After nearly a month of Kentucky fans circling and re-circling Milan Momcilovic's name in the transfer portal as the team's needed star addition, the day for a decision has finally arrived. By midnight tonight, Momcilovic will have to make the call to either return to college or stay in the NBA Draft.
Malachi Moreno returning from the draft process last week was a big win for Kentucky, but Mark Pope's third roster remains without a true superstar. It may be Pope's best team yet as far as structure and fit go, but without a true replacement for Otega Oweh, the team's ceiling remains relatively shortsighted.
Momcilovic seems to be the ideal fit there, regardless of his likely ludicrous price tag. His 48% metric from range alone may be enought to revive Pope's penchant for a three-point offense.
And, one way or another, we'll know by late tonight what exactly Momcilovic himself is thinking, even if his collegiate destination isn't immediately obvious if he decides to return.
The Waiting Game is Almost Over
While Krysten Peek predicts that Momcilovic will remain in the draft, Jack Pilgrim noted an expectation that he'll return to college. Momcilovic remains in the hunt for a promise from an NBA team, but even if he got it, the money he'll receive on the college level will almost certainly beat whatever he gets in the NBA at first.
When it comes to Momcilovic's college choice, assuming he does come back, Kentucky could technically bear the weight of him choosing elsewhere. Again, Pope has put together a more than competent team with sleeper playmakers across the board.
But it isn't competency that will get Kentucky past the Sweet 16. John Calipari had plenty of competent teams in his waning years in Lexington. Kentucky needs a good team with a great player that's sets them apart.
A Player That Sets Kentucky Apart
Momcilovic isn't necessarily the only option (Tounde Yessoufou remains on the board), but he appears to be both the best fit and most likely pursuit still available. He himself has spoken to his similarities with Pope's system, and Kentucky has made their chase extremely obvious.
This is the sort of recruitment story that we could look back on as absolutely crucial to Mark Pope's time with Kentucky; whether for far better or much worse, it's impossible to know just yet.
But Cats fans (myself included) can breathe knowing that we've finally made it to the day that we'll get some sort of concrete news. The days of confusing headlines and questionable rumors are almost fully over with.
Almost.
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