Jack Pilgrim late night update

[*Fox2Monk*]

Pre Injury he was a projected top 5 pick this year so yeah you take a chance on him. He has all the motivation in the world to get back healthy asap.

If he’s so terrible idk why they have him rated top 5 in the portal. On3 rates him #3, 24/7 #6. 98 overall so I’m guessing they think he’s a difference maker. I get the worries but he solves paint bulk, athleticism, and rebounding/blocking shots we need. Hopefully he gets healthy.

 

[ThwKentuckyKid]

Would be a great pickup, hope we can finish the deal.

 

[Beatle Bum]

How good would JQ have been in Alvaro 's conference?

We should ask Amari Williams and Brea that question. They would probably have a clue.

 

[DaDirtyLeb69]

JQ won't even be healthy by the start of next season. Move on from him.

Alvaro and Yates should get all of our attention from here on.

If they get JQ that’s it, they won’t add anybody else

 

[Hank Camacho_rivals115797]

If they get JQ that’s it, they won’t add anybody else

All the more reason I don't want him. This is the exact kind of kid everyone was sick of under Cal.

 

[DaDirtyLeb69]

All the more reason I don't want him. This is the exact kind of kid everyone was sick of under Cal.

I rather have Yates or Pierre. JQ is just such a big risk to take

 

[qwesley]

Pretty surprising take but he is swinging big. He could be influenced by watching all the contact being allowed late in this tourney.

 

[SkyPrince1]

We should ask Amari Williams and Brea that question. They would probably have a clue.

Probably say he would've been bad ***

 

[SkyPrince1]

I rather have Yates or Pierre. JQ is just such a big risk to take

Maybe but at the end of the day you have to take who wants to be here.
If that's also includes Yates or Pierre then so be it

 

[Blue till I die]

My preference would be to get Yates and Alvaro

But if we can somehow get 2 players:
1 of Yates/Pierre
1 of Alvaro/JQ

I would have to give Pope an A+ for portal recruiting

 

[MachineHead]

Nope. No guarantee with ACL, plus in Pope’s offense he’s not an outside threat. Maybe someone can make a case, but I don’t see it. I’d prefer two athletic shooters.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Not sure how to feel on that. He could potentially be really good. He's also coming off a blown ACL. A bit risky.

But if he's coming in to literally compete for Almonor minutes, what risk have you taken?

If he doesn't rehab fully, you still have Mo D at the 4 as your Dennis Rodman, and Kam Williams as your small-ball four.

I guess I'm struggling to imagine the risk factor.

 

[Hank Camacho_rivals115797]

I guess I'm struggling to imagine the risk factor.

Of having only one serviceable 4 on the roster? I'd say thats a pretty big risk, especially when the guy we just added can't shoot and Quaintence is worse.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Nope. No guarantee with ACL, plus in Pope’s offense he’s not an outside threat. Maybe someone can make a case, but I don’t see it. I’d prefer two athletic shooters.

There's no guarantee with anyone. Just look at the last season with four or five of our guys getting injured.

The case is that UK presently only has one pit bull on the low block, and that's Mo D, who is only 6'7", 220lbs on a good day.

The case is that the Final Four just features a legion of junk yard dogs: Reuben Chinyelu, J'Wan Roberts, Johni Broome, Khaman Maluach, etc.

UK doesn't have any interior bruisers outside of Mo D.

JQ checks that box.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Of having only one serviceable 4 on the roster? I'd say thats a pretty big risk, especially when the guy we just added can't shoot and Quaintence is worse.

JQ has just as much of a chance of playing as everyone's favorite Spaniard does. 6 to 9 month recovery is more than enough time to rehab from his injury.

Do people really believe Pope and his staff haven't considered all the angles our fans worried about?

We had a fully-healthy roster going into last season, and then we lost Kerr, Carr, JR, Butler, etc.

Injuries are a non-predictive reality of the game. You bring in a player, you role the dice that they'll stay healthy, regardless of the player.

 

[Titpwhami2014]

Of having only one serviceable 4 on the roster? I'd say thats a pretty big risk, especially when the guy we just added can't shoot and Quaintence is worse.

How do you know he’s the last player Pope signs? They just played the national championship game last night. We didn’t have a roster 365 days ago. There is ample time to add a few more.

 

[UKfan2151]

Hopefully Pope now realizes the need for some physical bigs to insert into the line-up when needed. Finesse guys are nice, but the SEC schedule and NCAA tournament demand physicality. Dioubate and JQ both provide some of that.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

How do you know he’s the last player Pope signs? They just played the national championship game last night. We didn’t have a roster 365 days ago. There is ample time to add a few more.

This.

Some keep assuming UK will only sign one more player. UK currently stands at 11 scholarship players. There's room for four more. I'm expecting UK to add at least two more, and wouldn't be shocked if they add three.

And people need to get the idea of "yeah but, that will cost player such and such minutes" out of their heads. Pope isn't running a charity here. He's running a team filled with players who collect a check to play a game.

If a few guys get their feelings hurt in the process of Pope trying to upgrade the roster, so be it.

 

[Eccain01]

Of having only one serviceable 4 on the roster? I'd say thats a pretty big risk, especially when the guy we just added can't shoot and Quaintence is worse.

JQ is a rim protector and a lob threat he doesn’t need to shoot 3s .

 

[ia.ukfan_rivals]

Don’t really get playing it safe, the goal is to win a title. How does peak Alvaro do that over JQ?

Alvaro seems like his peak is what we wanted out of Carr.

JQ peak seems to be dominant defense and rebounding.

With Pope we won’t lose often due to offense. We lost this year with defense and rebounding. Who cares if he isn’t healthy in September - Nov, those games are mostly cupcakes, and in the end it’s all about how good are you playing going into march.

Hard to see how JQ does not raise our ceiling quite a bit more.

Also I’ve read many who complain about getting a rim protector and then we may get the top ranked rim protector and you’re not happy

 

[Hank Camacho_rivals115797]

Injuries are a non-predictive reality of the game.

That's just simply not true. This guy just had ACL surgery. We can recruit a ton of guys who didn't.

He's also 18 and going to jump to the NBA as soon as he can. What's the best case scenario here -- that he plays himself into shape in January and we get a few weeks of good play next March before he leaves for the NBA?

 

[Hank Camacho_rivals115797]

JQ is a rim protector and a lob threat he doesn’t need to shoot 3s .

He does if he plays the 4 here. Also, Dioubate is already a 4 with a questionable shot. We going to add a second?

As for his supposed shotblocking prowess, he was blocking 5'10 white guys in the paint from St. Thomas and Cal Poly. I legit thought Cal Poly was a high school girls team for a second and it was exhibition footage or something. That's not even a joke. That's the level of competition from those "highlights".

 

[warrior-cat]

I mean that both ways, not s sure thing he comes, not a sure thing he's gonna be good. ACL's are tricky. He may come out and be good or he may come out and worry about injuring it again. Knees are confidence injuries a lot of times.

Yeah, and as big as he is, more stress is put on the injury. Rehab and strength training has to be greatly tempered and monitored. If we are going to pay him big, I hope it is structured based on his ability to get healthy and not up front just to get him here.

 

[ia.ukfan_rivals]

That's just simply not true. This guy just had ACL surgery. We can recruit a ton of guys who didn't.

He's also 18 and going to jump to the NBA as soon as he can. What's the best case scenario here -- that he plays himself into shape in January and we get a few weeks of good play next March before he leaves for the NBA?

Move up the timeline to play his way into shape starting in Oct practice, Nov/Dec games. Gets healthy and is a 12/10 defensive force who anchors a a great defense and we make a final 4, and maybe more.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Don’t really get playing it safe, the goal is to win a title. How does peak Alvaro do that over JQ?

Alvaro seems like his peak is what we wanted out of Carr.

JQ peak seems to be dominant defense and rebounding.

With Pope we won’t lose often due to offense. We lost this year with defense and rebounding. Who cares if he isn’t healthy in September - Nov, their games are mostly cupcakes, and in the end it’s all about how good are you playing going into march.

Hard to see how JQ does raise our ceiling quite a bit more.

Also I’ve read many who complain about getting a rim protector and then we may get the top ranked rim protector and you’re not happy

Good post.

There has to be compromises with every roster.

1. Our fans want rim protection, rebounding, and defense. Okay, well you're not getting that with a pile of finesse-styled Andrew Carrs on the team. You have to sacrifice something to get something else.

2. Our fans also want Andrew Carr and Almonor. Okay, well then you're not getting J'Wan Roberts with that.

Pope is doing his best to put together a team that features a bit of all of it, and then be great at a few things. It looks like he wants his wing players to be great next year. If you can get a lowpost player like JQ who also has the potential to be great, then you take it, especially when he doesn't pencil in as a day-one starter.

 

[Eccain01]

He does if he plays the 4 here. Also, Dioubate is already a 4 with a questionable shot. We going to add a second?

As for his supposed shotblocking prowess, he was blocking 5'10 white guys in the paint from St. Thomas and Cal Poly. I legit thought Cal Poly was a high school girls team for a second and it was exhibition footage or something. That's not even a joke. That's the level of competition from those "highlights".

I doubt he just plays the 4 here. And idk what your beef is with him but he played several big 12 games before getting hurt in late February. So no he didn’t just block shots vs “cal poly”

 

[JonathanW_rivals]

If they get JQ that’s it, they won’t add anybody else

No. We still need a perimeter shooter/scorer

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

He does if he plays the 4 here. Also, Dioubate is already a 4 with a questionable shot. We going to add a second?

As for his supposed shotblocking prowess, he was blocking 5'10 white guys in the paint from St. Thomas and Cal Poly. I legit thought Cal Poly was a high school girls team for a second and it was exhibition footage or something. That's not even a joke. That's the level of competition from those "highlights".

Did you have an issue with Almonor getting 14.6 minutes per game last year as UK's backup four-man?

He averaged 0.11 rebounds per minute, as a 6'7", 245 lb four-man.

If you want a stretch four as a reserve, one who can shoot the ball at a high clip, we've already got one. His name is Kam Williams. And before you offer a rebuttal about why it wouldn't work, he actually rebounded at a better clip than Almonor at 0.14 rebounds per minute.

If you had no issue with Almonor (who was a terrible rebounder and offered next to no physical presence inside) being our backup four last year, why would you have an issue with Williams being the back-up four?

Williams is infinitely more crafty, a better shooter (percentage-wise), and a better rebounder.

So if JQ doesn't work out, you just shift schemes when Williams checks in behind Mo-D.

Problem solved.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

If they get JQ that’s it, they won’t add anybody else

Says who? They just wasting time on Yates and Pierre for shizz and giggles?

 

[Hank Camacho_rivals115797]

Did you have an issue with Almonor getting 14.6 minutes per game last year as UK's backup four-man?

He averaged 0.11 rebounds per minute, as a 6'7", 245 lb four-man.

If you want a stretch four as a reserve, one who can shoot the ball at a high clip, we've already got one. His name is Kam Williams. And before you offer a rebuttal about why it wouldn't work, he actually rebounded at a better clip than Almonor at 0.14 rebounds per minute.

If you had no issue with Almonor (who was a terrible rebounder and offered next to no physical presence inside) being our backup four last year, why would you have an issue with Williams being the back-up four?

Williams is infinitely more crafty, a better shooter (percentage-wise), and a better rebounder.

So if JQ doesn't work out, you just shift schemes when Williams checks in behind Mo-D.

Problem solved.

Who cares about Almonor?

How on Earth would 18 year old, injured Quaintance match up against the grown *** men of Houston?

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Who cares about Almonor?

How on Earth would 18 year old, injured Quaintance match up against the grown *** men of Houston?

The same way Boogie Cousins matched up against the grown men he faced all year. The same way Bam, and Towns, and Randle did.

JQ has the same level of potential.

And you totally ignored my point about Kam Williams filling that Almonor role, and doing it on a higher level.

 

[Ryan Lemonds Hair]

Don’t really get playing it safe, the goal is to win a title. How does peak Alvaro do that over JQ?

Alvaro seems like his peak is what we wanted out of Carr.

JQ peak seems to be dominant defense and rebounding.

With Pope we won’t lose often due to offense. We lost this year with defense and rebounding. Who cares if he isn’t healthy in September - Nov, those games are mostly cupcakes, and in the end it’s all about how good are you playing going into march.

Hard to see how JQ does raise our ceiling quite a bit more.

Also I’ve read many who complain about getting a rim protector and then we may get the top ranked rim protector and you’re not happy

I agree with you that we missed tough defensive guys who could also rebound and block shots. We also missed having a guy that we could lob to on penetration.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Don’t really get playing it safe, the goal is to win a title. How does peak Alvaro do that over JQ?

Alvaro seems like his peak is what we wanted out of Carr.

JQ peak seems to be dominant defense and rebounding.

With Pope we won’t lose often due to offense. We lost this year with defense and rebounding. Who cares if he isn’t healthy in September - Nov, those games are mostly cupcakes, and in the end it’s all about how good are you playing going into march.

Hard to see how JQ does raise our ceiling quite a bit more.

Also I’ve read many who complain about getting a rim protector and then we may get the top ranked rim protector and you’re not happy

Definitely a risk/reward thing.. JQ absolutely has a higher ceiling.

I guess what I'm not in love with is having to pay him a big NIL pay day when he's coming off a torn ACL. Rehab may delay, he will likely play reserved for a while.. JQ might have a similar sesson to Aaron Bradshaw in that regards. And paying a few mil in NIL for that is very risky to me

But I guess scared money don't make no money.

 

[Hank Camacho_rivals115797]

And you totally ignored my point about Kam Williams filling that Almonor role, and doing it on a higher level.

I agree with that point -- it just has nothing to do with JQ. Dioubate is a 25 mpg guy at the 4 tops. We can't have Williams, Noah, or Moreno trying to fill in 15 minutes per game at the 4. We NEED another 4, in addition to Dioubate, preferably one who can shoot. The Spaniard seemed perfect.

Instead, we get this turd sandwich of news. I absolutely hate this pick up and nothing anyone has said has been inspiring at all to be frank. I don't want 18 year olds. I don't want to pay kids coming off injuries. I don't want former Cal players. I don't want kids who can't shoot. I don't want anyone who reminds me of Shaedon Sharpe. I don't want anyone looking to jump to the league at the first whiff of attention.

Other than that, JQ sounds great!

 

[senonesy]

Who cares about Almonor?

How on Earth would 18 year old, injured Quaintance match up against the grown *** men of Houston?

Better than anyone we had last year or thus far this year.

 

[wccat]

How pleased are you if we sign JQ with the offensive skills of our bigs? Definitely need guys who can beat and bang and get some rebounds and protect the rim but how skilled offensive are they? BG definitely needs to improve in that area. Can they get the ball in the post and make a move to score?

 

[Jamal Mercer]

Regarding the ACL, this is not 1983 anymore. People can and do recover fairly easily.

Maybe he starts a little slow in October and November but by December and definitely by SEC season, he’d be a full go.

He’s a beast on the glass and on D. I for one would be pretty excited if he committed here.

 

[tj4fun]

Don’t really get playing it safe, the goal is to win a title. How does peak Alvaro do that over JQ?

Alvaro seems like his peak is what we wanted out of Carr.

JQ peak seems to be dominant defense and rebounding.

With Pope we won’t lose often due to offense. We lost this year with defense and rebounding. Who cares if he isn’t healthy in September - Nov, those games are mostly cupcakes, and in the end it’s all about how good are you playing going into march.

Hard to see how JQ does raise our aceiling quite a bit more.

Also I’ve read many who complain about getting a rim protector and then we may get the top ranked rim protector and you’re not happy

I'm happy. Anybody that watched the SEC and the final 4 should be well aware that our front court would've had there lunch stolen! As good as Florida was inside against sec teams, I thought Houston manhandle them inside! It looks like it was brutal! If that's how they call contact inside in the final 4, this gives us a chance to compete inside! I think it's important to have both skill and brutal strength inside. I really think our back court is good enough to get there, our front court was our weakest link up til now! Assuming he recovers and gets back to normal! I like it
Offensive rebounding when you have a 3 point shooting team is extremely important!

 

[BleedBlue13]

I agree with that point -- it just has nothing to do with JQ. Dioubate is a 25 mpg guy at the 4 tops. We can't have Williams, Noah, or Moreno trying to fill in 15 minutes per game at the 4. We NEED another 4, in addition to Dioubate, preferably one who can shoot. The Spaniard seemed perfect.

Instead, we get this turd sandwich of news. I absolutely hate this pick up and nothing anyone has said has been inspiring at all to be frank. I don't want 18 year olds. I don't want to pay kids coming off injuries. I don't want former Cal players. I don't want kids who can't shoot. I don't want anyone who reminds me of Shaedon Sharpe. I don't want anyone looking to jump to the league at the first whiff of attention.

Other than that, JQ sounds great!

Jaded by Calipari and not interested in lottery picks. Not gonna convince the shaking fist at cloud guys. How many people tear acl’s in the nfl and play a full season the next in a full contact sport? Happens every year for multiple guys. We didn’t add a guard and with all of the noise about Yates and Pierre where do you get we won’t take a guard? Getting a PF doesn’t affect that at all.

 

[FirewithFire]

JQ will get the best medical rehab that is available in the USA. Chances are he will be ready to go by December at the latest and his ACL will be even stronger than it was before the injury.

The question is, does the current injury point out that he is injury prone, or was this one just a singularity. It is a gamble that is only worth taking if you have a suitable backup for him. So we need another big to replace him just in case.