🏀 KuBuckets Archive

The "Pearl"????

BeddieKU23 said:

kjayhawks said:

Marcus Garrett is shooting 38% from 3 so far this season!

Shot looked good pregame on Saturday. Wasn't surprised he canned a couple.

Whatever Garrett does, it just has to be good enough so that folks guard him at the line. That's it. He's in the "prove it" stage -- you know, after you hit the winning shot in game of HORSE and your opponent misses. You hit it again. IF he can sustain a mid-30s %, taking the open and available shots from three, he suddenly transforms into something different.

We're a national championship quality team.

FarmerJayhawk said:

HighEliteMajor said:

@FarmerJayhawk I would be surprised if Self would permit a sacrificial lamb, particularly when Townsend was operating at his direction. I'd be shocked. I think Self is indignant and angry (I'm sure because he knows others do exactly what we were busted for). If he permits that to happen, Townsend sacrificed, I don't quite know what I'd think yet for sure -- but my initial take is I'd rather Self stand up for his assistant if this is the position.

Yep, that move would have to come from Long or above.

I could see Self saying, "If he goes, I go" -- which is another risk factor that aligns with the possibility that Self could leave, related to this issue.

@FarmerJayhawk I would be surprised if Self would permit a sacrificial lamb, particularly when Townsend was operating at his direction. I'd be shocked. I think Self is indignant and angry (I'm sure because he knows others do exactly what we were busted for). If he permits that to happen, Townsend sacrificed, I don't quite know what I'd think yet for sure -- but my initial take is I'd rather Self stand up for his assistant if this is the position.

Marco said:

It is all part of a diabolical plan, ladies and gentlemen - this team has a great shot at winning the National Championship. Is Braun struggling? Yes. But he is struggling only due to the competition, not due to his ability. He will only get better, and we're going to need his outside shooting (and Coach knows that). I am sold on this teams defense!

Ah, don't be .. meaning don't be sold on the defense. The reality is that Bill Self is not prioritizing defending the three point line. We've gotten by so far, but this is our Achilles' heel. Still is. And it scares me.

Jesse Newell was on the radio discussing it last week. He was very clear in his opinion that Self was more concerned with the two point shot. It's obvious when we watch how we defend.

It's an area that certain teams will be able to exploit.

Dayton shot nearly 50%. And how many open looks did they miss? How many did they have (answer, way too many -- we're just used to it).

That kept Dayton in the game. We're a better team. But they took us to overtime. It's a March nightmare scenario.

Newell made the point that Self is clearly banking on misses in his strategy.

A scary proposition. It's hard enough to stop a hot shooting team when you are committed to 3 pt defense as a priority. When you're not, well, we've seen the results in the NCAA tourney.

Surprised? Yes. Pleased? Yes.
Five more attempts per game is a sweet spot vs. better competition, in my opinion. I doubt the quality of our looks decreases based on the increased attempts.

If we're not getting those close to the rim looks that Doke or Dave are getting us 80%+ on, this is the next best option. But we need BOTH to make BOTH more effective.

We need the 17 foot jumper to just go away. Attack the rim off the dribble, jam it inside, shoot the three. That's it.

This team can be elite offensively. Keep shooting the three. Dotson. Agbaji, Moss, and get Braun going. And let's see if Garrett can continue the trajectory.

It is scary to think how good we can be offensively.

This is the best team in the nation.

@Crimsonorblue22 Doke is a stout 90% at the rim. Wow.

@Crimsonorblue22 Hope he has his life together. He was the stretch 4 type we always discuss. But he obviously had some personal issues that stood in the way. We sometimes forget the players coming in are just kids. Takes some a while to get it together.

I would definitely welcome him back. But if I'm Manning, I would not come back to KU as an assistant. Manning is 53. Why be an assistant? He could get a head job somewhere pretty easily.

We’re winning both. We are an elite team.

... because he knows “for sure.”

I have to disagree. You can play great defense vs. a drive by sagging off multiple feet. Gives significant time to react. Marcus would be a very easy guy to guard. Sag off and shade his right hand. Marcus just picks his spots and that's when he scores which is absolutely fine. Perhaps I'm missing something but I see a guy whose only threat offensively is driving to this right.

... the dot not the feather.

BeddieKU23 said:

dylans said:

@BeddieKU23 You absolutely must make it back to Larryville for a game!!! That being said you’ll have an absolute blast watching the Jayhawks! The Sprint Center has a nice court view from most seats. The one time I went we sat in the back row and it had a good time. (Back row isn’t all bad you come in from the top so we were right by the exit with no stairs.) Enjoy my Jayhawk friend!!!

I will make it back for another game you can count on it. I didn't want to see the Hawks anywhere else growing up but since this is a dual sports trip I'll have to settle for the Sprint Center this time. We got decent seats although I thought the price was ridiculous for the opponent compared to what I was expecting to pay to see them in Allen. Minor gripe there. Anything I should be on the lookout for around the Arena, etc food, bars?

Q39 -- still in KC, but close to the state line by the KU MedCenter, just a short drive away from downtown. You will thank me. I avoid downtown KC like the plague.

... er, NIT.

And the surveys – from Quinnipiac and Monmouth University – overall indicate little movement in the minds of Americans on impeachment and on Trump’s approval rating over the past month. This, following dramatic public hearings by the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees that culminated Tuesday with Democrats unveiling impeachment articles alleging Trump abused the power of his office and obstructed the congressional investigation into his alleged wrongdoing.

According to the Monmouth poll – which was released Wednesday – 50 percent said the president should not be impeached and removed from office, with 45 percent calling for impeachment and removal from the White House. The numbers are little changed from Monmouth’s November poll, when a 51-44 percent majority opposed impeachment and removal.

It’s a similar story in the Quinnipiac survey, which was released on Tuesday. By a 51-45 percent margin, Americans opposed impeaching and removing the president, little changed from the school’s late November poll.

@BeddieKU23 Temple in 2014 and Arizona St. in 2017. We did beat Georgetown I remember in Wiggins year, won vs. Stanford on the road, and last year against whoever we played.

@mayjay ... just a guy trying to figure out technology.

Self played Braun more than Enaruna.

Garrett is now down to 26.7% from three. Missed wide open attempts last night.

We discussed Doke’s poor rebounding. Maybe someone challenged his manhood. Seems to prove the effort argument. He plainly had a different mindset.

The total minutes for our bigs was 57. On Saturday it was 54. 48 vs Dayton. 50 vs BYU. McCormack’s minutes since playing 29 vs Duke - 11, 16, 12 17, 20, 16, 15, 17.

Not sure if Doke shoots a chunk of his FTs in practice when he is highly fatigued. That’s a big deal. To more simulate a game.

Not sure if Doke shoots a chunk of his FTs in practice when he is highly fatigued. That’s a big deal. To more simulate a game.

Not sure if Doke shoots a chunk of his FTs in practice when he is highly fatigued. That’s a big deal. To more simulate a game.

Tech is for real because their coach is for real.

@FarmerJayhawk Well if you're putting my suggestions in the category with that remote possibility .. I mean, the remote possibility you go home with any attractive woman, there is a big divide. I'm specifically talking about real possibilities that take up more than slivers on a pie graph. History tells us I'm right (from the perspective of how big the pie slice is, possibility wise, on the pie graph).

If Self signs a long extension and resigns, these contracts have no penalties. If Self is fired "for cause", we know what that looks like. If there is discussion of an extension, where is it? Most likely the parties are waiting until this dust settles. Even then, this stuff isn't worth the paper it's written on much of the time. Will KU do a deal where they exempt this current NCAA fiasco, info related to the inquiry, etc., from a "for cause" firing? If they do, I'm a believer. They won't.

Even if Long shares the opinion on an extension, he has no loyalty to Self. He's not a Self guy. He didn't hire Self. If sentiment turns against Self, he's the first one that will be on the side of maintaining his job.

And, of course, you don't know what the board of regents would do if this goes down an ugly path. I do suspect that folks on boards of regents tend to get quite high and mighty when the moment is right.

Just my very reasonable speculation.

@BeddieKU23 Great post. I'm softening. I was very irritated. Now I'm softening. I can forgive the forceful misstep. I understand his anger with the situation vs. other schools doing (in theory) the same thing. No one really cares whether I'm softening, of course. Just in my own mind. But I want him to stay. Greatest coach in KU history.

@FarmerJayhawk I would avoid such definitive statements. With this landscape of shifting sand, that can look kind of silly (from a guy that's looked silly before). If it's a prediction, understood. But I can envision a lot of scenarios where they would fire him or force him out. That's pretty easy to envision. There is no doubt that there are "bad" paths. A lot of unknowns here. We don't know what's in folks' minds, their true intentions, their real motives -- including Jeff Long. I'm not saying your thoughts are wrong -- far from it. Again, lots of ways this could go.

Now, let's win the National Title. This season is all that matters right now.

@BeddieKU23 Initially, I have been a big believer in Bill Self's character. That was until he lied in October of 2018. While I would like to believe his word, that dent in the armor, plus the fact that we have all lost count of the times we've heard coaches say one thing, and do another, makes his declarations mean very little to me. Add in the very real consideration that things change. He may have made the comments you refer to for any number of reasons -- recruiting, he believed it, he was very upset, etc. But in life, things change regardless of vows and declarations.

My gut is that he made the statements your refer to because it was good for recruiting and because he meant it. I do believe that. But again, he's not coaching for you or me, or the fans, or even for KU -- he works for himself and his family. hat does the landscape look like for Self at KU after sanctions. That can change the landscape.

Further, this all ignores one area I think is a real issue -- how will KU, the board of regents, and others in a position to cause Bill Self grief deal with sanctions? That could result in firing or a situation that is untenable for coach Self.

We just don't know.

That pre-Christmas game has been a tough one over the years.

@jayballer73 @BShark Let’s win the National Championship and then worry about if Self leaves. Time to hang a real banner.

I think we just have to recognize the significant possibility that Self leaves after the penalties are announced. Or after the appeal is denied. I know that these are not happy thoughts. I’m much more interested in winning the national title this season. So who cares about all of that.

@dylans said: Punch him in practice if he does more than take the ball and shoot. No dribbling. No turning the ball over in hand. No staring at the rim. Just shoot it the instant you get the ball Brannen Green style.

This is REALLY a good idea.

Did anyone notice that Doke went 0-4 from the line Saturday? He's now hovering around 35% from the line. I think I might be able to do that shooting that Danny Manning baby hook.

UNC has some injuries, right?

1. Refs, collectively, are the worst. Not only because they make calls they think they see, but they always think they’re right.

2. Udoka can’t rebound.

3. Self loves the the 4/1. Officially.

4. That was an “Agbaji” game.

5. Anyone hear the slam of Moss by Fran? Something to the effect of “He shoots the three but doesn’t do much else.” Tried to walk it back a bit. Fran bores me.

6. What has happened to DeSousa? This is pretty shocking.

7. Udoka is now shooting 35.3% from the free throw line. Never seen anything like this.

8. When others hit 3s, it truly makes Garrett better. When others don’t, I get distracted by his lack of shooting. In an anomaly, we were up 12 at half on a good team and we had made zero 3s. But we got it going.

9. This team is sneaky good. Agbaji’s trajectory is the real key, I think. Is anyone better than us? I don’t think so.

16 year olds have a tough time committing to what kind of toppings to get on their frozen yogurt let alone stick to a college commitment. Never think this stuff sticks.

@dylans So true. Even the marginal kid could box out. Effort and technique.

Boxing out is quite simply a beautiful art form. Releford was one of the best, I think.

From kusports.com today - “Everybody just hitting somebody before they run to the glass,” said junior guard Marcus Garrett, when asked how this team can become better at rebounding. “That’s the big thing we’ve been emphasizing lately is actually hitting your man before you go and rebound instead of just running in there.”

@drgnslayr - Did you see this, “actually hitting your man before you go and rebound instead of just running in there.” “Actually”? As if this is something new? You’ve been on this topic for years. Maybe instead of “hitting” their man maybe we could actually get some box outs?

BShark said:

Multi-year 5* dream recruit. Thank goodness for that connection because the rest of the class is reaaaal lean.

What? Lean? We've got Tyon Grant-Foster. I hear he's a possible all-America, a possible pro, I mean, you know ... what else could a team need?

Parity or parody?

This is silly. But this stuff catches my eye. I coached youth football for many years. Some of my teams wore all white uniforms. I hated that because the ball was very visible. Some of my teams wore all dark jerseys. It was great because the ball was much less visible. Is this a major consideration? No. But it is a consideration.

I wanted my QBs and RBs to wear dark sleeves when the weather was cold (or if they wanted to have sleeves) to make it much more difficult for defenders to pick up where the ball was. This is all just accepted fact among folks involved in football. In youth football you can many times choose the football you used so long as it met the size standards. I always tried to choose a football that was light colored if we had light uniforms and dark if we had dark uniforms.

Striping was also an issue. Our league required stripes. Some coaches wanted to use no stripe footballs, like the NFL, and the complaint was visibility for the defenders -- that is, FB is hard enough but the lack of stripes would impact the defense.

The fact is, dark skin on dark football without a doubt provides the handler of the ball an advantage over a player with lighter skin when engaged in play fakes, fake handoffs, or even regular handoffs (where a hand or hands could be mistaken for a ball).

This is high speed stuff where defenders many times only get a glimpse of what is transpiring.

But a broadcaster gets suspended for simply stating the truth. Our society continues to go to hell because of the hypersensitivity by leftists to truth, or even to debate or discussion. Solely because it invoked skin color meant it was off limits. Foolishness. Leave it to San Francisco -- they should be busy cleaning up the feces on their streets.

Meanwhile, of course, comments by an NFL player about Christian McCaffrey being "the most skilled white dude in NFL history" or "a bad white boy" are just deemed funny (and of course, I think it's funny. Maybe true. Not offensive.)

But if someone said that Lamar Jackson was "the most skilled black quarterback ever", or that's "a bad black boy", the world would come to an end.

And I would be willing to bet that most black folks that know football would agree with my comments on the truth of the comment on Lamar Jackson's dark skin color and would think the suspension of the announcer was silly. It's the white leftists that think they have to protect and lay down the law on what can be discussed. The same ones that claim any discussion of race is founded in "ignorance." They can't win a debate so they attack it that way, along with the "racist" complaints.

Foolishness.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/49ers-suspend-broadcaster-who-said-having-dark-skin-with-a-dark-football-gives-lamar-jackson-an-advantage/ar-BBXLTMB?ocid=ientp ↗

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/gerald-mccoy-had-funny-compliment-for-christian-mccaffrey-while-mic’d-up/ar-BBXgdtE ↗

Wow .. just awesome!

I also think folks are "naturals" at many different skills, of course, but rebounding being one. There was a 30 for 30 on ESPN, or something like that, where Rodman had no real explanation as to why he was good at rebounding. A lot of this stuff is DNA related. Positioning, anticipation, agility, instinct, etc. A lot is the choice to give effort, too. Rebounding though can be learned more than, say, shooting a jumper. @drgnslayr could teach the trombone player to rebound much easier than teaching him to shoot. For the life of me, I don't understand how some of this simple stuff is actually so difficult for some -- I always wonder that when I see a Chiefs player block a guy in the back on a kick or punt. How hard is this?

I love the discussion on boxing out/sealing, geometry, etc. When you see folks that should rebound, that don't do a very good job, it's those little things. Understanding angles. Sealing off your space. Finding a threat and eliminating it (boxing out). This stuff wins games. It just does.

kjayhawks said:

This team continues to be ungodly terrible fundamentally on both sides. The offense turns the ball over repeatedly on fast breaks because we don’t make the easy pass or have any spacing. Being a defensive minded coach as I am, I’ve wanted to pull my hair out over the past five years. Stuff that I was teaching middle schoolers when I was coaching (and was taught while playing at that age). Defensive rules #1 stop the ball, #2 always see ball and man, #3 be between man and hoop, #4 never go under a screen on a shooter and #5 locate box out. I feel like we do zero of those well as a team. If you do those simple things that haven’t changed in 40+ years you have a chance to succeed. That’s before you even go thru shell drills for help defense.

Well, defending the three does change priorities. Like item #1. And item #2. And item #3. If you are wanting to defend the three as a co-equal threat to a lay-up, it requires a change in conventional thought process on defense and how you do things.

For example, if you are committed to stop the three, many times you cannot abandon your post to help on a drive to the hoop. It's a sacrifice. There are many times when your ball awareness (item #2) is far less acute and actually very limited when you are truly guarding the three. And on item #3 (I'm assuming of course you mean when your man has the ball), there are clearly times where your defense will shade an angle to encourage a drive and discourage the shot or repositioning to a three point shooting position. For example, three point shooter is inside the arc, right handed. You close tight to is right side, with your body open a bit to the hoop -- so you can attack the shot or step back. This then encourages the off hand dribble, but leaves you a bit exposed of course on the drive. Threat evaluation. Just a quick response today when I saw this.

Three point defense is a change in mentality when that threat is co-equal to a lay-up or close to the hoop shot.

I sure wish Colorado was still in the Big 12. Still not sure that's a better fit for Colorado. CO has its pot, MU has its Meth. Who gets the remaining Big 12 teams their drugs?

If I’m Colorado, box and one with athletic guy in Doke. Always a second defender to help on Doke. Beat me outside. Shut driving lanes.

BeddieKU23 said:

I would be surprised if Dayton as a team played that well again all season. Toppin is a stud but I think the other guys benefited from the game plan and the way KU defends. They gave their best shot and it still wasn't enough even with a great shooting night from 3.

The, "the way KU defends" statement stood out to me. I continue to shake my head regarding our choices on defense. When will Self see the three point line to be as much of a threat as the ball being inside 8 feet?

And how many of their 33 attempts (16 made) were pretty much wide open (which is the biggest concern)?

We can't play conventional help defense and effectively guard the three point line. It just seems to me that we over commit in help situations and that creates open looks at the line. Too easy.

JayhawksandChill said:

Don't discount the 17 footer- not making comparison- but Kawhi lives in the mid-range, Westbrook is learning that making 50+ inside the 3 is better than missing 77.5% outside the 3.

@JayhawksandChill Thanks for posting. Feel free to jump in here more often.

I’ll have to trust your NBA reference.

As for KU, this season, we are shooting 49.8% on shots at the rim and 32.8% on three point shots. So effectively the same points result on a shot. Shooting 50% from 2 and 33.3% from 3 on 100 shots = 100 points each.

But as with most teams, our percentage on two point jumpers (those away from the rim) renders a much worse percentage — 35.6%.

That equals just 71.2 points on 100 shots. That’s a huge differential.

My 17 footer reference was to suggest that a two point jumper that far away is a really bad option, given other options.

That said Dave is actually over 50% on two point jumpers — I just don’t like those deep attempts.

And I know this can’t totally work out, but we should ONLY either shoot a three or take a shot at the rim until we get late in the shot clock.

I’ve heard commentators talk about “settling” for a three. That’s not settling in my opinion. “Settling” is a two point jumper.

Doke at the rim is of course the overwhelmingly best option.

@drgnslayr @BeddieKU23 I was really high on Silvio. Energy, intensity, athleticism, and skill. But you both make good points. I was not noting poor defense earlier, but I wasn't really looking for it I guess.

But it should be noted that his rebound rate is slightly better than Doke's, he's fourth on the team in scoring per minute, and he has highest block rate (with block master Mitch RSing). Turnovers are high. Couple that with the defensive issues, that's probably the answer. I agree he'll get up to speed, but I wonder about our scheme, how he'll fit, Enaruna, and numbers.

Texas Hawk 10 said:

Marco said:

McCormack looked good. He needs to start. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

McCormack has started every game but the Monmouth game. He just doesn't have consistent enough range to play the high post spot in the high-low with Doke.

Exactly right. More to it than range though, I think.

Three points of paralysis with our offense all related to playing Dave and Doke together -

1) Garrett's inability/refusal to shoot outside. This leaves us woefully undermanned from the three point line.

2) Dave's inability to effectively feed, compliment and make Doke better. Bilas said they "don't mesh" -- perfect assessment.

3) Doke being clogged up and inhibited with Dave out there. Dave drifts low. His defender slacks off of him. Doke operates so much better when he has space. The late game and OT were great examples.

Dayton was pretty incompetent defending inside. Other teams won't be. Dayton worked pretty hard on the three point line. But they pretty much had no way to stop Doke. Again, other teams can jam up Doke.

We saw early in the season, in exhibitions, how inferior teams clogged up Doke. With Dave on the floor, it's much easier to do that. Dave CAN'T feed the post. That's paralyzing to this offense.

By the way, Dave should never shoot that silly 17 footer. It's the worst shot in the game in this three point shooting age, particularly when he isn't going to make 50% of them.

This can't continue with Doke and Dave. Self knows it.

Assuming Garrett is a locked in as a starter and that Silvio is banished to the bench, for the long term success of this team, this year, I'd just start Enaruna now. Why wait?

Moss was the choice late game. And that's fine. Moss has experience. He's hot and cold. Perfect off the bench. Vinnie Johnson-esq. Again, if Self is fixed on starting Garrett.

But I haven't given up on Silvio.

Texas Hawk 10 said:

HighEliteMajor said:

@Woodrow Until he hits 33% of his threes and isn't so bad from three that he turns down open looks, that lightning rod will always be there. The reality is that he looks much better when we're 4/1 instead of 3/2. If we have an additional shooter on the floor from outside, it seems that his weakness there is less of a big deal. 3/2 it's a big deal. At least that how it looks to me. Or heck, when Dotson and Doke combine for 60 and Garrett gets to the rack.

The 4/1 or 3/2 isn't the issue with Garrett's offense specifically. It's that in KU's two big offense, neither big can play more than 10' from the basket. Garrett's biggest strength on offense is his ability to beat his man off the dribble and get to the rim. He can't do that in this version of the 3/2 because the second big can't play on the perimeter and it clogs the lane and takes away his, and Dotson's biggest offensive strengths of driving to the rim. If Self had a second big that could play on the perimeter, Garrett would be just fine in a 3/2 look. Put him with Either and T-Rob, T-Rob and the twins, or Cole and the twins and Garrett would be just fine in a 3/2 offense. It's just this version of the 3/2 that's a bad fit for him and pretty much everyone else except for McCormack.

Well you're right. My position on the 3/2 and Garrett is based on our team - "this version" as you say. That's what I was referring to. Not some theoretical 3/2 in la-la land.

The issue is that Garrett's lack of three point shooting can paralyze our offense when we have Doke and Dave in the game.

Of course, if we play a 3/2 and the 4 man is a three point shooter, perhaps like Perry Ellis, or Marcus, or where the 4/5 can really step out (the twins as you mentioned) it wouldn't be as big a deal.

I do think, though, if you put Garrett in with TRob/Withey, taking out Releford, we would face the same struggle. We saw it when TT wasn't shooting well from three.

We have to have three shooting threats on the floor at all times (except specialty situations). Have to.

Theory - Self wants to have Dave next year much more than Silvio. Does not want to provoke a transfer. With Doke likely gone, he needs Dave in the middle. Without Dave, we don't have that big presence in the middle.

@Marco What say you, though, about his compatibility on the floor at the same time with Doke?