Thread: Tired of people blaming Cal.

I'm tired of listening to everybody blame Calipari for not winning a national championship. I don't hear Butler fans complaining that they went to the NCAA Championship game two years in a row, competed with conference champions from two of the three most elite conferences in the NCAA, but lost by a narrow margin. The fact is you can't win the NCAA championship while playing in a conference outside the ACC, SEC, or Big East (though they have 37 teams). Look at the last 20 years and the NCAA Champions.

17 out of the last 20 national champions have been from those 3 conferences. Here are the Exceptions: Kansas 2008, Michigan State 2000, and Arizona 1997 (I'm still bitter btw). Here's how long it took Each Coach to win the championship from the time of their hire at that school: Bill Self (Kansas)-5 years, Tom Izzo (Mich. State)-5 years, Lute Olsen-14 years. I certainly hate all these coaches but I have to admit they routinely compete(d).

10 of the remaining 17 championships were split between Roy Williams, Jim Calhoun, Billy Donovan, and Mike ****ChefSki (Krzyzewski); with exception of Williams (who unlike the others came from the 4th most powerful conference) it took no less than 10 years as head coach of that team to win their first national championship.

It makes me sick that Kentucky fans are already doubting that Cal won't bring us a championship because he lost in the Final Four and Elite 8 in his first two seasons. Are you all really that impatient? Do you think it's EASY to win a National Championship? Do you believe the most experienced team will win it year in and year out? No! It's like shooting craps (2 dice). Some numbers (like 7) have better odds, but more often than not your gonna lose. Given a choice I would rather have the best talent; it gives us better odds.

I'm not old enough to remember the championship teams from Rupps Era. I grew up idolizing Travis Ford, Tony Delk, Derek Anderson, Walter McCarty, Jeff Shepard, Antoine Walker, Jamaal Mashburn, and I could keep going on and on. I loved watching them run through that paper hoop on senior night. I felt hurt when Walker left after his sophomore season; I remember being pissed off that the NBA didn't have a 3 year rule like the NFL did. I was really pissed off that the NBA would let players skip college all together. Why? Was it because I thought that everybody needed a college education? No! It's because I'm a selfish SOB and I want to see the best players come to play fo the University of Kentucky.

I was thrilled when the NBA enacted the 1 year rule. It meant we got to see John Wall and Demarcus Cousins play for UK. Unfortunately, it meant that Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton could ride on the success of their season and jump higher in the draft than they ever could have playing for any other team. But it was a fluke, a loophole in the system that regardless of maturity or skills, a freshman could still develop themselves and make money while doing it.

Coach Cal knows this. He takes advantage of this. the 2009-2010 team was a fluke with 4 one and dones. This years team MIGHT only have 2 (and one none and done). Next years team might have to play for 2 years (which my selfishness wants). These kids want to play basketball; they also want money; why can't they have both? If Cal could pay them he probably would. But there is no legal way and the NCAA is so far up his ass that they would have sanctions against him the moment he even thought about doing it illegally. So instead he recruits kids, pushes them as hard as he can to develop them into the best player they can be (within the time he has them) then tells them the rest is their decision. This is why kids want to play for him; hell, I want to play for him; he let's them make up their mind.

So UK fans and all of BBN, I plead to you to give our coach a chance. We will have exciting times watching such great talent play. Next year we have 2 returning starters, which is twice as many as we had this year. And who knows, maybe someone will withdraw from the draft (hopefully not Enes). But even if they all go we still have a team that will have as good of chance as any to win the whole thing. But remember, it's still a crap shoot, Cal just keeps betting on 7.

I don't hear Butler fans complaining that they went to the NCAA Championship game two years in a row, competed with conference champions from two of the three most elite conferences in the NCAA, but lost by a narrow margin.

LOL...well, you cant really compare Butler to UK. Those fans are just happy to be in the tourney. They wouldnt admit it, but they were probably shocked they even made it back to the tourney. Different traditions with different expectations. We want a title every year but as UK fans we know realisticaly it wont happen every year. We have only won 7 in the 70 or so years there has been a NCAA title. Stilll better than every team besides UCLA though and they only got that decde rush in the 70's with Wooden to go on.

Who the Hell is Butler? This is Kentucky!!! There fans can not complain cause they never done this before. This is Kentucky...WE EXPECT NOTHING LESS THAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS!!! END OF DISCUSSION! PERIOD!

Originally Posted by BleedinGreenwithoutadoubt

Who the Hell is Butler? This is Kentucky!!! There fans can not complain cause they never done this before. This is Kentucky...WE EXPECT NOTHING LESS THAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS!!! END OF DISCUSSION! PERIOD!

I guess no one wanted to argue with that....LOL