THURSDAY RANDOMS:
- Dusty Baker- as has happened his entire career- was given the keys to a LOADED machine. Just because the guy behind him sucked doesn't mean he deserved credit. So, GGP, Willy.
- Old college roomie got season tickets this year and is starting to realize that as a 30-something married professional living 1.5 hrs away from Lex, the idea of being a UKBB season ticket holder is greater than the reality. I could've told him that. Those weeknight games against marginal teams just aren't worth the hassle in this HD TV age. If I lived in Lexington, hell yeah. Living up here, I'm good hitting a few games a year.
- In modern CBB, my favorite kind of player is the athletic do-it-all combo forward- your Terrence Joneses, MKGs and Justice Winslows- the dudes who can guard 3-4 positions, clean the glass, lead the break, finish and score a little from the inside and outside. Those guys are hard to find. UK looks to be leading for two of them in the '17 class. Jarred Vanderbilt and John Petty seem to be higher on UK than any other guys.
- I've never gotten the gun love. Just has never made sense to me.
- Did today's provincialism (state pride stuff) rise from '90s hiphop and repping one's hood or area code or is it just me?
- What stupid MFers like Dan Shaughnessy don't get it this- even if Calipari wasn't on the up-and-up at UMass (and I believe his side of the story), the reason the school and the greater region still appreciate him is because he took UMass to heights they had never been or will never get back to. Cal didn't leave a great place in ruins. He gave a marginal place it's one shining moment- however fleeting. At least for 10 years, UMass was a great college basketball program.
- I laughed at such a thought earlier, but could Towns end up being on Davis's level? Is he potential "Top 3-5 player in the NBA" good? Dude just dropped a 25&10 on his ROY rival. He's as intangibly "face of the franchise" ready as any player who's gotten drafted since LeBron. Just an intelligent, media-friendly, team-oriented, charismatic kid...with the skills and talent to match.