🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@dylans

Both are great players that played during different times and with different supporting casts so it is difficult to tell which one is better.

No question that when it comes to a discussion on who is the GOAT, both players would be part of the conversation, no question about it.

I did not care much for Jordan but I recognize that he was amazing. I care even less about LeBron but I grudgingly recognize that he is every bit as amazing as Jordan was.

Given a choice on who I would select as the foundation of a team, I would probably go with LeBron because of his versatility but Jordan would be an equally good choice.

Of course, as Jayhawk fan I would take Wilt over both of them. :smiley:

@brooksmd

I was surprised to see Mason that high. I have checked at least half a dozen mock drafts and the highest I have seen Mason is #39 in one and most of the others have him as bottom of the second round to not drafted. There seems to be a lot of discrepancy among publications and many players are 20 or more places apart in the various lists.

At this point, I am not sure which is the best and it will be after the combine before we get a better idea of where the various prospects stand.

I have always said that left wing liberals are the most agreeably people as long as you agree with them and the moment you don't you are labeled with their favorite go to term...racist, and then homophobic, anti-immigrant, Islamophobe and now the fashionable term...fascist; frankly, and like a great number of people in our country, I am tired of it.

Kaepernick offended a large group of people by an overt protest on company time and he was hailed as a hero by ESPN. How many of us would be allowed to do something similar at our place of work on company time? The first time you might get a warning and the second time you would get fired on the spot, no question about it. I read where 70% of all players and essentially all team owners seriously dislike him and realize he is just plain bad for business but now they are labeled racists which they are not, they are just business people protecting their business interests. If you want to express your opinions, do it on your own time and on your own dime and not on company time and dime.

Sports used to be the place where you could go to get away from politics and now this is pretty much gone. Like I posted before, keep politics out of sports and this applies to the NCAA as well and by this I mean ALL politics, right, left and center....and while we are at it, it might be wise to keep them out of this forum as well; the few times we have discussed politics did not go well. Let's stick to KU basketball which is a topic we all enjoy. :smile:

@approxinfinity

I liked Eamonn Brennan and I also think he did a good job. I wonder what exactly was the criteria. Apparently Fran still has his job so competence and likeability obviously were not factors.

Len Elmore lost his job too. Solid analyst with a very good knowledge of the game.

@truehawk93

Maybe after Lorenzo "Ball" signs his first contract and has money of his own, he grows another one and with a full pair he tells daddy Ball to take a hike...🤑

@KUSTEVE

I think you are taking the legacy concept too literally. I don't believe I or any other poster has indicated that the position should be reserved for an alumn; however, being one should not necessarily disqualify him either and if two candidates are very similar then the legacy aspect can be used as a tie breaker.

The Missouri example is not a good one because when Kim Anderson was hired he was indeed considered an up and coming coach and no "name" coach would touch the MU program and a clean cut coach was needed to remove the stench left by Frank Haith and in a way, he did accomplish that. I don't believe being an alumn was the primary reason for MU to hire him but more of a strong reason why Anderson agreed to apply for and take the job. Had daddy Porter not have been from Columbia and with ties to MU, Martin does not take the job that included an Assistant Coach and the #1 player and potentially other highly ranked players. In 3 years Martin will be gone and MU goes back to being a bottom feeder in the SEC.

If Coach Self decides to retire tomorrow, no question that Few would be a candidate; in 5-10 years? Who knows. Just curious, who would you consider to replace Coach Self, now? in 5-10 years?

Latest CBS draft projection based on who has declared for the draft. ↗ Look who shows up at #29...👍

@truehawk93

Agreed on Few but Manning is about the same age as Coach Self so it is likely they both would retire around the same time. I would call Manning's carrier to date as mildly successful at best. Few does have the resume but he is also the same age as Coach Self so it is unlikely he follows him unless Coach Self retires in the near future.

@Kcmatt7

Agree. When they were going hot and heavy they signed some really stupid contracts. I remember reading that they had to pay a ridiculous amount for an NFL wild card game(s) that had a tiny audience(s) and lost them a huge amount of money.

When they started they were the only game in town but now they have lots of competition from other sports networks and teams of networks that have taken big time events such as the NCAA tournament and the NBA playoffs.

Lots of people dropping cable all together and at times I feel like doing likewise. My son gave up cable and only gets the Gigabit Google Internet and between over the air and streaming, he tells me he can watch anything that I can on my pricey cable package...tempting but I have to have my KU basketball fix.

@BShark

I bet the Longhorn Network is a gigantic money drain.

@BeddieKU23

It depends if you consider him to be or not to be one if the top 50 or so players out of the 190 or so that have declared for the draft so far. I believe he gets an invitation.

@jayballer54

I did no say my position is set in stone, it is not and it could easily change as more draft information becomes available.

Based on what I have read to date, I believe that if the options are KU or Euro ball, he comes back to KU. I really do not believe he will stay in the draft unless he has assurances he will get selected in the first round but you never know. Euro Ball will always be an option so I would think he is not in a hurry since he is still very young.

Here is another source ↗ that gives a little more context on the financial side

Coach Self updates on the status of Svi... ↗

ESPN lays off 100 employees ↗ including some fairly familiar to basketball fans such as Dana O'Neil. Are sports fans getting tired of ESPN?

@HighEliteMajor

Only 3 years younger than Coach Self...

@dylans

Maybe this is one of the reasons... ↗

@Kcmatt7

I believe there still is but very hard to get it.

@Statmachine

I agree. The 2018 class will be comprised of proven quality player rather than potentially great but unknown players. Alexander, Diallo, Bragg were potentially great players that did not work out. I will take experience over unproven potential...well, most of the time.

@Lulufulu

Hoiberg is in somewhat of a hot seat with the Bulls and his return to college basketball is not out of the question. If he does, my guess is that it would be to ISU where he can build a dynasty of his own. Stevens, on the other hand, has a very secure position with the Celtics and I don't believe he comes back to coach college. Just my opinion.

@KUSTEVE

Haase was an assistant coach at UNC for 8 years and for 3 of those he was the JV coach...like Roy Williams was. He is following a path similar to that of Coach Self, gradually moving up and building his coaching resume. Am I comparing him to Coach Self? No. Only a handful of individuals have been that successful; however, if Haase continues to perform well he will have a very successful career. When Larry Brown was hired after the Ted Owens tenure, KU was not an elite program and even after winning the title in '88, it was still not consider a top 5 or even top 10 program. It was Roy Williams that really brought the program to elite status and Bill Self that has kept it there.

Also, I am not fixated on having a former KU player be the next coach but it is not unusual for programs to hire individuals with previous ties. At this time, KU would hire a top 5 coach with more experience and gravitas as fitting for an elite program regardless of previous affiliation but in 5-10 years, Haase might be there.

I have posted before that my first choice would be Brad Stevens, who I consider the best if the younger coaches, but I just don't believe he would come back to college from the NBA Celtics.

@jayballer54

This is the first draft where he was not projected to be a first round pick and you could say it is more because of the other available players. Svi is only 19 years old and he would be 20 when he enters the draft after playing one more year at KU or the same age as Josh Jackson.

As far as comparing him with Mason, it is apples and oranges and it has nothing to do with the positions they play. The main reason Mason is not a first round pick is his height; if he is 3-4 inches taller he is a top 3-5 pick. Isaiah Thomas of the Celtics, one of the better players in the NBA, was taken with the last pick of the draft (#60) and he is an inch shorter than Mason. Svi has the perfect build and skill set for his position and with his age not being an issue he could easily move to the first round with one additional year of experience; heck, I would not be surprised if a team picks him in the first round this upcoming draft.

A few thoughts on potential picks...

Collison - I think he would make a great coach. One of the most fundamentally sound players ever to play at KU. He has been mentoring players for the Thunder but has no coaching experience.

Hinrich - Very smart player and one of the most beloved players for the Chicago Bulls and of course KU. A natural leader and aptly nicknamed Captain Kirk. No HC experience.

Mark Turgeon - Perhaps the most experienced current coach that played at KU. Have we given up on him or just accept he has found a home at Maryland and it will stay there until he retires?

Danny Manning - .Mildly successful as HC but being basically the same age as Coach Self it eliminates him from contention at KU where we like our coaches to stick around for a long time.

Jacque Vaughn - Dark horse groomed by Popovich. His HC experience was not that successful at Orlando but then, none of the last 4 coaches there has been successful; just a bad franchise that at one time was very good. Currently he is an assistant Coach for the Brooklyn Nets.

@KUSTEVE

Bill Self started at Oral Roberts not Tulsa where in his first 2 years he had losing records and in his 4th and final year he took ORU to the NIT. Haase took UAB from being a bottom feeder in conference USA to winning the conference title in 4 years.

At Stanford, he inherited a team that in 8 years under Jhonny Dawkins finished only 2 years with a conference winning record. In 8 years, they had 1 CBI, 3 NIT and only 1 NCAA appearances, basically a program in shambles. If Hanse can do at Stanford what he did at UAB then he would be a worthy candidate.

@Crimsonorblue22

I tought I fixed. Autocorrect kept changing it to Hasse...

@approxinfinity

I would be surprised if Hoiberg cones to KU, too much emotional and family involvement with ISU.

I will go with the KU alumn that slowly but surely has been building his resume...Jerod Hanse.

@jayballer54

I respectfully disagree. Svi's patents are both college professors and value education highly and they have indicated in the past that they would like to see him get his college degree. His stock will not get any lower by coming back and he can actually bump it up quite a bit with a good season. He is still very young so, unlike older players, there is no urgency on his part to go to the NBA and he does not have a family or possee to support. My guess is he comes back.

@BShark

Is KU now one big away from having all it needs for the upcoming season? I take it that Duval is no longer an option?

@jayballer54

Need based financial aid provided to students. Legal workaround to pay for the kids college expenses when you don't have scholarships available.

@elpoyo

Yes, the fragile ego of fans like you that at the smallest snag run like a chicken with its head cut off...oh, wait...hits too close to home?

@mayjay

LOL.. do I blame it on auto correct, not enough coffee or just old age?...hmmmm....

@dylans

I agree. Since Cal got to UK, it has had the one of the top 3 classes just about every year. Yes, he has done relatively well but it has only one National Championship, same as KU, and when you consider all the talent he has had, you could say UK has under performed. UK is the men's equivalent of UConn in women, except UConn women has won a ton of titles.

@jayballer54

If Jontay decides to reclassify and play with his brother I can see Tilmon having second thoughts. This is one time where nepotism might hurt MU. :smiley:

Seems to be a good 3 point shooter with a quick release,something that Brannen Green, the players with the best shooting form could have used.

@Kcmatt7

Based on how much Garret has progressed in the last year I believe he get at least 10 minutes per game and maybe even plays some PG is Duval does not pan out. Also, depending on how much Lightfoot develops in the off-season, I can see him playing a bigger role than Coleby whose ceiling we have probably seen but we have only seen a glimpse of what Lightfoot can do once he increases his bulk and is better equipped to bang inside; the kid has a nose for rebounds. Do you think that Lightfoot red-shirts?

@Kcmatt7

You are correct, here is an update dated today. ↗ Pretty risky move considering he currently is projected to be drafted bottom of first round; if he drops to the second round, no guaranteed contract.

@KUSTEVE

It is kind of sad that some of these kids see playing time as the ticket to the NBA. A elite program that helps them, improve the basics, even when it means less playing time, is a much better option but their fragile egos cannot accept they are not that good.

Like I said before, every kid in the top 20-30 thinks of himself as an OAD and every kid in the top 5 believes he is the next Jordan or Bird or Magic; most of them are wrong on the first assumption and essentially all of them wrong on the second.

@KUSTEVE

Adebayo has not hired an agent so there is a chance he will be back. I have seen him as a late first round in some of the mock drafts,

Remember this is a highlight video that shows the best plays he made all year but in between, I bet there are a lot of bone headed plays as well. Having said that...you can't teach height so he has something already that very few people have; the question is...can you teach him how to use that height?

I seem to recall posting at the time Diallo went to Kentucky that he would likely not play a single game for them. Not a bad way to get a paid for high end training camp for the NBA...I bet Cal is feeling a little bit used for a change.

@drgnslayr

Smart was, is and always will be a punk thug.

!0_1492992526765_IMG_0007.PNG ↗

@Crimsonorblue22

Try this... ↗

@Crimsonorblue22

I am not sure if the law has kicked in yet but I know that the basketball series KU was planing to start with one of the California schools was dropped. Track and field pretty much flies under the radar, Basketball, Football and possibly Baseball will be the real test.

This story sheds some more light" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://cal-catholic.com/california-bans-state-funded-travel-to-kansas/) ↗ and it sounds that as long as state money is not used sports teams could travel. A little more detail in this article ↗ where UCLA indicates it does not use state funds to travel but would abide by the law.

@Crimsonorblue22

OK???

@Lulufulu

You would think she is not hurting for money but it is not quite so. Kennedy Sommer got $100k and a one year car lease as PMOTY but she is contractually limited on what else she can do in the way of endorsements and appearances. She does have 2 Master's degrees and indicated she would use the prize money to attend medical school. Unless she has a sugar daddy like Jeff, her income is limited.

If I understand correctly, this is an old story. Apparently the charges are based on when they broke over a year ago, they made up, got engaged and parted ways permanently in October of last year. Sounds like a gold digger trying to get one last score. Jeff is finding out what most men know, dating beautiful women does not come cheap.

Selden had a good game last evening. 28 minutes, 10 points, 2-4 from 3, one highlight dunk and good defense.

@approxinfinity

No problem. LaBar Ball is only good as a punch line on a joke. :smiley: