drizzlybear said:

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Thanks again so much for the insights. I disagree with HoopDreams that cussing out a coach does not cross a line; it very clearly does. That doesn't mean it's an irreconcilable violation, but there's no way that cussing out coaches can be on the correct side of the line.

That said, I do agree that getting on teammates when it's for the right reasons (even if not done in the most constructive fashion) does not cross a line, especially when done by a senior leader who carries a major load, like MB.

Again, i am a HUGE fan of MB, but requiring the coaches to come to him to demonstrate their want for him feels a little diva-ish, or requiring the kissing of the ring. My own personal reaction to that is negative, and I could see myself taking the approach you describe Fox taking.

Overall, it seems like a really unfortunate situation. Seems like he wanted to be back, and they wanted him back. Seems like not too big of a chasm to have been been bridged some way. Unfortunate.

Thanks again for sharing your insights.

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Of all the football or basketball players that have transferred from Cal, I might have more residual fondness and respect for Matt Bradley than any other. That said, no, he didn't want to be back: He chose to leave. What I believe 4thGenCal is saying is that, if Fox had played it just right, maybe he could've talked him out of it. (Splitting hairs maybe, but I think it's an important distinction.)

In any event, it was unfortunate for us. For him, it might've been right.

drizzlybear said:

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Thanks again so much for the insights. I disagree with HoopDreams that cussing out a coach does not cross a line; it very clearly does. That doesn't mean it's an irreconcilable violation, but there's no way that cussing out coaches can be on the correct side of the line.

That said, I do agree that getting on teammates when it's for the right reasons (even if not done in the most constructive fashion) does not cross a line, especially when done by a senior leader who carries a major load, like MB.

Again, i am a HUGE fan of MB, but requiring the coaches to come to him to demonstrate their want for him feels a little diva-ish, or requiring the kissing of the ring. My own personal reaction to that is negative, and I could see myself taking the approach you describe Fox taking.

Overall, it seems like a really unfortunate situation. Seems like he wanted to be back, and they wanted him back. Seems like not too big of a chasm to have been been bridged some way. Unfortunate.

Thanks again for sharing your insights.

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" What if you were a player at Penn State, would it be OK to cuss out Sandusky? "

No, but it would be okay to chopped his nuts off.

HoopDreams said:

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4thGenCal said:

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Civil Bear said:

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4thGenCal said:

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BearGreg said:

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Shepherd's been a strong contributor.

The biggest difference between him and Bradley is their shooting.

Shepherd's a career 42% from the field, 31% from three, and 75% from the FT line

Bradley's #'s are 44%, 39% and 85% respectively

Matt played with a competitive fire, fearlessness, and crunch time confidence that's rare to see. His personality reminds me of Jerome Randle in that respect.

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Spot on, Shepard's has been a good pick up, but anyway the overall comparison is made, Matt has the edge. Some of the players from last year's team literally did not want to guard him in practice (not Joel who loved the challenge) because they were afraid of his physicality. Matt is the slightly better (needs to improve though his off ball defense) defender, better shooter, can create better with the ball and has the much better post season pro potential. Several coaches were shocked at Cal losing its best player by far from last year's team. The locker room impact was over blown, though Matt did things that he regretted. The overwhelming # of players on the roster would have welcomed Matt back. Yet the staff spun things differently as a bit of a cya.

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4GC, I appreciate your insights as you are obviously closer to the team than most of us, but I am a bit confused here. Who did the staff spin that to? I ask because I never read any type of public statement, and the only comments that I came across that didn't suggest the Staff was 100% culpable were, I believe, from you.

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When there was a gathering for some donor's before the season, an assistant coach said when asked, did the staff re recruit Matt, the response was that no players came to the staff to support Matt and state that they wanted him back. Which 1) was incorrect as several players (majority of roster) stated privately they wanted him to return 2) was a cya for why MB left and that he (the coach) expected the team to be better this season, without Matt. Clearly not the case as Matt would have made this year's team better. Then the coach backtracked some by saying "if we had the level headed Matt and not the antics, yes we would be better with him". As stated before, Matt was certainly not blameless, but the HC and staff are paid handsomely to put together the best possible roster to ensure the best opportunity to win, and losing your best player and only pro prospect, has proven to be a gut punch. And furthermore MB is a high quality student athlete, totally focused on basketball, the results of the team meant more to him than others on the roster and that really irked him(ie attitude after a loss). Wyking Jones was shocked at the friction with Matt and some staff and said that he never experienced any problems with him. WJ literally said "Matt was my guy".

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I've said many times before, the coach needs to keep his franchise player and make it work

Matt is a very competitive guy with a fire that I'm sure upset coaches and probably players from time to time, but he's also a good guy

this team could have been substantially better with him. No doubt in my mind

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So basically fox is as stubborn as monty when it comes to recruiting and has 1/100th of monty's coaching acumen. Cool

I really hope Fox is relieved of his coaching duties after this season.