🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@jaybate-1.0

Here is a link to the story ↗. There is some factory work coming back to the States and a good deal of the Japanese, Korean and German cars are now build here as well; however, all these new plants and relocations are not going to Michigan, they are going farther south in the Midwest and to the South. The control that unions have in Michigan and a lot of the states on the Rust Belt makes it impossible to be competitive.

Here is a list of all the foreign car makers with plant in the US; none are in Michigan and most are in the South.

Toyota Motor Corporation - Georgetown, Kentucky - Toyota Camry, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Venza, Lexus ES350

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana - Princeton, Indiana - Toyota Sequoia, Toyota Sienna, Toyota Highlander

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas - San Antonio, Texas - Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Tundra

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi - Blue Springs, Mississippi Toyota Corolla

Honda of America Manufacturing, Inc. -. Marysville, Ohio - Honda Accord, Acura ILX, Acura TLX, Acura NSX

Honda of America Manufacturing, Inc. - East Liberty, Ohio - Honda CR-V, Honda Crosstour, Acura RDX

Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC - Lincoln, Alabama - Honda Odyssey, Honda Pilot, Acura MDX

Honda Manufacturing of Indiana, - Greensburg, Indiana - Honda Civic, Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Civic GX

Nissan North America, Inc. Smyrna -Smyrna, Tennessee - Nissan Leaf, Nissan Altima, Nissan Maxima, Nissan Rogue, Nissan Pathfinder, Infiniti QX60

Nissan North America, Inc. Canton - Canton, Mississippi - Nissan Altima, Nissan Murano, Nissan Frontier, Nissan Titan, Nissan Armada, Nissan NV, Nissan Xterra

Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. - Lafayette, Indiana - Subaru Outback, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Camry

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. Manufacturing Division - Normal, Illinois - Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant- Chattanooga, Tennessee - Volkswagen Passat

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama - Montgomery, Alabama - Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Sonata

Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia - West Point, Georgia - Kia Optima, Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe

BMW US Manufacturing Company, LLC - S. Greer, South Carolina - BMW X3, BMW X4, BMW X5, BMW X6, BMW X7

Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc.- Vance, Alabama - Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class, Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Daimler Vans Manufacturing, LLC. - Ladson, South Carolina - Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Mercedes-Benz Metris (CKD, reassembly only)

@BeddieKU23

School that are interested (and most have offered) include:

Connecticut
Indiana
Kansas
Kansas State
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Pittsburgh
Purdue
SMU
TCU
Texas
Texas A&M
Texas Tech

@JhawkAlum

Again, we talk about UK, at least I do, more in relation on how it affects KU and no because I want to trade places with them. I grant you that some posters who strongly feel a NC is the only goal might have indeed have the envy you mentioned; in fact some would trade places with UConn, a program that has more ups and downs than a roller coaster, I am not one of them and I believe most posters are not either.

If you think about it, which programs would you say are the top 5 programs in college basketball? KU, UK, Duke, UNC would likely be on everybody's list but after that it gets more difficult...Louisville?, UConn? Virginia? Wisconsin? Michigan State? a case could be made for these and other teams but if you look at the most consistent program, then KU is at the top...UNC, UK, Uconn have all missed the Tournament in recent years, but KU has been the model of consistency. There seem to be only a handful of unanimous selections and those become our natural rivals and so it is logical they are cited in our threads. Again, it does not mean that we envy them or that we hate them, it simply means that what they do affects our program in the same way that what KU does affects the other programs.. Go to any of the discussion/comment section on the ESPN website when a KU-UK related topic is discussed and you will see UK fans coming out of the woodwork to attack KU, a lot more so than KU fans attacking UK..

Like I said, it might seem to you that we cave in to UK or other top programs but if you go to UK or the Duke or UNC fan sites, you will see they do as much if not more than we do...it is just the way it is with all top programs....of course MU does not even belong in the same conversation since they have achieved...well, nothing. :D

@Crimsonorblue22

Sasha makes enough that the can (and probably does) live in the States during the off season. He has 3-5 years left in his career and he wants to prove himself in the top League in the world and if he is going to make the jump, the time is now, I believe that he really wants to play here, but as a "somewhat" proven commodity, he can compromise on the salary some with the hope of a bigger future contract, but I would think he does not want to give it away either.

@BeddieKU23

Lots of name programs after him. A 4-star center with bulk and good athleticism; a good senior year can propel him to 5-star. The ubiquitous crystal ball has him 75% KU

@Lulufulu

Yes, he does; everybody cares about money. Money is what is holding negotiations now, regardless of what they say for public consumption, this why the talks about trading him to the Nets are heating up. Cleveland has not much money left and they still need to sign several players while the Nets have money available.

Sasha knows that with one good season in the NBA, his stock can go high and he could potentially command a much bigger salary. If "part-time" Varejao can make $10M, Thompson $7M and Mosgov $5M, a proven Kaun should command at least $4M-$5M.

@REHawk

Here are some answers....

Withey was give a qualifying offer by the Pelicans that was withdrawn shortly afterwards, so he is now an unrestricted free agent. I don't believe he has signed with any other team yet.

Xavier Henry was waived by the Lakers last December after yet a another injury, Achilles this time, and because of his injury history, it is unlikely that throe teams will have much interest. So much potential derailed by injury and what, at this time, looks like a foolish decision to hold before his fist contract.

Kirk exercised his option for the upcoming season and will likely retire afterwards since he will be 35 and his body is no longer holding up.

Collison was locked in a long term contract by OK and he is set until retirement.

Robinson has a two year contract with the Nets so he has at least the next two years to prove he can play in the League.

Paul is a Clipper and he is reunited with Coach Rivers that coached him with the Celtics. He has a lot of experienced game left in him and Rivers knows him well and will utilize him wisely. A good situation for Pierce.

Wiggins is well on his ay to stardom as we all knew he would be ...

The twins are now separated and hopefully they can build their own identities. Their legal problems will likely be "settled" with money going to the aggrieved party, as it seems to be the norm in this type of situations.

Sasha close to signing with the Cavs although there is talk the Nets are interested, and since the Cavs are short on money, they might trade him to another team.

As far as Tyshawn, this is from Gary Bedore...

Former KU guard Tyshawn Taylor, who made the news Aug. 6 for being arrested for allegedly passing a counterfeit money order worth $1,000 in Hoboken, New Jersey, had a better July competing in events for the Ball Up basketball tour.

According to SBnation.com, Taylor won the tour event’s dunk contest in New York, worth $7,500. He also won $2,500 for earning MVP honors of the championship game of the New York Ball Up Million Dollar Challenge Championship. And he won at least $5,000 for playing on the winning team, which received $50,000 to split however it liked.

Taylor’s Sean Bell All Stars went on to win the Ball Up Million Dollar Summer Challenge in Los Angeles. The team won $500,000 to split between 10 players.

Looks like things might get better for Tysahwn; he has an NBA worthy game playing for the right team that can use his talent..

That's it, that's all I got... :)

@justanotherfan

Wiggins did not look particularly exited during his KU visit...it worked out rather well...

All good players want to test themselves at the highest level and Sasha is not the exception. He is now 30 years old and if he is going to jump to the NBA...the time is now. His wife is American and having lived here I am sure that is a consideration.

There is talk that the Nets are also interested in signing him but they would have to set up a trade with Cleveland first. Th e Cavs would like to sign him for the minimum (~$650K) plus the $1.2M exception they have left, which adds up to about $1.85M which is less than the $2.9M he made last season in Russia. Cleveland is pretty strapped for money since they are way into the luxury tax territory and they still have players left to sign. I am sure that Blatt, who coached Sasha on the Russian National team, would like him in Cleveland, but if he is to get close to what he was making in Russia, chances are that he would have to play for a team other than the Cavs.

@Kip_McSmithers

That is very interesting. As far as I remember, the only player that Snacks brought in is Alexander...and that did not work out very well for KU.

@Statmachine

Ah yes, cash is a big motivator. Best of luck with it...:)

@drgnslayr

I saw that Ford is moving production of some heavy trucks from Mexico back to the USA...I guess all the Mexican workers they need are already, here thanks to our idiotic policies.

@drgnslayr

The new digs are not consider off campus living; they are just another on campus student living, albeit a very, very nice one...

When you also consider the free tuition and book and tutors and coaches and trainers and training facilities, it is not a bad gig...if you can get it.

@Statmachine

That is one square mile...that is one big property.!!!

@BeddieKU23

This link has some more context ↗. When you consider that he was still consider a project and not a player ready to contribute, then the loss is not nearly as bad. More troubling is that he clearly mentions Hoiberg leaving as the reason for not coming back; obviously this sends a message that many prospect would use to remove ISU from their list...just when the rivalry with ISU was getting good looks like they might regress some...or a lot..in the future.

@BeddieKU23

He likely did not see a lot of available playing time at KU...why be the little fish in the big pond when you can be the big fish in the little pond...just sayin'

@elpoyo

Interesting. You claim to know Frankamp (and family) and yet you don't know the real reason why he left. I understand the real reason he left was kept very quiet in deference to Conner and so not to jeopardize his chances of landing at another program and I respect that, but it had nothing to do with Coach Self "mismanaging" Conner and everything to do with Conner. Some poster are aware of what happen but in deference to the kid I will not mention it either.

While I wait for basketball I am anxious to see how the football teams does...I sincerely hope I don't lose interest by the fourth game as it has been the case the last few years,

@JhawkAlum

I respectfully disagree with you. I occasionally go to Duke, UK, UNC and other programs fan's sites when directed by a basketball link while researching on line and in my experience, they all have an analog equivalent of every and each one of our posters, Some forums have more knowledgeable posters and others have posters that are completely clueless...not a lot of difference really.

I personally don't believe that we are infatuated with UK or Duke or UNC just because we talk about them; that is silly. The KU and UK programs (and also UNC and many others) are in many ways inexorably intertwined. The father of UK basketball, Adolf Rupp and their latest and best coach, Calipari, both got their starts at KU and are part of the KU Coaching tree legacy, in the same way that former Jayhawk Dean Smith, the father of UNC basketball and the current Coach, Roy Williams did.

More recently what happens at UK and Duke and UNC recruiting an otherwise affects KU and the same is true the other way around, since all these programs go after the same top players and the player they get is one we will not and vice versa. So it is natural that in the course of discussing KU basketball, the other schools will also be addressed. This by no means indicates that we are infatuated with those school or that we have an inferiority complex. If that would be the case, then a similar case can be made about the other schools since their forum are not that different from our little forum and they have as many or more posters that constantly criticize their own coaches than we do. The adage..the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence...seems particularly appropriate in this case since the tendency is to want what we don't have and take for granted what we do have..

Stepping down from the soap box...:)

Interesting side line...Apparently Embiid's injury is not covered by the Sixers insurance ↗so they are picking up the entire tab for the two guaranteed years in his contract.

Here is a link ↗ to a summary of what he thinks about each program...

@drgnslayr

This is 3 year old story based on an informal (off-the-record) poll by Jeff Goodman, ESPN Insider.

Every other ranking has (had) Donovan as top 3 and this one has him as #8?

I believe a dislike for or bias against Cal has him that low on that particular poll; if the coaches would have to identify themselves, there is noway he comes out #16. Just my opinion.

@justanotherfan

I am not sure. Players quickly learn about the traditions and program history and it does mean something to them; perhaps not to the extent that it means to us. I know even new players get pumped up for the big rivalry games, although some times they do not quite get the full gist until the have experienced it one time. I know players would get amped up for games like MU but they did not grasp the extent of the hatred until the first time they faced MU.

I would like to think that players are now a part of the program....the entire program including history...and they will know what that loss meant to the program of which they are now an integral part.

@HawkInMizery

Agreed. This why I indicated that a good agent will help him manage his money wisely, but when it comes to family and "friends"... sometime there is no answer for that.

@Crimsonorblue22

I know....you guys are fun bunch. Working on a big proposal and had to take a call from my Geologist in California

@Crimsonorblue22

Daughter and husband visiting so we are watching the game...

@Crimsonorblue22

a little lonely here...

@Crimsonorblue22

Here is a link ↗ that talks about the Greek Center...

@drgnslayr

Cal may be a better coach than he projects. But there is no denying the rejection from his peers. I don’t believe they rank him anywhere near the top in Xs and Os.

Every ranking I have seen from analysts to reporters and from scouts to coaches universally have Cal in the top 5 and most in the top 3. I don't like Cal but I have grudgingly admit that he can flat out coach...it is not the coaching but the other "stuff" that comes with the coaching that turns people off. Let's not forget that Cal got his coaching start at KU under Ted Owens and Larry Brown.

@globaljaybird

Sorry to hear to hear about that. I am not sure if the Big Guy listens to me but I will say a prayer for him all the same..

@Crimsonorblue22

Many players signed with ISU with the understanding the Hoiberg would help them get to the NBA. Now that he is gone. ISU does not look nearly as appealing. With their big guns leaving after the upcoming season, the new coach will have an up-hill battle recruiting-wise.

@Crimsonorblue22

I have always consider my pets (read dogs) a part of the family, so I have zero tolerance for people that abuse pets.

The squid always makes sure that he has...plausible deniability...he should be a politician, he would fit right in.

Sound likes their 7' Greek red shirt Center is not playing and might not be coming back either.

@Crimsonorblue22

Wow. I did not even now they were in Spain. Here is another link ↗ that indicates they have only 6 scholarship players and 9 total...I wonder why so few players...

Many cities now ban pits and their owners are up in arms over it. Lots of debate between the side that says it is the breed and the one that says it is the individual dog. I personalty would not own one and I would strongly discourage any one with kids to own one. Cant' really blame the dog if it is in his genes, but I would not take a chance.

I believe that the sociopaths that killed the pom should be subjected to the same treatment they inflicted on the little dog...my Louisville Slugger and I would volunteer, 5 minutes is all I ask....

@HighEliteMajor

You are correct I did miss Embiid who along with Withey and Aldrich are the only players listed as Centers since Kaun. I believe Kleinmann was also listed as Center but he really did not play much.

@ParisHawk

"Sports agents generally receive between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, although these figures vary. NFL agents are not permitted to receive more than 3%, and NBA agents not more than 4%, of their client's playing contracts." ↗

Profit is ALWAYS less than revenue and applies to a business enterprise...I suppose you can think of a pro player that way. For salary we usually think in terms of gross and net rather than revenue and profit. Uncle Sam probably gets the biggest chunk of money. Many pro athletes relocate to states like Florida or Texas that do not have a State Income tax and can save a considerable amount of money. Also, a good agent will help the client shelter the money to minimize taxes.

Now, family and posse...that is a different ball game altogether...

KU has not had a 5, i.e. Center listed on the roster since Jeff Withey, link here... ↗

@Kcmatt7

Good summary with one correction, Kyle Wiltjer is not in the NBA and he will be playing for Gonzaga this season.

@HawkInMizery

Yao had a short but very profitable career. If Embiid's career ends without having played one game, based on his first contract alone he probably will make several time what the average person makes in a lifetime of hard work, so financially he is set. However, knowing what he could have done on the court and was not able to will always weigh heavy on him.

@Crimsonorblue22

Gary Parrish has been telling that story for while now and like a fish tale ...it gets better every time he tells it. No doubt that most coaches from elite programs can swoop in and take a player that has been courted by a smaller program but most seem to follow some sort of unspoken code as they all know each other, in some cases very well. There is a reason why I call Calipari the squid, other than the name likeness, i.e Calamari, he has a number of long, slimy arms all over and when in trouble he squirts ink to cover the mess...

@drgnslayr

Good points. No question that a prospect 20 years ago and today's prospects are worlds apart.

@wrwlumpy

Sounds good in theory but I just don't see how it could be implemented without alienating travelers even more than they already do.

@HighEliteMajor

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

You are assuming that there is an issue but there is no evidence that we know of that there is one other than the customary delay in evaluating transcript that involve coursework outside the US..

I attended HS in 3 different countries including the US and to enroll in college in the States I had to have all the transcripts certified and I can tell you from my own experience that the process can take a long time. Transcript from countries such as Canada and Europe are pretty straight forward but those from other countries are not. I imagine that the NCAA Clearing House has a large number of analyst looking at transcripts from American applicants/schools which are the majority, and have very few that are familiar with transcripts from Africa and hence there is a longer wait. I will guess that once an analyst gets the transcript the process is fairly quick and an answer is provided immediately, unless they request a new, original transcript. in which case there is an additional wait for the documents which I believe is the case with Diallo, and once the documents are received the process is completed. I do not know for a fact that this is the case, so the narrative above is just my opinion based on my personal experience.

Have you ever conducted business with a foreign country that requires certified documentation...and by that I don't mean buying cheap junk from China on EBay? I have to go through this process 4 times per year and it can take several weeks to get one document certified. If you think our bureaucracy is bad, wait until yous experience a third world country bureaucracy. I would be shocked if you could get any type of certified document from Mail in less than 2 months.

Again, my personal opinion based on my own experience is that for some foreign students that have taken part of their HS classes in certain countries and need transcripts from those counties, the long time to get cleared is the norm and not the exception. I would like to think that most foreign students do this long before graduation, but if a new official document is needed for any reason, the process could be extended considerably.

More and more of the top recruits are waiting longer to sign because they want to see who declares for the NBA and who stays and how much playing time will be available...when you plan to be a OAD, playing time is a precious commodity. If I recall correctly, 7 or 8 of the top 10 players on the 2015 class waited until the very end before selecting a school. This is not likely to change in the future.

According to ESPN, only 1 of the top 10 players and 5 of the top 20 players in the 2016 class have signed so far and most are expected to wait until next year.

@HighEliteMajor

I agree on the release; however, many prospects will only grant release after completion of HS work.

Now, let me ask you this question...granted that you don't think much of Coach Self...but do you honestly think that if the transcript could be had that Coach Self or staff would not have secured a copy of one? How about Duke? or Kentucky that is rumored to have the best compliance person in the business? All of them and 100 other schools actively pursued Diallo and none (assuming the record was available) saw any flags that would make them back off, right? Don't you think that this would in all likelihood indicated that there were no red flags with the transcript?

Now, if you go to the link that you so thoughtfully posted and enter the code for the school and scroll down, you will indeed see the caveat that you mentioned.

Now, continue scrolling down and look at the courses that have been approved and you will see a long list including Advance Placement and Honors classes; looks like 48 approved classes. Now, look at the "List of Denied NCAA Courses" and you will see a list of 17 classes, most of those remedial Math/English, computer science related (NCAA does not consider comp.sci. classes part of the core courses) and religion classes...they are a faith based school after all. As long as the student takes enough of the approved classes to complete the core requirements, there should not be an issue. right? Even you and I could get together ( :D ) and figure that out...don't you think that KU and the other schools would have done that much?

Any top prospect that has an issue with his grades ends up going an extra year to a post-grad prep school to raise his GPA and meet core requirements. The fact that Diallo sent his information to the Clearinghouse and chose not to go an extra year to a prep school would appear to indicate that he was/is confident that he will be cleared based on the available information, right?

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 am willing to wager a week of posting privileges in this Forum that Diallo gets cleared by the end of September...are you game?

@konkeyDong

It could be sour grapes. Eubanks played for American Heritage for 2 years and then he left the school/team in a lurch when he went to Our Savior for his senior year. Highly unlikely that any attorney would agree to take on a law suit like this unless there is pretty good documentation, otherwise they could find themselves at the receiving end of a counter suit by the school.

The fact that there were at least two transcripts is what started the whole thing so that much has been ascertained and since the NCAA did not clear Eubanks, he had to go to a prep school for an extra year to get his academic issues in order. In short, yes, the NCAA did not clear Eubanks.so that part of the story has been corroborated.

@Kcmatt7

Louisville and Wisconsin are currently a much better basketball programs than UCLA and they are both Adidas schools...