🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@kjayhawks Although I doubt that there is anyone that agrees with me, I think that Garrett is better for this team than Newman. Meaning our best starting five is as composed, but with Garrett in place of Newman. I think Garrett's game gives us a better overall product. Newman's play may change that opinion.

@JayHawkFanToo I find it semi-comical how the KC Star continues to run articles/columns aimed at propping up Peters. Always trying to tell us how great a guy he is, how misunderstood he is, how we just need to look at it differently. I think four or five such articles this season. Meanwhile, some Redskins player defames our entire town, lies, claims that he was being called the n-word, etc., and they just let it go. They report the claim, but don't do any journalism to defend the city from the total lies. And the NFL does nothing either. Meanwhile, the same folks in the media slobber all of Kaepernick, who wouldn't last two minutes debating his positions (whatever they really are). The media are just willing propagandists. Journalism is dead. Great society we live in.

@Hawk8086 I've mentioned earlier that I think this team, as composed, is in for a bit of a roller coaster ride. We lost our two steadiest players (JJ and Frank), one of which was the national POY. We probably aren't better in any phase of the game, except perhaps post scoring, and we're thin there bodies-wise. That said, I see nothing wrong with a roller coaster ride. Teams like this KU team can get on streaks. That streak might be nice to start in the second round of the NCAAs. It's also why I think our conference streak is really at risk this season. We're still the favorite, and I'd bet KU over the field, as would any sane person, but I would not be shocked if we stumble.

@mayjay So you're saying the UW loss meant nothing. I tend to agree. Zero. In fact, while I have not always agreed with @jaybate-1-0 claim that Self "amps" the team or purposefully does not "amp", I could certainly see the UW game as the great opportunity to shake or wake up the team a bit.

@BShark This is all part of the journey. Our team is being coached in a way to maximize its talent. That's all we can hope for from that end. We have 7 players, ridiculously thin in the post, etc. Certain match-ups, and certain nights, we'll be up to our neck in sludge from start t to finish. See UW. This could be a bumpy ride overall.

But with all of that, we are still a team that can realistically run 6 games in a row and win the title. Same odds as prior years. No different. We can beat anyone. The breadth of teams we could lose to might just be a bit wider.

@drgnslayr How about limping in as a 3 seed, and shocking the world?

Kansas 90 ASU 70. Or what @BShark said.

And he can soak up some fouls, meaning when our foul situation is out of whack (in our favor), send him in to get some whistles. Protecting other guys. The refs do work to try to even out fouls. He can be this season's Justin Wesley (and I bet Sosinski is better at basketball than Wesley).

I really don't think Washington will be our worst loss of the season.

Bragg is in his redshirt year, and would be a redshirt JR in 2018- 19. He is on leave from the ASU program. No information since late October.

I'm going with @Dylans on this one. I personally LOVE Bill Self's new demeanor. It was apparent last season too. You know why? Do you all want to know why?

Three pointers. He's accepted the devil. It's calming. So no need to flop around like a newly hooked Mackerel. He still blisters guys a new one, but the gyrations during the action are much more limited.

It's really terrific in my opinion. I like three pointers, too.

By the way, the WU coach said they were trying to stop Graham. Meaning, anyone beats them except him. Just saw that.

@JayHawkFanToo Maybe. Ok, I could be off by a few.

I will call it a tie. I think then in our debates over the years I'm 132-1-1. The only debate I lost was when you said Bill Self was the best coach in the country.

@JayHawkFanToo Since the only team I was discussing was WSU, it would seem that the "better conference" reference maybe, might, if one is following along, be in reference to the subject of the post (WSU). So you lose there. At least I think so.

So you don't think the year WSU destroyed us in the NCAA tourney they might have won the conference (2015)? Or 2013? Or 2014 when they were undefeated until the UK loss by 2?

@jayballer54 I'm serious, did I hurt your feelings?

Again, I'm struggling with why KU's superior record has anything to do with it? With that logic, we'd schedule no one (except Duke, UNC, UK and maybe UCLA)? With your logic, nothing would be gained from playing anyone except those teams. Help me. I need it. My head now hurts.

@jaybate-1-0 At the heart of my opinion is a strong emotional tug, I admit -- I just want to kick their a** into submission.

@jayballer54 Kind "suggestion." I think I'll pass. Perhaps this is just a hurt feelings day. I really do care. And I do appreciate the irrelevant point in your last paragraph regarding our win percentage. Struggling to see how that even connects, since, of course, we play Washington, Nebraska, Arizona St., Omaha, Texas El Chapo, etc.

@JayHawkFanToo "Disengenous" at worst -- I'm making progress. I did, of course, note the conference issue referring to WVU so that was there for all that might be misled and don't understand that WSU is in the MVC.

And I take it then you're referring the MVC? Or mid-majors? The kind that we never have issues with in the tourney? To answer a very good question, since 2010, if WSU would have been in the Big 12, I think they would have been the second best team overall in the Big 12, with WVU neck and neck with them after WVU joined. Before 2010, middle of the pack most of the time except a few years back to 2000. Of course, that helps win the argument since we find justification to be associated with basketball programs that are worse that WSU in our own conference.

To ask you a question, do you think our conference winning streak would be in place if WSU were in our conference? I don't thinks so.

And I think you're wrong on the MU thing -- the rivalry is back on. Give it some time, as I mentioned back when the Sprint center was packed an all anyone could do is talk about it (or complain about it).

Puzzled is me.

If we play WSU it would not be significant nationally? But what game IS "significant." That's all relative. So relatively speaking, yes, it would be a battle of top 10 teams if done now, in the non-con. ESPN leads with the NBA anyway. The Duke/UNC rivalry as comparison is silly. That's a different animal. I do find it interesting that WSU reached the FF before Gonzaga. Just an observation.

There are time when folks argue points that are so ridiculously wrong and lacking of logic that it's nothing more than an irritation to respond.

If you go to ESPN, you can see the final rankings (USA Today) for WSU since 2012, starting with 2012 - 27, 4, 7, 11, 26, and 21. They are now ranked 6th. Since 2000, 17+ season, WSU has won 68.2% of their games. Since Marshall came in 2007, it's 74.3% of their games.

The only Big 12 team sniffing the winning percentage over that period of time is West Virginia (appx. 65%), acknowledging that WVU was in a better conference during that period.

The resistance to playing WSU, who kicked our a** in the 2015 NCAA tourney -- meaning dominated us -- is just laughable.

@KUSTEVE Your post just lacks logic. Like it or not, WSU has proven to be an excellent program under Marshall. They're more worthy of playing in a our non-con than anyone not name UK or Syracuse. That is undeniable. Further, and this is what the MU rivalry denier ignore -- playing games with that sort of high intensity, high interest, and local interest is just fun for everyone involved. It's what sports is about.

Meanwhile, we appear to be chickens. The money issue is a non-existent lie. We know that. WSU carries more cache than anyone we play non-con, again, other than UK/Cuse. So what's left? Chicken?

Simply because we can make silly jokes about WSU and Marshall doesn't change reality.

@jaybate-1-0 What were our injuries vs. Oregon?

By the way, I love the Newman/Svi stuff. It is this little thread in the sweater that is getting pulled, but we don't really know what if anything will happen, or if it is nothing at all.

@jayballer54 "Peters needs to be gone PERIOD a disgrace to the Chiefs with his actions ..."

True, true, and really true. I will restrain myself from further commentary. You are right on point.

@justanotherfan "History is probably different if he insists on taking that shot - he should have taken that shot."

I feel the same way about Jacque Vaughn passing up the shot vs. AZ.

I still cannot imagine anyone who would suggest we shouldn't play WSU each season. All of the financial stuff is baloney. We know that. They have a better program that all of our non-con opponents except for UK and Syracuse.

Are we scared?

@jaybate-1-0 Nice post. I'll fixate on one item. Wouldn't we always win if we shot better? I'm not a big believer in analyzing wins based largely on shooting, because there are many variables, including the defense played by the opponent. Blaming shooting is the easy way out. It removes any accountability. Good teams overcome aspects of the game that are not optimal by adjusting and overwhelming. Particularly against average opponents. Good teams, as Self has preached, can fall back on their defense, as well.

Lots of things last night.

The item that stuck out to me most was the disappearance of Devonte Graham. This was a game crying for those 12 assists.

Second most on the "stick out" scale was, again, the utter lack of production from Malik Newman. I'm struggling with even saying he's a good player. Newman's PER is now at 16.4, lowest of the 7 regulars. Last night was just really concerning to me watching Newman. It's too early to panic. But it's a negative trend worth watching.

In Cunliffe's games at ASU, his PER was 10.0. Really bad. Small sample size (10 games). But not a good player in that stretch.

@dylans Ah .. I enjoyed both they ORU loss and the Richmond loss. Both were the shocking type.

We all remember TAM giving Self one of his few home losses ... no repeats, please.

I was shocked to see this ... KSU fans have to be irate. Didn't know Bruce was also a photographer. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/people/terrifying-humiliating-male-models-accuse-fashion-photographer/ ↗

Fake news. But so what.

@KUSTEVE Interesting. I haven't seen TAM play this season yet. DeCoursey on the radio today said he thought they were a top 5 type team. Baylor is an interesting comparison. Good info to look for.

@KUSTEVE TAM's ranks 36th in the nation in rebound margin. Not bad. KU is 56th. What negative impact did you see from the failure to seal? Perhaps their rebound margin was bulked up against bad teams. And rebound margin can be affected on the offensive end if you make shots -- not as many available rebounds, but also for the opposition(the other way around) because they have more balls to rebound -- so both affect the margin. We're 3rd, TAM is 49th there.

We have an open scholarship, correct? So if DeSousa doesn't come and fill it, then could give it to Sosinksi for the semester it would seem.

@Hawk8086 My criticism assumes Preston in the fold. You ask, who could have predicted that Whitman would leave? The only person paid to make the prediction is Bill Self. It's similar to the fact that we like to give him credit for our team making shots, but we don't want to criticize when our team doesn't make shots (I find that always entertaining, because the logic, or lack of it, then diminishes his actual coaching impact; for if all that is necessary is to make shots, then why have a coach?). If you look at our rosters in the past, three post players is way, way low (Doke, Preston, Lightfoot). Self managed the roster in a way where three scholarships are taken up by transfers sitting on the bench (Lawsons + Moore). Again, that's his call. It is not unreasonable to assume that a player might get hurt (which is akin to the Preston situation now). Self gambled on transfers and lost. That's all. It seems pretty easy to accept that he shoulders the blame for our roster predicament .. given, of course, that's he's in charge of the roster.

All of that without one ounce of criticism regarding the Preston garbage.

Back to your question of who could have assumed that Whitman would leave? I could have. So could most of us here. I would assume that every player, regardless of any promises or commitments, could and might leave. If found it a bit comical when so many, with such certainty, said that Newman would not turn pro after a redshirt season because of a promise to Bill Self. They didn't know. They were believing someone's word. The fact that Newman did not turn pro does not make the consideration that someone might not keep their word incorrect. Particularly from someone, his dad, who days before he transferred said he was staying. And a reputation as a "me first" player. In fact, it would be flat stupid not to consider that Newman might not have kept his word.

In any business, you have to anticipate and play out the options before they happen. That's Bill Self's job when it comes to roster management. One comment was that it only made sense that Coleby would leave, given the way playing time was shaping up. Ok, then, that is not obvious to the boss?

Again, Self gambled and the roster juggling didn't work out as he wanted.

With transfers, players who have already shown that they will leave a school, I think the concern about them leaving is significantly heightened vs. other recruited players. And he whiffed on the three transfers. That's part of the game. You make incorrect judgments (or judgments that are on their face, correct, but prove out to be incorrect) here and there, in every business.

We should remember, as well, that an important Bill Self recruit left the program (Carlton Bragg). Who makes that judgment call on signing him, and assessing him for the program? The point is just that the buck stops somewhere, right? Just like it does with wins and successes.

We (all of us) love to exonerate Bill Self on failures, but hypocritically praise him for every success. Truth is, he bears the criticism for program failures and deserves all the credit for successes. He's the boss.

The truth is, as well, that his failures are far, far outweighed by the the successes and the extremely impressive way he handles the program. An ounce of criticism here and there should not offend. And @Hawk8086, I know you're not offended, you just opened the door.

@KUSTEVE I think by Traylor's senior season, Self figured out exactly what you've mentioned --- play a system to fit your talent. But then again, those were our discussion points right here, before Self did what you are praising.

I have confidence now that if we had Traylor as another big right now, Self would play just as he is now, to his perimeter strength.

And there is no dressing it up -- Self failed bigtime when it came to our post depth. No one's perfect.

@kjayhawks I agree. I wouldn't either. After the next 5 games, maybe. Newman's PER is now in the 17 range. That is a bit concerning only because we will be placing such a heavy reliance on our four perimeter guys. He's the lowest starter, and below Garrett by a touch. But it is early. I'm not worried at all yet based on his performances.

@JayHawkFanToo You said, "Again, you cannot place an order for the ideal transfer players." I did not see that you said that before. But I agree.

You ignore the undeniable fact that Bill Self did not have non-transfer players on the roster in the first place. The cupboard was very bare on that count. That's Self's deal. Second, you ignore that Bill Self chose to add the transfers. His call. All fall in the category of Bill Self's fault, it's the degree of fault we're quibbling about. Of course, when things work out, it's Bill Self that gets the credit, a fact of which most rarely quarrel with, since he's the boss.

@JayHawkFanToo First, I'm making my criticism even assuming we have Preston, as I had noted. Even with Preston, we are still dangerously thin. Preston's issues could just as easily be a broken ankle, or other injury. Or it could be an injury to Doke. With Preston, we were dangerously thin.

I really disagree on the "can't really blame Coach Self for this particular issue." This is right at his doorstep. It's his job. Self did not recruit and secure non-transfers to be foundational players. He relied upon the ever tenuous transfer players. Further, Bill Self made the choice on the three transfers that bolted. He failed on all three counts as all three turned out to be unreliable. The results (just as win-losses, etc., do) bear that out.

I think the Preston issue is a good distinction. Assuming of course Self had no inkling on Preston's issues, this is much different than the Diallo academic mess. Diallo was buyer beware. No one rational would have simply assumed eligibility given that mess. It was a reasonable gamble given the late signing (Diallo). Preston appears, as you say, to be a surprise. You can't really hire PIs.

Even if Preston was eligible, it is shocking how thin we are in the post. We have a pretend PF in Lightfoot as a back up, and that's it. We relied on three transfers for possible depth and they all bolted -- Evan Maxwell, Jack Whitman, and Dwight Coleby.

We don't talk about it a lot, because we love to praise Bill Self -- but, as of now, this is a huge failure by coach Self. Perhaps one of the biggest of this tenure at KU. Leaving us this dangerously thin.

But failure is of course dependent on failure on the court. We're 7-0. There's no failure there. And it can only fairly be judged at the end of the season.

@JayHawkFanToo Don't remind me of the Diallo stuff -- I never again want to post about NCAA portholes, or links to a school's curriculum, and what the NCAA has flagged as class that doesn't comply. Ugh.

@BeddieKU23 Interesting .. I'll look at it this evening.

Also, Doke's free throw shooting - I had forgotten to point this out. Look at his chicken wing. He points his right elbow at a 45 degree angle or worse. I don't know who suggested this, or why, but it is fundamentally horrible. Ideally, as many here know, you'd like that shooting elbow point as straight down to the floor as possible. For a guy that can't make free throws, I can't imagine how this is good advice or why it's permitted.

@JayHawkFanToo Why would it extend "well" into next year? Just do the two weekends of the playoffs over the next three weeks. Then the Final Four would slot in just as it does now. Or, do week one sometime over the next three weekends, then do the second round of 8 teams the New Year's weekend, then the Final Four after that. It only imposes on four teams is all. Four very thankful teams. Traveling might be an issue. So what? Give visiting teams an allotment and they can scalp them online. Or the fans can travel. The home team fans will buy them if they are sold, and fill the house.

Regarding bowls, it is a stupid system and should not stop a better alternative -- if we are really going to determine a champion. Bowls can stay in place for the non-playoff participants, and for the final four. Heck, if you lose before the final four, maybe you have a specified bowl slot. It's ridiculous that Ohio State is shut out. And it would have been ridiculous if Bama was out. It's idiotic that the Pac 12 and Big 10 have no team even participating.

Here's how a 12 team playoff would shape up.

1. Clemson 2. OU 3. Georgia 4. OSU 5. USC 6. Alabama 7. Wisconsin 8. Auburn 9. Penn St. 10. Miami 11. Washington 12. UCF

Byes in Bold

Week 1 -

12 . UCF at 5. USC

11 . Washington at 6. Alabama

10 . Miami at 7. Wisconsin

9 . Penn St. at 8. Auburn

Week 2 (assuming best seed wins)

8 . Auburn at 1. Clemson

7 . Wisconsin at 2. OU

6 . Alabama at 3. Georgia

5 . USC at 4. OSU

The winners then advance to the neutral site final four as is done now.

Please tell this is not worth ANYTHING to get done.

Please tell me why this will not create MORE money.

@mayjay Kind of like "debounding" -- "deinching", perhaps? That makes every man nervous.

Actually, I kind of think it's like when coach Boone in Remember the Titans inspires the QB with a story about his "12 brothers and sisters", when he actually had eight -- just sounded better.

I just can't stand Alabama. I'll root for anyone but Alabama (except Missouri).

But this is not a "playoff." Four teams is marginally better than the contrived BCS title game.

Take 12 teams and make the winners of the Power 5 conference title game the top 5 seeds with the top 4 getting a bye. The 5th getting the 5 seed. The 8 play, better seeds play at home, and then the top 4 are home games vs. the 4 survivors the next week. The final four is done the same as it is now.

This means the regular season means something, the title games mean everything, and you have the semblance of a REAL playoff.

Imagine how many NCs KU would have in hoops if we just took the top 4 teams to the final four? The system would be a joke, as CFB is.

Don't know if anyone noticed, but Self said Clay Young was 6'3" -- "I actually thought he did great," said the KU coach. "Six-three guarding 7-2, I thought he did OK."

Could have just been exaggerating it low to make the point bigger than 6'5" would have, I guess.

With Malik, I just think we're seeing the classically inconsistent player. What we need him to be is streaky. Times where he'll take over a game vs a tough opponent. He'll have his chance.

That said, in watching Malik so far, I don't see an NBA player there. Tearing up the Israeli league? Sure. Maybe I'm missing something.

Just read today that DeSousa has to do better on his standardized test. Not a sure thing.

Here's Self's statement:

“Billy practiced with us Friday morning and after practice I learned that his mother was coming to town and would have little opportunity to spend time with Billy due to the Miami trip,” Self said in a release from KU Athletics. “I recommended Billy stay back so he and his mom could have some time together considering they have not seen each other in person in a while. Billy will be at our next practice and will be with the team when we go to Kansas City next week (for Wednesday’s game against Washington). Billy not making the trip has nothing to do with anything other than being able to spend some time with his mother.”

Question: Why would Billy's mommy be coming to town this weekend when the Syracuse game and the trip to Miami is clearly on the schedule?

To believe this, we would believe that Billy's mommy, who he has not seen apparently for a while, would choose to come into town at a time when Billy would be out of town. Self "learned" she would be coming to town, and learned this at a time when he assumed Billy would be traveling to Miami.

And then, once Self learned of this -- mommy coming to town when Billy is to be gone -- Self says, "Oh Billy, stay and see your mommy."

This is not believable.

Why would Billy's mommy be coming to town if not to see Billy?

Might it be to deal with Billy's predicament?

And Bill Self would of course know if Billy's mommy was coming to town to deal with Billy's predicament, correct?

The story is not believable.

Self's story is spin.

@HawkChamp I would also say this quite confidently -- to your point on Perry's offensive game -- Perry was much more skilled. And basketball, at the end of the day, is a game of skill. I am very interested in seeing how Mitch progresses.

@JayHawkFanToo I think JB has a point. Mitch has accrued his stats vs pretend opponents. Against UK he had one positive stat -- a steal. And Self didn't have the confidence to play him more than 6 minutes.

You have correctly pointed out in the past that "when" stats are accrued should be considered, such as at the end of a blow out.

However, playing well is playing well, and Mitch has played well in stretches. And comparisons to other KU players
now is fine as they've all played the same opponents. But we do know better players handle better opponents better. The sample size is too limited on Mitch, for now.

As a note, Mitch has an acceptable PER of 16.9. But that is the lowest of all regulars by 3 full points. And he's reached that acceptable 16.9 again, against "cupcakes."

Is he a good player?

We play 5 teams in our next 6 non-con games from big conferences. That's a great point to assess everyone.

@HawkChamp Ok .. I was only commenting on the origins of small ball with Self. Meaning how it came about here.

I just checked. Ochefu was listed at 6'11". Of course, he could really be 6'6".

@HawkChamp Curious, what is that you disagree about?

On Nova of 2016, remember that Daniel Ochefu was really a center. He was nearly 7 foot, never shot a three, and was really a close to the basket player. Nova also had Reynolds, who at 6'9" permitted Nova to match up better when necessary. Kris Jenkins was 6'6" and a big dude, who could guard in the post.

I personally think that playing small, with 4 mobile players, is more of defensive issue for conventional teams than anything.

There is no doubt that 4 guard teams can win and do. Heck, I've advocated that for KU when talent calls for it. I'm a major proponent. But I'll take the more conventional team if I've got those players (and I would prefer that). The fact is that the inability to guard the post is the most dangerous defensive liability.

@BeddieKU23 Agreed there. We need the Darryl Reynolds type player to make that complete. As of now, that's Lightfoot. We need an upgrade that is big enough to defend down low when Doke gets major foul issues, or is tired. DeSousa would be a very nice add (assuming he's competent in that role).

@JayHawkFanToo Nice summation there. Four nice paragraphs of solid hoops education.

I would offer that small ball did begin at KU because of the lack of quality post players. It was spurred forward by an overwhelming depth of terrific perimeter players. I don't think Self would have modified his approach if he had a Withey/Aldrich/Doke like center and an effective true power forward like Simien, TRob, etc. In fact, even when he did have guys that could stretch out, we heard a lot of complaining/irritation from Self when the did stretch, so to speak, too often for his liking. I recall a number, but the rant about Marcus Morris was classic when he got a little "shot happy" from outside.

The best, most consistent way to score is close to the hoop. It always will be. But the three point shot is a close second. Both based on percentages.

We can certainly play more conventionally with a true center like Doke, and have a stretch 4 that is wildly effective in the hi/lo. In fact, it is the perfect match.

@jayhawk-007 I love your comment about the hybrid hi/lo. Exactly right. We see Vick sneak in there, get some 15 footers, along with some other offensive action from that look (not frequently).

As an aside, Self's comments on Sosinski were essentially, if we're playing him, ever, we're in trouble. Just a practice player is all. Stranger things have happened, though.

Anyone who proclaims the death of the big man is way off base. Small ball is not the future. It's just one way to win. It is as I have advocated for over what is now a number of years -- it is a method to adapt to your talent.

But the key component of small ball, the three point shot, is not something that is limited to small ball. In fact, it is a key component to a post based offense. It has to be (except in a rare case of exceptional, dominant post talent).

I think we are on the verge of offensive perfection in 2018-19. Small ball is not perfection. But the hi/lo as Bill Self used to run with a disdain for threes, is not perfection, either.

In my mind, when talent permits, the hi/lo with a higher rate of threes, coupled with the feed the post, inside out action, is perfection. I was an advocate of a significantly higher rate of threes within Self's system, inside/out, because I liked the offensive diversity. It was interesting the outright anger at the suggestion that Self was way too limited and dogmatic -- suggesting (horror of horrors) that Self might be wrong. It's almost worth a chuckle now. We're in a different world. Now, we simply enjoy the fruits of our discussions. Adapting to talent. Self has of course matched his offense the past two seasons to his offensive strength -- perimeter players. This season and last, there is a strong argument that we have/had the best perimeter in the country. Self transformed and evolved from what he arrogantly thought was the only real way to play offense. That's all you can hope. Self had a right to be arrogant. He was/is a top 5 coach. His arrogance (doing it his way) got him to where he was. But he showed that he's an even better coach by doing what we've seen the past two seasons, despite his prior success doing it solely his way (and largely the same way).

Next season, we will not be close to the best perimeter in the nation. Even if Vick stays. The big men return in 2018-19.

Small ball is an adaptation. Real basketball, the best basketball, is played conventionally, with two post players. But to achieve offensive perfection, again, in my opinion, is the strong and purposeful implementation of a three point game. Three point baskets HAVE to be a co-equal focus. Three point shooting is now a must except in the most extreme of circumstances of post talent .

If Self regresses and actively works to limit the three point game, I sure hope it's only in reaction to a very poor shooting team. Out of necessity. Necessity for Self used to mean shooting threes in high volume -- only when needed. The game now requires the three point game. If he regresses, he'll be making a big mistake. I don't anticipate that.

You can play a non-small ball game and shoot 22-23 threes a game. You can pound the post, and make your post game more effective by shooting a higher volume of threes.

Self now has a beautiful small ball offense. One that as you watch, you simply enjoy. It's not one you sit and second guess, or walk away puzzled. You know it the perfect "fit" for this team.

I doubt it's the fit next season. Of all that will occur next season, the thing that I am the most intrigued about is what offensive look Self rolls out. Here's hoping for the return of the Self hi/lo with a bigger slice of inside/out, three point action. We can only hope.