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Kentucky Wildcats: Morning Quickies - 2013 NBA Draft Edition

News and commentary from around the Big Blue Internet. The 2013 NBA Draft is tonight, and Nerlens Noel is still projected to be the top pick. Jodie Meeks is retained by the Lakers. Oregon is sanctioned by the NCAA. More.

By Glenn Logan

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USA TODAY Sports

Tonight is Nerlens Noel's big night. Hopefully, he'll be drafted #1 by the Cleveland Cavaliers, or failing that, #2 by the Orlando Magic. We'll have to see. The latest mock drafts still have him at the top.

Tweet of the Morning:

You heard it here first. Well, maybe not, but I think he could be right...

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

  • Consider:

    Here is something you probably thought you would never hear. It is now so cool and hip for kids to commit to the new UK football team that kids are saying they have committed, when in all actuality it is not true or they have yet to be offered a scholarship.

  • Go Drew Go! I've been waiting on this list and it has finally been published. [Hank]

  • Lovin' every minute of it. The Big 10 spin. "Jerks are us." [Hank]

  • A new way to evaluate QBs? Nice work by Jonathan Schuette @ KSR. I'm not sure I agree, without going through the mechanics, but the kid knows how to put in the effort. Far too serious for KSR. Read the comments too. [Hank]

    [Glenn] Work like this should be lauded, not ignored. Kudos to all 10 of the commenters. The phrase, "A mile wide and an inch deep" comes to mind.

  • WBN previews John Gruenschlaeger. God, I love that name, but I sure hate trying to write it. Ugh.

Kentucky basketball

  • Consider:

    "Everybody wants to make it [one-and-done] my rule, but I’m the guy that has said for the last three years we need to do something to keep these kids in school two years," Calipari said at last month’s SEC Spring Meetings. "We have to challenge the leadership. Don’t put it on me. Do something. You’re in that seat. Get that done."

    Calipari said it's on the NBA players union to change things, but no one has benefited from the one-and-done like him.

    This is typical media misunderstanding of the situation. Calipari isn't benefiting from the one-and-done, he's benefiting from his personal strategy of not allowing the rule to control him, or the players he brings in. He's telling recruits the truth, not made-up fiction about the value of a near-NBA-ready player hanging out in college for four years for a degree that will likely never earn him a dime.

    This isn't to suggest that there is no value in college -- for the vast, overwhelming majority of NCAA athletes, a college education is an incredibly valuable opportunity, as it is for everyone at some point in their lives. But some athletes are special, and there is a time limit on that gift. Use it, or lose it.

  • John Calipari is nervous about tonight's draft. Here's the stakes he feels he's dealing with:

    "There's no better feeling as a coach than getting to see a family like Nerlens' family celebrate this moment with him, wherever he goes," Calipari said. "His mother immigrated from Haiti and worked her butt off to get him there."

  • Shaquille O'Neal is going to mentor DeMarcus Cousins. I sure hope so, and I can't think of a better man for the job.

  • ESPN's Andy Katz says that Kyle Wiltjer handled his situation the right way.

    There seem to be no hidden agendas. The problem with too many of these transfer/blocking situations is one side or both sides aren't dealing straight with each other on the timing of the departure and the intentions of both parties.

    That's an under-appreciated part of what John Calipari does here. He trusts his players, and the players return that trust.

  • Challenges have been good for Alex Poythress, according to Coach Cal:

    "Now there’s competition, now you really see guys blossom. Right now, Willie’s challenged by the other big guys. Alex is challenged by Julius (Randle) and the other guys," Calipari said. "So all of the sudden, they’ve elevated their game, and you make an excuse, you’ll be sitting. ‘Yeah, I know, I know. OK, you sit there.’

  • Jay Bilas talks about Nerlens Noel and how he is likely to fit into the NBA.

  • 2016 #2 prospect mentions Kentucky talking about recruiting. Surprised? Didn't think so.

  • Kentucky has been recruiting Isaiah Briscoe, a 2015 point guard, since the eighth grade.

  • Archie Goodwin is one of the most intriguing players in the draft. Being described as "intriguing" has always seemed more like a negative than a positive to me. I do like how this exchange reportedly went with Coach Cal:

    "My thing when we sat down (was), ‘Here’s the worst that could happen. Can you deal with this?’ " Calipari said. "(Goodwin said), ‘Yeah, I can, Coach. I want to do this. I can do this.’ I’m convinced that he’s in the frame of mind (that) he’s prepared to deal with the worst that can happen. He’s ready to deal with it. And hopefully it’s not what happens. Hopefully he goes in the first round, but if not, he’ll go do his thing."

Links posts
College football

  • Chip Kelly gets an 18 month "Show Cause." He'll make around $9 million while he's in the NCAA Dog House. Oregon gets a single scholarship reduction each year and some other minor sanctions for being a "repeat offender." [Hank]

    [Glenn] I'll have an article on this up later.

  • More on Chip Kelly. The non-Oregon media is not buying his disclaimer:

    While Kelly denies that the sanctions had nothing to do with him coming to Philadelphia, it's hard to believe it didn't at least play a little role. The loss of just one scholarship is not a huge blow, but if Kelly was still at Oregon the sanctions could have been different. Regardless, Kelly knew something was coming. Throw in the fact that he appeared to flip flop twice- once with Tampa last year, once earlier this year- before taking the Eagles job, and it's hard to imagine the sanctions had nothing to do with his decision to jump to the NFL.

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