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Brandon Knight's stock is dropping/Calipari attempting to raise stock (post #18)

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  • #16
    Arsenalist wrote: View Post
    He's reluctant to workout against other top PGs:



    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz1P1uI4uvd
    Knight is just doing what his agent tells him to do.

    I watched Knight at the Toronto workout - the guy was still going full speed after an 1:15 - hitting 3s, running drills like he just got there. The kid impresses in workouts - he won't fall far if the Jazz pass on him.

    It would have been great to see him on the floor with Kemba but there isn't much in it for him to do it and we all (should have) seen them in the Final Four head-to-head already.
    The best Raptors discussion board is at Raptors Republic.

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    • #17
      brothersteve wrote: View Post
      Knight is just doing what his agent tells him to do.

      I watched Knight at the Toronto workout - the guy was still going full speed after an 1:15 - hitting 3s, running drills like he just got there. The kid impresses in workouts - he won't fall far if the Jazz pass on him.

      It would have been great to see him on the floor with Kemba but there isn't much in it for him to do it and we all (should have) seen them in the Final Four head-to-head already.
      I don't understand Knight's agent not letting him workout against others. 1 on 1 is where Knight should have an advantage over others because he's tall, quick and can score. Where he wouldn't look as good is in a game situation where he is supposed to pass the ball and run the offense.
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      • #18
        Calipari is doing all he can to raise Knight's stock again (nice read)

        Kentucky men's basketball coach John Calipari discusses former Wildcats point guard Brandon Knight.

        Calipari on Knight's best attributes: Well, there are a couple of things there. Kevin and the guys there know that he wants to play for an organization like Utah. This kid's a straight-A student. A 4.0 his entire life. Sixty college credits, because he transferred in 23. Sixty college credits after one year, and he wants to come back and finish up — which he will, because I just know how he is. From beginning to end of the year, he just got better and better and better. What's amazing for Utah is, he's a lot like a John Stockton. In that, hey, you may have a guy right now — Stockton didn't start right away. And what you have is a young man who would be with you for a while, you know what I mean? The biggest thing I can tell you, I've never been around — yeah, I've been around some that have worked as hard as him — but none of them have worked harder, and whatever you think he's going to become, he's going to become. A lot of players in the draft you say, 'Potentially, this guy could be this, that and the other, but we have no idea whether he'll be that.' Well, with Brandon, whatever you think he's going to become, he'll become. I just think over three years, you're going to say 'Wow.' Whoever he gets him. Over a three-year period, you'll say 'Wow.' Terrific shooter. And you know shooting makes up for a multitude of sins. He can flat out make shots. He's bigger than you think. He's more athletic. He's got speed — a little bit like Tony Parker speed, where he can take it right at you and speed the game up a little bit. I'm sold on him. I know he's either going to go three, four, five. And whoever gets him is lucky. Utah was built on guys like him; so was San Antonio, you know what I'm saying? The best thing that's happened for the league right now is some of the better players are all — you know, Derrick Rose, even Dirk, they're just nice kids that want to get better and want to win. Even if you look in the championship, and you look at Wade and you look at Bosh and you look at those guys, and you look at LeBron — good guys. You may like them or you may not like them, but they're good people.

        Comparing Knight to the best point guards he's coached: He's right there. I've had four of them, and two of them took my teams to Final Fours. One of them's playing in Chicago, and Brandon's the other. And I'll be honest with you, the team I had in Memphis was a better team, a more talented team and a deeper team. We played six guys last year. … But they're all different. You can't say, 'Well, what's he like with Derrick, or what's he like with Tyreke?' They all have different strengths, they all have different weaknesses. John Wall and Tyreke, they're all different. Here's the other thing that sets him apart: He wants to make game-winners. But more importantly, he's not afraid to miss a game-winner. And you know in that league, how many times do you come down to the last two possessions? And then how many guys want the ball, and how many guys don't want it? I was in that league — not everybody wants the ball. Some guys, they're jumping in cracks trying to hide. And then there are others that become the valuable guys, because they do want it late; they want that ball; they want to make that play. Because they're not afraid. He's not afraid to miss that shot.

        True point guard or combo guard who shoots very well: They try to say that, is Tyreke a true point? You had John Wall, who they tried to say that about. Derrick early on, they were trying to say, 'Well, I don't know if he's really a point?' We're in the Garden, and that's Dicky V., going crazy on me. And I'm like, 'What?' [Laughs] But he's a terrific player. He's a leader. He's the lead guard who can run your team, can make shots, great in the locker room, really intelligent. You know how they do the meetings and the psychological? After they do that with him, you want him.

        Basketball intelligence: Oh yeah. But what he does is, he'll break down what he's doing, and then he changes it to get it right. Aw, man: he'll get it right. And what would happen is, they'd be coming back from a road trip, and the dude would go right back to the practice facility and say, 'I got to get this down,' whatever it may be. He was in the gym at 11 o'clock at night. For my best players, that was the case. I'd be coming off the road, it's 11 o'clock at night, I'd stop in my office, I'd look in the practice facility and all of a sudden I'm seeing a ball bounce. 'Who's that?' Well, that was Derrick Rose, that was Tyreke, that was John Wall, that was Brandon Knight. Those guys were all the same that way.

        Struggles going to his left: Well, here's the two things. When I tell you his skill level is just going to get better and better and better. And the one thing I'll tell you, what you find out is, with shooting when I was in the league — well, I'll give you an example: Tracy McGrady. I had him in, he was in high school. I had him in three times — I may have brought him in three times, because I was going to pick him. And he didn't make any shots — he didn't make free throws. By the time he left the league, if he was open, it was a knock-down shot. So shooting, whether it was Bird, whether it was Magic, even Jordan — that kind of stuff, what the hardest thing to judge is heart. The kind of mind he is. What are we adding to our locker room? What are we truly adding to our team, and what are we about? Everything. The biggest thing I can tell you, there are a lot of players out there — well, there's two things. If you're undersized, you're not going to have the same kind of success you think in that league. You can't. So if you're undersized in your position — I don't care what it is. And undersized means, you can only be 6-7, but you play 6-10. OK. There are guys like that. But you're talking about a kid that will play bigger than his size, and you're talking about a kid that the whole organization and everybody in the city will want to be around. You just say, 'Wow.' And again, he'll remind you of a Stockton now. I'm not trying to put pressure on him or anything like that. I'm just telling you he's the same. 'How do I get better?' 'How do I' — I'll tell you a great story about John Stockton. We were up 20 at half. We were playing Utah when I was at New Jersey. And I walk out at halftime and he grabs somebody around the shirt, and I looked at my staff and I said, 'We're in trouble.' And we were, and we lost. That was John. It was more than just making shots. Because when you look at him physically, you're saying, 'How in the world did he play that long? And how in the world did he play that well?' Well, if he was open, the ball went down. And if a guy was open, he got him the ball. He fought like crazy. Forget about his size. Will he fight? Does he player bigger than his size? What's his competitive spirit? That's all that intangible stuff.

        http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsja...eague.html.csp
        Some high praise. Whether it is deserving, time will tell.

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        • #19
          Calipari comes across like a car salesman....sell you a Hyundai and make it sound like a Porsche. He has churned out good pgs though.

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          • #20
            Thank You Brandon Knight's Agent

            At the end of the day, if you have game and you have nothing to hide then you go head-to-head for a top three team when they come knocking. I can understand him not wanting to do it for the Raptors, I mean, you have to protect your back end but on the top end you have another excellent PG competing for that slot who's a champion and you have some nice big men trying to steal your thunder as well. Apparently Jimmer hit one out of the park in his Jazz workout and they have two picks and two needs. They're impressed with the guy. They could decide to take him with their second 1st rounder now and take a big man with the high pick. If that happens, unless Cleveland bucks the consensus, then Brandon Knight is in a scenario where now he's competing against Kemba Walker for the 5th overall pick instead of the 3rd overall. Whoever loses that battle slides to 7th as their best case scenario... Who's Knight's agent again? Thank you guy.

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            • #21
              Matt52 wrote: View Post
              Some high praise. Whether it is deserving, time will tell.
              My god was he on crack? (I don't mean the praise part.) For a solid coach, he sure cannot keep a straight thought process.

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              • #22
                Tim W. wrote: View Post
                I don't understand Knight's agent not letting him workout against others. 1 on 1 is where Knight should have an advantage over others because he's tall, quick and can score. Where he wouldn't look as good is in a game situation where he is supposed to pass the ball and run the offense.
                I think if you look at it from a risk/reward perspective it makes sense. Right now, Knight's floor is #7, his ceiling is#3. If he works out and knocks it out of the park then... his floor is #7 and his ceiling is #3. If he works out and Fredette or Walker are on fire (which they both can be) then his ceiling is #5 and his floor is #7 or lower. Yes, by working out he could solidify himself as the #3 pick but is the risk of falling worth ensuring yourself a spot you might have anyway?

                There could also be other factors we do not know about right now. The obvious one being that maybe he doesn't want to go to Utah. I wouldn't.

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                • #23
                  Yup, there's little incentive to workout just to cement your spot, and more incentive for those who can potentially move up (means more $$$). I wouldn't discredit Knight for balking, unless we discredit every top pick who has refused to participate in whatever, nor would I give credit to those with much to gain and little to lose for their willingness to participate. It's all just strategy.

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                  • #24
                    slaw wrote: View Post
                    I think if you look at it from a risk/reward perspective it makes sense. Right now, Knight's floor is #7, his ceiling is#3. If he works out and knocks it out of the park then... his floor is #7 and his ceiling is #3. If he works out and Fredette or Walker are on fire (which they both can be) then his ceiling is #5 and his floor is #7 or lower. Yes, by working out he could solidify himself as the #3 pick but is the risk of falling worth ensuring yourself a spot you might have anyway?

                    There could also be other factors we do not know about right now. The obvious one being that maybe he doesn't want to go to Utah. I wouldn't.
                    And why could he not do what the Jazz have asked for and not do that with the other teams?

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                    • #25
                      Tim W. wrote: View Post
                      I don't understand Knight's agent not letting him workout against others. 1 on 1 is where Knight should have an advantage over others because he's tall, quick and can score. Where he wouldn't look as good is in a game situation where he is supposed to pass the ball and run the offense.
                      what i was thinking was that if knight plays against walker and fredette and knight is showed up he could slip all the way down to 7ish. but if he just keeps doning the single workout the lowest he would go is 5 to the raps. why risk it at this point.

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                      • #26
                        That depends on who's in the room. Do you think Utah is going to let Toronto in the room? I don't.

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