🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@JayHawkFanToo Do we not claim any NBA players that we had before Self?

Texas, as a program, is not a bad place to be. Sure Smart didn't come in and blow the world away like many thought. But I think the administration is being wise to give him so much time. His style of play isn't one that you can just make happen overnight. Especially when Barnes had a very standard style of play. He would throw two giants at you in the post, have a 6'7 wing and then run two guards around up top.

Smart's style isn't meant for that type of roster. Gotta let him build up his roster for that style. And he basically took over a dumpster fire from Rick Barnes. Do we not remember Huggy struggling his first two seasons with WVU in the Big 12? Similar styles. It took some adjusting to adapt that to the Big XII.

TCU and Tech were both teams on the rise with solid upperclassmen pieces. Jamie Dixon was starting to tank at Pitt. Look at how garbage they are this season. Let's see where the TCU program is in 4 years. I'm not so sure he will be the savior everyone thinks. Ballard very well could be a superstar at TTU. But he is also coaching Tubby's guys and gets to start 2 seniors and 3 juniors. And TTU isn't even in the conversation for the Big XII title... If he gets them in the hunt next season, and they can not drop off much 2 years from now, I'll be a Ballard believer.

@BeddieKU23 I'm not saying they are going to compete for a Big XII title. I'm just saying that next year they will be better than this year. And now that Shaka is guard heavy like he wants to be, he can play a little more too his style. He wants ugly games. He doesn't need Roach or Davis to shoot well, just good enough. What he needs to do is force more turnovers and get easy baskets. The style of play that made him "successful."

I would have thought Mack was a transfer as well, but it has been over a month now and if he was going to transfer I'm sure he would have already announced right? I mean why wait until mid-March? Seems odd me.

@JayHawkFanToo Long way down? Texas has put some studs in the NBA and has another lottery pick on the roster right now. They have 9 guys in the NBA at the moment which is the 12th most.

These OAD guys don't care where they go as long as they get to play it seems like. Simmons to LSU, Newman to MSSU, Rabb and Brown to Cal, etc etc.

UT is in his final 4 and if Duke and UK are too crowded he knows he can go to UT and be THE guy and play 30 minutes a game.

@JayHawkFanToo Yea I think that is the general consensus, but I have a feeling that one isn't over yet. A little smoke is starting to come out that the scouts aren't sold on Bam. His Draft stock is slipping because of it. Saying he would probably benefit by staying another season in such a deep draft. And Giles draft stock continues to plummet even further than Bam. The consensus #1 pick to start the year is down around 20. And with his injury history I'm not sure he doesn't fall further by the end of the season. It won't surprise me to see both of them announce they will be back after the combine. Much like Newman for us. He was just too borderline when if he just plays one more season he can feel better about getting in that guaranteed money area.

I don't expect Bamba to announce until after the smoke clears with these two players. And if both of them are back at their respective schools, then I believe Burnt Orange it is.

@BShark Also, Devonte should definitely get his degree. I'm just saying, with that baby face he could get into broadcasting and do it for a long long time...

@BShark Who cares if he doesn't want to play the 4. He can't transfer again for 2 years. Put him at the 4 and space the floor. At least next season.

@BeddieKU23 Jones will be back.

Roach has been forced to take some PG duties and that isn't his game. Davis Jr. has plenty of potential. Combine that with Coleman coming in and they could have as good of a back court as anyone.

Tevin Mack coming back is definitely a major question. But if he does and they can fit him into the scheme they are as deep an talented as anyone.

Banks was a top 60 recruit and will be a solid contributor the next 3 years. I expect Shaka will have him ready to go before next season. Young was a top 100 recruit and will take a step forward next year as well.

I'm also not so sure that Bamba doesn't end up in Burnt Orange... A strong push from Nike towards UT is probably all it takes at this point.

So right now:
- PG - Coleman - Roach
- SG - Roach - Davis Jr.
- SF - Jones- Young
- PF - Mack - Ham/Febres
- C - Banks - Ham

That is a solid team if Mack comes back. If he doesn't they are weak at the 4. But I fully expect them to either land Bamba or get a grad transfer to help down in the post. I can tell you that the roster next season is twice as good as the one this sesaon. Just depth wise. Yancy sucks. Isom sucks. Cleare can only play 20 minutes a game because he is so thick and he is not that good of a player anyways. Now they add Febres and Coleman, two solid recruits at the very least. You should expect Young and Banks to take major steps this season as well. He is building a roster he can actually run Havoc with. Just look at all those guards 1-4. It's coming... Here is your warning.

@Blown He has a solid recruiting class coming in and some talented youngsters on the roster. I fully expect him to start making strides every year from here on out.

@chriz I'm all for it.

@jayballer54 I'll just agree to disagree.

@Crimsonorblue22 The rule makes sense to me. You play the exact same schedule. We lost a game that they won. If we want to claim it to ourselves we need to not lose stupid games.

@justanotherfan yep. He has to essentially beat the cupcakes at the beginning and win another big 12 game. He should win 2. And it would be nice to see the road losing streak go.

He has to show something this year though or else the guys that actually give money to the football program might lose their patience.

Snyder and Mangino both have come out and said that what they learned coaching football in Kansas is that you don't go after the big boys. They burn you in the end, when you could have easily gotten another 2 or 3 star kid that would have contributed.

We arent going to be able to walk in to Louisiana without LSU defending their own state. They probably laughed when some of those guys committed to KU. If we can keep 2 or 3 of our current Louisiana commits we should consider ourselves extremely lucky. Until we win some games, it will be hard to land any guys without the home state at least throwing their weight around.

You risk completely shooting down Svis confidence. Then you may not even have a spot up shooter.

You can play Vick more than Svi all you want, but at this point in the season, changing the starting lineup is drama a team on a roll doesn't need.

@justanotherfan Yea I mean I see what you are saying. Money wise, it makes sense to keep Romar too. People will show up at the beginning of the year to watch Porter. Plus they would get 3 guys that are probably not OAD in the program. If you fire Romar after this year the odds of UW keeping those 3 good recruits is a lot higher than if you fire Romar now.

Tough decision. Also depends on who is out there. Can you land a young guy looking for a P5 job that you will have for 10 years? If not I guess no harm in keeping Romar.... UW fans really want Brandon Roy to be their next head coach. And, it really might not be a bad move. I'm just not sure he is actually ready for a big job like that.

@justanotherfan Currently, UW has lost 8 straight games. The odds of them losing 13 straight games is a legitimate possibility. They play Arizona, 3 straight road games and then the conference tournament. That will make them a 2 win team in the conference. I just don't see how in the world you could keep a coach after that. Not when he hasn't even made the tournament in the past 4 seasons. The fan base doesn't want him anymore. Romar was a good hire and put UW on the map. But he reached his peak. He has either lost his passion for the game, forgot how he won in the past, or was never that good of a basketball coach and he is extremely easy to beat once you have enough film on him.

@jaybate-1.0 It wouldn't even be 2 on 2. Frank and Tyshawn would just drive the lane on each other and score every time because those are the two best drivers KU has ever had. I can picture it now....

As far as a 5v5, JJ would foul out trying to guard TRob. TRob goes for 25pts and 18 rbds. 2016-2017 team would have to have the game of their lives from trey to win because they wouldn't have been able to score in the post. 15 point win for 2012.

Man does basketball seem to be down this season or is it just me? I feel like that 2012 team would have run away with it this season...

@RockChalkinTexas Are you going to the Baylor game or the UT game?

@approxinfinity from what I've heard, not a point guard at the college level. Bill has made it clear that he is a combo guard. So to me that means he isn't the greatest at taking care of the ball.

@jayballer54 Does that team scare me right this second? Nope.

But, 5 of those players have the potential to make a huge jump this summer. Vick, Cunliffe, Newman, Doke and Lightfoot have a ton of room to grow their games.

I expect a lot from Newman and Cunliffe. I think Lightfoot probably adds 20-30 lbs this summer and can actually hold his own out on the floor. Doke will be much improved next year. At the very least, a better conditioned player and that is scary enough. And Vick could add another 15 lbs this summer and become a force driving the lane. Although, most of his problems on the court seem mental to me. He is as athletic as anyone. I think he takes a giant step and solidifies himself in the 1st round of the 2018 draft.

If the stars align, next years team could start 5 potential first round picks. Even if Svi and Graham leave, there is the potential for 4 first round picks.

@Ralph I think he would be stupid not to. I actually think the top probably 25 players in every class should probably go play overseas for a year. Ferguson barely got any playing time overseas and is still projected to go in the 1st round.

@Ralph also if Romar is out in Washington, Blake Harris is available.

Someone will come out of the works after a coach gets fired. No need to rush to sign a guy. Be patient and wait on Duvall but if a good situation presents itself don't be afraid to jump on it.

@Ralph Doesn't look like they signed much for next season. I'm sure the word was out that Gottfried was getting the axe.

John Groce is going to be out at Illinois after the year is over as well. Tillmon would be nice.

@BeddieKU23 I'm thinking more the Alex Smith version of a college basketball player. A guy that will take care of the ball and let the talent around him take over. Between Newman, Doke, Preston and Vick, scoring shouldn't be an issue. Getting these guys the ball in a position to score is the more important thing.

@BeddieKU23 There are definitely options on the transfer market. We don't even need a guy who can score at PG. We need a guy who can pass, knock down a wide open 3 and play solid defense. Nothing special, but a solid experienced guard. I'm confident we will land a guy who can at the very least do that.

@cjbooth38 We had a lot worse players at a lot more positions the year Nadiir was running point. And they ended up a top 10 team. I'll hedge my bets that Self can figure out a way to make the roster work and play top 10 basketball.

@Crimsonorblue22 You can't be mad at someone for exploring their options. This is a big decision for him and his family. Like possibly millions of dollars decision. I won't be mad at them for taking their time.

@BeddieKU23 if he does in fact not choose KU, you have to think about how bad of timing all of the KC Star articles were for this. Not necessarily what you want to be reading about a month before you are choosing to go to a school or not.

@KUSTEVE Yea Coleby

@JayHawkFanToo True, his biggest problem would be defensively. But he can flat play. Knows how to use his body in the lane. It has to be better than Newman or a freshmen Garrett running the point.

And as far as Semi, Larry Brown was the coach who got him to SMU. Not Jankovich. Plus, for a guy looking to go to the NBA, playing for SMU is not necessarily the best place to be. A few whispers to the right people and a few words from scouts could at least put him on the market. They have no current players in the NBA and only 9 players ever to make it to the NBA. About the only thing that needs said. I don't know if Semi will be on the market, it just wouldn't surprise me. And I sure wouldn't say no.

@KUSTEVE I like him too, but there isn't a place for him here. He can grad transfer somewhere small or mediocre and get actual playing time.

@drgnslayr Oh I believe it. UCLA's had the same amazing run as UK. Dominance like that doesn't come free.

@drgnslayr I can't stand UK fans. They literally think Coach Cal turns away any recruit signed by someone else. They ignore the fact they were in the NIT a few years ago but call everyone else out on NCAA tournament losses. And they criticize teams that claim a Helm's National Championship before the NCAA tournament started... Only because they never won one. They praise Rupp, who was well known as a racist d*ck. Glad he never became our head coach. But he was one hell of a basketball coach. Despite him cheating his way to 4 championships and paying players. They are average up until 1948 and all of a sudden they win 4 championships in 10 years.... Had to be clean right? And lord only knows what went on at UK when Pitino was there. You think something like the prostitute scandal only happened at UL? Doubtful. They had three clean guys come in and couldn't get the job done there. All of a sudden UK starts landing 4 top 10 players a year and they are doing it "clean?" Yea I don't buy it. I'm sure Cal knew NOTHING of Derrick Rose's SAT score. That is why he chose Memphis? Even though he is from Chicago... And had no ties to Memphis. And was a top 5 recruit and was surely getting recruited by everyone... But I'm sure he got no benefit to play for Memphis other than getting to play for an amazing coach.

What a delusional fan base. At least snobby Duke fans have had a relatively clean program and a respectable coach. I probably would be snobby too if I were them. Although i'm sure they won't be able to stay clean after K leaves and stay a "Blue Blood."

With recruiting for next season winding down, I still feel like we have roles to fill. Here are a couple of guys that we should definitely look at depending on how our roster looks after the season of course. The reason I really like the grad transfer route is that you bring in guys that are mature, experienced and have proven themselves at a high level. AND they don't mess with the next seasons recruiting.

• Marcus Keene - nations leading scorer. If we miss on Trae he would be a great consolation prize. He isn't inefficient either. I would imagine that if we had the spot for him, it would be hard thing to turn down. For either party.

• Semi Ojeleye - from Ottawa, Kansas. Former Dukie. Transferred and is now a stud for SMU with 18 ppg and 7 rpg. 6'7 235 lbs. Could be an awesome stretch 4 if Svi leaves. Hitting 42% from 3pt. Would allow us to really run some 4 guard offense again next season. I'm also worried about Colby leaving as a grad transfer... Not sure he will have any opportunity to play next year, assuming we stay healthy and Lightfoot makes a leap. Being able to play a versatile game and run 4 guard next season is important.

@Big-Clyde52 Everything I saw last year watching his recruitment, that's just his demeanor. Just expressionless and kind of boring.

@Big-Clyde52 Allen is a borderline lottery pick. So I think he is feeling pretty good about his decision in the long run. Sure this year sucked, but he got to play 30 minutes a game and play through his mistakes. We could have definitely used him and his shot blocking abilities. But to think he could have gone higher in the draft by coming here isn't realistic.

@BShark I like TY much less after that article. If he thinks he is a OAD, I'm not sold on him. I'd rather get Keene or another grad transfer that could come in and run the offense. At least that way we can focus on 2018 players and guarantee them a spot. Instead of a "wait and see what Trae does" approach.

@BeddieKU23 I've been waiting for him to play like he did last night all season!! Cojones grande!

@bmensch1 When you are 75% done with a degree and you aren't going to get paid in the 6 figures, you get your degree. Just common sense to me.

But if he is being told he can crack a roster and wants to go that route, its totally up to him. I just don't think that makes sense from a money making standpoint. Why not spend one more year on campus and get a fall back plan by getting your degree? If he is going to make millions, it isn't going to be because he left a year early. If he is going to make hundreds of thousands a year overseas, that is probably an option next year too.

Right now, he gets a $30k tuition, lives in a luxury apartment complex, gets monthly stipends, gets free food every single day, gets to play in front of sold out arenas, and gets national exposure with more scouts at his games than in the D-League or Europe. Worth a whole lot more than a D-league contract if you ask me. And, I have never been in a situation where I've been as poor as him or JT. But I know that if his family has made it this long and this far, they can probably make it another year.

But, if DG wants to go play for cash, I understand and it is his choice. I just wish people would think about their future and future earnings before they make rash decisions. If he were to get stuck in the D-League for a year, it was 100% the wrong decision. I would love to hear what Wayne Selden thinks of his current situation, and if he would have done it differently.

Well, this season only has a few regular season games left. Everyone pretty much has an identity. Players are what they are going to be for the most part.

With that being said, our 2018 roster has started to look a little more clear.

I would have to say that I think DG and Svi will be both be back next season. Both are slipping down draft boards, and if last year was a sign, NBA teams aren't scared to go overseas and grab a guy. So, DG and Svi would have to just have monster games the rest of the season to move up. And with the influx of overseas players, they are likely to slip even further.

I don't expect Bragg to go anywhere. Transfer or otherwise.

That means next years team could be stacked and extremely versatile. There are tons of lineups we can use to play with anyone.

Shooter's paradise:

• PG - Young
• SG - DG
• SF - Newman
• PF - Svi
• C - Doke

Crash the glass:
- PG - DG
- SG - Svi
- SF - Cunfliffe
- PF - Bragg
- C - Doke

2nd team:
- PG - Young
- SG - Vick
- SF - Cunfliffe
- PF - Lightfoot
- C - Preston

This could be overly optimistic, but I seriously doubt that Svi and DG leave at this point. If we don't land Young, it isn't the end of the world anymore. But that is JMO.

Definitely thought about it. It is so hard to think about. Wiggs probably would have been better defensively for this team. But JJ is so much better of a basketball player at this stage. All around. Rebounds, Assists, Ball Handling, Driving, etc. Wiggs was a better defender, but that was about it.

I'd take JJ over Wiggs every day.

Now what is fun to think about is how good we could have been with JJ and a healthy JoJo together. THAT is a scary team.

Just lost a 3 star commit from the other day.

@brooksmd We think basketball recruiting is rough. I couldn't imagine all the flip flopping and crap you have to deal with recruiting when you are trying to land 25+ guys every year...

@HighEliteMajor There is a lot to it. You could be right. And maybe it just seems like we don't have killer instinct.

Depth could be the reason for both no instinct and a poor defense for stretches of games. JJ and LL often have 2 fouls by halftime and don't want to pick up an early 3rd to open halfs. So maybe they aren't necessarily playing the best defense or as aggressive the first 10 minutes of a second half. And that comes off to me as a perception of a lack of instinct.

The person that I am most dissapointed by is DG. Frank is the leader. But DG could be the heart of the team. He could be the guy to silence the crowd when they get riled up. He is averaging a solid 13 per game. But is that really enough for him? I personally don't think so. He is missing the aggression I saw him play with last season. He needs to be the guy that makes a couple of plays in a row that are just daggers to the opponent.

I think the other part is that Udoka would have been a big piece of what we are missing. He would have been an "enforcer." Both the 2008 and 2012 teams had one. Or really 2. 2008 had RR and DJ. RR harrassed guys. And DJ, well you felt his presence everytime you came in the lane. 2012 had Withey and TRob. It took a man to come in that lane.

Who is that guy for this team? It would have been Doke. But right now, no team fears one of our players. And that is something that is a key ingredient to killer instinct. A player that changes the game just by his presence.

I may have a misconception. Maybe we do have players with the instinct, we just can't unleash them the way we would normally with a full and healthy bench.

@drgnslayr Well Hell, he should. He's only been here 5 years!! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

@autohawk It is one of those backhanded compliments. Lucas is slow and not near as athletic as some of his opponents. But he knows all the tricks. How to get position. How to be in the right spot for rebounds. etc.

Lucas does kind of seem like a 12 year NBA player.

I also think LL will at least get a tryout for an NBA roster. You could probably do worse for a garbage time post than a rebound machine who can wall off just about anybody.

@Bosthawk Really, it's time for JJ to just start shooting them like a jump shot. Swallow his pride, take a step back from the line and shoot it like a wide open shot. His form is so bad that getting a good angle on his shot with no lift from his legs is friggen impossible.

@JayHawkFanToo I love this. It won't last. But a top 25 recruiting class after a 2 win season would be amazing. And really speak to what Beaty is doing.

Recruits have a funny way of know what is bullshit and what isn't. Weiss came in and had more to work with than Beaty did. But somehow Beaty is able to sell some of these guys on the dream. On being apart of something that is going to be bigger than they are. I think we really did find the right guy to lead our program.

Playing to the level of your opponent is what allows one bad break to cost you an entire game. Until I see this TEAM develop the killer instinct, I won't consider us a championship caliber team.

When I say killer instinct, I don't mean clutch free throws to close a game. Sure that is part of it. But the main part of it is when you have a team on the ropes, and instead of just getting comfortable with a 15 point lead, you turn it on like it is the last two minutes of the game and blow that lead up to 25 and demoralizes the other team. It ends the game with 10 minutes left to play.

When I see that from this team and not just a few guys, I'll be a believer.

@BeddieKU23 Link to a tape?