ESPN Profiles the 2010-11 Version of the Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Team

If you don’t have ESPN insider, you can’t read most of it. I’ll provide the link at the bottom just in case you do.

The gist of the Kentucky coverage is that they are replacing young talent with more young talent. But, the question is, will the incoming freshmen be as successful as the departing freshmen?

ESPN’s Mike Hume points out that the biggest difference might have nothing to do with the incoming guys. Remember, even though last year’s squad relied a lot on the rookies, they returned 62.4 percent of their game minutes. This year they return 25.6 percent.

With all due respect to Mr. Hume, these numbers can be very misleading. Last year they did, in fact, return 62.4 percent of their minutes. But, out of the returning guys only Patrick Patterson averaged over ten points-per-game in Calipari’s first year, with 14.3. Darius Miller was fifth on the team in minutes played last year, but was very inconsistent. The other returnees, Deandre Liggins, Ramon Harris, Perry Stevenson and Josh Harrellson all averaged under 15 mintues-per-game a season ago.

Still, there is a big difference between 62.4 and 25.6 percent and Kentucky will definitely lack the leadership of Patterson. That is where junior and former Kentucky Mr. Basketball, Darius Miller comes in. Calipari tells Hume that he believes Miller could potentially jump into the Draft with a solid campaign, but he needs to find some conistency. He needs to be able to miss a couple of shots and move on and have the confidence to take the next shot. He needs to make plays every game.

Hume then profiles the newcomers, Brandon Knight, Enes Kanter and Terrence Jones, all of which who are listed on Fran Fraschilla’s Top Ten List of One-and-Doners. I’ll get to this later.

Calipari tells Hume that Knight is different than Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans and John Wall. He says Rose loved the 7-footer and could over power you. Evans was 6-6 with long arms. Wall could get to the rim whenever he wanted. He then said that Knight’s ability to get by defenders and create for teammates could be better than the three aforementioned point guards.

Kanter, whose eligibility is up in the air, is being projected by many, including ESPN’s Doug Gottlieb, as the 2011 NBA Draft’s No. 1 overall pick. With the departure of Cousins, Orton and Patterson, it will be Kanter’s job to fill that rebounding void. Miller raved about Kanter’s strength, size, footwork and overall court vision to Hume.

Jones, who is still catching grief, as he probably should, for his non-commital commitments, looks to take over the role of P Twice. Remember, prior to last season, Patterson spent the majority of his time in the paint. Jones is big and is already comfortable handling the ball and shooting it from the outside. Miller told Hume that he is going to cause matchup problems.

Click the link below to read the rest. Remember it’s ESPN Insider.

CBB Summer Buzz: Kentucky by Mike Hume

ESPN’s Eammon Brennan says it’s unlikely that this UK team will be as dominant as Calipari’s first squad.

He is right in saying that there are a ton of question marks. That is going to be the case when you replace freshmen with freshman. His main questions are will Knight be able to run the show as seamlessly as Wall? Will Canter be able to rebound and guard down low like Cousins? Can Jones replicate Patterson? And will Doron Lamb and Stacey Poole provide them with much-needed outside shooting?

After reading the first three questions you realize that Brennan may be right in his assertion that it will be tough for next year’s team to surpass what they did last year. Can Knight run the show for the Cats in his freshman season as well as the future overall No. 1 draft pick did? Will Canter even be eligible to attempt to guard and rebound like the beast, Cousins? Can a freshman who flip-flopped more than a politician replicate the play of a three-year starter who was as hard-nosed and mature as anyone in the country?

That’s going to be extremely tough.

He does say that this team will be better equipped for Cal’s Dribble-Drive, which is true. Last year Kentucky shied away from the dribble-drive simply because their bigs were too talented. Canter and Jones are big men who are much better suited for the up-tempo offense.

Brennan closes by saying there is too much turnover to really predict how good this team will be. But, he knows they will play incredible team defense, as Cal’s teams have done the past five seasons. In those five years, Cal’s squads have finished in the Top 11 in team defense every year. Last year’s squad finished sixth. In his last year at Memphis, they finished No. 1 overall. He will get these kids to buy into team defense.

Click here to read the rest of Brennan’s take. It’s not an insider, anyone can read it.

Finally, here is what Fran Fraschilla had to say about Kanter, Knight and Jones in his Top Ten One-and-Done List.

4. Enes Kanter, 6-11, Kentucky Wildcats
While Kanter still has to clear up some NCAA amateurism issues, there’s no denying his prodigious rebounding ability. Possibly the best young prospect Turkey has ever produced, Kanter will bring his hard hat to the game every night for the Wildcats, because he has the size and strength to throw his weight around.

5. Brandon Knight, 6-3, Kentucky Wildcats
There’s little difference between a combo guard and a scoring point guard, especially in John Calipari’s system. Cal will highlight Knight’s explosive offensive talent and allow him to build a one-year resume at UK that will end with a spot in next June’s lottery. Learning to distribute the ball better will increase his stock even further.

9. Terrence Jones, 6-9, Kentucky Wildcats
Even if Jones is not ready to be a “one-and-done,” Calipari will push him out the door if he has a solid freshman season. However, the odds are that the multi-talented forward will be ready to make the jump into the draft next June. The potential to be an NBA small forward some day is very strong.

Click here to read the rest of Fraschilla’s List. You need ESPN Insider.