Column: Rumor mill turns, UK roster churns

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Did you hear?

A friend of a friend who works in admissions said he heard from a reliable guy that Darnell Dodson is transferring.

And no, before you ask: It’s not the same guy who said Billy Donovan’s children were enrolled in Lexington’s Catholic schools hours after Billy Gillispie was let go last year.

You can trust this new source. Believe me.

What about the latest on John Wall? I heard he might stay. Well, actually, I know it’s true — my Easter brunch waiter said one of the kitchen workers read it on Facebook.

Book your seat at the Player of the Year banquet now!

He’s not worried about the millions upon millions of dollars thrown at his face and the promise to instantly become one of the NBA’s top point guards. He’s more concerned about being the best of the 96 starting point guards competing for next year’s NCAA championship.

Of course, the coach that’s telling him to stay won’t even be here. At least, that’s what I heard. That’s right: I have it on good authority that John Calipari is going to jump ship to the NBA.

Well, maybe I don’t have it on good authority. But a brother of a production assistant on Cal’s latest commercial shoot in Lexington said he’s gone, because Coach told him first-hand.

Maybe that’s not true. But who could make this stuff up?

Surely no one could make up a story about Daniel Orton’s future at UK. That’s why over the weekend, according to all of the rumors that popped up: He dropped his classes at UK, re-enrolled, moved to California, came back to Lexington and then ended up back in California to finish his classes by correspondence so the Cats don’t lose a scholarship next year.

All of this surfaced amid the looming Final Four, and it seemed like everyone in Lexington who wasn’t busy rooting for Shelvin Mack and Butler instantly bought into it.

So maybe you shouldn’t believe everything you hear until Orton steps forward and makes an actual statement. Very little of what will be said about roster turnover in the aftermath of The Letdown in Syracuse will prove true.

But did you hear about Brandon Knight? What if he commits this week? Piece together everything we’ve all heard (it’s all true, by the way) and next year’s starting lineup might be Wall, Knight, Eric Bledsoe, Darius Miller and one variable. And maybe Phil Jackson or Tom Izzo will coach the team.

Go ahead and start figuring out which couch to set on fire when the nets come down in Houston this time next year.

Then again, this all might change. Take it or leave it.

That’s just what I heard.