I'm going to take a little different take here. I think it's possible that for the long-term this is a big mistake from Aberdeen. If he stays at Florida, he'll be a 4 year player, which is almost unheard of in a major college basketball league. He would have a been a full time starter having 100% familiarity with the program, setting him for a very successful senior season. His numbers would certainly go up, and even if Florida got beat next year in the 2nd round or Sweet 16, he would have been forever loved as a Gator. While he took the immediate extra money to go to UK, he could have set himself up to possibly get some sort of coaching gig under Golden if he was interested or possibly local marketing opportunities. He'd be a forever loved Gator and unfortunately this will no longer be the case. Also, during the tournament, he was constantly praised for his unselfishness of staying with 1 program in the transfer portal world. This could have set him for announcer gigs if interested and forever be the example of what true college loyalty is all about and be remembered for that. I say this from experience leaving a stable job for an unknown making a lot more money, only for the new job to blow up in my face. Not saying this will happen with Aberdeen, but the immediate gratification of extra money doesn't always work out and often times backfires. He'll now have to learn a new coaching staff, new players, new school and new routine. At the end of next year, perhaps UK will go far in the tournament, but what then? He won't be welcomed back by the Gator basketball program and most certainly not the fans. He'll be just another UK player, maybe not even one of their best players next year and after graduating he'll be an afterthought at UK. Sometimes there is more than immediate money when making career decisions. Perhaps it will work out for him but there is a chance he may end up regretting this decision.
Winner! It's no different when CTG gets players from the portal. If they wanted Denzel to stay, they would have tried to convince him to stay. It seemed like the decision was made so quickly to move to the next guy. The people that are mad at him for leaving just boo at him at next year's games. But to continue to attach "loyalty" or the opposite of it to the conversation for him leaving UF is a farce. People need to move on and stop acting like a jilted lover.
This is all true, but also very hard to really comment without knowing the exact money differential. When most people leave for a higher paying job and have it “blow up in their face”, they are maybe going from $80k to $100k or $150k to $175k. It wouid be disappointing if he left for just a higher %, even if the difference was 6 figures. On the other hand, if it reached into the millions or he doubled his money. That isn’t the type of decision most would have to face, and I expect very few would turn down. As I opined, it’s possible they paid him way more than market value just to have “the trophy” of poaching a player off the championship team. Maybe we had the opportunity to match but declined.
This is a great point. Well said. If he got an additional $1M for example, that would be tough to pass up.
Literally couldn't have been more well said. I read he got $2m. I hope he got that much, because chances of him reading that again seem to be slim after the season ahead of him playing the same role (at best) he just played at Florida.
Say Condon, Haugh and Chins all come back with Hands. Then we have Urban, the new guy that plays like Pullen from Princeton and Brown (maybe times 2) and Zel. That looks like a contender for the NC and a repeat. What would happen to the Big Blue Nation if we repeated without multiple lottery picks? They had to poach Zel to have any chance of that not happening. They have the money to do this. Make no mistake about that. But Zel has to do what is best for him.
I think you’re assigning motives that aren’t there or at least not nearly to the degree you’re suggesting. 2 mil to take a single player who wasn’t even going to be the best guard on his team - a team that is one of like 5 or 6 that has been better than UK lately even just in the sec? If y’all were the ONE team in our way then who knows but there’s been such a long list of teams ahead of UK lately that I don’t see how one kid from UF is worth this much scheming.
There is no “I” in TEAM. Zel was aware of that. But he chose the “I” path and will have to live with the consequences, whatever they turn out to be.
I am obviously not a up to date with the inner workings of Kentucky basketball, but the conjecture here is not so much that all UK/Pope is doing is to attempt to cripple or slow down UF/Golden but rather the program/university is SO focused on improving themselves that they are spending HUGE sums of money for all the players, so much that a 7th-9th player in the rotation gets upwards of $2M. That means 1-5 get... Methinks (again, I do not know this for a fact) UK/Pope are attempting to use the Golden model but act like Duke and Kansas and spend ridiculous sums of money. It isn't pretty but it appears to be as real as anything today.
If it's me and I have worked for years to be the point guard at UF, I'm on the precipice of reaching my dream, returning national champ, great situation...and then they pay a guy more money for my spot, or at least to compete for it, then I might want a matching salary at least. Or very close. I get a no and then a big money offer from a top school...
Better get used to the annual butthurt of losses like this and try to focus on the wins. It's only going to get worse. And better.
I could have coached as well as many on here that UK would have won it all with that 15 team....how his nuts shriveled up told me all I needed to know. He played favorites instead of the better player. I am on record of hating the Pope hire until hearing him speak. He is the UK coach, but is also a UK fan. He will be given time to make things right and he had a great first year. If UK wanted Wade they could have gone for it as Pope was the 4th or 5th option. Bill Self chokes just as much as Calipari.
As a UK fan I am 100% against this pickup in taking a talented player from another SEC school, but hey I am old school.
Not disagreeing with your take of Self or Wade, just that if Pope craps in his pants a couple of times and Self is a "given" or Wade has been "rehabilitated" at NC State, can you see the possibility that the wandering eyes may wander too close to the danger zone?
Isn't that always possible, for nearly every program? Chip Kelly, right? From what was reported during the Pope hire, those in power at UK forbid four different coaches from being considered. Oates (even though he'd already taken himself out of consideration I believe), Pearl, Beard and one other guy I honestly can't recall. UK wasn't desperate this time though, so that doesn't have to prove anything. If Pope flops, especially considering that we'll have a new AD by them, who knows what happens? There would definitely be more pressure to get someone who would deliver - like when Cal was hired.
