John Clay's Sidelines

Enes Kanter’s NBA debut consisted of snatching 11 rebounds in 21 minutes during the Utah Jazz’s 96-71 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center.

Kanter, who had not played in a real game in the United States since a high school game in 2010, made just one of seven shots from the floor. He did make three of four free throws and blocked a shot. He finished with five points.

Kanter was far from the only Jazz player to have a hard time finding the basket. Al Jefferson went two-for-16. C.J. Miles was 1-for-8. That added up to the Jazz’s second biggest opening game loss, in terms of margin, in franchise history.

Elsewhere, Rajon Rondo had 22 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds in Boston’s loss at Miami. DeMarcus Cousins scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, but hit just seven of 18 shots, in Sacramento’s loss at Portland. Chuck Hayes also had 11 rebounds, but just four points, for the Kings. (Tyreke Evans had just four points and five turnovers.)

After being ineligible all last season, Enes Kanter finally got to play a game on the floor of Rupp Arena last night.

Big Blue Links for Monday:

• Enes Kanter says he is the unluckiest guy ever, reports Wendell Maxey of the Deseret News. The Turkish star has gone from being ineligible at Kentucky to the NBA lockout.
• Ricardo Ledo enjoyed his visit to Syracuse over the weekend, reports Zagsblog. The 6-foot-7 star is still considering Kentucky.
• UK makes the cut for Kasey Hill, reports Nation of Blue. The 2013 guard carved his list down to seven.
• Kentucky is waiting for a tight end to emerge, writes Jen Smith of the Herald-Leader. There are plenty of candidates. Seven are competing for playing time.
• Ronnie Sneed is Kentucky’s old man, reports Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal. It’s the position series on the linebackers.
• Inspirational story of 14-year-old touches Kentucky football team, writes Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger.
• The times are changing for UK football, writes Glenn Logan of A Sea of Blue.

Enes Kanter in game action Thursday for Turkey, scoring seven points and grabbing six rebounds in a win over the Ukraine. Enes is No. 14 in these highlights. Hat tip to All Ky Hoops.

Tuesday notes and Big Blue Links:

THE CALIPARI CONTRACT EXTENSION – More money, more pressure. Rick Bozich of the Courier-Journal writes: “Money will buy you headlines, such as the ones that the University of Kentucky stirred Monday by agreeing on an eight-year, $36.5 million contract with John Calipari. You’ll fly on more private planes, sign more recruits with five stars attached to their resumes and play in a Ritz-Carlton practice facility. You’ll have advantage after advantage after advantage. Then March will arrive – and Morehead State will outplay the University of Louisville and its $3 million-plus coach, VCU will thump Kansas and its $3 million-plus coach and Butler will outlast Florida and its $3 million-plus coach. It happens – and it’s going to keep happening.”

- If Calipari ever leaves for NBA, it won’t be about the money.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL’S MOST OVERPAID COACHES – Jason King of Yahoo Sports gives his list of the sport’s luckiest coaches in terms of dollar signs. Ex-UK guard and current Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford makes the list. Jason writes: “The former Kentucky guard is making $1.8 million per year in Stillwater, where he recently concluded his third season with a second-round loss in the NIT. Oklahoma State made the NCAA tournament the previous two seasons under Ford but failed to advance past the first weekend. From 2005-08 Ford was the coach at UMass, where he failed to lead one of his teams to the Big Dance. So tell me: Does two NCAA tournament trips in six seasons justify $1.8 million? I don’t think so either.”

Continue reading ‘BBL: As Calipari gets raise, Ford among most overpaid’

(AP photo)

Big Blue Links for Friday:

• Kanter and Knight go in first round while Faried, Harrellson and Liggins drafted in second round, reports Rick Bozich of the Courier-Journal.
• Mark Story of H-L looks at how UK’s first-round hires might do in their new jobs.
• Shelvin Mack’s day ends with emotion, and chance to play with John Wall, writes Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports.
• Kanter gives Utah Jazz an inside force, writes Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune.
• Jazz comes up a big winner by taking Kanter, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com.
• Scholarly Brandon Knight brings more than a high IQ to Detroit, writes Kevin Bull of the Detroit Free Press.
• Pistons will find a lot to like about Brandon Knight, writes Mike Rosenberg of the Free Press.
• Orlando believes Liggins can “guard opposing point guards, shooting guards and small forwards,” reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
• Knicks buy Hornets’ lone pick to get Josh Harrellson, reports AP.
• Draft caps impossible turnarounds for Liggins and Harrellson, writes Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches.

Shelvin Mack

Seth Davis pens an NBA draft scouting report for SI.com in which the media dual-threat combines the opinions of several scouts into the voice of one scout, he calls Finch.

Of interest is what “Finch” has to say about some prospects of local interest.

Here is one line from each analysis:

• On Brandon Knight: “To be honest, I think his agent is playing it right.”
• On Enes Kanter: “You love the way he plays.”
• On Shelvin Mack: “I’m a big fan.”
• On Tobias Harris: “He should have gone back to school and lost some weight.”
• On Scotty Hopson: “I just keep waiting for him. Waiting and waiting.”
• On Chandler Parsons: “I watched Florida a bunch this year, and I didn’t come away liking any of them.”
• On Trey Thompkins: “Boy, is he soft.”
• On Josh Selby: “Sheldon Mack would kick his but 10 of 10 times.”

Remember last year when on NBA Draft night, John Calipari called it the greatest night in the history of the program? I don’t expect him to make the same misstep — possibly his only one in two years at UK — tonight when the league goes about choosing players, two of which have prominent Kentucky ties.

Meanwhile, keep your fingers crossed for the other two, DeAndre Liggins and Josh Harrellson.

Check out the Herald-Leader NBA Draft preview slide show.

Don’t forget tonight’s draft liveblog.

Plus, this morning brings an interesting feature on Andre Drummond, the Class of 2012 stud who may or may not have Kentucky on his list, depending on which (real) recruiting site or source you believe. Drummond told the C-J’s Jody Demling he is “not interested in anybody right now. . . . I’m not going to sit around and play games with the coaches. I’m not going to tell them I’m interested when I’m not. It’s just what I want to do. I don’t want to make everything hectic; I want it to be smooth. It’s funny people throw out schools and I’ve never said anything. But people have to say something, so they throw out random schools.”

Click the continue line for today’s Big Blue Links.

Continue reading ‘BBL: NBA Draft night, plus Andre Drummond likes nobody’

Over at the Big Lead, they have shots from this year’s NBA Draft Yearbook Photo Day.

Who knew they had such a thing?

You remember your school picture day, right? Smooth down that hair. Straightened that collar. Say cheese.

Only difference, you didn’t make a million-plus dollars the next day.

Click the link for pictures of Enes Kanter, Brandon Knight, Kyrie Irving, Jimmer Fredette and others.

Rumors run rampant the days and nights before every professional draft. This year’s NBA Draft is no different.

Since the night of the lottery drawing, when Daniel Gilbert’s courageous and young son ended up securing Cleveland the No. 1 pick, it was thought that Duke guard Kyrie Irving would end up being the first player selected by the Cavaliers.

Since then, especially this week, however, there have been reports that Cleveland might be waffling on Irving and could take Arizona’s Derrick Williams or even ex-UK student assistant Enes Kanter with the top pick. Jay Bilas says don’t believe it. He knows who the Cavs are picking.