Kentucky's (Could Have Been) 2012 Roster

We all know Kentucky is absolutely loaded. However Coach John Calipari gets guys to go to his schools is of no concern to me (right now). The players are there, and they will continue to be there going forward so just deal with it. I love how he has embraced the NBA's rule of One Year Post High School. He says fine and rolls out McDonald's All-American after McDonald's All-American.

How about his last 5 point guards?

Derrick Rose, Memphis (One and Done, #1 overall pick in 2008 Draft)
Tyreke Evans, Memphis (One and Done, #4 overal pick in 2009 Draft)
John Wall, Kentucky (One and Done, #1 overall pick in 2010 Draft)
Brandon Knight, Kentucky (One and Done, #8 overall pick in 2011 Draft)
Marquis Teague, Kentucky, Freshman

Good Lord. Rose & Evans were both Rookie of the Year, and Rose was last season's MVP... when he would have been a senior at Memphis.

So, clearly all of these point guards would not have followed Coach Cal had the previous guy stayed in school, but take a look at what Kentucky's roster could have looked like this season (and it doesn't count Tyreke Evans who may have transferred a la Scoonie Penn/Jim O'Brien ha).

2011-2012 Ketucky Wildcats

PG John Wall
SG Eric Bledsoe
SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
PF Anthony Davis
C DeMarcus Cousins

BENCH:

Brandon Knight
Enes Kanter*
Terrence Jones
Daniel Orton
Marquis Teague
Doron Lamb
Darius Miller

Hey now!

*Kanter committed to Kentucky last season and was set to be a Freshman along with Knight and Jones, but was ruled ineligible. Let's just say they ironed this out for the hypothetical squad.

Not only is this team perhaps the greatest of all time, but they would all be back for NEXT year as well (minus Miller). Just crazy.

Even still, Coach Cal has the most talented team left in the tournament. Will he win his first ever title? I say yes.

-Keefe

Burgundy Is Back

Ron Burgundy has returned! Anchorman 2!

5 Questions With Derrick Favors

I talked with Utah 2nd year big man Derrick Favors prior to the Celtics-Jazz game on Wednesday night at the TD Garden. Here is what the Georgia Tech product and 3rd overall pick in the 2010 draft, who is averaging 8.7 points and 5.9 rebounds had to say.

1. You guys have one of the best benches in the league (5th in bench scoring), is that something you take a lot of pride in?

Favors: Yeah it is. As one of the players coming of the bench, I think that when Al and Paul and other starters come out the game it’s up to us to keep the tempo going and to try to provide a spark for whenever the starters come back in.

2. It’s a great playoff race out West, I think you’re as close to moving up to the 4 seed as you are from potentially missing the playoffs all together. Are you a guy who checks other scores and is always looking at the standings?

Favors: I’m not. I’m pretty sure some of the other players are, but I’m not. I’m just coming out playing.

3. Is it starting to feel like a playoff atmosphere as the year winds down?

Favors: Yeah definitely out in the West. We are all fighting for the playoff spots, so it’s getting crazy out there.

4. You’ve been pretty dominant at home (19-6) but have struggled on the road (8-17), any reason you can think of for that?

Favors: I mean you win some you lose some. We just got to go out there and keep fighting, trying to improve our road record.

5. How do you think you’ve grown as a player here early in your career, and has it helped playing with Paul [Millsap] and Al [Jefferson]?

Favors: Yeah I mean just being patient in the post, and just how to approach the game, and being ready to play every night.

-Keefe

Rich Keefe on 98.5 The Sports Hub All Week

Rich Keefe will once again be hosting The D.A. Show on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston all this week (3/19-3/23). Catch it from 6:00-11:00pm.

Listen Here: CBSBostonSports

Or download the "Radio.com" app.

Call in: (617) 779-0985 or Text: 69985.

The Dark Knight Rises Preview

We are roughly 4 months away (July 20 release) from The Dark Knight Rises, the 3rd installment in the Christopher Nolan, Batman Series. Honestly, I am consciously optomistic about it. Batman Begins was great, The Dark Knight was even better, therefore the stakes are high.

Anne Hathaway as Catwoman? Doesn't sound good on paper, but neither did Heath Ledger as The Joker. Bane is the lead bad guy (no Joker), how will that play out? Either way I'm in.



-Keefe

Awesome celebration by Paul Casey's caddy

I'm still watching the Doral on The Golf Channel, waiting for this small bout of constipation to pass. Paul Casey aced the 15th hole. There's a giant car on the back of the tee box, and his caddy went nuts thinking they'd just won...a new car!!! Only, he didn't realize the car promotion is only good for the 13th hole par-3. Poor guy. His celebration is a classic, but his reaction when Casey tells him the bad news is even better. Check it out:

Johnson Wagner's mustache

Johnson Wagner is playing with Rory McIlroy today at the Doral. That's the only reason I know who this guy is. He just rolled onto the 1st tee with one of the most captivating mustaches I've ever seen. Unprecedented. Is he the only guy with a mustachio on the tour? This thing is as good as it gets.