that literally none of the top picks are able to help their team really win meaningful games. You would think a few of the teams would be able to pull something together. If MKG is the only high pick to win a few games it just seems very unlikely that this is only due to the horrible teams.

But it does kind of say something about the treadmill of awful that the bottom teams go through.

[cons]

its a bit of an overstatement / generalization but also i think a lot of the ultra talented guys that Kentucky attracts or other one and done guys are mostly satisfied with simply being in the NBA. that was their goal. once they're drafted high, that's it. they've won. I don't think there's a ton of motivation after that do do anything more than continue to stay in the league and get contracts by putting up numbers.
  not saying there's anything wrong with that. but i think it can explain why some of these really talented players stay forever in mediocre situations.

[Eja117]

A causation as opposed to a correlation? So....what team would have the causation of winning?

That would be Davidson right?  Does Davidson have 100% of its NBA players wearing rings and winning MVPs?

[fairweatherfan]

Rondo didn't play for Calipari, right? Think he was Tubby Smith.


I think most of this is coincidence plus that the best Cal Kentucky guys are just a few years into their careers and disproportionately wound up with terrible franchises.

[A Future of Stevens]

A causation as opposed to a correlation? So....what team would have the causation of winning?

That would be Davidson right?  Does Davidson have 100% of its NBA players wearing rings and winning MVPs?

Sorry I guess I tripped over the words and I can't tell over the internet if you are being crass.

Im just asking if there is any reason to believe that while JC can showcase these guys for the NBA, he doesn't give them any of the necessary skills to succeed in the nba.

[saltlover]

A causation as opposed to a correlation? So....what team would have the causation of winning?

That would be Davidson right?  Does Davidson have 100% of its NBA players wearing rings and winning MVPs?

Sorry I guess I tripped over the words and I can't tell over the internet if you are being crass.

Im just asking if there is any reason to believe that while JC can showcase these guys for the NBA, he doesn't give them any of the necessary skills to succeed in the nba.

No.  Cal hasn't been at Kentucky long enough.  His first draft class there included John Wall, who's been okay as far as #1 picks go, and DeMarcus Cousins, who's been everywhere from All-Star to self-destructor.  The Kings have been one of the worst run teams ever over the past several seasons, and while Wall's best season with the Wizards only netted 46 wins in 2015, that was literally their best season since 1979.  So it's not like either of those two walked into an organization that was prepared to win.

Everyone else is too young to have much expectation of leading a team at this point.  And then there's Anthony Davis, who's nearing that age, with no help at all.

[saltlover]

Oops.  Double post.

[Moranis]

There are a lot more Kentucky players than just those.  I mean the 2011 draft alone had Cousins, Wall, Bledsoe, and Patterson.  Patterson has had a lot of success in Toronto.  Bledsoe has been hurt a lot.  The Wizards were a Wall injury away from the ECF a couple seasons back. 

[A Future of Stevens]

There are a lot more Kentucky players than just those.  I mean the 2011 draft alone had Cousins, Wall, Bledsoe, and Patterson.  Patterson has had a lot of success in Toronto.  Bledsoe has been hurt a lot.  The Wizards were a Wall injury away from the ECF a couple seasons back.

Yea I know. Most of the players you just mentioned I included in the success area.

[Moranis]

There are a lot more Kentucky players than just those.  I mean the 2011 draft alone had Cousins, Wall, Bledsoe, and Patterson.  Patterson has had a lot of success in Toronto.  Bledsoe has been hurt a lot.  The Wizards were a Wall injury away from the ECF a couple seasons back.

Yea I know. Most of the players you just mentioned I included in the success area.

But there are a lot more than that.  Heck James Young went to Kentucky.  So did Trey Lyles.  And countless others.  Calipari has produced a lot of NBA players.

[A Future of Stevens]

There are a lot more Kentucky players than just those.  I mean the 2011 draft alone had Cousins, Wall, Bledsoe, and Patterson.  Patterson has had a lot of success in Toronto.  Bledsoe has been hurt a lot.  The Wizards were a Wall injury away from the ECF a couple seasons back.

Yea I know. Most of the players you just mentioned I included in the success area.

But there are a lot more than that.  Heck James Young went to Kentucky.  So did Trey Lyles.  And countless others.  Calipari has produced a lot of NBA players.

Yes I know. I mentioned everyone from KAT to Booker its early. But yes I should have included every NBA player callipari has produced.

[nickagneta]

Devin Booker
Anthony Davis
Demarcus Cousins
Karl Anthony Towns
John Wall
Michael Kidd Gilchrist.
Eric Bledsoe
Nerlens Noel
Brandon Knight

Anyone want to go war in the NBA with this rotation?

Kentucky makes great players. The players can't help it if bad or mismanaged teams draft them. Even this team would have trouble in their first year in the playoffs as its just a different game than college or regular season NBA. But I would want that team if they were together for a couple three years.