But the strategy isn't always flawless, and sometimes, you need to challenge your players with the authority of a mentor. Sometimes it doesn't work to be friends. Calipari apparently put on the mentor mask with John Wall after South Carolina's upset of the Wildcats last week, and Wall isn't too happy about it:

"I don't know. He said I played awful," says John Wall. "I didn't think I played that bad. I don't know what to expect. He's probably going to say I played bad today too so I don't know. I just try not to listen to him and go out and play basketball and try and help my team win."

I'll make the obvious statement here, because someone has to do it: It's not a good thing when your all-world star point guard tells the media he "tries not to listen to" his coach. This is not, at least in the short-term, what we in the business would call "a positive." Wall also said he wasn't having fun:

"To be honest, I really haven't been having fun for the last two weeks. It's just being frustrated and things like that so, I just got to figure it out before we go further in league play."

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/3005/wall-lashes-out-at-calipari

He is still talented though.

I like wall, but I am not sure if this guy is a PG or a SG in a PG's body.. ala derrick rose.... great athlete tho..

He got it handed to him by that kid Downey from SC.. who also gave georgia the business the other night...

Juice wrote:

tkf wrote:That is why I don't like tanking seasons to get certain players.. Just play to win and let the chips fall where they may.... you never know what happens, you never know when a "kobe" type situation will happen, or of there is another Brandon roy slipping a bit in the draft..

I like wall, but I am not sure if this guy is a PG or a SG in a PG's body.. ala derrick rose.... great athlete tho..

He got it handed to him by that kid Downey from SC.. who also gave georgia the business the other night...

This draft is deeper than John Wall though....let's keep it real.

yea, but teams won't be tanking for guys like aldrich.. so I am keeping it as real as can be...

TMS wrote:

tkf wrote:

Juice wrote:

tkf wrote:That is why I don't like tanking seasons to get certain players.. Just play to win and let the chips fall where they may.... you never know what happens, you never know when a "kobe" type situation will happen, or of there is another Brandon roy slipping a bit in the draft..

I like wall, but I am not sure if this guy is a PG or a SG in a PG's body.. ala derrick rose.... great athlete tho..

He got it handed to him by that kid Downey from SC.. who also gave georgia the business the other night...

This draft is deeper than John Wall though....let's keep it real.

yea, but teams won't be tanking for guys like aldrich.. so I am keeping it as real as can be...

in our situation i'll tank for any of the top 10 guys in this draft... too bad we don't own a damn pick.

I don't believe in tanking.. that is just me... I wish we had a first round pick, but I don't believe in tanking.... It is funny, the teams that have tanked have not fared well.. including cleveland.. they got lebron, but they are stuck in a situation where they can't improve that team it seems... I just rather play to win and draft well.. for all I know there can be 5 duds in the top 10... I just rather win and let the chips fall where they may... but that is me.. LOL

BigDaddyG wrote:I dunno, he's still a kid. As good as he is though, he still has holes in his game that need to addressed. I hope his head isn't so big that he doesn't realize this. There have been plenty of talented guards who didn't make it for one reason or the other like DaJuan Wagner, Harold Miner, Shawn Respert, Rumeal Robinson, Mark Macon, Mateen Cleaves and Khaid Reeves.

I think Wall's potential is through the roof, but he still has a lot to learn.

man college is about growing up. If you don't have a clue by then it’s likely too late\

I work for a college here in Baltimore and High schools are no longer preparing these kids for the next stage. They come here expecting us to hold their hand, do everything for them and put up with their total lack of respect for anything resembling an authority figure. They don't know how to do anything for themselves and this will likely include finding a job post college.

John Wall better thank god for the NBA

Nalod wrote:Look at Jennings who was a bone head and could not even get into college. Then one year abroad he matured but it still cost him a few million as he thought he was a top 3 draft pick. His reputation cost him.

JamesOn Curry got busted his senior year in Burlington NC for selling weed to classmates and lost his Scholarship to North Carolina! He did well at Oklahoma State but this was a blue chip kind of kid going to a top notch NBA factory! He has yet to stick in the NBA deapite his talent.

JR Smith skipped his North Carolina opportinity to go right into the NBA and even with Billups in his ear has attitude problems.

These Bone Head players are often picked out in High School and it hurts them. Jennings was fortunate he got a break by going to Milwaukee and shined early. He might not have done that with the Knicks.

Imagine Hill doing well and jennings sittin on the pine!

Jennings wasn't smart enough to past the test to get into college. I think people forgot Dwayne Wade was red shirted his first year because he couldn't pass his classes. Derrick Rose reportedly didn't even take his tests to get into college.

The issue with Wall is his attitude toward being coached. Jennings has not displayed an inability to be coached and he is coached by Scott Skiles. Some players just aren't coachable. Telling the media you basically ignore your coach is worse than Jennings smack talking. Talking smack to a peer and ignoring your coach are two different things.

With all that said I'd still take Wall with the 1st pick because their is a chance he just needs to mature.