Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
No sour grapes, but we might be missing more than we thought when Shabazz Muhammed, currently a UCLA Bruin, broke Cal’s streak on recruiting uber-talented players. The freshman is lighting it up offensively in LA in a way that this Kentucky team could really use, and you have to wonder, where would this team be with the talented guard/forward hybrid? Still ranked? Off the bubble? Undefeated? Probably not that last one, but maybe the other two, right?
Let me say first what this isn’t: an indictment of any current Cat. I’d never say that I’d rather have Shabazz than these guys, because I know that they chose to put effort and work into being at Kentucky when they could have gone somewhere else a little more… lackadaisical (like UCLA). This is a talented group of players that, as things go forward, will continue to figure it out and work hard. You can’t say that about a lot of college players, but you can say that about this team.
But the question is, looking back at what could have been, what if Shabazz was here not instead of, but in addition to, these guys?
While his scoring average is high (18+ points per game), you have to think that his high number of shots would plummet at Kentucky, where the good pass is better than the sometimes-sloppy shot. Shabazz leads his team in field goal attempts, and played three full games fewer than most of the other starters (15 compared to their 18). So instead of looking at overall volume of output, its best to look at percentages.
And that’s actually where he looks even better.
His overall field goal percentage of 47% is good, very good for a guard. Lots of forwards/centers get percentages over 50, largely due to their proximity to the basket and ability to receive passes and do work so low in the post. For a wing player who has to rely on drives and jumpshots rather than post moves, 47% is pretty good.
What’s really good, though, and what would have been the most helpful to UK, is his three-point shooting. While he’s 47.1% overall, his 46.7% from outside is extremely solid considering he’s got so many other ways to score. A lot of shooters are known as just that, so it’s easy to lock them up outside and keep them from getting their open look. I can only imagine what a 47% shooter on the outside would do to bolster Kentucky’s good, but not great, 35.8%. Open up Nerlens in the middle? Create driving lanes for Harrow and Goodwin? Last year we had Doron Lamb for this sort of thing; this year we’re feeling that loss.
Muhammed has also helped the formerly miserable Brins to a very good 15-3 start, which is good enough for the #24 ranking, even with a bad loss to Cal Poly. It’s a very real possibility that he’s single-handedly saved Ben Howland’s job, at least for right now.
KSR’s own Rashawn Franklin was big on Shabazz’s prospects during the signing period, and while it looked like things would be rough in his early going at UCLA, he’s since gotten a hold of things and is doing pretty well for himself in his pit stop to the NBA. Maybe Rashawn knew what he was talking about after all.
I wouldn’t trade any player on this team. And there’s no hard feelings against Shabazz for signing with UCLA. I hear there’s a lotta nice girls out there, and maybe he’s run into Shawn Spencer and Burton Guster over there in SoCal somewhere. If so, good for him. Sometimes it’s just interesting to play the “What If?” game in retrospect before moving on to the next SEC matchup. Right now, I can’t help but wonder what things would be like if Shabazz had chosen the Cats.
But enough retrospection, bring on Auburn.
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January 19th, 2013 at 11:36 am
I’d rather have Shabazz as my ballhog than Archie…
January 19th, 2013 at 11:37 am
I’ve always hated the “Brins”
If Muhammad came to UK he probably would have been deemed ineligible the entire season by the NCAA.
January 19th, 2013 at 11:40 am
NO, I would not have Shabazz on my team! I don’t like any thing about his game, he would not fit in at UK he would disrupt!
January 19th, 2013 at 11:43 am
If we could have landed Shabazz and Anthony Bennett, we could very well be undefeated.
January 19th, 2013 at 11:44 am
Now the real what-if is Jodie staying for Cal’s first team. All we were missing for an undefeated season was a good shooter, and boy was Meeks a good shooter. That haunts me still…
January 19th, 2013 at 11:46 am
Agree with #2. Then Cal would have been called a cheater by trolls to this site.
January 19th, 2013 at 11:46 am
You wouldn’t trade Poythress for Shabazz? Either you’re lying to yourself or you’re just an idiot.
January 19th, 2013 at 11:47 am
Shabazz, SF, at UK would have moved Poytress to PF and we would have gotten more production out of both positions.
January 19th, 2013 at 11:47 am
I agree he would not have been eligible, do wish Alex Oraki who chose to go to Missouri was here.
January 19th, 2013 at 11:48 am
No! #5 you got that right! GO CATS!!
January 19th, 2013 at 11:50 am
Love that you butt-hurt hillbillies fantasize about Shabazz. Love the “he must not want to win a championship” argument you tried to make last spring. His team will at least have a chance at a title while UK will have a chance at an NIT title.
PayPal Cal still scared of Tommy Crean?
January 19th, 2013 at 11:51 am
7 – He’s just an idiot.
January 19th, 2013 at 11:51 am
@5 I remember telling my dad at the beginning of the season that Jodie Meeks going would come back to haunt us.. If he stayed that would have been the undefeated season
@7 hell yea I’d switch players lol hey ucla want a player that doesnt give it his all on the court? We would proudly take that scorer you guys have lol
January 19th, 2013 at 11:54 am
@11 hoo didn’t you guys just lose? It’s funny you guys talk trash lol I do believe you guys were one of the teams we smacked on the way to the title last year just sayin… I can understand Louisville or duke talking because they actually beat us in the last match but give me a reason you can talk trash please do
January 19th, 2013 at 11:56 am
Between Bennett and Shabazz, I would take Bennett. he would give us scoring from the 4 which we need, as well as an inside presence. I will say that in the all-star games last spring, Poythress seemed much more effective than Shabazz. He scored a lot of points on fewer attempts. Shabazz was a gunner. Unfortunately, it has not translated into Poythress being a better college player at this point.
January 19th, 2013 at 11:56 am
Shabazz wouldn’t have seen a second on the floor thanks to the NCAA.
As for Anthony Bennett, UK was led to believe there were academic eligibility problems.
Oriakhi is the only real “miss” of this year, since everyone else had extenuating circumstances. Perhaps not Amile Jefferson, but he wasn’t as huge a target as others. There was a whole long stretch in the middle of his recruitment where his name didn’t come up on this site, and that’s how I tell how hard UK is recruiting him.
January 19th, 2013 at 11:58 am
I know you are scared of “Clappy the Clown” because he is scary indeed. We are still going to get spanked more in the Big 10. Stay tuned…
January 19th, 2013 at 11:59 am
You lost to Texas A&M…at home. Texas A&M is terrible and lost to Southern at home. PayPal Cal knew IU would slap around UK this season so he bailed on the series. Good luck in the NIT.
January 19th, 2013 at 12:00 pm
Shabazz is an azzhole. Not because he didn’t sign but because I met him and his personality would have nevrr made it with the #bbn. Glad he is at UCLA.
January 19th, 2013 at 12:02 pm
No one is afraid of sissy Cream! Cream refused to play Cal in Indiana of all places!
January 19th, 2013 at 12:02 pm
@19 did you not have jungle fever or what?
January 19th, 2013 at 12:03 pm
You have to wonder; If I was better looking and more athletic WOULD I be married to Giselle Bundchen right now? We’ll never know…….
January 19th, 2013 at 12:06 pm
Afraid of a neutral site or PayPal Cal afraid of losing at home? Rumor has it PayPal is trying to weasel out of playing Texas A&M next season.
January 19th, 2013 at 12:06 pm
Let me go on record saying I love the Pscyh references on this site! Seriously….I’ve never met anyone else who watches this show.
January 19th, 2013 at 12:06 pm
What happened on IU’s home floor the other night against Wisconsin?
January 19th, 2013 at 12:07 pm
Well Shabazz didn’t choose so us so we move on. I don’t want anyone who doesn’t want us. He wanted more shots and his individual glory than us so thank you for going somewhere else! I love who we have and after players make their Choice of schools it’s time to focus on who we have. Go. Cats! Beat the fire out of Auburn!
January 19th, 2013 at 12:08 pm
#18 Poor IU fan his team has sucked so long he has been in hiding. Finally able to come out amd talk trash after years of sucking. Your right IU is better than UK but ill take 1 bad year after final four 2 years ago and championship last year. Enjoy it this year because guess what. Next year UK will be the best again. When did IU win a championship again?
January 19th, 2013 at 12:09 pm
IU lost to a Wisconsin team that will not be playing in the NIT likeTexas A&M
January 19th, 2013 at 12:11 pm
UK will be the best next season just like this season when they went from preseason #3 to #3 in the NIT
January 19th, 2013 at 12:18 pm
Bazz has the attitude, competitiveness and will to win that is missing from some of UK’s key players.. But I agree that the NCAA probably would have made him ineligible or given him a much stiffer penalty if he came here. Conspiracy Theorist? Maybe…
But I think his decision probably worked out better for him.
January 19th, 2013 at 12:18 pm
we have a trophy case for 2012 nat’l championship –loosiers have one for beating UK at the buzzer.
January 19th, 2013 at 12:18 pm
who the hell is PayPal Cal anyway??? assuming he means Calipari… that doesn’t even make sense… they say if you have to explain your own joke, then its not really a joke anymore is it?
January 19th, 2013 at 12:18 pm
Hey Hoo what happens when the best team that iu has had in twenty years does NOT when the ship this year? And you will lose half your team next year right? BBN won’t be able to find your little bitch ass no where! GO CATS!!
January 19th, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Shagari, my thoughts exactly! He never would have played, Emmert would still be investigating as would thamel and the rest of the anti-UK writers.
January 19th, 2013 at 12:22 pm
What’s wrong with an NIT Championship? I think its been a while since we won one of those. Looks good in trophy case. We only put championship trophies in an enclosed case. We only make rings for final 4′s then the blue & white puts those rings in the safe as they put the new Championship rings on (that finger between the index and ring finger) to show little bro and Joe schmo a.k.a IU
January 19th, 2013 at 12:23 pm
i can think of 4 or 5 guys on this team i would trade for shabazz
January 19th, 2013 at 12:25 pm
went to UCLA for the pay and perks
January 19th, 2013 at 12:28 pm
You know Bubba, if Thamel would have chased Shabazz at UK he wouldn’t be taking all the heat on the Manti story. Pete would make the trade for Shabazz.
January 19th, 2013 at 12:28 pm
This is just a hypothetical question so I think anyone in their right mind would love to trade Poythress for Mohammed any day.We wouldn’t be undefeated but we would be a much better team than we are now.
January 19th, 2013 at 12:29 pm
Coulda, woulda, shoulda. Who cares? He didn’t come here. End of story. More important is whether a couple of the players, we do have, will elevate their game. It’s a total waste of time to debate what could have been if player X or Y had signed with UK.
January 19th, 2013 at 12:36 pm
Only thing I think this team needs to trade for is a little more heart and enthusiasum
January 19th, 2013 at 12:37 pm
shabazz is lucky to be playing anywhere right now. IIRC, shabazz was deemed eligible immediately after his ncaa investigator’s friend was caught bragging & disclosing confidential info about shabazz. basically, he’s only playing b/c of a technicality.
here we go:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2012/11/16/ncaa-reinstates-ucla-shabazz-muhammad/1710617/
January 19th, 2013 at 12:39 pm
Thanks for the encouraging words guys. I am smart enough to know there are trolls, and also smart enough to know many comments are true uk fans. Either way, I will continue to improve and pretend you never said these things when the season is over and I’ve come around. Thanks BBN, love you too
January 19th, 2013 at 12:43 pm
Red Head, kinda like a Back to the future moment, he I am sure he would trade for not taking the heat he is experiencing now, good call!
January 19th, 2013 at 12:44 pm
Cal and Wes can only buy so many players each year. They should have paid Alex less, then they would have been able to up their offer to Shabazz.
January 19th, 2013 at 12:47 pm
Good article, Corey!
A side thought…
…does HOO work for KSR just to stir the pot?
January 19th, 2013 at 12:51 pm
HOO, because your “sexy big man” Zeller was playing like Teos gf last week, now Wisconsin thinks theyre good at basketball, for beating the 4th best team in the conference…and no way would shabazz see the court if he went to UK UCLA’s NCAA’s golden child
January 19th, 2013 at 12:54 pm
I told you Billy Bob’s UK would have an injury and this isn’t the last one. Look for another injury tonight or next week. Time to pay for being healthy for the last threes years.
January 19th, 2013 at 12:58 pm
I would rather have Anthony Bennet at UNLV. I believe he is be.tter that Shabazz
January 19th, 2013 at 1:00 pm
You call him PayPal Cal while talkin about a recruit he DIDN’T get?!? Logic must escape you.
January 19th, 2013 at 1:00 pm
Maryland is getting bent over by UNC. Sad that our best win is against an NIT bound squad.
January 19th, 2013 at 1:01 pm
I think Anthony Bennett would make the biggest difference.
January 19th, 2013 at 1:02 pm
52) That is because Cal and Wes could not even overcome Adidas paying Shabazz’s father. Wes and Cal finally met their match. I doubt they wanted to go higher than the 250K that was paid for Davis.
January 19th, 2013 at 1:04 pm
50. You do know it was an old injury acting up, right? As in, something that happened in junior high that is getting fixed so it doesn’t ruin his career. He didn’t get injured at UK.
January 19th, 2013 at 1:11 pm
If the CATS could have someone they missed on in the current class it would have to be the guy that went to UNLV, I think his name is Bennett, looks like the real deal in a couple of games that were on TV, both normally play on late night TV from the West Coast..
January 19th, 2013 at 1:14 pm
Then maybe a certain coach should have been with his team over
the summer and took care of things. This kool aid taste funny.
January 19th, 2013 at 1:14 pm
This article sux no imagination
January 19th, 2013 at 1:31 pm
Shabazz chose not to come to Kentucky. The other guys did — can’t they get some respect, if not support?
January 19th, 2013 at 1:37 pm
fast break…go Cats
January 19th, 2013 at 2:13 pm
60, no man we suck. I’m not showing them respect for not trying.
January 19th, 2013 at 2:22 pm
While most freshman poop icecream, Shabazz thought he pooped 10k diamond rings. True story!
January 19th, 2013 at 2:26 pm
24 – You know that’s right.
46 – Funny idea, but no. Some people really don’t have anything better to do with their Saturday mornings.
61 – That sounds like it would hurt his rectum. “Rectum! Dang near killed ‘im!”
January 19th, 2013 at 2:27 pm
57 – ur rite.. next time ill chek with u.
58 – Agreed.
January 19th, 2013 at 2:35 pm
If he went to UK, I bet the NCAA wouldn’t have cleared him to even play this year.
January 19th, 2013 at 3:04 pm
Agree w/ #2. Shabazz never would have been allowed to play at UK.
January 19th, 2013 at 3:20 pm
Exactly #2
January 19th, 2013 at 4:51 pm
Logic is a sign of intelligence. I don’t possess the one so I don’t possess the other.
January 19th, 2013 at 5:06 pm
“I wouldn’t trade any player on this team” b******t
January 19th, 2013 at 5:08 pm
I have been telling people that he was the missing piece all year!!!
January 19th, 2013 at 6:19 pm
UCLA falls out of the top 25 next week.