🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Self likes the audacity element of von Clausewitz!

And old Carl would love Self’s audacity.

Or else he just plain got bored being made irrelevant by 3pt shooting in the 4-1.

He has elected to retool against weak teams, and opposition weakness is the only thing keeping the Hawks from being blown out by Failor by 20. As it is, they are “only” down 10 to near .500 Failor.

Self’s plan is clear now, even if so far painfully ineffective.

Play a down the middle game with only three scorers (Devonte, Doke down the middle with Svi on a wing for kick outs) and two glue guys that defend and board; this is old 3-2 Okie Ball.

Alas, today Svi has a mouse and can barely see stereoscopically to shoot from treyville, so Malik is stepping up.

These guys are supposed to play hard and guard hard and run the double post.

Malik and Vick are reduced to giving breathers and outside scoring, since they don’t like to board or mix it up, and since Self has no subs for them as starters.

This is Self searching for some offense they can sustain and win with on off-shooting nights and be competitive on the glass with.

Self is trying to create a core offense that they can keep running whether Doke is in or out and still guard and rebound. The 4-1 without Doke was essentially offensively “reboundless”; i.e., no one near enough to glassvac, and on defense defenseless and rebound less.

Put another way, Self tried to make scorers into rebounders with Vick and 6-3 Malik and decided Lon Kruger exposed the buck naked emperor. Poke a Doke and reduce KU to a reboundless bowl of blue jello shooting treys.

So now Self is trying to play Lightfoot and Garrett as glue guys and give more FGAs to only three guys, then spell the glue guys with gunners. In short he is putting Lightfoot, Garrett into glue roles they fit, and putting Malik and Vick into strictly gunner roles because that’s their long suit.

Trying this in February, while in 1st place, or second, with 13 years of titles in the balance, is madness of a high order.

This is genius, if you can stand the pain and uncertainty.

No one ever gets to say again that KU is a prisoner of the title run!

Genius craps out sometimes.

But genius it is.

Why?

Because it would be a better team, if they can learn to play this way before it’s too late.

Who else but Self would gamble a 14 year title run at this moment on such an audacious plan?

No one!

P.S. : They can resort to 4-1 for stretches, but Self decided Kruger proved they can’t sustain 4-1 down a stretch unless they are shorting 45-50 % from trey.

So: they are learning to play the new way.

Self is doing something else interesting with the 2-1-2 morphing zone.

Often he is turning it into a box and 1 with Doke the 1. Doke goes where ever the opposing post man goes, effectively playing him M2M.

The rest play a 4 man box zone.

This is definitely NOT a traditional match up zone!!!

This is a box and 1 with the center being the 1; that is another defensive first by Self!!

19-6

Or, how to destroy the good parts of a team by trying to fix the bad parts. We have looked terrible ever since we inserted Lightfoot into the lineup. When you start Garrett and Lightfoot, you're playing 3 against 5 on offense. And all the changes seems to have thrown the whole team off. Most teams get better as the year goes along, and we seem to have gotten much worse.

4 “guards” lol. We can’t guard. Lecomte just cut through us like butter.

KUSTEVE said:

Or, how to destroy the good parts of a team by trying to fix the bad parts. We have looked terrible ever since we inserted Lightfoot into the lineup. When you start Garrett and Lightfoot, you're playing 3 against 5 on offense. And all the changes seems to have thrown the whole team off. Most teams get better as the year goes along, and we seem to have gotten much worse.

AMEN Steve.

Mitch was bad today, that's just a fact.

On the bright side, DeSousa managed a foul and a turnover in what seemed like 20 seconds of game action. The kid can fill the stat book quickly.

@HighEliteMajor

I hate to agree with you but De Sousa is just not ready for prime time.

Self and his players played it this new way and closed to within 4 with 5 or so minutes to go; then backslid into the old offense and completely blew up!

This is always going to happen, a few times when you try something like this.

The question now is does Self have the balls to stay the course and the brains to make it work?

I think Self is going to be very optimistic about what he will see on tape in the stretch when KU closed to 4.

The blow out at the end was ugly, especially to fans that want to stay in their comfort zones, but Self said this was going to be a LONG TERM change, so I’m guessing Self will stay the course and view the ending as his team having to learn a new way to close in this new way to play.

This was a HUGE learning experience!

Did you see the players’ eyes? They all looked scared and confused from the opening tip!!

Malik is utterly baffled about what is happening. Self has taken them completely to a new unfamiliar world.

They are not sure if he is Crazy, or not!

This is absolutely thrilling drama to watch unfold.

I thought we were just going to grind it out and settle for what ever 3pt shooting stats would allow.

But nooooooo!

I love it!!!!

I’m onboard!

We have leaped ahead to Iwo Jima.

All that jungle fighting stuff you thought you mastered? Well, fuggeddaboutit! We are now on an island of volcanic ash, a volcano and endless crags and ravines.

Buckle your chin straps Devil Dogs!

There aren’t any palm trees. No stifling heat. No creepy crawlies!

Welcome to hell, boys!

Sulfur fumaroles! Ash you can’t dig fox holes in. Pill boxes cared out of volcanic rock. Cave networks six stories deep. No where to hide above ground. Every square inch raked with machine guns and knee mortars shooting down hill. Stand up anywhere and get mowed off at the waist.

You say you like to fight?

Well here’s a fight like you never fought before.

Some say it wasn’t even necessary; that we did not even need to learn to fight this way on this lousy rock!

But the brass decided it was necessary.

And they dropped us on this rock.

And there’s no way off now, but to learn to fight this new way and take it!

We fight our way up Suribachi.

The rest of us go one crag at a time through Cushman’s pocket.

See you on the other side of the island.

Any that make it!

Self may have to be keenly aware of 'friendly fire' -- not certain the team is buying into his new approach...probably thought they were doing just fine building their record with fool's gold while having tons more fun. But, I do believe it is Self's record to either maintain, lose or blow..he is the constant throughout it all.

Self has to go back to the old line up of DTG, Newman, Svi, Vick and Doke. @KUSTEVE is a 100% right it's 3 on 5 on offense. Vick had a silly play today but was very aggressive, that I like. Dokes silly fouls and Mitch's defense on bigs were costly. We finished with 3 less rebounds, which is surprising because we gave them about 5 by jacking up 3s at the end. They had 9 offense rebounds to our 14. Shooting was the key stat today. They shot 59% from the field and 53% from 3. Coming in they were 9th in both categories in the B12. I'd say they played much better than they usually do.

@CRH107

Great point!

Now, watch THE SANDS OF IWO JIMA again. Remember when the arrogant young John Agar and John Wayne are in the hole on Tarawa ordered not to give away their short handed position and a wounded and dying Marine keeps calling John Wayne’s character’s name: “Stryker! Stryker!”

Agar finally cracks and says he will go get him and that Stryker will have to kill him to stop him. Stryker puts the muzzle of his M1 in Agar’s face and says: “That’s just what I’ll do!!”

Think of Self as Stryker right now. He’s been given a tough assignment, but his job is to do it and get as many through alive as possible.

Self thinks this shorthanded team can’t get the job done the old way.

He has redeployed them in the way that gives them the best chance to pull through.

And anyone that threatens that...well, there is nothing he won’t do.

“Self has to go back to the old line up of DTG, Newman, Svi, Vick and Doke.”
—@kjayhawks

But he probably won’t.

He doesn’t believe the team can max it’s potential that way.

This new way is the only possibility of maximizing team potential, even if it fails.

Self has made this sort of decision many times, but never this late in a season!

AUDACIOUS!

Sounds like some chemistry problems, Malik and Vick. Malik said he knew why he didn't start the game. I don't know about Vick.

@Crimsonorblue22 I don't know if it is chemistry problems - could well be- but there is no question that they aren't playing like they did earlier in the year. Sure, the competition is tougher, but it's been a long time since we've seen the quick, sharp passes around the perimeter, skip passes, or drives and kick-outs leading to wide open 3s on the 3pt line. We took 30+ shots from 3 today and most of them seemed quick, deep or contested (in contrast to some of the wide open looks Baylor got).

@DCHawker just got that from the post game show. Nothing sounds good.

@KUSTEVE I agree with you. However, maybe Self felt he had to do that if Vick and Malik weren't giving maximum effort?

Bill Self will not play you if your effort SUCKS. Everyone here can only evaluate guys from games. Everyone on this board at one point or another has pulled their hair out because of Newman and Vick. Imagine what Self is seeing in practice.

@jaybate-1.0
Self’s plan is clear now, even if so far painfully ineffective.

Play a down the middle game with only three scorers (Devonte, Doke down the middle with Svi on a wing for kick outs) and two glue guys that defend and board; this is old 3-2 Okie Ball.

Somebody forgot to tell Svi he was one of the guys that was suppose to score.

Observation .. back to @jaybate-1-0 Svi/Newman thing from earlier in the year. Go to 2:24 mark of first half. Newman subbing in for Svi on our defensive end of the court, in front of our bench. Svi goes off the court angling toward scorer’s table to presumably slap hands with Newman. Newman ignores him, and Svi stops before getting to him and goes at an angle back to the bench.

Interesting.

@HighEliteMajor I saw that as well.........I also went back to JBs comment. Might be part of the chemistry thing that Self mentioned. It might explain a lot.

@HighEliteMajor

Yup, some kind of lack of love, or maybe too much, as I will spec on later.

I thought we were past this with Svi and Malik, but today sure makes you wonder.

I know the "narratives" about the black eyes (Svi and Mitch), but, well, who thinks that if players were fighting at practice, or in the locker room before the game, that Self would come out and admit to that?

All we can say is we've got two players that need to wear raw porter houses on their eyes, and we've got Svi and Malik evidencing something other than conventional behavior among teammates intermittently during the season.

And we've got a coach that is starting not one, but two guys with fewer stars than the guys he is asking to become back ups.

And we've got a team going in for a total rebuild in first place in February.

And we've got a coach saying this IS a long term change.

And we've got Vick, a former starter who was having a GREAT early season with several 20 point games walking around with no pop, and largely unable to bend his knees on defense.

And Norm and Kurtis are sitting there leaning back so Self can't see them and giving those "I hope Captain Kirk knows what he is doing, because I sure as hell don't" looks.

And we've got Snacks, apparently delegated with trying to connect with Malik, on some level, any level, riding Malik's butt, or patting his butt, EVERY time Malik comes out.

This won't make me popular, but a lot of these problems have to go on Devonte; this is his team and he should never have let these relationships sour this far. Think back on just some of KU's point guards: Russell, Sherron, Tyshawn, Elijah, Frank and so on. Everyone of these guys were characters and plagued with personal problems on and off (except Frank, it seems), but all of them were absolute men when it came to their teammates. And Self recruits some incredibly wacky, strong willed teammates, too. Russ Rob stares could burn a hole through even Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush and Sherron Collins. And when Sherron took over? OMG! Mr. Off the Court issues was literally a gunny on the floor. Sherron was down right scary, when he cut loose with the chest-thumping, cannibal shizzle. Everyone had a bone to pick with Elijah's play and whether he was really a point guard, but think of the cast of Caribbean pirates he kept in line. Who isn't going to listen to their point guard when the guy likes to give stiff screens. Tyshawn had a serious problem with him and TRob as the core that would not let Withey into the inner circle for a time, but then when Withey took the hit that made him look like a victim of gang violence, and kept playing, everyone said, ooooh, isn't Withey a man? But remember someone had to convince TRob to let some 7 foot stick into the inner circle, when TRob aka Superman, probably had felt like doing that to Withey a few times for blocking TRob's shot. The man who faced down TRob and said, "Superman, we need this guy to be one of us," was the artist of lightening himself, Tyshawn Taylor. Taylor had to convince his guys that they could win with Conner Teahan as their sixth man and fuggeddabout there not being any 7th or 8th men.

Here is the problem in a nutshell: basically, when the team huddles, its Svi and Mitch putting arms around guys and Devonte, Malik and Doke (and Vick when in) just stand their like who do these low-stars think they are hugging us?

You tell me what that's about. It could be about almost anything. It could be the talent gap. It could be the racial. It could be someone having stolen someone's girl. It could be three guys just not liking the cut of two guys jibs. It could be differing body odors. I'm not seeing the racial frankly, because these guys treat Marcus Garrett like the Mayor of Mayberry treats Barney Fife, too.

But the longer this thing with Svi and Malik goes on, the more it feels like a couple stallions bucking over a philly from the past. Oh, man, I hope not for these guys and the team's sakes; that is tough water to put under a bridge. I'm still sore as hell 45 years later about a guy that wrecked things for me and my blue-eyed blind sider in college, even though I should probably thank him for sparing me from having had to live with that kind of heart smasher. There's nothing rational about young love in college. NOTHING! Guys step on other guys toes and think nothing of it, because one of them has never been head over heels, while the other guy is in so deep he can't think clearly anymore! Then their pals feel they have to take sides.

Or maybe the team's just in a little slump. HA!

I don't know what's going on. I am just throwing darts in the dark here.

But something is NOT right...still.

And its going to have to get right pretty quick to save the ship as it is sailing waaaaaaaaay into the Battle of the Philippine Sea, where the kamikazes are going to come fast and furious from here on out.

Rock Chalk!

Gunman said:

Somebody forgot to tell Svi he was one of the guys that was suppose to score.

The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.

Self strung the bow for Svi to keep gunning it around 40-45%.

But he gets a mouse so bad he can barely see out of it.

Self shifted gears and enter Malik!!!

Tactics can become strategy in a moment's notice.

Who knows?

At this point, Svi could wind up not recovering his shooting eye, because of a cracked eye socket, or a scratched cornea, or a detached retina, you never know.

Malik could be the guy.

Malik could get his by a car jaywalking.

Vick could become the guy.

Vick could get hit by an errant directed energy strike by rogue elements of the CIA.

Fred, or Teahan 2.0, could wind up in the saddle.

Strange days are these.

Buffer 1

If Coach Self ever reads some of these post I am sure he would get a good laugh. SMH.

Picture this: a basketball genius and professional coach clearing something like $10M/year is reading and laughing about fan posts in the middle of a bid for a fourteenth straight conference title after his recently restructured first place team loses to a near .500 team in February. Now that is quite a hoot.

Buffer 1

@JayHawkFanToo Please go look
at 2:24 of the first half. Then, ask yourself, have you ever seen Malik and Svi slap hands or acknowledge each other all season? Then in looking at 2:24, tell yourself it does not look like Newman completely ignored him and blew him off.

@jaybate-1.0

Kind of surprised we haven't seen more of the football player in action.

@jaybate-1.0

"Picture this: a basketball genius and professional coach clearing something like $10M/year is reading and laughing about fan posts in the middle of a bid for a fourteenth straight conference title after his recently restructured first place team loses to a near .500 team in February. Now that is quite a hoot."

...in his office with the door locked and with a nervous leg twitch.

lol

drgnslayr said:

@jaybate-1.0

Kind of surprised we haven't seen more of the football player in action.

THIS DUMBFOUNDS ME ALSO.

THE ONLY REASON I CAN SEE IS THAT SELF DOES NOT SEE HIM ON THE TEAM NEXT SEASON, AND SO REFUSES ON PRINCIPLE TO USE HIM IF HE DOESN'T HAVE TO. DEVELOPMENT MINUTES GO TO GUYS THAT WILL BE HERE NEXT SEASON.

I AM ALSO VERY CONCERNED ABOUT SILVIO NOT SEEING MORE THAN 1-2 MINUTES. THIS MAKES ME WONDER IF SELF SUSPECTS SILVIO WILL GO PRO, RATHER THAN STICK AROUND AND PLAY BEHIND THE TRANSFERS NEXT YEAR. HENCE, SELF IS JUST SHOWING SILVIO ENOUGH TO DISCOURAGE NBA SPECULATORS ON WHAT IS CLEARLY AN NBA BODY. AS I OFTEN SAY, SELF IS A HARD MAN AND HE IS CLEARLY THINKING ABOUT NEXT SEASON, EVEN AS HE JOCKEYS TO TRY TO MAKE THIS SEASON HAPPEN.

@HighEliteMajor

That was not the post or post I was referring. Lots of others with way out there theories.

@jaybate-1.0 Caps lock, the bane of social media!

@wissox

I JUST HATE ALL CAPS, TOO!!!!

But sometimes they are easier to read when making embedded comments. :-)

P.S.: @wissox, this problem of all "all caps" actually started in the typewriter era when the upper case key was modified to have a locking function.