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La'Rod King "hates" him some Louisville Cardinals. Oh, yes he does:
The Tweet of the Morning comes from Adam Zagoria:
'How come they're wearing glasses like Urkel?' - my 7-yr-old daughter on LeBron and D-Wade
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) June 15, 2012
Your Quickies follow the jump.
Long, but you will like it.
Kentucky football players call facility upgrades an energy boost // Football - Kentucky.com
"It blew us away," senior center Matt Smith said on Thursday as he took the media on a tour of the changes. "I was in here left and right taking pictures of everything and going home and showing my family."
This was much-needed.
Video: Troy Williams talks recruiting (UK and U of L target) // Jody Demling – Recruiting
"I Absolutely Hate Louisville" // LEX18.com
"I absolutely hate Louisville," says La'Rod King. "I can't stand them. So when I come in here I get angry and I want to work out that much harder to get where I need to get to."
I don't know, La'Rod, that sounds kind of equivocal to me... :-)
This part of the interview has some substantive and interesting commentary. Via Kentucky Forward.
Significant NCAA rule change goes into effect Friday // CoachCal.com
Coaches will be permitted to make unlimited calls and send unlimited text messages with recruits after June 15 following their sophomore year. The deregulation extends to social media, where private messages will be allowed. Public messages continue to be prohibited because of the rule preventing institutions from publicizing their recruiting efforts.
I think this will be better. The rule was difficult to enforce and led to some inconsistent rulings.
Is 6'11 Freshman Karl Towns Jr. The Next Kevin Durant? // The Hoop Doctors
Already a legitimate 6’11 and 225lbs, Towns has an unbelievable skill set where he runs the floor and plays like a big man, yet has amazingly advanced ball-handling skills and can shoot the 3 with an alarming amount of distance and accuracy, which draws the instant comparison to Durant. Towns may be more comparable to former NBA MVP Dirk Nowitzki since Towns is probably a better post player at this stage of his career than that of Durant as a HS freshman.
He has a quick release on his jumper and good handles. I think the comparison is fairly apt with Durant, if you consider he's only 15 years old.
"If they're interested, I'm interested because it's a big-time basketball school," Poole said Thursday after his first game in the National Basketball Players Association Top 100 Camp here. "If the opportunity came, I'm not going to turn it down."
Your father might have something to say about that, kid. He certainly did as far as your brother was concerned.
The Morning Mix // CollegeBasketballTalk
- Nerlens Noel, the flat-topped heir apparent to the #BBN throne at Kentucky, had a cameo in music video. The song, "Skyline" by some dude named Moufy, features the shot-blocking sensation throwing an assist during a pick-up game. The song is actually pretty good, Nerlens Noel or not.
Well, better a good song and questionable footage than the reverse.
DraftExpress // NBA Combine Athletic Testing Analysis
-Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was among the quickest players in attendance and ran the 3rd fastest ¾ court sprint in a time of 3.2 seconds. His maximum vertical jump of 35.5 inches was just average, but the UK product's speed was impressive.
There's more in here about Marquis Teague and some other NBA hopefuls. Jeff Taylor was particularly impressive.
Jabari Parker is an interesting young man.
Pacers 26th Pick Tournament Round One: Doron Lamb vs. John Jenkins // Indy Cornrows
Doron can create his own shot and has a killer crossover he uses to dive into the paint to score. He has the ability to get open by running his defenders ragged by making them chase him around the perimeter. Lamb was the 'go-to' scorer for the Wildcats down the stretch. He has that clutch gene that you see in great scorers.
Nice comparison with lots of video.
2012 Wizards' Player Evaluations: John Wall // Bullets Forever
So while none of us got the expected Derrick Rose "leap" that many of us (and several notable pundits) predicted at the beginning of the season, it is also obvious that Wall is a player of immense talents who had an incredibly poor (say it again with me) roster constructed around him. The acquisition of Nene and the reintroduction of solid vets like Cartier Martin and James Singleton did much to alleviate the questions regarding Wall's play, but still did not eliminate every lingering concern. When is his jump shot going to become more consistent? When will he commit on the defensive ends at all times? Why does he continually get lit up by opposing point guards?
This was a knock I had on Wall back in college -- he should be a much better defender than he is. He has all the tools, but he lacks a commitment to defense in his game, and it is hurting him at the next level.
UK's Miller among players at Pacers' workout
The Pacers aren't expecting to fill a major need with the No. 26 pick in the first round. The core of the team is expected to return intact, assuming restricted free agents Roy Hibbert and George Hill are re-signed, but there is opportunity with the second unit, which could undergo a substantial revamping.
There is a lot of Kentucky hate in Indiana, which is why I'd rather see Miller go elsewhere. But if he can go in the first round, I would not care who it was to.