🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@BeddieKU23 Yes, typed fast and brain cramped .. Eubanks went to Our Savior, where Diallo went, and that coursework is being reviewed by the NCAA. Thanks for noting my idiocy.

So, did Avery Johnson know, or should he have known?

Perhaps the lengthy and misguided discussion on the Diallo foreign schooling now would appear irrelevant.

Diallo attended American Heritage, which is causing Eubanks trouble. And Diallo's recent school, Our Savior, is having its coursework reviewed by the NCAA.

Knew or should have known. It's like a contractor securing scaffolding on a construction site -- he either knew the set up was bad, or he should have known (based on his expertise in the area). If there was no way to know, that's one thing. But when you're involved in recruiting -- at its very core -- it's your job to know.

If we lose Diallo the world does not come to an end. Far, far from it. We are still a national title contender. But now we can expect bad news, prepare for it, but be surprised by good news. Either way, we're a bad ass team.

Hmmm .. I'm trying to see on what level that I actually care. Haven't got there yet.

@Texas-Hawk-10 It would be unwise to simply suggest that this fracture is related to his size.

The leading cause of such fractures are overuse and .. very importantly .. incorrect technique. The act of jumping and landing over and over are big risk factors. But Embiid had been doing this for quite some time in his life. Certainly that can take a toll (but normal body processes heal that pounding). Taking an inordinate amount of your body weight, on one foot, can change the dynamic. That can happen when a player is protecting the other leg. Thus incorrect technique.

Another required factor in stress fractures is the very nature of a stress fracture, which is the body not healing the fractures as they occur properly. This has nothing to do with size. If it did, every big person playing basketball would have this occur. The fact is, it is very, very rare.

Finally, on this "feeling sorry" thing for Embiid that @Crimsonorblue22 seems to be championing, I just read today at kusports.com that he has a $5 million insurance policy for permanent disability from basketball -- tax free. On top of his $9 million in contract money (say that nets to $4.5 million -- total with insurance policy, $9.5 million).

And it is just silly to say "money doesn't buy happiness." Money, generally, helps. Money eliminates multiple negative aspects from one's life. Personally, I don't worry about food. I don't worry about shelter. I don't worry about supporting my family. I don't have many of the stressors that many folks have. That increases the quality of my life. It doesn't buy me happiness. But it helps. Of course, there are miserable rich people and very happy poor people. That proves no point. Here's a link ↗ to one little study that fits my narrative.

We have a young man that is set for life in Embiid. He is in the top 1% right now, and never has to fall from that perch. The rest is up to him. But he never should have to worry about food, shelter, supporting his family. And heck, he can make sure he has homes in locations that make him happy.

@Texas-Hawk-10 On Selby, I think we forget that the kid was how old? It's the same discussion we have here regularly.

Think of it this way. If you were Selby's advisor (vs. the one that latched on to him in 7th grade) where might he be in life now? These kids have a lot of people influencing them. But I readily concede, all kids have to take ownership of their decisions. Their decisions can certainly lack in maturity and perspective. I just think in Selby's case, if he were to have been blessed with good advice and guidance, his path would have been much different.

And why do you think Embiid's foot issues are the result of just being bigger than his body can handle? Have you read that, or seen that a doctor or someone around Embiid has attributed it to that? I understand that your suggestion might be logical. I just haven't seen it connected to Embiid.

I posted this before -- I believe his foot issue now is the direct result of the knee injury his freshman year here, and Kansas rushing him back too soon. The kid had a knee injury, he compensated for that knee injury by running, jumping and landing differently. That put pressure on his back and his opposing foot, the same one that he has the issues with now. Thus a stress fracture. There were no traumatic injuries. There were some story inconsistencies related to his back, that seemed to change as time went on. I personally think this is on the KU med staff, but admit that is just connecting dots.

Of course, the stress fracture in his foot may not be related at all. But the pattern does seem to fit quite nicely to explain his back and foot injuries. I point this out regularly because I mentioned the risk when we rushed him back from his knee.

@JhawkAlum Excellent post. The negative infatuation with Cal, UK, Duke, etc., amazes me sometimes. Maybe our inferiority complex has to do with Duke's and UK's national titles, you know, the ones Self apologists say are luck, a roll of the dice, etc.

@Crimsonorblue22 Not to argue with you, but last year may very well be the best year of Joel Embiid's entire life. Here's his contract details ↗

Money may not "always" lead to happiness. And I don't "always" like pizza -- only about 99% of the time.

I underestimated his wealth, even with taxes, agent, etc.

Alternatively, he could have stayed in Africa and enjoyed all that continent has to offer.

Guy, guys .. easy on @elpoyo -- I think his comment could also be interpreted as referencing the fact that there are a lot of people, in a lot of bad situations, and maybe it isn't worth shedding tears for a guy who did get his first lottery contract, and has a pretty darn good situation. I wish him well but I don't feel sorry for him one bit. He is very lucky to have made the wise choice to leave when he did. He essentially leaves college with as much money as someone who nets $100,000 per year for 30 years (or something like that) in the bank without working a day in his post-college life.

I feel sorry for Josh Selby, personally. Bad advice, bad adult guidance, bad deal.

Embiid, not so much.

Embiid was obviously a center -- roster for 2013-14. ↗

And a second roster from @JayHawkFanToo's link -- second 2013-14 roster ↗

Obviously just an oversight on @JayHawkFanToo's part.

@JayHawkFanToo You have skirted the issue. The release item destroys the premise of your argument. And your caveat about granting it after release is a red herring -- "many prospects"? Who? That is just vague cover of your mistaken position. Your mistaken position ignored the release issue in the first place.

Now you want to get into other schools (UK and Duke are your examples), and whether they knew, or saw red flags. That isn't the issue. Though you'd surely like to change it.

This issue is whether Self knew or should have known of the issues. Not whether there were in fact issues.

The issue is not whether he should have "backed off" -- I don't think he should have, as I posted before, regardless. That isn't the issue. And the issue is not whether there were or were not red flags.

My issue, what I have said, that you continue to challenge, is whether Self "knew or should have known."

You have taken the position that there is "no evidence" that Self knew, and you have fought very hard to try to show the "Self should have known" piece is wrong as well.

My position is quite simple. When it comes to academic issues, a head coach should know what he is getting into, and that he has the resources to find out (should know).

And, again (as the all-time King of missing the point and deviating from the topic at hand), you start wanting to bet as to whether Diallo gets cleared? I guess I missed where I ever suggested he wouldn't be cleared. But don't let that stop you.

You said: "If Coach Self did not do his due diligence on Diallo, then he should be fired…and so should Coach K, and the squid, and Hoiberg, and Mullin, and Pitino, and Dixon…and every other coach that recruited Diallo that apparently did not exercise due diligence and did not see the issue either."

I don't even know what you are meaning by that. Why would you ask if Self should be fired? Who said that? My position was support for Self in recruiting Diallo even if he did know of the apparent academic issues.

Further, and what is obvious, you are assuming that because a coach recruited Diallo that he did not see the issue. That is not logical. Any coach, including Self, could see recruitment issues and still decide to recruit a kid. How hard is that to understand?

Self either knew or should have known of the issues presented by this delay. That's pretty simple.

@JayHawkFanToo I'm sorry, but I don't think your scenario above is well thought out.

Schools to which a kid is applying have access to all of this information. Have you ever heard of a release of information? My oldest son provided his all of academic information from his high school before signing. I signed the release so that not only info could be provided and sent, but that the school could converse with my son's school.

It is just comical. You cite privacy laws. But privacy laws only apply if someone wants to maintain privacy. Releases fix that.

Further, we are talking about the high school itself, as well. Information that a coach must be diligent in staying on top of. All a coach needs to do is contact the NCAA himself for information on the high school. The NCAA is there for the institutions. You miss a huge piece of the puzzle there.

Again, schools first and foremost can contact the NCAA directly about any high school program.

Further, there is an NCAA portal ↗ that all can use. The code for the school in question is 331284. Here's the link ↗

You will also see the notice under this school - "This program is under an extended evaluation period to determine if it meets the academic requirements for NCAA cleared status. During this evaluation period, the courses listed below may be subject to further review on a case-by-case basis, which will require additional academic documentation."

Now, I don't know how long this notice has been there. If it was there in May, then that would be definitive. I don't know. But it is more than a stretch to think that this would be a surprise to Self, or that he couldn't have understood this could be an issue when Diallo signed.

@JayHawkFanToo Just "Yes" .. he either knew or should have known.

The buck stops with the coach. The coach needs to know the academic situation of everyone of his recruits. If a player fails to qualify because of something that was related to academics that occurred prior to his signing, it is fair to blame the coach for a lack of due diligence.

Certain facts, of course, could mitigate that.

@JayHawkFanToo You said, "There is ZERO evidence that Coach Self knew of any potential issues."

That is only part of the analysis.

Should he have known?

That's due diligence.

He absolutely should have known. And I would be shocked if he didn't know of transcript issues.

Your own post notes the issues with overseas transcripts, which relates directly to the "knew or should of known" regarding coach Self. Coach Self, dealing with foreign players regularly, didn't know? Or didn't investigate? Or didn't suspect? Or wasn't skeptical? I would be completely shocked if this whole thing were news to coach Self. In any case, he should have known.

But my opinion is that it is completely irrelevant. What was Self going to do in May, not sign him? There was no other player really worth getting for this coming season. Even if he did know, or should have known, it was worth the risk at the time I would think.

Now, if he signed Diallo in November and it cost him other guys without eligibility issues, sure, different conversation.

@jaybate-1.0 You said, "Either this is faulty PR strategy, or Self did not understand that he had signed an eligibility problem."

Perhaps Self thought, "why bring it up if it may not be an issue?" But that goes to your first possibility. I would think it would be reasonable to get out ahead of this just a little bit.

I cannot believe that Self did not understand there was a potential eligibility problem, though.

Here's what I'd suggest to Diallo and every other kid who thinks that he is worth more than what the NCAA and colleges will provide or if a kid doesn't like the rules -- skip it. No one is forcing you to sign, or put yourself at peril "dangling for months over a steep precipice." This is not forced servitude.

It is that simple. Skip it. Choice.

Quit whining about it and put your money where your mouth is. Do something else. It is the athletes choice and nothing more.

If the alternative college life is better, where you apply for loans and get a job so you can pay for pizza, then do it.

If you think that not coming to college at all is better, then do that. Get a job. Work out. Get ready for the NBA draft.

If you really think you have value now, then skip college and market that value world wide and get whatever you can for a year, or for however long you want.

The NCAA has no rule requiring you to come to college for one year, two years, or ever.

The NCAA, however, as the representative of its member institutions, requires a minimum level of high school coursework to be eligible to play. If you want to go to some basketball factory, don't complain that your credentials are being questioned. Try going to a real school.

Whether you have lived out of a car in Chicago, or whether you come from a wealthy family in a Dallas suburb, you ultimately have to determine whether the value of the bargain -- they deal one makes with the college and NCAA -- is worth it. Choice.

And if you don't like the NCAA's rules in general, again, skip it. Choice.

Kansas is held to the same standard as every other school. Kansas chooses to recruit guys they know, or should know, might have issues. If they would prefer not to have those issues, they too can skip it. Choice.

Again, the issue is choice. It always has been.

Not a lot going on now in hoops, but here are few thoughts I had this morning:

1. Diallo: At this point, I wish I cared. But it does get old. These players attend questionable schools, and all of the coaches know it. My opinion is usually consistent ... the buck stops with coach Self. But on this topic, I only blame Self if it is someone he signs when there are other choices. He took Traylor, B. Anderson, and Diallo late in the game. What were the other choices? Self surely knew the risk with Diallo, but if he passed on Diallo, we would have a hole for 2015-16 anyway. McLemore, though, was a different story. I think perhaps we don't hear of Duke having issues like this because Duke eliminates those issues from their radar. But I don't know.

2. T.J. Leaf: Here's the link ↗. When I read a story like this, it gets me hoping that Mr. Leaf signs anywhere as long as it is not Kansas. This is exactly what I want to avoid at Kansas. Pretty obvious that he doesn't want an objective assessment of his skills. I kind of doubt that it was his "walk with the Lord" that steered him away from Arizona, but just speculating. Leaf also said, “I want a program that has a lot of freedom. That’s the main thing for me,” Leaf told Peegs.com. “A team that plays guys in a lot of different positions, coaches that let guys go out there and play basketball for the most part.” Can you say, "not a fit"?

3. Recruiting: A few months ago, I mentioned my thought that Marques Bolden is our most important recruit. That thought hasn't changed. As I survey the 2016 recruiting field and our "sure" holes upcoming, we have to sign this guy. I see that he is visiting Duke. If we lose this recruit, it is really a shame. We are heading into the time where securing commitments is common-place. Last season we had only one in November. Securing Bolden is critical. Bragg, Coleby, Bolden, and Lucas isn't a stellar situation for 2016-17, but it's perhaps one excellent player away from being stellar. We'll need another big on top of Bolden, preferably a PF type.

4. Selden: I don't know if anyone else saw Selden's comments recently about last season. “Performing well in the tournament is our main goal this season. We weren’t able to find an identity last year." I seriously find this comment laughable. Everyone saw their identity. Everyone knew their identity. Everyone knew that they only had one possible identity that could take them to tournament success. Everyone was pleased with their identity. Everyone except Coach Self. When we were 21-4, no one was posting that we were in trouble, that we should abandon what had created that success, that we should make a wholesale shift in strategy -- no one. The discussion was whether or not to further that identity. There were some voices (mine included) that suggest more of what we were doing well. When I read Selden's comment, I think the guy has been brainwashed (of course not, in fact - but at least drinking the Kool-Aid a little to aggressively). In reality, coach Self prevented the fulfillment of the team's true identity, and identity he foresaw in describing last season's team as the best shooting team he had at Kansas.

5. Planning: As we sit here in mid-August, we can each map out many possible pit-falls that could face the 2015-16 Jayhawks. As the head coach, Bill Self cannot do what he did last season. Thus planning for the contingencies is a must. Self faced a stark reality last season. He had no competent back to the basket scoring, and he was not inclined to stomach playing the one guy that could have changed that dynamic by the end of the season (Cliff). And of course, it wouldn't have mattered with Cliff anyway. Last season, Self determined that he had to resort to "bad ball." We can't be put in that position again. Self's high low provides multiple options, but back to the basket scoring has been a must. I do think that Self will make the necessary adjustments after his WUG experience, and his experience last season. I do think we'll have a the same high-low, but it will look different. We'll still try to get the ball inside, but I think last season's experience will (I hope) prevent us from ever getting handcuffed by that blind persistence again. I know there are doubters out there. And the doubters have history on their side. But I think we will see a different Bill Self this season -- well placed adjustments and tweaks that will change the dynamic offensively.

6. Frank Mason: This is what we have been waiting for. We have an upper classman as a point guard, and one that has proven that he has the skills and abilities to do the job. If there is another point guard you would trade Frank Mason for, straight up, speak up. I would suggest that would be unwise. Frank Mason -- the former "no rank Frank" -- is the best point guard in the country.

7. WUG: As we reflect on the WUG, was that experience anything but a complete success? I know just before the tournament some of us were becoming a bit disenchanted. Graham's injury was my main concern. But the experience can clearly be used a catalyst for the upcoming season. It allowed Mickelson to showcase his abilities in a a way that he never would have been afforded, and it got Bragg's feet wet (a guy we all hope forces his way into major P.T). Selden seemed to find himself and Mason's role as the team leader was cemented. Eight games in July. We're spoiled.

8. Royals: I am done correcting folks that are talking about the World Series this coming fall. I'm giving up. Folks talk about the Royals upcoming trip the Fall Classic as if we are going waltz through the playoffs, seemingly as if the Tigers, Angels, and Orioles downfalls in the post season last year never happened. Sure things are not sure things particularly when you think they are sure things.

On the Bee Gees thing .. when I was a kid, an older kid called them the BJs. I was like "no it's the Bee Gees." The older kid said "no, their gay, it's the BJs." Still didn't make sense to me. And then one day it did. And once that makes sense to you, well, you're no longer really a kid.

Well isn't this page a freakin' bit of doom and gloom.

@jaybate-1.0's post about Mickelson above is terrific analysis. Very well done. Me like Mick.

@wissoxfan83 With our talent, Diallo or no Diallo, we should be top 5 and a national title contender. Self, right now, should be preparing a scheme that best suits his team's talent, with a contingency plan for no Diallo. The big risk is that we have no plan for a failed high-low attack that is over-reliant on back to the basket scoring.

Self had no answer last season and made a point of destroying our true offensive identity, and our best chance at offensive success. The result? We were blown out in embarrassing fashion vs. WSU in round 2.

@drgnslayr No worries. I know your comments were directed generally, of course. But you can feel free to throw me under the bus from time to time if you'd like ...

@drgnslayr I was typing an response and saw @justanotherfan's response. His summary is what I was wanting to convey. In fact, the only issue I had with Teahan was that we had to play him -- McLemore being ruled ineligible contributed to that. But I'm sure no one forgets Teahan's huge 3 late against Purdue.

However, the magical run in 2012 and the chemistry could have been derailed by any change in the dynamic. You never know.

My issues with Morningstar are over-documented. Self had other options there. Ugh.

Do you think, secretly, Mickelson is rooting for ineligibility here?

@drgnslayr Still 10 seconds. Huggins isn't enamored with the changes and even mentioned that he may not do what he did last season. I think his comments there are a bit counterintuitive.

“We pressed to speed people up,” he said. “We needed to speed the game up and be able to score with numbers because we weren’t a very good halfcourt team. … If we do what we did last year, it won’t help us.”

Below are some additional quotes from Huggins. I find it very interesting and it goes to the point I've made before about Self permitting games to become low possession games, and compromising our chances to win (as the more talented team). The fewer possessions, the more likely a lesser team can win (generally):

“Think about the guys we consider the great coaches of all time, and they ran great offenses,” Huggins said. “They controlled the game with their offense. The more they reduce the shot clock, the more the best players are going to win. You can’t run a lot of offense. You can run a quick-hitter in a ball screen or spread everybody and drive it.”

Huggins also said - “The more rule changes we make in that regard, the best players always win,” Huggins said. “If you think that’s what basketball is, then it’s great for the game. I don’t think that’s what it’s about, so it’s not great for the game. When you lower the shot clock for more possessions, the best players are going to win. Maybe not the best players but the collection of best players are going to win. More possessions favor better players.”

Here's the entire article ↗.

I always find the Cliff stuff interesting.

Try this thought -- Self didn't play him for reasons that may have been uniquely important to Self. Self further may have been trying, by his handling of Cliff, to inspire better production later in the season.

That does not mean Traylor or Lucas were better, or even made the team better when Self played those two over Cliff.

In fact, it was quite easy to see that we were better (most of the time) when Cliff was in the game.

I am the first to admit that the big picture, though, is important. For example, Self said that he wanted Cliff to play harder. Cliff playing at say 85% of his total motor might have been fine (better than Traylor or Lucas at 100%), but perhaps Self was working to inspire him to play to the level Self wanted him to, and knew he could play to. This would ultimately make us better.

But let's not kid ourselves. We were better with Cliff in the game (a vast majority of the time). He was a better and more productive player than our pedestrian bigs (Traylor/Lucas). And those pedestrian bigs made mistakes, didn't hustle at times, and have major, major flaws in their games.

Another important point is that it is all irrelevant. Cliff couldn't play the last part of the season, nor in the post-season. So whether he should or shouldn't have played more is moot. In hindsight, we shouldn't have played him one minute the entire 2014-15 season.

** And by the way, @SoftballDad2011 hit on some good points related to why Self may have had a burr in his saddle on Cliff. Again, though, doesn't mean Cliff wasn't better than either Traylor or Lucas, and doesn't mean we wouldn't have been better with him on the floor consistently than either of those two. Self does what he does, and he has his reasons.

@jaybate-1.0 I would answer as follows -- would I be fine with "bad ball" if it meant a national title? Sure. Easy. Would I be fine with "bad ball" if it meant a conference title. No. Not a chance. The national title is all I care about.

Your premise assumes that Bad Ball is the only answer. I'm not sure when that would be the case.

I also think that your premise is incredibly flawed. You presume that Bad Ball brought us something positive last season. You presume that Bad Ball "salvage(ed) a title run."

In fact, it truth -- Kansas won the conference title in spite of Bad Ball. Bad Ball nearly destroyed our conference season, and it destroyed our hopes of a deep March run. It also produced one of the most embarrassing Kansas losses in recent memory -- getting blown out by the team (WSU) we won't play.

In what will go down as one of the absolute worst decisions in Self's tenure as Kansas' head coach, Self changed our offensive approach after the game at Texas Tech.

Self took a team that was functioning well offensively, a team that had really found an identity, and he tore its heart out.

The numbers do not lie. Self by word and by deed attacked and dismantled what had led Kansas to 21-4 record. This is undeniable. We were an "outside in" team by Self's own admission. We were nailing three pointers and solid rate. This went against Self's dogmatic philosophy. Self was not able to accept that his way, was not the only way. So acted much like a child would -- he took his ball and went home. He shut down the outside shooting game in favor of Bad Ball.

But whatever the reason, it was a horrible decision. It was horrible decision then, it is a horrible decision in retrospect.

We saw Bill Self implement a pathetically simple approach (the perpetual weave) that would make a high school coach cringe. And thus against teams like ISU and WSU, teams with good coaches and solid personnel, we were exposed.

Following our home game vs. Baylor (vs. a zone defense), Bad Ball led us to a 5-4 record to finish in conference play. 10-2 conference record before, 5-4 conference record after (including Big 12 tourney). Spin doctors can do what they want with that, but the numbers don't lie.

Bad Ball also led us to a 2nd round loss to Wichita St. The WSU game was one of the most embarrassing losses in Self's tenure and put an explanation point on the futility of the Bad Ball experiment.

Meanwhile, we watched other teams play the sort of game that fit our personnel -- all while making much deeper runs in the NCAA tournament. We saw another coach in particular, Tom Izzo, discard his conservative system and embrace the sort of game that fit his team's strengths.

Bad Ball? Please. If we are making the assumption that Bad Ball gets us a national title? Sure. Heck, I'd wear a red dress and dance the watusi for a national title. But the chances of Bad Ball giving us a national tile and the red dress/watusi thing coming to fruition are equally remote.

Reality says --> Play with a real offensive scheme. Play with your (Self's) offensive scheme. But be flexible. Permit that scheme to highlight the players' individual skills.

That's the mistake he made last season. He made a wholesale switch. Our offense was dumbed down. Our skills were not highlighted.

The most important thing to note: Now is the time for Self to plan for the failure of his high-low -- for example, a lack of back to the basket scoring. Not in February. Now. What is a competent fall back?

I would suggest that Self's experience in the WUGs has given him his answer. Since he "learned a lot", we can be hopeful. My hope on the "learned a lot" thing is that he has learned that there really is more than one way to skin a cat, and that he really believes it now.

How about approaching offense as if there is a 24 second clock? That would be a good start.

Cliff favorited a tweet that said the following: "Crazy how the stock of Kelly Oubre and Cliff Alexander dropped dramatically after a season under Bill Self."

Hard to misinterpret that.

It is in Bill Self's interest to minimize and conflict he might have with Cliff comments or actions. It does Self no good to do anything but compliment Cliff and publicly give him the benefit of the doubt.

@wrwlumpy I'm not so sure about that ... you are too kind. But kids should be granted some of that from time to time.

@nuleafjhawk No doubt that you are correct.

The fewer possessions in a game, the more likely that a poor opponent can stick with a superior opponent. Typically, the more possessions, the bigger sample size, the better team will prevail.

It is something that we've seen wrangle Self coached teams into dogfights that shouldn't happen (and other coaches as well). My best KU example was our 2013-14 game at TTU. Tubby made it a one possession game, and Self obliged by playing slower than molasses.

On the issue of team winning close games -- good teams do win close games. They find a way. Some would argue that percentages will catch up to you. Sometimes that is true. But truly good teams that may play a more grind it out game (such as Self's teams) can certainly win many more close games than they lose.

@DoubleDD Keeping my fingers crossed, too.

@Texas-Hawk-10 You are exactly right -- I'm more optimistic now than before the WUG because I never thought we'd see what we saw from Self in 7 1/2 games at the WUG. Excellent handling of lineups, subs -- really everything. He did revert to prior form in the second half vs. Germany. A stark contrast. We know what we've seen in the past and that should make all of us gun shy, as you allude to.

@drgnslayr "Self adjusting his coaching, tweaking, substituting properly, developing offense to fit the skills of his players ..."

No doubt. From dogmatic to pragmatic. We can't expect a complete change, and actually, I wouldn't want that. But some flexibility. I just want Self to come to the realization that his way isn't the only way, and to be flexible based on personnel. All that can be done quite easily within his excellent system. System, though, can flex and adapt - his system can flex and adapt. And coaches can trust players. Hopefully the WUG dividends will extend beyond a well-earned, shiny medal.

I'm very optimistic. This is a Final Four season. And if it is, one guy should get the credit.

@ralster Great post .. and then you said "Jamari keeps disrupting and causing havoc." -- were you meaning for the opposition, or for us??

Anyway, I don't think you overstate your guard comparisons at all. The proof will be in the pudding. The two tandems you named gave us Final Fours. This is the year.

We have the best collection of perimeter players in the country. We have no worries there, barring injury or unforeseen regression.

This season will ride primarily on two things:

1. Coach Self - Scheme, scheme, scheme. Do we have a fit? Will he be flexible? Will he make the right decisions for this collection of players? More than ever, I'm feeling confident in our direction. The WUG may pay bigger dividends than we imagined.

2. The quality of our back to the basket scoring.

@Texas-Hawk-10 One important point .. Embiid's injury may not be caused just by his size. His size is surely a factor. However, in his case, I think that it was something else that was the cause.

If all may recall, Embiid hurt his left knee in 2014. Bad hyper-extension. Remember, it was the left knee. My humble opinion is that his altered gait led to his back problems and the stress fracture there. I raised the issue at the time, and I also raised the issue of additional injury in rushing Embiid back too quickly as it might lead to other injuries.

The stress fracture can arise from running in an altered fashion, as well as landing favoring one side. This happens regularly in folks that run improperly due to alignment issues, etc.

The stress fracture develops when the healing process fails. That is important. It is Embiid's personal healing process that is failing him now.

Embiid has now been fighting a right foot stress fracture. This is obviously on the side that would take the brunt of his weight when landing to favor his left knee.

I do think that the foot issue (right foot) could have easily developed from favoring his left knee when playing with the injury.

Again, the non-healing is based upon Embiid own unique healing process. So he has a predisposition to this based on how his body repairs itself.

This is absolutely not a stretch, given the proximity in time of the issues. I have visited with an orthopedic surgeons I know, who is a very good friend of mine, and he said that this time line makes sense. He also pointed out that Embiid could have had other issues in his foot that made the over-taxing of his foot even more likely to sustain a stress fracture. He also pointed out, as @Texas-Hawk-10 mentioned, size can impact the severity of the stress.

Remember when we discussed the risks of Embiid returning too quickly from the injury?

I think what we're seeing is the direct result of Embiid near ACL tear. At least it is very reasonable to think that it could be the root cause for everything he is dealing with now.

I'm a big fan of the NCAA and its rules. The main reason is that I love college basketball. The more those rules are compromised, modified, and softened, the bigger threat there is to CBB ending as we know it. It's that simple in my mind.

Ok, that's fair .. it's just a matter of degree. Really, we won't know the answer until the season. If Selden reverts to last year's ways, we'll know the position discussion was not an issue.

On coach's quotes, there are ones that mean something. I know what you're saying, lots of b.s. sometimes. This one, I think, gives a little insight into the though process -- meaning the playing of Graham and Mason together (insight into starters) and the "free mind" thing (insight into responsibilities).

@Kcmatt7 Your post above is right on point .. but you knew this was leading somewhere.

Can this logic be applied to a player moving from a position of greater responsibility and more stress to a position that better fits his skill set?

See, my upvote was a just a little selfish. But justified, no doubt.

@Kcmatt7 I missed B-Mac because I forgot that .. but other 2s have played well too. That wasn't my point. The point was the responsibilities which you seem to be taking great pains to dismiss.

So why again not Svi at the 2 and Selden at the 3? Not understanding there since you brought him up. Svi's a better dribbler, right?

See, the nuance here is you won't acknowledge that the move from 2 to 3 had any impact at all. You acknowledge the "free mind" regarding Self's hook, but you don't acknowledge the "free mind" related to position and responsibilities -- you know, the one coach Townsend pointed out.

That is patently unreasonable IF I am reading you correctly .. maybe I'm not. Sure seems that way. Correct me if I'm wrong.

@Kcmatt7 Two questions for you:

First, tell me who had the more mentally challenging job and more responsibility, Chalmers or Brandon Rush? Taylor or Henry? EJ or Releford? Selden or Wiggins? Selden or Oubre?

Second, do you discount Townsend's "free mind" comment -- related to the 2 and the 3 -- given his understanding of roles and responsibilities in Kansas' scheme?

When the ball is brought up the court, every time there is even nominal pressure, the 2 guard is always involved. Always. It's not just the press.

I have no idea why folks are so quick to discount the "free mind" thing. It is a big part of a puzzle that could have many components.

@Statmachine made a great point about Self not red-faced and screaming at them at the WUG. That's a part of the puzzle. So are the other things mentioned by @drgnslayr and others.

I"ve spent a lot of type space trying to convince folks that shooters shoot better with a free mind, and that if you have a coach that gives you more freedom to shoot (without constant limits and conditions -- which cause the athlete to wonder if he's doing the right thing), you will be a much better shooter mentally. You won't "think", you'll just "shoot" -- that creates better results in an athlete.

This same concept applies when you have a position that has less responsibility (the 3 vs. the 2). It's part of the puzzle.

And I will add that the "no show" thing is a given. We all agree, I think. That shouldn't account for no-show.

But we don't know Wayne, do we? We don't know what goes on inside of his head.

@JayHawkFanToo One thing to remember about Svi is brains. When Oubre wasn't getting it, and wasn't ready, and whatever, who started? It was the guy who arrived late and who didn't speak the language. Somehow, though, he was able to grasp the system enough to start (over both Oubre and Graham).

What does that mean for 2015-16? I'm not sure. It seems interesting though.

A few other things - Svi's outside shooting was poor last season. But he drove to the hoop competently, and made very nice entry passes (some might have made even B-Star blush).

Question: Other than outside shooting, what about Svi's game seemed to be a problem? I think there is rather large contingent that thinks we would have had a better product in March than Selden if Svi just took Selden's job in mid-January. Don't know.

Svi might be the most talented player on this team when all is said and done with (years down the road). Additionally, I do not think it outside the realm of possibility that Svi ends up being our best all around player this season, though Selden's WUGs has caused me to reconsider that prior suggestion. And Mason is just terrific.

But based on our success with small guards at the WUGs, coupled with Townsend's statement, it is safe to say Mason and Graham start together, with Selden at the 3.

I do think the next guy that would start in the perimeter is Svi (over Greene or Vick).

It might just be a battle between Svi and Greene for perimeter minutes -- in Self's system, Svi's my winner there.

@Statmachine Yikes, that means that we're wrong and you're right, because your wife can't be right!

I do respectfully disagree with you on Wayne's positioning. Sure, I could see him slide to the 2 every so often. It could be for stretches. If Self sees that Svi is better at the 3 and Selden the 2 when they are in, sure. But Self saying Selden can play the 1-3 is much different than it being part of our game plan. Self said Releford could play the point, too. Selden can play the 1 if Self puts him there. He has to because he is placed there. It will happen every so often. But that is not really the issue. It happened in the WUG just based on some personnel. Selden will absolutely, positively not be a "1" on this team unless we have a catastrophe with injuries or suspensions.

So no doubt, Selden could play a bunch at the 2. As we sit here today, he's the 3. Fluid.

The more important point, though, is I think the misconception on this ball handling thing. Ask yourself this, is it more stressful for you to do something over and over that you are good at? Or is it more stressful to have pressure on you to do something you are not good at?

What is a more stressful event one could imagine in sports than having the ball in your hands, coming into the front court, with some athletic freak, with quick hands, long arms, guarding you, in your face, as you then have to initiate the offense by delivering a pass to the wing, on target, with a defender in deny position? And in front of 16,000 friends or foes? Eeesh.

Wayne played the 2, and didn't face that a lot. I do agree. It is not so significant that it would cause one to disappear as Selden did.

Also, and don't forget, that the 2 has "back" responsibility. Meaning, either the 1 or the 2 has to get back on defense every possession. Further, the 2 likely has "reset" responsibility with the offense, where the 3 does not. The 3 has a number of set plays for him.

Wayne is not a good ball handler. It is quite easy to understand why that lack of responsibility could "free (his) mind" to play better. But a combo of factors makes sense.

You make an outstanding point about Self screaming at them, and other possible answers. It would be silly for us to point to one and only one thing at this point, and @drgnslayr makes good points too. But I do think it to be reasonable to believe that a large part of Wayne's positive performance at the WUG was related to the position change.

Fair?

Here's a chunk from the KC Star article I cited above:

“We dissected last year’s season a lot,” Self said.

Among the many pressing issues was the matter of Wayne Selden, a sophomore who appeared to possess all the traits of a standout wing at the college level — but who had slid backward during his second season at KU. There had to be a way, KU’s staff surmised, to unlock Selden’s potential. When talks were over, Self says, the staff realized that the answer lay not with Selden, but with two other KU guards: Frank Mason and Devonte’ Graham.

If the Jayhawks could play with Mason and Graham in the backcourt — two smaller guards with point-guard skills — the offense could be more dangerous and creative … and Selden would be free to be himself on the wing.

“I think it’ll just free Wayne up,” said KU assistant coach Kurtis Townsend, who is tasked with working with the guards in practice. “Where he doesn’t have to handle some of the so-called ball handling duties. He’ll just be able to attack the rim and go score and play with more of a free mind.”

Wayne is our starting 3 as we sit here today. The WUG simply re-enforced that. Could something change between now and the start of the season? Sure. But that is where we sit right now. Further up this thread I quoted an additional item from Townsend about the staff liking Mason and Graham together.

Next, Svi is a more natural 2 than Wayne. The ball handling, etc., clearly makes him the clear choice at the 2. But Svi can flex between both spots, the 2 and the 3 if needed. No doubt he can play both (and for that matter, if we had another Mason like player, we could have three PGs on the floor at once, too). And if Graham and Mason are hurt, fouled out, whatever, and neither is on the floor -- Svi is our next best (emergency) PG choice (better than Selden or Manning for sure). He handles the ball pretty well, just not PG "well" at this point.

How far have we come? Remember the silly "combo-guard" stuff? I was clearly on record that the combo-guard stuff with Selden was baloney. It still is baloney. It's just chatter. Wayne Selden is not, and never has been a "combo guard." He can't handle the ball adequately enough.

Self said it best last season .. an insight I have quoted a few times .. when he included Wayne Selden in his comment about his team's "big wings." That ain't a combo guard.

Finally, please read the last sentence of the quote from Townsend .. is he taking quotes from our board here?

Wayne as a 3 will " ... just be able to attack the rim and go score and play with more of a free mind."

Exactly. And a reminder to all that coach at AFH, this rule applies to shooters too. They are better with a free mind. But I'm sure they already know that. It's just a matter of how much they care. It shows that as a coach, Townsend understands how much ball handling and additional responsibilities weigh on the minds of players. The more they have to think and deal with, the more that effects their play. It is an important underlying theme that perhaps now, maybe, we can get unanimous acceptance of. It is an undeniable truth. It's not an opinion.

I'll toss in this quote from the KC Star on July 3:

“The staff as a whole, we feel like playing Frank and Devonte’ together will make us a lot more dangerous offensively,” Townsend said. “We’ll be able to put a lot more pressure on (other teams) because they both can drive it, they both can shoot it, and they’re both pretty good defenders. We definitely talked about that. It’ll free up Wayne a little more, too.”

This was in an article discussion moving Selden to the 3.

Back when I suggested in the spring we start Svi, I felt it was better to have him at the 2 and Selden at the 3. Svi's a much better ball handler, passer, etc. Svi is much closer to a point guard than Selden. I see where the KC Kingdom link as Selden at the 2, and Svi at the 3.

But the Kansas staff, per Townsend, seem to be looking at a Mason/Graham combo. Regardless, we'll see a lot of Svi and Graham.

Personally, I'd start Svi at the 2 and bring Graham in off the bench. But I think Self will flip that.

With Svi, I think he will flex between the 2 and the 3, with more time at the 2. Ask yourself this question -- who are the top three ball handlers on the team? Mason, Graham, and Svi. Not even close. Next question - who are the top three passers on the team? Mason, Graham, and Svi. Easy. And there you go.

Mason and Graham start. Then assume Graham is taken out. Svi in for Graham. Then Graham comes in for Mason. When Mason is ready, Svi is back out. This all fits with the "playing two ball handlers" thing that now seems to predominate Self's thinking, which is bolstered by its effectiveness at the WUG.

Next, we have Selden at the 3. Who is the most logical replacement when he needs rest or is in foul trouble? That's where it gets tricky.

And that's where the pecking order is much more in question.

Option 1 - Play Mason, Graham, and Svi together, with Svi flexing to Selden's three spot when all three are in the game. Now we have three ball handlers.

Option 2 - Sub Greene in for Selden whenever Selden needs a break. If Greene's hot, ride the wave.

These are Self's two options. This assumes Greene to be healthy. I think from game to game, this is what Self will be choosing from. Sure, Vick could surprise and demand playing time. He'll get time early when Self will play more guys. But when things settle in, the wise money has Vick waiting his turn.

While I love Greene's game, using Svi over Greene seems to fit more with what I think Self is looking for. If Svi is better shooting the ball, he is easily a better option over Greene in Self's offense. Svi is just as tall, is quicker, moves better laterally, is a better ball handler, is a better passer, and is better driving the ball to the hoop. Svi is much better in the open floor. Greene is a three point assassin.

I'm betting Svi plays more minutes than Greene. Svi fits better with what Self is trying to do.

@Lulufulu - I would be surprised if Mason didn't play in the NBA. The height thing doesn't bug me. But we'll see how his game develops further.

@drgnslayr I think you are exactly right on Traylor. It is the hoops IQ. I had posted a while back about just understanding simply geometry and angles. That's been an issue for him on rebounds as he many times overruns the ball. But also, and I have harped on this, he is lazy many times, not blocking out and standing around. This is in stark contrast to what we saw from Mickelson and Lucas at the WUG. @JayHawkFanToo mentioned that rebounding "is all about position." That is really where Traylor fails. @BeddieKU23 hit on the key point with Traylor -- He's a 5th year senior. It's likely too late. Traylor can have some really good performances, but those are few and far between. The best place for Traylor is the bench, and for use only in spot situations where his talents match our need.

@Lulufulu Actually, I said last half century to take us back to the Jo Jo White days. So even further back.

Frank Mason is absolutely the best ball handler I've seen at Kansas -- meaning, specifically, his dribbling ability. He is the most sure handed I have witnessed here. If I had to bet my life on one ball handler who played at Kansas since the 60s, I'd take Mason.

My top ten ball handlers in the last half century -

1. Frank Mason

2. Jacque Vaughn

3. Adonis Jordan

4. Aaron Miles

5. Mark Turgeon

6. Cedric Hunter

7. Tyshawn Taylor

8. Sherron Collins

9. Darnell Valentine

10. Russell Robinson

I struggle with Collins because he was a high dribbler like Darnell Valentine. That's why they're behind Tyshawn in my eyes.

@HawksWin After seeing Mickelson play, think he'd do fine. From my perspective, if I was starting a team, and had a choice of taking Mickelson or Lucas, I'd take Mickelson. We saw Lucas turn down open 15 footers, Mick could bang that down. Mickelson was much more active tipping the ball to the hoop and keeping balls alive. He was a better defender at the point of release than Lucas. And I thought Mick was more active overall than Lucas.

But a point a made a few days ago ... this is all relative. Personally, I don't think either Mickelson or Lucas are as good as I would prefer in my back up post player. But Mick sure made a case.

The world university games provided games against a decent cross section of competition. Further, the eight game sample size was comparable to appx. 1/4 of the college season (not counting the NCAAs). I thought it would be interesting to look at some stats from the tourney, and compare some performances.

1. Moore vs. Graham: There has been some discussion about Nic Moore and his positive contribution to efforts. No doubt, the guy is a tough and stout defender for his size. And he brought the intangible of veteran leadership. But I thought it would be interesting to compare Moore, a soon to be red shirt senior, to Devonte Graham, our soon to be sophomore. For the tourney, Moore scored .246 points per minute. Last season, Graham scored .317 ppm. Moore had .091 assists per minute, Graham had .117 apm last season. And for the tourney, Moore had .073 turnovers per minute. Graham was lower at .063. Regarding field goal percentage, Moore was 28% while Graham was 39%. From three, Moore was 30% vs. Graham at 42.5%. I know this is not a perfect comparison (WUG vs. CBB), but I think it is interesting that in those five categories, Graham performed better last season than Moore did at the WUG.

2. Mason: Mason, of course, was amazing. Mason had something in common with Jamari Traylor at the WUG. Mason turned the ball over 16 times, same as Traylor. But Mason played 258 minutes in the tourney to Traylor's 95, and Mason had the ball in his hands nearly the entire time he was on the floor. Mason is perhaps the best ball handler to put on a Kansas uniform in the last half century.

3. More Mason: One stat that stuck out to me was that Mason had .077 steals per minute played. That was a stark improvement on his .041 rate last season. We had discussions regarding our lack of steals last season. The .077 rate by Mason is just shy of the gold standard of .082 put on the board by Mario Chalmers in the 2007-08 season. Mason certainly had a better eye for the pick at the WUG than he did last season. And that could bode well for 2015-16.

4. Ellis: Perry struggled much of the tourney. Ellis' field goal percentage was just 36% on two point shots, but a decent 35% on threes. It is the two point % that stood out. Against Germany, his inability to score against bigger/longer guys was reinforced. We won't see any change from Perry on that front this season.

5. Mickelson: It appeared that Mickelson had a strong tournament. Not only was he active and hustling while on the floor, he provided our only real rim protection in the tourney. His stats were equally impressive. Mickelson shot an excellent 62% from two point range. There are no stats available for % at the rim, but I think it is safe to say it was near 70% for Mickelson. He was excellent near the rim. Mickelson was also very solid with the ball. He had only 5 turnovers the entire tournament, good for .036 turnovers per minute played at the WUG. Compare to Ellis (.049), Lucas (.071), Bragg (.127) and Traylor (.168 ). Mickelson's rebounding rate was reasonable at .284 per minute. Better than Traylor (.147) and Ellis (.254), but trailing Lucas (.392) and Bragg (.319). But maybe most impressive for the little used Mickelson was that he scored at a rate of .489 per minute played. Ellis was slightly better at .519, but the other three bigs we much lower (Bragg .319; Traylor .263; and Lucas .215). Mickelson earned a promotion.

6. Traylor: You knew this was coming. Traylor had a poor tournament. His rebounding numbers were nearly 20% worse than his underwhelming season totals in 2014-15. Traylor rebounded at just .147 per minute played vs. the astoundingly bad .182 last season. Remember, the worst post player number under Self was Justin Wesley at .180. Compare to Legerald Vick (.183) or Frank Mason (.174) -- or heck, Evan Manning (.200). Worse, Traylor had by far the worst turnover per minute numbers on the team -- .168. Compare to Mickelson at just .036, Ellis .049, Lucas .071. Freshman Carlton Bragg rebounded much, much better (.319), had a lower turnover rate (.127), and Bragg (.319 - yes, the same as his rpm) scored at a per minute rate better than Traylor (.263) as well. To put Traylor's turnover rate in perspective, it was nearly three times higher than Frank Mason.

7. Vick: Legerald Vick was an incredibly pleasant surprise. He led Kansas in three point percentage at 57%, going 4/7. He had an overall field goal percentage of 52%, and his turnover rate of .051 per minute was better than our other guards (compare to Moore at .073, Mason .062, and Selden .089). His rebounds per minute were about the same as Selden (.183 for Vick; .185 for Selden). Overall, Vick didn't seem overwhelmed or hesitant. Vick looked pretty solid.

8. Selden: Of course, Selden was amazing. His best attribute this tournament is not completely obvious in the the stats. Selden was incredible finishing at the rim. That has been a pretty clear weakness. Selden was our go to player for large stretches, averaging almost 20 points per game. It looks like Wayne has turned the corner. The 2015-16 Big 12 player of the year.

Anyway, thought some of this might be interesting. Big surprises for me were Mickelson's emergence, Wayne becoming the alpha dog we had hoped, and Vick's veteran like play. I was also surprised by Traylor's miniscule minutes, though obviously very pleased by Self's decision there. By the end of the tournament, it appeared that he was Self's fifth choice out of five bigs. That seems about right.

Oh, and the stat that mattered most -- Gold.

Which all makes me come back to the point that we should have added Louisville to the Big 12 when we had the chance ....

@RockChalkinTexas Flight attendants don't look like that anymore ... flight attendants nowadays are much more saggy than perky. Stupid laws.

Perhaps your best work yet.

Let's be very clear on something ... Self just about blew it against Germany. He changed completely from the excellent approach he had in prior games in the second half. As I mentioned yesterday, he "puckered." That happens.

The fact is, we won. So his decisions are irrelevant to that issue now, and validated. When you win a championship, the decisions are validated. Everything he did is now "right."

Based on our history with Self, it would seem that Bragg didn't play solely for that reason. Because it was a crunch time deal. Self goes with what he trusts, and it just so happen that we had double OT (which is not something one generally plans for).

But that doesn't mean it was the correct decision in hindsight (which is how everyone .. coaches included .. improve the next time. By critiquing themselves in hindsight).

His lack of subs late does speak volumes, maybe not to his views of players at this point. This was classic Bill Self going with comfort vs. the unknown. But it was also Self just going with the better player. Selden is better than Vick. Ellis better than Bragg. While one could view that as a comment on his view of the backups, that analysis generally applies to any back up. But I'm not dismissing it. Sure, Self could, in his mind, think Vick and Bragg are not very good at this point. But I doubt it.

Again, a championship = a full pass on everything. We won. 8-0. Can't get any better than that. And the first 7 1/2 + games were almost perfectly coached.

I think Bragg as the fourth big is the most realistic view at this point.

As @BeddieKU23 mentioned, Bragg should be Ellis back up -- should. The minutes from last season are instructive. Bragg might get 4th post player minutes. He is the second best "4" we have right now.

Of course, as usual, Traylor's minutes could screw it all up.