🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@bskeet It easily could have, had we not just been completely incompetent on D. I'll probably rewatch the game at some point and see how many points they scored off of possessions where we double teamed.

I think Vick is just going to get "forced" out. Or, really, the AWIII treatment. Self will tell Vick he is more than happy to have him back, providing he knows that he may very well end up coming off of the bench. From there, I think Vick and his camp will decide that he might as well leave and start making money now, because his draft stock is never going to hit potential first rounder at this point.

jayballer73 said:

Got a question. - The signing period is April 11th through May 16th - but seems like they can still commit actually anytime throughout the summer can't they - -thinking that's right cause wew have had transfers announce they were coming after these dates right.?

That is correct. And if they don't sign within the period, they will then just sign what is called a "Grant-in-aid." I don't know why any player signs an actual LOI instead of this thing. If a player signs this instead, they don't need to schools permission to be released.

@AsadZ Wonder if it is too early to start the trade talk? Moose could be flipped right this second. At $6.5M, he could be flipped. Teams just didn't want to give up the comp pick AND pay him the big bucks.

We didn't defend period. This was our 2nd worst defensive night of the season. We didn't just allow a great 3pt shooting night. Nova was 18/25 from 2pt range. I talked about this when Jaybate had his "trough" hypothesis that I vehemently disagree with.

Here are the scoring advantage breakdowns:

• KU scored 1 point per 3pt Attempt vs. Nova scoring 1.44 per 2pt attempt. Nova gained a 15 point advantage on us with the 2pt shot.
• KU scored 1.02 points per 2pt Attempt vs. Nova scoring 1.35 points per 3pt attempt. Nova gained a 12 point advantage with the 3pt shot.
• KU did win the Free Throw battle by 11. And that is how you get a 16 point loss.

All season long, we have been able to gain an advantage over our opponents by scoring more points from the 3 point shot than they can the 2 point shot. Had we held Nova to a 50% 2pt shooting night, even on the same exact attempt numbers, we still could have been in the game at the end. Even with them shooting red hot from 3. That was our biggest problem last night. Again, only once this season did we shoot poorly and defend well. When we lost, we LOST this year.

From my view, doubling the post is the single dumbest thing you can do unless a player is going to beat the man guarding him more than 70% of the time. We needed to DARE Nova to take more 2pt shots. Instead we let them rotate the ball and shoot open shots when they would have willingly taken contested 2s. Bill made the right call to double the week before on Bagley. But the wrong decision Saturday night. If we don't double team them in the post, I would bet this game was at least 10 points closer, imo.

@BucknellJayhawk3 This is the exact scenario why players should all be able to hire agents strictly to get the best information possible.

Vick should be able to sign an agent who can get him offers from all over the World and he could make a truly informed decision. Instead, Vick has no idea what his pro prospects look like.

That is a rule that should be changed.

@jaybate-1.0 They clearly would have won our conference.

A couple of things. One, I think this is an overreaction to the loss a teeny tiny bit. If Doke gets Spellman two quick fouls, the post would be talking about how much we hope Doke comes back. Two, I 100% think the team next season is better WITH him. You can break that out in 3 ways as I see it . There is Doke's individual talent, the effect he has on the team next season, and the way the Coach utilizes his talents.

Individually, you would take him 100% of the time. You can't replace someone shooting ,787 in Conference play. That equates to a 52% 3pt percentage to match his points per attempt. That's unreal. His freshmen year, when he wasn't on any type of restriction or trying to play 20+ minutes per game, his block percentage was 12%. This season it was 7%. I think next season, we would see it meet somewhere in the middle, close to 10%. That would make him a near elite level rim protector. To top that off, at his age, he has so much untapped potential. The guy added two new go to moves, mid season. His block percentage and shooting percentage went UP in conference play, when most player's goes down due to better competition. He is quite possibly the best post player in CBB next season when he is playing guarding a big that can't shoot from the outside.

As far as his effect on the team, I don't think he was a great fit for the 2017-2018 team. At times, it looked like someone driving a Ferrari, but they had a Uhaul on the back. We had 4 guards who could run and shoot as well as anyone in the country. It wasn't a good fit. But the lack of depth forced that bad mesh. On the 2018-2019 team though, I think he fits nicely. When paired with another Big, I think Doke will only become even more dangerous. He has already shown his ability to make good interior passes. He is great at sealing players off and catching the lob. I expect to see vintage Hi-Lo lobs all game long for easy buckets. When you combine his presence as a rim protector with Dedric, Silvio or Mitch, our D just got sured up quite a bit. It will let our guards play out past the 3 point line more. Playing two bigs will also get us back to the hedge instead of switch Pick and Roll D. That will help Doke quite a bit in those scenarios. If we do face another Big that can shoot the 3 or take Doke off the drive, I would agree that he shouldn't be playing. But that leads me to the next part of the equation.

Self loves the post up. He does. He never won't love it. He never will stray away from it. If he isn't force feeding Doke next season, he is force feeding Dedric. There is nothing we will be able to do about it. And, if Self is going to continue to force feed the post, I would much rather have a guy who shoots at 78% doing the posting up. So, it makes no sense to not have him next season if we are going to go back to a slower pace with two bigs on the court. We may actually be able to size our way to a championship next season, imo. I just don't know any team that will be able to stop the Doke and Dedric combo.

The real question we need to ask, can Bill evolve his two big system to allow more freedom than in the past. Can we let Dedric, Mitch and KJ shoot 3s freely without being yanked from a game? Can he get over his love affair with the on the blocks post up and strictly use the HI-Lo to get easy lobs (or easy layups if they start playing behind to take the lob away). Can Bill not be stubborn and realize when Doke is a liability and play him 5 minutes in certain games? Bill needs to keep evolving if he wants to win another Championship.

Love this group. Proud of them. They overachieved and hung two banners. Nova played a historic game and this is where it ended. Nothing to be ashamed of.

Have to get it down to 10 by 4 minute mark

Thuggins time? Start mugging and make them call wverything

Time to go 5 guards?

Hope Bill has something up his sleeve. Playing a four out plays to Wright’s favor. He’s been doing it for a long time. Bill needs to find something to get momentum. Maybe set plays

Doke is not the best option right now. Agreed.

15 can be wiped away quickly. Just have to exert max efffort the first 5 minutes.

Hopefully we come out freely this half. Nothing to lose.

@wissox not even funny at the moment for most of us.

This is unreal. Absolutely unreal.

@REHawk lol it’s going to be good for tv. Call me crazy, but the KU stories are far more interesting than any Nova story so far. I think WE might get any bias this game because we are good for tv right now!

@BShark that stroke looks pure and release is quick. A few of those shots went up so quick I was honestly shocked lol

@Crimsonorblue22 I hope he does 1 more year. I think he will. NBA not sniffing him yet. Even with him putting up an unreal shooting percentage.

Lol sounds like everyone is coping with the stress in their own ways. Doke and Newman the classic stressful overworkers. Svi and DG goofballs. And Bill just soaking up the experience again.

@Crimsonorblue22 And his Dad being a cop I think shows that they really do care about him just being a good person more than anything.

I hope his mom gets to make a pit stop in Lawrence before she goes home!

@BShark Easily going to be the longest 26 and a half hours I've had in a long time.

@KUSTEVE I do too. I do now worry that he will see his family and make what could be a short-sighted decision. I can't imagine what he is going through or what I would do in his shoes. His ceiling is far from reached, therefore I think he could earn a LOT more money if stays all 4 years and develops.

This team is now special. They were before, but they have now cemented a legacy. And, now, this week has been a great time for reflection.

What I've been awe struck by is how many things had to happen to put this special team together.

• Devonte - Not only did he have to born and raised by a VERY young mother, he could have just as easily been an App State Mountaineer. Yet somehow Bill was the only Blue Blood to swoop in and steal a NPOY candidate. Simply amazing story and an amazing person.

• Doke - Raised by Christians in a war torn African country, he is not only lucky to be alive, but lucky he was tall enough that someone saw basketball potential in him and was able to ship him out of there. Had JoJo not put in a good word for us, he could have just as easily been at FSU.

• Newman - The plan didn't go right. He was supposed to go to MSU, show off his scoring ability, and be in the lottery. Didn't happen. Somehow, Bill gets a second chance to recruit this guy and lands him. He had struggles all season and could have just as easily thrown in the towel. But the staff kept pushing him, and now we are looking at a scorer that can't be stopped.

• Svi - We took a chance on a 16 year old from Ukraine that we never saw play in person. Convinced him and his parents that shipping that youngster thousands of miles away was what was best for him. Turns out, it might have been. But a kid who could have easily been playing pro ball in Europe right this second, took a chance on Bill and on KU.I hope he reaches his NBA dreams.

• Vick - Original commit to SMU. Larry continues to impact KU basketball to this day. He shipped him on up to Lawrence instead. He thought about playing High School ball another season instead of coming to KU, but chose to come instead. And I think it is safe to say that the extra season under Self and at the college level has helped him a lot.

• De Sousa - The kid was playing High School basketball three and a half months ago. Somehow Bill has turned him into the 2nd best big on this roster in a short time, when Bill has been known to bring Freshmen bigs along slowly. Not only that, but again, somehow De Sousa had to end up in the good ole USA. And there had to be a scholarship available for him to even be able to play for KU. What was once a heavy Maryland lean on the recruiting sites, is now a strong backup to Doke. Would Preston have been able to be unselfish enough to allow this run to happen? I don't know. But I know that somehow, Silvio was in the right spot at the right time.

• Mitch - From KC originally. Moved to Arizona. Once he proved he could play D1 ball, all the big boys were after him. He could have been a contributing piece to an Arizona team or even a starter for a lesser school. Yet he chose to come be apart of this tradition.He knew he would have to take a back seat for at least his first few years. And he shows it with this bench celebrations and overall enthusiasm for being a Jayhawk. Thank goodness he is such an unselfish player.

• Garrett - The grinder.The hustler. Mr. Defense. Again, he knew coming here he would have a tough time cracking the rotation. He knew his limitations. He went from PG to playing the 4, and didn't show an ounce of disdain. He wanted to come be apart of something special, and now he is. Again, a more selfish player wouldn't have come here. They would have stayed closer to home and gone somewhere he could have played PG and been a starter. Well, Mr. Garrett, now you are headed back to Texas as one of the last 4 remaining. the definition of a guy who will do whatever it takes to win.

I still just can't believe Bill was able to align the stars with this bunch. This group is special.

@jayballer73 Vernon Carey is an absolute animal. Could not be a better Bill Self specimen walking this planet. I REALLY hope the Team USA thing goes well.

But Big Dave will be a great player for us. I'm happy to see Bill land a 4-Year guy like him.

@BShark I would love a Canyon Barry type to come in though. Someone just trying to actually go to school but happens to be a very solid good player.

@Gorilla72 I literally gave that story it's own thread haha

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2767373-think-reaching-the-final-4-is-tough-then-you-havent-met-kansas-udoka-azubuike ↗

I LOVE this team. Unbelievable what all had to happen for this group of guys to all end up on the same team.

@dylans yea I’ll add that in. But after gas and time, $100 is probably not worth it. Would take getting a ridiculous price on tickets for me to drive 8 hours only to be in a plane for another 10 right after.

@Fightsongwriter I worry about that less with post players than guards.

I would be scared of Doke and Silvio. Going to have more to play for than anyone else on the court. Doke may break a backboard lol.

@wissox It was built to last until GM DM sold his soul for the WS. Will Smith, Finny and Manaea would be starters for this team. Add in that we have basically never had a good draft pick under Dayton and not traded them away.

DM found the statistical flaw in baseball. And he did it by accident. Having an elite bullpen to close down the other team starting in the 7th inning changed baseball. All the other teams have adjusted for it though. And now you see all of DM's flaws. He is a bad drafter, a mediocre trader, and a major gambler. I do not know that he is the guy to resurrect the Royals again.

@DanR 1 hit from our 5-9 hitters. Duffy went strong for 3 innings before he imploded. Then the bullpen came in and sucked.

This is going to be the story of the Royals I think. 1-4 hitters will do some damage. 5-9 will suck. Bullpen will blow a ton of leads.

We legit have no frontline starting pitchers. So that 2nd time around the order is going to be a nightmare all year. Add in that middle relievers usually are middle relievers for a reason... Especially for a team like the Royals who have basically developed no pitching for the past 30 years. Duffy, his entire career, has been "effectively wild." He has never been consistent or been able to hit spots. Nightmare.

This is a 100 loss team. Let's just hope Herrera, Duda, Moose and Jay all play well and we can actually get something for them towards the deadline. It is amazing how much faster you fall down the mountain than you can climb back up it.

@BShark DEAD :joy:

mayjay said:

@Kcmatt7 KU is in Maui next calendar year, Thanksgiving 2019! (So don't go this year unless you want to see a bunch of other teams.)

The cost is, of course, insane if you use their packages that do not include getting there. 20 months to save $175 per month and, if you can swim there, you and another person can have a blast with the big package. If you fly, count on $600 to $1,000 each for round trip. (If you eat, expect another $200 per; if you drink, double that.)

Over $5,000 minimum for two to see all 12 games, or $4,500 for just KU's 3 games.

But you get a pair of sunglasses.

We wouldn't do it if not staying longer, if we weren't going anyway, and if we didn't have timeshares. We will have our son investigate the game a la cart tickets.

Lol good call. I know we are in the NIT Tip off this year so I definitely was just out of it....

I think I'll probably do a practice run this year, as far as looking for when to buy the cheapest flights, if it is cheaper to fly out of Omaha or St. Louis instead, etc. Luckily, I have quite a few friends who are all doing pretty well for themselves and I think I could talk them into coming. Splitting up an AirBnB 8+ ways means we could probably pull the whole thing off for a little more than $3K for two people.

Or maybe my parents will want to go and will pay for our hotel lol.

But hey, I have a whole year to plan it out! And I definitely appreciate the though you put into your response!

@BShark UK fans would effing lose it if that happened lol.

@BeddieKU23 It does seem pretty thrown together...

@BShark I feel very confident that they are too. I wouldn't waste another year of potential earnings if I were either of them. Vick could go play overseas next year for a pretty penny, or he could stay here an MAYBE play himself into the 2nd round. I'd take the money now.

I think the Langfords are just being smart and waiting out the process, because there really is no reason to rush it.

@LSH Seems to me like it could end up being a situation where we are trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Vick may become the de facto leader because of his experience instead of a natural leader taking over the team next season. And that seems like a disaster to me.

@HighEliteMajor We did. !alt text ↗

@LSH If he is the same player as this year, I'll take a Langford.

If Vick has a great offseason, I'd probably take a Vick.

I'm seriously considering going this year. Probably will just wait until KU goes to the Bahamas next instead, but definitely considering it. Flights and ticket availability will weigh heavily on my decision.

I heard the last time KU was in the Bahamas (Thanksgiving week) tickets were only $20 and there were plenty available.

@Fightsongwriter Easily the best 6th man in the country. But, Garrett can make his own stamp on this game. If he can make life difficult for whoever he is guarding and get them frustrated and out of rhythm, that is as good of a contribution as anything DiVincenzo can do. Garrett needs to be a warrior on Saturday.

@BeddieKU23 But seriously, I may try to go lol. What are the dates, can anyone find those? I looked, but I don't think they were released yet.

@BShark He was never skinny lol. I still can't believe he couldn't keep the weight off. I'm a husky fella, but if I had millions of dollars depending on my weight, I'm 100% confident I could lose it. Or I'd make sure I paid someone to make sure I lost it.

@KUSTEVE We are a markedly better defensive and rebounding team ever since the Baylor loss. I like us going M2M on them. I would have been a proponent of a junk defense against Duke, as they were physically imposing matchup that I wasn't sure we could handle conventionally. I was proven wrong.

This game, I want to play M2M. Perhaps we throw a junk or Zone D out there out of a timeout or something. But I want this game to be on our guys to perform. Whoever mans up deserves to win the game. We owe Nova one. 3 of the starters know how that game felt. They should be wanting payback.

To me, this is one of those games where you just roll the ball out there and play.

@BShark Who would that be? I'm looking at the 247 board but I don't see anything.

@Lulufulu Do you really want Vick to be the leader of a team?