Reese Kemp and John Wall (photo submitted)
Vaught’s note: Reese Kemp (@ReeseKemp2) is a freshman at West Jessamine High School in Nicholasville who has cystic fibrosis and diabetes. His father also passed away when he was only 5 years old and the family was living in Nebraska at the time. But he’s a remarkable young man that has become a friend of such UK basketball players as John Wall, Nerlens Noel, Eric Bledsoe, Terrence Jones and others. He has helped feed families at Thanksgiving, helped kids receive toys at Christmas and given Valentines to the needy. Now he’s also been to a basketball game this season thanks to Big Blue Nation Cares. He had lower arena seats for Wednesday’s win over Mississippi State. Enjoy what he thought of the game.
By REESE KEMP
Wow!!! That’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think about last night’s UK basketball game! It was amazing! The atmosphere there was something I’ve never seen before and the fact Andrew Wiggins was there was a huge bonus!!
I had a great time. The seats were amazing, perfect seats actually. My friend, Trey, And I loved them!! Also to see the student section right in front of me was something special
It’s great to see how much our university cares and I love UK basketball! To watch the fans cheer for Brian Long when he went in was awesome because that is my dream to be a walk-on at UK!
Just want to give a big thanks to everyone who helped give me the tickets and hopefully I go to the Florida (game) to support UK!
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By LARRY VAUGHT
Artist Jason Robichau of Phoenix says he’s a huge college basketball fan who cannot watch enough of March Madness each year. That led him to start three years ago to putting together a painting of the national championship team.
His newest print is, “The Pursuit of Gr8ness,” in honor of Kentucky’s 2012 national championship team.
“I just want to try and commemorat the national champion each year,” said Robichau. “I decided to do a painting of the team’s run to the national title and for Kentucky it just seemed right to pick the eight primary players who played significant time and put them around (John) Calipari to go with the eight national titles.”
Kentucky players Darius Miller, Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague, Terrence Jones, Kyle Wiltjer, Doron Lamb and Eloy Vargas are shown with Calipari as he holds up the national championship trophy.
“I compiled various images to use in the background, too,” Robichau. “I tried to get every player on the team in the background, too. They are all there.”
The background includes Davis blocking Cody Zeller’s shot, Kidd-Gilchrist scoring against Baylor and the team’s visit to the White House.
“It takes so long to do these because I want them to be something fans want to keep around. But I plan to keep doing this every year,” he said. “It is kind of hard to get the word out, especially when you don’t live in the area where the team is from. However, once word gets out a lot of fans buy it and that’s why I try to make sure every player on the team is included.
Go to http://www.jasonrobichau.com/pursuit-of-gr8ness-lithograph for more information or contact Robichau at jasonrobichau@hotmail.com. The limited edition lithograph prints are normally $50 but can be purchased now for $25.
By LARRY VAUGHT
It’s still hard to try to put into words just how bad Kentucky was in Saturday’s 88-58 loss at Tennessee — and the game really wasn’t as close as the 30-point margin might indicate. So to try and explain what happen to the Cats in their first game without injured Nerlens Noel, I went back through my postgame notes looking for quotes to shed light on this epic collapse by the Cats.
— Kentucky coach John Calipari: “We have a couple of guys who are not real coachable. You tell them over and over and over again what you want to do, and they do their own thing. When they realize that if we don’t do this all together, that we are going to have more of these (losses) it will change.”
Calipari did not name the players who are not “coachable” but he didn’t start sophomore point guard Ryan Harrow or freshman forward Alex Poythress and then he told freshman Archie Goodwin during the game that he “could not coach him.” So you draw your own conclusions on who Calipari meant.
But this is the first time in four seasons at UK that Calipari has not been able to get through to players. He has had some — Daniel Orton, Demarcus Cousins, DeAndre Liggins, Josh Harrellson, Terrence Jones — he did not always see eye-to-eye with but they all eventually listened and improved. That was not happening with this team even before Noel went down.
— Tennessee guard Trae Golden: “I don’t think I saw them quit.”
That was his attempt to be tactful when asked if he thought Kentucky quit after the game got out of hand. Or maybe he couldn’t tell since most of the Wildcats never seemed all that enthused from the start. Tennessee beat UK to loose balls, drove inside at will and dominated the boards 39-21.
“We were all saying if we could just blow them out, and you know it happened that way,” Golden said.
Calipari didn’t use the quit when talking about his team, but he sure let his thoughts on his players’ effort be known. “I have to do my thing on what we are going to do offensively and defensively, but we (the coaches) can’t go out there and play for them,” Calipari said.
We can’t go out there and battle for them. We can’t want it more than they do.”
— Tennessee forward Jarnell Stokes: “They are not a soft team. I feel like they have to get adjusted to playing without Nerlens is part of it.”
The Vols were obviously more physical but Stokes, who almost came to UK but there was no scholarship for him midway of last season, didn’t want to be too hard on Kentucky after admitting “I am friends with a lot of those guys still.”
Calipari was a bit more blunt. “They were stronger with the ball. We just had passive guys who did not want to make plays,” Calipari said.
— Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin: “I thought he did a great job running the team and being Trae Golden. Attacking the rim, making plays, and when that happens everything else falls in line.”
Tennessee’s point guard had 24 points, eight assists and got to the foul line 12 times. Harrow, UK’s starter most of the season, had no points, rebounds or assists. Polson had 11 points and four rebounds, but even his best effort wasn’t nearly enough to keep Golden out of the lane or creating for teammates.
Kentucky has been used to that type of point guard play from John Wall, Brandon Knight and Marquis Teague. Harrow has shown flashes of brilliance, but nothing consistent like those three and in the biggest games he’s not been able to deliver like what Golden did.
“Your shooters are ready to shoot the ball, dribble, penetrate, and they have to identify five guys as apposed to two or three guys. We got better with our offense, the floor really opened up and I think that all starts with Trae Golden. When he plays the way we expect him to play, everything falls in line and it becomes a fun game,” Martin said.
— Calipari: “This team hadn’t beaten us in awhile, kind of like Florida. Now, this was their chance to get that wounded animal. They rode the car over us a couple of times—over and back, over and back.”
And do you think Tennessee is the only Southeastern Conference team that would like to put a beatdown on a wounded Wildcat? Next comes Vanderbilt, a team UK was lucky to beat in Nashville with Noel. After that the ESPN GameDay crew rolls into Lexington for Missouri’s first game in Rupp Arena. Those teams have to be wishing the games were today and will come in with absolutely no fear of No-Noel UK.
“We didn’t really mention Noel being out that much, but Coach told us to get to the rim. Without Noel, it worked,” Stokes said. “Noel is probably the best shot blocker in college basketball and not having him made a huge difference. But we also shot the ball great, so that also made a difference.”
It did. But it is a lot easier to shoot with no pressure and that’s what the UK defense gave the Vols — no pressure and many easy looks.
“We had two or three guys in this game who couldn’t play—they just couldn’t get open and play,” Calipari said.
— Stokes: “I think Kentucky is a very good team. I love coach Calipari. I think he is a great coach. They will be fine.”
Fine? Probably defends on the definition of fine. UK has six games left and now probably has to win four to be back in NCAA Tournament contention — and it’s hard to imagine any scenario where UK will win four of the next six games. Calipari has been working four months without getting his team to listen or play tougher, so why think that will change in the next three weeks.
“We’ll get back. I’ve done this 20-something years and I’ve had this happen. The question is: Will they respond coming back. The only way that you can respond is to change. We have to realize that the things that we are doing aren’t right.”
Maybe his players know that after being embarrassed Saturday, but previous losses and Noel’s injury certainly did nothing to inspire a greater effort out of most of the Cats at Tennessee.
Larry Conley
By LARRY VAUGHT
Even for a seasoned college basketball analyst like Larry Conley, it’s not easy to figure out the team Kentucky coach John Calipari has this year.
Conley will see glimpses of brilliance. He’ll see periods of lacklustre play where the Cats lack energy. He’ll see superb individual plays. He’ll see severe team breakdowns.
“This type team is very difficult to measure,” said Conley. “Every team John has had you have the tendency, and it’s natural, to measure them against all the one-and-dones he’s had. Just on skill, the other three (teams he had at UK) were better than this one. But that does not mean they could not get better. I am starting to see Nerlens Noel really come around and do the things I thought he was capable fo doing. They are getting better.”
Conley worked last week’s 88-50 win over Lipscomb when he saw small signs of improvement. However, that doesn’t mean he left totally sold on the Wildcats.
“The guys that are really perplexing to me are Archie Goodwin and Alex Poythress,” Conley, a starter on UK’s NCAA runner-up team in 1966, said. “They have a tendency to do things you would expect high school players to do and they do not appear to have progressed. Can they score? Absolutely. Do they have the ability to play at a high level? Yes.
“But for one reason or another, they have not come through yet. I think they are both very talented players, but they are not playing the way they should on every play. I know it is frustrating for John. He is trying to make them all better. That’s obvious not only in games, but also in practices I have watched.”
Both Poythress and Goodwin have been brilliant at times. Poythress became the first UK freshman since 1979 to score 20 or more points in four straight games. Goodwin leads the team in scoring at 15.8 points per game with Poythress second at 15.0. Goodwin is shooting 49 percent from the field and has been to the foul line 72 times in 10 games. He has been forced to play point guard at times and has 44 assists. However, he also has 32 turnovers. Poythress is averaging 6.3 rebounds per game and shooting 65 percent from the field. However, he has 29 turnovers and only five assists.
What about point guard Ryan Harrow? He has just three turnovers in 114 minutes compared to 16 assists. But he’s played in only six games — he missed four for personal reasons — and is averaging just 4.3 points per game despite scoring 12 points against Lipscomb.
“John has always had really good guards to run things,” Conley said. “Harrow has not been able to do yet what he wants him to do. I don’t know what the problem is. He is an experienced player. He has some quickness. He can play defense. He can actually do a lot of things. But it’s one of those things where he does not come to play every possession and he’s got to be able to do that at this level.”
Conley understands the inclination to compare this team, which has the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, with last year’s national championship team or the Final Four team from two years ago.
“It wouldn’t make sense for Kentucky basketball fans to look and not compare teams,” Conley said. “The one thing last year is that they had a couple of guys in Darius Miller, Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb that helped them quite a bit. They had three guys coming back ready to take over in tight spot, and that is a little different with one-and-done teams.
“They don’t have that this year, and it shows. (Kyle) Wiltjer played as good as he has played Saturday (23 points, 12 rebounds), but he’s not one of those guys like Miller, Jones or Lamb. He’s expanded his game. He’s a better rebounder now than last year and he’s starting to put the ball on the floor instead of accepting 3-point shots. But he’s still a long way from a complete package,” Conley said.
Problem is that Kentucky is running out of time to put that package together. The Cats play Marshall Saturday and Eastern Michigan Jan. 2. Then there is that rivalry game with Louisville Dec. 29.
“Once the season begins, you can’t stop the clock. Things just keep coming at you,” Conley said. “These guys have got to start progressing. It’s not like John has not taught them the things they need to know. It’s just a matter of them grasping it, and they need to start doing that very, very soon.”
Photos by Victoria Graff, and images property of vaughtsviews.com and Schurz Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Images may not be used without permission.
By LARRY VAUGHT
If Blake Griffin had not been injured, Anthony Davis would be playing in Las Vegas with the New Orleans Hornets summer-league team instead of being in Europe on the USA Olympic team. He would have been playing more and learning coach Monty Williams’ style, but he knows he’ll learn even more on the USA team.
“I am talking to coach Williams and watching summer league games. I am checking what they are doing and what I need to do and how I will have to adjust when I get with the Hornets,” Davis said Monday in a telephone interview from Barcelona. “I am telling him what I think about this opportunity and what we need to get better at.
“I am going to come in with an advantage that most rookies are not going to have just by being around these guys. They’re teaching me what to do and what not to do. It gives me a great advantage going into the season. These guys are teaching me to play the game on a different level. They laugh and joke and have fun. But when they step between the lines, they’re different players. They’re animals out there. I learned that pretty quick.”
USA basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo is a Davis backer.
“He’s a terrific young player,” Colangelo told USA Basketball. “He might not play now, but who knows? In 2016, 2020, he might be on the team down the road. Having a chance to compete with these players, he will probably want to come back. He could be an important piece for the future.”
That would certainly suit Davis, especially since he feels former UK teammates Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb, Marquis Teague and Darius Miller could blossom into potential 2016 Olympic players along with former UK stars like John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Brandon Knight.
“We have the world championships in 2014 and Olympics again in 2016. I could play on both those teams. So could other Kentucky guys,” Davis said. “All of us are very talented players. I don’t see why there couldn’t be a lot of Kentucky guys on future teams unless they change the rules (with no player over 23 allowed) in the future.”
Davis says he is working now to make sure his family can attend the Olympics.
“It will be a great experience for them. They have never been to London, either,” he said. “I am anxious just to get to the Olympic Village and get a chance to be around all the other athletes. I want to see what the Olympics are all about, have fun and win the gold medal.”
Davis played against UK coach John Calipari in the exhibition win over the Dominican Republic — the team Calipari almost led to the Olympics — and the coach told him he would also be in London.
“He told me just to have fun and it would be great to see me in London,” Davis said. “A lot of the guys on the team are supporting me. It’s great to know they are still there for me.”
His new teammates have been just as encouraging as Kidd-Gilchrist, Teague, Jones, Lamb or Miller were last season at UK.
“Everyone on the team talks to me and gives me great advice about what I should have done if I mess up or pats me on the back when I do a good job,” Davis said. “They’ve been a huge help every day, just like the guys were last season.”
By LARRY VAUGHT
Ed Issacson of NBAdraftblog.com spent all season evaluating players that were picked in the NBA draft, including Marquis Teague, Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones of Kentucky. He shared his thoughts on the UK picks.
Question: How good a fit will Marquis Teague be in Chicago?
Isaacson: “It’s tough to tell at this point how Teague will fit in Chicago, but he is nowhere near ready to play as a NBA level point guard for one of the league’s best teams. I am sure with Rose’s status still uncertain at the start of next season, Teague will be the third point guard on the roster and will have an opportunity to learn how to make NBA-level decisions.”
Quesiton: What are your feelings on Terrence Jones to Houston and do you think he stays there?
Isaacson: “I think Houston got good value getting Jones at #18, but it certainly wasn’t the best place for Jones to go. A quick look at Houston’s roster and you notice immediately the large amount of 3′s and 4′s on the roster, including ex-Wildcat Patrick Patterson. Houston is looking to be active, but because of his rookie deal, there is a good chance he gets to stay in Houston if they need to move some of the glut to other teams.”
Question: What do you think made Dorn Lamb’s stock drop a bit more than expected?
Isaacson: “I don’t know if Lamb’s stock really dropped all that much. I know I have told you before that I saw him as a second round pick, and once the second round starts, it is tough to target where players will go within the round. Add to that, certain teams seemed to reach in the first round, so potential first round picks started to slide into the second. Lamb’s demise was the fact that he is a one-dimensional player and he really was only going to go to a team that needed to add a spot-up shooter.”
You can read his NBA draft grades at http://nbadraftblog.com/ where he wonders about Teague’s immediate value to the Bulls but gives the Rockets and Bucks thumbs-up for taking Jones and Lamb when they did. He also has an in-depth Orlando Summer League Preview that includes info on several former Cats.
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Kentucky head coach John Calipari, center, stands with former players Anthony Davis, left, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, right, before the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June, 28, 2012, in Newark, N.J. Davis was selected the No. 1 overall pick by the New Orleans Hornets, and Kidd-Gilchrist was selected No. 2 by the Charlotte Bobcats. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
— Following the 2012 NBA Draft, Kentucky has had 106 guys drafted 108 times (Johnny Cox ’58 and Roger Newman ’60 both drafted in Jr. eligible draft, but returned for senior year and were drafted again).
— Anthony Davis (No. 1) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (No. 2) are the first teammates to be taken No. 1 and 2 in the history of the NBA Draft.
— As of 2012, UK has had 31 players selected in the opening round (11 have come in the last three years) of the draft.
— Following the 2012 draft, UK has had 15 players selected in the draft over the last three years.
— The Wildcats set a new single-draft high for Kentucky players drafted in a single year. The 2010 draft had five UK players selected, and the 1984 draft also had five Wildcats.
— The only other school in draft history to have six players selected in one draft was UNLV in the 1977 10-round draft. Since the draft went to a two-round format in 1989, there have been four schools (Connecticut-2006), Florida (2007), Kansas (2008) and Kentucky (2010) with five players selected in the same draft. Kentucky is the first school to post five or more picks in more than one draft class.
— It would mark the first time in the history of the program four or more Kentucky players have been selected in three consecutive seasons.
— With Anthony Davis selected as the No. 1 pick, Kentucky is the only school since the 2000 draft to have two No. 1 picks (John Wall – 2010).
— With Davis going No. 1 overall, John Calipari will have coached three No. 1 picks in the last five years. And his three No. 1 picks are the most by one coach in NBA Draft history.
— Anthony Davis became the second No. 1 overall pick in school history. John Wall became the first Wildcat selected first overall in 2010. Davis was the third SEC player taken No. 1 overall which includes Shaquille O’Neal of LSU in 1992.
— Following the 2012 draft, Kentucky has had six players selected in the top 10, seven in the top 15 and 11 in the first round of the draft in the last three years.
— Kentucky has had four pairs of teammates taken in the top 10 of the draft in the same year: (Sam Bowie – 2nd, Melvin Turpin 6th in 1984; John Wall – 1st and DeMarcus Cousins 5th in 2010; Enes Kanter – 3rd and Brandon Knight 8th in 2011; Anthony Davis – 1st and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – 2nd).
— In 2010 Kentucky became the 12th school with a No. 1 overall draft pick in both basketball and football as John Wall (2010 – men’s basketball) and Tim Couch (football – 1999) were UK’s picks. With Anthony Davis going No. 1 overall, Kentucky now becomes one of just six schools with three or more No. 1 overall draft picks in football and basketball. UK joins Ohio State, Oklahoma, Utah, Michigan and UCLA as the others to achieve the feat.
— Kentucky became one of 15 schools with multiple No. 1 overall picks in the NBA draft joining: Cincinnati (Oscar Robertson – 1960 and Kenyon Martin – 2000), Duke (Art Heyman – 1963, Elton Brand – 1999 and Kyrie Irving – 2011), Duquesne (Dick Ricketts – 1955 and Sihugo Green – 1956), Georgetown (Patrick Ewing – 1985 and Allen Iverson – 1996), Houston (Elvin Hayes -1968 and Akeem Olajuwon – 1984) , Indiana (Walt Bellamy – 1961 and Kent Benson – 1977), Kansas State (Howie Shannon – 1949 and Bob Boozer – 1959), Kentucky (John Wall – 2010 and Anthony Davis – 2012), Maryland (John Lucas – 1976 and Joe Smith – 1995), Michigan (Cazzie Russell – 1966 and Chris Webber – 1993), North Carolina (James Worthy – 1982 and Brad Daugherty – 1986) Purdue (Joe Barry Carroll – 1980 and Glenn Robinson – 1994), UCLA (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 1969 and Bill Walton – 1974), Utah (Bill McGill – 1962 and Andrew Bogut – 2005 and West Virginia (Mark Workman – 1952 and Rod Hundley – 1957).
— With Davis earning the No. 1 overall pick, Kentucky’s two-year gap between No. 1 overall draft selections from one school is second only to Duquesne which had No. 1 overall selections in back-to-back years in 1955 and 1956.
— UK is one of 43 different universities to have a player selected No. 1 overall in the history of the draft.
— With multiple picks in its third consecutive NBA draft, Kentucky joins two other schools in having two-or more players selected in three consecutive drafts since 1992. Calipari is one of only two coaches to have three consecutive NBA drafts be coupled with multiple players from his school since 1992 joining Mike Krzyzewski from Duke.
o Kentucky – 2012, 2011, 2010
o Memphis – 2010, 2009, 2008
o Duke – 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992
By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Once Anthony Davis slips on a Hornets hat above basketball’s most celebrated eyebrow tonight, the NBA draft really starts. Davis will head to New Orleans with the No. 1 pick, even if the college player of the year is reluctant to guarantee it. After that, nobody can be sure what will happen.
“I don’t know,” said Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, a fellow freshman from national champion Kentucky. “I have no clue.”
Well, here’s how the first round might go at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
1. NEW ORLEANS (21-45)
ANTHONY DAVIS, F, KENTUCKY
Davis said he hasn’t been told he’s the Hornets’ guy, but he shouldn’t need to ask. Teams don’t pass up his mixture of size, skill and defensive dominance.
2. CHARLOTTE (7-59)
THOMAS ROBINSON, F, KANSAS.
3. WASHINGTON (20-46)
MICHAEL KIDD-GILCHRIST, F, KENTUCKY
John Wall and Kidd-Gilchrist would look great in Kentucky, and fans in Washington should like the idea of that combination, too.
4. CLEVELAND (21-45)
BRADLEY BEAL, G, FLORIDA
5. SACRAMENTO (22-44).
HARRISON BARNES, G, NORTH CAROLINA.
6. PORTLAND (28-38, from Brooklyn)
DAMIAN LILLARD, G, WEBER STATE
7. GOLDEN STATE (23-43)
ANDRE DRUMMOND, F/C, CONNECTICUT
8. TORONTO (23-43)
DION WAITERS, G, SYRACUSE
9. DETROIT (25-41)
JEREMY LAMB, F, CONNECTICUT
10. NEW ORLEANS (21-45, from Minnesota via Clippers).
AUSTIN RIVERS, G, DUKE
11. PORTLAND (28-38)
TYLER ZELLER, C, NORTH CAROLINA
12. HOUSTON (34-32, from Milwaukee)
KENDALL MARSHALL, G, NORTH CAROLINA
13. PHOENIX (33-33)
JOHN HENSON, F/C, NORTH CAROLINA
14. MILWAUKEE (31-35, from Houston)
MEYERS LEONARD, C, ILLINOIS
15. PHILADELPHIA (35-31)
TERRENCE JONES, F, KENTUCKY
The 76ers are building a nice, deep team, and a versatile player like Jones would fit in nicely.
16. HOUSTON (34-32, from New York)
PERRY JONES, F, BAYLOR
17. DALLAS (36-30)
TERRENCE ROSS, G, WASHINGTON
18. HOUSTON (34-32, from Minnesota)
JARED SULLINGER, C, OHIO STATE
19. ORLANDO (37-29)
FAB MELO, C, SYRACUSE
20. DENVER (38-28)
WILL BARTON, G, MEMPHIS
21. BOSTON (39-27)
ROYCE WHITE, F, IOWA STATE
22. BOSTON (39-27, from Clippers via Oklahoma City)
ARNETT MOULTRIE, F/C, MISSISSIPPI STATE
23. ATLANTA (40-26)
MOE HARKLESS, F, ST. JOHN’S
24. CLEVELAND (21-45, from Lakers)
ANDREW NICHOLSON, C, ST. BONAVENTURE
25. MEMPHIS (41-25)
TONY WROTEN, G, WASHINGTON
26. INDIANA (42-24)
DRAYMOND GREEN, F, MICHIGAN STATE
27. MIAMI (46-20)
FESTUS EZELI, C, VANDERBILT
28. OKLAHOMA CITY (47-19)
DORON LAMB, G, KENTUCKY
Way easier said than done, but the Thunder needed a perimeter defender to cover LeBron James in the NBA Finals and keep Kevin Durant out of foul trouble. Better keep looking, because a finals rematch wouldn’t surprise anyone.
29. CHICAGO (50-16)
MARQUIS TEAGUE, G, KENTUCKY
With Derrick Rose likely out all next season after tearing up his knee, point guard is the need for the Bulls.
30. GOLDEN STATE (23-43, from San Antonio).
EVAN FOURNIER, G/F, FRANCE
By LARRY VAUGHT
Even though some NBA mock drafts have Kentucky forward Terrence Jones falling out of the lottery in tonight’s draft, ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas thinks Jones will still go in the middle of the first round.
“I don’t think he hurt himself at all by coming back to Kentucky for his sophomore season,” said Bilas. “I think he is a better player now for having come back. I don’t think last year he would have been picked as high (in the draft) as some people say and think. No one can really say where he would have gone.
“But I think he came back and improved a lot. He rebounded better. His problem is that he’s between positions. He’s not a true three (small forward). He’s more of a four man who can drive and shoot, but not an overly powerful four (power forward). I thought he had a good year for Kentucky and I have him going in the middle of the first round in the 13 to 15 range.”
Bilas, who will be on the ESPN draft coverage tonight, says there is no question that Jones has talent.
“He’s not a freakishly great athlete, but he is a very good athlete. He is strong, just not a prototypical power forward and really not a three. That is his problem. Where do you put him?” Bilas said. “I still think he is a very good player and has a chance to be a rotation player in the league (NBA). Whether it is as a starter or not remains to be seen.”
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