This time last year, everyone had the bags of both of the twins packed and sitting by the door waiting for the season to end. Look where they are this year, wearing the Blue/White. Now people have Booker packed and ready to move on after 18 games. No one knows what these players will do. I am just enjoying the season and will read about who stays and who leaves when the season is over. IMHO, the worst thing in all of basketball are all of these NBA mock drafts. They are complete BS just like an early season NCAA bracket by Joe Lunardi..
How does Cal replace Booker next year?
- Thread starter reignof cats
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No, not even close. As of now, the guy is a mid-first rounder at best. We have two guys who will probably go top five.
NBA potential and where he'll be drafted aren't exactly the same. Even if Booker continues to improve - and climb draft boards - like me and others believe, he's not going to be drafted ahead of Willie or KAT. Understood. If nothing else, there's always a bias toward bigs in the NBA. None of that necessarily has much to do with how good Booker will be in 3 years or 5. I think he'll be the best pro of all of them, or at least I think there's a good chance of it....
Of course. Signing Briscoe, Newman, Brown, Mathews, Labissiere, and Maker would give Calipari the best college basketball recruiting class in history. Calipari's other great recruiting classes might be comparable in terms of star ratings, but not comparable in terms of balance and top to bottom NBA upside. Maker, Labissiere, Brown, and Newman are all sure fire OAD and future NBA stars. Briscoe and Mathews will be really good too. Add Booker, Ulis, Lee, and Poythress to that bunch and you would have a mythical team. I really like our present team, but the team listed above clearly has a lot more ability to score the ball inside and outside. Other teams would have a very hard time getting off shots around the paint against Maker, Labissiere, Lee, and Poythress. I actually think we have a great shot at signing this class, with the exception of Brown.
Just don't think he will go. Look for him to return for a little more polish on his game and to move up to a little better draft position.
Please show me where you found that booker is 6'4, because draftexpress has his height w/ shoes listed at 6'6.5 and without at 6'5.5. What he lacks is the wingspan, its only 6'6.25, whereas james young was 7'0. Thats the only downside to bookerOriginally posted by RickyRossi:
If by 6'6 you mean 6'4.Originally posted by Rhavicc:
This is just stupid
You lost credibility when you said "undersized". 6'6 shooting guards are not undersized, by any means.
I also wouldn't say he's a "one trick pony". He defends well, and if anybody's shot isn't falling, you'd "barely know he's on the floor". But how often have you seen his shot not falling? That's the appeal.
That said, he'll end up as a 1st round pick, and will have a good career when he goes, but he won't go after this year. He knows he has plenty to improve on, his dad has likely reinforced that, and frankly, I'm not so sure he's ready to leave his best friend behind to pursue a career in the NBA when he has a lot to build on.
He's not going pro after this year and if he does it's a mistake. He's basically Trajan Langdon, Minus the consistent production over 3 seasons.
He defends well? Booker plays defense. He's no defense stopper. And it's easy to play defense at the college level and all out pressure the ball everywhere when you have 2 Seven Footers on the floor usually to protect the rim.
He's not Bruce Bowen or Tony Allen. He plays good team defense within the scheme.
He's not a great athlete but he's not a poor athlete.
I like Booker, but if he's not hitting his shots, which he has been as of late after that initial slump, you wouldn't notice him hardly at all.
UK fans are just always going crazy over Box Scores and anybody who has a few good games in a row is a potential First Round pick.
We aren't halfway thru the conference season right now. Who cares right now?? Enjoy the damn right.
I have been out looking on most of the 2015 NBA Mock Draft Boards and the first three I looked at didn't have Booker in the 1st or 2nd Round for 2015. In 2016 Mock Draft 1st round they have both Booker and Ullis going in the 1st Round. I am not saying 100% that I think Booker returns for his Sophmore year but if Booker returns then he could really improve on moving up in the TOP 10 Draft Board with another year of experience. Booker is one that is going to get better and better and even though he is 6'6 many recruiters including his dad say he needs to work on the weights and get stronger and another year at UK would improve his draft status in 2016 and probably would move right up in one of the Lottery Picks in 2016. I say both Booker and Ullis stay another year and see WCS, Towns, Lyles, Twins, and maybe Johnson go in the Draft for 2015. That would leave Ullis, Booker, Lee, and POY(back from injury) to go along with new Recruits Matthews, Briscoe, and Skai, Newman, Zimmerman, and one more.
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anon_013cn8yrfncx2
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Don't believe he's ready and don't believe he'll go. It's not like the NBA has no shooters. Most all of the guards can shoot it.
He's not going to start in the NBA next year no matter what. If his dad has some money (don't know) then he likely stays. Remember the Florida kids whose dads had NBA money and they stayed to win a second title.
He's not going to start in the NBA next year no matter what. If his dad has some money (don't know) then he likely stays. Remember the Florida kids whose dads had NBA money and they stayed to win a second title.
Booker plays well in all phases of the game. It is obvious that he is a great teammate and isn't afraid of anyone on the court. He may be back next season, but it won't be because he wouldn't be a first round drat choice!
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If Kentucky loses 7 guys and all of them are drafted, it means our guys won the national title.
In that scenario, I could live with a mass exodus. Not only could I live with it, but I'd hold the door open for them as them departed for draft night and wish them blessings and fortune.
Winning #9 and adding either Newman or Brown is really a best-case scenario. You'd win a priceless national title that would likely sustain the program's expectations for the rest of the Calipari era, and you'd add a potential future NBA All Start in the person of either Brown or Newman.
I'm not sure if it's reasonable to expect anything more.
In that scenario, I could live with a mass exodus. Not only could I live with it, but I'd hold the door open for them as them departed for draft night and wish them blessings and fortune.
Winning #9 and adding either Newman or Brown is really a best-case scenario. You'd win a priceless national title that would likely sustain the program's expectations for the rest of the Calipari era, and you'd add a potential future NBA All Start in the person of either Brown or Newman.
I'm not sure if it's reasonable to expect anything more.
Personally I think the chances of Booker leaving after this year is extremely small from everything I've heard. It would be a mistake if he did. He's got pretty good size for an NBA SG and is a very good shooter but after that what else does he have that's NBA level? Honestly he's not a great defender, he's not terrible and he's actually been better than I expected but he's still average. He's a poor rebounder for his size. Athletically he's much better than I thought he would be, but he would still be a very average athlete at best in the NBA. He's a pretty decent passer for a SG. He's also smart and makes good decisions for the most part.
Add all that together and that's not a player that should be thinking about being a OAD. Also if anything I think be benefits from his skin tone because people see a 6'6 light skinned player who is a great shooter and the first person they think of is Klay Thompson. Other than those three things they really aren't alike. Klay is a very good defender, usually taking the other teams best perimeter player. I can't imagine Booker guarding a middle of the road NBA SG or SF let alone a teams best option. Klay is also a better rebounder and athlete and passer as well.
I love Devin. He looks to be one of the best, if not the best, shooters to ever play here. But he's more Danny Green than Klay Thompson right now. Booker will be back along Ulis next season.
But if something crazy happened and Booker did leave, Malik Newman would more than fill his shoes. Newman will start next year either way, just a matter of what position. Malik might not shoot 51% from 3 but he will be above 40% and shoot at a higher rate than Devin. Newman would be the best pure scorer Cal has had at UK and one of the very best UK has ever had in its history. Presuming he comes here, which I think he will.
Add all that together and that's not a player that should be thinking about being a OAD. Also if anything I think be benefits from his skin tone because people see a 6'6 light skinned player who is a great shooter and the first person they think of is Klay Thompson. Other than those three things they really aren't alike. Klay is a very good defender, usually taking the other teams best perimeter player. I can't imagine Booker guarding a middle of the road NBA SG or SF let alone a teams best option. Klay is also a better rebounder and athlete and passer as well.
I love Devin. He looks to be one of the best, if not the best, shooters to ever play here. But he's more Danny Green than Klay Thompson right now. Booker will be back along Ulis next season.
But if something crazy happened and Booker did leave, Malik Newman would more than fill his shoes. Newman will start next year either way, just a matter of what position. Malik might not shoot 51% from 3 but he will be above 40% and shoot at a higher rate than Devin. Newman would be the best pure scorer Cal has had at UK and one of the very best UK has ever had in its history. Presuming he comes here, which I think he will.
I wonder if the Twins decision will affect Booker's. Or vice versa with Ulis in the mix. Like if the Twins decide to stay, for whatever reason, does that make Booker, knowing playing time take a hit, think hard about jumping to the NBA?
We can't run 4 platoons next year, can we?!
Kidding aside, I imagine some of our players will head to the NBA if others stay, or maybe even a recruit or do decides to play elsewhere if enough guys comes back...
We can't run 4 platoons next year, can we?!
Kidding aside, I imagine some of our players will head to the NBA if others stay, or maybe even a recruit or do decides to play elsewhere if enough guys comes back...
I think Towns and Willie are both starters, and Towns is potentially a future all star. Booker being better than both of those guys suggests you think he is a future superstar, which he's not shown anything yet to suggest he has that ceiling. Right now he's a shooting specialist who hopefully plays defense well enough that he can start if you don't have anyone clearly better. He will be in the league a long time, but he's going to likely be a journeyman for most of his career.
I will say i do think Booker will make a few all star games himself but i doubt his career will be better then WCS or Towns .