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06-15-2009, 01:58 PM
This does really suck, but good luck to Jodie in the developmental league
06-15-2009, 01:59 PM
oh well they still will be good
06-15-2009, 02:02 PM
UK guard Jodie Meeks has decided to remain in the NBA draft and will not return to UK for his senior season.
"I want to thank the fans and the city of Lexington. They have been great and I will always be a Kentucky Wildcat," said Meeks. "I feel comfortable with my decision and I'm confident in my ability. My family and I talked over the weekend and decided this was the best decision."
Meeks led the Cats in scoring last season and was projected by many to be a pre-season All-America pick if he were to return to school. He has worked out for several NBA teams, and has said that if he felt he'll be selected in the first round, he would stay in the draft. Meeks' name is not mentioned in most internet mock drafts as a first round selection.
Meeks had until 5 p.m. Monday to withdraw his name from the draft if he had decided to return to school.
Meeks, a 6-4 guard, will be the first UK underclassmen since Randolph Morris and Rajon Rondo in 2006 to enter the NBA Draft.
Meeks led the SEC and ranked eighth in the country in scoring, averaging 23.7 points per game. He set the school record for points in a game (54 at Tennessee) and three-pointers in a season (117), while also shooting an SEC best 90.2 percent from the free throw line. Starting all 36 games this season, Meeks led the SEC in two other offensive categories including three-point field goal percentage (40.6) and three-point field goals per game (3.25).
A Second-Team All-American, Meeks had the top three scoring games nationally in regulation (54, 46, 45 points). He became the first player in SEC history to win SEC Player of the Week honors four times in a single-season.
The 2009 NBA Draft will take place on June 25.
Even without Meeks next season, many believe UK will be the pre-season No. 1 team, as new coach John Calipari has brought in one of the most celebrated recruiting classes in recent memory.
http://www.wlextv.com/global/story.asp?s=10531933
"I want to thank the fans and the city of Lexington. They have been great and I will always be a Kentucky Wildcat," said Meeks. "I feel comfortable with my decision and I'm confident in my ability. My family and I talked over the weekend and decided this was the best decision."
Meeks led the Cats in scoring last season and was projected by many to be a pre-season All-America pick if he were to return to school. He has worked out for several NBA teams, and has said that if he felt he'll be selected in the first round, he would stay in the draft. Meeks' name is not mentioned in most internet mock drafts as a first round selection.
Meeks had until 5 p.m. Monday to withdraw his name from the draft if he had decided to return to school.
Meeks, a 6-4 guard, will be the first UK underclassmen since Randolph Morris and Rajon Rondo in 2006 to enter the NBA Draft.
Meeks led the SEC and ranked eighth in the country in scoring, averaging 23.7 points per game. He set the school record for points in a game (54 at Tennessee) and three-pointers in a season (117), while also shooting an SEC best 90.2 percent from the free throw line. Starting all 36 games this season, Meeks led the SEC in two other offensive categories including three-point field goal percentage (40.6) and three-point field goals per game (3.25).
A Second-Team All-American, Meeks had the top three scoring games nationally in regulation (54, 46, 45 points). He became the first player in SEC history to win SEC Player of the Week honors four times in a single-season.
The 2009 NBA Draft will take place on June 25.
Even without Meeks next season, many believe UK will be the pre-season No. 1 team, as new coach John Calipari has brought in one of the most celebrated recruiting classes in recent memory.
http://www.wlextv.com/global/story.asp?s=10531933
06-15-2009, 02:08 PM
We will use that extra scholarship next year right?
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
[COLOR="Blue"]
My Priorities are:
1)God
2)Family
3)Cougar Athletics!
Everything else doesn't matter![/COLOR]
[COLOR="Blue"]
My Priorities are:
1)God
2)Family
3)Cougar Athletics!
Everything else doesn't matter![/COLOR]
06-15-2009, 02:19 PM
I hope that he enjoys the NBADL or going over seas, because I don't see him getting drafted in the 1st round...
06-15-2009, 02:27 PM
Have fun playing in the D league
06-15-2009, 02:27 PM
C.Clair Wrote:What a retard!
Exactly. he just made a huge mistake. but either way we can win with him and we can win without him. UK will still have a tremendous season and go deep in the tourney, if not win it all!!!
06-15-2009, 03:27 PM
i found this on espn.com Kentucky junior Jodie Meeks has informed new UK coach John Calipari that he is staying in the NBA draft and forgoing his senior season.
In a surprising move, Meeks, who made a name for himself when he poured in a school-record 54 points in a win at Tennessee last season, informed Kentucky of the decision on Monday, hours before the 5 p.m. ET deadline for players to withdraw from the draft.
Calipari said he purposely backed off Meeks and didn't pressure him into making a decision.
In a statement issued by the school, Meeks said, "I want to thank the fans and the city of Lexington. They have been great and I will always be a Kentucky Wildcat. I feel comfortable with my decision and I'm confident in my ability. My family and I talked over the weekend and decided this was the best decision."
Meeks, a 6-foot-4 guard, led the SEC in scoring at 23.7 points a game and shot an SEC-best 90.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Meeks is projected as a likely second-round pick. There is always a chance he could climb his way into the first round, but the latter part of the first round could be filled with potential foreign selections as teams try to avoid taking on more salaries for next season.
Meeks' decision makes him only the second SEC player to stay in the draft after declaring as an early entry. The other one was Florida's leading scorer Nick Calathes, who signed with a Greek professional team. Meeks' teammate Patrick Patterson decided to come back, as did Tasmin Mitchell (LSU), Devan Downey and Dominique Archie (South Carolina), Tyler Smith (Tennessee), Jarvis Varnado (Mississippi State) and Michael Washington (Arkansas).
"We'll be fine,'' Calipari said.
Calipari said Meeks' departure means he may be more likely to play his pair of highly-touted incoming point guards, John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, together in the backcourt.
Bledsoe signed first but Wall is the more talented player, setting up a potentially dicey situation with playing time. Meeks' departure could help Kentucky avoid that mess.
Calipari said his remaining guard rotation of Wall, Bledsoe, newcomer Darnell Dodson and returnees Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins provides plenty of production possibilities. The Wildcats should be fine inside with Patterson, newcomers DeMarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton and returnee Perry Stevenson.
Meeks' departure could knock Kentucky out of a possible preseason No. 1 perch in the polls. But the Wildcats will have enough talent to make a run at a Final Four appearance in Indianapolis.
In a surprising move, Meeks, who made a name for himself when he poured in a school-record 54 points in a win at Tennessee last season, informed Kentucky of the decision on Monday, hours before the 5 p.m. ET deadline for players to withdraw from the draft.
Calipari said he purposely backed off Meeks and didn't pressure him into making a decision.
In a statement issued by the school, Meeks said, "I want to thank the fans and the city of Lexington. They have been great and I will always be a Kentucky Wildcat. I feel comfortable with my decision and I'm confident in my ability. My family and I talked over the weekend and decided this was the best decision."
Meeks, a 6-foot-4 guard, led the SEC in scoring at 23.7 points a game and shot an SEC-best 90.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Meeks is projected as a likely second-round pick. There is always a chance he could climb his way into the first round, but the latter part of the first round could be filled with potential foreign selections as teams try to avoid taking on more salaries for next season.
Meeks' decision makes him only the second SEC player to stay in the draft after declaring as an early entry. The other one was Florida's leading scorer Nick Calathes, who signed with a Greek professional team. Meeks' teammate Patrick Patterson decided to come back, as did Tasmin Mitchell (LSU), Devan Downey and Dominique Archie (South Carolina), Tyler Smith (Tennessee), Jarvis Varnado (Mississippi State) and Michael Washington (Arkansas).
"We'll be fine,'' Calipari said.
Calipari said Meeks' departure means he may be more likely to play his pair of highly-touted incoming point guards, John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, together in the backcourt.
Bledsoe signed first but Wall is the more talented player, setting up a potentially dicey situation with playing time. Meeks' departure could help Kentucky avoid that mess.
Calipari said his remaining guard rotation of Wall, Bledsoe, newcomer Darnell Dodson and returnees Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins provides plenty of production possibilities. The Wildcats should be fine inside with Patterson, newcomers DeMarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton and returnee Perry Stevenson.
Meeks' departure could knock Kentucky out of a possible preseason No. 1 perch in the polls. But the Wildcats will have enough talent to make a run at a Final Four appearance in Indianapolis.
06-15-2009, 03:32 PM
Strikeout King Wrote:Exactly. he just made a huge mistake. but either way we can win with him and we can win without him. UK will still have a tremendous season and go deep in the tourney, if not win it all!!!
Jodie, WHY , lol, Yes he should have stayed another year, we would have been so much better with him clearing space for the big men, so who do we have that can really shoot the 3 ball now?
06-15-2009, 03:41 PM
first off meeks is not going to europe alot people are just mad cause he didn't come back even though everyone knows he should've. he's too good of a shooter and too much of a athlete and we all know that. im sorry just cause he might bust the second round doesn't he will not be in the NBA. i mean isn't just made up of 1st rounders or at least i dont believe so. i think he'll be a great second round pick for any team and he wiil only improve.
06-15-2009, 04:07 PM
Am I the only one who isn't THAT upset about it?
I'm not going to act like I didn't want him to come back, because I did very badly. BUT all I can think is after a season like he had last year he was only going to go down in this upcoming season. Jodie stood out because last year UK really had no one else who could shoot like him, but with all of the new talent coming in Jodie wouldn't be the stand out player like he was..... he would have been a great player, don't get me wrong. But just not as great as he was last year.
I'm not going to act like I didn't want him to come back, because I did very badly. BUT all I can think is after a season like he had last year he was only going to go down in this upcoming season. Jodie stood out because last year UK really had no one else who could shoot like him, but with all of the new talent coming in Jodie wouldn't be the stand out player like he was..... he would have been a great player, don't get me wrong. But just not as great as he was last year.
06-15-2009, 04:22 PM
Some of these sour grape posts are very un-becoming. The whole "Europe bound", "lifetime D-league", "lifetime traveler" comments are nothing but kneejerk reactions and a sad commentary of how UK fans treat one of their own.
FACT: Meeks will get drafted, whether it be late first round or early 2nd round... he will find a home.
FACT: Next year's class is going to be extremely deep and had he stayed he would be sharing the court withat least 2, if not 3, players who will certainly have a higher draft stock then him next year.
Rajon Rondo wasn't drafted until the 21st pick, was traded, and is now one of the best PG's in the league.
Kelenna Azubuike was not drafted at all... he has parlayed a very successful NBA career. Meeks is a much more complete SG than Azubuike.
Chuck Hayes for all intensive purposes should have never seen the court in the NBA. He also was undrafted, now he is a very vital part of the Rockets.
Those are just examples of UK players.
Think about 2nd Round choice Gilbert Arenas, who coming out of Arizona had many of the same questions about his game as Meeks, he became one of the elite scorers in the league. The NBA are also dotted with numerous 2nd Round picks who earned a spot on a roster and rose to stardom afterwards: Rashrad Lewis, Michael Redd, and Manu Ginobili all come to mind...
Just because things didn't go the way you dreamed is no reason to treat Meeks as if he is old news and a soon to be bust. Be appareciative of the time he devoted to UK and cheer for him to be the next UK player to have a long NBA career.
FACT: Meeks will get drafted, whether it be late first round or early 2nd round... he will find a home.
FACT: Next year's class is going to be extremely deep and had he stayed he would be sharing the court withat least 2, if not 3, players who will certainly have a higher draft stock then him next year.
Rajon Rondo wasn't drafted until the 21st pick, was traded, and is now one of the best PG's in the league.
Kelenna Azubuike was not drafted at all... he has parlayed a very successful NBA career. Meeks is a much more complete SG than Azubuike.
Chuck Hayes for all intensive purposes should have never seen the court in the NBA. He also was undrafted, now he is a very vital part of the Rockets.
Those are just examples of UK players.
Think about 2nd Round choice Gilbert Arenas, who coming out of Arizona had many of the same questions about his game as Meeks, he became one of the elite scorers in the league. The NBA are also dotted with numerous 2nd Round picks who earned a spot on a roster and rose to stardom afterwards: Rashrad Lewis, Michael Redd, and Manu Ginobili all come to mind...
Just because things didn't go the way you dreamed is no reason to treat Meeks as if he is old news and a soon to be bust. Be appareciative of the time he devoted to UK and cheer for him to be the next UK player to have a long NBA career.
06-15-2009, 04:36 PM
I agree EKUAlum.
Some of these comments are just unnecessary and uncalled for. Meeks thought long and hard about the decision.
Many other players around the league returned to school for next season. What does this mean?
This means that Meeks draft stock has went up even higher. He was recorded as the third fastest player in this year's draft. I agree that he has a lot to work on, but like EKUAlum said, it was just best for him to go now.
UK will be fine next year and will still be a preseason top 5 team with all the talent coming in and Patrick Patterson returning. Everyone needs to calm down and wish Jodie the best.
Good luck Jodie.
Some of these comments are just unnecessary and uncalled for. Meeks thought long and hard about the decision.
Many other players around the league returned to school for next season. What does this mean?
This means that Meeks draft stock has went up even higher. He was recorded as the third fastest player in this year's draft. I agree that he has a lot to work on, but like EKUAlum said, it was just best for him to go now.
UK will be fine next year and will still be a preseason top 5 team with all the talent coming in and Patrick Patterson returning. Everyone needs to calm down and wish Jodie the best.
Good luck Jodie.
06-15-2009, 04:45 PM
WORST MISTAKE IN HIS BASKETBALL CAREER!!!!!!
What is he thinking? Yea the money will be there but from what I am hearing it is not going to be American money. Sources have stated that Jodie Meeks has been in contact with Teams from overseas. I hope he gets his head on straight and changes his mind before 5pm deadline, other than that you won't hear much from Jodie Meeks anymore, except in foreign papers, or the NBDL website. Worse mistake he has made so far. He has a chance to come back to Kentucky and make a legit run at a National Championship, and winning it all actually might improve his stock in the draft, even if his numbers will fall a little bit. Wow, this is very surprising to me and a lot of other people. Calipari opens the roster to all Jodie to be a perfect fit and make the limit for the scholarships available, I mean come on all the signs were there. Now we have one scholarship available, now the biggest question is who are we going to get, or will we save it for next year?
But man Jodie you made a mistake, I wish you the best of luck and hope you make it in the first round, but I just don't see it happening. Why would you make such a choice? #1 recruiting class in the nation to back you up next year along with your room-mate Patrick Patterson. But good luck! Now Kentucky won't be ranked #1 in preseason polls, but they will def be a top 5 lock. Come on man, why did you do this?
What is he thinking? Yea the money will be there but from what I am hearing it is not going to be American money. Sources have stated that Jodie Meeks has been in contact with Teams from overseas. I hope he gets his head on straight and changes his mind before 5pm deadline, other than that you won't hear much from Jodie Meeks anymore, except in foreign papers, or the NBDL website. Worse mistake he has made so far. He has a chance to come back to Kentucky and make a legit run at a National Championship, and winning it all actually might improve his stock in the draft, even if his numbers will fall a little bit. Wow, this is very surprising to me and a lot of other people. Calipari opens the roster to all Jodie to be a perfect fit and make the limit for the scholarships available, I mean come on all the signs were there. Now we have one scholarship available, now the biggest question is who are we going to get, or will we save it for next year?
But man Jodie you made a mistake, I wish you the best of luck and hope you make it in the first round, but I just don't see it happening. Why would you make such a choice? #1 recruiting class in the nation to back you up next year along with your room-mate Patrick Patterson. But good luck! Now Kentucky won't be ranked #1 in preseason polls, but they will def be a top 5 lock. Come on man, why did you do this?
06-15-2009, 05:06 PM
Just to clarify, I didn't mean that I'm glad he isn't coming back and UK didn't need him.... I just meant it was the right move on his part where he was such a standout last year with the UT game and all.
06-15-2009, 05:13 PM
This sucks!!!
06-15-2009, 05:15 PM
EKUAlum05 Wrote:Some of these sour grape posts are very un-becoming. The whole "Europe bound", "lifetime D-league", "lifetime traveler" comments are nothing but kneejerk reactions and a sad commentary of how UK fans treat one of their own.No disrespect meant here and no sour grapes but he will not play much in the NBA and was told so by some GM's. Also no where did I wish him any bad luck or not wish him well, just stating the facts he willo play the majority of his career in Europe and if that is what he is shooting for great, but I believe he has been given bad information on his draft status by some around him. I know most of us wishes we had an oppurtunity to play in Europe but for Jodie this is not what he wanted. After the season starts and he may be on a roster, I will wager in less than 2 years he will be in Europe. Thats all I am saying. If one of my kids makes a mistake he is still my kid so no one is abonding or throwing Meeks out. I would tell my kid if I thought he was making a mistake but I would still love him. Can you all tell the difference now.
FACT: Meeks will get drafted, whether it be late first round or early 2nd round... he will find a home.
FACT: Next year's class is going to be extremely deep and had he stayed he would be sharing the court withat least 2, if not 3, players who will certainly have a higher draft stock then him next year.
Rajon Rondo wasn't drafted until the 21st pick, was traded, and is now one of the best PG's in the league.
Kelenna Azubuike was not drafted at all... he has parlayed a very successful NBA career. Meeks is a much more complete SG than Azubuike.
Chuck Hayes for all intensive purposes should have never seen the court in the NBA. He also was undrafted, now he is a very vital part of the Rockets.
Those are just examples of UK players.
Think about 2nd Round choice Gilbert Arenas, who coming out of Arizona had many of the same questions about his game as Meeks, he became one of the elite scorers in the league. The NBA are also dotted with numerous 2nd Round picks who earned a spot on a roster and rose to stardom afterwards: Rashrad Lewis, Michael Redd, and Manu Ginobili all come to mind...
Just because things didn't go the way you dreamed is no reason to treat Meeks as if he is old news and a soon to be bust. Be appareciative of the time he devoted to UK and cheer for him to be the next UK player to have a long NBA career.
06-15-2009, 05:25 PM
JOBAKKA Wrote:No disrespect meant here and no sour grapes but he will not play much in the NBA and was told so by some GM's. Also no where did I wish him any bad luck or not wish him well, just stating the facts he willo play the majority of his career in Europe and if that is what he is shooting for great, but I believe he has been given bad information on his draft status by some around him. I know most of us wishes we had an oppurtunity to play in Europe but for Jodie this is not what he wanted. After the season starts and he may be on a roster, I will wager in less than 2 years he will be in Europe. Thats all I am saying. If one of my kids makes a mistake he is still my kid so no one is abonding or throwing Meeks out. I would tell my kid if I thought he was making a mistake but I would still love him. Can you all tell the difference now.sorry man but he is better than most of the UK players in the league right now. which thats what you think and i understand but if reddick can go in as a shooter then meeks definitely can. i just haven't seen anything from GM'ssaying that he isn't going to get no playing time. he might not starting off but he will eventually and it will not be in europe. if he learns how to dribble then he will be a awesome multi-purpose PG. he has all the abillities and he's shown it night in and night out at the collegiate level.
06-15-2009, 05:36 PM
If you all think that Meeks isn't good enough to be in the NBA then why are you so mad the he is gone. I think his future is bright and even though i think he could have gone a lot higher next year he will go higher then some think this year and he will be a great pro.
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