🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Because they have earned it.. Just take that statement for what it is, and in Self's eyes.

Mari is a 5th year player

Lucas is 4 years in

Forget Hunter he's been shackled.

I'm certainly not agreeing (nor do I agree in any way) that just because they have been here for a combined 9 years that they should be playing above our uber talented freshman but that's how its going. He has zero TRUST when the game is tight in either Bragg or Diallo. You can see he might have a little trust in Bragg since he was playing late in the Vanderbilt game but that was before Diallo was eligible.

Until these guys show they can be trusted in tight games they will sit. Problem is, how can they play in tight games if they aren't trusted so its basically a double negative.

We won the game and surprisingly Self wasn't as upset as I thought he was going to be. What a nutjob he can be.

But if Diallo & Bragg want to play - make more than 2-8 from the field and stop missing shots you can dunk. I love Diallo but how can you Lucaseque the shot from 1 foot away and cob 2 easy dunks by trying to be cute and use the backboard. There's the "raw" aspect of both of their games. Has to improve, just has to.

@justanotherfan

Then its probably not the best that he's playing with it, because in fact he's a very good shooter and UK clearly is going to have to rely on his production to win against good teams.

@justanotherfan

Spot on about Ulis, not sure what the prognosis for an hyper-extended elbow is but that would seem to be more than 1 game fix to me. He's a tough kid

@benshawks08

he did great defensively on him. I'd be more impressed if he could limit Buddy Hield in January..

@KUSTEVE

that has been my belief all this time. The "trickle down" effect of him taking minutes and reducing the PT of Mari as well as Lucas. I could live with Hunter getting minutes, his defense is valuable at the rim.

The only issue is now Bragg is in a serious crunch for minutes

My Father is a die-hard UCLA fan and even he expected a blowout after seeing how badly KU beat them. I told him this isn't the same Kentucky team that had you down 40-7 at half-time last year and when your at home magic (can) and will happen. I had mentioned Ulis was coming back from injury maybe too soon and they looked different without him against Illinois St. Kind of like KU, UK's strength is its 3 headed backcourt of Briscoe, Murray & Ulis. You make them a half-court team like KU and your chances go up of pulling an upset.

@Crimsonorblue22

I believe it was Jones

@drgnslayr

He's just not polished, there's a degree of unpredictability when he touches the ball, but the risk/reward factor of what we have already seen glimpses of, far outweighs just labeling him raw. He's got plenty of skill even if his defense is above his offensive ability right now. I think he's been unfairly labeled raw just because he's not the traditional throw it in the post, or stretch big that can shoot out to the perimeter. He's just that athletically gifted hybrid forward that just needs game time and coaching to advance his skill set. I'm certain that his stat lines won't always be as pretty as the Loyola game but I'm certain its not the last time we see games like that as well.

@Lulufulu

Devin Williams for West Virginia is playing at a high level so far and has been a guy who's always played out of his mind against KU (think Wiggins game 2 years ago). Spangler has shown an outside shot added to his rebounding and solid play as well. Mckay has been solid for ISU. All these guys will see Diallo in the future and hopefully he's the equalizer that limits these guys..

@Texas-Hawk-10

Then yes your right, he's had the same handler/mentor that Randle had. His family want him to go to Duke and I'm sure up until the KU visit that was his thinking. Kentucky already has 17 bigs so it just seems impossible he's going there. I wish I felt more confident that he will come here.

@Texas-Hawk-10

Yes but he's not being steered to Bama with ferg. But his comments he singles out dukes coach and their recruiting class and all the others us included got the generic response from him.

He did an Q&A interview with Evan Daniels a few days ago.

From this I gather that Duke is still the leader if I'm reading in between the lines of his comments from each school.

He also says a decision could be coming in the next month.. It's Bolden or Bust for this class, same as last year with Diallo..

Who is it really down to at this point?

Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, TCU and Oklahoma

Do you think you’ll do any more visits? Probably not.

When you say you’re getting close, are you thinking a month? Two months?

I guess you could say a month or four weeks or so.

What sticks out about Kentucky?

Just really the way they do things and the success they’ve had with the previous players at my position. That’s really the biggest thing to me.

What about Duke?

Duke is just playing and learning from one of the best coaches to ever coach the game and just coming in with a great recruiting class and being able to play together and help them win.

What has Kansas’ pitch been to you?

Really just being able to come in and play. They are losing a couple of guys so they are just looking for a post presence to come in and play.

What stands out about Oklahoma?

Really just the chance to start something new instead of being just another one of those guys, just being able to come in and start your own thing.

I know you visited those other four schools, have you been by TCU?

I went there last year, but I haven’t been by since.

Is there a draw to stay home?

There is, but then again there’s not. I just want the best situation for me

@HighEliteMajor

I Saw from Box Score Davis came off the bench last night? Interesting

@REHawk

I would doubt he starts until closer to conference play. He's going to have to earn the trust of Self on defense so that starting him doesn't mean 2 early fouls and sitting for the rest of the half. I think that is the most critical aspect to start looking at. Can he go stretches without fouling. The 1 foul he drew after the mailman dunk was total crap, that was a block all the way. It's Diallo's nature to be aggressive on defense, he fouled a lot in HS because the defense around him would collapse way too easily. It's going to take a bit for the game to slow down but once it does there is no telling how good he makes this team.

@HighEliteMajor

Your right I didn't go into detail about the way he tries to score over length and you have brought out very good points regarding him. I hate to use Niang as an example but he's an unathletic kid who finds all the ways to get shots off when playing guys bigger and more athletic than him. He uses the pump fake and angles and just is savvy getting buckets. But your right Perry's margin for error is very small and he is who he is. His % at the rim must improve into the high 60's as the season goes.

I do think Perry is nursing an injury that is limiting him right now. He really didn't look to have the same hops against loyola as he did in that jam against Vandy where he beat Jones off the dribble. And his close range shots were not falling, usually some that he makes. He just had a rough 1st half but to me he looked less than 100% on some plays. Maybe I'm overplaying it and hopefully its a none issue.

@Lulufulu

yes this won't be one of those games.

Harvard is in full rebuild mode after a slew of successful years. Their SR PG Chambers went down with a knee injury before the season which really hurt them. They still have a great coach but they are going to get blown out Saturday.

@5541-james

No argument over your statement with Perry. He has never learned to use the pump-fake effectively or his body to draw contact when playing bigger players. I'm still holding on that when he's fully healthy he can score against length, sometimes his shot selection seems rushed or forced when he's adjusting for the bigger players guarding him. But he's now a legit perimeter threat and still has a good mid-range game that makes it hard to sit him at any point.

@benshawks08

Nice post..

I hope that he sticks it out through all this adversity. He's another weapon we can definitely use when this team isn't having great shooting nights, like on the road in conference play. Greene has always been amazing at coming off the bench cold, and draining shots which isn't an easy thing to do.

@Crimsonorblue22

not a good impression to be making after giving fans and his coach a bad impression of himself. So if you infer anything from that, that he may have not learned anything yet from his punishment. Not saying he hasn't but that can be the impression you get as you've stated.

@benshawks08

Perry is playing with a bruised hip, him missing those bunnies and looking less athletic bother me some but it was just an off night at least in the 1st half. Good thing we got Diallo to play more minutes right now until Perry is fully healthy.

That play by Graham to Mason to Wayne is one of the top 3 plays of the season so far. Absolutely a play of beauty.

@Statmachine

I highly doubt his stock will fall at all. Even if he was ineligible and went pro he still would have been drafted on potential alone.

If your an NBA GM or scout and you saw that debut your excited about his future. The short jumper, the rim protection, the footwork on the made runner in the lane and foul, the hustle, the rebounding, the outlet passes. He's got lots to work on but his talent will help him overcome a lot of weaknesses that people perceive him to have. With only Simmons looking like a standout big so far he's clearly got a chance to go Top 10.

@5541-james

So we move our 2nd leading scorer right now into the position our current leading scorer plays and disrupt the 3 guard lineup we are running?? That makes no sense..

@HighEliteMajor

I think Traylor has been playing much better this year. I don't think the box score is ever going to really be in his favor. A few points here and there and rebounds are all we need from him. He's just a glue guy at this point, he gives maximum effort, he's shown a more committed approach to rebounding so far & he knows what's expected of him. Basically I don't view him as a liability out there so far, and from everything I've seen his chemistry with the other players is probably what keeps him in the lineup.

But we clearly saw that the best team KU can put on the floor includes #13. I mean I saw about 3-4 plays last night that sealed his OAD fate for me. Self said he will be a NBA All-Star in time, and you see glimpses of why that could be true. We even got to see that Bragg/Diallo combo for a few minutes and it was positive (Bragg finding Diallo for the lob). The lob play becomes a key point of the offense when you have Cheick in there.

I've already started looking towards conference play and the match-ups. Diallo can cover Spangler for OU. He can cover Mckay for Iowa St, Williams of West Virginia, Gathers of Baylor. It really gives us that defender that we can matchup against the good bigs in this league.

One question for you.. Did you even notice not having Landon Lucas out there? Our pace was even faster without him. Don't get me wrong Landon can be useful when the match-up calls for it. I just think the way we want to play which is fast, that Landon will have a hard time finding his role if Diallo's minutes hopefully become starters minutes.

What a great start for the long awaited debut for the big fella!!!

Stat line:
13pts-
6rbs-
3blks-
4 fouls-
1 TO-
1-4 FT

I'm not going to lie I spent a good portion of the game just watching what he does on the court. It is clear to see that he changes this team in so many positive ways. I thought his debut was as good as advertised, a great starting point for him. The opponent was terrible but these are the games he can develop feel for the game.

The word is he's "raw". You can see that certain things will take time like the turnover he had to start the game. Or his pursuit to block everything even when it wasn't his man. He'll have to learn court awareness and the timing to leave the floor for blocks because good teams will exploit that over-pursuit but boy does he know how to alter and block shots. I had forgotten just how elite his skill is.

Diallo showed a few nice moves, including the And-1 but the footwork and speed to get by his defender was something that reminded me of Joel. I think we will see a daily evolving skill-set for this guy just like Embiid showed us.

Did anyone watch the game and think this is Joel 2.0?? I got that feeling watching his variety of highlights.

The block & Mailman dunk by the way was awesome. I know Self was rolling on the sideline about it but every now and then a little fun never hurt anyone.
Call me impressed, regardless of the opponent, this guy is what can make this team elite!!

I expected an easy game but at least this is another humbling moment for these guys. Last week is over and no game can be taken for granted as they all showed they did

Maui hangover much? That was about as bad a half as you can have and still be winning. These guys took this team for granted big time. 8 missed FT, 57 missed layups..

HAPPY DIALLO DAY ALL.

that is all, y'all

I see that Andrew Jones one of the top unsigned guards is not considering KU anymore after this weekend's games, one in which included playing against De'Aaron Fox which he was stellar in defeat. That was the one guard recruit I thought we could sneak in and get in the spring, tons of upside for this guy but we are no longer an option.

@justanotherfan

I agree with a lot of what your saying.

A few comments I have regarding Selden. He came into College a hyped player, a possible OAD & a body ready to be a NBA 2 guard. Once you burn your hype train its hard for people to fall back in love with you. I think Selden being drafted at all this year if he does well enough to leave will be dependent on finding a GM or team that loves him. We look at Selden with our KU blinders on but the fact is he can't handle the ball as a 2 guard, its not his strength. So far he's had a lot of his issues handled by having a 2nd primary ball-handler in the game in Graham. Consistency has always been his #1 weakness and by his play this summer and in Maui he's started to erase that fact.

We will have to see how does the rest of the way. If he's able to make it to the Final 4 or further that's probably his best stage to showcase him moving up or down in the draft. He's barely a top 100 player on mock boards as we speak, he's not going to magically top 60-70 kids without doing some magical things on the court. The 25 pt game vs Vandy really helps but he can't revert to old habits now that he's reached that status of where he can go off for these big games.

His one advantage is the SG class is weak and has been for years.

My excitement level for Tuesday is off the charts. But I've learned to get over that excitement when figuring out who's going to get minutes.

Missing those 5 games really hurt Diallo as far as being in the rotation. Tuesday he may see a good chunk of minutes just to start to get the rust off, at least that's what I'm hoping for. Christmas break will be almost like an off-season development program for Diallo. Unlimited practice, usually where Self tightens the screws for conference play. How he does during the break will be a key factor with how he gets into the rotation and takes minutes.

It's clear Self trusts Jamari & Lucas for each individuals experience and what they bring to the team. Unless he goes to a platoon type rotation there isn't enough minutes for the 5 of them (sorry Hunter). Ellis isn't going to sit, he's got the get out of jail free card and we need his scoring threat on the court. His 26 minutes a game will go up significantly come conference time as they did last year.

We know Self is stubborn, so Diallo is going to have to clearly out-play both Lucas & Mari to get 20+ minutes a game. I think its likely Diallo settles into a 15-18 minute role unless Self makes him the clear starter. The ceiling for this team relies on him starting and being consistent and productive.

I heard he couldn't get all his family to the ceremony to sign and that was the official statement from him. There has been nothing official that he was waiting on anyone, that is internet rumors.

But it does make you wonder if he is going to wait and see how Alabama does this year and see how everything else shakes out.

If he does not sign and either Selden or Svi were to leave early we do have a glaring need for an impact guard like Ferguson. Especially with how up in the air the Greene situation has been every off-season we could really need him.

I wouldn't read much into it right now.

@HighEliteMajor

Yes, can't wait to see how the fans welcome Diallo that should be something.

Selden has a lot of work to do to get back in the scouts favor. Besides the Michigan St game he's improved a lot in his game. The consistency in the way he scores like the 1st half against Vanderbilt where he was keeping KU in the game is what will ultimately give him a chance to be drafted. He's going to need those 12-15 20 pt games as @ralster suggested. I think he's fully capable of doing it, his jumper has been deadly so far this year.

@jayballer54

Usually at this point its the players that are saying what schools they are interested in and vice versa which ones are recruiting them the hardest. Still very early with the 17 class but KU definitely has put in the leg work early for some of the elites. It will be a critical class.

The big fish for KU right now would be getting the duo of Michael Porter- Top 5 kid & Trae Young top 25 PG. They have said they will be a package deal. Problem is Porter will be heavily pressured to go to Washington where his younger brother signed and his dad is on the staff. The usual heavy hitters Duke & Kentucky are involved too.
Billy Preston, Vanderbilt, & Brown all top 10 kids that we have recruited this summer. Obviously keeping Ballock in state will be critical and hopefully recovers from his injury. Chaundee Brown top 100 Guard was at Late Night and he has a lot of upside.

Too early to tell with the rest but a bunch seem like Duke/Kentucky players. Duval is the top player in the class. Ayton was all the rage but he's had HS problems transferring into some basketball factory that was made up and now has been closed by the NCAA. So unless he is a great student he'svalready a red flag recruit.

With this current team I'd take the final 4 over the conference championship. This is a veteran squad with some very talented young guys that are usually the perfect recipe for a championship team. The tourney is feast or famine, but this team is feast or famine as well. In 5 games we've already seen the highs and lows.

Losing the conference race would be disappointing, hard to imagine after all the years of winning but this round robin slate hasn't made it easier winning. OU & Iowa St have started to recruit and develop great players that have given us fits or run styles offense that we always have problems guarding.

This years Big 12 slate is going to be as tough as ever. It's possible the league is even harder because there are a lot of veteran players. At what point does a veteran squad just have that hunger to de-throne KU and actually does it. I can't answer that question but its possible that OU or Iowa St gets over that hump they have been trying to get over for a while.

I think KU needs a deep run for momentum on all fronts, it has just felt like more of a struggle every time we lose early to stay at that elite line. We have the team to reasonably expect a Final 4 appearance at the least. It sure would put all those gremlins to sleep that have been creeping up with recent failures.

@Statmachine

Absolutely agree, playing Diallo 25 minutes tuesday is the smart thing to do but he's likely to see 12 to 16 minutes in Self's mind. It's just great to know he can play and we can let his play speak for how he will help this team get even better.

Our defense was pretty darn good against vandy and that area alone is going to see a huge jump.

@HighEliteMajor

I really can't disagree with you with Davis. He's been terrific so far and playing like a possible OAD even though his hype and rank said otherwise. We messed up not getting him and I'll always believe that.

I do want to point out that Diallo was the clear #1 choice for them. They put in a lot of time watching him compared to the others that we recruited to different degrees. Wasn't Davis a guy that was high on KU but maybe we werent as committed as we wanted the staff to be? As much as Davis interest in KU was, he had to have looked at a roster full of bigs, and felt he wouldn't get the early time he wanted. In the end he ends up at a school that had a clear need for him, to start, and it was close to home.

Do you think Davis would have started right away here? He's clearly played well enough but we all know Self's love affair with Mari and Lucas..and to value upperclassmen more than talented freshman. It's probably safe to say Self doesn't use Davis The way A&M does.

Which comes to a popular assumption our fan base is making about Self and OAD talent. He's the Freshman hype killer.

He hypes up Bragg but is getting 10 minutes a game, soon to be less with Diallo. Bragg has played like he deserves more minutes.

He says we should temper expectations on Diallo because we have a stacked deck of great post players?

I don't buy self saying it's going to take time. If he's not going to play Diallo and start him once he gets in the game flow then there's no point of all they went through for him.

I seriously doubt he's been the player we expect in practice with all that has gone on. So now that he's got nothing weighing him down he will play free and begin to help this team. Luckily we have some easier games for him to get some serious pt.

That stepback jumper for Selden is sick. His stock went way up tonight there were plenty of scouts there.

I'm just happy when Perry has his off nights that someone else takes over, tonight it's wayne other nights it could be mason or graham or maybe Diallo.

How great is it to know order is coming in the post

What a 2nd half turnaround. Without Wayne Ballin out we fall but our defense rebounding and shot making was stellar in the 2nd half.

This is the wayne we've waited 3 years for what a performance young man

Great win what a turnaround

Thank you mari

@VailHawk

Only in blowouts

Why does ft shooting always haunt us

@DCHawker

Right going to be a 7 pt game after this phantom trip call?

It's the worst offensive play you can run

And after using the useless weave this is a game again

Omg wow

Bragg growing up quick

What a horse crap call on bragg