Dear Alex O.

[OkaForPrez]

"Alex, how does this years missour team compare to your Championship Team at UConn?"

New guy trying to fit in and be positive answer: "That was a great team, but I think this Missouri team is even better and I'm really excited to be here"

I'm not saying this is how it went down, but it could have. Would you still be slamming him if this is how it went down or would you have preferred him to say, "well I know I'm new here, but this team really isn't NC caliber. Do you guys here in Missouri even know just how good Kemba was?"

Let's not be maturity pot's here. Let the Kettle go. Bitter appears to be a two way street.

 

[Adios]

He's probably just pulling a Kobe Bryant.

 

[Adios]

Am I the only one who finds it a bit ironic when HFD is lecturing people on keeping their social media stuff under control?

lol...no offense to Dan, but that was funny.

 

[sammydabiz]

Couldn't have said it better......count me in with the 1%, better yet reading this thread, I might be part of the 99% that still can't fathom how someone of his size could be so soft. I myself, no lie, was releaved he left. If he hadn't I'd probably have to save some money to replace my broken remotes this upcoming season. So long Oriahki, I hope you find that anger to play downlow, if so he'll be a late round pick.

99%???? You can't possibly be serious. The guy is a mediocre big man whose game tanked in his last year here despite being made captain. If he thinks he is getting drafted the other guy in the group who believes that is his father. And he caps off his less than memorable career not by staying loyal to the program that gave him a shot and got him a ring but by jumping ship. Don't let the door hit you on the way out Alex............



GO HUSKIES!!!

 

[joober jones]

His father is presently giving lectures on public speaking in an IHOP bathroom stall.

 

[huskyniner]

Now all he has to do is grow a unibrow and I'll hate him as much as Anthony Davis.

Why do you hate Anthony Davis? I loathe Calipari as much as the next guy, but Davis seems like a great kid and is a phenomenal talent. You shouldn't just hate him because he went to Kentucky.

 

[Huskymaniac]

Why do you hate Anthony Davis? I loathe Calipari as much as the next guy, but Davis seems like a great kid and is a phenomenal talent. You shouldn't just hate him because he went to Kentucky.

Why not? Put aside for the moment whatever he may or may not have gotten as an incentive to go to Kentucky. Calipari is a silver tongued greasy snake who runs his programs like Gotti ran his "family". Maybe it is a bit much to hate the kid but he clearly lacks good judgment in terms of the people he surrounds himself with. He would have been the #1 pick no matter where he went to school. Calhoun nor anyone else would have failed to "let him play his game". On the subject of character, I'm not sure the kid learned much about being an honorable man of integrity being in the presence of Calipari. He could have learned such things from Calhoun or a host of other great coaches in the country.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Why not? Put aside for the moment whatever he may or may not have gotten as an incentive to go to Kentucky. Calipari is a silver tongued greasy snake who runs his programs like Gotti ran his "family". Maybe it is a bit much to hate the kid but he clearly lacks good judgment in terms of the people he surrounds himself with. He would have been the #1 pick no matter where he went to school. Calhoun nor anyone else would have failed to "let him play his game". On the subject of character, I'm not sure the kid learned much about being an honorable man of integrity being in the presence of Calipari. He could have learned such things from Calhoun or a host of other great coaches in the country.

Yeah, he made a huge mistake going to Kentucky. His life's been nothing but miserable since he made that decision. Right?

 

[Huskymaniac]

Yeah, he made a huge mistake going to Kentucky. His life's been nothing but miserable since he made that decision. Right?

Good lord, another one that was dropped on his head as a child. Show me where I said the kid was going to have a miserable life? All I said was that he showed poor judgment in who he associated with and that he could have had a better example of leadership. That mistake (I never said anything to imply it was huge, you just want to believe I did) may or may not have some impact on his future. Fortunately for him, he only had one year of that bad exposure.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Good lord, another one that was dropped on his head as a child. Show me where I said the kid was going to have a miserable life? All I said was that he showed poor judgment in who he associated with and that he could have had a better example of leadership. That mistake (I never said anything to imply it was huge, you just want to believe I did) may or may not have some impact on his future. Fortunately for him, he only had one year of that bad exposure.

What bad exposure? What mistake? What poor judgment? Because he went to Kentucky, where he was the best player on the best team in the country and won a National Championship? What could he possibly have accomplished somewhere else that he didn't accomplish at Kentucky?

You don't like Calipari. Trust me, we get it. He's a slimy used cars salesmen, we get it. He probably cheats all the time - agreed. But that still doesn't mean that Davis made a mistake. Did Calipari not use him wisely on the court? Did Calipari treat him poorly off the court? From Davis' perspective, what exactly is the problem?

 

[Danzz]

Alex Oriakhi can go Fecundity himself.

Seriously, I hope he stays healthy and lives a decent life, gets drafted, whatever. He was so frustrating to watch, to read on twitter, etc. I get it, I'm just one 6'0 white guy husky fan and what I think really isn't important, but I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I want him to win another national championship or be any less frustrating of a player at Mizzou. I was sad when Roscoe left, ambivalent when Darius Smith left, confused when Ajou Ajou Majok left, but I was pissed when Oriakhi left.

Count me in that 1%.

(Easter Egg: If you google Ajou Deng, a picture of Stanley Robinson comes up.)

Count me in the less than 1/4 of 1% who thinks JC ruined the chemistry and screwed up this team last season by starting Drummond. This was a NCC team minus one very great player and we should have performed better than we did with the talent we had. Last season may have been JC's worse coaching job since he has been at Uconn; just about everybody got worse and it isn't all Kemba.
Alex made the right move for him and I hope things work out for him. He has a 50/50 chance of making the NBA by transferring and less than that if he stayed.
We weren't going anywhere last season unless Alex was able to play through some mistakes and bad games. JC chose to start Drummond and while Andre is a talented player, he was a freshman and played like one: great, flashy dunks and blocks at times but he was out of position D most of the time.

 

[willie99]

Dear Alex, the OP does not speak for me

and good luck with Mizzu being better than a team that won the National Championship

 

[Adios]

Count me in the less than 1/4 of 1% who thinks JC ruined the chemistry and screwed up this team last season by starting Drummond. This was a NCC team minus one very great player and we should have performed better than we did with the talent we had. Last season may have been JC's worse coaching job since he has been at Uconn; just about everybody got worse and it isn't all Kemba.

You may be correct, but the sad truth is part of his job is marketing the program to recruits in ways that suit them. AO was even recruiting Drummond.

 

[Near Nyack]

Alex O played well at times, but he has NO HANDS, is not a great finisher, didn't choose to fight for minutes, and has no outside shot.

 

[JellyBean]

Let him talk. That stuff does not bother me one bit. Mizzou...what the heck. I mean Missouri was a beast in the Big 12 tournament and the Big 12 regular season. They were being talked about as a team that could battle Kentucky, last season. They could be decent this year. Too early to call. But I have no problem with Alex hyping his new team. I wish him well.

 

[Huskymaniac]

What bad exposure? What mistake? What poor judgment? Because he went to Kentucky, where he was the best player on the best team in the country and won a National Championship? What could he possibly have accomplished somewhere else that he didn't accomplish at Kentucky?

The bad exposure was his exposure to Calipari. Do you know how many other teams he could have gone to and still been the best player on the best team and won a national championship? The difference is that he wouldn't have been tainted by the experience of learning leadership skills fron a snake.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

The bad exposure was his exposure to Calipari. Do you know how many other teams he could have gone to and still been the best player on the best team and won a national championship? The difference is that he wouldn't have been tainted by the experience of learning leadership skills fron a snake.

No, I don't. And neither do you. You have no idea if he would have won a national championship at any other school. He went to Kentucky, and he did. It worked out pretty well for him.

 

[mauconnfan]

.5%

 

[8893]

.5%

Not that I agree, but that's funny.

 

[RuffRuff]

The bad exposure was his exposure to Calipari. Do you know how many other teams he could have gone to and still been the best player on the best team and won a national championship? The difference is that he wouldn't have been tainted by the experience of learning leadership skills fron a snake.

Um, how can you fault ANY kid with legitimate NBA aspirations for going to Kentucky at this point? That program sells itself these days, it's not Calipari. It is easily your best chance of serving your time, playing an NBA brand of basketball and likely having the best chance to win a NC in that one year window. I would hold nothing against Anthony Davis' character for making that choice, it was a damn smart choice. That team this past year was a group of fantastic kids. I despise the system, but I cannot fault a kid for wanting to play in front of a rabid fanbase, an enthusiastic coach all while preparing for the NBA/having a great chance to win an NC. Nothing is going to change with how things are going there unless the system changes or Calipari bolts - it has critical mass.

 

[Huskymaniac]

Um, how can you fault ANY kid with legitimate NBA aspirations for going to Kentucky at this point? That program sells itself these days, it's not Calipari. It is easily your best chance of serving your time, playing an NBA brand of basketball and likely having the best chance to win a NC in that one year window. I would hold nothing against Anthony Davis' character for making that choice, it was a damn smart choice. That team this past year was a group of fantastic kids. I despise the system, but I cannot fault a kid for wanting to play in front of a rabid fanbase, an enthusiastic coach all while preparing for the NBA/having a great chance to win an NC. Nothing is going to change with how things are going there unless the system changes or Calipari bolts - it has critical mass.

Let's break down this attempt to "feel good" by attempting to take some sort of high road relative to some perceived low road.

1. Best chance at serving your time. What exactly does that mean? He would have gotten trapped in quicksand or been locked in an attic somewhere else? Is it really between shiny Kentucky or 300ish Shawshank-like prisons? Hell, even Drummond got drafted from our non-NBA playing trap after having a less than stellar year. I'm pretty sure his "chance" of serving his time elsewhere was pretty good.
2. Playing an NBA brand of basketball. What exactly is NBA basketball? Each team has its own flavor or point of emphasis on both offense or defense so I'm not sure Kentucky plays some sort of magical "NBA" style that no one else does, no matter how many times people say it. There are NBA teams that play a different flavor of basketball than Kentucky. It isn't like everyone else is playing four-corner-keepaway basketball. That shot clock thingy did away with 1950s basketball.
3. Best chance of winning a national championship. Until last year many people were saying a collection of one-and-dones would never win it all. Now it is THE BEST CHANCE?!?! Really?!?!? Maybe getting Davis is the best chance of winning it all. Remember Carmelo and Syracuse? It happens about once a decade where a player is so good that all they need is a solid team around them and they have a really good chance of winning it all. I think a good dozen or more teams would have had a great chance to win the championship with Davis on their team.
4. Rabid fanbase. So only Kentucky has a rabid fanbase? What one person calls rabid another might call an unhealthy obsession. You know, like me and the squid.....
5. Enthusiastic coach. Yeah, every other coach in the country just isn't all that jacked up to be coaching D1 college basketball.....
6. Preparing for the NBA. Too bad all of those other draftees are not ready for the NBA. It makes one wonder why the Kentucky kids didn't go 1-6 in the draft.
7. You seem to almost be conceding every championship to Kentucky from here on out. I hope you are wrong.
8. Davis' character. I never attacked his character. All I said was that he made a mistake of poor judgment. Life doesn't begin and end with a national championship. I still contend that he would have benefitted more from being in the presence of a teacher of integrity and honor. It is you guys that are making more out of what I am saying.

Now let's get back to discussing how bad of a cancer Alex and his dad were.....

 

[uconnfan68]

Um, how can you fault ANY kid with legitimate NBA aspirations for going to Kentucky at this point? That program sells itself these days, it's not Calipari. It is easily your best chance of serving your time, playing an NBA brand of basketball and likely having the best chance to win a NC in that one year window. I would hold nothing against Anthony Davis' character for making that choice, it was a damn smart choice. That team this past year was a group of fantastic kids. I despise the system, but I cannot fault a kid for wanting to play in front of a rabid fanbase, an enthusiastic coach all while preparing for the NBA/having a great chance to win an NC. Nothing is going to change with how things are going there unless the system changes or Calipari bolts - it has critical mass.

No, but you CAN fault the NCAA for actually letting it happen. Why they aren't double-suspended is beyond any rational thought process. Best team money can buy. Still holding my breath waiting for all though Yahoo wingnuts to look into it.

 

[Danzz]

No, I don't. And neither do you. You have no idea if he would have won a national championship at any other school. He went to Kentucky, and he did. It worked out pretty well for him.

Whether you like him or hate him Calipari can flat out coach and recruit.

 

[sparky]

Maturity was not and continues to not be a strong point for AO. He does however come by it honestly via papa.We should be better than he is and support our team and wish him well in his endeavor. KMA Alex.

 

[Huskymaniac]

Whether you like him or hate him Calipari can flat out coach and recruit.

Recruit? Yes, but with the qualification that a cloud of stench surrounds him wherever he goes. Where there is stench, there is a skunk.

Coach? I don't see it. He is a decent coach who is particularly good at the mental part of the game. There are many coaches out there from D3 to D1 who are better. I bet you could have coached his team last year to a championship. People can't say kids play for him because he just let's them go out and play and then say he is a good coach. How much does it take to teach a fast break, delayed break and secondary break and then tell the kids to go out there and make something happen?