🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Reality Check - We played a player that was then suspended for one full season due to eligibility issues. Our recruiting partner, the one we text with, have little secret calls with, and lean on for wide ranging recruiting assistance, arranged an $80,000 payment to another one of our players. Our involvement was splashed all over headlines and led to convictions of our recruiting partners.

nuleafjhawk said:

@Crimsonorblue22

The "I" before "E" rule, as explained by Brian Regan.

“I" before "E" except after "C" and when sounding like "A" as in neighbor and weigh, and on weekends and holidays and all throughout May, and YOU'LL ALWAYS BE WRONG NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY!!!!”

That's a weird rule. Fancier than I thought. But I forfeit.

I want OSU to be good and relevant. It's good for the Big 12, which is good for us.

@BeddieKU23 There hasn't been much more of a complete disaster than the Porters at MU. It's perfectly "MU."

Ronnie Chalmers is chuckling ...

California law wouldn't control what we did in Kansas. So if a California kid went to school at KU, it would have zero effect. California can't permit him to use his image, and prohibit the NCAA from suspending the kid if the school was outside of California. The proposed California law is nothing but show -- another leftist cause where they try to strong arm folks into their view of the world.

The law would simply control California institutions.

The best path is see what California is doing, and do the opposite. They've run a beautiful state into the gutter. But we know why that happens.

@Crimsonorblue22

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2018/mar/07/finding-his-voice-how-devonte-graham-became-one-be/ ↗

Needing a nudge to help the idea take root, Self brought in a group of military veterans who founded the team-building initiative known as “The Program,” to see if they could help bring Graham’s natural leadership skills to the surface.

KU’s time with The Program that season coincided with Self’s already infamous boot camp conditioning routine. Together, the two challenges pushed Graham to new highs — and lows — and inspired him to find his voice.

After a day of getting used to the rigors of The Program, Graham was put in charge of nearly a dozen different challenges during the next two days. Communication, motivation, survival and focus all came into to play, and Graham flourished while leading his teammates through it all.

Kansas forward Cliff Alexander (2) comes in to celebrate with guard Devonte Graham after Graham forced a turnover by Baylor guard Kenny Chery (1) during the first half, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Never was that more clear than during an exercise in the 13-foot-deep end of the swimming pool, when Graham and former teammate Tyler Self were forced to help Cliff Alexander navigate his way across the pool despite the freshman forward from Chicago not knowing how to swim.

“Mom, I almost died today,” was the way Graham later relayed the story to King.

“It was me and Tyler, treading water, holding Cliff,” Graham recalled. “One of us would go under the water and hold him up by his legs while the other one was on top and then we would kind of switch. And when we were switching, I was going under and Cliff hit me in the face and I sucked in a bunch of water. Man. It got bad right there.”

But Graham got through it. And so did Alexander.

Eric Kapitulik, a former lacrosse player at the United States Naval Academy and retired Marine who founded The Program, remembers it like it was yesterday. That’s saying something given the fact that his company, during the past 10 years, has worked with more than 150 college, pro and corporate teams annually in similar settings.

Their goal, each time, is to develop better leaders and create more cohesive teams. By the time they were done with the Jayhawks, Kapitulik had seen all he needed to see from Graham to know what kind of future the newest Jayhawk had in front of him.

After putting KU’s entire 2014-15 roster through as many physically and mentally adverse situations as they could think of, Kapitulik and his crew named Graham the best leader of the bunch.

One thing to remember — chemistry can be the leader. A bonded group focused on team goals, a commitment to the guy next to them, and a complete buy in to what the coach is selling. The strongest leader is team. Negative forces are squeezed out.

We don’t have an obvious natural leader it appears. But so long as we don’t have an anti-leader or anti-leaders — a manipulative voice of dissension that has persuasive influence — the idea of team chemistry being the leader can easily prevail.

And out of that, leaders can emerge. My bet is Garrett, but given what SDS went through, he’s a clear choice for me.

**we know why Vick was shown the door.

KUSTEVE said:

https://terezowens.com/josh-jackson-of-the-phoenix-suns-has-some-serious-legal-issues/ ↗ ↗

In a culture that glorifies and tolerates out of wedlock births as the norm -- noting how many of our players of, shall I say, similar backgrounds, have kids out of wedlock, or who have no fathers anywhere near them -- no surprise.

drgnslayr said:

I know strategy on switches is important. But what I put above everything is hustle, team work and hedging.

When was that, 3 years ago when Nova throttled us in March? And with mostly 3-star guys, or whatever? I just remember we had a solid shooting trey team and our guys were never open in that game. And when the ball went inside, they pinched off driving lanes from our bigs and often forced TOs. Perry scored a whopping 4 points. Nova played really good defense. I know Self likes to consider his strategy to be about defense first... but we've never played sticky defense like that. Nova took us totally out of our game. We only scored 59 points and I recall we tightened the game up late or otherwise it was worse. They stole the ball from us 11 times in that game. If Devonte didn't get hot from the outside we wouldn't have scored 50. Most every shot was contested.

You're right, of course. But don't underestimate scheme. The foundation is what you suggest and have suggested in past ... hustle and desire. You can't have good defense without that. If we are not in the scheme to properly defend, if we're defending a different game (one that didn't emphasize the three), we're looking like we did against Nova in the FF. They shot open three, after open three.

@Texas-Hawk-10 @FarmerJayhawk Both of your emails, in my opinion, miss the point of why I brought up switching.

It's, again, not to do it all the time, and not against every team as your primary strategy. It's when their three ball is a primary weapon.

I also think that you are missing an important point -- shots "at the rim" are much different than "shots inside the arc." Percentages are dreadful, usually, inside the are in relation to the relative value of the shot, when those shots are not at the rim. The only players NOT over 60% at the rim for KU last season were Moore, Grimes, and Garrett.

However, regarding the percentage from two point range, NOT at the rim, only three players were over 50% - Dave, Mitch, and KJ, and only Agbaji and Vick were the only other two over 40%. Everyone else was horrible, really.

But more importantly, you do not have to make a large sacrifice at the rim, to guard the three point line. You are just more compromised. You can do both. But you can give up the shot from inside the arc to five feet and guard both. That's the area that a three point defensive strategy focuses on sacrificing.

There is not doubt that a good shooting three point team like Auburn is still more dangerous at the rim. But the game dynamic also impacts -- our number of possession, our field goal percentage, the number of offensive rebounds caused by missed three point shots (which is better than on missed shots at the rim), etc.

The general approach to you comments seem to ignore the value of switching in the correct strategic context.

@Texas-Hawk-10 The issue with the big on the perimeter is the obvious and previously stated issue with switching, which you reiterated.

You don't switch everything against every team. You don't switch everything all the time. You switch everything when defending the three is the top priority.

And of course, once you switch, you take the opportunity to re-establish your defenders when it's available. And no, it doesn't mean massive foul trouble. That's where coaching comes in. The big has to defend the perimeter on his feet, not off his feet. And the smaller player has to avoid slapping at the ball when there's a mismatch low.

The fact is that there will be mismatches everywhere.

It's almost comical how the response is to say how it can't work, no way, no how.

A link I found that might help with some insight.

http://www.zigzaganalytics.com/home/-how-elite-teams-defend-the-3-point-shot-in-the-modern-nba ↗

Of course, the excellent point is that with the line moved back, we don't know how that will play out.

When discussing defense, and switching to defend the three .. think of it this way. Is there any better defense against the three than stationing all five players equally spaced on the perimeter, and simply playing zone? There would be very little opportunity for a look from three. But, of course, and easy uncontested bucket underneath would result. Work backward from there.

One place you arrive at is active switching of everything outside of 15 feet.

I also arrive at a 3/2 zone where you guard the perimeter with the 3 players out front, with help from the ball side post defender. You expose yourself in other areas, but it's a clear method to defend a bad a** shooting team from three. This is my favorite defense to use against the group of teams that a really three point shooting oriented.

@kjayhawks 2009 I think I heard.

Help me out here, guys, but we hedge screens. Doke was hedging out top last year.

My view is that hedging HURTS three point defense. It's a half measure. This is a concept that plays into the hands of the top three point shooting teams. Remember, this is a new age.

What happens to the hedger's defensive responsibility? Right, three pointer drilled.

My view is that to combat the better three point shooting teams, we need to SWITCH on screens at the line. Big, small, short, tall. Doesn't matter. It's a trade off. Doke may get beat off the dribble if the switch is exposed. But so be it. We need to funnel those teams to a less harmful option. To combat three point shooting teams, we have to switch, and switch aggressively.

But I'd be interested in others' thoughts.

@jayballer73 Easy .. as I read it, he was fine if Garrett transferred as a consequence of Garrett being redshirted. That's different than saying he should transfer. And we should also, I think, understand that a valuable player in one person's eyes is not in another person's. That's debatable. And until Garrett can shoot better than the third best player on a 7th grad team, it's a valid discussion point.

So, I said a long, long time ago, if Jamari Traylor never played here, we would have been a better team. That isn't for lack of appreciation, that's based on my belief that his net contributions were negative relative to the next best option.

On that point, I think @Marco loses in his position on Garrett. Garrett, I think, in the proper role, provides a strong net positive. But again, until he can actually shoot the ball at a semi-competent rate, that opinion is one that can easily be contested.

@KUSTEVE I'll add to your group there. I don't see Jalen as a 3 yet. I need to see it play out. We have four terrific perimeter players in Dotson, Moss, Agbaji and Garrett. there are 120 minutes per game there. The math is easy. A fifth guy could get some time. My view is that McBride for appx. 10 is most likely if he's not overwhelmed. But I don't know.

But if Self is flexible with his offense, and Wilson is a 4, we could be 4/1 like last season when he's at the 4 and it's much the same difference. I'm just not convinced the kid will be a significant minutes guy yet.

Did I mention how much I love this roster? And the competition? Maybe my favorite so far -- though 2012's tight rotation, KY sealing the deal, TT playing great, EJ, Releford, Withey, TRob, and a little Teahan as needed (right Purdue), will be hard to beat.

Doesn't this team cry out, louder than any recent predecessor, to play conventional? To feed the post? 3/2?

And as mentioned above, defense, defense, defense. Great summary on the KenPom rankings - @BShark. Really enlightening.

I like the 4/1, but when it comes down to it, I still believe nothing beats the 3/2 high/low. But you have to have the regular and constant use of the kick out three. Inside out. And make that a primary weapon.

BShark said:

Marco said:

Agbaji is going to tear it up this year. This team can be a juggernaut defensively, and mix and match defensively.

This is one thing we are in agreement on now.

I've seen the light @HighEliteMajor

Well, this is definitely a "big tent" item ... all are invited.

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2019/jun/17/redshirt-or-not-redshirt-kansas-senior-mitch-light/ ↗

@KirkIsMyHinrich Really, for McBride, it's the ball handling. My view is that high level skill makes his PT opportunities better, because he has no competition for that, really, other than Dotson. And the skill is one that is critical. Everyone can dribble, but not like a PG. If we plan Garrett or another player at top, our entire attack changes. I'm not suggesting McBride is really ready. I don't know. But when assessing McBride vs. Braun and Enaruna, I think this give him a big leg up because the others have major competition. McBride has a natural slot. If McBride can spell Dotson 7-8 mpg, and maybe get a touch of time together with Dotson (the two PG thing is something Self likes), that might = 10 minutes. Just my speculation.

@FarmerJayhawk If Mitch takes the RS, that does look pretty on target to me, as well.

@BShark Thanks for the posting.

It's nice to hear Self's view on Agbaji. Most here know my opinion of the kid. He's got the make-up and skills of a very high level player. A good comp is Brandon Rush, but I also think Agbaji has more intensity than Rush, and is more agile and guard-like. Excited to see him progress. Agbaji has got "it", and Self notices -- a good combo.

Shock prediction - Of our players 6’8” or taller, Mitch will have the 3rd most minutes.

BShark said:

dylans said:

@AsadZ I guess Moss doesn’t count since he’s a grad transfer? Multi-year players are the ones that make the biggest difference IMHO. It takes years of playing in the system (and preferably together) to unlock the full potential of the offense.

Just look at the synergy Svi and Devonte had. :heart:

I think Moss is a good one year fit for the team. 23 yo OAD > 18 yo OADm

But the bigger differences in favor of the senior grad transfer are the lack of entitlement and the lack of harboring a player that feels he’s doing KU a favor — the grad transfer needs KU and thus the buy-in is there.

@KUSTEVE A few X factors for me. Wilson's readiness. I don't know there. McBride's ball handling as a second option being something that could increase his time. I know we like Garrett, but Garrett doesn't play fast with the ball and I think coach likes pace. McBride's readiness, I think, will determine his time, because ball handling is a premium skill. And Mitch .. our coach relying on the (now) old guy a bit more than we might think. That might pull minutes from the Wilson projections. I could easily see Mitch in the mix ahead of McCormack .. meaning as our first big off the bench. And ahead of Wilson for four spot time. Just kind of knowing coach Self there ...

@truehawk93 I would respectfully request that you include Agbaji in your very fine lineup projections ...

For a money train that is allegedly slowing down, and subject to derailing, the trend line is up.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/219605/ncaa-revenue-breakdown/ ↗

Is there something I am missing?

This might be my favorite roster in quite some time. Bill Self should bask in its glory. He deserves it.

And the incessant stench of presumed OADs and that drama/entitlement nowhere to be found.

See how fun this is? We can really survive with no presumed OADs.

Now, if we go 20-14, finish 4th in the Big 12, and we just aren't very good, I'll gladly reconsider the position I've droned on about.

@Hawk8086 Sanctions seem inescapable to me. Would be hard for me to believe that we're not one of the six programs referenced. But the large majority here believes there is not much to be concerned about. Lots of directions this could go.

@Bosthawk I think the DeSousa decision was related to the student-athlete and his particular situation. Think of it this way -- we played a player, through the final four, who was then suspended for a full season. Further, it might give an insight into the NCAA's view of the seriousness of this when they hit DeSousa with a two year suspension initially. That's a big deal. Also, remember, the appeals board is a different composition - the Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee. The Duke thing has me very interested too, and I would be curious as well as to what the NCAA is doing on that -- if we are hit with sanctions.

Bosthawk said:

I have to assume Jalen is fully aware of the number one thing that will earn playing time and keep him in a game with our coach...

(Pleas feel free to fill in the blank )

Achieving “pet” status?

From a CBS article today-

“Six college basketball programs involved in the FBI’s investigation into the sport will be hearing from the NCAA about alleged violations this summer.”

“NCAA vice president Stan Wilcox didn’t name schools when he talked to CBS Sports on Wednesday but said that the Southern District of New York’s legal cases would be a good starting point for who will be targeted regarding potential eligibility violations.”

“ ‘ I would just say that it's clear when you look at the number of cases that were listed by the Southern District of New York, those numbers are more than likely be reflected in the number of cases that are going to be moving forward,’ said Wilcox.”

I wish I could be optimistic. I really do.

@FarmerJayhawk I'm having what you're having. If we skate, I'd gladly buy the drinks. I live in a world of pie graphs, though. Probabilities and possibilities. The pie graph is never one color.

@BCT The booster definition includes a person that has "Assisted or has been requested by university staff to assist in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes."

So, you should understand that when a booster offers and pays money, that booster is an extension of the university. As the NCAA said in the SDS finding, the Adidas rep was an "agent" for the university.

KT's conversation is just a part of the puzzle. As I mentioned, as well, circumstantial evidence IS evidence. Folks go to jail on circumstantial evidence all the time. It's dot connecting that juries (and fact finders) are charged with fulfilling. You said it reflects mindset. Correct. That conclusion then is part of how one might interpret other info, such as the SDS texts. Again, just a part of the equation, but one that supports the conclusion.

Memphis had its entire season wiped out for using an ineligible player that was already cleared. Obviously all cases have different facts.

All of this is just part of the discussion, and why there is more than "we have nothing to worry about."

FarmerJayhawk said:

@HighEliteMajor
1. They don't even have almost proof.

1. KU can stonewall. See North Carolina, University of

2. It's all really flimsy. They don't have full context of what the conversations were about or what was said.

3. KU can and will contest this. They have the right and ability to withdraw their admission since they only admitted it as a hypothetical.

4. Under that definition, every apparel company is a booster and every school is going down in flames since they all do it. See Bagley, Marvin.

5. See 4 and 5.

6. It won't be. The LOIC charge is usually reserved for the USC's of the world, where violations span multiple sports across multiple years.

7. Since KU didn't know about Billy, held him out, then cooperated, the NCAA won't really care about him. They also can't compel Billy or his mom to talk. And since the coaches didn't know, they have zilch.

8. The NCAA has a long history of looking out for big basketball programs, especially recently. They let UNC skate after waking up one day and figuring out they didn't have any jurisdiction over academics after spending years and millions of dollars saying they ackshully did.

9. They don't have anything the FBI gathered. So again, zilch.

10. Wilcox is all hat, no cattle. He can preach righteous indignation all he wants but the case against KU is flimsy. The cases against the other schools I mentioned are much stronger, given that they had coaches arrested, actual testimony about the staff playing a part in facilitating payments, and even paying players themselves. KU has none of that.

Well, I guess you seem to think you know.

1. Sure. Whatever you say. You know. I mean, because you know all the evidence. You know the results of interviews. You know what documents have been produced. You know all of it.

2. That's a great defense.

3. Not really.

4. Read the NCAA rule on boosters one more time. As I mentioned, whether we admitted or not, Gassnola, et. al., were boosters. No different than the car dealer that gives money to the program and has season tickets.

5. Right, the definition is broad. I pointed out a while back how a rogue person attempting to help could fit that definition. But it's how they are used, who they are reporting to, and what they do that is important. Our guys got in trouble. They reported to our coaches. Here, they paid our players to come to KU. Lots of crimes in the world get committed. Unlucky folks go to jail. So just because others do it doesn't mean we skate.

6. I assume you agree.

7. I would suspect that you are correct. But, of course, that charge is not needed to vacate wins or a FF or miss a tourney.

8. Sure, the NCAA won't care about him, since you say so.

9. I hope you're right.

10. So says you. And actually, we know they have what was presented in court. We only have the NCAA making a statement a few months back, but saying they were still pursuing the info. One might also consider that the flow of information might not always be publicly broadcast, and that the flow of information sometimes comes from multiple sources.

11. Again, if you say so. I mean, there's no reason to believe that the NCAA might try to crackdown after coaches and shoeco folks were indicted .. since that really hadn't been a thing until now. But again, you know.

Free your mind. There is a world beyond what you believe. I recognize that we might skate. I think if someone lives in the world believing that it's highly likely we'll skate, they are placing too much money on black.

I know, the minute that it's mentioned that we might not get off completely unscathed, there is a compulsive reaction to argue that the NCAA doesn't have a case.

But let's remember a few things -

1. The term floated above, that they don't have any "concrete" proof, is just irrelevant. They don't need "concrete" proof. The NCAA doesn't make decisions based on some "concrete" proof requirement.

2. The staff and school are required to cooperate. That includes providing information and being interviewed. So on the KT front, does anyone really think that KT will deny that when asked?

3. I also think there is a misunderstanding on what constitutes evidence. In NCAA proceedings, hearsay can be used as evidence. Further, evidence includes circumstantial evidence. Meaning the the NCAA can connect dots. Don't make the mistake of believing someone has to be on video, or that there is some audio recording. Further, Self's texts with Gassnola are clearly circumstantial evidence that supports the conclusion.

4. And don't make the mistake of thinking the "booster" thing with Gassnola is only because of the KU admission. It's not. It's also because under the NCAA definition, Gassnola fits perfectly. The NCAA, in its ruling on SDS back in February, already found Gassnola to be a "university booster and agent." Looking at Self's texts alone -- heck, he was talking about being happy with Adidas as long as we get some "real guys." Gassnola saying he'd never let us down. "We good" after Gassnola talked to Fenney. The guy is a booster under NCAA rules.

5. Remember, we used Adidas personnel to help in recruiting. That leads to booster status under NCAA rules.

6. The schools are required to have safeguards in place to help control booster activities.

7. Lack of institutional control, a significant concern, can be centered on booster activities. Clearly, Gassnola/Adidas were our recruiting partner. Bags of money. Were we seeking to control that? What were our safeguards?

8. A school can get in trouble for its actions in recruiting regardless of whether the player steps on the court. It's a myth that we have no exposure because Preston didn't play. Gassnola (booster) said he paid Preston's mom $90,000 to attend KU.

9. The NCAA will make just as much money in an NCAA tournament with or without Kansas. The NCAA won't lose money because KU loses 3 scholarships. The NCAA won't lose money if KU has recruiting limitations. The NCAA won't lose money if a coach or coaches get suspended.

10. And finally, we don't know what information the NCAA has. It is certainly reasonable to assume that they have stumbled across, been provided, or acquired more information that we know.

11. I tend to think this quote from Stan Wilcox with the NCAA enforcement division, is of significance: "We’re not going to be holding back. We’re moving forward with everything possible in the arsenal we have to collectively change the culture that has come to light."

We would all like this to go away. I hope it does.

@rockchalkwyo Think of it this way .. Silvio was suspended for a year over the entire deal. We know that because the entire suspension was not set aside. The second year was. Silvio is a junior because his sophomore year was lost to suspension. If the suspension was revoked, he’d have been able to use a redshirt and he’d be a sophomore.

I think this is really important.

We played a guy who got a one year suspension.

And we admitted that the guy who paid Silvio is a booster.

Before someone claims that it was “just $2500”, remember thar Silvio got a one year suspension.

I also think Self’s claim of having no knowledge of any third party providing benefits won’t help, because that’s wholly implausible and the NCAA knows that. I think a risk here is the NCAA having some info on our “knowledge.” And the tape of KT? That is devastating. It plainly shows our mindset.

We clearly had folks that were convicted of federal charges in bed with our coaches.

We should be very concerned. But I’ve said that from the start.

KUSTEVE said:

@KirkIsMyHinrich I'm glad it worked out the way it did. I want those guys at the scrimmage yesterday to go to battle with. And JW and Moss if they're willing to get into the trenches, and earn time as well. No prima donnas ... no unearned spots ... just 12 guys playing their ass off, giving it their all every day to get better and better. The lineups are practically endless - the raw talent is truly off the chain. Ochai could make a run at the NBA lottery the way he's looking. Enaruna, in time, is going to be a beast. We have the players to run a 4 out any time we want. Or we can pack the front line, and play the best muscle ball in the country. We're as tough as nails. Deep. Experienced. This is national championship caliber, folks.

Right on. This roster is a beautiful thing.

Starting lineup 2021-22 - McBride, Braun, Wilson, Enaruna, McCormack.

Man, I was sure he was a Globetrotter. My neighbor's sister's kid's best friend's boss is never wrong. I'll have to vet my sources better ...

I was sure it was the Harlem Globetrotters.

Something on snapchat I guess .. never snapchatted. But I won't sleep well tonight. Wonder if the announcement will get pushed back? Crap. And who is coach Pinkins at Florida? Didn't know they were in this.

Why do these things always go the wrong way? Really worried about PT I guess.

Goodness ... I just heard Wilson has a “surprise” in store. Not good.

A rumor out there that Wilson is going to sign with the Harlem Globetrotters for two years, then go into the draft. Looks like this one is going south.

@Bosthawk Plus he never has to even fake yelling that woo pig sooey stuff. Disturbing. I'm still sure that's why Dana Altman had a change of heart ... heard that at the press conference and said, uh, no.

(

Marco said:

@BeddieKU23 We were pre-season #1 this past season, unlike many, though, I didn't believe we were. But this team? I think (pre-season rankings be damned!) that we can finish as Number One.

We enter the tourney this past season with maybe 2 losses IF Doke stayed healthy, SDS was eligible, and Vick’s boneheadedness was suddenly cured. The best team in the country. We lost our three top players and no one survives that. Just my humble opinion.

I like your outlook on 2019-20. I’m in.

FYI, you can only sign one LOI. But remember, the distinction doesn’t matter once the player attends class. I’ve mentioned a few times that CBB players should never sign an LOI. Leaves them options until stepping in campus.

It's wise to take a wait see approach with ever player. It is hard to project, period. I though we'd get more out of presumed OAD Alexander, presumed OAD Diallo, presumed OAD Grimes, and presumed OAD Selby. On the other hand, presumed OAD X, presumed OAD Wiggins, and presumed OAD Jackson performed fine.

BShark said:

@HighEliteMajor I'm hoping Mitch doesn't play much but deep down I also know Bill Self. We definitely pretty much agree on the total. I'm not sure I see Agbaji getting to 13 but he will be good for sure.

Yes, we both know coach Self ... a trusted, reliable, dependable player. Not a lot of mistakes. A senior. Self-made.

I'm an Agbaji optimist, maybe overly so. But I like the kid a lot.

How in the world does Wilson start over Agbaji -- or more precisely, why would we think that would be the case?

If Wilson is better, then ok. But why would we assume that Wilson is better?

@BShark I'm thinkin' something like this -

Starters:

Doke - 15

SDS - 9

Agbaji - 13

Moss - 9

Dotson -13

Bench:

Garrett - 7

McCormack - 6

Mitch - 4

McBride - 2