🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Woodrow said:

Not too derail this, but can we please stop pretending that Dedric is coming back.

Lol this is 100% accurate. And it would be so dumb if he did come back.

But I'm going to imagine it for like 5 more minutes.

I mean, it's very clear he's leaving. We are basically only recruiting Hurt and Precious at the moment... I wonder who they're replacing???

It wouldn't even make sense for Dedric to come back. The dude should end up with his degree after this year and at that point, GO GET THAT PAPER.

JAYHAWKFAN214 said:

Kcmatt7 said:

@KUSTEVE If we returned everyone except Vick and Charlie Moore, we could be a scary bunch.

Charlie moore is not goning anywere

Wanna put $50 on it?

@Gorilla72 This year's team, with Silvio and Doke, likely are fighting for the #1 spot. Certainly we end up beating UK.

I'm just hoping that the basketball Gods show us mercy and finally let the stars align next season.

@KUSTEVE If we returned everyone except Vick and Charlie Moore, we could be a scary bunch.

On the bright side for the 19-20 season, Hernandez from Miami will be able to play half of next season...

So it looks like we will at least get Silvio for next season.

Maybe, just maybe, the silver lining in all of this is that next year's team ends up what this year's team should have been... Of course that all depends on the decisions of Dedric and Doke.

Bwag said:

Kcmatt7 said:

Don’t shoot the ball well enough to win a game where we are so undersized. Not a good matchup for us.

I don't think we run enough action on the perimeter...we did late and Vick ended up with 10 but waaayyyy tooooo laaattte.

Get that going earlier in the half and the rest of the game plan opens up.

Is that on Vick or Self? I put it on Self cause he can call the action and the plays!

I agree. At the same time, though, our guards aren’t good passers and and routinely throw each other bad passes. Add in that Vick and Grimes both don’t look to turn the corner on drives and we are just easy to defend.

Don’t shoot the ball well enough to win a game where we are so undersized. Not a good matchup for us.

Crimsonorblue22 said:

Tough w/out 2 bigs

Well we don’t even have a mismatch 4 to throw at them. Garrett not able to shoot takes away the advantage.

Dedric needs to start looking for an open shooter when they collapse

Forget that Big Dave might actually be able to progress and become valuable by March. Or today...

KirkIsMyHinrich said:

No chance Tennessee-WVU finishes before the KU-UK game starts. It's going to go like 15-20 minutes over.

Odd for such a low scoring game.

truehawk93 said:

Kcmatt7 said:

Wings in the smoker. Beer has been cracked. I’m ready.

What time do we arrive?

Anytime. Byob

KirkIsMyHinrich said:

Kansas St has scored 3 points in 10 minutes in the 2nd half and is probably going to lose to A&M.

The 1 o clock games aren’t going so well... UT proving it’s time to fire Shaka.

Fightsongwriter said:

@Kcmatt7 Nice!

There should be a pork butt in there too, but my lady friend put it in the freezer last night by accident... Really unfortunate lol.

@Fightsongwriter Hickory and Apple combo. Getting crazy...

Wings in the smoker. Beer has been cracked. I’m ready.

BShark said:

I think UK slams KU today. Too many horses. KU not playing well.

Agreed. Only thing in our corner is Bill being a better in game coach than Cal. It’ll take everyone’s A game today to come out with a win.

kjayhawks said:

@Kcmatt7 Maybe then need to change it to where it’s is set closer to when the game are actually going to be played.

Coaches didn’t like that when they were doing that before so they changed it.

truehawk93 said:

I hope we get a nice little healthy surprise. I like our odds.

I do too. B12 showing well so far. I do like this challenge as a nice measuring stick for the league. UK could just be looking better against a worse than projected conference.

Clearly I’m a jinx today. So I’m going to go ahead and predict we lose today.

Also Reddish is kind of not very good.

Tre Jones gets away with a lot

Secret is out. Play zone on Duke.

Duke struggling at home :eyes:

ISU just can’t quite pull away.

kjayhawks said:

I don’t understand how they come up with who plays in the challenge. Some of the better SEC teams like LSU, Auburn and Mississippi State aren’t playing while Texas and KSU both have gimmies. I understand that WV was preseason ranked and that was a good match up with Tennessee when this was released but only 2 games look good to me, ISU vs Ole Miss and KU vs UK. Arkansas maybe able to keep it close with Tech but I wouldn’t bet on it.

They’re doing it two years out now. So those teams sucked at the time. Bottom 4 SEC teams this year will be out for two years.

kjayhawks said:

@Kcmatt7 Watch Videos of Embiid, who is dominating the league at his position and watch Wilt. Tell me they ain't similar players, I'd actually say Wilt was better. I think he could do more than Embiid is doing today. The game back in the day was way more physical, guys were get elbowed all the time, shoot punches were being thrown in several games.

Wilt was better than Embiid. But Embiid would have put up godly numbers in the 60s as well.

Your myth of physicality in the 60s is funny and completely incorrect. Touchiest than it is now. Again, more free throws and fouls were called in that era than are called now. And that was before the strategy of fouling to lengthen a game even existed.

kjayhawks said:

@Kcmatt7 LMAO!!!! Anyone thats puts Shaq in the same conversation as Wilt should be slapped, Wilt was an insane athlete, Shaq was lazy and useless more than 5 feet from the rim. Shaq is Doke(beside lazy) and Embiid is Wilt. Wilt had a very similar build to Joel and Joel is one the best players in the league today. Watching videos, I'd say Wilt is considerably better defensively. Size doesn't mean a ton to mean especially in todays game where you get a foul call for looking at someone. Jordan, Wilt and Kareem all would've averaged 5 or 6 more PPG if they played today based off of weak foul calls alone. Who are the best players in the league right now? KD- Skinny and no girth, Curry- tiny and no muscle mass, Lenard- skinny as can be but quick. Girth means nothing in todays game, even LeBron has slimmed up so he's quicker. You should watch Videos of Wilt man, he's beating guards down the floor, while Shaq walked most of the time. I gotta say the Shaq comparison maybe the stupidest comment I've ever seen on here. @Texas-Hawk-10 tried to out do you tho.

Kevin Durant - 240 lbs. Skinny.

Bill Russell - 220 lbs. One of the bigger players back then...

Jerry West - 6'2 185 lbs.

Steph Curry - 6'3 190 lbs. Tiny.

Kawhi Leonard - 6'7 230 lbs. Skinny.

Bailey Howell - 6'7 209 lbs.

I think that's all I need to say about who Wilt was going up against. It's fun to imagine him as a demi-god. But he was a man, in a game built for him, playing against 1/1000 of the competition that exists today.

I mean, literally, there are probably 100,000 more players to choose from today than there were in the 60s.

To your next point, there were more foul calls in the 60s than there are today. In fact, it was far more strict on both sides of the ball. 15 more free throws shot per game in 1960 than last year. Or, 70% more free throws per game. Which is a metric shit ton. They also scored 13% more points back in the day than they did during Shaq's time, which leads me to my next point.

Shaq's per 36, when adjusted for the era, would have lined up JUUUUST short of Wilt. Shaq even had a better FG% and FT% than Wilt did. Sure he played bully ball, but he would have still scored FG at a similar pace.

I'm not telling you Shaq was better than Wilt. But he would have put up very similar numbers had he also played in that same time period just because they were both so much bigger than anyone else playing the game at that time.

BeddieKU23 said:

@Kcmatt7

All good points you added.

Just looking at the matchup we look a bit overmatched but I doubt it plays out that way. I'm surprised how good they are playing right now but I'm also not convinced teams such as Auburn or Miss St are that good anyway having watched their games against UK. Kenpom has Kentucky's offense 7 spots better but the defenses are around the same. I'm interested to see how Dotson responds to being guarded by Hagans who is among the best defenders in the country. He really has a knack for steals and putting pressure on point guards. If he had a shot he'd be a top 10 pick in the upcoming draft

I would have someone else bring the ball up other than Dotson just to neutralize Hagans. Maybe even stick Dotson in the corner a few times to frustrate Hagans and hope he gets overly aggressive trying to make a play and end up leaving Dotson for a wide open 3 or kick out that lets Dotson get an easy drive.

DoubleDD said:

OK I'm wrong lets pay full price for a part time player. Better yet sign him to a new contract. Top dollar.

What do you not understand about:

It would cost more to cut him now than to keep him.

@jayballer73 I believe it's because they have been atrocious. Bottom four don't get to participate for two years basically. So depending on how they do in the SEC this season determines the next two years. At least that is how I think it works.

As of right now, it looks very likely they will miss the cut again.

BeddieKU23 said:

A KU win here does have some meaning as far as seeding goes. A road victory against a Top 10 team that's trending up, yes please.

There are matchup issues for KU everywhere. This is a game where Doke is needed badly.

Dotson vs Hagans is probably the matchup that can alter the course of this game the most. Hagans is on par or better a defender then our own Marcus Garrett. He puts a ton of pressure on point guards. Dotson's turnover numbers on the road are very concerning. He's going to have to play smart with the ball.

As a team, I think the difference in this game could come down to fouls/free throw shooting. If KU gets in early foul trouble or has starters sitting that's where the advantage in this game heavily favors UK. I see Kentucky putting a ton of pressure on our lack of a rim protector. I know Self loves man to man but this would be a perfect game to show a mix of some zone. Herro and Johnson are good from deep but I think it would be easier for KU to guard Hagans in a zone then it would be M2M. Just some thoughts. Would love to see the guys play free and play with energy and passion on the road, something that has really been lacking

To add to it:

KU desperately needs Ochai to play well without fouling this game. This lets Garrett guard Johnson or Herro. I think PJ eats KJ's lunch, so we can't let that happen.

I think Dedric is a better player than Travis and should be able to effectively guard and score on him.

Calipari has tightened his rotation quite a bit these last few games, but still has a much deeper bench in the post. I'm concerned with how we deal with Manuel and Richards. Either of them could have a career day against us if we stay small.

Long story short, there is one key to this game. Control the pace. If we don't turn it over, keep them from getting in transition, and keep our best 5 on the floor, we can win this game.

@wissox That's why I like how baseball has basically split everything into eras accounting for changes in the game.

Like Ruth, Wilt is certainly the best player of an era and will be a legend for forever.

I don't know how anyone can call Wilt the GOAT when he played in an era where well over half of the players couldn't afford to train year round like him, the players were tiny in both height and weight, during a time period that teams had a wink-wink agreement to carry less African-Americans.

It is not far fetched to think Shaq would have put up similar numbers to Wilt against the same exact competition. Wilt had 80lbs+ on Bill Russell. The AVERAGE player since the 90s has been 6'7 220 Lbs. Back when Wilt played, the average player was closer to 6'5 and 200 Lbs. A 3% increase in height. A 10% increase in weight. Not insignificant numbers at all.

It is definitely possible Wilt is the best. But it is damn near impossible to know.

:eyes:

Tennessee is overdue for a loss. Playing with fire at this point.

Maybe he's left handed and just doesn't know it.

A little late to fix this season. Truth be told, I'm just happy he has proven to be an effective driver. More than I thought we'd get out of him this season.

@Crimsonorblue22 Dick move. But probably happens at literally every single NFL game everywhere.

Crimsonorblue22 said:

@justanotherfan how many chances does he have to give Grimes? I'm shocked how patient he's been w/him.

All of the chances. We just saw Ochai and KJ commit 10 fouls in like 15 combined minutes. I doubt it will be the last time that happens.

Not to mention that he has proven he is capable of scoring and shooting the ball well at different times this season. He is a weapon, we just have to get him confident and consistent.

There are basically only 3 outcomes that remain at this point.

Either Grimes gets better, Ochai gets better, or we are lose early in the tourney.

So giving up on Grimes isn't really much of an option unless you think Ochai will be able to go 35 minutes a game without fouling out AND keep up his current level of play.

@justanotherfan I think I'll wait until after the KSU game to make my prediction. If we go 4-0 or 3-1 during this next stretch, I think Bill might have something working.

Taking bets on the day Sutton gets fired/retires?

HighEliteMajor said:

The problem with Grimes, the disturbing part, is the stat line. Look at it. 19 minutes -- all zeroes (except for one steal). The invisible man. As if he didn't exist. One steal away from "190000000" as some box scores would indicate. His PER is sub-10.

I'm sorry, if in 19 minutes you have no rebounds, no assists, no points, not even a foul to indicate some aggressiveness, you're on a different planet. There is no glue guy discussion with him. No energy guy claim. No post feeder extraordinaire. Just what we see.

This might be the bottom on a bad trend line. However, like a stock with good fundamentals, you might think twice before selling. In fact, if this were a stock, one might look to buy low. This would be an historical flameout if this doesn't turn around, or he bolts after this season.

I'm still patient, and positive, but I think changing the dynamic a bit would help.

It's especially concerning considering he was a "do it all" guy in HS. And thought of as a pretty explosive athlete.

You would have thought he'd at least be able to contribute something positive every single game. But last game speaks for itself. I thought he was starting to figure it out a couple of weeks ago before he regressed again.

I would think he and Bill are actively working on the problem on the side. They are talking, communicating, and developing some sort of plan to get him to the point he is a meaningful contributor, if not a game changer down the road.

I just don't believe that Grimes is incapable of playing at this level. He is fundamentally a good player (good shooting form and handles). He has good size. He has proven he has good vision. We know he's athletic. There just appears to be absolutely no aggressive bone in his body. Everything points to it being mental. Perhaps simply a mental block based around effort. He may think he is going 100%, but he's not. I've seen guys like that my entire life. They play hard until they get to a level of effort that becomes uncomfortable. At which point, they become easy pickings.

It could be that he doesn't know his role on this team so he feels lost and his confidence is shot. It could be that he's so afraid of making a mistake he's not letting his instincts take over.

Whatever it is, two months. It is very important that Grimes becomes at the very least, a contributor, in the next two months. Because as we saw from KJ and Ochai, Grimes will absolutely need to get minutes for this team to be successful in March.

I will say, if KU wins the B12 I don't know how they aren't a 1 seed. They will have beaten the winner of the B10, SEC and Big East and won their league. I don't know how you put together a much better resume than that.

BShark said:

Kcmatt7 said:

BeddieKU23 said:

@HighEliteMajor

Just feels so similar to Newman's struggles last year. We expected the world of Malik and he really disappointed for most of the season but then the light came on and look what he did for that team by season's end, indispensable. Not in the Final 4 without his heroics.

Fast forward a year and we expected the world from Grimes. Maybe Grimes and Self need a day to just clear the air and figure some things out. His play has been below expectations but we've seen time and time again how players figure it out at some point under the right motivation. I still think Self has some work to do to find what triggers Q the most. That's when he'll get the most out of him.

Agbaji has it now. Play the kid with the confidence. Interchange depending on game matchup and in-game performance. How many coaches have two kids they can push against each other like that.

This is my feelings. It isn't like Bill thinks Q can't do it. Or else he wouldn't keep rolling him out there.

Bill is just searching for the right buttons to push. Two more months to figure it out.

Honestly what might be best for him is basically sitting him an entire game or two and telling him to just let him get some confidence from practice for a week or two. Put him on the practice squad and tell him to just make plays, don't think. Make him go up against Garrett on both sides. If he can defend Garrett drives and he can score on Garrett, that's when you know you can play him again.

CJ just posted an article on the Athletic about this.

Link? I don't see it.

Bosthawk said:

Ok - so a hall of fame coach and professional college b-ball analysts have been extolling Garrett for weeks for obvious reasons. I don’t know a ton about the finer points of the game, but instinctively from game 1 of this season I never liked it when Garret was on the bench... I always felt better when he was in game. recently Self said the same thing.

coach has asked him to work on scoring more in addition to all the other things he does. And he is scoring more, despite the fact that he isn’t a natural scorer.

I get that people here will all have differing opinions on guys- it’s the essential nature of fan sites. ( I didnt like Grimes early on for the simple reason that he was considered a OAD - no other rational reason really. Just a visceral dislike. I am trying very hard to warm up to him. If he somehow turns his season around I will get on the Grimes bandwagon)

But never really understood the knocks by some here on Garrett. It felt wrong and biased (on his scoring as the most important metric ) and misguided.

Well now he’s scoring. And playing D. And boxing out. And assisting. And positioning himself on the court just like the coaches want him to.

Give the guy a break already

Just to make sure, this is a really old thread. Basically everyone here has had nothing but praise for Garrett for weeks. Likely a full month.

I mean, to be fair to all of these old takes, most guards who can't hit the 3 at 25% or free throws at 50% aren't going to be very good guards. But he is certainly an outlier in this scenario.

BeddieKU23 said:

@HighEliteMajor

Just feels so similar to Newman's struggles last year. We expected the world of Malik and he really disappointed for most of the season but then the light came on and look what he did for that team by season's end, indispensable. Not in the Final 4 without his heroics.

Fast forward a year and we expected the world from Grimes. Maybe Grimes and Self need a day to just clear the air and figure some things out. His play has been below expectations but we've seen time and time again how players figure it out at some point under the right motivation. I still think Self has some work to do to find what triggers Q the most. That's when he'll get the most out of him.

Agbaji has it now. Play the kid with the confidence. Interchange depending on game matchup and in-game performance. How many coaches have two kids they can push against each other like that.

This is my feelings. It isn't like Bill thinks Q can't do it. Or else he wouldn't keep rolling him out there.

Bill is just searching for the right buttons to push. Two more months to figure it out.

Honestly what might be best for him is basically sitting him an entire game or two and telling him to just let him get some confidence from practice for a week or two. Put him on the practice squad and tell him to just make plays, don't think. Make him go up against Garrett on both sides. If he can defend Garrett drives and he can score on Garrett, that's when you know you can play him again.

I am both shocked by Garrett's new found offensive mentality as well as Q's inability to play defense (or really even ability to impact the game at all).

KirkIsMyHinrich said:

BShark said:

KirkIsMyHinrich said:

Grimes has 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 steals. I don't understand it.

Well, Agbaji is fouled out and KJ is terrible too so idk if there is an answer right now.

I understand why he's playing. I don't understand why he can't do anything.

Thinking way too much. And he’s just lost. The speed of the game is too fast for him right now I think.

Athleticism and skill aren’t the issue.

It’s ok, he just has to make it long enough for Ochai.