It was about playing time for Acaden per the CJ

[UK90]

He was behind Lowe and probably Johnson at PG.

Johnson is not a true point. His best position is on the wing. He might be capable of playing point, but it would be a situation similar to what Chandler was put in this past season: a natural wing forced to play out of position by necessity.

That’s the main reason why the loss of Lewis concerns me. We don’t need a second straight season where the lack of a real backup point is a glaring weakness.

 

[LmdCat]

There are still some good players in the portal. I would rather have them than a 170-pound freshman who doesn't have enough confidence in his abilities to take on good competition. He probably thought this was UK of old, the one that would hand out starter positions based on the number of stars vs the size of hearts. Pope shouldn't want anyone who isn't willing to fight for his playing time.

 

[senonesy]

The coaching staff cannot let it get to this point, signed in November. This flat sucks, no matter how it's spun.

And what would you have recommended the coaching staff do? Quit adding good portal players?

 

[LmdCat]

Yeah outside Lee the market is very thin now on quality guards, there are some SG left but not PG’s. Wish he would have pulled this stunt when Dent, Thomas, etc.. were still uncommitted. Wilkerson feels like a must get now that we are supposedly out with Pierre.

For a backup, you are not going to get someone who grades out as a starter. CJ as a freshman was ideal for the position only because he is nowhere near ready to compete at the SEC level. day one.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

For a backup, you are not going to get someone who grades out as a starter.

Guess it depends on how much ya pay. I mean Duke has no problem doing it and neither did UofL. Usually I agree but honestly Acaden would have gotten plenty of PT. We are one injury away from having one real PG on the roster.

 

[ORCAT]

PT was there for him to fight for. He didn't want to fight so I'm glad he's gone rather than have an unhappy player on the bench, hurting us later in the season. Pope will find a quality replacement for him, I'm confident in that.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Johnson is not a true point. His best position is on the wing. He might be capable of playing point, but it would be a situation similar to what Chandler was put in this past season: a natural wing forced to play out of position by necessity.

That’s the main reason why the loss of Lewis concerns me. We don’t need a second straight season where the lack of a real backup point is a glaring weakness.

Pretty sure he played PG at OTE this past season. His NBA position will be PG.

 

[bookerfan66]

Nova is in contact.

 

[LmdCat]

Guess it depends on how much ya pay. I mean Duke has no problem doing it and neither did UofL. Usually I agree but honestly Acaden would have gotten plenty of PT. We are on injury away from having one real PG on the roster.

You are probably right, but if he doesn't have the heart to fight for his playing time, he probably would have been more trouble than he is worth. He and his foul mouth father would have been constantly clock watching. My guess is if Pope was concerned about his loss, he would have given some assurances to keep him. Also, I am certain that Pope realized the risk of bringing in the additional guard knowing that there was a chance he would lose Acaden but obviously thought he would be gaining more than he was losing.

 

[ImTheVillageIdiot]

Johnson is not a true point. His best position is on the wing. He might be capable of playing point, but it would be a situation similar to what Chandler was put in this past season: a natural wing forced to play out of position by necessity.

That’s the main reason why the loss of Lewis concerns me. We don’t need a second straight season where the lack of a real backup point is a glaring weakness.

Chandler is not/was not a CG. Chandler is a pure wing. Johnson is a CG.

Chandler does not equal Johnson in terms of ballhandling responsibilities

 

[G-PIP]

Pretty sure he played PG at OTE this past season. His NBA position will be PG.

I thought Taylen Kinney played the Point alongside Johnson this high school season.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

You are probably right, but if he doesn't have the heart to fight for his playing time, he probably would have been more trouble than he is worth. He and his foul mouth father would have been constantly clock watching.

No doubt about that now. If he is so talented he shouldn’t have worried much IMO. I miss the days of Bledsoe and Wall knowing they were both so good they would play no matter what.

 

[LmdCat]

No doubt about that now. If he is so talented he should t have worried much IMO. I miss the days of Bledsoe and Wall knowing they were both so good they would play no matter what.

You are correct. If the talent is there, the NBA has sharp enough people to detect talent even if they are not starters. If he knows anything about college basketball and the school he signed with, he should have known that Kentucky just recently watched two of their non-starters head to the NBA as high draft picks.

 

[Catlogic15]

You are correct. If the talent is there, the NBA has sharp enough people to detect talent even if they are not starters.

Pettiford didn’t start for Auburn. He was integral to their success. I’m sure he has NBA eyes on him,

 

[Shaudylo]

The coaching staff cannot let it get to this point, signed in November. This flat sucks, no matter how it's spun.

What exactly do you suggest the coaches do ? In November you don’t know who exactly will be in the portal . Unless you’re some top 5 or 10 HS player you shouldn’t expect to be the clear starter .

Considering he wanted to commit to UCONN originally maybe he never was fully committed mentally or it could be the situation with the father .

Every decommit isn’t exactly on the coach.

 

[ArtLaibsGhost_rivals]

I'm trying to think of a UK recruit that decomitted ( minus a coaching change) and went elsewhere that was worth a damn. Can't do it, unless you consider Hickman good ( I don't). Vaya con Dios Mr Lewis

 

[Anon1679859502]

I thought Taylen Kinney played the Point alongside Johnson this high school season.

Would love for UK to get Kinney

 

[MegaBlue05]

If that’s the case, good riddance. He is seemingly afraid of competition with older players and wants to be the man.

Reeks of AAU entitlement to me.

 

[G-PIP]

Would love for UK to get Kinney

Yeah, Kinney can come in behind a Sr. Lowe, get plenty of time (15+ min/gm) to acclimate, develop and mature a little, and then be ready to take over the primary PG duties as a sophomore.

 

[Game Se7en]

Freshman committments have to be taken with a grain of salt now with all the portal movement.

Between that and injuries, I for one am going to avoid the chaos and just tune in and see who's playing that night.

 

[Trinity45]

From today’s article in the CJ.

Sounds like a wah wah to me.

Well if he is to scared to compete for playing time then UK is not the place for him.

 

[Randy Bob]

If he had been good enough he would have got to play alot, might be a good thing he is gone, hope Pope can find another experienced PG.

 

[W1LDCAT22]

Pope can’t guarantee playing time to a 4 star freshman. Popes job and responsibility is to win at Kentucky. He has millions of insanely rabid fans that will jump down his neck, way worse than anyone in Lewis camp. Way too big a risk, and Lewis camp sounded like they had no confidence he could beat out the ONE other pure PG we brought in.

So can Pope guarantee playing time for a 5 star then? Lewis was a fringe 4/5 star on all of the industry ranking websites, making him close to being a 5 star recruit. If Pope can't guarantee playing time for 5 stars either, is this why we have whiffed on so many high-level recruits?

 

[W1LDCAT22]

I figured Johnson was a 2/3 so really you have Lowe at the 1 whoever else plays the spot lacks the ball handling skills against SEC competition

I don't see JJ as a PG either.

 

[Panthur]

Yeah zero loss. I was happy to have him coming. Had zero interest in seeing him try to contribute anything this year except maybe Mountain Mamba type feels in a few games.

The only difference this makes in my mind is I hope whoever we replace him with does have two-to-three years of eligibility so we don’t miss the chance to pair JJ with a strongly system-developed kid the way we originally planned.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

You are correct. If the talent is there, the NBA has sharp enough people to detect talent even if they are not starters. If he knows anything about college basketball and the school he signed with, he should have known that Kentucky just recently watched two of their non-starters head to the NBA as high draft picks.

Exactly how did all those guys in 2015 get drafted?

 

[chasingwildcat]

Johnson is not a true point. His best position is on the wing. He might be capable of playing point, but it would be a situation similar to what Chandler was put in this past season: a natural wing forced to play out of position by necessity.

That’s the main reason why the loss of Lewis concerns me. We don’t need a second straight season where the lack of a real backup point is a glaring weakness.

He is combo guard who can play pg

He has 6 assists per game in ote

He is not a guard who can not handle and pass, he is not pure scorer

It is ok for him to play either 1 or 2 at different times in game depending on situation

 

[dmacforheisman]

Arkansas has Acuff and Wagner so that's a no.
Maryland makes sense if Buzz wasn't the coach.
Seems to soft to play for Buzz.
I could see Virginia or Georgetown.

Arkansas could use a shooter. Acuff may be that guy but Thomas, Richmond and Wagner are all drive-first players. Pierre shot 38% from deep last year so I could see him carving out a role but it also does get crowded so who knows.

 

[SkyPrince1]

Arkansas could use a shooter. Acuff may be that guy but Thomas, Richmond and Wagner are all drive-first players. Pierre shot 38% from deep last year so I could see him carving out a role but it also does get crowded so who knows.

Pierre maybe but I was referring to Lewis.

 

[fatguy87]

He is combo guard who can play pg

He has 6 assists per game in ote

He is not a guard who can not handle and pass, he is not pure scorer

It is ok for him to play either 1 or 2 at different times in game depending on situation

We've seen it happen numerous times in the Cal Era.

We bring in a PG. He's not as good as the combo guard. Combo guard takes over the PG position and the team gets better. SGA is the poster child for that situation.

 

[Magloire_52]

Maybe unpopular take but I think we actually benefit from this in the long run. A better portal guy and one not looking to jet to the NBA soon as they get to campus. I think Acaden will benefit too, not that he wouldn’t have here but he can faster at a place like UNC. Win, Win in my book

 

[NociHTTP]

Maybe unpopular take but I think we actually benefit from this in the long run. A better portal guy and one not looking to jet to the NBA soon as they get to campus. I think Acaden will benefit too, not that he wouldn’t have here but he can faster at a place like UNC. Win, Win in my book

He'll definitely have infinite access to the gym there. No books required.

 

[AJG-15]

They wanted him.
Maybe not under the conditions he wanted.
Pope would not bail on a commitment unless he himself did something to embarrass the University.
This has nothing to do with his dad.

So the university would willingly associate themselves with a player dad has issues with the law?

 

[AJG-15]

I made this point in another thread. Dad needs 300+k restitution after sentencing in June and revisited the well.
Pope said no. Someone else will say yes.

Bingo. And probably also said that we don’t want to be associated with…. And decimated is saving face for both parties.

 

[SkyPrince1]

So the university would willingly associate themselves with a player dad has issues with the law?

The dad is not part of the team so their is no direct association.
Kelenna Azubuike was here three years and was as high character as they come while his dad was involved in something similar to Acaden's dad.
Lots of D1 football and basketball players have had parents incarcerated while they played.
Can't hold the kid accountable for their parents actions.

 

[SkyPrince1]

Bingo. And probably also said that we don’t want to be associated with…. And decimated is saving face for both parties.

It not that complicated.
Jaland Lowe and his two years of remaining eligibility are the reasons for the decommit.
He was just not going to go for potentially being a two year backup.

 

[TFCat11]

Oh wow! Please give me a moment to get over this tragedy! How will UK recover after this disaster?

 

[LmdCat]

Oh wow! Please give me a moment to get over this tragedy! How will UK recover after this disaster?

The season is over for Kentucky because a 4-star athlete runs from competition, smh. If he quickly runs from tough competition before the game begins, he will probably run from tough competition during games. Never go to battle with a runner. Lol

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

I figured Johnson was a 2/3 so really you have Lowe at the 1 whoever else plays the spot lacks the ball handling skills against SEC competition

Rivals had him as the #2 PG in the country.

 

[ok-cats-computer]

So....

Jai Lucas recruits Boozer twins to Duke.

Jai Lucas leaves for Miami, the hometown of the Boozer twins and the runner-up in their recruitment.

Yesterday, Jai Lucas hires the HS coach of the Boozer twins to be an assistant on his staff.

Cayden Boozer was slated to be Duke's starting PG next year.

Duke is suddenly the favorite for Nate Ament, a 5-star PF, when they already have a 5-star (and higher-rated) PF in Cameron Boozer expecting to start.

Is there a world where Duke knows the Boozer's are going to bolt to Miami, and started back-channeling to Acaden about filling that spot in Durham and promising him a starting spot?

I'm not sure, but it's all very odd.

So....

Jai Lucas recruits Boozer twins to Duke.

Jai Lucas leaves for Miami, the hometown of the Boozer twins and the runner-up in their recruitment.

Yesterday, Jai Lucas hires the HS coach of the Boozer twins to be an assistant on his staff.

Cayden Boozer was slated to be Duke's starting PG next year.

Duke is suddenly the favorite for Nate Ament, a 5-star PF, when they already have a 5-star (and higher-rated) PF in Cameron Boozer expecting to start.

Is there a world where Duke knows the Boozer's are going to bolt to Miami, and started back-channeling to Acaden about filling that spot in Durham and promising him a starting spot?

I'm not sure, but it's all very odd.