@Kcmatt7 You're probably right. I'm still left wondering, though.
KUSTEVE
6008 posts
Shaka's record this year : 17-13. Rick Barnes record this year : 22-7. Texas has a top 5 recruit ...Tenn has a bunch of top 150 recruits. I'd have to go with Smart Shaka over Liberace in a close one.
@mayjay My snark detector just went off. I said the whole story was BS days before this article came out, when everyone was still thinking it was true. I nailed it. The motivation behind it has not been determined, which I guess you probably think was simply a reporter trying to rush a story without proper editing. A story reporting that claims the FBI has Stubby on a wiretap discussing a 100K bribe to a player isn't a story you report unless you have the goods - this isn't a story about the local girl scout cookie drive where they misspelled the name of the Scout troop leader... this is about a wiretap, the FBI, and a bribe. This is about proclaiming at first the FBI has Stubby dead to rights on a wire tap, and then changing that to "sources said". Now, that means ...either the FBI is leaking info, which I don't believe, or somebody wanted to take Stubby out real badly. So, we know now the story is falling apart ... one of the biggest stories reported this year in sports is being shown to be pure steaming crap. Still, we're left wondering the motivation for reporting a false story that has affected a team, a coach, and a program in such a profound way. I think it's a matter of time before the people looking into this start wondering why, and then I think we'll see people wondering the same thing about Phil knight, Nike, their relationship with ESPN, and the curious timing of this fake story.
Vindication! Here is the pull quote:
"247Sports has since reported that there were serious questions about the validity of ESPN's report."
https://247sports.com/Bolt/Arizona-basketball-scandal-Sean-Miller-university-lawyers-continue-to-negotiate-coachs-fate-115669506 ↗ ↗
@mayjay That was Kevin Young, I believe. He squawked like a chicken over that.
Could this be part of the problem?
http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/smithology/2018/feb/27/ku-freshman-marcus-garrett-emerging-as-m/ ↗ ↗" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/smithology/2018/feb/27/ku-freshman-marcus-garrett-emerging-as-m/) ↗
@BShark As big as we are next year, could we use him as a shooting guard next year:astonished: ?
@Kcmatt7 Dawkins was wiretapped June 2017 through September 2017. If the FBI had wiretapped Stubby in 2016, then the story would've broke when they nailed Pitino, Book Richardson, and the gang in 2017. The FBI's involvement with AZ centered around Dawkins. At the time that Book was booked, Stubby issued a statement saying he knew nothing about the bribes. If they actually had Stubby on tape trying to get together 100K for Ayton, would they have simply sat on that info? Why would they publicly call out Pitino, and not say a word about Stubby?
@drgnslayr What if a bribe wasn't ever paid to Ayton? The ESPN story has more holes than swiss cheese. Trust me, it wouldn't bother me a bit if they could prove he took a bribe. I thought he was bought when he signed with them. And even though the ESPN story is fake news, it doesn't mean Ayton or Stubby are innocent. But, you can't make up a big, fat lie and present it as news like ESPN did to take em out. You can't say FBI wiretaps show one thing ( which was the biggest story of the year, imo), and then change the story a few days later, and say sources tell ESPN... I think the whole process was corrupt, which makes me doubt the veracity of the charges.
Now, here is another lie that ESPN has been caught in :
Here's the headline from the original story:
FBI wiretaps show Sean Miller discussed $100K payment to lock recruit
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/22559284/sean-miller-arizona-christian-dawkins-discussed-payment-ensure-deandre-ayton-signing-according-fbi-investigation ↗ ↗
Now, the story has been changed and altered as of today. Now, when you look for what would've been the biggest story of the year on the ESPN website, it's nowhere to be found. You have to look way down on the ESPN website to find a mention of the scandal. And lo and behold, they have the story. And curiously, they won't lead the story off with their own scoop, they lead off with the loans story from Yahoo. And when they mention their own exclusive scoop on the Ayton bribery scandal, here is what they say:
Sources told ESPN that FBI wiretaps intercepted telephone conversations between Arizona coach Sean Miller and Christian Dawkins, a key figure in the FBI's investigation into college basketball corruption, in which Miller discussed paying $100,000 to ensure star freshman Deandre Ayton signed with the Wildcats.
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/22555512/explaining-ncaa-college-basketball-scandal-players-coaches-agents ↗ ↗
Now, wait just a second...on Friday, you said the FBI wiretaps showed Stubby was paying off Ayton ... NOW, IT"S SOURCES TOLD ESPN...
Now, that's quite a leap. And a big, fat intentional LIE that is being covered up by ESPN. Maybe it was simply a reporter wanting to make a name for themselves...maybe it was more ominous. I dunno, but the more I think about it, the more I think the FBI was never involved in this story, and the shock value of the fake news was the intended effect. It wouldn't surprise me if they planned all along to walk the story back.
@Kcmatt7 I'm not saying my premise appears to be the most logical, but without that premise, we are left with a random event that happened out of the blue, where the story has already been corrected twice since it was initially reported, which still doesn't jibe with the timeline that was already established pre season with the Dawkins wiretaps from June to September of 2017. Take away the coincidence of playing Nike U, and completely dismiss Nike's involvement altogether, and either ESPN is lying about the timeline of the wiretap, or the FBI is lying. Because there were no wiretaps on Stubby in 2016. And Ayton signed with AZ in 2016. But ESPN is now saying the wiretaps were not done when the FBI said- they were done in 2016. The same week, Trier pulls a dirty drug test, and his reaction, at least to me, doesn't seem like a guilty man. I will use a good example- when the sh** hit the fan about Cliff's Mom taking that loan, we didn't hear two words from Cliff the rest of the season. Look, I'll grant you make a strong case why my theory could be all wet, but it just seems real funny that all events take place in a week. The last time the FBI announced a coach on the take ( Pitino ), they were there with bells and whistles, front and center on tv. Why would the FBI simply leak an allegation of this proportion to a sports reporter? Why wasn't the FBI behind the cameras announcing this, like they did last time? Why the very curious Friday night release? Lots of unanswered questions for me. I appreciate the give and take. For some reason, I am fascinated by the whole story. lots of cloak and dagger stuff.
@Hawk8086 It's conference season. Bill has never been swept by a conference opponent in a year.
@BShark And it involves a crayon.
I accept and understand I am a voice in the wilderness on this. LOL. Feel free to disagree, but I feel I have a compelling case of intrigue, and have laid out a pretty logical prima facie case. From the very first moment the asst coach bribe scandal was announced, I felt there was a lot more behind it than meets the eye. The idea that Nike would never go after one of it's own, imo, does not factor in the obsession that most influential donor in the history of college sports has with a certain team he loves more than life itself. The millions they make off of Az sports is simply a drop in the bucket to a multi-billion dollar company, imo. Stick Knil Knight, and he bleeds Dux. Like i said, i don't have a smoking gun...yet. Might not ever have that smoking gun. But, at least for me, I will continue to believe until proven otherwise. I appreciate your comments, even if I haven't sold you...yet.
@BeddieKU23 I was under the impression he met with Az big wigs. I have not seen where he met with the FBI Monday. Do you have a link?
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2761778-sean-miller-arizona-reportedly-met-to-discuss-coachs-future-amid-fbi-probe ↗ ↗
@Kcmatt7 I suggest you read the links to Phil Knight. This guy lives and dies Oregon basketball. He has contributed hundreds and hundreds of millions. he is every bit as much a Dux fan as we are KU fans. Only he has unlimited money, power, and influence. So, I don't think it has much to do with Nike making money off Oregon if they make it into the tournament. I wonder how much Nike spends on advertising on ESPN every year. Is it that much of a reach to openly wonder if Knight used his influence to get a story cooked up? Also, ESPN was recently accused of scrubbing derogatory statements from another one of their advertisers- Wendys. They ran a story where Preston Brown of the Bills had said he got into better shape by eliminating eating Wendys, and the story was later scrubbed by ESPN to take out references to Wendys. ESPN is bleeding lots of money right now. Cable subscriptions are way down which is affecting their bottom line. To say they are vulnerable to one of their largest advertisers might be an understatement.
I'm not done with this story, or maybe the story isn't done yet. ESPN releases a bombshell the night b4 the Az/Nike U game whether the coach, and quite possibly Az's potential POY are involved in a payola scheme. The story is released late Friday night, and as a consequence, the Az coach is not allowed to coach the game. Az loses in overtime. The story claims that Stubby was caught on tape working out a bribe for Ayton from the wiretaps in the Dawkins FBI scandal. The only problem is the FBI bugged Dawkins from June 2017- September 2017. Ayton signed with Az in 2016. Once this is pointed out, ESPN changes their story to claim the bugging was now in 2016, well before the Dawkins wiretap went into effect. So, here are my questions about this whole sordid affair:
1- Why would the FBI leak a story to a sports reporter concerning what looks like an ongoing investigation? On a Friday night?
2- Why do the timelines not match up to when the surveillance was established? Why would Stubby be talking about a bribe almost a year after Ayton signed? And if Stubby was involved with Dawkins, why did Dawkins go through Book Richardson for the other bribes at Az?
3- Let's just suppose that the timeline of 2016 were true when they recorded Stubby, what was the FBI doing tapping Stubby's phonelines back then? Did they have a warrant ...probable cause????
4- I don't know if Nike is involved. The bribe scandal seemed to hit Adidas the hardest, except for one Nike school...AZ. AZ is coming off a huge scandal in the football program that cost RichRod his job. Add in the Book Richardson bribery, and you have self-created turmoil, for sure. Not denying Az has done a ton of wicked crap that brought a sledge hammer down on their head. But here is where it begins to get weird: Trier gets suspended the same week they are to play Oregon, vehemently denies it, and is aggressively appealing it. Hmm.That doesn't seem like a normal reaction to getting caught. Then a leaked story about a floating timeline of a supposed bribe the day before the Oregon game. ESPN rushes to have their talking heads proclaim there is no way that Stubby should coach, or Ayton should play. Ayton and his family and attorney are simply apoplectic over the accusation. Stubby is absolutely beside himself protesting his innocence. These are not normal reactions by guilty people. Maybe Nike has nothing to do with this at all- certainly one can be curious about the fortuitous timing of the "leak" on the eve of a must-win game for Oregon to have any shot at the NCAA tournament.
So, it leads me to question whether the Stubby ordeal is corruption being exposed, or whether it reveals corruption by those in lofty places. My own feeling is ESPN is rotten to the core- a bastion of cronyism, favoritism, and selective journalism. In my opinion, if and when the curtain gets pulled back, that Nike is behind alot of this, and I wonder if there might be some elements even in the FBI that are being influenced. Money talks. This whole ordeal stinks to high heaven.
We have practically no depth. We have guys that, if they are drafted, are probably 2nd round. We have defensive issues, a guy that can't miss from the field, and can't make a free throw to save his life. We have a guy that openly skulks that might be our most athletic player. We have a former top 5 player who is highly inconsistent, who makes bonehead plays at times that rival some of Tyshawn's worst plays. We have a PG who might be one of the best shooters we've ever had who doesn't shoot at times. We have a tall white guy who is slow on his feet, can shoot the lights out at times, who disappears at times, and although has made improvements, will never make the all defensive team. We have a tomahawk shotblocking shorty as a backup big, who can't seem to stop running over people on the court.
And I love them.
They play with a chip on their shoulder, they rarely blow anybody out, but they do enough to win. I'm sure no one is intimidated by them ( other than Doke), and I think they've managed to formulate an underdog mentality, which is real hard to do when you play for KU. Everybody and their dog will be expecting this team to get run off the court in the NCAA tournament. And, for some strange reason, I'm thinking this team goes farther than last year, farther than the year before. I think we could see this team play for a national championship. Yes, Devonte ...you can do something that Frank couldn't do ... you can get us a national title.
This is the masterpiece. This is the Mona Lisa...the Sistine Chapel. This is his best coaching year ever ...so far. This punches that HOF ticket. Now, put the cherry on top. Get us another banner. If there ever was a year to do that, with no power house unbeatable teams, this would be that year. RCJHGKU.
@drgnslayr We've been real lucky. Injuries have derailed us several times in the past. I think this team looks much fresher than some of our past teams at this point. The eye test tells me. Plus everyone is having fun, other than vick.
@drgnslayr I'm not sure what to think about it. Is he on the outs with a team clique...or is there something deeper going on? Maybe it's Garrett breathing down his neck. I dunno.
@BeddieKU23 i love watching Garrett play. I find myself watching him instead of the play on both offense and defense. He's just so active on both sides of the ball, and he has sneaky quick speed. That drive to the basket was just flat amazing.
@mayjay I love a good conspiracy theory that involves an evil corporation.
@mayjay I'm throwing it out there. What would be another reason why this false information would be released? I'm adding 2 + 2, and wildly speculating, but I can't think of any other reason why it would be released on a Friday night. That's a real odd time to release info, especially the day b4 Az plays the flagship of Nike.
@wissox Phil Knight built Oregon. Phil Knight lives and dies for Oregon.
@Gunman It was the bombshell factor. Stubby was already under the gun due to his asst coach getting pinched by the FBI, and Trier getting busted.
Did the ESPN network threw out a made up story on the eve of the Az/ Dux game in order to give Nike U a chance to win the game? Maybe it wasn't the FBI who made this up out of thin air ... maybe it was a corrupt media organ spewing fabrications to the benefit of Nike U. Very interesting stuff:
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September 16th, 2016 - Ayton signs with AZ.
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June 17, 2017 - September 25th, 2017 the FBI taps Dawkin's phone.
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Feb 24th, 2018 - ESPN breathlessly reports a tape of Stubby discussing a 100K bribe. This followed the next with a slew of ESPN talking heads all proclaiming that Stubby shouldn't coach, and Ayton shouldn't play against Nike U. So, we are led to believe that almost a year after Ayton already signed with AZ, Stubby is working out a bribe for him. Hmm. Possible? Maybe. Doesn't seem very likely, though.
A few days later, ESPN changes the timeline to say that the call actually happened in 2016, which would've been almost a year before they started wiretapping Dawkins. Hmmm. Now it is getting weird. I think this story is about to blow sky high. Here is a link :
<a href="https://247sports.com/Article/Sources-Conflicting-information-in-ESPNs-report-involving-Arizona-star-DeAndre-Ayton-coach-Sean-Miller-115594868>
@BShark I don't think the FBI was actually involved in this hit job. I think this was a rogue ESPN writer who inexplicably decided to tilt the AZ/ Oregon game in the Dux favor by creating as much havoc as possible. And it worked. Oregon and their sh** sandwich eating coach won. Still makes me wonder if the writer was good buddies with the boys at Nike.
For all of you that thought I had lost my mind when I said I thought the Stubby Miller investigation seemed like BS...well ....here you go:
https://247sports.com/Article/Sources-Conflicting-information-in-ESPNs-report-involving-Arizona-star-DeAndre-Ayton-coach-Sean-Miller-115594868 ↗ ↗
@mayjay PHOF!!!!!!!!
@jayballer73 I said my favorite of all time- I didn't say he was the best of all time.
@Kcmatt7 I know there is something inside me that should be upset about it, but I laughed for a good 15 minutes...
@BShark DG does down as my favorite player of all time.
I found this entire story to be hilarious, so I apologize in advance :
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/molly-the-pig-1.4550000 ↗ ↗
Our guys will want to cut down the nets for winning #14 in a row. Coach will only let them do that if they win. I think we'll blow them out.
@mayjay We beat OU by 30, and our defensive eff goes from 24th up to 33. We beat Tech, and it went up to #41.
@JayHawkFanToo The birth of #BIDG...
@HawkChamp Agreed.
@mayjay That would have to be the only possible explanation. I still don't see how that would make that huge of an impact. The other thing is we out rebounded OU by 13, then we lost by 5 to tech on the boards. Last time, I think Tech beat us by 15 on the boards. We held Tech to 42% shooting %, so I am still not seeing how we dropped so far.
@BeddieKU23 No kidding. We went from #24 to #41 in defensive efficiency by giving up 74 to OU, and 72 to TT. Inexplicable. I have always thought that Kenpom's # have been sketchy, so I don't put much stock in whatever he's cooking up. If you listen to him in an interview, he sounds like an oily used car salesman.
@mayjay I think it's safe to say you can't mix Apples and Oranges..lol.
@jayballer73 PHOF...LOLOL...
@DoubleDD I think they said KU is 8-0 playing against Top 10 teams.
@jayballer73 So, Apple Jones might not be eligible? Oh no.....
@BShark Who was that clown?
@JayHawkFanToo Understood. I still am not sold as them as a 1 seed. I think they're a 2 seed.
@Kcmatt7 Why would the FBI leak pertinent information concerning an ongoing investigation to an ESPN reporter the day before they played Nike U? Why would they sit on a story as huge as a coach taped working out a bribe for a player? They certainly didn't wait on Pitino. A win over AZ would be an absolute if Nike U had any chance of making the tournament. Pretty fortuitous break for them the day before the game. It also helped that Trier was suspended a few days before. Boy oh boy, Nike U is sure lucky, aren't they?
@mayjay True, true.
I'm going to throw this out here ... what if the allegations against Stubby are false? I admit I was giddy as an 8 old year old on Xmas morning when the bombshell dropped. ESPECIALLY since it was Ayton, who had left us at the altar. In the back of my mind though, something didn't seem kosher..something wasn't right... Yes, i wanted it to be true, was hoping it was true, but here is what troubles me:
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Friday night leak to the press the day before AZ was to play the NIKE flagship, Oregon. Hmm. A leak from the FBI. If they had Sean Miller on tape working out a payoff, why did they wait 30 games into the season to drop the bomb? Why did the press leak occur the day before Arizona was to play Oregon? Interesting timing, wouldn't you think? And if they had Sean Miller like they say they do, didn't they also say they had Jim Larranaga ( head coach of Miami U ) on tape supposedly working out a bribe? And didn't Larranaga have a pristine reputation for decades in the coaching profession? And didn't he about have a litter of kittens denying it? It's real funny how all of those allegations kind of went away, and Larranaga is on the bench, doing what he always does.
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Trier pulls an alleged dirty drug test, they suspend him ( right before the Oregon game ), and Trier flips out, and demands an appeal. Most athletes that are running dirty don't demand an appeal. Stubby Miller is not saying he is sorry- he is saying it is all a pack of lies. This is after they claim they have him on tape. The tape they've supposedly had since before the season started. The Stubby tape story that leaked to the press the day before the Oregon game. Doesn't sound like Stubby is going down without a fight. Does that sound like a guy who was working out a bribe over the phone? Something isn't adding up.
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Then we get the Yahoo expense report from the slimeball indicted for bribery, and we see the mother of a KU player listed for a 'loan". Of course, every major sports media throws in KU in their story as one of the teams affected by all this. Apple vehemently denies it- openly talks to the media about it, and says it is pure hogwash. That doesn't seem to be the response of a guilty person, either.
I'm starting to formulate that someone really, really wanted AZ to as weak as possible for Saturday's game against Nike U. I'm starting to smell a rat.