Iggy Pop's Thursday News and Views

Good morning, my friends, and welcome to a Thursday that’s sure to pack a little less action than our mid-week day together.  Since a little announcment from UK took a little of the talk away from an old guy still dragging his carcass onto television in the name of everything he used to represent, it only seems fitting that we start this Thursday off with a birthday salute to James Newell Ostenberg, Jr.  The man known as Iggy Pop turns 64 Thursday and will most certainly do so sans shirt and in a pair of the skinniest skinny jeans the world has ever seen.  He made a name for himself by gyrating himself all over the world as the lead singer of The Stooges and as a solo act, but recently introduced himself to my wife and horrified 12 year-olds everywhere with a shaking saggy boobed performance on American Idol.  You might not like The Stooges and you might not like Iggy Pop, but if the Karen Sypher trial taught us anything, it’s that you like saggy boobs.  So, for that, we salute Mr. Ostenberg this morning.  And also because I wanted to talk about Tony Danza but I had nothing nice to say about Danny Pintauro.  So we went to the next best option.

Now onto a few UK notes…

 – Undoubtedly, the biggest news of the day was the announcement that Terrence Jones, Brandon Knight and DeAndre Liggins would enter their names into the NBA Draft.  It really wasn’t much of a surprise, as it was what Calipari had advised them to do and none of them signed with an agent, so, hypothetically, they could all still return to Kentucky.  The likelihood of that, we’ll get into in just a second.  For now, what’s worth discussing is that by deciding to get some feedback from NBA folks, the group again sparked the dreadfully repetitive “one and done” debate.  Without writing a dissertation, let’s just all agree that the “one and done” rule sucks.  But it’s still in existence.  Coach Cal didn’t make it up.  He just uses it as well or better than every coach in the country.  And since he walked into a scrap heap of a roster when he arrived in Lexington, he had to utitilize it even more.  Kentucky lost four freshmen last season.  But only two were believed to be “one and done” players.  This year, they could lose two more.  Next year, they could lose two more.  And within that, I believe, you find the method to his madness.  He’s long said that his goal is to have the right mix of talent and experience.  In order for that to happen at Kentucky, he has to recruit the talent and he has to have time to develop the experience.  As time passes, that will happen.  Even if all three players leave, Kentucky will have an All-Conference type of senior (Darius Miller), a one-time five-star junior (Jon Hood) and a top-50 sophomore (Stacey Poole).  The year after that, you could have two top-20 sophomores (Wiltjer and Teague).  If you asked Cal, his intentions are not to build an entirely new roster every year.  But his goal is to make every player as good as they can be.  So, the reason guys keep leaving and the reason he’s the poster child nationally for the practice is because he’s damn good at his job.  When top players start coming in and not realizing their potential, then there’s a problem.

 – As of now, the assumption from those around the program is that Knight will most likely stay in the NBA Draft.  Because the class has been weakened considerably by players opting to return while he pondered what he’d do, he now sits as a top-5 pick in nearly all projections.  And while most of us reasoned (or wishfully thought) that Knight might have some of the same attractions to another year that Patrick Patterson had as a sophomore, the shared opinion is that his lofty status is enough to keep him in the draft.  Obviously, that could change and he could decide to come back to UK and enter the 2012 draft where he’d be slotted 5-10 notches lower, but that doesn’t seem likely as of now.  He might be a better player this time next year, but that doesn’t mean he’s getting drafted higher.

 – Meanwhile, Terrence Jones is said to be genuinely feeling out the process.  For the majority of the year, he was the player who seemed like a lock, but some inconsistent play down the stretch pushed him away from the top-5 slots that many had him pegged for throughout the year.  Most projections know have him right around the number ten pick, but he’ll obviously be looking for feedback as to where he would fit in the NBA right now.  Is he a “4” in the NBA?  If not, does he developed the right skill set for the “3”?  I tend to think “no” to both those questions, but my NBA expertise is limited to Playstation.  Jones likely would not have the same statistical season next year as he did as a freshman, but that isn’t necessarily a horrible thing.  Patrick Patterson took a step back as a junior in terms of his numbers, but showcased a more diversified skill set in a frontcourt with two other first round picks.  Jones could conceivably do the same thing.  However, like Knight, it might not help his draft positioning much.  That’s what he’ll be looking to get clarity on from the NBA.

 – Maybe the most interesting case of players testing the waters is DeAndre Liggins.  When the season ended, he was said to be considering the draft because of family issues.  Whether he went #1 overall or undrafted, it’s tough to really question a guy for making that type of tough call to provide for his child.  However, with Calipari’s interview with Mike DeCourcy and with what is being said about him potentially landing late in the first round, it now becomes more of a basketball decision.  And, honestly, it’s not one that appears too favorable for a return.  Of all three guys, Liggins appears the most likely to be sitting next to his biggest window to The League.  While he could improve offensively next year – which he could do as a pro too – the weakened draft and a logjam at the wing spot next year might make him as hot right now as he’ll ever be.  Plus, he’s already 23 years old, which probably factors into the decision some too.  If he gets the first round guarantee, he’ll certainly be gone.  But, if he gets even some hints, you have to wonder if that will be enough. 

 – Regardless of what happens with each of the players decisions and even if they all leave for the NBA, we can’t fall into a trap that is so often easy to trip into.  You can’t let the present change the narrative of the past.  There were a couple of callers on the radio show and some comments here and on Twitter from people frustrated with the guys who entered their names and talking about how the Final Four didn’t mean as much because they might leave.  To me, that’s ludicrous.  Sometimes, as fans, we let emotions ruin things for us.  At the end of the year, when this team made the Final Four, some people talked about the 2009-10 team as a disappointment or said they were selfish because they didn’t advance as far as this group.  Again, that’s just crazy.  Even if these guys leave, you can’t let that change your feelings about what a magical run they had.  What happened in March was as exciting and surprising as any postseason push I can remember.  Don’t let a couple of guys leaving ruin it for you.  And I think most people won’t.  But some might and that’s frustrating.

– On a brighter, happier note, the USA Today announced their All-USA Team and Anthony Davis and Michael Gilchrist were named to the five-man squad.  Austin Rivers was named as Player of the Year, but that’s only because he spent the final week stuffing the voting box with ill-timed and forced ballots.  You can read their profiles here.  And if you don’t, you’ll never know that Michael Gilchrist likes writing poetry and Anthony Davis wants to be invisible.

 – If you’re still hoping Kentucky will add another player in the 2011 class, Trevor Lacey still appears to be the most likely candidate.  Lacey said he will visit UK in May, shortly after he checks out Kansas.  There have been whispers that the Jayhawks are quietly staking a lead in the chase for his services.  However, he’ll be in Louisville for the Derby Classic this weekend and said he is expecting to be reminded of the best place for him to play next year. 

 – In case you missed it earlier, Kentucky high school quarterback Zeke Pike committed to Auburn.  Pike, who recently earned a five-star ranking from Scout.com, never really seemed to have a lot of interest in the Cats and didn’t include them in his final list.  If there is any pain from an in-state star opting to leave for another SEC school, it’s at least lessened by the commitment of Patrick Towles, who pledged his verbal to the Cats a few weeks ago.  When reached for comment, UK’s political science department said that if UK can’t compete for free agents like Auburn, then they need to give more money to the general fund.

 – I’m not sure if there are fans in Harlan, but if there are, it’s safe to say they are all suffering major damage from the s–t that just hit them on Justified.  We won’t spoil it for those who didn’t watch, but just know that if you haven’t, waiting for next week’s episode is going to harder than

That’s it for now.  Make sure you stick around throughout the day for all kind of fun times and NBA Draft speculation.  As usual, Matt will be by at 10 am for Kentucky Sports Radio on Talk Radio 1080.  Then, we party all day.  In the meantime, speculate on those who might leave while reminding yourself of the awesomeness that is still to come…

See you in a few…