🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@wissox He was well ready for prime time. Just needed PT to get there. Back then, folks argued with me claiming players didn’t improve during game action. Self went with his security blanket. Now Self sings a different tune. He plays a much worse player (Grimes) all season. Revisit the Nova EE game. They were able to take away Ellis, ignore LL.

We had zero rim protection with LL. Diallo had nearly four times the blocks per 40 than LL.

Diallo had a PER of 20.5. Let that sink in. There is no way to refute his production.

LL was a rebounder. Take time and compare their rebounds per 40 min. He just needed minutes to get acclimated. He needed some patience. Self gave him neither.

Diallo went to the NBA. He isn’t now just figuring it out. LL still in the BB mecca of Japan? Laughable.

He was a top 5 player. Self blew it.

It’s simply perpetuating a myth to claim that Diallo wasn’t ready. It’s indefensible.

Self played Charlie Moore more than twice the minutes as Diallo. Diallo only got 202 min all year.

It was an absolute travesty of coaching incompetence.

wissox said:

I never gave Cheick Diallo a chance based on what we saw here, but he's putting together a decent off the bench season. Oubre, must be hurt now, but he was one of our best former Hawks in the league. Hard for me to tell sometimes who's gonna make it and who's not.

Self just blew it with a top 5 player (Diallo). A classic Self screw up. Players that other top coaches would embrace and incorporate, Self finds an excuse to go with low talent. One of Self’s low moments and it may have cost him a NC.

@jayballer73 Yep Dedric is gone.

http://www.nbadraftroom.com/p/2019-nba-mock-draft.html ↗

All I know is that Carsen Edwards kid is a stud, and has nerves of steel. Yes, I know his 6'0", so if a lecture about short guys in the NBA is coming, I get it. Please deem me lectured.

@kjayhawks I agree on your two main points. One, that a better or more talented roster guarantees nothing. And two, that we don't have "the most talent most years."

I think we had the best roster in the country in only three seasons under Self, 2008, 2011, and 2016.

@BShark @kjayhawks Our roster to begin this season was perhaps the best roster in college BB. Arguably at least. We were the number one team to start the season. That tells us what others thought.

I would be very interested in the years listed by @kjayhawks to know the five teams with better rosters. 2005-2006 - Chalmers, Rush, Wright, Robinson, Kaun, DJ, Giles. But that was one of the years I thought was close call. 2008-09, Aldrich, Collins, Marcus, Markieff, Tyshawn, Releford, Little (and a little Tyrone Appleton!). Another close call year.

I ask, last season, what roster would you rather have? Nova? Ok. I've don't this at the beginning of the season most years -- what roster would you trade for? Certainly not more than four each season.

At the end of the season, things always look different. But lining up to begin the year, assessing what each team has -- we always loaded.

This season, on paper, perhaps as much as we ever were. Remember, we had presumed OAD that fizzled. We had Doke. Dedric. Vick. DeSousa. A top PG. A McD AA in McCormack. Now, what Self does with that is his business. He brought back Vick who "Vicked" us. Doke got hurt. DeSousa stayed in the barn. Even if we exclude DeSousa, easy top 5. Easy.

@BShark National titles aren't trash -- somehow we can't figure out how get "lucky trash" NCs as you call his 2011 title (you know, when Self cost us that year's title). Calhoun had as many NCs in 13 seasons as KU has in its entire, storied history, and he left a legacy at UConn that helped win another in 2014. I'm sure we can all get whimsical about making the tourney and losing to Bucknell, Bradley, Northern Iowa, Stanford, and Wichita St., but I think I'd settle for missing all five of those tournaments for one more national title.

@Kcmatt7 Why do you criticize Wooden for cheating when your position all along has been that everyone cheats?

@kjayhawks So you're suggesting that it's so much harder to win a NC at KU? We're a blue blood. Maybe I'm reading you wrong. I've pointed this out before, and no one has been able to challenge it. We always have a top 5 roster. Meaning, if you lined up all of the rosters at the beginning of the season, we've always been top 5 under Self (maybe a few close calls we can grant a naysayer, but really top flight rosters all the time). Yet, just one title in 16 seasons, three FFs.

@kjayhawks I'd say K, Roy, and Jim Calhoun as the top 3. I'm a national title guy.

@Woodrow The less than full support from the AD thing is interesting and worth monitoring. We can only hope that if that is the case, a dove is crushed in one's hand.

Come on, let's be real. Coach K is truly one in the discussion for greatest coach of all time. We may dislike him, complain, etc., but his record speaks for itself.

If you could rewind back to 1990 and have any coach for the next three decades, who would it be?

@benshawks08
1. The reason I am so passionate about this is that folks like you constantly want to tear down America. You whine, you complain, you desecrate what is truly important. The foundation of everything that creates opportunity. Your view point and perspective is a threat to this nation's existence. The more it infiltrates our society, the more we deteriorate. There is nothing more important. Arrogance about America? Agreed.
2. You don't want "opportunity." Leftists don't want opportunity. They want the result without the hard work. They want it given to them. Because if they can't achieve like others, it's unfair, or not "equitable."
3. Nothing is more evident than your treatment of the foster kids graduating college. You whine about that issue, then when someone points out that, no, they actually get that opportunity and get it for free, we learn that your comment on the graduation rate really is the issue. Not opportunity, but result. We can't graduate for them. We can't do their work. And although I'm sure you'd rather just give them a government grant to live off the rest of their lives, we can't just give them a degree. That's up to them. But again, that's not good enough for a leftist. Because you blame everything except the individual. And when folks can't achieve, they're deserving of being given something.
3. The real world, and follow along here .. the real world is where you have to compete against others. You know, the kind of competition, and success/failure that did make a America great. The kind that teachers, a strong general rule, do not take a part in.
4. A client of mine taught and went to be a public relations manager for a local company. He went back to teaching because, as he said, he couldn't stand the "rat race." Just an anecdote is all.
5. Funny you mention the union thing .. the point there is that your little union works very hard to create great impediments to becoming a teacher. That's so professionals in other walks of life have to take significant time to do something they could otherwise do quite easily -- teach a class. No, not everyone could do it well. But to make a doctor, who teaches med students at a medical school, take multiple hours of classes to teach high school students biology is just laughable. It's because the union is doing what it's members want .. protect their jobs. That's not competition. You live in a bubble.
6. No, my neighbor is not a bad teacher (to the best of my knowledge). In fact, I understand kids love him and he's a good teacher. His is a normal teaching workday. By a bit after 4:00, our high school's parking lot is cleared out. He did something that would cause termination in the real world. In teaching, no, he gets transferred.
7. Your examples on the CEO and basketball coach, of course miss the point. They compete and lose their jobs. Teachers, uh, not so much. The comparison was helpful.
8. The teacher part about it, you brought into it. And then, you want to spend my money. Others' money. But that's the leftist mantra.

@benshawks08 Your last comment tells me all I need to know. Please take notice, as leftists forget, that this world would be deep in the darkness of authoritarianism without our great nation. The pathetic defamation of our country by the left is why you are the enemy. It makes me sick that you teach our kids. But this stuff is easy to diagnose.

And don’t tell me about how hard it is to teach. My neighbor leaves after I leave, is home by 4:15, doesn’t work in the summer, has enumerable sick and personal days. Gets holidays like a 16 year old student. Snow days. And when he had issues at a school, insulted his boss, he wasn’t fired, he got moved to another school. Not the real world my friend.

My wife taught for 10 years. So I saw this stuff first hand.

A good chunk of teachers are very lucky that they get paid lower wages per the free market. If their wages get artificially inflated, some that choose other professions will compete for those jobs and that’s the last thing the teachers unions want. And of course, the teachers unions lobby hard to keep other professionals from being able to transition and teach about things they actually know about.

It’s just sickening that our country is viewed with contempt by folks like you.

@Kcmatt7 I may retract my opinion on Bennett. I’d still stick with Beard #1. But I’m in retreat mode on Bennett.

Let’s separate simply commenting on how he performed vs ripping him. He plays KU basketball. We can comment. Part of that might be commenting on stuff that isnt postive. And we can ignore the attempts to discourage commenting that might not meet someone’s approval.

Reality - Moore was a huge disappointment. His play had strong hints a selfishness, but some was understandable given his limited opportunities. We can’t dress it up. He was perhaps the worst scholarship player Self regularly played. Adams only played 83 minutes. Moore 458. Speculation, but I’d take Adams easily. Challengers could be Royce Woolrodge, Merv Lindsay, Tyrone Appleton. But Moore played more minutes than all combined. Appleton may have been the worst of all, minutes aside.

Digest this for a moment — Moore had a PER of 5.4. He shot 26.7% from 3, and 31.4% from 2.

Simply a miss by Self. Only a few here (not me) thought he’d be that bad (@BShark?).

Seemed like a fine character kid. Meaning no info either way, which is good.

We can wish him well but also be glad he’s leaving.

@benshawks08 Well, in this political climate the "privilege" baloney is used regularly by the left to inspire class warfare. Your response is classic leftist.

Initially, so it's obvious, when leftists start with the claim that someone lashes out, it's to try to paint their point of view as emotional, or irrational, wherein the truth is that the leftist point of view is based on emotion and lacks logic. An age old approach from the libs.

Next, you say to strive for equity. What in America is anyone prohibited from doing, earning, or achieving? NOTHING. That's the answer. Ah, but let's ignore that.

But of course, the term equity you choose is synonymous with fairness (which you said is a "fiction"). When you focus on fairness (equity), that's a losing proposition. The key is creating opportunity, which we all have. Everywhere. But it will never satisfy the leftist as long as others have more. That's the rub. It will never be enough. No, the left is the enemy because the left wants to take what made America great -- hard work, competition, achieving -- and cast that aside in favor of ever creeping socialistic concepts. That's the battle line.

And I'm sorry, some folks are smarter than others. Some work harder. Some don't work hard. Some won't achieve. Some will lose in life. Some will win substantially -- Like Ben McLemore. Ben has won because of hard work, perseverance, and because of his God given athletic ability. Is that fair .. er, equitable? Why should Ben get millions because he can play basketball? I can't do that.

Your mindset is one that inspires victimhood.

Every kid can go to college that works hard. You are completely wrong, and to say otherwise is complete disinformation (unless you qualify it by saying that your statement includes those who simply aren't smart enough -- I'm sure you'll concede college isn't for everyone in that instance). Getting a high school degree is not a "right" -- the opportunity to get the degree is what is provided. Some kids aren't smart enough, or don't do the work. Same with college. But college is the next level. And many are just more cut out to do other things instead of school work.

Just look at the KC area for example. There is not one person who can't work and go to a junior college. None. Junior college is dirt cheap. They provide payment plans. You can get student loans if absolutely necessary. Tuition and books and JCCC is less than $2000 as semester for a full time student.

A link below for hard workers in KC -- you know, the kind that "hard work: that gets a 2.5 GPA and go to school 95% of the time. Basically, just have a brain and show up to school and you get 2 years free.
https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article85920552.html ↗

And that leads to a four year degree. The federal government hands out grants to low income folks like candy, and loans the same way. Oh, I know that's not fair that the loans have to be paid back. So don't tell me a kid that works hard can't go to college.

It funny, you take the time to mention the "college going rate for foster kids." Uh, free tuition for foster kids in Kansas. A quote from the article below, "This is a dream come true for me,” said Jasmine Martin, who grew up in foster care and will soon start summer classes at the University of Kansas. “I had thought there was no way to go to college.”

http://ccweek.com/article-5650-kansas-law-gives-free-tuition-to-foster-children.htm ↗

In addition to the federal money, Kansas has multiple "grants" -- free money. Further, at most schools, there are work study programs where school jobs are given first to those that have a financial need.

http://www.collegescholarships.org/grants/states/kansas.htm ↗

An important point is that kids can work while going to college. They can go part time. Folks forget that. They may not be able to finish in 4 years. Maybe it takes six. Life isn't "fair." But don't tell me they can't go to college and get a degree.

In Missouri, here's a quote on the free tuition program - "In the 2014-15 school year, 13,142 students participated in the program at a cost to the state of $33.3 million." Question, who pays the $33.3 million? This is just a quick example.

So, I'm sorry, it is about me and MY money. The money I earn. The money you want. Because when you say others can't pay for school, who pays for that? You claim I "whine." So let's be blunt. It is highly likely, if you are a teacher, that I pay more in just my federal taxes each year than you earn in a year. Is that fair? Why is it that you get to pay so much less in taxes than me solely because my hard work and labor produces more earnings? The concept of fair has been warped. And of course my tax rate goes up as I earn more. But that's fair (er, equitable) in the mind of a leftist.

That is the money you want. You know, to "lift everyone up" as you say. To take my hard work and take it from me and my family. So this applies to those that are the leftists targets everywhere. Quite frankly, that attitude is permeates the teaching ranks like a cancer -- a lot of reasons for that, but one is that teachers just don't earn much (and many that don't earn much have an easy time passing out other folks' money), another is that the teaching profession draws folks that aren't inspired to compete in the first place. Teachers don't compete like the rest of us. Heck, the teachers' unions fight any accountability for teachers. And that general attitude gets shifted to our children. I dealt with it with my kids in school, getting a steady diet of liberal tripe from folks that never held a real job outside of a school building. That's just reality.

Your heart is in the right place. In fact, your heart and dedication are admirable. The problem, as I see it, is when folks' with heart and dedication then want to continue to take more from me, and my family, all in the name of "equity."

@wissox Well, invoking the word “privilege” now has different connotations. It is used by the left as an attack tool. And my point is not to confuse privilege with fairness/unfairness. Saying privilege implies something unjustified, or the fault of the one it may favor.

The benign usage of the term has long sense passed.

@benshawks08 Of course, this privilege baloney is preceded most all of the time by hard work. That means someone worked hard so they can pay for things, like paying for their kids’ college. The best lesson you can teach is that life is unfair but hardwork prevails. But don’t confuse unfairness with privilege — it’s unfair that a kid has horrible parents, a dad that is absent, a mom on crack, or other bad circumstances. The flip side, though, is not “privilege.” Unless you think what I earn is yours. When you use “privilege” as you did you imply the pervasive victim complex that is championed by one side of the isle. And that never once got a kid to college. I find it quite unfair that because I work and pay for my kids college, others don’t and get a large part of college for free. My kids, as adults, have to claim my income so they don’t/didn’t qualify for any grants/government money. But my tax dollars pay for others. Fair?

The reality is that every kid that works and wants to go to college, can go to college.

By the way, Ben McLemore, his family, and his family’s family is set for life if he plays it smart. He earned $18 million over 5 season, and then had a base salary of $5.4 million for 2018-19. Not sure if it was guaranteed this past season but I think it was. Total $23.5 million.

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/sacramento-kings/ben-mclemore-13320/cash-earnings/ ↗

@BeddieKU23 That's a heartbreaker ... (Tom, John, what's the difference?)

@Texas-Hawk-10 I was referring to 2002, the Maryland loss. Maryland wasn't the top team most of that season, Duke was (by polling it appears). Duke got upset by Indiana in the sweet 16 on the other side of the bracket. Link below that tracks the polling for that season. It seems that Duke, KU, and MD were the best teams. We lost to a stud team.

Personally, I think that 2002 team with Gooden and Collison both might have been our best over all team under Roy (maybe better than the 1997 team overall).

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/2002-polls.html ↗

1997 and 2002 were the real "lost" titles in my opinion for Roy. The two best teams in he had, I think.

... and if we were in any other region, we likely win our 2nd game.

nuleafjhawk said:

@jayballer73 I'm sorry. I must be a backwards, anti-social pig of some sorts, but I can't get excited AT ALL about someone named Precious. I don't care if he's the next Wilt.

That kid needs a nickname. Makes me think of the Johnny Cash song — A Boy Named Sue.

@FarmerJayhawk So you actually invoked the word “slaves”? Think this through, my friend. The truth is out there. It all begins with the word “choice.”

@FarmerJayhawk Perpetuating the myth of unpaid labor are we?

This was my post way back in 2014 --

/topic/935

@nuleafjhawk Rooting strongly for Texas Tech. Glad for Roy's success. Rooting against Duke and UK (just because they're peers with KU). Wouldn't mind seeing a Cinderella run by Auburn. Kind of like Bruce Pearl, I must admit. Wouldn't be upset if Izzo won another one.

@wissox Self's statements were reassuring from his end, just read at face value. We've heard many times that in other instances, when someone says "I'm not leaving", they leave; or the dreaded vote of confidence by an AD or GM, that ends in a firing. But who knows. Self's statement could be read many ways, and one way is a precursor to issues with the university. But that is just one of many ways to read it, and a negative way. A concern is also from the university end, what is known behind closed doors, what has not become public, what is their intentions, etc. Just haven't heard. Too much uncertainty right now to even know.

@Bosthawk

https://m. ↗

@Texas-Hawk-10 No, it did. I was referring to KU being undefeated at this point. You didn’t taketime to read what I wrote. I said it is “entirely possible that RIGHT NOW, KU is undefeated ...” We’re at the sweet 16.

@approxinfinity I can kind of grant you the Vick point. But he did function sufficiently last season (17-18). That Vick would have been at least passable.

@Texas-Hawk-10 So you’re saying there is no chance? I mean, of course, given that it just happened a few years ago. Slim chance? Ok.

@approxinfinity “Entirely possible that .. KU is undefeated” vs “assuming we’d go undefeated” are very much different.

It is certainly possible. And not in lightning strike sense.

We won every game with Doke playing full speed. Add SDS and no one .. not Duke, not UNC, no one .. could match up with us. The assumption is that we would have a functional Vick as well.

I think there is a significant fiction that the game has now completely changed. You can win with big players. Imagine Dotson if he actually had a functioning front line? There is more than one way to win.

So anyone that says “no chance” (@Texas-Hawk-10) is living in that speculative dreamworld of absolutism that impedes open thought.

@BeddieKU23 Right .. We should all not forget that it is entirely possible that right now, KU is undefeated if we have our entire team - Doke, SDS, and Vick. Certainly ready to kick Duke’s a**.

@cragarhawk I did think you meant KU. And you would have been right. Odd thing, a tourney with lots of chalk, means the seeding was perhaps done more correctly (at least arguably). But the games have been really boring either way as you mentioned.

@wissox So, did you look to the sky and yell "Rat farts!!!!"? Channeling a little Caddyshack there.

@jayhawkcsg My three and five have stock shafts .. seem fine. If your hitting something well, don't mess with it. My putting is the thing that drives me crazy.

@Texas-Hawk-10 On the club heads, the real difference is blades vs. everything else. The sweet spot on blades is about the width of a thumb. While my Apex aren't "game improvement" irons per se, they're very forgiving I think (even as forged clubs). It is truly what feels best for the player, as you mentioned. Getting the right shaft, too, will help on left/right dispersion -- torque, kick point, all based on one's swing. It still comes down to the Indian most of the time, not the arrow. But the right arrow really helps.

@BeddieKU23 My first thought was it was done to control the release of info on Nike. Purposefully. More to limit the release. But that's wildly speculative.

One man's extortion, though, is another man's negotiation. Lots of confidentiality agreements paid for by folks wanting to stem the flow of info.

So the feds step in, charge the lawyer, before info gets released on Nike. Hmmm.

@Texas-Hawk-10 @BeddieKU23 @jayhawkcsg Big thing is to get a real fitting when you get new irons. Get your lie checked (mine is 1 degree flat), determine the best shaft (lots of options, and they can soft or hard step to suit), etc. Well worth the time. And it's free or nominal usually when you get a set.

@benshawks08 @BeddieKU23 Those Nike clubs were real good. Have a buddy I play with that still swings them.

@jayhawkcsg Man, I'd never switch a club that I loved and worked well.

@dylans Mark Twain said, "Golf is a good walk spoiled." You're in good company there.

@kjayhawks And you're wallet is fatter for ignoring the game ...

@nuleafjhawk The old guys that hit is straight are maddening. They always seem to be good putters, too. That's where I need the most work.

@jayballer73 I'd have to agree with your projections there. Heard from Petro that Matt Galloway projects that Grimes will leave. Our luck might be that the only one you're wrong on is Charlie (less is) Moore.

@Texas-Hawk-10 I just got the Callaway Apex 19 forged a few weeks ago. Was looking at the Ping i210 but when I got fitted, the Apex were the best with the right shaft. They are awesome. Traded in Mizuno JPX 850. I’ve got the Epic Driver, 3 and 5. What’s in your bag?

@Fightsongwriter Yikes. That Michigan one was epic.

I played golf today, barely thought about the game. Not really shocking. Self did a great job overall coaching this season with how things went down. We will always have disagreements. But a tough season.

I’m just more concerned about the fallout, harm to recruiting, and the chance we lose our coach. I’ve seen a lot of nasty storms dissipate. I hope this is one.

One thing I’ll say is I was really impressed hearing is Dedric’s locker room emotions. This is their heart and soul, and the voices who mock CBB are truly self centered fools.

I edited my post .. hope all goes well with you. "Mob" and "torches" -- some call it debate and discussion.

Here is the bad news. Marcus Garrett is a sophomore. Self loves him. Pet player. Sound familiar?

Self took out Dave for Garrett after he scored our first 5 points.

Which evidences a bigger concern — Self will favor defensive matchups vs dictating offensively. Which is a significant flaw. He’ll let the other team dictate the game. Not saying we win. We just couldn’t play 4/1 against that team.

I was pretty adimant about Jamari Traylor. The results were undeniable. Same situation repeating itself with Garrett. An offensive anchor — as in dragging the anchor around while you try to score. Traylor started the first 7 games his senior season until Self finally figured it out.

All this changes if Garrett figures out how to shoot or we surround him with multiple shooters. Without that, we’re in for more frustration watching Garrett.

And we will have no faith in our “system” because Self will bend to fit the other teams’ offense. That dictates our personnel.

Oh good Marcus is back in. Need the defense down 27

Ok maybe not.

I could post up Dedric.

Bwag said:

Headline: Grimes goes to basket and takes contact AND finishes an and 1

Meanwhile, lightning strikes same man for the second time

Oh my God .. zone.

Yea, hi/low.

Commercials are now preferable