1). Corey Maggette CHA  SF 16.2 PTS 4.8 REB 1.2 AST  0.6 STL

Maggette is finally getting the chance to start and is putting up solid numbers in the process. 20 points and 7 rebounds should be the norm from here on out.

2). Luke Ridnour MIN PG 11.5 PTS 1.0 3PM 3.8 AST 2.5 REB 1.0 STL

With Ricky Rubio going down with a knee injury, Ridnour will see his minutes increase dramatically.

3).  Evan Turner PHI SG 8.3 PTS 5.9 REB 2.7 AST

Doug Collins is shortening his rotation, which is great news for Turner. His increase in minutes will finally make him a reliable fantasy option.

4). O.J. Mayo MEM SG 12.1 PTS 1.5 3PM 3.2 REB 2.1 AST 1.0 STL

Mayo is a prime candidate to be traded at the deadline. In the right landing spot, he could produce like the lauded NBA stud many thought he would be.

5). Mike Dunleavey MIL SF 11.2 PTS 1.3 3PM 3.4 REB 2.1 AST

If Dunleavey could ever stay healthy he would be a nice fantasy option.

Top 3 Trends To Watch

1). Pay attention to what players come and go at the trade deadline. Trades always open up minutes for players stuck on the bench.

2). John Wall looks to be himself once again. Solid buy low candidate to nab!

3). I would be monitoring closely the Big 3 and Rondo of the Celtics. Any player could be traded and could see his production change dramatically.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. Police have not named any suspects in the shooting, so if anyone has any information on the shooting please contact the LMPD. You can make an anonymous call to 574-5673.

h/t D.C. Sports Blog

Los Angeles artist T~Rev’s debut video and single, “Yiggy Yes Yallin’ (John Wallin’)”, is from this upcoming debut album ‘Waiting All My Life’, which is being released by One 3 Productions. T~Rev drew direct inspiration from the fun and positivity created by the John Wall Dance and John Wall himself and was eager to produce a track that the Big Blue Nation in Kentucky can get excited about.

BUY THE TRACK AND RINGTONE HERE

BECOME T~REV’S FACEBOOK FAN HERE

The Pinkie Squad had just this debate one night here recently (they all run together these days). There were a couple topics discussed that relate directly to UK: 1) If he continues at this pace will Demarcus Cousins go number one over Wall based solely on size/potential? and 2) Cole Aldrich vs. Demarcus Cousins.

May has Cousins going fourth and Aldrich sixth, definitely not a big enough gap to lend any more confidence to one members offer of a $100 wager on who would be drafted first.

Patrick Patterson is penciled in at May’s 11th slot. It seems to be a foregone conclusion that Kentucky will match Louisville’s T-Will and Earl Clark with two lottery selections, will they get three??

What do our six readers have to say about these hypotheticals?

My off the wall theory about John Calipari taking over the John Wall/LeBron James-led New Jersey Nets has gotten a fair amount of attention in the last day. It was talked about all day on the Cats Pause and a few other message boards, including the Memphis Roar, where it was met with hysterical laughter by Tiger fans.

Let me talk about it a bit more before I get into what I really set out to discuss. First of all, here’s the way I thought of it in the first place. I was thinking about what the ideal NBA destination for John Wall next year and the possibility of LeBron and Wall playing together crossed my mind. I was intrigued to say the least.

I then tried to conceive of every possible way the two could end up playing together. The two most likely ways I could come up with were for the Clippers and for the Nets. Both teams could easily come up with the cap room to sign LeBron and both figure to be in the lottery.

However, the Clippers are such a shoddily ran organization that I decided that there is no way they could pull of such a thing, so I crossed the Clips off the list. I focused on the Nets. Eventually, drooling over the possibility, I thought about Calipari’s relationship with LeBron, and my inkling that Cal could be thinking about coaching LeBron down the road returned. Then, my ridiculous scenario came together.

Also, I constantly remind myself of how unlikely such a scenario really is. Coaching LeBron and Wall is really the only way I can see Cal leaving UK so abruptly, so I think the Nets thing has to happen for Cal to even think about it. If the Nets finish with worst record in the NBA, they will still only have a one in four shot of winning the lottery. Then the hard part of luring Calipari and LeBron simultaneously begins. It’s tough to put a number on that, but it’s no small task.

In other words, that scenario, no matter how worrisome, is a big time long shot, so let’s get to my thoughts on the obsession of UK fans (with me at the forefront) with John Wall.

-First up, let’s talk about the John Wall dance and how absurd and hilarious it is that it’s become so big. It started as some little move that John Wall probably put about five minutes of thought into before he was introduced at Big Blue Madness. We as UK fans are so fascinated by Wall that we have given the dance a life of its own. I find this amazing.

Also, doesn’t Dorrough’s “Ice Cream Paint Job” have to shattering hip hop record sales records in the state of Kentucky among middle aged people?

-I’d like to introduce an ailment that I am currently suffering from, and I think it probably applies to a lot of you. It’s called John Wall Tourette’s.

I have to give credit where credit is due on this one, a coworker who is a big sports fan, but not a big UK or UofL fan, has suffered over the past few months because all I ever want to talk about is John Wall. It’s gotten to the point where I really can’t help it. It’s gotten to the point where I would almost call it a tic. There are times where I stop a conversation or an email thread dead in its tracks and just say “JOHN WALL”. It’s involuntary. I think I need help.

-Last, is it just me, or does it feel like this season has turned into a ten game long feeling of deja vu? Mind you, it’s the best feeling of deja vu I’ve ever had.

I’ll explain. Games go one of two ways: (1) John Wall dominates, controls the action throughout, and the ‘Cats win big (2) the game comes down to the stretch, but John Wall swoops in and wins the game for the ‘Cats. Then, UK fans post YouTube videos of John Wall highlights within 12 hours of the buzzer.

Also, Patrick Patterson does his thing in the same way every game, hitting high percentage looks in the post and off of offensive rebounds, mixing in a long distance shot every once in a while.

Outside of the games, we hear the exact same speech from John Calipari no matter what question he is asked, in which he says some variation of the following things: “We should be 5-5″, “This team has a will to win”, “We do dumb things”, “I love my team”. Cal really could be a politician with how he knows his talking points and hits every single one during his stump speeches.

As UK fans, we are going to have to get accustomed to dealing with players making decisions about entering the NBA Draft early, there’s just no choice in the matter. We had a sampling of it this spring with Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson, but since the mid-90′s, that’s been a bit of a rarity compared with some of the other high profile college programs.

I think we’ve always been a bit reluctant about going after kids that won’t be on campus for longer than two years, but John Calipari and John Wall are showing us together that we had no reason to be. We’ll still have the Patrick Patterson’s and Darius Miller’s and their three and four year careers sprinkled in, but UK’s big time players are going to be more along the lines of DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall (OK, not John Wall, he doesn’t come along every year).

John Calipari embraces the fact that the guys he recruits have the ultimate goal of playing at the highest level in the NBA as quickly as possible. In fact, he recruits based on that fact. His track record is one of getting guys into the League successfully.

With that in mind, I thought I would take a look at the NBA prospects of each player on the Kentucky roster (with one surprise mixed in), what their ceilings and floors are with respect to position in the NBA Draft, and when they could make the jump. It may not be that much fun to think about, but it’s better to embrace it sooner rather than later. I am making this evaluations based on the assumption that nothing absolutely crazy (good or bad) happens like Josh Harrelson suddenly growing a couple inches and being inhabited by the ghost of George Mikan.

JOHN WALL

At this point, I’m not sure there’s any reasonable UK fan left who has deceived themselves into thinking he will wear the UK uniform past April 2010. The kid is unlike anything we have ever seen in a Kentucky uniform and has wowed basically anyone who watches him for longer than two minutes.

I consider myself lucky to be a fan of the school that got him, not only because I get to watch him dominate for a season at UK, but also because I’m going to get to watch him in the NBA for the next 15 years. I’m going to go ahead and declare it right now: whatever team drafts him will immediately become my favorite team in the Association. I’m just hoping he lands in one of those Tim Duncan situations where you know he’s going to win multiple titles, a situation not unlike the one I’m about to postulate…

Draft Ceiling: #1 overall
Draft Floor: #2 overall
Earliest he could leave: 2010
Latest he could leave: 2010
Prediction: #1 overall in 2010

JOHN CALIPARI

Here’s the surprise I’m talking about, and yes, I know he’s not a player.

Calipari has previously said he would not rule out a return to the NBA, but has said there are only a few situations that could entice him away from the NBA. Conventional thought would say that he’s talking about one of those historically successful, big market teams like the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, or Bulls.

However, I think that John Calipari’s previously failed foray into the NBA from a few years back has taught him that your chance at success in the NBA is more determined by whether you have a true superstar in the realm of a Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, or Duncan. Sam Cassell, Kerry Kittles, and Jayson Williams, some of the high profile Nets of his tenure, do not fit the bill.

Did he really have a chance with that Mr. Rogers tie?

LeBron James does.

Today, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo confirmed for me something I had wondered about ever since I heard about Cal and LeBron’s “budding relationship”, as he calls it: that Cal may just be positioning himself to coach LeBron James down the road.

Wojnarowski mentions two or three years as a possible timeframe for a potential LeBron-Cal marriage. Yikes, that’s an awful short tenure for Cal at UK. I don’t think Cal has any intention of staying at UK for that short of a time.

However, is there a situation that could pull him away that quickly, maybe even sooner? Unfortunately, I would say yes.

Picture this. Leading up the 2010 NBA Draft Lottery, the New Jersey Nets have the best chance of winning the John Wall sweepstakes. They are still without a coach. The Nets win the lottery and the Nets do the obvious and take John Wall. They are still without a coach.

Realizing that they have some cap space and a franchise cornerstone, they trade Devin Harris, whose value is very high, getting value in return and dumping more salary. Then, one of two things happens:

1) Realizing that they have that cap space, they Nets decide to go all in for LeBron James, arguably the most valuable free agent in the history of the sport. Recognizing the intertwined relationship between LeBron, Worldwide Wes, and Cal, they make a play for John Calipari in an effort to woo LeBron. Cal signs, LeBron signs, and the Nets win at least five titles in the next ten years.

2) Still without a coach, the Nets make a power play for LeBron. LeBron, in his negotiations, makes a power play and has Cal installed as coach. LeBron signs, Cal signs, and the Nets win at least five titles in the next ten years.

Picture either of the above two situations playing out or something comparable…as difficult as this may be to admit as a UK fan, could you really blame John Calipari for leaving to coach that team? It would be an absolute dream of a situation for any coach with professional aspirations.

Cornerstone franchise player…check and double check.
A motivated owner that wants to win…check.
Proximity to a big market…check (plus the rumors of a move to Brooklyn)

John Calipari is a guy who LOVES the big stage. He’s embraced the biggest college basketball stage out there and capitalized on it. The Nets with LeBron and John Wall would be the biggest story in the Association, instantly leaping to the forefront past the Lakers and Celtics. I thought that the seven month turnaround that Cal has pulled off at UK was one of a kind, but the sudden shift in the Nets’ future might just one up it.

The one saving grace is that Cal already failed once in the NBA, once with the Nets as a matter of fact. It’s hard to imagine a team rehiring a fired coach, but if LeBron wills it, do think anyone would stand in the way?

I just had to take a quick break just to decide if I actually want to publish this. Let me say that this little theory of mine is just that, based on nothing more than a tiny bit of fact, some intuition, my natural pessimism, and disbelief that this whole Calipari dream is real. I think the ‘Cats would end up being alright. I think they would hire another good coach (as long as they don’t rehire a fired Billy G), but I don’t think he’ll be the perfect fit that Cal is.

The crazy thing is that I really don’t think I would be mad at Coach Cal. I would be too excited about watching the Nets to blame him.

CHECK BACK TOMORROW FOR PART 2