Here is the original ESPN article ↗ and makes you think how good Spoelstra really was handling LeBron in Miami. Not a flattering picture of LeBron and makes you wander, if Blatt leaves, who in his right mind would want to get in the middle of that mess.
JayHawkFanToo
13427 posts
What a class act McLemore has turned out to be. He got an award in Sacramento for the community work he does, he comes back to Lawrence often and I understand he is taking classes and hopes to get his college degree sometime. What a sight it would be to see McLemore walk down the hill on graduation day...
I would like to think that many of the top players will wait on Texas until they figure out what style of play Smart will implement. While his style of play (havoc, 40 minutes of hell, crazy-ass defense or whatever you call it) might be somewhat effective at the college level it is not something that will help them at the next level and the type of defense that KU plays translates better, so it is possible that top players will pass on Texas and pick a school that plays a style that will prepare them better for the NBA. IMHO, his system works better at programs with less than top athletes that can compensate the lack of talent with extra effort/energy; however, he was unable to prove that his system worked even at the smaller conferences where he could not win the conference title even once. If you think about it, his claim to fame is his one win over KU and magic run to the Final Four and besides that an NCAA appearances nothing else.
Here is a summary of his record with total and conference wins and conference finish.
VCU Rams (Colonial Athletic Association) (2009–2012)
- 2009–10 VCU 27–9 11–7 T–5th CBI Champions
- 2010–11 VCU 28–12 12–6 4th NCAA Final Four
- 2011–12 VCU 29–7 15–3 2nd NCAA Round of 32
VCU Rams (Atlantic 10 Conference) (2012–2015)
- 2012–13 VCU 27–9 12–4 2nd NCAA Round of 32
- 2013–14 VCU 26–9 12–4 2nd NCAA Round of 64
- 2014–15 VCU 26–10 12–6 T–4th NCAA Round of 64
You can see that the best conference finish is 2nd and after his one run in the NCAA he did not get past the round of 32 in the NCAA. The last two years VCU lost its initial games including a loss as #5 seed to #12 seed Stephen F. Austin.
Like I said before, the legend of Shaka Smart is much better/bigger than reality...and Scott Drew will be sure to remind prospects of this.
@Crimsonorblue22 @approxinfinity
Yes, Bolt is probably the fastest man ever but he is a one-dimensional athlete that competes uniquely in sprints (100m, 200), and I am not sure how he would do in other events requiring more endurance and/or strength. Typically the winner of the Decathlon is considered the best athlete in the world and I have a feeling that LeBron would do well in that event. Just my opinion of course and a lot of it is based on what I saw LeBron do in the playoffs when he single handed carried his team in one of the most impressive performance in basketball playoff history and many believe he should have been the MVP ↗.
We seem to have a problem with semantics. Perception is one person's view of anything and as such it is subjective and can be biased; however, when the majority of observers see something the same way then perception becomes consensus and by extension reality.
At the time of the deal, I mentioned that it was crazy of Cleveland to sign Love for one year without an ironclad agreement for an extension and now Love can go to whatever team he wants. Had Irving, Varejao and Love stayed healthy, Cleveland wins this series in 4 or 5 games but like I said...the best laid plans...
As far as Love - playing the worst defense you have ever seen - that is a perception that is not close to reality. This article ↗ (from a Golden State site no less) puts Love's defense in context and it is not nearly as bad as many people that have never see him play think it is. Read it and form your own opinion. I am not a big fan of Love any more than I am a fan of LeBron but I have to admin they are both pretty damn good players...another subjective opinion and my last word on the subject.
I am talking about the present and none of those athletes are active anymore. I think you could make a case for Bo Jackson but the others are not physically at the same level as LeBron; Thorpe and Sanders were very fast but physically would not compare with the 6'8", 260 pound LeBron who really is a freak athlete. Did you see the link I posted?
Can you think of a better one? The question was asked to several top athletes by ESP n the last couple of days and no one could come up with better one...link here.. ↗.
You don't have to like him to recognize his talent. I don't like LeBron either but as I have mentioned before, I believe he is not just the best player in the world today, but likely the best athlete as well.
I would think that one of the conditions for Perry coming back for his senior years was playing time at the SF; maybe he was not promised time but I would think that it had to be part of the conversation.
If it would be just me, you could say that I had the wrong perception. However, Love is generally acknowledged by the majority, if not all the basketball analysts, as all the items I mentioned. If you recall, there were two players in the off-season that just about every team in the NBA was gunning for, Love and Klay Thomson. GS pretty early indicated they would not trade Thompson and thus Love became the target of every team needing a big; NBA team would not pursue a player that hard id they thought he was not valuable. Obviously you do not think Love is "all that" but I would guess you are in the minority...although this is also my personal and subjective opinion and I just don't have the time or inclination to look up sources to back up my claim...and I am good with that. You are welcome to find and cite reputable sources that prove me wrong...and I am good with that too.
If they can master the 24 second clock at the WUG, then the 30 second NCAA clock will be a piece of cake.
Maybe one of the "real" bigs will "chase" a ball on the sidelines and fall on Zenger... :D
Obviously they did not get the memo that Canadian players playing for US colleges were eligible and thus left the better Canadian college players off the team.
UConn at #7 in 2014 and Villanova at #8 in 1985 are the only teams with a lower seed than KU's #6 in 1988 to win the NCAA Title. The 2012 was a #2 seed.
The '88 team has to be one the top 3 overachieving teams of all time.
" In CBB, it is just a much more physical game..."
Did you mean to say the NBA is a a more physical game?
If you watch all the NBA series, one of the main complaint was how differently games were called; in this respect it is no different than CBB. IMHO, the main difference between the NBA and CBB is the speed of the game but this is true for all pro vs college sports. Jeff Withey recently commented on this:
.“You don’t have to be big to be physical. Some of it definitely is that the game has slowed down for me now. I understand things a lot better.”
Do any NBA players EVER not walk?
Lete me start by saying that I did not use the term "no brainer." Having said that, trading one unknown player, regardless of potential, for a known commodity, such as Love which is arguably the best rebounder and outlet passer in the game currently as well a a very good offensive player and generally considered one of the top 10 players in the NBA, when you are trying to build a winner "now" is probably as close to a "no brainer" as it gets.
In any case, it worked out great for Wiggins who would most likely have sat on the Cleveland bench and not developed like he has. Cleveland on the other hand did not derive the full benefit of Love's play because of an initial lack of chemistry and ultimately his season ending injury. As Robert Burns said..."the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray" :(
I agree. I know that a player from the losing team never gets the MVP trophy; however, LeBron truly dominated the series and probably deserved to be named MVP.
Full disclosure, I am not a fan of LeBron but I have to admit that he is not only the best basketball player in the world but likely the best athlete as well.
How about Davonte? After Perry and Mason, Davonte will likely be the most important player; he has the potential to be the team's MVP.
The key to the game was GS defense and taking care of the ball.
- GS - 28 assists, 9 turnovers
- Cleveland - 14 assists, 16 turnovers
The game was played fairly cleanly and I thought the refs did a good job. I did not see any blatantly or even borderline bad calls.
Another difference is that the ball is slightly smaller (1 inch smaller in circumference) which should favor the shooters and ball handlers.
In theory and at the time of the trade, there is no question that Love was the better option for Cleveland since he filled a need the team had, whereas Wiggins would have been playing the same position as Lebron and that would have created a conflict and not enough time for Wiggins.
In reality, Love never developed chemistry with LeBron, et al, and his injury was the last drop. As usual, injuries got in the way of the best laid plans. Cleveland has 3 starters out for the season and a team heavily dependent on LeBron, who has been playing great but proving once again that you need a top supporting cast to get to the top; Jordan had Pippen and several other players, same thing with Bird and Magic and Shaquille and Kobe and just about every other player that has led his team to the title...LeBron has really no one on that role.
Here is a photo of Davonte with what appears to be the uniform for the WUG...
Perry Ellis smiling...priceless... :) :) :)
Cliff and family have shown in spades that they don't have the judgment to make decisions that will pay in the future and are mostly thinking on the here and now. A really bad combination for player whose future status is pretty much in limbo.
They are all variation of the full court pressing/trapping "40 minutes of hell" defense started by Nolan Richardson at Arkansas and embraced by coaches such as Mike Anderson ( Richardson assistant) and Smart with varied levels of success. In 2004 Anderson and UAB beat the top seeded Kentucky Wildcats who could not overcome the pressing defense. In the next game against KU, Aaron Miles was able to beat the press and feed the paint resulting in career day for Wayne Simien who ended up with 30 points and KU won going away 100-74..
The key to beat the type of defense is good PG that can beat the press. If the PG beats the press. most of the time the team will have easy scoring opportunities inside or open shots from the outside. If the PG cannot beat the press it will result in turnovers or steals and easy points the other way. This style of play is physically taxing on the ball handlers of the team on the offense but it is even more taxing on the trapping defenders who need to be in top shape. You definitely need to have the right players to execute this defense properly and it will be at least a couple of season before Smart has the right personnel at Texas for his style of play.
Considering that zone defenses are no longer explicitly banned in the NBA and they are controlled via the 3 second rule inside 16 feet, what specific restrictions would you say are the biggest difference between college and the NBA, other than the 3 point line distance?
Best of luck to him and hopefully he does not get any damage to his truck.
I was referring to the small schools mentioned, Oberlin and three University of Minnesota system campuses, Twin Cities, Crookston and Morris, which likely get uniforms for a couple of their teams at best and no cash. I am sure some of the bigger schools used the issue to either over to Nike or get a better deal from Adidas.
Here is a link to what schools receive from their contracts ↗. Even big programs like Oklahoma State apparently do not get any cash only sports gear. KU and Louisville are by far the biggest Adidas programs and according to this article they are overpaid while Nike Schools are underpaid...go figure. Don't forget that before 2005, KU was a Nike school. :D
He can get a pair of old sneaker and walk the parking lot, if the water is consistently under 10"- 12" the it is probably safe for the average car to drive out. A taller car like my Expedition can probably handle 18"-20" without a problem. For drainage purposes, one side of the lot is always higher than the other and thus will have the shallower water; the difference in elevation between two ends of a lot and depending on local topography can be significant. If he can stay on the high side of the lot (shallower water) he can probably exit the lot safely.
I disagree that quality and playing time are pretty much the same thing. Playing time depend on how many "better " players you have playing ahead of you; if there is no better player you will play, regardless on how good (or bad) you are. Ask @HighEliteMajor if he equates quality and playing time under Coach Self in reference to players like Jamari Traylor. A year or two under Coach Self and Hudy will give you experience and conditioning which will make you a better player but you have to start with quality otherwise you end up as a bench warmer.
Agree to disagree?
I read his comment to mean that a lot of NBA can do it and they actually do it...obviously not quite as well or consistently as Curry; he is the League's MVP after all.
Ah yes, I see your point...but that is not what you posted:
"Sometimes I don’t understand the lack of objectivity of memory. Cole was a freshman and played about 8 important minutes the whole season. Yes, they were all against Hansbrough and it was a fabulous moment, but he was not a "quality big".We had a 3 big rotation. How much did he play against Memphis?"
See what I mean? You are equating being a "quality" player with "playing time" and this is where we disagree. Cole was a quality player but at that time, KU had better, more experienced options. Look at the third reserve in the USA National team, he is a superstar but does not play much because the two players in front of him are even bigger superstars. Do you see my point?
If you open the link to the original ESPN story (cited in the original article in your post as well as mine), the list of schools is there...
Like I said, the original ESPN story indicated that Adidas had already settled the issue back in 2013, something the article you cited failed to mention, so I am still not sure why something that was done and settled well over 2 years ago is relevant now; actually the PT Kizone stopped producing Adidas products back in 2010.
I believe, and correct me if I amwrong, that the paragraph:
"And this is not at all driven decisively by Curry being freakishly able to “create shots,” which is just the latest rationalization for why the trey balling cannot really dominate the game, and why KU’s great shooters cannot dominate the game. Curry is a great shooter and a good creator. But there have been tons of guys that can do what Curry does."
Was related to my post where I used Curry as an example; however, if you look at my entire statement:
"Look at Curry as an example, even when closely guarded, he can lose the defender or slip behind a tight screen and hit closely guarded shots and if necessary penetrate. I have not seen any KU player do that, have you? I just mention Curry because I have been watching him lately, but all the good shooters can do that."
As you can see, I did not indicate at all that Curry is the only one that can do that; in fact, look at the last 8 words in that paragraph - but all the good shooters can do that- and you can see that I do agree with you that there are many players that can do it as well. Look at games 2 and 3 when GS was not hitting from the outside, they lost bot games, the third one big Live by the 3 die by the 3... :) :(
Also notice that Curry does not always shoot the ball. Often when he is guarded closely or doubled, he will crossover the defender and go for the easy layup or penetrate and dish the ball to the open man...this is what I mean by creating a shot.
Having said that, my point about KU 3 point shooters not being able to create their own shots still holds true. Unfortunately, KU's great shooters are spot up shooter and depending on what defense they face they might or might not produce. The only player that I have seen that seems to have the capability of creating his own shot so far is Devonte. and at times Selden when he uses screens. I have mentioned before that if I were coaching at KU I would lock the 3 point shooters and let them watch video of Curry, Korver, Durant, Thompson, the "beard" and others so they can see how they are able to create their own and then I would have them practice until they drop...but I am sure they already do a fair amount of this already...some players are naturals, other learn to be and most just make do with what they have.
BTW, I am in 100% agreement about the referees giving the game to Duke.
I can't say that I watch the Big 10 much, just few games here and there and mostly if they involve Big 12 teams, although I did watch a few Wisconsin games towards the end of the season. I watched a few of the "big" Duke games throughout the season as well as other "big" college games in general, but not enough to know the team composition (outside of the main players) well. I have my hands full following KU, the conference and a few other teams in which I have a personal interest. and frankly, I don't have the time to follow much more than that
The article header appears to indicate a June 15, 2015 date while the byline is May 1, 2013.
That is one of the more poorly written articles I have seen in a while. Parts of it are copied verbatim from the ESPN article they cited, "Why are colleges at odds with adidas? " ↗ dated 4/29/2013 which is over two years old and a few days older than the main article byline. By the way, the 2 year old ESPN article indicates that Adidas had reached a settlement about the PT Kizone issue something this article failed to mention.
I am not sure why this two year issue is relevant now.
Some of the smaller colleges mentioned by ESPN likely do not make any money for Adidas, and some of the larger programs involved get a lot of political pressure to speak on the subject, even when Adidas, much like Nike and the Dallas Cowboys, which used the same facilities, had an agreement with a business enterprise and not with the workers themselves and as such, likely had not legal obligation to pay the workers themselves.
Like I said, I am sure Adidas had no problems letting small colleges off their contracts which in many cases are a little more than a handshake and involve a few hundred thousand dollars at best. The larger contracts are pretty much ironclad and would be very difficult to get out of. Apparently Wisconsin tried to exert pressure with the help of the State Attorney General (talk about politics) and guess what...2 years later they are still an Adidas school.
I never said that KU did not have good 3 point shooters, I said that KU does not have players that can really create their own 3 -point shots; Davonte is the only one that I have seen that seems capable of doing it.
KU has great spot up 3 point shooters and thus its efficiency depends on the defense they face, if they are given room they can score, if they are guarded close they don't. Look at Curry as an example, even when closely guarded, he can lose the defender or slip behind a tight screen and hit closely guarded shots and if necessary penetrate. I have not seen any KU player do that, have you? I just mention Curry because I have been watching him lately, but all the good shooters can do that.
As far as your question, without knowing the teams and the actual numbers, time periods/games, specific players that you are referring, I am not sure if anyone can answer such an ambiguous question.
I am not sure I agree with your assessment that Cole was not a quality big; IMHO, he was. The reason he did not get more playing time is not because he was not a quality big but because KU had other...shall we say...better and more experienced quality bigs.
Many agents will "advance" money to clients and will get paid when the contract goes through. However, considering that Cliff does not have a contract as of yet, it looks like a risky proposition. As far as the ca,r and as cars go for pro-athletes, this is not really not that extravagant.
Not a lot of teams can do what GS did and certainly not Kansas. The Warriors really do not have quality bigs but they do have plenty of artillery from the outside and good penetrators. GS did usually get one shot and no rebounding and had no one that could contain Thompson who scored 19 point from within 3 feet of the basket...that is twice as many as his season average; the majority of their 11 offensive rebounds were in one possession towards the end of the game when they got 3 or 4 in just that possession; a trade-off that paid off.
To do what GS did you need extremely good outside shooters that can create their own shots and KU just does not have any of them; KU has good spot up 3 point shooters. Anyone that thinks KU has great 3 point shooters, take a look at Curry or Klay Thompson or Iguodalas or Barbosa...and tell me if any of them...even in their dreams...can come close to the GS shooters. GS plan worked because they were hitting from the outside; look at the two games they lost, it happened because even the best shooter(s) in the League can have a day or two off.
After watching every NBA playoff game there is no question that LeBron is the best player in the world, period. However, he does get away with a lot and gets as many or more favorable calls that Michael Jordan, and that is saying a lot. When he lowers his shoulder, pushes off with his off arm and bowls over the defender, it should be an offensive foul but gets the gets the call just about every time. Having said that and even when I don't really like him much, there is no question that without Lebron, this series would have been over in 4 games.
I agree that the jury is still out. However, the fact that the has been injured a lot longer than he has been on the court would suggest that there might be something in his make up that makes him prone to injury; I surely hope not.. Maybe his nutrition in his earlier years in Africa was not conductive to develop strong bones like we take it for granted here...who knows...
Me too. :)
You are probably just watching the finals with LeBron who is like a gigantic black hole (no pun intended), and once he gets the ball it is not seen again until he either scores or commits a turnover. Even then, the first 2 games went into over time. Some of other series prior to the finals were wildly entertaining.
As much as medicine has advance, there still is no answer for genetics. Players like Greg Oden and Yao Ming had access to the best doctors in the world and still had their conditions end their careers; at least Yao had a few good years while Oden's never really took off at all.
Of course we know that Sherron has a condition that makes it very difficult if not impossible to keep his weight down. Can you image the insane athleticism he would have had playing 30 pounds lighter?
Excellent post as always and a very insightful view into the program and more specifically into Coach Self himself.
I am with you on the Giddens issue; when I read that chapter of the book it was definitely disconcerting and left a bad taste in my mouth. I guess we might never know what really transpired behind close doors but I could not help but feel sorry for Giddens who genuinely thought let down by KU.
In many ways coaches are the first real role models many of the less privileged kids have in their lives and as such, perhaps coaches, much like real parents, have a moral obligation to stand by the kids in the good times and particularly the bad...up to a point, of course. Given that there was the possibility that he might never play again, maybe he should have been suspended from the program for one year and given the opportunity to get his life in order. Of course this is easy for me to say since I don't have all the facts and I am not making the decision, which goes to show how hard the HC position really is, both on and off the court.
Good info. What is your impression about Mason's height? I know KU lists him as 5'-11" but when standing next to other players like Davonte, he seems closer to 5-'9" than 5'-11".