🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Kcmatt7 said:

@BeddieKU23 Winston?

He's ok. Nothing special. Very solid distributor, but not a great scorer or defender. He turns the ball over A LOT for a guy who doesn't score the ball overly well or is the focal point of their offense. (26% Turnover percentage is absurdly high).

As @BShark said he was a freshman and I thought he was pretty good for them. 5 assists per game is nothing to scoff at either. He had a typical freshman year and with Bridges, Ward & Langford all back he can continue to be the leader while not being forced to be a huge offensive catalyst for them.

BShark said:

@BeddieKU23 He should stick around for 4 years. Not sure where he would go. Duke clearly backed off, KU probably did too.

He could always transfer if Smart doesn't last the next 4. What am I talking about though they only care about football

BShark said:

BeddieKU23 said:

Texas lost an exhibition game in Australia. They are marginally better then last season

checks to see Shaka is still the coach

Not too worried about Texas.

Coleman will be good in time but he isn't going to be high impact this year.

Gives the team more balance but he's not a shooter or someone KU needs to worry about offensively. Going to be a nice 4 year player there if he sticks around.

Kcmatt7 said:

MSU is overrated right now, just my opinion though. No PG and the worst defensive team Izzo has ever had was last seasons team. Unless Jackson comes in and makes them 6 points better per game defensively, I don't see them as a FF team.

They do have a good PG

jayballer54 said:

Well Read that David McCormack had a great in-official visit to KU , I thought it was an official, now I know he was in thick from what I heard with Duke at one point anyways, he is listed as the # 2 center in the class of 2018 - -but if he took an un-official here the kid must be at least some what interested, spending his own dime, OKlahoma St has the edge according to 247 right now - -but he said he loved the Campus here and the facilities, Article said even though he has none sit up yet wouldn't be surprised to see him turn around and schedule an official.

Also saw where Emmit Williams listed his top 7: - - LSU , Org , Duke , Mia , KU , USC , & Florida. - -Some don't feel he will end up here , this is another kid I've jumped on board sometime back and feel like we have a legit shot, would love to land him, Time will tell. - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

Williams list is all Nike but KU.. Nike running his recruitment

JayHawkFanToo said:

@BeddieKU23

Yahoo/NBC Sports ↗ does not think he will be playing at KU or anywhere.

That's probably the best scenario for all involved. This is a prime example of where a kid should have been allowed to enter the NBA

jaybate 1.0 said:

I didn't mean to be so pessimistic. It's great to help anyone become a productive person. But a career-weary part Self has to ask: Where is Brannen Greene these days? He had many teaching experiences?

He was drafted in the G-League. Couldn't find any other info. It's as if he didn't play

Edit.

https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Brannen-Greene/Summary/33247 ↗

Looks like he played in 24 games shooting 40% from 3 overall

Mitchell we hardly knew ye'

Close the door on this one!

Texas lost an exhibition game in Australia. They are marginally better then last season

manager of the restaurant cleared the air. Lawson was not at fault here. Still the headline was made and that's all that people will see. This is the 3rd time his name has been in the papers since landing at KU

http://www.fox13memphis.com/top-stories/former-uofm-basketball-star-accused-of-bailing-on-nearly-100-bar-tab/594223605 ↗

Newest drama surrounding Dedric.

@Crimsonorblue22

ESPN shows them with 12 before any freshman..

I don't see any of this as a positive. But then again if we didn't have a scholarship to give out this wouldn't be our problem either. Going into the summer with just 4 eligible big men is why were are currently glamorizing this kid's chances of playing, not playing, leaving, not leaving in the next year when his only goal is to play in the NBA. Why can't we get someone with no issues/drama/eligibility concerns for that last spot.

Boy is hungry.

Cut his trip back home short and is back in Lawrence working on his game. Taking after Frank and putting in the work to have a dominate Sr year.

All is well until strike 2. We know its coming. I hope it doesn't

@RockkChalkk

A good speculative stance to take.

Here's another. He's visiting the local school because sitting a year isn't what he wants to do and he can train for the NBA while staying close to home. NO might see this as a win-win because A) they've never had someone of his talent on the roster (even if its to practice), 'B) helps with recruiting, C) would look good to the university if he gets drafted next year (which helps with B again).

This is definitely one of the more bizarre situations that KU has been involved with

195-41 in Conference play. That's Bill Self's record during the streak. Amazing.

Seems unlikely anyone could match that kind of consistent excellence during the regular season even with the teams mentioned in the OP. Self has replaced entire starting lineups before much like the other blue bloods. There has been some luck involved but mostly Self knows how to motivate these kids into passing on the baton to the next team. As much as Self is a great coach, the players have also took it upon themselves to not be the group that breaks the streak.

At this point I'm not sure how the fan-base would handle a down year or the possibility of not winning the conference. It's been completely ingrained into our brains now. We get every Big-12 conference opponents best game on a consistent basis but yet we are still confident and cocky enough to know that a majority of those games KU is going to find a way to outscore the other team. The level to which KU has to play in order to stay on top cannot be underestimated even if we have superior talent in almost every game. Kudos to Self and the players for this crazy streak

@jayballer54

If Zion lands at KU we will know in full effect what shoe affiliation can do for a program. He is the face of Adidas.

I don't think his friendship with Devon or KU offering his teammate has as much influence as Adidas has here. As Slater pointed out both of these moves were not coincidence. They want Zion to be the face of Adidas with how big his brand already is. We are talking what Curry is to Under Armour or what Lebron is to Nike.

It doesn't hurt that KU has an unbelievable track record with athletic wings like him and is one of the premiere programs out there. KU is a safe school for him because the offense would go through him and we won't hurt his brand or draft stock unless he didn't live up to the hype.

KU certainly helped itself this summer but we'll see if we still have the same momentum whenever he decides to get serious about where he's going (which could be anywhere from fall to spring)..

@BShark

He could be satisfying his mother's wish by taking the visit to NO considering how close it is from home. Without trying to read too much from this its hard not to judge his actions to date

@Kcmatt7

good points.

this is funny now

Slater was on the Duke board talking about Emmitt Williams handler. I think its safe to say we don't have much of a chance of him switching from Nike to Adidas with him involved.

Another side note. The Duke board is completely delusional. They are still talking about Dotson like they have a chance/or were recruiting him.

@BShark

It's crazy that KU is in this position in August.

@mayjay

I haven't seen that reason disclosed as of yet. Some speculate that Stansbury thought his relationship with Robinson was good enough that if he made the move to fire Williams that Mitchell would stick around anyway. Mitchell was committed to Texas A&M while Stansbury was on the staff and when he took the WKU gig and took Williams with him that is when Robinson switched.

I would speculate that Williams had some issues that could have been NCAA violation material if he was allowed to stay. You would think an assistant brought on to lure a Lottery pick type talent wouldn't be dismissed mid-summer and shortly after teams are allowed to practice etc. Sounds to me that there are some things that Stansbury doesn't want to bring attention to and just wanted to wipe his hands clean of any possible future issues.

jayballer54 said:

@BeddieKU23 Gotcha, I understand now, it's to bad that people can't honor - -understand and respect the desire the wishes of the boy, - -If he didn't really want to go to WKU in the 1st place sounds like he was just trying to satisfy everyone else no matter of his own feelings first time round. - -If I'm a parent I would want my son to be happy where he was at, not where I wanted him to be. - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

I can't speak for Mitchell but your right it does seem like his situation at WKU was forced upon him instead of what he wanted. He followed Williams and Stansbury and then found out he didn't want it.

But now if we assume correctly that he's about to make the decision he wants to make and that isn't what others around him want then the situation is really not settled even if he comes here. How likely is it that the kid is going to shut those people out for good?

jayballer54 said:

BShark said:

KUSTEVE said:

@dylans I think they are waiting on what the NCAA says whether he is eligible or not. This kid's ego is not going to allow him to sit on the bench for a year waiting to be eligible, imo. He is already being listed in mock drafts as a top 15 pick. i expect if he isn't eligible, he won't go to college at all.

From what I understand it's done to KU. He's getting backlash from his circle who wants him in the NBA next year no matter what.

Oh and Devon Dotson news... Up to top 20 (and 5 stars) on 247. Doesn't change how he is as a player, but a deserved bump imo.

So your saying it's a no go for KU right? - -If that is the case it rally doesn't surprise me. - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

I think he said the opposite. Mitchell will end up at KU in spite of his family/people around him wanting otherwise

BShark said:

BeddieKU23 said:

BShark said:

KUSTEVE said:

@dylans I think they are waiting on what the NCAA says whether he is eligible or not. This kid's ego is not going to allow him to sit on the bench for a year waiting to be eligible, imo. He is already being listed in mock drafts as a top 15 pick. i expect if he isn't eligible, he won't go to college at all.

From what I understand it's done to KU. He's getting backlash from his circle who wants him in the NBA next year no matter what.

Oh and Devon Dotson news... Up to top 20 (and 5 stars) on 247. Doesn't change how he is as a player, but a deserved bump imo.

Dotson really upped his game this summer. There are a ton of similarities between his game and some former and current hawks!

He's got a lot of BIFM in his game.

Agreed, that is what I see as well

BShark said:

KUSTEVE said:

@dylans I think they are waiting on what the NCAA says whether he is eligible or not. This kid's ego is not going to allow him to sit on the bench for a year waiting to be eligible, imo. He is already being listed in mock drafts as a top 15 pick. i expect if he isn't eligible, he won't go to college at all.

From what I understand it's done to KU. He's getting backlash from his circle who wants him in the NBA next year no matter what.

Oh and Devon Dotson news... Up to top 20 (and 5 stars) on 247. Doesn't change how he is as a player, but a deserved bump imo.

Dotson really upped his game this summer. There are a ton of similarities between his game and some former and current hawks!

KUSTEVE said:

@dylans I think they are waiting on what the NCAA says whether he is eligible or not. This kid's ego is not going to allow him to sit on the bench for a year waiting to be eligible, imo. He is already being listed in mock drafts as a top 15 pick. i expect if he isn't eligible, he won't go to college at all.

Can KU really go to bat for him without him being apart of KU though? I think he has to be apart of the team/university first then if he goes through the process to get a waiver and doesn't get one he either can leave or stay and train..

mayjay said:

@Hawk8086 Careful with Jennifer. She is still looking to have kids. Have her sign some waivers before you accept any drinks from her.

that was fantastic!

jayballer54 said:

@BeddieKU23 What do you mean only about 1/4 the commitment? - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

Obviously it will be exciting if he does commit but we literally have no idea how anything will play out.

If the school seeks a waiver and wins, great Robinson gambled and won, gets to play, then he's gone for the draft next spring. That's a win-win for both sides. It's the only scenario that guarantee's his scholarship is used for the benefit of the team and himself.

If the school seeks a waiver and he loses, the floodgate of possibilities exist. This is where committing is only about 1/4 the commitment we need at that point.

Committing -1/4. Sitting out the year commitment- 1/4, passes on NBA draft- 1/4, makes it through summer/fall without leaving- 1/4.

I'll give this kid major respect if he has to sit and goes through with it. I think its unexpected someone in his position and talent will do that. I hope I'm wrong

RockkChalkk said:

@BeddieKU23 do you think the sources are reliable? I'm seeing nothing to make me think he is moving towards that decision.

Probably not reliable. It didn't happen yesterday but could still be in the works over the next few days.

Scuttlebutt from other boards is Robinson will commit today to KU. Only about 1/4 the commitment we need depending on how the school chooses to deal with his situation..

BShark said:

BeddieKU23 said:

Jalen Carey tentatively coming for Late Night. I don't think he'll make it with his other visits lined up really early compared to this one.

If Dotson and Grimes commit by then (fingers crossed) he certainly wouldn't bother.

Good point. Dotson will definitely be announcing before Carey potentially gets here. We might be out of it after that announcement

@BShark

It's disappointing to see a former Top 50 player be with the program for over 7 months and provide little confidence that he can be anything more then the 9th man on this roster. That's where Cunliffe is at after Italy. No sugar coating, no excuses, he's last on the depth chart. I'm sure that is not where his father or where Sam wants to be. I'm sure that if he doesn't improve and find a way into the rotation Sam won't be here after this season. We see it all the time. Either Sam was just a good HS player and was over-hyped coming in or he's just taking a long time to adjust to the new situation and will stick it out where he is now.

Self is probably going to recruit over him, he might have already with KJ who has some skills that make him a good rotation piece either on the wing or in small-ball 4 lineups. The chance that Zion lands here or Vick returns as a Sr only put Sam even further down the road from a meaningful role here. He's going to have to show a lot in the next 4 months and 2nd half of the season

Jalen Carey tentatively coming for Late Night. I don't think he'll make it with his other visits lined up really early compared to this one.

Bagley to USC makes zero sense from a playing time perspective. 2 NBA forwards on their roster already.

He starts at Duke. Bolden already proved he was a project. What a saga this kid has led on

Unless Cunliffe is better then we saw in Italy we can count him as a practice body. Still a lot of time for the kid to prove himself here but in HS he bounced from school to school and has done the same in College. Would not shock me to see him do the same after seeing what Self brings in on the perimeter

any reports out there about his overseas possibility? What is his godfather up to?

Obviously this is a decision that he either has to stick with KU for 1,2 years at most or takes a route that will be challenging but not impossible to come back and be highly drafted next summer? Big decision to make. A lot of risk involved..

I can't think of a single nice thing to say about the BPI.

mayjay said:

You could take Robinson and still benefit regardless of whether he is eligible, or if not, even if he doesn't stay 2018-19. Right now there is no one of any size against whom our 1st team and redshirts can practice. Doke needs to be able to work against size on both offense and defense, and Mitch, while energetic, isn't at the level we will see in games.

This works, of course, only if Self is able to succeed this year despite having that thin front line.

If Robinson finds out he doesn't grade first round at the combine (if invited), then he probably stays and it was a good bet.

Good Points. Hope your right

Jordan Bell was a steal for the Warriors. Crazy.

@justanotherfan

Williams height seems to vary depending on who you ask but he's certainly in that 6'6-6'8 range. He's so strong and has that quick athleticism to him that helps him hold his own against bigger guys. Case in point when he was matched up against Bagley who's 6'10, 6'11 and a freak himself and he was able to make plays against him on both ends of the floor. I certainly agree that at the next level he may lose some of his edge he currently has. I just also wanted to point out that he's played high level kids bigger then him this summer and either out-played them or found ways to still be effective.

Zion is another example of looking at other things he does besides the incredible athletic ability and dunks. You can't stop him if he gets in transition downhill. Even at the College level he's going to get what he wants because physically he's just too big for most players. He's really efficient player, something like 60% FG this summer. Willing passer, rebounder, rim defender. I see much more then just athlete that can dunk. Again you have a point that in College things won't come as easy but I think he knows that and is too good to let that bother him. Self knows how to get kids like him to perform at their best. His perimeter shot is developing as well which is a key to his long-term potential in the NBA. I came into the summer saying can this kid do anything but Dunk? Then after seeing some of his games this summer you see a ton of other things he does so well.

Matt Scott accurately describes Emmitt Williams.

Think about Jamari Traylor. Now multiply that by 100 and you have Emmitt. I can't describe to you what a freak he is. You have to see it in person.

In the video - he goes up for a block, recovers, and then blocks Jontay Porter's TWO HAND DUNK ATTEMPT!!! Jontay is 6'10" and at least 230 lbs and Emmitt sat him down.

You never have to run a play for him (although the play he hits a 3 in the video is called Kansas) and he will get 8 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks a night and those would be just effort stats. I would take that every single day and twice on Sunday.

justanotherfan said:

Some quick hits...

Robinson-Earl is very explosive and has been adding muscle. If he stays on this trajectory, he's a top 25 player in his class IMHO.

Dotson, I like him because he's comfortable finishing with either hand, even in traffic. Not many guards are really comfortable with that.

I am high on Williams' athleticism, but not his overall skills. His shot isn't as clean as I would like. He could contribute immediately defensively and on the glass, but I don't know how effective he will be offensively out of the box.

Mitchell Robinson is good at basketball. He is impossibly skilled for his size. He's a better shooter than Anthony Davis was at the same point, but probably not quite the athlete. Still, college players have very little chance of matching up with him on a nightly basis.

Robinson-Earl just looks like a Perry Ellis clone. Great footwork, dominates in the paint and as you said has become a much more explosive athlete as he's maturing and getting older. Will be a great addition to the KU team in 19.

Williams has been developing that shot. In the spring he shot something like 15-23 from 3 in an tournament. At his size you do want him to continue to work on it but how much will he really need to work on it with all the other things he does. Elite motor, elite athletic ability, he dunked on Bagley this summer with authority. He has this nasty edge to him that you don't find in many players at this stage. He can switch defensively and guard wings or body up bigs that are taller then him. Going to be a tough pull from Nike and his handler but whoever gets him is getting a really good player.

Agree about Robinson. Big ceiling, his situation is scary though

HighEliteMajor said:

So, if Robinson is as good as many say -- if we sign him and he sits a year -- why would he hang around for 2018-19?

Pretty much what I've been saying. The Robinson situation scares me. He's a OAD that has made his situation difficult now to achieve that.

There is nothing stopping him from saying what he needs to say to Self, training for the year with the team and then hitting the draft once the season comes around and he starts feeling that he belongs there as well.

BShark said:

2018 PG Devon Dotson is scheduled to officially visit the University of Kansas later this month. The #20 ranked player in the 247Sports 2018 rankings will begin his visit to Kansas on August 25th-27th.

Dotson is fresh off of his impressive performance at the SC30 Select game in San Francisco on Tuesday night, putting on a show at Under Armour All-America Camp, putting on another show with fellow KU recruit Zion Williamson in Las Vegas and being one of the top players on the UAA circuit the entire spring and summer.

Kansas Assistant Coach Norm Roberts and Head Coach Bill Self lead the way in the recruitment of Dotson to Kansas.

Dotson is also considering Florida, Maryland, Miami and more.

He will commit on the visit and announce after! Bold prediction, I know

RockkChalkk said:

There has been a lot of momentum towards KU with many different high level players. Its fun to imagine, but what if all of the planets aligned and all of the real possibilities for KU end up happening AND our underclassmen remain vs going pro. Our team could look like the list below in 2018.

Moore, Grimes, Dotson, Garrett, Vick, Cunliffe, KJ Lawson, Zion Williamson, Lightfoot, D. Lawson, Preston, Dok, Mitchell Robinson

Its obvious that this will never happen but it seems like some of these recruits are an either/or situation. OR, Self knows that some of our returning guys are likely gone. I didn't include Newman either because it is pretty much accepted that this year will be his last at KU barring serious injury.

The common thought is that we definitely are pursuing Dotson & Grimes and one is not dependent on the other, meaning there is room for both in addition to Moore. The tea leaves tell me this means Self believes Vick is gone.

The situation with the big men appears more complex. This one feels like maybe Self thinks the odds of getting Zion aren't very high. The catch with this is that the decision from Mitchell Robinson has to be made by Aug 31 so he can't make it a conditional offer based on Zion's decision. Seems to me like it will need to be one or the other and might put Self in a tough spot.

Your tea leaves may be correct. I just think Self is recruiting numbers, you lose your starting PG, SG, SF and TBD in the post and your stuck needing everything. Vick with a good year is a candidate to at least be in the combine. It's why we are gaining traction with elite players such as Zion because these kids know they can come in and play. Dotson is needed, Grimes is needed maybe more because of his ability to play multiple positions.

With Zion you just make room for him. He's the type of recruit that changes the balance of College Basketball. His Brand is bigger then Wiggins or Jackson's ever will be. I think its huge that he could possibly end up here. We'll see though I'm not getting my hopes up with him.

Mitchel Robinson reminds me of Anthony Davis in a lot of ways. That's his ceiling, its game changing what he can possibly do in a KU uniform. Runs the floor well, long arms, athletic, can shoot the 3 although you don't need him to. Looks like an NBA player to me. The only big in the 2018 class that's as good as him is Bagley. There might have been more hype for Robinson had he chosen a blue-blood the first time.

I'm just scared that we get sucked into expecting something from him we can't get if he ends up here. Is he another Carlton Bragg that continues to unravel under Self's watch? Or is he Newman that takes the 2nd chance sincere and becomes apart of the team instead of what other people want from him. Can Self babysit someone that may have that many concerns surrounding him off-the-court? Are the concerns overblown? We'll see how the visit shakes out

BShark said:

I say get Mitchell Robinson if we can, that would be perfect aside from the personal issues he has.

@BeddieKU23 Solid consolidation of information. :thumbsup_tone1:

Everything about Robinson scares me.