🏀 KuBuckets Archive

I want to cry!

There are only 3 more regular season games left.

I am looking forward to March Madness... but it goes by so quickly!

Why does it always feel this way? Why does the season end when it just starts to feel like we are getting into the groove?

Life just isn't fair!

I guess it could be worse.

We could be Mizzou fans.

At least we (typically) get to extend our season a while longer!

How sad will you all be after our season is over?

What will you do to replace Jayhawk basketball for half a year?

Maybe we should start one of those online simulated leagues... so we can all play being Bill Self throughout the summer. The season can end in Las Vegas. We'll rent a banquet facility and a block of rooms. Winner gets some outrageous Jayhawk gear and a banner they can hang in their mancave.

It would be fun to develop all the old Jayhawk players. Build teams with all the greats from past Jayhawk teams. Imagine having Danny and Wilt on the same team out on the court being "twin towers!"

I'd like to pit Self against Brown. We've already experienced Self against Williams... (no pun intended!)

@jaybate ... help me out! You are the master of creative thought. This needs your input! Help rescue us from a long, hot, boring summer!

@drgnslayr I've been thinking about this for awhile. My whole family(quite a few) become really depressed when the season ends! It's like a death in the family! We get so caught up in these kids lives, they feel like family too. To think we will never see some of these kids in a Kansas jersey anymore, is hard to fathom! I'm hoping you garden guys will give us tips this summer. I feel certain you all will come up w/something.

Ya know... I can recall one or two springs that didn't seem like a death in the family... and summer seemed blissful.

ah. 1988 and 2008

@bskeet I hope that's the forecast!

"What will you do to replace Jayhawk basketball for half a year?"

We always find something to talk about, don't we??

@HighEliteMajor I hope we are reminiscing about title #6 and wondering how Cliff and JoJo will work out together ;-)

"What will you do to replace Jayhawk basketball for half a year?"
1. Watch all of the KU games I have recorded on DVR.
2. Watch my SI dvd of the 2008 Championship (which I have to brag and say "I was there and I saw it in person")
3. Watch the new SI dvd of KU winning the 2014 Championship (and I hope I get to see it in person)
4. Get on KU Buckets everyday, just like I do right now, and read Jaybate, Slayr, HEM, and all the other great posters and wait for November

@oldhwkfan +1000! Man, I hope we win the title but the odds are statistically against us. 2008 we had the best team, but we had the best team a whole bunch of times and didn't win the title! I'm really not prepared for the season to end short of a title.

@drgnslayr great thread! I like the idea of meeting up in Vegas.

I know we all like anonymity...but wouldn't it be cool to try and guess everyone's surnames?!

I picture @jaybate as a cross between Sean Connery and Jack Palance.

I assume @HighEliteMajor will be holding up a basketball...

I picture all you guys as 6'5'' or above except @jaybate who's a 7 footer

We might be discussing if Cliff Alexander is eligible!

@oldhwkfan -It's a slam dunk! PHOF!

Do any of you guys or gals know each other personally?

@drgnslayr It does seem to fly by! As others have suggested, hopefully we are all here talking about our championship!

Every year, regardless of how it ended, we always seem to go through all the line-up permutations for months on end. We'll call that topic #1. Operating under the assumption that Wiggins is the only early departure, other popular topics of conversation figure to be:

(2) Can Mason unseat Tharpe for starting PG duties?

(3) Will Self play Perry at the 3?

(4) With Wiggins gone, who will lead the team in scoring - Selden, Perry, or Alexander?

(5) Where does AW3 end up?

(6) Greene or Oubre (starting, minute allocation, etc)?,

(7) Any asst. coaches in line for head coaching gigs elsewhere?

(8) Should anybody redshirt? Most obvious candidates are unable. Frankamp maybe?

(9) Who will be the most legitimate contenders to challenge us for conference supremacy?

(10) Just how much of a beast will JoJo be returning?

And finally...

(11) Buried deep on the bench of bigs, but we'll finally get our first look at Hunter Mickleson. Who's not excited for that? Huh? Huh?

Obviously if Embiid departs for the NBA, the dynamic shifts, as we may have another recruit to discuss. Just went with only losing Wiggins because that is the simplest and really only definitive roster change (along with Black).

Myself, if my Dodgers are doing well I am able to immerse myself in baseball. If not...

@Crimsonorblue22 nope.

But at halftime of game in Boulder I went down and said hi to Ben from TCJ as he covered game instead of Jesse. Makes chatting w him during in game blog even more fun now.

I was really bummed when FaceGate went down bc I understood everyone's anger. However, I'd really like to meet everyone on here someday. I'm fine w people knowing I'm 6'3", white, right handed and live in the vail valley!

.

If we win it all, the high from that will get me through to the start of football season.

I'll get stoked for football until the first game (sorry guys and gals, but I"m just speaking the truth), then I'm in a funk until the start of roundball.

When we don't win it all, I'll sulk non-stop for 48 hours, lamenting the day that "we" hired Bill Self. He's such an idiot.......
After you guys remind me how great he is and how stupid I am, I'm fine.

Will it go round in circles...............

@VailHawk Do you ever watch games at Altitude Billards? I've watched both the Texas games there this year.

@icthawkfan316 I think that's a pretty good summary of the topics that we all will discuss after the season is over. Also, our 2015 recruiting efforts.

@icthawkfan316 A very comprehensive list, ict. I might add (12) Where does Tarik go? NBA or foreign soil? Then (13) If we should roll to a national title, and Selden moves into lottery status, will he jump? If so, how will that affect our 2014-15 lineup or late recruiting? And I can't seem to dodge the Andrew White scenario from your (5). Could AW3 end up at Tulsa or SMU?

I suppose that my thinking about AW3 falls along these lines: Unless he should emerge as a key contributor for the Jayhawks, I dearly hope he lands a significant starting opportunity in a site where I can heartily cheer his stardom. A fine kid who seems to deserve the chance to spend two years showcasing his potential....

Speaking of SMU, if Larry Brown feels inclined to stick with that program another 2 or 3 seasons, I envision our Jayhawks encountering one of his potent squads somewhere down the pike. What a coaching matchup!

@REHawk I can't imagine AW3 wanting to keep it in the Bill Self/KU college coaching tree. If he tranfers, he probably doesn't have the best taste in his mouth about Self & KU. My guess is he ends up closer to home on the east coast somewhere. I agree 100% with your sentiment to want to see him succeed somewhere. Too bad the numbers game didn't work out for him here at KU, but I both understand the situation and will always wish him the best.

Being a track and field guy, I feel the need to point out it overlaps bBall and thus can help with the big end of bBall season void. Our girls return some top athletes from last years NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM, and the boys team has been on the rise. The new track is already installed and verified world class-hopefully the infrastructure around it is ready for the outdoor season.

Vegas would be fun-a round robin set of 5 minute interviews for all and then individuals vote on a big screen matching actual photos to ku buckets site name/avatars.

@TheCoge not yet but I'm open to it!

@JayhawkRock78 love the Vegas idea!

@Crimsonorblue22 "Do any of you guys or gals know each other personally?"

Wissox and I met during the 2012 FF in New Orleans. After Kentucky bounced Louisville I was able to snag a couple of tickets for him and his wife for the championship game. Met them at the Waffle House on I-12 in Hammond to transfer the tickets as they were spending the day in NO.

As for what happens at seasons end. If Kansas wins the NC it will help me through the summer rooting for the Cubs. If they don't win it, then it's misery through the summer until Late Night.

Oh yeah, a Vegas vacation sounds good to me.

@icthawkfan316 Very good list.

Another topic: You all will have to listen to me explain why I think our 2014-15 team will be better than this year's version, even if Embiid and Selden join Wiggins turning pro. But that's for another day.

I'm positive we could develop some kind of Jayhawk basketball theme to take place over the summer that would include many of the past great Jayhawks, current players and coaches.

Something that would build enthusiasm for the upcoming season (like we need more enthusiasm), give us all something to do and look forward to, and bring together some of the Jayhawk Nation from around this country and the world.

Any time you bring such an affluent crowd together there would be ways to raise money to keep it going, and put the rest of the funds into something charitable.

For one thing... imagine being able to meet many of the Jayhawk all-time greats and current players in a single weekend?

And why can't we make it a bit competitive and have some hoops... some digital hoops and real hoops?

We all should think this thing out... This thing could develop into yet another unique thing that is strictly part of the Jayhawk Nation. It can do plenty of good for our program, for charities, and for all the great Jayhawk fans across the world!

I see this thing getting every bit as large as something like "Late Night"... and it won't take long before other schools jump on something like this, too.

Maybe it can include a real game with old players vs current... and will follow NCAA guidelines by not having coaches involved. I like the idea of Vegas for several reasons. First... it is a destination vacation location. Second... it has excellent flight connections. Third... the place is built for conventions and tourism so hotels and banquet facilities are plentiful. Fourth... it can help build a broader base of future Jayhawk Nation members because everything happening in Vegas gets broad marketing coverage.

And though it is focused around Jayhawk basketball... have a way to tie in all the Jayhawk sports to help promote them, too.

We can have both sports themes and non-sport themes. We have plenty of talented Jayhawk alums, both famous and some that should be. We could have a broad venue of entertainment... education.. and more. This project is family oriented... so a big chunk of our audience is young Jayhawk Nation with kids. You need to take your kids on summer vacation... why not to Vegas at the "All Jayhawk World Festival!"

Imagine the synergy that is possible by bringing all the great talent of Jayhawk alums together from across the world?

It is just so friggin' amazing to be part of the Jayhawk Nation... but we don't really take advantage of all the great people involved in it.

I would imagine this would heavily impact the enrollment at KU, too. And it wouldn't hurt recruiting, too!

@JayhawkRock78 I follow the KU track team too, and volunteer for the relays. Talented group! Last year was amazing!

@Crimsonorblue22-My Dad ran track, jumped & vaulted in the KU Relays in the mid 1920's. I've several cherished medals & loving cups from his events, also the Drake relays as well. Our KU roots run gloriously deep.

@globaljaybird I love to see those, really cool! You should be really proud!

@HighEliteMajor Not to jump the gun, but I have thought the same thing with one exception. I have been thinking that Selden is the key....if he stays we will be better next year.

@drgnslayr Here's my solution.

Since we all know the NBA season is seemingly endless, this board needs to form an ownership group to lure an NBA franchise to downtown Kansas City where the Sprint Center, a world class arena, is still short an anchor tenant.

From there, it's easy. We immediately start drafting the best KU players, both to ensure that we can continue watching them for years and to ensure that the huge Jayhawk fan base in the KS/MO metro area is constantly fascinated.

The "Kansas City Mythological Birds" will immediately become a team of the people, ala OKC with Kevin Durant, inspiring rabid fan support and becoming a media darling. Those on the inside will simply refer to the team as "The NBA Jayhawks" and the Sprint Center as "AFH East."

The rage of MU fans will be both uncontrollable and impotent.

Oh yeah, and since I live in downtown KC, MO, I'll pony up the cash for season tickets. It's a perfect solution on every level. ;)

@ajvan BRILLIANT! I've always wondered why OKC is such a great pro basketball town? It's smaller than KC and in a football state (or so I thought.) No other pro sports in town I suppose.

But would the Chefs detract from NBA basketball? Why did the Kings leave? Kemper wasn't in best part of town w few restaurants...but Sprint Center and surrounding area is pretty cool.

Maybe Larry Brown could be the first coach?

@Hawk8086 I think Selden will be back too. He'll be the conference POY in 2014-15. Mark it down.

@ajvan

I don't believe KC can support 3 major franchises, considering how much Sporting KC Soccer team has already grown.

@globaljaybird update on big 12 indoor, Diamond won 200, Stigler won 600, meet record, maybe school record too.

@drgnslayr

Remember "A League of Their Own" when the manager, played by Tom Hanks, was confronted with one of the women weeping about something?

"There's no crying in baseball!!!"

slayr, trust me, Self's recruiting, all of our dicey off season exposes and the unforeseen will converge to keep you occupied this off season.

THERE'S NO CRYING IN BASKETBALL!!!

:-)

You all will have to listen to me explain why I think our 2014-15 team will be better than this year's version, even if Embiid and Selden join Wiggins turning pro.

@HighEliteMajor I am very much looking forward to listen to this... all in good time!

@drgnslayr Sounds like fun to me! But, Vegas? How bout Atlantic City instead?

@VailHawk Larry Brown as the first head coach of the Legendary Birds, perfect. Nomad that he is, I bet he'll be ready for a change by the time our franchise lands in KC.

@JayHawkFanToo, my post was pretty light-hearted, but I disagree. Statistically (I've been thinking about this for awhile), Kansas City is, in fact, a basketball mecca. People here love their hoops. KC is the Nile Delta of basketball fertility. One way that's revealed is in the high interest always generated when NBA preseason games are played here...but anyway. No interested ownership group so no dice.

The Kings franchise failed way back before the Jordan era, so that doesn't really say anything about KC's ability or inability to support a team.

@ajvan

There are only so many dollars of disposable income available for entertainment and they are all pretty much taken by the existing franchises. KC and the metro area are not big enough to sustain that many franchises. There is big difference between selling out 1 or 2 NBA exhibitions games and selling out an entire basketball season.

IMHO, the KC metro area is a lot more inclined to college than professional basketball.

@globaljaybird
That is awesome about your dad in the 20's. And great stuff for your family going forward. My father took me to the KU Relays as a young teen. I dreamed about competing there and with hard work and great coaching made it.

@ajvan-While I too wish for an NBA team, JayHawkFantoo is probably correct. The Kings failed for several reasons, among them being a poor location for their home, Kemper Arena. Also the product was only really good a couple of years, one of which they lost to I believe, Phoenix, in the conf finals. And even though the tic prices were very reasonable for that period in time, the economy was barely emerging from a long, costly & demoralizing war in Vietnam. IMHO this in itself was the greatest obstacle that the KIngs just could not overcome.

Jimmy Carter was Pres, & if I recall correctly, we had approximately 18% inflation the final year he was in office. Regan started revamping the IRS in his admin and subsequently removed a boatload of interest deductions that were very advantageous to consumers who bought on credit, then with the stroke of a pen, he fired all of the FAA controllers for taking job action. In 1976 or so, mortgage rates were somewhere around 6% or so, but if you could get 12% by 1981 you were lucky. Seems to me around 1982 give or take, rates were approaching 18%, which was completely beyond mid income reach, plus included discount points to get the loans at those rates. Also, mortgage guidelines were very, very strict in that you could only obligate appx 25% of your income to a house payment, and I don't mean 26. My family owned a single family home construction business for 40+ years, and those were awful times to try to get anyone financed. The discount points were not allowed to be padded into the loans, plus an average of 10% cash down payment was required, and it took almost a decade for those guidelines to diminish. The Kings were just in the wrong place at the right time. Even if they had stayed downtown at Municipal Auditorium, the surrounding areas were run down, tough inner city turf, Union Station was a travesty, & the venture was likely doomed from the start. I was working nights & rarely could get to a game, but tic prices really were pretty fair for a person to attend.

While you may be right about the fan support, it comes down to dollars. That's what happened the first time, & even though there have been more final fours in KC than any other city in America, I just don't believe this economy could support a franchise with the tic prices of the NBA or the NHL. Lest forget, we also lost the Scouts hockey franchise too. Hey, I loved watching the Blades in Kemper-they kicked butt with a great winning franchise. But they rarely ever drew more than 5000 people for a reg season game, but again those were minor league prices like the Mavericks or the T Bones. Maybe a novelty franchise equivalent to those might do well, but I'm not optimistic at all for another big time team that could ultimately fail again.

@ajvan-If I learned anything at all from the mortgage crash fiasco & the 9/11 attack, it's that this economy is as fragile as a flipping eggshell, & only one high jacked plane away from a major collapse. In the end game, it all boils down to money. If I were a young man now thinking of starting a family, I'd have to think long & hard about it.

@JayHawkFanToo "IMHO, the KC metro area is a lot more inclined to college than professional basketball."

You mean there is a pro basketball league? Wouldn't walk across the street for free tickets. I live 55 miles north of Nawlins and went to one Hornets/Pelicans game since they've been here. Had something to do with something free for a can of food and the Celtics were in town and wanted to see Pierce play. After being blasted with hiphop/thug music and being crawled all over by seat jumping fans that was it for me.

@brooksmd

The NBA has worked hard for the last few years to change its image and provide what they call "family friendly" entertainment; Stern's parting gift. Fighting and rough play has been almost eliminated with heavy fines and suspension...even flopping is penalized (something the NCAA should do) with fines, The cost of admission to NBA games is now high enough that most of the riff-raff is kept out

I will guess that like me, you are of the older generation that does not "get" hip hop; however, the younger generation does. I live in pretty affluent and yes, minority challenged (???) Johnson County, and all the younger kids are big on hip-hop and I would not call them thugs. I guess our parents did not get rock-n-roll, and their parents did not get Elvis either...oh well.

@bskeet "I hope we are reminiscing about title #6 and wondering how Cliff and JoJo will work out together"

I like where your head is at my friend. When we hang #6 it will help keep my mind off of how woefully dreadful the Phillies will be this season.