Can the upcoming NBA lockout lead to an overabundance of riches for the Kentucky Wildcats in 2011-2012?
By Paul Jordan
Notice that I did not say “the possibility of an NBA lockout” in the title of this piece. I think we have gone beyond the realm of a possible lockout and have to face the cold hard fact that there will be a work stoppage in the NBA as of July1.
How bad of a lockout no one really knows, but from some reports this will be enough to wipe out the 2011-2012 season for the NBA. NBA Players Union Executive Director Billy Hunter is telling players to prepare for the worse case scenario:
According to one source within the Sacramento Kings organization, Hunter met with the team two weeks ago and warned the players, “that the lockout would last all of next season”, if an agreement isn’t reached by June 30.
A number of Kings’ players confirmed Hunter did speak directly to the team, but would not expand on his year-long lockout stance.
“It could take a year. It could take a day. We really don’t know, but I know it’s a serious issue and I can see them (players’ association) pushing a lockout,” Carl Landry told Beyond the Beat.
Whether it is merely bluffing by the playes union or not, it is hard to tell. I am sure that to a certain extent, it is. Granted, there is scheduled to be a round of labor talks over the All Star break as well and this could be the defining talks of this situation. Regardless, even without a NBA team, the NBA lockout is of the utmost importance to the BBN and we can bet that the developments will be closely watched by UK players like Terrence Jones, Brandon Knight, and Doron Lamb.
If there is still steady talk of a season long lock out in April when the Wildcats conclude their season, iyou would be hardpressed to imagine any of the three freshmen bolting to the NBA, getting drafted in mid June and then just sitting for a year. Remember, players do not get paid during a lockout and I seriously doubt any GM’s are going to sign the drafted players so close to a work stoppage. So their option would be to stay in school and return to Kentucky and join a team that would be absolutely loaded if the three freshmen return.
PG
Marquis Teague
Doron Lamb
SG
Brandon Knight
DeAndre Liggins
Jon Hood
Stacey Poole
SF
Darius Miller
Michael Gilchrist
F
Terrence Jones
Kyle Wiltjer
F
Anthony Davis
Eloy Vargas
Walkons
Jarrod Polson
Twany Beckham
Granted, I did the best I could to group the players into set positions. The beauty of this team is that Doron Lamb could get plenty of time at both guard positions and DeAndre Liggins and Darius Miller can also fill more than one position. Michael Gilchrist could also start as well. This is not meant as a perspective, but juas as an illustration that this team will be freaking loaded.
The good thing is that under this scenario, Kentucky will still have one scholarship left. With Beckham and Polson, this Kentucky roster will have eight guards. I don’t know if that means Kentucky will still pursue Trevor Lacey or not. You would think that if he is not a Jayhawk soon, DeAndre Daniels or some one like God;s Gift Achiuwa could give some front court depth. Or Calipari may simply hold on to the scholarship and hope for a high profile transfer next season or he could award it to either Polson or Beckham. Either way, it’s a good position to be in.
Keep in mind of this can be for nill if the NBA wraps up it’s labor concerns by say March or April,. Mock drafts of the 2011 NBA draft show Terrence Jones as the 6th pick and Brandon Knight as the 19th pick. As of now, Doron Lamb is not on the board, but if he continues to produce like he is, you can expect him to be perhaps a late first round/early second round projection if not higher. Of course. this is a totally different conversation to have about the state of the 2011-12 roster, but for right now, things are looking rosy for Kentucky.
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