John Calipari's Big Problem

One would not think that with the immense talent that he has on his team this upcoming season that coach John Calipari had a problem. As a matter of fact he does. Coach Cal has the difficult task of deciding who his starting five will be.

The truth of the matter is that most coaches would love to have this problem. Most coaches would die for the chance to have to choose between seven players that could start on any team in the entire country. Sure, some feelings might be hurt as a couple of players are left on the bench, but it’s not like they won’t see minutes.

The Wildcats are solid at point guard with Marquis Teague, at power forward with Terrence Jones and at center with Anthony Davis. After that, it all gets pretty muddled. Calipari has four guys that are fighting and clawing for a starting spot and, from what we have seen from a couple of scrimmages, they all deserve a spot somewhere.

Kidd-Gilchrist and Miller battle it out

One of the most hyped stories coming out of practice are the ferocious battles between Michael Kidd Gilcrhist and Darius Miller. Apparently the two want a starting spot and are going at each other hard everyday. Coach Cal has praised both players for what they bring to the table and for having each other’s back, regardless of who wins out.

On one hand you have Miller, the Kentucky kid that has been a Wildcat for four years and a starter for three years. Miller hung tough through the Gillispie years and even earned a spot on the John Wall team where few thought he could. He has also battled through many ups and downs as he earned the nickname “Disappearius” last season as he was all but invisible in some of the Cats losses. He broke out of that mold and led the Cats to an SEC tournament title in which he earned an MVP trophy and was a large factor in the team going to the Final Four. By all accounts Miller has earned a starting position.

Then you have Kidd Gilchrist. The more I see out of this player the more I cannot see Cal leaving him on the bench. He has too much talent and does too many things well to not play him. He has played at the most elite level of High School basketball at St. Patrick’s in New Jersey, he has traveled over seas and won a Gold Medal in Germany and he was a McDonald’s All American Game MVP. Kidd Gilchrist has the motor and the skill to get to the basket anytime he wants. He is at the right place at the right time for rebounds and put backs, a true garbage man. And his defense is said to match what DeAndre Liggins took to the professional ranks.

Both players are natural three position players. Miller has a much better outside shot than Kidd Gilchrist. Miller has been absolutely burning up the nets and has developed a little floater in the lane that looks difficult to defend. But what Michael lacks in shooting, he makes up for with heart and hustle. There might not be a player on the team with more guts, grit and pure natural ability than Kidd Gilchrist.

The Pure Scorer

Doron Lamb averaged 13 points per game last season but he has the shooting ability to get 30 points on any given night. He logged a 32 point game against Winthrop and held the Kentucky freshman scoring record until Terrence Jones broke it that same season with 35 points.

Lamb became a fan favorite with his cocksure attitude. He famously said this before the Louisville game last season: “We’ll get the win. We ain’t even worrying about that.”  He has the attitude of a shooter, one that forgets the last shot if he missed it and knows the next one is going to go in no matter what.

Lamb had a few liabilities last season that saw him come off of the bench a few times. His defense left coach Calipari stomping his feet and his ball handling skills were suspect when he had to take over point guard duties for Brandon Knight. Both are things that he probably started working on as soon as he announced that he was coming back to Kentucky.

It’s hard to sit an experienced sophomore that could give your team automatic points every time he touches the ball.

The X Factor

Kyle Wiltjer may be the least talked about stud in the country. He is a long, athletic player that can shoot the lights out and is able to bang down low. How does Calipari leave this triple threat on the bench? Wiltjer is said to be unstoppable and has NBA scouts turning their heads and leaving Kevin Durant saying “Wow”.

I doubt there are many players in the country that can drive their opponent on the block, sink threes with a shooters touch and then cap it all off with a hook shot that Dr. J would be proud of. Wiltjer is a player that could average close to a double double every game and could be the most complete basketball player on the team.

What’s a coach to do?
So, there is Calipari’s conundrum; who fills up the final two starting spots?

My guess is that Cal goes with his senior Miller at the two spot, and plays him as a hybrid guard/forward, something that Darius is capable of doing, and then starting Kidd Gilcrhist at the three position. But I could not argue starting Lamb as the pure two guard and starting either Miller or Gilchrist.

I think Wiltjer stays on the bench and is brought in to totally annihilate a tired defender or less skilled defender whenever Calipari feels it necessary.

Any way you slice it John Calipari can’t go wrong. And there are many coaches out there that would love to be stuck with this difficult decision as the season approaches.

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