Fans' criticism of Orton is fair. Cousins' reputation is not.

Daniel Orton could be a steal in this Thursday's NBA Draft as a late 1st round pick. Orton is a kid who has played behind the likes of Blake Griffin in high school and DeMarcus Cousins in college. He's competed with two of the best big men the game will see in years on a daily basis in practices. He could also be the guy to make history for the Cats, as he is projected to be the record breaking fifth 1st round pick in the draft from the same school. Not even the '96 Cats put 5 players into the 1st round of the draft in one year.

He might also be Calipari's biggest recruiting tool, even more so than top picks like John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Rose, and Tyreke Evans. Why? Because what other coach in the country can tell a kid that he can sit on the bench and average 3 points a game and be a first round pick after ONE year? The fact that 3 points per game in limited action was enough for Orton to probably be picked in the first round after just one year begs the question of how high he could have been picked if he stayed just two or three years at Kentucky. The sky could have really been the limit. I don't think it would have been impossible at all for him to become a Top 5 pick or maybe even the #1 overall pick after another year or two if he had stayed and proven himself with quality minutes alongside Enes Kanter and Terrence Jones.

He could have definitely benefited from another year, but possibly Orton was concerned about finding himself on the bench again with two more super talented freshman big guys coming in? Maybe he thought that if he was going to have to fight for playing time in either situation, he might as well be getting paid for it in the NBA. That is a point of view from Orton that I can understand. Especially considering that he originally came to Kentucky to be a star player under Billy Gillispie until Cal came in and brought along DeMarcus Cousins. He still decided to stay at Kentucky through it all and become a role player turned into an NBA first round pick, a decision that I'm sure he feels very comfortable with.

The success of Orton and point guard Eric Bledsoe, who came to UK despite the fact that John Wall already signed his letter of intent to play here, will help Calipari continue to convince kids that they should come and be a role player at UK instead of being a star somewhere else. For the above reason that his success makes him a huge recruiting tool for UK and because I think Daniel really is deep down a good kid, I hope that he has great success in the NBA and I genuinely wish him the absolute best. However, I believe the national media and NBA GM's are seemingly giving Daniel a free pass on character issues during his time at UK, while unfairly placing labels on his other teammates, mainly DeMarcus Cousins.

I don't blame Orton for leaving after a year and I understand his decision, just as I do for the other four Cats' that are leaving early. However, he did not live up to his end of the bargain on his commitment to UK. Competing daily with DeMarcus Cousins in practice, working out with John Calipari for a year, and playing on the nation's most talented and nationally recognizable
basketball team are reasons why Daniel is in the current position he is in. He owed it to Calipari and Kentucky to stick around for an extra month and finish up his 2nd semester grades to not hurt the program's APR ranking and team GPA.

Instead, Daniel selfishly left his teammates behind in Lexington and flew out to California instead of finishing his 2nd semester classes. If Orton had done what he was supposed to finish up in the classroom, the Cats would have had an exceptional improvement from the previous semester on their team GPA and would be at no risk of an APR hit in the future, which could eventually cost UK scholarships, if another situation like this occurs again. The most disappointing thing about all of this is that Daniel is a smart, well spoken kid. He has a lot of academic potential and made the decision that an education will not serve him any good throughout his life. On the other hand, his teammates that are projected higher than him in the draft all made the decision to stick around and finish strong in the classroom, not only for the good of the program, but also to open the doors to come back and finish up a degree someday as Rajon Rondo and Jodie Meeks are currently doing during the off-season.

John Wall, the almost certain #1 pick on Thursday, finished with the team's highest GPA and plans to eventually earn his degree despite being the most gifted point guard the game has seen in possibly a decade. Another probable Top 10 pick, Patrick Patterson, earned his diploma after just three years on campus. Bledsoe and Cousins, whom both lack the academic potential as Daniel Orton seems to have, still kept their commitment to the school and finished up classes, even though they may not ever return to school again. Cousins, for sure, probably won't ever need to return to school as he possesses the size and skill to play many years in the NBA. John Wall doesn't have a need to return either, but wants to. Bledsoe probably simply doesn't have the smarts to stick around and work towards a degree. Orton is less talented than all of his teammates entering the draft and very well may need to come back to school someday. His 0.0 GPA last semester could come back haunt him if he ever has to make that decision.

The way Orton left Kentucky and the sound of jealousy that comes out of his mouth when asked about teammate DeMarcus Cousins, combined with the incident of Orton actually leaving the UK bench and walking into the locker room in the middle of a game this season because of frustration over being taken out and put back onto the bench, are justifiable reasons for more scrutiny and criticism of Daniel as teams ponder drafting him or not. Orton talks smooth, he's intelligent and very well spoken, and seems like a good guy. While Cousins has a perception problem because he isn't as well spoken, wears a headband, has tattoos, and plays like a monster on the court. Daniel just likes dressing up as a Power Ranger from time to time in Wildcat Lodge.

Despite the fact that Orton has a good sense of humor highlighted in the picture to the right with DeMarcus, the reality is that he is a riskier pick than Cousins, even though the perception seems to be the opposite. He's not just more of a risk because of his physical ability is not as strong as Cousins, but because he has a bit of an attitude problem that may not be worth dealing with. While in Cousins' case, even if he was a head case (and his time at UK proved nothing but the opposite), his talent alone would make him worth taking. When fans criticized Orton for the way that he had left, it was very fair criticism (for the most part), even though the media made all UK fans out to be villains. I wish all UK players the best in this Thursday's draft and am rooting for Daniel to prove me wrong, just like DeMarcus has proved many wrong all year in Lexington. I just wish the media would get off of Cousins' back, who has done everything the right way at UK, and give a little bit of fair criticism where it's actually deserved.

Is Calipari Good for Kentucky?

A lot has been going on around Big Blue Nation the last couple of weeks. UK fans experienced disappointment over recruiting commitments for the first time in the Calipari era when CJ Leslie, Terrence Jones (supposedly), and Marcus Thornton have all decided to play their college basketball somewhere else. Calipari has offered a walk-on spot for West Jessamine star point guard, Jarrod Polson, and is currently trying to put the finishing touches on another great recruiting class at UK. Calipari also discussed with the press last week about the possibility of starting up a JV team at UK to allow more Kentucky kids the opportunity to suit up for the Blue and White.

In addition to the disappointing recruiting commitments more bad news came out last week when an article was written in the Lexington Herald Leader announcing that the UK men's basketball team compiled a team GPA of only 2.0, the worst since 2002 and currently the lowest of any sports program at UK. Then, the very next day, Yahoo reported that Calipari was interested in the opening head coaching job with the Chicago Bulls and not soon after that it was announced of UK's intention to restructure Calipari's contract to try to keep the coach in Lexington until he retires. In the last couple of days, more disappointing (but not surprising) news came out that Daniel Orton has hired an agent and Eric Bledsoe definitely intends to stay in the draft barring any major injury during NBA workouts. Unless Cal signs another big man, a lot more will be asked of Josh Harrelson next year as he and incoming blue chip Center, Enes Kanter, will be the only two post players on the roster.

Still, through all of the mostly negative news that has surrounded the program in the last couple of weeks, the Cats are still bringing in a top 5 recruiting class next year and have an even better class coming into the program in 2012. The team's GPA should certainly improve next season with the additions of Brandon Knight and Enes Kanter, whom are both very well known to be exceptional students. And Calipari, for now, is still in Lexington and he says he's happy here and doesn't even want a raise. I wouldn't be suprised to see Coach Cal make the move to the NBA down the road if the PERFECT situation presents itself with a playoff calibur team with Lebron James on the roster, and perhaps one of his former players such as Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall, or DeMarcus Cousins as well. I do think Cal is still intigued by having success in the NBA, but I also believe he has a desire to get to another Final Four and ultimately win a National Championship at Kentucky before he gives the NBA a second shot. If he is able to do that, I don't think anyone would be dissapointed in Coach Cal, just as long as he doesn't end up on Louisville's sidelines any time soon.

Just as Coach Cal explained on his Twitter last week, there will never be any more rumors about him going to another school because he now has the best college job, but his name will always be linked to NBA job openings, whether he is actually interested or not, and that is a good problem for Kentucky to have. It's a problem that nobody had to worry about when Billy Gillispie was on the sidelines for 2 short and miserable seasons and it's only a problem that elite programs and coaches have to deal with. Kentucky is clearly once again at an elite level, but some critics will beg the question if it is really worth it in spite of all the "one and dones", occasional academic shortcomings (yes- occassional; just look at his career graduation rates at Memphis and UMass), and the mention of Calipari's name for virtually every NBA job opening.

ESPN's SportsNation poll this week asked if John Calipari was good for the University of Kentucky. Cal's critics can be very loud, often biased (see Pat Forde), and almost always obnoxious (Louisville fans). On a national level, however, the SportsNation poll revealed that nearly 70% of sports fans accross the nation believe that Calipari is good for Kentucky and only two states- Kansas and North Carolina (not surprisingly), thought otherwise. Despite what your annoying co-worker from Louisville may tell you on a consistant basis, most other fans would love Coach Calipari coaching their team.

Just about every fan base in America would openly welcome superstars like John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, even if only for a year. They also wouldn't mind NBA rumors surrounding their head coach if it meant they were competing for National Championships every year, and most fans certainly wouldn't mind if their team went through a semester or two with a "C" average. The critics of Calipari can be very loud and annoying to deal with, but most of them would love to have Cal and all the "problems" associated with being an elite program with elite players. We're very lucky and proud to have Coach Calipari and it's just amazing to sit back and think about everything that has transpired with this program in the past year.

Yes, John Calipari is good for the University of Kentucky and we are extremely lucky to have him. He not only is a winner on the court, but he also connects with the fans off of it and understands everything that is expected of him as the head basketball coach at UK.

He's the perfect man for the job, and to quote Billy Gillsipie- "That's just not a very good question".

Official Press Release on 5 UK Players Entering the NBA Draft

(Photo courtesy of UKathletics.com)

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky freshmen Eric Bledsoe, DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton and John Wall and junior Patrick Patterson will enter their names in this year’s NBA Draft. All five players are projected as first-round picks.

It marks the second straight season a UK player has declared early for the draft. All-American Jodie Meeks decided to forego his senior season last year to turn pro.

Bledsoe averaged 11.3 ppg while hitting 49 three-pointers and shooting 38 percent from behind the line in his freshman campaign. Bledsoe finished sixth on UK’s all-time freshman scoring list (419), second on the three-point field goals made list (49) and fourth on the freshman assist list (107).

“I never thought I’d be in this position after one year,” Bledsoe said. “Coach Cal pushed us all to be the best we could be and he believes I’m prepared to take my game to the next level. I want to thank the fans for all their support this year.”

Cousins was second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.1 ppg while posting a team-best 9.8 rpg average, all in only 23.5 minutes per game. He destroyed the UK freshman rebounding record by nearly 100 rebounds and scored the second-most points by a UK freshman, behind teammate John Wall.

The Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year also led the Wildcats in double-doubles this season with 20, the most by a UK player since 1973 and the fourth most in a season in Kentucky basketball history.

“Coach challenged me to grow on and off the court this season,” Cousins said. “I believe my game expanded along with my maturity. This year was the most fun I’ve ever had playing basketball and a lot of it had to do with the support I got from our fans.”

Orton served as the Wildcats’ sixth man this season and finished averaging 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds. He was second on the team in blocked shots with 53 and ranked eighth in the SEC in blocks per game (1.4).

“Being at Kentucky allowed me to play with some of the most talented players in the country,” Orton said. “Battling with DeMarcus (Cousins) and Patrick (Patterson) every day helped improve my game. I want to thank the coaching staff for helping put me in a position to be drafted this year.”

Patterson ranked second in the SEC and 12th nationally in field goal percentage (.575). He recorded nine double-doubles this season, fourth most in the SEC, and 11 double-digit rebounding performances. He finished his junior season ranked 13th on Kentucky’s all-time scoring list (1,564) and sixth on Kentucky’s career double-double list with 30.

“I want to thank the fans who have supported me all three years,” Patterson said. “I also want to thank the coaches for putting me in a position to showcase other parts of my game as well as my versatility. Lexington and UK will always be a special place to me.”

Wall led the Wildcats in scoring (16.6), assists (6.5) and steals (1.8) while setting the school single-season assist record with 241. The Adolph Rupp National Player of the Year recorded five double-doubles on the season, three in points and assists, and two in points and rebounds, making him the first player in UK history to record double-doubles in points and rebounds and points and assists.

“I’m not the same player as when I arrived at UK,” Wall said. “I believe I’m ready for the next challenge as Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans were the last two years under Coach Cal. I want to thank my teammates and the fans for all their support this year. I love them.”

“I’ve spoken with all five guys concerning the NBA and have encouraged them to put their names in the draft,” UK head coach John Calipari said. “They’ve all met individually with our compliance office to make sure they have a full understanding of eligibility rules and academic responsibilities. I’m so proud of these five young men, with everything they did for us on the court and the way they represented us off of it.

“It’s extremely unusual for four freshmen from the same team to have this opportunity, but it’s my job as a coach to prepare these young men for such opportunities.”