🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@icthawkfan316

John Lucas has a huge program that keeps him very busy and very wealthy and I just don't see him taking an assistant position at KU when I am sure he has opportunities to return to the NBA as Head Coach which he has been before (Cavaliers, Spurs and 76ers).

My home base in the early 70's was Bethesda, Maryland and I followed his career ever since, particularly the Lefty Driesell coached Maryland teams that included Len Elmore, Tom McMillan and of course John Lucas. During those years('74???) Maryland had recruited one Moses Malone and had a signed letter of intent and the team was set to battle then power house North Carolina State that featured David Thompson, Tommy Burleson and Monte Towe. At the last minute, Malone decided to jump to the ABA (one of the earlier HS to pros) and left Maryland without a center...and there it went Lefty's best chance for a title. He was a super gifted athlete and he was also and All-American in tennis.

His John Luca Enterprises ↗conducts camps and clinics at several levels including HS and for players preparing for the NBA. draft; he does not work with active college players, and to the best of my knowledge, Tyshawn did not attend his camp while at KU, although he might have attended one after graduation and prior to the draft, as I indicated, Lucas does not work with active college players.

As former heavy drugs user, one of his strengths is working with athletes with addiction problems, and this is the part of his work that, as a former user, is the near and dear to him, and I just don't believe he would want to give that up.

I can't decide what is the design on the back of Embiid's t-shirt, either an arm with a bulging bicep or a gigantic chicken leg...

@konkeyDong

It is actually both. This link ↗ show the eligibility requirements. I am not sure if just taking a summer course counts unless it is towards a college degree, which I seem to remember reading somewhere else had to be undergraduate. McLemore would be eligible since he is still working towards his degree and if TRob is taking classes and making progress towards a degree he would also be eligible since he did not graduate.

@drgnslayr

No problem. I have had relatives that had cancer and I know how expensive it can be. My sister in law had the bone marrow transplant procedure at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, one of the very few places that will do it, and I know the bill for the stay was around $300K. Fortunately she worked for the Social Security Administration and her insurance plan covered just about all of it. She was cancer free for close to 10 years and then it came back and she was gone in a couple of months. Pretty sad.

@konkeyDong

I believe that is a limit on how far removed from college you can be (less than 2 years???), so it is unlikely that TRob would be eligible...but I could have the time wrong.

@approxinfinity

I know at least a dozen people that I have introduce to the site and browse the Forum but are not registered...:(

@wrwlumpy

...they would be playing for Cameroon and Canada, not KU/USA. :(

@drgnslayr

The ABA makes the AMA look like pikers, plus most members of congress are lawyers in the first place.

@jaybate-1.0

In 2004 NCCA KU played UAB coached by Mike Anderson and its "40 minutes of hell" that had just beaten #1 seed Kentucky and stated they would do the same thing to KU as well,

Aaron Miles masterfully broke the full court press time after time and ended up with 10 assists, many of those to the "Big Dub" who scored 30 point including 18-20 from the line. KU won going away 100-74. Hopefully Mason and/or Graham can bring out their inner-Miles and duplicate the result.

@jaybate-1.0

Ladies and gentlemen...Jaybate has entered the building...:)

@Crimsonorblue22

You remember right. KU's answer to the zone was to lob the ball to Traylor over the zone where he was wide open and he was able to take mid range jumpers. He went 6-7 from the field, 1-1 FT, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks and led KU with 13 points in 25 minutes before fouling out. with 5 minutes left in the game. One of his better outings.

@approxinfinity

I believe that the long term relationship Coach Self has had with Snacks weighed heavily in the final decision.

@drgnslayr

The health care in this country is expensive because of lawyers. Why do we pay so much for medications? Because sooner or later the pharma companies will get sued and a jury whose justification is, they have money, they ca afford it, will award a plaintiff a shit load of money. Do you know how much the average doctor has to pay for insurance? A huge amount because sooner or later he will be sued and the insurance company will have to fork out the money. Why do doctors order all these expensive test for the simplest of conditions? Because if they don't they might end up being sued; it is called practicing defensive medicine...very sad indeed.

In the old days, most Americans used to believe that the best way to become successful and wealthy was getting a college degree and working hard. Now, according to many polls, American believe that the best and quickest ways to become successful and wealthy are winning a lawsuit or the lottery...oh, how times have changed.

@mtwagonmaster

Here is the link... ↗

We really don't know all the details but my first reaction is disappointment...

The Wooden List was also released but has only 20 players. Hield, Niang and Staten are the only 3 conference players in that list.

@RockChalkinTexas

Good read without being hostile towards KU like many of our opponents tend to be...actually complimentary.

@jaybate-1.0

Good post with well reasoned and defensible points.

About WVU, did you has chance to watch their game against KSU last night? They combined for 52 fouls and each team shot 20-33 FT. WVU plays up to 16 players and 10 of them are averaging double figure minutes for the season. Last night 12 players played and 9 of them played double figure minutes; no question that they like to tire you with frantic defense and pace. On the other hand, they were barely able to beat a depleted KSU team at home by only 4 points, and it took a couple of mistakes by KSU a the end of the game to seal the win.

As I said before, if KU can beat the full court press it will win handily like Texas, OU and Baylor did. Mason and Graham will need to be in top form and I am concerned about Mason's endurance is this type of game, considering how much he has played lately. I can see having Selden and Green staying back to help break the press. If KU runs into trouble in-bounding the ball, it could be a long afternoon; I would think that recent practices have concentrated on this aspect of the game.

@Blown

I am sorry that you has such a hard upbringing, I truly am; however, by your own description. most of it happened when you were a minor or barely past that age and under extreme circumstances and with a still developing moral compass. The same cannot be said about Howard. He is an adult in a very comfortable (and enviable) situation and in a position of authority/power/influence where he is expected to lead and be a role model for young adults and have a well formed and rounded set of moral and ethical principles. Wouldn't you agree?

Remember, with great power. comes great responsibility - Spider-man's Uncle Ben.

@Blown

You are comparing apples and oranges. Alcohol possession and drinking, as long as you are of legal age and don't drive while intoxicated, is legal. Even if you don't use it, pot possession is illegal in most states by state law and illegal in all states by federal law. One involves doing something legal that by excess or lack of judgment turns illegal, the other is knowingly doing something illegal, period.

As @ralster indicated and without going into the details, KU CANNOT have one policy for players and one for coaches, if anything, the policy for coached should be more strict since they are the "adults" and role models for many of the kids, where players are young, inexperienced, away from home and with a lot of peer pressure to boot. Adults have to set the example they want the kids to follow...do as I say and not as I do... is by no means acceptable.

Peter Drucker famously said:

Management is doing things right;

**leadership is doing the right things **

So it boils down to whether you want to do what is expedient for the program or whats is good for the program. The first case would involve maybe a suspension for the rest of the season and the second would be dismissal from the program. If Howard kept this from Coach Self, I just don't see how he would keep his job.

I guess it comes down to choosing between being a manager or being a leader.

@ralster

Coach Self is and always has been a class act and cares deeply about his players . It is time to close the book on Frankamp at KU. Had not heard about Tharpe coming back but I hope he is able to finish his degree and hopefully put his diploma to good use. I know McLemore has been taking summer classes and I really hope he also get his degree, although he seems pretty well set in the NBA; he does a lot of community service in Sacramento and is well liked there.

@jaybate-1.0

I am sure his resume lists those years as being on sabbatical leave from the game.

@jaybate-1.0

He did OK at the Air Force Academy, considering what he had to work, but beyond that???

I am most impressed with the timing of his 3s, he seems to make them at the most critical/opportune times.

RIP Coach Tarkanian, one of the few to take on the NCAA head on. Sometimes I feel like we could use more like him. He was very influential in the time when the NCAA was starting to bloom and he brought huge exposure and also assembled one of the better college teams ever.

@ralster

I agree on Selden's 2 point shots; however, he seems to have a knack for hitting 3-point shots at the perfect time, either to stop an opponent's rally or to start one of our own.

@ralster

I think I know what you are saying about Frankamp, I was made aware of some inside info by another member who shall remain anonymous and I will not disclose the nature of the issue either. I hope Conner can get his act together and put together at least a decent college career; the NBA seems like a pretty tall order right now.

@HighEliteMajor

Again, you are taking my points out of context to fit your narrative

There is no question that KU is playing from the outside in and that the inside game is not doing well...but then, how do you fix the inside game so you don't have a one dimensional game? You have to keep trying it until you improve it right?

KU is most definitely scheming to shoot the three and it has more success with some teams than others depending on how well they scheme to stop our outside game. Again. there is no question that KU is setting up the offense looking for the three and if the opportunity present itself feeding it inside; this is exactly what the team was doing last night, getting it inside when they had good looks, the only problem was that they were missing easy shots; in the second half those easy shots started to go in and the entire game changed because it opened up the game for the outside shot....this the ideal situation, isn't it?

Opposing teams will try to stop what is working and sometimes, despite the best laid plans, the team just does not execute the plan. Why do you think Coach Self is on the sidelines, red in the face screaming at players?...do you think he is telling them...good job, you are doing exactly what we planned? No, he is trying to tell them quite the opposite, but unfortunately it does not always work. You make it sound that if players are give a set play they will hit the 3 every time? No, they will not. Greene will do that better than anyone but other teams will do their best to prevent him from doing just that...and we are not talking Sister of the Poor caliber teams, we are talking top 25 teams. Our 3 point shooters have their limitations and you can see that Greene will not shoot unless he is isolated and wide open, KU tries to do that but obviously the other teams did not get the memo and try their best to no leave him open, Sure we can do a lot better against teams such as TTU which we can overwhelm with talent but it is not so simple against other equally capable teams. Would it surprise you to know that TTU, a team shorter than KU managed to blocks 4 shots...and 3 of them were 3 point shots and only 1 inside? Yes, our three point shooters do have limitations.

Again, I am not saying that KU should concentrate on the inside game and abandon the outside game that seems to be the strength of this team. All I am saying is continue playing from the outside in but do not stop trying to improve the inside game. Some day when the team goes 2 of 21 from the outside (see VCU game) we still have an inside game that can keep us in the game and hopefully bail us out. This is exactly what Coach Self is doing and you are critical of his approach...so what is it exactly that you want?

You said: ".... But guys like @JayHawkFanToo, like a lot of guys at the old site used to do, make into something it's not. It's not a tactical, schematic, or strategy discussion, everything is an attack on a God."

I read most every post in this forum and I can think of maybe a handful of occasions when you complimented Coach Self. Every other post of yours is criticism of him and even your compliments are of the left handed variety. You have called him every name from delusional to being on drugs and you are constantly stating -as a fact- that he is wrong and that he does not know what he is doing. It is obvious to me and most everybody with whom I converse on this issue and reads you posts that you like Coach Self even less that you like me...and boy oh boy, that is saying a lot. Any unbiased observer reading your posts would also come to the conclusion that you honestly believe that you know more than Coach Self and that you would do a better job; I certainly get that impression and so do all the people I know personally that follow this forum. You can deny it all you want but actions speak louder than words.

Again, I know a little about basketball but not enough to be even dangerous, let alone good at it, but then this not what I do for a living and at my job, I am much, much better at it than Coach Self is, and I don't see him second guessing what I do, so I return the favor and I don't second guess him at what he does best, particularly when I don't have all the information he does...and he does what he does it so much better than most. My last 2 cents on this topic

@Crimsonorblue22

Spot on.

Any one that thinks that KU should also KU should just shoot 3 points is an even bigger fool than what they accuse Coach Self.

What would you say if Rafael Nadal announces that he is a base line player and will not come to the net and will stay back and volley the opponent?

How about if Floyd Mayweather announces he will only jab but will not fight inside?

Or the Chiefs announce they will no longer pass and will only run the ball?

Or Cain Velasques indicates that he will only box and not grapple?

We would all agree that they went insane; being one dimensional in sports is a recipe for failure...you have to have a complete game in order to be successful; it is no different for basketball.

You cannot have one dimensional game; even when you have a great long range shooting team, you still need to have the inside game to open the outside game.

Look what happened at OSU. KU was shooting great from the outside (7 of 9) in the first half and then OSU adjusted the defense and got on the grill of the outside shooters and they could no longer score like they did in the first half (3 of 11). Its is clear that Greene is the best 3-point shooter KU has had in a long time but he is also a spot shooter that cannot create his own shot and cannot shoot when closely guarded. Perry and Oubre also will take shots only when wide open.

I see posters indicating that KU should run more plays for the outside shooters...hello, it does, but you have to consider that it is not playing the Sisters of the Poor team and the other conference teams are also capable and well coached and will have a say in how the game develops.

What Coach Self is saying is that in order to have an effective outside game, KU needs to have a credible inside threat to open the outside game. If you have the capability to score inside, the opponent cannot just concentrate on the outside and by extent it opens up the outside game. Remember Greene's comments after the OSU game?

“When they started pressuring us, we started our offense farther out than we wanted to. It just threw off everything. When you are able to start the offense around the three-point line, you are in scoring position. We weren’t in scoring position with our offense. They got after us and some of us got rattled.”

Having an credible inside game forces the defense stay closer to the basket and abates the problem Greene mentioned.

Interesting how the announcer are quoted saying that KU should use the outside game more but they conveniently are not quoted when they said they understood what coach Self was doing and that KU needed to develop an inside game as well.

Last night, in the first half KU was getting good looks inside and outside but were just not converting (5 of 14- 2pt and 5 of 13-3 pt) and once they started converting inside in the second half, the outside game became more open and both the inside (10 of 15) and the outside (6 of 7) benefited.

When you get a big bonus at work do you spend it all at once? Many people do, but the more fiscally prudent people will set aside some for a rainy day, This is what Coach Self is basically doing. I am sure he remembers the VCU game in 2011 when a good 3-point shooting KU team went 2-21 from 3 and lost a game it should have won. Let's face it, KU's inside game right now is not good and needs to improve and become credible threat to open up the game for the outside shooters. Abandoning the inside game makes KU a one dimensional, predictable team that becomes easier to plan for. KU needs to improve its inside game to complement and open up the outside game and it will not improve unless it is used at game time. Interesting that most are calling for more playing time for Alexander, the ultimate inside player who does the bulk of his work within 5 feet of the basket; if you want a purely outside team, then Alexander is not the answer.

Coach Self makes a lot of money doing what he does and he does it better than just about anyone else. Always get a chuckle when I see a post that says that coach Self does not know what he is doing and he is doing it all wrong bu then...they would not change him for anyone else; to me it is a lame ass excuse to try to hide a bias and dislike. If you think Coach Self does not know what he is doing or he is doing it all wrong...why, do pray tell why would you want to keep him? Wouldn't it be better to get a coach that "knows" what he is doing and does the right way? Isn't that position the ultimate oxymoron? Of course there is that pesky thing called...WINNING...that critics cannot explain.

I visit regularly on the subject of college basketball with a dozen or so people on a regular basis, about half of them KU fans and the other fans of different programs...including MU; if you live in the KC metro area, chance are that some of your friend/colleagues will be MU fans. Without exception, they all agree that most every ADs in College BBall would give his right nut...scratch that...both nuts, first born and the wife too...to have Bill Self coach his program, and they don't understand the hate and criticism he seems to get in certain circles, particularly in view of the consistent success he has had and what he has achieved not only at KU but throughout his career.

The comments above are not directed to any member in particular and there is no malice intended; they simple reflect my opinion (and frustration and that of many other people on the subject) and as such, it could be wrong. Apologies in advance to anyone that is offended by them.

@benshawks08

I find it interesting that most posters believe that KU will surely lose at WVU but OSU can win...hmmm...

@benshawks08

Do you think they win at WVU? It is possible but IMHO not likely...

Vegas line opened at -12 and it is now -10-1/2; apparently people were taking TTU and the points.

@drgnslayr

Against the Baylor zone passes went over the zone to Jamari and he hit 6-7 mid range jumpers. Last year in the NCAA against Eastern Tennessee he hit 7-8 for 17 points and 14 rebounds. Just two examples that come to mind. Traylor can play and he can hit the mid-range jumper, he just does not seem to do it consistently.

@KansasComet

I am with you. Who would have thought (after the UK and Temple games) that at this stage in the season KU would be 19-4 and 8-2 and i control of the conference? Pretty much no one. I predicted 14-4 (or even 13-5) would win the conference and it seem like a likely result. I for one am very pleased with outcome so far.

@benshawks08

OSU has 2 games with WVU and 1 against ISU, also 2 against TCU and 1 against TTU, both upset minded teams. Highly unlikely that they go unbeaten.

@KUinLA

I believe you will see varying opinions on the value of winning the Conference title. Many of us believe that winning the conference represent continuous excellence and it also prepares you and set you up for a better seed in the tournament and as such it is very important and an achievement that rewards you for the 18 game conference schedule. Others believe that only a deep run in the NCAA tournament has value and that he conference title has little or no value.

I personally think that a deep run in the NCAA tournament involves talent of course, but also a good dose of luck and favorable match ups. Rick Pitino said that the tournament is designed so any team has a change to win it, and that if it would go a 2 of 3 series, the top teams would win every time. Remember KU's improbable run in '88? KU had a lot of luck winning that Championship but there were several other years when it really should have won it and yet it did not. Was Uconn the best teams last year? absolutely not; it was barely ranked in the top 25 and yet it won with one lucky run. How about Kentucky last year? it made to the finals by beating teams by 7 (KSU and largest margin), 2, 5, 3, and 1 point, a couple of those buzzer beaters. Just my opinion.

@jaybate-1.0

Long before the Traveling Wilburys he was the only singer to open for Elvis and for the Beatles in Europe where he became a huge star.

@HighEliteMajor

While the commons sense option seem to be that fouling with a 3 point lead is the better option when you look at the number it is not that obvious. Here is a interesting article ↗on the subject that once again leaves the question unanswered. The most comprehensive study on the subject was done by a team from the Harvard School of Business who looked at data for finishes under this condition for a number of years and the result was that there was no real difference between fouling and defending. Respected coaches such as Mark Few and analyst such as Jay Bilas prefer the no-foul approach but there is no set answer because there seems to be a difference depending on the number of seconds left, where 2 would lend itself to a foul but over 7 seconds might not, it also depend on the players and shooters on the court at the time; coaches that trust their defense will likely opt to defend while coaches of teams with weak defense will likely opt to foul . In short, it is game time call that if you get it right you are a genius, and if you miss it you get crucified. Keep in mind that many times coaches will tell the players to foul but they cannot or will not due to the risk of getting a flagrant called which can be the worst possible outcome. If you remember the KU-Memphis game, Calipari was screaming to foul but Collins was able to avoid being fouled (Memphis will always say that he was) passed the ball to Mario and the rest is history.

@HighEliteMajor

"You'll be happy to know that coach K just fouled, up by three, under 7 seconds on the clock.'

Two seconds left on the clock. Didn't KU do the same thing at Baylor just a couple of weeks ago? Ahead by 3 Mason fouled with 6 seconds left, right?

OK. OU did its part and beat ISU 94-83. OU shot 6-6 from FT line and ISU 7-14; OU had 12 fouls and ISU14 or 26 combined; they combined for 132 shots...why don't we get those refs?

OSU beat Baylor at Baylor by 9 and the teams combined for 104 shots and 38 fouls; what a difference in pace. What will Ken Pomeroy say, he had OU as the top ranked team and Baylor second ahead of KU and way ahead of Oklahoma State. :)

@HighEliteMajor

As I indicated in my post, I watch games like everybody else here and that is the extent of what I know. I will guess that also like everybody else here, I have no inside information on what goes on with the team behind close doors, so unless I have the entire story I prefer not to speculate or second guess the decisions of the one person that has all the information...but then, that is just me and I don't expect anyone else to do likewise...so you can speculate or second guess all you want.

When I post an opinion or a bit of information, I try to provide a link to the source, otherwise I usually qualify it as just my opinion and that it could well be wrong...again that is just me.

More specifically in response to your question, I do believe that Traylor brings more energy and also believe the he is able to step away from the basket and on occasion drive to the basket or take the short to mid range jumper like he did against Baylor, where Cliff normally plays with 5 feet of the basket and when he steps outside he is slow getting back and leaves the door open for back cuts. Just my opinion.

Bit of cheering trivia ...

In the early 70's Austin Peay University recruited a noted playground/street player named James "the Fly" Williams who went to score 51 points twice in his freshman season and set a number of scoring records and moved under the then hardship rule to the pros after his sophomore year.

Anyway, during his playing day there, the students would chant...The "Fly" is open, let's go Peay...cleverest cheer ever. :)

And that is your bit of trivia for the day.

P.S. You can guess how "Peay" is pronounced...

@globaljaybird

Oh yes, things have changed big time since then and JCCC works closely with KU as it probably is the top feeder school. It has now an enrollment of 20,000+, of course many part time, so the equivalent full time enrollment is close to 11,000.

@MoonwalkMafia

Read my post again. I was not comparing Traylor to Hinrich at all, I simply provided an example of how numbers alone do not provide the entire story. I am a huge fan of Kirk but look at his numbers ↗ this season compared to his career average and tell me if his assists and points have not dropped to half his career average and all his stat are down across the board and yet he is still getting substantial play time (27 vs 33 mpg). Obviously there are intangibles that the number alone do not tell. That was the entire point of mentioning Hinrich.

Most every coach including Self believe that a 7-8 player is the ideal rotation and by March (barring injuries) this is pretty much the rotation they play. Calipari was asked on Game Day (at Ames) what was the ideal rotation and his answer was "7 and 6-1/2 would be even better." so Coach Self is not the only one zeroing on a rotation of 7-8 players and Svi has not played well enough to be part of that rotation. This the current rotation in order (in my opinion) of play time,

• Current starters: Mason, Ellis, Selden, Oubre,Traylor
• First of the bench: Green, Alexander, Graham
• Long rotation: Lucas, Mickelson, Svi

@wrwlumpy

Actually...that is a pretty good list...

Talent wise Foster from KSU and Taylor from Texas are the best guards but they are both inconsistent. If you want the most valuable guard then I would pick Mason.

Did Ken Pomeroy write that story?

Yes, number can be good and provide information...but...every coach will tell you that numbers alone don't tell the whole story. Look at Kirk Hinrich's numbers this year and tell me, if just by looking at his numbers alone, you would play him as much as the Bulls play him....I think not.

In the NBA, on court performance is the dominant criteria for playing time; you play well you get play time. However. College is different insofar that coaches are still teachers and mentors and are trying to shape boys into men and preparing them for the next level, and in this regard, playing well is just a component of what earns playing time. Also, like most stories, it is written by seeing what we all see on TV and without information on what goes on behind door on the locker room, at practice and even on the bench at game time, it is all just speculation. We don't know if Alexander was tired and winded or said something that warranted less playing time. I am not saying that Cliff did anything wrong, but we know that he has a condition where he periodically gets his back out of whack, it is painful and it takes a couple of days for it to get better; maybe this is what happened and Coach Self did not want to play him at less than full strength or in pain...but then, it easier to just assumed he made the wrong decision. Amazing how he continues to win while making all these poor decisions.

In this regard, you have to respect Bruce Weber, he essentially placed the season and his own standing in jeopardy by benching Foster, but it is good to see him strand for principle and hold players accountable.

I thought happiness Was Lubbock, Texas In my rear view mirror - Mac Davis - Texas In My Rear View Mirror

He should have quit there...

Considering the schedule KU has played, they are doing very well.

I am on the record as saying the 14-4 would likely win the conference and It is still probably true.

Honestly...and I mean honestly and not using hindsight...how many of us thought, after the UK game, that KU would be 19-4 overall and 8-2 in conference? If I recall the posts after that game I would say...not a single one of us thought that KU would be where it is...so...we should quit being spoiled fans and enjoy what we have...think about it, you could be MU fan...AAAGGGHHHH!!!!

@globaljaybird

This seem unusual. The counselors at JUCO have lists of the different courses approved/accepted by the different programs at all the state and many out of state schools. My daughter knew where she was going (out of state) after JCCC and she worked with the school and did not lose a single credit. Now, if you tell them that you will be studying English Lit, at KU and the ended up enrolling in Engineering, there is a chance that many courses will not transfer and the ones that do will be counted as part of the electives.

As I indicated, if you tell the counselor exactly to which school and program you will transfer, chances are you will be OK. You can always verify with the school where you will be transferring which course will transfer and which will not. Many JuCos require that you take classes such a PE in order to qualify for the Associate Degree but you really do not have to take them unless you really want that Associate degree...