This is specifically referring to Kentucky basketball. I’m well aware of the bizarre circumstances surrounding the football team, but I want to see more information get out in the open before I make a comfortable judgment on the situation.
How about Jodie Meeks getting paid and tearing it up in the Summer League? One of those things should have been anticipated. Hardly anybody saw him getting paid this early coming. You have to understand that he couldn’t have landed in a better situation than what the Milwaukee Bucks have. Can you name the backup shooting guard for the Milwaukee Bucks? We all know Michael Redd is the starter and should be for a few more years. I consider myself an NBA junkie and can’t for the life of me name the Bucks’ backup shooting guard.
It might as well be Ricky Pierce because the Bucks made a statement by offering their contract to Jodie Meeks this early in the game. The Bucks are serious about making an investment in Jodie Meeks and by paying him, something which rarely happens this early with second round picks, they’re saying that they are intrigued with what he can bring to the table right now. Like I said before the draft, had he waited until 2010 to come out, he might not have had as good an individual senior season and might not have gotten drafted at all. He was ripe for the picking and made the most of it, and now he’s tearing it up in the summer circuit. By the looks of things, Jodie Meeks will be on the Milwaukee Bucks’ roster on opening night, and as long as they aren’t playing New York, I’ll be pulling for him.
How about Darius Miller getting 10th man minutes in the U-19 games and still leading his team in blocks and steals? The U-19 roster might have been undersized, but that’s still an outstanding accomplishment. The best thing about the U-19 games is that Team USA won, something that hadn’t happened in a very long time. Most of the minutes that should have gone to Darius Miller went to Gordon Hayward of Butler, who is a solid player and your prototypical “Feisty White Indiana Farmboy that Irritates Everybody.” He’s a perfect fit for Butler and before he graduates, he’ll probably be doing a goofy celebration in “One Shining Moment” after Butler upsets a poorly disciplined team like Tennessee or Florida State.
Of course, as a Kentucky fan, the natural homer take is that Darius is the far superior player. While Hayward will get to do his jersey pop in “One Shining Moment,” there might be a clip of Darius Miller cutting down a net or two. Not only did Miller lead his team in blocks and steals during the tournament, he also shot a very high percentage from the field. Considering that Miller’s strength is his ability to create and that Pittsburgh and Team USA coach Jamie Dixon’s offense typically doesn’t feature the small forward as its main gear, Miller’s efficient performance in the U-19 games bodes well for this upcoming season.
Maybe it’s because Patrick Patterson came back to school. Or maybe it’s because Coach Cal landed the #1 recruiting class in the universe. For whatever reason, Darius Miller has become underrated in my eyes. Before Cal landed his first recruit at Kentucky, media people often asked him about the returning players. He always brought up Patterson and Meeks because they were the superstars. But then he always had glowing words about Miller. As practice reports came in, the consensus most impressive player was Darius Miller in every report, and there’s a reason for this: Darius Miller was put on this planet to play in the Dribble Drive Motion Offense.
The most important part of the DDMO is point guard play. Going out on a limb here, but this shouldn’t be a problem with John Wall and Eric Bledsoe. Again, that is just a hunch. The second most important part of the DDMO is the ability of the wing players to create. I know it’s only been one year, but doesn’t Darius remind you of former DDMO standout Chris Douglas-Roberts? They have the same build, except Miller is probably a little stronger. Both guys have great handles. CDR is probably the better scorer, but was he after his freshman year at Memphis? I think Miller passes better without hesitation. CDR didn’t have to pass much, as he was always on the receiving end of Derrick Rose’s assists.
Finally, something needs to be said about how much John Calipari gets it. I became a Kentucky fan in 1992, the year of the Unforgettables. My knowledge of the previous two seasons under Rick Pitino is limited because I was 3-5 years old and we were never on TV. But if the media were as technologically advanced in 1990 as it is today, I can’t imagine Rick Pitino owning the media in the same way that John Calipari has owned the media in his three and a half months on the job. How did he get that sweet gig with EA Sports when he hasn’t coached a game yet? Have you seen the EA Sports commercials? He’s cutting down the nets with Kentucky, a team that went to the NIT last season. That’s power, people. And don’t even get me started on the Fight Night commercial. What does John Calipari have to do with boxing? Unless John Chaney is involved, the answer is absolutely nothing! But he’s there anyway.
“Jabbing, stabbing…”
The man is everywhere. He’s selling the product. Recruits aren’t stupid, but it wasn’t too long ago that I was 18, and back then, I loved playing video games, specifically games by EA Sports. When you read player interviews, most of them like playing the EA Sports games so they can play as themselves. It’s been like this since the creation of those games. Right now, John Calipari is the face of college basketball at EA Sports. Sure, Blake Griffin or somebody else will be on the cover of the game, but the NCAA doesn’t allow players to be in the commercials. But coaches are fine. Again, recruits aren’t stupid. They’re not fickle. It is highly unlikely that a recruit will commit to Kentucky because John Calipari is on the EA Sports commercial. But it can’t hurt, and the more Calipari sells the program on TV, the better off the program will be, this much I know.
I have one unrelated baseball opinion: aren’t you glad that the first pitch at the All-Star Game found the catcher’s glove? The President is a fan of my favorite team. When the White Sox were in the 2005 World Series, President Obama threw out the first pitch while wearing his personalized White Sox jersey, and he one-hopped it. Throwing first pitches has no bearing on one’s ability to be the President, but at least George W. Bush threw strikes. Thankfully Obama didn’t bounce it last night in his White Sox jacket.
Thanks for reading.
