Kentucky Sports Radio

Photo by Regina Rickert

After going into the season ranked eighth in the country, it was a sad day in Hoover for your University of Kentucky baseball team, who lost to Ole Miss 4-1 in the opening round of the SEC Baseball Tournament. The Rebel Black Bears jumped out to an early lead, and despite having the bases loaded in the seventh inning, the Cats couldn’t mount a comeback. Their lone run came in the fourth inning off a delayed-steal play with two outs.

The Bat Cats started the season 22-6 and ranked as high as seventh in some polls, but a late season skid has totally halted their postseason plans. They will finish the season with a 30-25 record. Ole Miss will move on to face Arkansas tomorrow.

Get ‘em next year, boys.

Rivals.com updated its 2014 college football rankings today and Drew Barker got a bump up from a 5.8 four-star to a 5.9 four-star player. Barker is ranked No. 117 (previously No. 153) in the list of 250.

Mikel Horton joins Barker as the only other UK commit rated 5.9. Horton is the 131st (previously No. 209) overall player and the 22nd-ranked running back.

Thaddeus Snodgrass also made the list at No. 205 overall.

Cats.

UK safety Ashely Lowery is still recovering from his horrific car wreck earlier this month at his mother’s home in Georgia, and according to this picture from Lowery family friend Doug Stutsman, he’s got plenty of reading to do. Stutsman posted the picture of Ashely’s get well cards on Twitter with the caption “Never seen so many get well cards before. #BBN.”

Ashely expects to return to school in June.

“I will make you eat your feet.”

Archie Goodwin is one of four NBA prospects tabbed as combine “losers” in a piece at SI.com. Though the label is only “for the moment,” it is clear that Archie’s inconsistent jump shot may be too much for him to overcome as he tries to improve his stock in these weeks leading up to the draft.

Losers (For The Moment)

Archie Goodwin

Goodwin struggled with his jump shot throughout the combine — “Very flat,” a Western Conference coach said — and looked like the player who said he would be “delusional” to think he was ready for the NBA. There is a raw, Jamal Crawford-like talent in Goodwin, an athletic, dynamic combo guard who can score in a variety of ways. But it could take years to develop that player in him, if it can be brought out at all.

Once a potential lottery pick, Archie is now expected to go in the late first round to early second round range. Draft Express updated its mock draft today and it projects him going to the Suns with the last pick in the first round.

Another combine loser, according to SI.com: Shabazz Muhammad.

[SI.com: Winners, losers from the 2013 NBA draft combine]

While talking about Louisville’s success in an interview with KSR last week, John Calipari said, “We won it first.” Now, that jab at the Cards is a t-shirt in The KSR Shop for members of Big Blue Nation to own.

Pre-order your “We Won It First” t-shirt at TheKSRShop.com today!

One of the few setbacks from Spring Practice was Donte Rumph’s shoulder injury. However, Rumph is recovering nicely from his surgery, and should be ready to play once the season rolls around. In fact, ESPN’s Chris Low says that he’ll be one of the top defensive tackle prospects from the SEC in next year’s draft:

Donte Rumph, Kentucky: He had his spring cut short by shoulder surgery, but the 6-3, 323-pound Rumph is an imposing figure in the middle. If he’s healthy, look for him to be on a lot of teams’ draft boards.

We want the Rumph…gotta have that Rumph…

Have you ever woken up on a Tuesday and wondered, “Man, I wonder what Ramel Bradley is up to these days?”? Apparently Bradley has his team, GreenTops Netanya, one game away from the Israeli Premiere League Final Four. Netanya was down in the series 0-2, but Bradley led them to two straight wins, with 19 points and had 7 rebounds and 6 assists in last night’s victory. Game 5 is Thursday night, and if they win, they move on to the Semifinals.

In case you missed it a few weeks ago, Ramel also accidentally hit his coach in the face while trying to save a ball. Smooth.

On this morning’s radio show, Matt and the crew will discuss the NBA draft lottery, football expectations, and navigating the world the way it’s meant to be navigated: with an atlas.

#TeamNoGPS

Join in on the fun by calling (502) 571-1080.

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It’s never too early to breakdown a schedule, right?  No, not the football schedule, but the basketball schedule.  UK’s non-conference slate this season looks pretty good on paper.  A true road game against a Top 25 North Carolina, a home game against the national champion, neutral site games against Michigan State and Baylor, plus tournament teams Boise State and Belmont as well.  But just how well does it stack up against the previous 4 years of John Calipari non-conference schedules?  And, I put together a little formula to determine the best.  It goes as below:

+2 for every RPI Top 10 team
+1 for every NCAA Tournament Team
+.5 for every true road game
-1 for every RPI 300+ opponent
(some opponents can fall under multiple categories)

Now, we are just ranking these non-conference schedules by their difficulty, not by how successful these teams were against those schedules.  NCAA Tournament teams in bold: 

2012-13 (13 games, 9-4 record)
RPI Top 10: at Louisville, Duke (N)
RPI Top 25: None
RPI 26-50: at Notre Dame
RPI 51-100: Maryland (N), Baylor
RPI 101-200: Lafayette, Morehead St, Long Island
RPI 201-300: Marshall, Portland, Lipscomb, E.Michigan, Samford
RPI 300+: None

Recap: 4 NCAA Tournament Teams (1 Final Four), Five 200+ RPI opponents, 1 true road game
TOTAL: 9 POINTS

2011-12 (15 games, 14-1 record)
RPI Top 10: North Carolina, Kansas (N)
RPI Top 25: Louisville, at Indiana
RPI 26-50: None 
RPI 51-100: Loyola (MD)
RPI 101-200: Old Dominion (N), Lamar, St. Johns, Penn State (N), UALR
RPI 201-300: Marist, Portland, Samford
RPI 300+: Chattanooga, Radford

Recap: 6 NCAA Tournament Teams (2 Final Four), Five 200+ RPI opponents, 1 true road game
TOTAL: 8.5 POINTS

2010-11 (14 games, 12-2 record)
RPI Top 10: at North Carolina, Notre Dame (N)
RPI Top 25: UCONN, at Louisville 
RPI 26-50: Washington  
RPI 51-100: E.Tennessee St., 
RPI 101-200: Portland, Oklahoma, Boston U, Penn, Indiana  
RPI 201-300: Winthrop, Coppin St, Mississippi Valley St
RPI 300+: None

Recap: 6 NCAA Tournament Teams (1 Final Four), 3 200+ RPI opponents, 2 true road games
TOTAL: 11 POINTS

2009-10 (15 games, 15-0 record)
RPI Top 10: None
RPI Top 25: None 
RPI 26-50: Louisville
RPI 51-100: UCONN (N), Sam Houston St, Morehead St, North Carolina
RPI 101-200: Long Beach St, Rider, Miami (OH), Drexel, Austin Peay, Stanford (N), Cleveland St (N),  
RPI 201-300: UNC-Asheville, at Indiana
RPI 300+: Hartford

Recap: 2 NCAA Tournament Teams (0 Final Four), Three 200+ RPI opponents, 1 true road game
TOTAL: 1.5 POINTS

Let’s get the obvious out of the way.  Calipari’s first team had one of the more laughable non-conference schedules ever.  Admittedly, much of that came from their good teams having down years.  But their lone road game was against the worst Indiana team in 50 years.  The faced ZERO teams in the RPI Top 25 and their “marquee” games came against North Carolina and UCONN, both of which missed the tournament that year.  No wonder they went 15-0.

Now, the other 3 schedules are fairly comparable.  But the Brandon Knight-team gets the BTI nod for the best schedule of the bunch.  2 true road games against Top 20 teams, and 2 more Top 20 games.  Plus 2 other NCAA Tournament teams and nobody above 251 in the RPI.  If I remember correctly, that team had many question marks coming out of non-conference play, but looking back, the fact they went 12-2 against that slate of game was pretty impressive. 

The last 2 years have had very respectable schedules as well, although not up to the 2010-11 team.  They may have been a little heavy in the 200+ teams, but not at Gillispie levels.  This season, UK has what amount to 6 bunnies on the schedule (UNC Asheville, Northern Kentucky, Robert Morris, UT-Arlington, Cleveland St, Eastern Michigan), and 3 more opponents that should be more than beatable but inside the Top 150 (Boise State, Belmont, Providence).  And obviously the schedule is held up by MichiganState, Louisville, North Carolina, and Baylor.  So, here is the BTI prediction for this year’s schedule in terms of finishing RPI:

Top 10: Michigan State, Louisville
Top 11-25: at North Carolina
Top 26-50: Baylor
Top 50-100: Belmont, Boise State
Top 101-200: Providence
Top 201-299: Cleveland St, E.Michigan, Northern Kentucky, Robert Morris, UNC-Asheville
Top 300+: UT-Arlington
TOTAL: 9.5 POINTS

Not looking too bad, eh?

Follow me on Twitter @BryantheIntern.

Lets get started with my favorite video of yesterday, Jim Ross calling the Miguel Leg Drop from the Billboard Awards:

Then we can add a rapper (who admittedly I have never heard of) Mac Miller deciding to rep the Cards jersey. I know nothing of him, but by appearance alone, if we get Drake then the Cards deserve Mac:

Now you might have a job you don’t like, but my guess is that this guy’s office experience is worse than yours:

And we finish with the official hello in the KSR Office when BTI returned to work this week as acted out by Colorado Rockies Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki:

Have a great Tuesday and remember, you will have to stream the radio show online, since we are preempted on air in Lexington and Louisville due to the UK Baseball game. Use IHeart Radio or go to TalkRadio1080.com.

Ladies, gentlemen and Louisville fans, something we never thought we’d see again popped back up Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. and smacked us all square in the mouth. It was a post from Bryan The Intern. Yes, the same Bryan The Intern you once despised on KentuckySportsRadio.com. BTI made his return Monday after 556 days away from the website and he’s back for good, like he never really left.

Now wipe that vomit off the floor and get that dry wall fixed. You could’ve hit a stud, you know.

The coveted 9:00 a.m. time slot saw seven different authors over his 18-month hiatus, but none could provide the level of suck it takes to start our day like BTI. He has such an amazing ability to rile everyone up with each and every Rant and Ramble, and he came back to use his weapons of mass despicable to reclaim his throne atop Mt. Opinionated in the Land of Argumentative. The surprise return yielded so many great responses:

The Water Boy: “ugh… I feel like someone just pissed in my Frosted Flakes.”

Walden Schmidt: “Missed you like I would a bleeding hemoroid.”

Frew Drunklin: “KSR must be desperate to bring this chotch back.”

BTI Sucks: “With all due respect… now remember I said with all due respect… I am pretty sure I felt a little part of me die with this news.”

Nick, a commenter on Monday morning’s post, hit the nail on the head when he suggested this video is a reenactment of our reactions to BTI’s return at the KSR compound:

But in all seriousness, welcome back, BTI. You complete us.

 There isn’t a ton of news flying off the KSR newswire at this time of the year but I guess we have Tuesday night’s NBA draft lottery to look forward to tomorrow. We should have a pretty good idea about where Nerlens Noel will end up once the selection order is decided, and whether or not he’ll become Kentucky’s third No. 1 draft pick in four years of NBA. That’s absurd, by the way.

However, Noel is not a sure thing to be the first name called at next month’s draft, according to Chad Ford. Ford believes as many as five lottery teams will pass on Noel if they hold the top pick. Utah, Portland, Minnesota, Detroit and New Orleans are franchises he lists with interest in other players. New Orleans has the highest odds among those teams at 8.8 percent. The other four have little to no chance at winning the top pick, although the Chicago Bulls shocked everyone by receiving the top pick, Derrick Rose, with a 1.7 percent chance in 2008.

Ford also wrote that very few teams believe any of the prospects are worth a first round pick this summer, so some teams will be more inclined to take a gamble. He also thinks Nerlens Noel’s weight from the NBA combine is causing his stock to slip a little. At 206 pounds, Noel is one of the lightest big men to ever enter the league.

 Archie Goodwin is No. 37 on ESPN’s Top 100 draft prospects list. His ESPN scouting report opens with this sentence: “Everyone still wants to love Goodwin, but every time they go to the tape it’s brutal.”

Make them eat they feet, Archie. Burr, burr, burr.

 In football recruiting news, Denzel Ware tweeted that he will visit Kentucky June 9-11. The four-star recruit committed to Kentucky on February 12 but changed his mind two months later with a tweet suggesting he will commit to Florida. Now, Kentucky is getting another look at the Alabama defensive end. He has offers from Florida, Florida State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas and USC, to name a few. It was huge news for UK football when he committed the first time.

 Mike Edwards, the 27th-ranked safety in the class, visited Kentucky on Monday. He and his parents drove down from Cincinnati to meet face-to-face with the staff. He will attend college with Darius West, the 13th-ranked safety in the class, and both are announcing soon. West’s announcement is scheduled for May 30 and Drew Barker plans to drive to Lima, Oh. to attend.

 SLAM Magazine named its High School All-Americans Monday and there was no shortage of Kentucky players on the squads. Julius Randle and the Harrison twins were named to the first team, along with Aaron Gordon, Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker. James Young received second team honors; Dakari Johnson the third; and Marcus Lee was named honorable mention. The magazine called this crop of talent “a potentially historic class of up-and-comers,” the best since 2007 when Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and James Harden were graduating high school.

 Former Louisville Cardinal Terrence Williams was arrested over the weekend on gun charges. He was waving his pistol around while visiting his child, allegedly. #L1SeeThis is why we make fun of you.

 In gambling news, Kentucky is a 3-point favorite over Western Kentucky is the season opener in Nashville, according to BetOnline. The website released its Week 1 college football lines on Monday just minutes before UK fans hammered the bet. I think the Wildcats cover for one reason and one reason only: Za’Darius Smith.

 Kansas basketball got even better Monday when the Jayhawks added Tarik Black, a transfer from Memphis. The six-foot-seven forward started five games for Josh Pastner last season with averages of 8.1 points and 4.8 rebounds. He will be eligible to play immediately as a graduate student. Bring it.

 #PrayForOklahoma

BTI’s up next…

The Calipari Foundation will be donating $10k to the Red Cross for the victims & families effected by this horrendous tornado in Okla.

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) May 21, 2013

It’s a heartbreaking scene in Oklahoma right now. Keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers.

A few weeks ago I wrote on here about how this is going to be the “Summer of Transition” on KSR as we move to some new endeavors and expand what we do on this site. We are very excited about the changes and looking forward to announcing new additions to the site in the months to come. One of those additions is bringing on some new writers, a couple of which are names from the past (BTI and John Wilkinson), some new names you don’t yet know and a couple of folks you do know that you will be excited (and surprised) to see in the KSR environment.

But along with that, it is time to once again cast a net and add some new writers to the KSR family from our readership. It has now been 2 1/2 years since our last blogger contest and in these 30 months, we have not added on any new writers from outside the KSR world or the KSR College environment. This summer that changes. Over time, the most important names at KSR have come from either the Blogger contest or writing on separate blogs and then joining Kentucky Sports Radio. Now we will set out to look for the new Beisner, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson from our KSR Readership. So we are asking you, do you have what it takes to write for KSR.

Here is What We are Looking For:

1. Creative Writers to Cover UK Sports: You know the KSR style. Do you think you can do it? If so, we would like to read your submission. If you decide to apply for one of these positions, make sure and let us know what sports you would focus on and what you consider your expertise. Remember, most will say basketball and football, so if you have an interest in another area, please let us know. You can be any age, any walk of life and have any profession…just a desire and ability to write at a high level about Kentucky sports.

2. College Students: Many of our best writers have come from KSR College and we are continuing another year of that starting in August. The form of KSR College will alter slightly and the posts will be integrated into the main site as part of the redesign. But if you are interested in joining the KSR College group, you should apply for this position. This involves actual covering of UK games, press conferences and events (last year writers from KSR College were able to cover the John Calipari Fantasy Camp). We prefer to have students who can be in the Lexington area for events, although this is not required. If you are a college student, this is the best position to apply for and we have had a number of writers coming from KSR College land full time sports reporting jobs after their time with us.

3. Creative non-UK Sports Writers: Part of our new endeavor will be to create a “Culture” page, similar to what Bill Simmons has done with Grantland that will include writing beyond the world of UK sports. Some of our best writers, such as Tomlin, Drew and others will be writing extensively here. If you think you are particularly capable of writing about interesting, non-UK topics (movies, politics, pop culture, long features), this is the position for you and you can be part of building a spin-off phase of KSR going forward.

These are the three main types of writers we are now seeking. We are adding a KSR Photographer, but she has already been picked and will be joining us in June. What we are looking for now are great writers and I know you are out there. If you come down this path, it can literally change your career, just as it did for Thomas Beisner, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson. And now is the time for you to try as as well.

To Apply, EMAIL KSRJOBS1@gmail.com with this information:

— Reference in SUBJECT OF THE EMAIL as to which position/s you are interested in

— A couple of paragraphs on who you are, where you live, what you do for a living, why you are interested…a biographical look at the person applying. Make sure to use this as a time to sell us on you as it will be (at least until we interview you) our only chance to know who you are as a person.

— At least 2 WRITING SAMPLES OF YOUR WORK. This can be created specifically for this application or something you have done elsewhere. But we are interested in seeing your writing ability.

— Contact information and schedule availability. If you are chosen, how often, and when, would you be available to write.

Our vision is that you will join us as a secondary hobby to whatever career you are pursuing now, but with the possibility of advancement, just as other KSR writers have done before. We need your submission by TUESDAY MAY 28 at 5 PM. We will spend some time reviewing the applications and then be in touch by mid-June. This is an exciting time for KSR and we are eager to pursue the next phase of the site’s growth this summer. We hope to have you a part of it and look forward to reading your submissions. Thanks!

The always venerable Wikipedia defines an expatriate as “a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country or culture other than that of the person’s upbringing.” In other words, they’re strangers in a strange land. University of Kentucky fans have always identified themselves as members of “Big Blue Nation,” and in many cases, the BBN really CAN be found almost anywhere your travels take you. With that in mind, the series “The Ex-Pats of Big Blue Nation” will profile those Kentucky fans who have moved away from the Bluegrass State for whatever reason, asking how they’ve managed to maintain their devotion and fanhood despite living in areas where every exhibition game isn’t televised or where no one in the neighborhood understands the significance of the date April 2, 2012. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Derek in Albania. Read on and enjoy hearing about life as a UK fan outside of Kentucky.

Let’s start with the basics. Please state your name, where you’re from, and current location for the official record. No need for exact addresses, I don’t want to get you in trouble on the Internet.

My name is Derek Dennis and I grew up in Oldham County. I graduated from UK in 2011 with an undergraduate degree in business management. I currently live in northern Albania. 

How did you get from Point A (Kentucky) to Point B (where you are now)?

After graduating, I went into the Peace Corps and was selected to serve in Albania. I have been working with a local government office on economic and youth development projects for over a year now. While I miss Kentucky, Albania has been a great place to work and live.

What team’s fans dominate your area? (College or professional)

The KS Besëlidhja Lezhë futbol klub represents my community in the Albanian national soccer league. Though, the European Champions League is king here. It dominates the coffee shop conversations year round.

Was it a hard adjustment going from living where everyone knows every detail about UK sports, to where people may conceivably think UK and Louisville are the same team?

Not only do people here not know about UK, but some of our behaviors don’t translate very well. For instance, the act of throwing up 3 goggles means something entirely different. It’s vulgar. Something to keep in mind during your next trip to Albania.

How many Kentucky fans would you say are in your general vicinity? Is there a local UK alumni group or bar?

Zero. I can go weeks without seeing another American.

How do you show off your fandom while living away from Kentucky?

UK shirts, hats, and flags.  

Derek hung this flag in his village during the 2012 championship run.

What’s the hardest thing about being a fan outside of the geographic BBN? The best thing?

Bad: Watching live games. Obviously, the 6 hour time difference for night games automatically cuts into my sleep. But I also have the occasional prolonged power or internet outage. Good: I don’t have to hear about UL.

What do you do for games?

Since most games are at night, I set my alarm, try to sleep as much as possible, and wake up a couple minutes before the start. I can usually stream into Tom Leach on my computer.  It’s odd listening to a game in Commonwealth or Rupp from my soviet-style block apartment at 4 am. In an environment so different from home, I try to keep up as much as I can because it helps make my fall and winter months feel somewhat normal.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to follow a game live?

During the game against Maryland in Brooklyn last November, my power went off early in the second half. It was in the middle of the night here, but I stayed up in the dark and luckily caught the final minute when the power came on.

How do you keep up with UK news without the local media readily accessible?

I’m able to stay updated through KSR and other sites. KSR helps out the most because I can stream the radio show periodically. Where else can I get news about Wiggins, the Waddy Werewolf, and the Bachelorette in the same place?

Since becoming an ex-pat, have you returned to Kentucky to watch the team play or seen the team play live in a different area? 

No, I haven’t had the chance to come back to UK.

You’re in Albania, a place that I could not locate on a map with a gun to my head. How do the locals respond to your fandom? Have you incorporated being a UK fan into your Peace Corps job?

A large aspect of my job includes culture exchange, so it’s a great opportunity for me to represent Kentucky. One of the ways I’ve introduced them to UK is through YouTube videos. The introduction clips seem to be the unanimous favorite within my office. People here also seem to love Wiltjer’s dance from big blue madness.

What advice do you have for anyone who may be considering a move from Kentucky who is concerned about missing out on following UK?

You can keep up with UK almost anywhere!

Any general stories that the readers of KSR would be interested to hear about living as a BBN ex-pat?

During the tournament run last year, I was living a rural village for an extended training period.  It was bittersweet for me because I had no way to watch or follow the games. I found out about the Final Four wins by making my brother call internationally after each game. I wasn’t able to actually watch the games until a couple months later. But I went through them all… from IU and Baylor, to UL and Kansas. Even though it was June, MKG’s block was still new to me.  It was awesome to finally watch the clock run out in New Orleans!

Disclaimer: The contents of this interview are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps.

If you’re an ex-pat of BBN who enjoys talking about yourself, email kristenmgeil@gmail.com

When the ping pong balls get to bouncin’ at tomorrow night’s NBA draft lottery, I will be pulling for the Charlotte Bobcats to win the rights to the draft’s No. 1 overall pick.

Am I a Bobcats fan?

Absolutely not. But I will be if the balls bounce in Charlotte’s favor. And so will you.

With Nerlens Noel currently projected to hear his name called first and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist already on the payroll, Charlotte provides the best scenario for fans of Kentucky basketball. Nerlens and MKG are two of Big Blue Nation’s all-time favorites, therefore putting them together gives UK fans a professional team to love a little more than others, and the Bobcats franchise could use all the extra support it can get.

You followed New Orleans for the first time in your life this season, didn’t you? I bet you checked Sacramento’s box scores from time to time, too. If Charlotte wins the No. 1 pick and selects Nerlens, the Bobcats’ bandwagon will be mobbed by UK fans, t-shirt money in hand, looking to find a seat on board.

But that ACL injury is a concern, some people will tell you. It’s too much of a gamble with that first pick, they say.

It’s not. It’s the opposite, really. In my opinion, the injury is even more of a reason the Bobcats, and Kentucky fans, need Nerlens Noel in Charlotte. Some say it’s a concern; I see it as a bonus, on top of the incredible athleticism, upside, work ethic, personality and marketability he already offers.

Look at it this way: Noel will be out until Christmas at the very earliest, so whichever team he ends up with will have to play the first half of the season with the same incompetent roster that got them in the draft lottery in the first place. That means another underwhelming season, and in turn, potentially the best odds to win the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. If you’re Charlotte, what’s it hurt to wait another year to make a stab at the playoffs in 2014-15? The team has been near the bottom of the standings throughout all nine years of its existence, it might as well tank one more time to be the favorite in the Andrew Wiggins Sweepstakes. If it works out that way, Charlotte will be on its way to becoming a contender with a young trio of Wiggins, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Nerlens Noel to build around.

Of course, Wiggins to Charlotte isn’t guaranteed if the Bobcats take Noel and compile the league’s worst record next season, which will almost certainly happen. In fact, you and I would love to see another franchise go first and take the soon-to-be Jayhawk. That would bust the gates wide open for the Bobcats to draft one of the four, five, or six Wildcats that will be projected to go in the top 10 in the 2014 draft.

How does a Noel-MKG-Andrew Harrison NBA connection sound? Can you imagine the hustle a frontcourt of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Nerlens Noel and Julius Randle would give? I’d drive to Charlotte once a month to see that lineup. The Bobcats would undoubtedly become the unofficial NBA team of the state of Kentucky during a time when Kentuckians have so many to choose from. Former Wildcats will soon be on half of the league’s rosters, but none will compare to a trio of UK stars headlining an NBA starting lineup only six hours away. Kentucky will finally have that professional NBA team it has so desperately wanted.

Not to mention, Charlotte needs help in the paint. Bismack Biyombo is running out of time to prove himself and Josh McRoberts’ deal with the devil to stay in the NBA this long has to be up soon. Nerlens, though too skinny right now, will one day be a defensive force at the next level. He will defend the rim, alter shots and stop drives, just as we saw him do in Lexington prior to the injury. He’ll need to bulk up to be able to bang with the big boys — that’s what the down time is for — but his shot blocking ability is too good to not make him one of the league’s better defenders after a couple of years. And, again, Bismack Biyombo and Josh McRoberts. Don’t even make me mention Byron Mullens.

So when representatives from the NBA’s fourteen worst teams get together tomorrow night to determine the order for next month’s draft, I encourage you to join me and the small group of Charlottonians who aren’t doing something NASCAR-related in cheering on the Charlotte Bobcats. The franchise has the second best odds in the lottery (19.9%) and Nerlens Noel’s fate, and the fate of our NBA fandom is on the line. Last year, if you recall, the Bobcats were in position to acquire Anthony Davis but New Orleans swooped in and stole him away like a bad mascot name. The Bobcats hope to do the same to the Orlando Magic this year.

The NBA draft lottery is Tuesday night at 8:30 ET. It will be televised on ESPN.

The Bobcats might be the Hornets again by then.

Editor’s Note: This is all based on the assumption Michael Jordan doesn’t do something dumb with the first pick. I can easily see M.J. drafting Reggie Bullock No. 1 overall or throwing the pick in a trade for Harrison Barnes or John Henson. Or losing the pick to Charlie Sheen in a game of Texas Hold ‘Em.

A big KSR shout out to Josh Teater, who qualified for the British Open by shooting 7 under in the 36 hole United States qualifying event. With just a few people left to finish, Josh was leading all qualifiers and has played his way into the field for the Open in July. Teater is a huge UK fan (as shown above by his sporting an Enes Kanter jersey during a PGA Tour round) and a regular KSR reader. We will be pulling for him during the blustery Open conditions as he tries to bring the Claret Jug to the Bluegrass.