There have been three new additions to the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team in the past week. They have filled a void left by 6 (maybe 5) Kentucky basketball players that have either declared for the draft or have transferred. What are we looking at so far?
Loss: John Wall PG-Wall takes his play making ability and his winning attitude with him as he heads to the NBA and the likely #1 draft pick. His leadership skills and his killer instinct are some of the intangibles that will be hard to replace. Wall brought a swagger and a confidence that had been missing at Kentucky for years.
Addition: Brandon Knight PG- Knight is a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year and the two time Florida Mr. Basketball. He has plenty of talent and accolades, but how will that transition to the next level? Knight lacks the overall speed and athleticism that Wall possesses but he is more of a scoring threat and a better pure shooter. He can be good in the clutch as he showed in the 2010 McDonald's All American game when he made the winning three-point basket to lead his team to victory. Knight has not looked impressive in the two All-Star games that I have watched him. He is a cerebral player, so I am thinking that once he has time to study and understand a new system, he will then combine his knowledge and his skills to make a complete game.
Loss: Eric Bledsoe PG- Bledsoe was the surprise player of the year for Kentucky. Nobody expected him to be one and done, he was seen as a guy who was going to be the heir-apparent to Wall and become the head point guard when #11 declared for the draft. And then Bledsoe blew up. His outstanding freshman year was highlighted by his athleticism and tough play. He had a handful of games where he scored over 20 points and looked like the best player on the floor.
Addition: Doron Lamb SG- Lamb comes out of the heralded Oak Hill Academy. He is a high-flying, high-scoring shooting guard. His biggest weapons are his speed in transition and his 15-17 foot mid range jumper, a lost art in college and professional basketball. Lamb is bigger but not necessarily stronger than Bledsoe. His defense is also a strong point in his game, something that Bledsoe seemed to lack at times. He is also a great free-throw shooter, something that Bledsoe was at the beginning of the year and seemed to not be at the end, but he needs to work on his 3 point shot. Lamb was a huge pick up.
Loss: DeMarcus "Boogie" Cousins C/PF- Cousins was viewed by many as a hot- headed man child coming out of high school. He had a bad reputation and many were skeptical about him keeping his head and producing on the court. That is just what he did. Cousins was a beast all year long for the Cats. He averaged a double-double and there was not a soul that could guard him individually on the block. His offense was potent and his defense was a road block in the middle. He worked as well in the transition as he did in the low post and had some of the best hands on a big man that I have ever seen. The thing that we will miss the most is his unique personality and his smile, two things that seemed unlikely as the year began.
Addition: Enes "The Istan-Bull" Kanter C/PF- I have watched this mysterious player in one full game and the one word I can use to describe his play is "dominate". Kanter made his U.S. television debut by putting up 34 points and 13 rebounds and completely overshadowing Jared Sullinger. The Turkish phenom showed the same skills that Cousins possessed by running the court in transition, out-muscling guys for rebounds and putting up difficult put-backs. There is one glaring difference in the two player's games: Kanter can hit the jump shot and he can hit from the free-throw line. Many European big men possess this skill that seems to be lacking in the American game. He is going to be EXTREMELY tough to guard.
Other departures that still need answering:
Patrick Patterson PF- Patterson is still "on the fence" whether or not he files his draft papers to turn pro. The smart money is that he will do this. His leadership and his heart is what will be missed the most. Patterson is one of the most beloved Cats of all time. His game was overshadowed by his good nature and his off the court deeds, something that he should be proud of. I'm not saying Pat was not good on the court, anybody that saw the kid play knows that this isn't so, but he seemed to be known more for who he is as a person more so than as who he is as an athlete.
His replacement will be either CJ Leslie or Terrence Jones. Washington seems to be in the lead for Jones' services at the moment and Leslie seems to have it down to Kentucky and NC State. Leslie and Wall were teammates at Word of God, so hopefully Wall could put in the good word. Both guys are big, strong and can be dominant with the ball. Lately Calipari has been pushing for Jones a little harder than Leslie, something that I hope does not hurt the Cats in the future.
Daniel Orton C- Orton played sparingly throughout the year and his draft announcement was the most startling of all. Orton was seen as a three year player, a guy with unrefined ability that had the goods to become one of the best big men in the NCAA. But his size and ability, along with the urgings of his father, have propelled him into the draft. His off-the-bench defense is going to be difficult to replace. His tendency to foul and goal tend will not.
There really isn't anyone on the horizon to fill his shoes. It looks as if Josh Harrelson, aka "Jorts", aka "Big Britain", will see his minutes go up this year (GULP). Stacy Poole is a solid SF/PF and Cal can do some personnel shifting if Kanter gets in foul trouble. The center spot is where the Cats are hurting the most at the moment.
Darnell Dodson SG- Darnell came in with big expectations and failed to live up to them. He was brought in to be the three point threat and was streaky at best. The rumor is that Dodson failed a drug test, thus his departure. He won't be missed as much as the other players.
His likely replacement will be Marcus Thornton. This kid has some ability and may be the surprise pick-up for the Cats.
Next Year's Possible Starting 5- Brandon Knight (PG/F), Doron Lamb (SG/F), Darius Miller (SF/J), CJ Leslie or Terrence Jones (PF/F), Enes Kanter (C/F).
So we are back to where we were last year. Four freshmen starters and one upperclassman. The good news is that Miller and DeAndre Liggins have one year of Cal's offense under their belts and will be looked upon to step up big time. Liggins could be the surprise player that the Cats will need next year. He hopefully won't be dealing with anymore off the court issues that held him back at the beginning of the year.
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