Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Welcome to Silly Season

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Silly Season.

In politics, it’s used to describe that time in an election when things go crazy—the rumors, claims, and hot takes all get amped up another level.

In Kentucky Wildcats basketball, we have officially entered silly season. To be fair, silly season started the day after Wisconsin eliminated the Wildcats in the Final Four. But the past three weeks have proven that we are knee-deep. Let’s briefly review:

On April 9, seven Wildcats announce they’re declaring for the 2015 NBA Draft.

On April 16, 5-star center Stephen Zimmerman committed to UNLV.

On April 24, 5-star guard Malik Newman committed to Mississippi State.

On April 27, 3-star small forward Shaun Kirk committed to North Carolina State hours before receiving an offer from John Calipari.

On April 28, 4-star JUCO guard Mychal Mulder committed to Kentucky. Shortly thereafter, 5-star power forward Cheick Diallo committed to Kansas.

On April 29, ex-Wildcats guard Derek Anderson criticizes Calipari’s coaching methods on a UofL radio program.

As Kentucky fans have watched elite recruit after elite recruit choose another school over their beloved Wildcats, the anxiety and angst in the fanbase has been growing, something about which I have addressed in this space. On Tuesday, after news that Calipari had offered a 3-star small forward (A THREE STAR!!!) a scholarship, one writer at a prominent UK blog declared that Calipari had entered desperation mode and hope was lost for Kentucky fans. And then, after Derek Anderson’s interview, writers from this same site seemed to quickly condemn his comments instead of actually examining whether what he said had any merit.

Is what Anderson said inaccurate? I admit that it is difficult for me to comment wholeheartedly on whether Calipari was outcoached in last year’s National Championship game against Connecticut. I missed large segments of the game, including the last two minutes. But from what I did see—and have read—I don’t think what Anderson said is wholly incorrect. In fact, for all of Calipari’s strengths, “x”s and “o”s aren’t among them. It isn’t that he’s bad at it it’s just that he excels at other areas of coaching. After all, let’s call a spade a spade: The Final Four game versus Wisconsin, especially the last 7 minutes, wasn’t exactly the best moment in Calipari’s coaching career from an “x” and “o” standpoint.

Further, it is hard for me to find fault with Anderson’s comments regarding Calipari shuffling players in and out of the program. Yes, one could argue that both his choice of words (and the venue in which he delivered them) could have been different but at its core, he is right. Since Calipari has been at Kentucky (and even at Memphis before that), he has built his recruiting pitch, in part, on his ability to get you to the NBA. Now, Calipari may not promise anyone that they’ll be a “one-and-done”, he is promising that he won’t stand in the way if, and when, one of his players decides they’re ready to declare for the draft. This is, of course, great for the players who are locks to taken in the first round but maybe not so great for the players who are borderline first round picks (or solidly second round picks). It isn’t so much that Calipari is pushing them out the door as it seems he isn’t trying as hard has maybe he should to keep them around. Dakari Johnson is a perfect example; Dakari is seven feet tall and played almost exclusively below the rim for the 2 years he was at Kentucky. So, while it’s possible Dakari could develop into a solid professional, it also isn’t outside the realm of possibility that he won’t. And, as Anderson asked, then what? Would Dakari have been better off staying in school and trying to work himself into the first round or leaving now?

Ultimately, all of this—the anxiety over recruiting, blogs claiming Calipari is getting desperate, or folks feigning outrage over meaningless comments—just means Kentucky basketball is in the middle of silly season. And the best way to avoid it, is to shutdown the computer, go outside, and enjoy the warm weather.