One and done

I heard some people today discussing Kentucky basketball and recruiting. Now first of all I can't stand when people talk about things they know nothing about, and try to act like they do. Anyway there was several people talking about the amount of one and done players that coach Cal brings in every year, and it's affect on the program. Just about everyone of them agreed that the practice of bringing in one and done players is, in the long run hurting the team. I just don't understand this type of thinking at all.

I mean, where would we be RIGHT NOW without Coach Cal bring in the likes of Wall, Bledsoe, Big Cuz, and yes even Daniel Orton? To echo the words of Matt Jones of KSR on his daily radio show today, we would be right where Indiana is now. No other coach in America excluding Roy Williams or Coach K (because no way they would leave to take UK job) could have rebuilt the program the way Coach Cal has done in such a short amount of time with ONE AND DONE type players. It wasn't too long ago, you could go to any message board ( which I hate by the way) and all you would read about is how Kentucky should be landing top players like UNC, Kansas and Duke. Now all of a sudden getting every top player you can is a bad thing? Just doesn't seem like logical thinking to me.

Players like Wall or Cousins don't come around every day, and if you got a chance to sign one or both you do it. Now I will agree that having SOME experience is a good thing, but what good is "EXPERIENCE" without talent around it? Take Wall and the other freshman away from last years team and look at the roster. Sure you have some EXPERIENCE but what is missing? Raw NBA talent that you need to win besides Patrick Patterson. And Patterson isn't an athletic freak like a Wall, Patterson got to where he is by working his tail off and I admire him for that and so should the rest of you. In my mind Patterson is the perfect example of the type of player you go after and try to get him to stick around a couple of years. You get some NBA ready talent signed and sprinkle in a couple of Patterson type players and you got yourself a Final Four caliber team. This year should have been like that, none of the coaches expected Bledsoe, Cousins, and Orton to be gone after one year. Think about this years team with those three back like the coaches thought they would.

Then I hear everyone ALREADY talking about who is going to leave early this year. Well it's my personal opinion that we lose just one underclassman. That of course will be Terrence Jones if he continues to put up the kind of numbers he is right now. As far a Knight and Lamb are concerned, I believe they both come back next year. Put those two guys with the rest of the returning players and the freshman coming in next year and you got one hell of a team.

My point is this, given the choice of experience or talent. I will take talent every time. Jordan has more experience the Kobe, don't you think Kobe can take him?