🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@JayHawkFanToo So, your theory is that Self left Doke in to show him that he needs to work on the free throws? That our season might be on the line based on his ability to hit free throws and he d*** well better work on them? Interesting. That's a theory I can wrap my arms around. The "confidence" thing didn't hold water for me at all.

There is also that theory floating around that the staff has been negligent on Doke's FTs, and only after the OU disaster did they take it seriously. And really, that seems to have the most evidence to support it right now. I cannot fathom letting him see the court shooting free throws like that. It seems a pretty easy piece to dictate. And that has been proven by the fact that it has changed quickly. That might challenge the 3-D chess thing.

Sam has all the earmarks of a guy who is not comfortable yet. Like the sore thumb sticking out when he's on the floor. Time will help with that. Not sure he'll get more than emergency looks, like last night.

@KirkIsMyHinrich Now, I've exuded wrongness many times, but perhaps not always "hilariously." As such, in reaching your conclusion, I hope that you have considered NBA schedules. I went to NBA teams and looked at the Boston Celtics. Please consider -

• NBA teams play 82 regular season games.

• Those 82 games are over 6 months. That's 13.66 games per month.

• That works out to be appx. 3.2 games per week.

• NBA games are 48 minutes long, not 40 like NCAA games.

• Here is Boston's schedule, for a random two week period November 1 Home; November 3 @ OKC; November 5 @ Orlando; NOvember 6 @ Atlanta; NOvember 8 Home; November 10 Home; November 12 Home; November 14 @ Brooklyn.

• Kyrie Irving leads Boston in minutes at 33 minutes per game. At 3.2 games per week, that's 105.6 minutes a week. Five Boston players average more than 90 minutes per week, and the 6th 74.1 minutes per week. Compare to DG at a max of 80 minutes per week, but really averages 36.6 per game, or just over 73 per week.

• NBA players are older. And while they can be in great shape of course, they battle age more than a college kid.

• NBA players have a six month season, college kids a max of five months even in full tourney mode. But NBA players could have two full months of playoffs, playing games at the rate of three per week.

So, with that, I'm not totally sure my wrongness is hilarious. But it might be. And, course, I could still be wrong. Just my opinion.

@lincase I think you're exactly right. Thanks for pounding out some research. And I support your opinion that giving players rest during a game, will likely help them during that game, and late in that game.

@Fightsongwriter @Gunman There was a video posted by @JayhawkFanToo on the Sam thread, from before the game. It is clear that they centered the ball, talked to him about the pace of his shot, got fingers on the ball from his left hand vs. a flat hand, and moved that horrible chicken wing in to a good starting position (most important of all). But in the game, his elbow moved back to the wing spot more than in the pregame video, it appeared -- both times it moved. If they can get him to just keep that elbow under, keep pounding on that muscle memory, they're on to something. 60% is reachable.

I did notice him contort a bit on his first free throw last night, trying to give it some body English. They need to remove that. Stay still, confident, and in one spot.

I have no idea why Self would comment about not adjusting form during the season. It's easy on free throws. Static, and no variables except the slickness of the ball and the environment.

EXCUSE ALERT - Let's be aware. Let's not get sucked in. But if we fail in March, it will be because they are "tired." BULL.

During the game, yes. If a kid plays more than his conditioning permits, sure, his performance can certainly suffer during that game. But that is game to game.

The idea that it could accrue over the season and thus affect us in March (straw man argument a bit here, because we aren't there yet, and no one has made that excuse, I understand), is BULL. Two games a week. Two. That's all. When you were 20ish, what could you do during a week, or say over a three day period with a full day of rest in between?

Again, this is different than if, for example, DG is tired during a game because he has not had adequate rest during that game. Different discussions.

The EXCUSE ALERT has been sounded. It's coming ...

Malik Newman 10 rebounds. Man, what a corner he has turned.

The house that Roy built and Self tears down.

@JayHawkFanToo @Jayballer54 The development of a player of course takes both, practice and game conditions. I see practice as forging the knife, but the game action as sharpening it. A player has to get the core foundation, but to really progress, he needs the pressure and speed of true game action. I think we're all saying the same thing here.

My guess is that DeSousa would not have even seen the court early but for our desperate need for a body (heck, we likely would not even have him here but for the Preston mirage). He is being completely rushed solely out of necessity. It's a very difficult balance. Self has to balance this in his development because we may likely need him to survive in March. I think @mayjay is right on point here. It's unrealistic to hope for too much. Just progress.

Game experience for Silvio is obviously the best medicine to help him get up to speed. But seriously, he's looked worse than any player Self has left on the bench in recent memory. Diallo had many a time where he looked very good. When Diallo got more than 10 minutes in a game, he averaged 9 points and 5.4 rebounds (5 games, in 16, 18, 21, 13, and 13 minutes). He only had four games all year with more than 1 turnover. And he was deemed incompetent for further action. We had the anti-Diallo crowd, who suggested his inability to actually play the game. And he never looked half as bad as Silvio has looked.

That said, the thought process is correct I would suggest. Let him practice, get game minutes, and watch him progress. We need an able body down low.

Монстр is what the translator says.

Svi is shooting with confidence, and a brashness that says I'm the Alpha dog here. It's evident in his drives to the hoop. A classic situation where four years under a guy like Self makes for a longer lasting NBA career. Would he have been in an environment in the D-League, or G-League, or on an NBA bench to develop that attitude? I don't think so.

FYI, Miles shot 50% in 2004/2005 on a measly 80 attempts and Green 49.2% on just 63 attempts in 2015/2016. Not even in the same stratosphere as Svi right now, given the attempts.

kjayhawks said:

I think people confuse the big 12 being the best conference with it being the most competitive conference, which since it’s been at 10 teams I believe to be fairly accurate.

This is exactly right. Perfect way to explain it.

We’ll see what March brings, which is the only true measure of national power.

@kjayhawks I really could not disagree more on few things. Regardless of my disagreement, hearty and targeted criticisms of Self are always worth exploring. It makes all of us smarter and better informed when we consider the options.

First, this season, in my opinion, has been one of Self's best coaching jobs. We lost the best OAD KU has ever had, and the national POY. Two huge pieces. In their place, we add Garrett and Lightfoot in the rotation. We also lost our top recruit, a guy who was a possible OAD, and possible major impact player. What's more, Self has this team playing a system that fits, that gives us the best chance to win. He's now got this team playing pretty good defense, when most all of our players aren't naturally gifted in that element. He's cultivated Svi into an alpha-dog, and he's impressively turned Malik into the player we all had hoped (really impressive in my book). I'm sorry, from a lead Self critic over the years, I'm incredibly impressed.

Second, Mitch got all of Doke's minutes because he's better than Silvio. Easily better. That's the harsh truth right now. And Mitch is playing well. The Silvio thing has been a disaster so far. He's horrible. But alas, with Self as coach, I'm guessing he'll be a different dude next season, or maybe earlier. We have big man protection at least. Mitch was terrific tonight (meaning, he gave us exactly what we needed, just like he did last Monday). He was active, and he defended very well. Can he hit critical free throws? We don't know. We do need to find out. You say we should "go small." Garrett isn't much of a free throw shooter, and we know much less about Sam under pressure.

Third, and it seems we have some "Sam fixations" going on around here, Sam isn't any savior or a guy that's going to alter the landscape of this season. Just my opinion. I'd say Garrett is a better overall player -- overall. But that is certainly debatable. I mention Garrett because he's really the one blocking Same. The reason Sam wasn't used at all is a bit irrelevant. If he played 3-4 minutes, that means nothing. That's all he'd slip in for anyway. And easy for a guy riding the pine to be over anxious and make a stupid mistake. I, of course, have never blindly trusted coach Self, to say the least. But on Sam, I'm a trusting soul. I understand why Garrett plays. He's a really good defender, and he is reliable. He fits what Self needs. Sam could be a better player at some point, but Self is playing Garrett based on "fit." In my opinion, we'll look at both of these guys in two years and Garrett will be a notch above. Does he remind anyone of Travis Releford?

Fourth, and I've been very consistent on this over the years. DG playing 40 minutes doesn't bother me at all. I was never concerned about Mason's minutes. They're playing 2 games a week. Big deal. Self gave DG, Svi, and Malik an extra day off this week. They only practiced once. They guys are 20 something years old. Endless energy. Now, is getting a few blows better? Of course. It seems easy enough. Let Malik or Garrett run the point leading into a TV timeout a few times.

Now, on Doke's free throw shooing, I'm with you of course. It was mentioned in the game that Self worked on moving Doke's shooting elbow to a better position. Imagine that? There is no excuse for the fundamental abomination we have seen with Doke's free throw shooting. Gross negligence from the coaching staff. They should all be fined. But, perhaps now, we're moving in the right direction on that.

@Hawk8086 Self put Mitch in for Doke
right after TAM committed their first intentional foul, I believe (oddly, on DG). In this instance Self apparently did not feel it would impact Doke’s confidence. Hmmm.

Kennedy should have started fouling Doke at the 5 minute mark. Bone headed miss by the Aggie coach. Am I wrong?

Garrett passed on a number of opportunities to push his offensive game tonight, but tonight was better. Can't wait to see him next season once DG and Svi are gone.

Here's the thing on Sam, and maybe my eye ain't that good, but I have not thought his defense has been bad. In fact, in one game (TT or TCU), I came away thinking he played some pretty good defense. Has anyone thought his defense has been bad (forgetting that ugly foul and quick hook vs. ISU I believe).

Sam and Silvio are the only guys who have negative +/-, and the lowest +/- for regulars is 5.7 (Malik). It's just one stat. It seems accurate with Silvio at least.

I think his lack of time is simple. Our top four guards are easily ahead of him. That leaves Garrett. And it can be as simple as one man, Self, just preferring Garrett -- whether rational, irrational, or whatever. I like Garrett, and he was more aggressive last game I thought, but it seemed like he was simply a body out there for a while. He is pretty good defensively. And he's a good complement right now. Safe player.

We have Grimes and Dotson coming in. But you never know. Vick leaves, we don't get Langford. Then Grimes "isn't getting it" and Sam is starting, because he "knows our stuff." Who would be shocked by that? That's a narrative that could easily play itself out in Self-land.

@jaybate-1-0 So, with all the info you have now, and Bill Self saying the he was wrong, you'd leave Doke on the court? Not me. Not yet at least. I'd want progress on the "form" side first.

I expect teams to foul Doke with the lead, coming down the stretch. If he makes 1/4, it's a sound strategy. Heck, if he makes 2/4, it is still a sound strategy as I think we would average over 2 points otherwise every two possessions late anyway (we are good late in games).

Doke's 43% will go down because of late game pressure, which I think is what we saw in OU. I'd prefer he shoot baby hook shots -- he might get 3/10 under pressure.

@BeddieKU23 Vick is just lost. It's puzzling. Seems like he's deferring more. That might have something to do with Newman coming on. Not sure why though. Newman coming on shouldn't stop him for sticking a J or slamming in some dude's face.

@BeddieKU23 On Newman, I think we saw a kid "get it", the Bill Self way. This could be one of those classic situations where Bill Self's handling of a kid put him on the right path for the rest of his basketball life. Self got through to him, it appears. I actually noticed itwhen he was really busting a** on rebounds. Something we hadn't seen. With Cunliffe, we have the possibility that Self just might not think he's good enough to play, and that time may never come. I do think he's good enough, and I'm anticipating him "getting it" at some point. But I thought Andrew White was good enough, too.

@REHawk The one thing we know is Bill Self regretted the last 4 minutes. He did something he rarely does and said he made a mistake. That's a big deal. I'm sure he's kicking himself, losing a big road conference win that was right there before him. He did freeze a bit, and didn't react to Kruger's offensive. But that is a rare, rare occasion. Self wins those games by an astounding percentage.

@BeddieKU23 Somehow I still think we'd still bet the under.

But we'll see. I think we saw the lightbulb go on for Newman. I do kind of wonder as someone had mentioned, if there is an attitude thing going on. Just searching. The guy is on the outside looking in. His best bet is that Vick/Newman leave, and we strike out on Langford.

We've listened to coach Self for years. What he says is convenient for the moment, and may not be consistent in other moments.

This quote is what many of us have said for years -- "“I’ve always been a big believer that you send a bad message to somebody when you don’t have confidence in him." In fact, when we have used that general sentiment to criticize coach Self, the Self defenders became quite angry. Some of that discussion regarding the quick hook and banishment that was a normal occurrence.

Anyway, I'm glad Self has again confirmed that "we" were and are right on the confidence thing. I mean, if Bill Self says it, it must be right.

Of course, no one in the rather inept media challenged Self on the confidence thing. "Ok, coach, when you talk about the importance of confidence, how much confidence does it give Udoka to have him stand over in the corner near the bench?" They never challenge him. Not asking for disrespect, just challenge his thought process, which is strained on some occasions. Not one media lackey challenged Self regarding Doke's horrible free throw shooting form, and what exactly they have been doing with him in practice.

@ParisHawk @Kubie You both might be on to something there. If he is left eye dominant, then it would seem to me best that he align himself square to the target, both feet at the line, and shoot from the middle of his forehead with a middle finger release. That would avoid the cross-fire mess he's in now.

Or .... line up square and shoot Rick Barry style. Really, I think we all know that's probably the best answer here. It's a matter of sucking it up and doing it.

@welladjustedhawk No optometry degree here, but if his bad eye is left eye, he would not want to align the ball over that eye. When aiming, you want one eye to dominate a bit. Doesn't mean that it's like shooting a rifle where you close one eye -- because depth perception is an issue. Depth perception in shooting free throw is much less of an issue because the length of the shot is less important (than a regular shot) because it becomes muscle memory (alignment can too, of course). Aligning over his left eye would make sense if he couldn't see well out of right eye perhaps, but you certainly wouldn't move your right foot forward when shooting as he does if you were aligning with your left eye. That has me puzzled.

Doesn't Self's statement imply that they haven't gotten together to work on it?

Regardless, it's good news.

All that matters is from today forward. Let's see what he does from now, to the end of the season.

He's just so bad fundamentally, that there are so many areas that have room to improve. That's good too.

jaybate 1.0 said:

HighEliteMajor said:

Diallo defamation. He might sue.

—————————-

Diallo = a good prospect at KU.

Doke = a better one.

IMHO.

I think your opinion is right. Doke is very skilled near the basket. Still underrated skills in my opinion. Beyond that, nothing outstanding. But being very skilled near the basket is more than enough to have a 15 year NBA career. I agree with @BeddieKU23 ... I think he turns pro.

Diallo defamation. He might sue.

@kjayhawks @dylans @Blown — I have an alibi. Really I do.

@mayjay @HawkChamp His wrist injury was to his left wrist. A point I made last night was that given all of his time off last season with the injury, that functional right wrist would have been quite able to practice and perfect free throw shooting technique.

I stand here before you, hat in hand, saying that Mitch Lightfoot should have been playing over Udoka Azubuike after the first foul at the appx. 3:40 mark. This is a grand admission. It's truly "red pill" stuff. An admission and acknowledgment of the real truth. I am actually saying that Mitch should have played over Udoka. Amazing to me.

A big point, too, aside from the fouling issue, was that OU was not the type of team that had post players that would overwhelm Mitch. The fact is, Mitch played great last night. Mitch has played well even when a matchup isn't favorable, so I don't want to minimize the praise of his performance implying the match-up as the sole cause.

Before the game yesterday, I posted the concern below related to games even when the other team has the lead. I bet Scott Drew is kicking himself -

@drgnslayr If I’m an opposing coach, and I see how well Kansas finishes games – even if I’m up 4 with say three minutes to play – perhaps I just foul Udoka on every KU possession. That is better odds than seeing if DG, Svi and company are going to beat me. Because they most likely will. Foul the opposition on purpose with the lead. Is that a crazy strategy? If Baylor had done that starting at the 2:30 mark, you think they win?

@KirkIsMyHinrich I would suggest that Doke bears NONE of the blame. It is this coaching staff that has permitted him to shoot free throws like this. That is permitting a player to be in a clear and distinct position to fail. What would one think if that staff permitted Doke to shoot hook shots on his free throw attempts? I personally think this is worse. A hook shot at least is acceptable in form. This abomination is not. If the staff puts a player in a position to succeed, that's really all you can ask. This is the opposite. Self took responsibility for the result, but of course the supposed "reporters" don't ever ask any tough or direct questions related to the clear and obvious "form" issues -- the "why" is this happening inquiry.

@nuleafjhawk I just need an explanation. I need to hear coach Self say, "Look, it's an Africa thing. When he left, he promised his townfolk that he would never change his free throw shooting to honor all of them, each time he plays." Other than that, I'm lost.

@DanR In that situation, Udoka is not the best player. Further, the "weakness" is situationally fatal. And we can see that it just cost us a game. Normally, the play best players is right (heck, nearly all the time). But good grief.

@DanR This is different. This is free throw shooting. This is not playing through mistakes. Udoka made no mistakes. Udoka is shooting free throws like a deranged 4th grader who needs to be playing the trombone, solely because the KU staff permits it.

Here's what's worse. Self and staff have known from day one that Doke is a free throw disaster. And this is what we see? Doke shot under 40% last season. What have we been doing since then? What's even worse, Doke injured his left wrist last season? How much work did not get done on his free throw shooting while he was out? How difficult would it have been to work on and at least gain some semblance of a proper form shot from the line? Unreal.

@Kcmatt7 Mitch was playing very well. Self did a great job getting the ball to Doke to start the half, sparking our run. But Mitch was a great alternative tonight and that should have been the move. And regarding Doke rebounding well, that's relative. Doke is not the "go get it", high energy, I would die for a rebound kind of guy.

@approxinfinity So with that link, you're suggesting that Self and his staff have had well over a year to work with Udoka on his free throw shooting, knowing how bad he is? And that he shot under 40% from the line last season? And that Udoka actually injured his left wrist last season, so there is no reason why Udoka shouldn't have been working on proper form from the line while he had all that free time healing? Interesting.

The absolute minute Self saw OU employing the poke a Doke strategy, Self should have pulled Doke. We got zero points on four of five possessions, all on the fouls of Udoka. @cragarhawk - You're right, no player should be permitted to shoot free throws like that. Period. @Kcmatt7 I want to hear Self say that Udoka will never shoot another free throw like that. Coach him.

And for those that say you can't change mechanics midseason, that's does not apply here. Doke has no mechanics from the line. There is nothing good about what Doke does from the free throw line. Zero.

@approxinfinity Now that a team has really employed the strategy, we will now take it more seriously.

@drgnslayr If I'm an opposing coach, and I see how well Kansas finishes games -- even if I'm up 4 with say three minutes to play -- perhaps I just foul Udoka on every KU possession. That is better odds than seeing if DG, Svi and company are going to beat me. Because they most likely will.

Foul the opposition on purpose with the lead. Is that a crazy strategy? If Baylor had done that starting at the 2:30 mark, you think they win?

@mayjay @approxinfinity Thanks for the help getting the pic posted.

!alt text ↗

OK, got the photo to load right. That's better. I’m only a semi-idiot now.

Think this kid is destined for Duke? Watch the video near the end.

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/columnists/gregg-doyel/2018/01/08/doyel-blackford-freshman-phenom-taking-whole-town-joy-ride/1013220001/ ↗

So everyone help me here. How are class rankings that clear in providing insight into the quality of one's roster, beyond the obvious Duke/UK? Good guide, of course.

It seems like its UK/Duke, and everyone else. And that we're perhaps the best or second best "everyone else"?

Correct me, but ESPN doesn't count a guy like Svi, nor does it count a guy like DG who was in a prior class, and stayed. Am I wrong there?

With free throws, it is very predictable -- Michael Jordan, for example, before his minor league baseball season, was between 83.2% and 85.1% in nine seasons.

You also have to look at the sample size, of course. We all know that.

@approxinfinity Thank you. I'm referring to right now, when I'm looking at the thread I posted yesterday. At home, I can see the picture I posted of Udoka. At my second computer, and on my phone, I cannot see the photo that was posted when I initially posted the thread. There is no icon in the thread.

@approxinfinity Just checking .. I posted this at home with a photo. On my phone, and at my second computer, I can't see the photo. Any thoughts?

It is a complete myth that we have any lack of talent. We have underachieved in March based on our talent. Compared to the rest of the basketball universe, we nearly always have a top 5 roster — meaning if you were to rank the rosters.

Folks say this may be Self’s roughest year in a while. But are there five other teams you’d switch rosters with, even in this supposed rough year?

All that said, good talent assures you nothing. Self has easily been the best regular season coach. His regular season success and thus higher seeding has created the March underperformance narrative a bit.

But talent-wise, two FFs is significantly lacking.

@justanotherfan It's not just that the NCAA acts as if it is the "only option." The NCAA knows it is the best option. It confirms the fallacy forwarded by the anti-NCAA folks. This is all about freedom of choice. Kids have choices. CBB is easily the best option for the kids without pro potential. And it's the best option for nearly all that have pro potential. If not, we would see kids flood to the other options.

I wanted to jump into Udoka's free throw shooting. It has obviously been a disaster. He is an incredibly important part of our team, perhaps indispensable. But his unusually poor free throw shooting is one element that could cripple our chances in March. Why not foul Udoka late, on purpose? Hack a Shaq? Poke a Doke as @JayHawkFanToo has mentioned?

But there are some very simple and easy solutions to just make him better and more consistent.

We all know that if Udoka shot free throws Rick Barry style, he'd get instantly better. But players won't do that. So let's discuss conventional shooting.

Let's start with how not to shoot free throws -- Just look at Udoka below:

!alt text ↗

This is just before the ball left his hand, as he was rising to shoot. Just horrible.

Six very obvious and significant flaws.

1. Right Elbow: This is clearly the major issue. It's called the chicken wing. A basic shooting technique requires the right elbow (for a right handed shooter) to be "tucked", or pointing straight down to the ground, perpendicular to the court. This provides the best opportunity for accuracy. Straight lines help do that. Of course, not everyone does that perfectly. A lot of variances. But I can tell you in all my days around the game (and I bet for most of you), you have never seen anyone shoot free throws every reasonably well, liked Udoka. When you look at the photo, it is clear that shooting the ball straight will be a challenge. A lot more to that discussion, but I'll leave it there.

2. Right Hand/Fingers On Side Of Basketball: Clearly a product of the elbow being in the improper position, but it is huge flaw. You can still get the hand under the ball with a chicken wing, but not with the elbow where Udoka has it. The hand being on the side of the basketball just lessens the chance of accuracy. In combination with the next two items, it makes reliable accuracy nearly impossible.

3. Improper Fingertip Release: When shooting, there are ranges of acceptability. Most all of us have played the game, many of us have coached. The ball needs to come off the fingertips reliably, in the same spot -- three good options: Off the middle finger, off the index finger (even with a little pressure to the thumb), or between the index and middle finger. I don't want to get hung up on which is best (and I guarantee some of you will argue that one or another is bad technique). My point with Udoka is that with his horrible hand angle, the ball either would have to twist (with impact accuracy), or his release between his thumb and index finger is way, way too deep to the thumb. The twisting appears to the main culprit in this specific element. He trying to get it the ball back more to the fingers.

4. Left Hand Flat On The Ball: A number of shooters have done this, but they have the ability to ensure the flight of the ball is not impacted by the full left hand on the ball. But combined with Udoka's right hand being on the side of the basketball, think about where the natural pressure of the ball will flow. It's not resting on his right fingertips, it's being subtly pushed against a flat left hand. That left hand provides no momentum to the basket. Worse, it creates a lot more friction than finger tips, which will impact ball flight. So when the ball is released, it has natural momentum just to the left of the hoop and is being impacted by more ball to skin contact. Inches here matter. The shooters you might see doing this have the ball more on the right side of their head (thus less friction). Still bad technique. Udoka being an athlete should be able to compensate a bit for that, of course. I'm sure he does. But it is not fundamentally sound, and the evidence tells us that his ability to compensate is poor. In reality, why would you put yourself in a position to need to compensate? It's a near impossible thing to ask. Just do it fundamentally correct, and let the chips fall where they may.

5. Right Thumb: Everyone knows that you don't want to shoot the ball from a flat hand. You want the ball in our finger tips. But the finger tips for shooting purposes is the flat part of the upper part of the fingers, not the exact tip. Using the near tip, or top of his thumb, he has absolutely no feel. Try it sometime. He should let the ball reach down a bit more into his the thumb. This is a very subtle item, but when he releases, the ball is near the very tip, and this is a killer when comes to consistency. That thumb is a key balance point just until release.

6. Ball On Wrong Side Of Head: You can shoot the ball well from your forehead. Anything in that straight line. Further, shooters can shoot well with the ball the right of their head (for right handed shooter). This can allow the elbow to line up perpendicular to the floor even easier. But things need to be tight. However, shooting the ball with it on the left side of the head creates atrocious angles. It negatively impacts the the alignment of the ball to the basket. Think about shooting a gun, or anything that you align. Do you align with both eyes? You need one eye to take over the alignment. Both eyes help with depth. The ball on the left side confuses that alignment a bit. Further, go back and look at Udoka's feet when he lines up. They look nice. Right foot in front on the left by about 6 inches. But that competes directly with the ball being on the other side of the head. Heck, if you have to shoot it from the left side of the head, being square is the better option. It might even be better to have the left foot a touch forward which would inspire the left eye to take over alignment. It is a recipe for disaster. No coach would teach this. The exacerbates the negativity created by the chicken wing because now you have even more natural momentum of the ball moving to Udoka's left side. Take that, as well, and place it moving against a flat left hand (with more friction) and one might wonder how he makes 40%.

In sum, Udoka is attempting to make free throws where his right elbow is at a horrific angle, naturally pushing the ball to the left; his four fingers on his right hand are not able to create a consistent launch point as they are on the side of the ball; he then has the ball on the opposite side of his head, with no natural alignment, again creating a bad angle; the ball's natural momentum is leaning to his left, and against a flat left hand that creates added friction. He will then release the ball, twisting it back at least a bit so it can come off of his fingers, and away from his thumb. And a thumb, which is more pointed into the ball than with it resting on the top pad, as it should be.

So if Udoka insists on shooting free throws conventionally, these are the easy, basic solutions. Correct the above issues, and you'll have a better free throw shooter.

One thing we can't tell is how Udoka is breathing. A nice technique is to take the deep breath, and exhale slowly through your nose as you shoot, starting your shot after you begin to exhale.

We've of course not discussed his lower body to a great extent. His feet look nice, I'd bend the knees a little more. But most of this is an upper body disaster. Have to deal with that first.

Of course, I would shift him to the Rick Barry style. He could consistently get the ball to the rim softly and more accurately, guaranteed.

It is just baffling to me why the coaches will permit him to shoot free throws like this. You cannot send him out there with this horrible, non-fundamental form. I would not care the excuse -- it is just unacceptable to even attempt free throws in this manner.

Those would be the basics that I'd insist upon, and work from there.

If I were to start, seeing this disaster, I'd have him:

-Move the ball to the right side of head, shooting more from his right shoulder. Starting about four inches above the right shoulder.

-Tuck that elbow in, straight to the floor.

-Use a middle finger release (which is the easiest).

-Get the thumb pad on the ball. Shooting from the finger pads, and not going below the middle knuckle.

-Right foot in front by a full 12 inches.

-Ensure then right eye for alignment.

-Deep knee bend to start (and work from there).
-Feel the shot to the sky, looking for a higher arc, with a straight release, wrist bending down to the floor at the release.

Just my view on this. But what's going on now is not working. And there are some very obvious fundamental items that can be corrected.

Roller coaster ride. I'd said back at the beginning. Jump on. Ups, downs, and all around.

The win vs. WVU told us everything, but told us nothing. We can beat anyone, anywhere, anytime ... but the converse is also a bit true too. This team could lose a 2 vs. 15 game quite easily. Or we could win the national championship. Would either be completely shocking?

More than any year in recent memory, I feel coach Self coaching. Steak one day, Kraft mac-n-cheese the next. Just eat it. Embrace it.

And Malik Newman. Bam. You think that guy is getting a bit now what Self wants?

@Texas-Hawk-10 So why can't you go into detail? Or semi-detail? I mean, you're anonymous here. I love inside info if we actually get info. If you heard "whispers" then others heard them too. You're not breaching any confidences since you already opened the can.

@Kubie Great point. A complete blessing this was discovered preseason.