🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@KansasComet KansasComet, There is nothing wrong in pointing the issues and flaws & having a discussion on Coach Self. Like you said he is being paid handsomely so there is nothing wrong in highlighting the bad with the good. I don't think that HighEliteMajor hates Self. He has called him a brother, one of us. He is only pointing out the obvious points that had kept KU BB from reaching greatness and there is nothing wrong with it. It might upset some folks who believe that Self can not do anything wrong but its important to be realistic.

Like any other CEO who is responsible for an organization the buck stops with Self as far as KU BB is concerned and he needs to take responsibility and accountability on past failures and make every effort not to duplicate in the future. Has he been a great coach, Yes. Can he improve, Yes. And that's what some fans are trying to do here.

@KUSTEVE KUSteve, I know, I am with you

KU Steve, I don't think anybody will deny that this team is special and has potential to achieve greatness. Ranking at this time of the year do not mean much, they swing a lot from week to week so I am not pumping my chest on being #2 right now.

There is nothing wrong in having discussions and debates throughout the season. I am enjoying the ride but I do worry that we may go back to the playing style that does not fit with the talent of this team which is based on PACE - transition, crisp passing creating open shots.

@jaybate-1.0 Jaybate, how do you feel about Self giving Vick more minutes, say 8-10 per game without a quick hook, to increase his confidence and lowering the load a bit from Mason and Devonte.

I like Mason & Graham combo on the floor and both are playing about 30 mpg. While Mason's numbers are lower than last year, with the importance of PACE for success how crucial it is to have another reliable PG, provide some relief to Mason & Graham and also have an insurance against injury.

Could Vick be that guy this year. With this in mind should he be getting more PT in the upcoming games for development & production down the road?

Coach Self's philosophy has been to win games on D & not on O almost to a point that he seems afraid of good O. This team is totally opposite, its strength is Offense and Pace, and with the quality depth available hopefully Self will change his style this year. I get a feeling that he is starting to see the shift and just hope that he will not revert back to Bad Ball.

I am in agreement with comments that Svi has tremendous potential & it has not translated into success due to his age and learning to play with his new weight/body.

Double DD I have hope that the coach will not push the Bad Ball this year. It will be a travesty. As HighEliteMajor had posted in another thread, the key to success this year is PACE - run & gun, havoc on D, transition buckets, very little to no half court game. I have hope.

jayballer, I like your enthusiasm but I don't think he will land at KU. Now way will he want to sit on the bench behind Mason & Graham.

@KUSTEVE KUSteve, If Svi does not show improvement do you think he will be drafted high enough to warrant leaving after this year?

Oops, the cut & paste on figures did not work very well. I will retry

While the season is still young and BG has only played in 3 games I thought it will be interesting to compare Svi & BG stats, below figures are taken from KU web site:

!Svi vs BG.png ↗

It is understood that numbers do not tell the whole story, data is still a good indicator of performance. What strikes most is that BG is producing significantly more than Svi, Pts/game, FG%, 3PT %, FT% are all better even with lower minutes/game.

I was expecting better figures from Svi. Coming into the season there was tremendous excitement and heightened expectation but for some reason Svi seems to be regressing since the Chaminade game. I am not sure if there is any injury at play here and I really hope that he gets back to form very quickly.

What a delight it would be to see both players firing away from downtown.

BG's defense is his shortcoming but looking at his production I can't imagine Self not increasing his PT. Furthermore, opposing teams will want to plan on slowing BG down that should open opportunities for other players. His main weapon has been the three and he has been labelled as one dimensional player but I thought his D was better against Holy Cross and he had couple of decent drives to the hoops as well, he still has upside here in my opinion.

Going forward it will be interesting to see how does PT looks like & how Self utilize Svi & BG.

It will be good to hear comments from other fans on this topic.

HighEliteMajor, Great post & analysis. The key this year is Pace & More Pace. No more Okie Ball or shall I say Bad Ball with this team.

Indeed, My hats off to Andy Reid on he has righted the ship.

Benshawks Did this win leave a good taste in your mouth? It certainly did not for me. And I am trying to highlight the areas that are not new with our coach. One can sugar coat the win all day long but the problems with the playing style and PT are crystal clear. What's also mind boggling are the comments made by the coach after the win in how he was happy in the way the team played. I guess I should not be surprised after what seems to be a trend with this coach.

I am only hoping that the changes can be made before a much anticipated NC type season is lost.

I am afraid that if Self continues on this path this year could very well be a repeat of last year and it could be another March sadness for KU fans.

Self needs to change. After WUG he gave some hope. After winning Maui things were looking bright but the outcome of the last game and his post game comments are worrisome.

@JayHawkFanToo Ok, You win the argument. Lets move on and hope for a great memorable season for the program.

@HighEliteMajor Once again a solid post. This has been my frustration with Self. I have highlighted these points before in that Self is doing a disservice to this program with his distribution of minutes and inflexible attitude. After wining in Maui I was getting some encouragement but after watching last night's game I am still shaking my head. I hope that he will look at the tape and will make the required adjustments.

I totally agree with you regarding your comment on what Bolden & Allen are thinking about getting PT at KU. And I would not be surprised if other programs are using this as a selling strategy against them and other top notch elites from coming to KU.

I feel so sorry for Mickelson. The kid transferred with a dream of showing his skills on a national stage. He has done everything possible that one can ask for but still he is riding the pine. Think about what this continued bench time will do to his confidence and his professional BB career. Its a pity.

@HighEliteMajor Solid analysis. I'd like to add one more point. Why did Vick did not play. I don't recall seeing him on the court at all. With Selden on the bench he could have gotten some PT

A win is always a win but this one did not leave a good taste in the mouth. Its still early in the season and going forward I hope that coaching staff will take some lessons from this game.

@JayHawkFanToo That's just speculation. There is no evidence that he said that in the locker room. Do you also realize that he is still recovering from a major hip surgery. It takes time to fully heal, the kid has not played much at all since last year.

@ParisHawk You have raised a valid point regarding the home court advantage. With this in mind I wonder what Coach Self's record would have been if he did not play most of his home games at AFH. Would he still be sitting at .821? And, how much of this advantage has helped with our Big 12 streak.

Another valid point is how much of this home court advantage hurting KU in the tournament? Our players get so much used to having crowd as the 6th man when games are on the line & somehow pull out a W. But when facing similar situations on neutral courts are they prepared mentally to pull it off. I don't have an answer but I am wondering.

@JayHawkFanToo Comparing a junior BG who has not played much at this point in time to Curry who is 7-8 year veteran in NBA is a silly comparison

@betterfireE I did not view this post as negative at all. As a matter of fact I commend HighEliteMajor for his excellent analysis and commentary on a very concerning issue that can have serious implications in the future.

@KansasComet Good point Comet

Excellent analysis HighEliteMajor. I have wondered why Self continues to play less talented players in times where he has more talented players on the bench, and he is going hard at OADS on recruiting front. On top of that he make comments that you have pointed out regarding how Traylor was the best player. It might be a coded message to Traylor but what effect does it have on other players and fans.

@JayHawkFanToo I agree, he was great

@JayHawkFanToo May sound silly to you, he has explained the situation very clearly.

Red Sox signed Young as well, two big signings this week. I agree with the comments here in that Cueto, Zo and Gordon are gone, Royals will not be able to match lucrative offers from other clubs. Good thing is that several key players will be around for sometime in Hoz, Moose, Escy, Cain, Salvy

Crimson It appears that you dislike BG otherwise why would you post such a negative post. You must not have seen BGs tweet in which he clearly stated his position, perhaps you should go and check it out. Hopefully it will put a better perspective for you.

BG could have transferred but his heart is at KU and he is sticking it out through thick & thin. He is a Jayhawk for life.

KU basketball is ultimate for me, National Championship

Softball has done a good job in highlighting the differences between the two. I do not take Big 12 Championships for granted and I admire what Self has achieved in his tenure here, its remarkable. At the same time I also feel KU & Self have benefited from playing at AFH, best home field advantage in CBB. I believe that without the home crowd as X factor it would have been difficult for KU to win some of the championships. Again I am not taking anything away from Self just pointing out my opinion.

For me success in March has more value than the regular conference championship and I will be OK if we do not win the Big 12 but advance to the FF, expectations this year are higher though.

@KUSTEVE Agreed, OADs want PT from the start. They do not want to sit on the bench.

@KUSTEVE Than why has Bill Self been recruiting the top players including PGs and SGs for next year? Has he been telling these OADs that KU does not have an opening for you next year?

Comet, That's correct although HighEliteMajor has brought up a good BB discussion point

@KUSTEVE I am with you on that

@DoubleDD Thanks for sharing. While I don't follow NBA as much I fully agree with the article.

@jayballer54 Sorry but I am in disagreement. Based on this team's talent, experience, depth and 3-pt shooting my expectations are very high to begin with and with Diallo on board they are even higher. Barring any serious injury this is a NC caliber team.

@RockkChalkk Thank you for sharing

@HighEliteMajor This has been extremely frustrating to watch. I simply cannot understand why Traylor and Lucas are getting more PT than Bragg & Mick. Bragg will be the difference maker come March. He needs as much development as possible, every game matters.

Good conversation going on here. My opinion is that if Self is recruiting OADs than he should play them from the beginning, no quick hook. Let them play through their mistakes as it will pay dividends in Feb & March. The cream ultimately rises to the top.

After Maui I am also encouraged in that Self is allowing shooters to hit the 3s.

@JRyman Thank you very much & I wish you and all fans a very happy Thanksgiving holiday.

Yes I said that Second-Prize and I will continue to be on the case as I do not want to see another early exit in the tourney. This year we have the whole package - experience, talent, depth and great 3-point shooters. The coach must not hand cuff this team. The coach must let his talented players get more PT. I liked what I saw in Maui except I still cant understand why Traylor & Lucas are playing ahead of Bragg & Mickelson.

I will continue to demand equality, fairness & accountability for the sake of KU BB. I want NC this year, its about time.

Step closer to FF & NC, Rock Chalk

@approxinfinity Great work, Thank You.

@Texas-Hawk-10 LOL

Bate, If this is the definition of Bad Ball I say bring it on.

Wayne was in Beast mode, similar to how he was in Korea. With Wayne playing to his potential and other talent on the roster this is a NC caliber potential team.

Absolutely, We have seen formula of success with this team. Its no fluke, Its no Fools Gold. Its for real and I admire Self for keeping the 3 as an integral part of the Offense.

@nwhawkfan It is certainly sad, I spent two years and have wonderful memories living in the dorm. Its a pity but I can understand the rationale.

@justanotherfan Valid comments. Our strength is on the perimeter and that should be the primary focus