Former UNC guard Caleb Love is transferring to Michigan Basketball

Luke DeCock of the News & Observer joins us every Friday.

Normally we do it at 1.15, but let's do it earlier, because why not? We have a little bit of breaking news. Dennis, you want to play the breaking news?

I saw it on Twitter, actually Dennis saw it on Twitter and told me, then I saw it on Twitter, and then I retweeted it. Caleb Love to Michigan. So, your thoughts on Caleb Love, Mr. DeCock?

No, it's good. I mean, he's, you know, originally from the Midwest, gets him back, you know, into Big Ten country. Obviously, you know, Juwan Howard's had some success there, has had three big transfers, needs to replace some people.

I think that makes a lot of sense. I think that'll be good for Caleb Love, and I think that's a pretty good landing spot for him. I agree, it is a good landing spot for him. What do you think was the issue for him this year? Because, look, of all the other players, Caleb Love, I still believe that Caleb Love was the best pro prospect that they had on that roster last year. He's 6'4", he's got a big frame. If he just developed some consistency in his offense, Caleb Love might be headed to the NBA draft this year.

What do you think? Yeah, and might have been after last season. I mean, it wouldn't have been out of the, no one would have been shocked if he declared for the draft last year. Look, Caleb Love is obviously going to have a very mixed legacy at North Carolina because he was part of one of the greatest moments in school history.

What might have gone down is the greatest shot in school history if they'd gone on to beat Kansas. But by the same token, you know, was heavily criticized by the fan base, especially this year, but also his first two years. Let's go back to after Roy's last year and everyone talking about how RJ and Caleb and, you know, he couldn't reach them and Walker Kessler transfers and that was a group that was perceived to be, to whatever degree is right or wrong, sort of problem children. And then the start of last year, everybody was all over Caleb Love and then this year so you know I think the problem with Caleb Love is one he's a high volume shooter. Some of his shots were not good but other times the other players on the team, the other players on the court would look to him late in the shot clock and say well Caleb will bail us out and probably was asked to do too much of that. But the problem for me with UNC for the exception of March, April 2022, was that you had three guys, one forward and two guards who all needed the ball in their hands, a lot, and it just other than that that magical month where they figured it out and shared the ball and yet a fourth guy and Brady manic who needed it too.

It was just too many ball dominant players without a distributing point guard to make them all mix and that just to me it was it was you know people talk about chemistry and all that stuff but I think chemistry was on the court it was just square pegs and round holes a lot of the time. I think if Caleb Love goes to Michigan is in a different group has a point guard isn't asked to bail his teammates out because they've run terrible offense for 34 seconds. I think he could have a really good year and really rebuild his pro prospects. Look, I also think that no scar tissue there, probably will have a benefit for Caleb Love as well. A lot of roster turnover, obviously, I don't know how many of the departures are really significant.

I think the one that I think should really jump out. I mean other than the guys that Hubert recruited right the puff Johnson one is a is a little bit of a problem for me only because we saw at the end of last year that puff could have been a major player this year, but whatever for whatever reason it didn't work out this year. What do you make of the roster turnover? You know got you honestly if I were on that bench and I've never played all year even when the team was struggling by my doctor styles. I'd be transferring to I don't blame that kid at all.

And I hope you lands somewhere and you know, it'd be awesome. I think if you landed at State which recruited him very heavily out of Kinston, so, you know, there's there's a lot going on there. I don't have a problem with puff Johnson because he did show signs and then you really never played this year. There were spurts but you know, if you're not going to play your bench and Hubert Davis has made it clear.

He he's going to make K look like he goes deep out of the bench. He's going to play six or seven guys and play the other guys 3235 minutes, whatever the numbers are, you know, clearly going to rely heavily on a small group of players. You're going to lose guys in the portal and that's one of the things we've been talking about the portals. Oh, it's it's unfair to coaches because players don't want to stick around and they're not committed to the team anymore. This I've never understood that argument. If you're a coach who recruits players and you tell them they're going to play and then you don't play them. That's not their fault. If they want to go somewhere else, it's your fault. You have to adjust times have changed and you know Hubert being a new head coach and a younger guy and of this generation.

I wouldn't think would have issues with that. But obviously he's made his choices. He had certain guys. He liked to play and certain guys.

He didn't and for a guy who said that the Margot Dunn and Dontra styles are going to have their names in the rafters before it was all over. He never showed a lot of confidence in them when it came to when push came to shove. Yeah, especially with the way a lot of the mainstays had been playing, you know, we went through a stretch where it wasn't just Caleb love not playing. Well, a lot of it was RJ Davis not playing well due to injury a lot but to never really rely on, you know, done or nickel or some of the other guys that could have made a little bit more of an impact on this season was curious.

There's no question about it. Yeah, and and Adam, I'll throw Jalen Washington in there to the right. He played at Virginia when Baycock got hurt. I thought okay, this kid gets it.

Now. We're going to see a lot more of him over the next two months and he barely played. Yeah, maybe you I wondered if you could play both Washington and Baycott together just just to give them some, you know, some other options some other looks, you know, who would have done that course that of course. Well, that was the Roy Williams offense, which was the Dean Smith offense, right? Yep, two bigs two wings in a point guard. I mean played, you know, go high low from foul line to the block across.

Yeah, that's what they did to post players. What do you thought somewhat what Dukes roster might look like next year if Philip asking comes back. I mean, it could be pretty good. It's gonna be good anyway, I think if if Philip asking Roach come back, would you know, obviously the fact that it's taken this long indicates there's a chance of I did I didn't think based on the way Philipowski played in the way that scouts raved about and there's any chance he'd be back and maybe there still isn't but if we're watching Philipowski come back with Mitchell with drawing the blank the other the other kid, you know, Proctor that's a yes, thank you. That's a number one preseason team now obviously in this area that carries a bit of a mark of a beast at this point, but that to me is a team that that will will come in with legitimate legitimate thoughts of challenging for national title and with a head start because guys like Philipowski won't have that time to adjust. They will walk in as sophomores and a sophomore these days and a player that talented is like a senior, you know, now will they miss Derek lively?

Absolutely. I mean, I think I tweeted this when he announced he was going pro Derek lively is going to get drafted a lot higher than a lot of these so-called experts think and I don't mean experts like draft experts. I mean like fans because the NBA scouts that I talked to said there are not guys his size who could defend one through five and honestly, we're not looking for a center who can post up and score.

We're looking for a center who can roll to the ribbon dunk and guard one to five. So I you know, he's going to he could be on the lottery pick but some really good team is going to get him in the first round and he's going to make a good team better. Yeah, I actually talked to an NBA scout at the ACC tournament who told me that based on what he had seen of Derek lively, which was basically no offense that he still thought he would be a first round pick but it would be back half of the first round.

He did not think he did not think that Kyle Philipowski would be a first round pick because there is not he has not demonstrated athleticism. He's got tons of skill, but he thought that he was a second round pick where and he actually thought he would return to school anyway, in spite of the fact that he had said such a good year, but Jay Lucas said something about a week and a half ago. The assistant coach at Duke that he thinks that the NIL and that industry is going to have a lot of guys come back for a second year that wouldn't have all otherwise done.

So that benefits the college game. Oh 100% and I've been saying that back when people three years ago when people were saying NIL is going to be the end of the world and I've written this and was writing it back then if there had been NIL in 2019 Zion Williamson would have come back for a sophomore year. I believe that so deep in my heart because he loved playing at Duke. He loved being at Duke. He did not necessarily was not necessarily all that jazzed up about playing for the pelicans Zion Williamson as a sophomore would have made a gazillion dollars. He would have had his own Nike shoe. He would have sold jerseys, he would have he would have been like Michael Jordan in 1986, but in college at Duke.

I mean, he would have made Armando Baycots tax bracket look pathetic and Armando Baycots done just fine for himself. Another example of a guy who's going to make more money in college than the pros, you know, the example I use all the time Adam. It wasn't a freshman coming back but it was an older player who went pro just because he was out of options and wanted to make some money. Imagine NC State's team in 2016 with Trevor Lacey right Trevor Lacey would have made a ton of money to come back more than he got playing in the Afghanistan league or whatever.

And he would have been an incredible college player maybe ACC Player of the Year, you know, just a incredible score great clutch shooter Zion coming back like these are the doors that are open now it's great for the game. Yeah, and people are like oh and I am a transfer portal they're winning the game what if you don't want your players to transfer treat them better, you're going to lose some anyway but you were before, and to NIL creates opportunities for players to stay in college and do okay for themselves. It's great for the college game and you know the other thing I've come around on Adam. I think one is done is actually good for the college game, especially in the NIL era, because if you're going to make these guys play they may decide to stick around for a second year. And why is it so bad to have talented players in the college game, even if they're only there for one year you telling me we're not better off for having a year of Zion or even a year of Cole Anthony even though it didn't go that well. So anyway, I don't look man I've been pro NIL before people knew what it stood for. I've been pro transfer portal before coaches started complaining about it.

The world changes. It's good for athletes, it's good for fans, despite the roster turnover it's still good for fans because there's more talent around, which means better basketball. Anyway, preach into the choir man I've been saying this for so long it's ridiculous. Why would anybody complain about having more talent in your game, even though I fundamentally believe it's unfair to tell an 18 year old kid that he can't go pro. I fundamentally unfair you should be able to do that. You should be able to make that mistake, even if we're saying well these kids are you should be able to do with that I'm just pushing back on the idea that one and done is bad. Oh, it's great.

No, it's great for the case. Anytime these kids have to play in college, basically been told that you're not welcome here. So you have to go there now there are still some other options. G League Ignite is an option. Overtime Elite is an option there are you can play overseas guys have done that. Most of them still go to college, and great players in the college game.

I think are still, we have to embrace that and love it because we otherwise wouldn't get a chance to see them we are one minute left. Should we celebrate. How about the Seattle crack and making the playoffs. I'm really happy that Ron Francis it's it's like Haley's comedy makes the playoffs every 21 years. Wow.

Wow. Can you imagine that I don't, did they make a player for player trade this year. No, he still hasn't I don't think I think the one you came up with was Josh juris for Greg McKay, which is not exactly Gretzky for, but Greg McKay was a big part of the hurricane second half.

Nobody saw it coming in back in the day. No, I mean, look, honestly, I'm actually surprised that he's gotten them in in their second year because his mo in Carolina was such a slow cautious timid build that I really thought it would be four or five years before the next GM in Seattle was going to be the guy who walked in, found a team full of prospects, you know, kind of like kind of like down well like hey, you know, we're all loaded here we just got to, you know, get us over the top with some big trades which is the first you know when Donald was given the keys and the first thing they did was the Hamilton trade at the draft I mean that's, that's a pretty big deal and that put them over the top and got them into the playoffs so those are the kind of moves that the GM in Seattle would have to make but I think if you if you if you want to give Ron Francis some credit. He learned from his first year there. And he made some tweaks and changes to the way that their roster was constructed and they played really well and you know, obviously goaltending helps but happy for john for Islam that all around to the playoffs and, you know, yeah, give give Ron Francis some credit, he did make some adjustments and, you know, it's not Vegas nobody's ever going to be Vegas again but getting an expansion team in the playoffs in the second year that that is an accomplishment, no matter how much, you know, we may be sarcastic or joking about it, getting an expansion team in the playoffs in year two. Even post Vegas is is still something that you know it's still a pretty good achievement and he does deserve credit for that there's no draft and Maddie bineers to Maddie bineers going to win the rookie of the year. So, Luke to cock you're a great pick as well at Luke to cock on Twitter man I'll talk to you next week.

Dennis is officiating a wedding today. Yeah, I got my stripes on and everything. You know you could you could take an online course and do that. Yeah, I know. Anybody's kind of interesting. Anybody could do it, that'd be a great side hustle with it. I guess it could be should do that. Why not, I should do that.

What a side hustle that would be. I could do it like, like the bishop in. What was it, sad to check. No, like History of the World.

Oh, no, no, no, not History of the World Princess Bride. Oh yeah. Do you remember that? I do love that. I actually sent that as a gif to our friend Mike Salarte from Spectrum News in Charlotte.

He tweeted to me when the release went out about me being here for 25 years, which 23 probably too long for some people. And he's like, one of my favorite, you know, people to work with, I'm like, and I just, I just sent him that because he deserved, he deserved that kind of a laugh on a Wednesday. All right, so we do this every week.

We only have time for one, but it's a good one. In the mention. You talking to me? Then who the hell else are you talking to? You talking to me?

Well, I'm the only one here. So Tuesday that as you might be aware of this Tuesday, the Carolina, Carolina Hurricanes won a hockey game in overtime. Beat the Ottawa Center.

That's right. They did. Martin nature scored. It was at the end of what I thought was not the end, but 40 seconds left in what I thought was pretty well played overtime period for Carolina had the puck for most of it. And I thought they valued possessions in the overtime. The only two times I would have any questions about what they were doing. It was really Aho and nature's each took shifts that were too long and where they should have otherwise gotten the puck.

They were gassed. Yeah, and had to get off the ice. But other than that, but the Hurricanes did exactly what you're supposed to do. You wait for your chance Jarvis left the puck for nature said the slot in the high slot and he beat the goaltender was it left posted it actually left posted. It looked like it might have hit the back bar. Anyway, great overtime.

So I tweet out nature's and so socks and cups on Twitter. Imagine if we started two forwards in a D man to start overtime. These skill players would be getting way more opportunities in overtime. Like this is after a win for this person has complained to me about this before and is demanded that I ask the head coach about why he starts stall.

Slaving and burns. We know why you start stall face off with the face off and then he gets off the ice for Aho. Okay, but this to this person the entire overtime is corrupted because of these three starters.

So I said, okay, so let me get this straight. You want me to ask the head coach why he starts those three players. So here's my question to Rod Brindimore. Hey Rod, tell me why you start one forward and 2d in the overtime and his response will be are you asking me why I'm starting? Essentially, it's about Aho coming on the ice, right? Why I'm starting two of my three best offensive player and arguably the best skating defenseman.

East of kale makar. Are you asking me that because that would be the answer if I were Rod Brindimore. That's the answer.

I would give you. Yeah. Brent Burns is one of Carolina's three best offensive players, especially with room to skate. I used to play forward right? He is a forward essentially when we get to overtime. Why is this?

Why is this a foreign concept to people? Brent Burns is a dangerous player in over like Dougie Hamilton. Yeah, why would you complain about Dougie Hamilton being on the ice in an overtime situation? Because you're dumb if you do. And the notion is that this is what Carolina just does in the overtime. Well, they're always got 2d.

No, they don't. So I just didn't understand this. He's telling me to do my job. Ask the head coach. First of all, I've talked to the head coach about it.

On top of the fact that I know what he does. He also complained that my premise that the Hurricanes had two of the defenseman were the two of the three best skaters on the team, which I didn't say to him was flawed. And I'm like, well, I didn't say that, but there are two of the five best skaters on the team.

Yeah. Who are the best skaters on the Hurricanes? Aho, Neches, Burns, Slavin, Jarvis. Who's a better? Did they have better skaters than that?

Gosta spare, maybe. He's a pretty solid skater. But he's a defenseman. Yeah, Jalen Chatfield, really good skater. Everybody's got their notions that they know better than the guy getting paid not enough money to be the best head coach in the league. What, guys? And it was a win.