BAMBA OR KNOX: Did UK get the more important piece?
CatsIllustrated.com staff members ask and answer the question: With Knox to Kentucky and Bamba to Texas, did Kentucky get the more important player?
Based on what you think Kevin Knox will do for Kentucky and what Mo Bamba would have done for Kentucky, did it shake out favorably for the Cats?
T.J. Walker, Basketball Recruiting Analyst: Kentucky has more depth in the frontcourt than they do in the backcourt, but Bamba is the better player and if I were forced to pick between the two I would have taken Bamba.
Although you can't go wrong with either, Bamba is the defensive player that could have an Anthony Davis like college impact and could be the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. I don't know if Kevin Knox could get in the No. 1 pick conversation, although you never know.
RELATED: BAMBA GONE: What it means for UK
But there is truth to Knox possibly being more of a need than Bamba. Quade Green will be fine for UK, but the Cats will need some scorers in the backcourt and Knox will do just that for Kentucky.
Knox also will give Kentucky a more complete starting five and although UK missed on the best shot blocker in the country, Richards will average two or three blocks per game for UK.
The Cats will be a great team next season but a Final Four would have been likely for Bamba.
Derek Terry, Beat Writer: Obviously the best case scenario would've been Bamba, Diallo and Knox. That was never likely to happen, but I think UK is still in fine shape. I think Bamba would have made UK much more likely to compete for a national championship next season, but the good news is there's still plenty of depth in the frontcourt. Not so much in the backcourt, which is why Knox will help a ton there.
Most analysts said Bamba to Texas was a real possibility, but I thought in the end John Calipari would work his magic and land the athletic big man. As it is, UK's offense will be better off with Knox in it, but Bamba would have given the Wildcats a dominant defensive presence.
Justin Rowland, Publisher: I'm going to say no, but it's not the kind of no that would cause anyone to lose sleep at night because Knox clearly adds some very important things to next year's team, especially if Hamidou Diallo were to stay in the draft.
I'm saying Bamba to Kentucky would have been preferable to Knox because I've always felt like Bamba's rim protection and ability to alter games defensively on the inside would be a huge factor that could propel next season's team to a championship. It would have taken them to the next level on that end of the court.
Knox does give Kentucky a potential alpha dog on offense that they might not otherwise have had, so the scenario that actually happened makes Kentucky better on offense, allows for more mismatches on that end, and gives Kentucky insane depth at the wing. But he didn't take a position that was a question mark and turn it into an indisputable strength as Bamba would have.
There are those who will point to Sacha Killeya-Jones and Nick Richards as a very capable tandem on the inside, even minus Bam Adebayo, Isaac Humphries and Bamba, but I still think enough questions remain that, even if the position is adequate, Bamba would have been the bigger difference-maker.
All that said, even with the question about Diallo's future and more questions about next year's team, they still have the talent to compete at the highest level and to beat anyone.