Just saw the recap of the Dubs beating the Spurs rather handily last night. Looks like Golden State and the Cavs will sweep each of their respective teams. I'm going to try to watch the Cavs game tonight and if it gets out of hand early, I doubt I'll finish.
These conference finals just seem like a warm up between the Cavs and the Dubs, which is fine with me Btw.
the talking heads at ESPN have said that this is bad for the NBA game. How? How is it bad?
I ask in response...How many times have the Celtics and Lakers played eachother in the NBA finals? More than a dozen the last I checked. How is this different? It isn't to me at all. Just two truly dominant teams that happen to wear different jerseys than the Celts and Lakers.
My personal opinions of each respective teams "super stars" aside. I think the NBA finals are going to be epic this year.
Brannen Greene tweeted that he thought the Cavs would sweep Golden State.
I think it'll go 6 or 7 games and I hesitate to call a winner. Although, I am leaning towards the Warriors.
Wanted to bring this up to the forefront again. I despise the family as a whole and would love nothing more that to see them fall flat on their collective faces.
That said, How many in here think Lonzo will get picked #2 by the Lakers?
How many think there might be an ounce of pressure by daddy Ballface on the Laker brass to get him picked there?
What if Lonzo DOESNT get picked #2 by the Lakers? What if Josh does?
What would this crazy mofo do!?
Players I dislike in the League.
Russ Westbrook. thinks way way way too highly of himself.
Lebron. ranked second in this category behind Westbrook.
James Harden. ranked tied for second.
Dwight Howard.
Marcus Smart. I'm sure I am missing a couple.
Players I do like.
Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, ALL the current Jayhawks in the League.
Isaiah Thomas. Kahwai Leonard (sp?) I even give props to Anthony Davis
@Statmachine What!? Are you kidding!?
That is stellar news! Gosh I hope he gets in. Landen doesn't seem like a guy that would get much court time in the NBA to me but I would be proud of him if he made a roster. Seeing that Cole Aldrich and Withey really don't get off the bench much for their teams, I cant believe that Lando would fare any better. But again, I hope he makes it!!
@BeddieKU23 Udoka having a big season this year could elevate him into the lottery...we shall see
@BShark ANyone know if Aaron is related to Andrew Wiggins?
@approxinfinity I hope they televise the games when KU goes to Italy!
@jayballer54 If Doke is even half the sponge that Joel was at KU, he's gonna be One and done. BUT, that's an awful big sponge even being half of what Joel was. So, two and done might be more realistic. Who knows? We will see.
I agree though. I think KU is primed for another excellent season next fall. As we all know, the Big 12 runs through Lawrence.
@approxinfinity Fair enough man. You are deserved of your opinions as am I. Its all good.
@approxinfinity How can you hate on Curry? He's a freeking boy scout compared to the other guys. I mean, hes just got this likeable charismatic character about him. Plus, is there a better shooter in league history? Well, yah there is but when Curry is done, he will be the best.
And dude, those car insurance commercials he was in, SO funny! As was the lunch line Chicken Curry commercial.
@wissox POP was on the bench at KU!?!? When? How did I not know this?? Wait, was it during Larry Browns short lived tenure?
GO WARRIORS!!!
I know some people feel different now, about the Celtics, seeing that Paul Pierce is no longer there. Plus theres guys like Marcus Smart there and I really didn't know Al Horford was a favorite to hate on. But, I will always like the Celtics. I honestly hope they beat LBJ and the Cavs.
Everybody knows the finals teams though. Its already been decided. Noone can beat the Warriors in the West. Noone can beat the Cavs in the East.
People have said its bad for the game. WHY??
I mean how many times in the past have the Celtics and Lakers met in the finals!? I looked back at the NBA finals history. I counted way more than a dozen. Way more.
The Warriors / Cavs rivalry, cuz that's what it is now, is not bad for the game. Nothing has changed. You have two truly dominant teams goin at each other. Winner take all. For the foreseeable future, this is how things will be. Until Lebron, Kyrie, K love, Steph, KD, Klay and Draymond hang them up or go to another team. This is how the basketball gods have aligned things.
@Texas-Hawk-10 Dang, I thought for sure that UCLA was a Nike school
@JhwkrRedLegs Man, don't sell Lucas short. We don't have his experience level in the post this season. Is our ceiling higher with out him? Sure. But we have zero players in the post that played meaningful minutes for KU last season.
I'm not saying we're gonna be bad, its just going to be a learning curve for our bigs.
Lucas knew Coach's system and was big enough to not be pushed off his spot on defense.
@KUSTEVE I agree. I'm not even going to grace TKs article with a read. KU is an easy top 5 team next season. I totally mistook Vick for JJ making rim drives at times, or lobs or whatever.
Whats this junk I hear about Preston not being eligible??
@DanR You are right about that one! I don't recall Kentucky having a legendary NBA player as an Alum. But, I think Anthony Davis has the ability to get there in the next decade or so... He might be able to join those ranks. Hated the guy when he was at Kentucky but he is a great player in the League.
@jaybate-1.0 Entertaining as it may be, I was kinda hoping for a little less fiction from you on this man. :drooling_face: :sunglasses:
@jayballer54 Yeah, that figures.
@DanR point names and name fingers!
@Fightsongwriter Yep, saw that too.
Whats that mean? Svi is coming back and Coleby is the odd man out in the post in terms of minutes available.
TreVon Duval is going to Duke or Kentucky... I forget which
@jaybate-1.0 I would say Hell effing yes. I'm loyal to Adidas. Hell, when I go out and buy a pair of running shoes, I will get Adidas before I get Nike and before any other brand. I mean I actually like the way Adidas fit my feet better than the others but still, I like the brand since it is associated with KU.
BUT, should KU switch contracts when the current one expires? Yeah, I would bet they get more recruiting "dumptrucks" backing up to AFH. Id bet the house on it.
Id like to addend this by saying if KU does switch to Nike contract at some point. KU wouldn't have to solely rely on OAD players like Kentucky and Duke are at the moment. KU would have the lions share of who ever they want, when ever they want. Coach Self is a better coach and mentor that Coach K and Coach Cal. He can keep his same strategy of developing 3 and 4 year players to give experience and depth to his 5 star OAD talent. He wont need to reload with 7-8 mickey D's talent every season. Give Coach Self a solid supply of 3 or 4 top 10 talent OADs mixed in with solid career players at KU like Frank Mason and Perry Ellis and KU/ Coach Self could easily beat John Woodens streak of National titles in a row.
Of course this is my opinion only. I have no data to back that up.
To me the blue blood teams are in order thusly;
KU
Duke and UNC
Kentucky and UCLA
Blue blood cousins in no particular order
Arizona, Indiana, Michigan st, Georgetown, Okie St. USC, Louisville, Syracuse, St Johns( back in day ) Villanova
5 teams IMO are deserving of blue blue blood status.
Everybody else in Div 1 basketball is cousin or second cousin.
KC had a few really good years of baseball.
I really don't follow closely at all but I was happy they won it all and got runner up the year before that.
Are the Royals doomed to be a door mat for the next 25 years???
@jaybate-1.I didnt know MIT had an Ohio branch!!
Pretty sure we also had a school in the Big 12 or so that had a sport...Ummm pigmy albino hunting?? Purely catch and release.
@justanotherfan I think Frank's gonna be Frank. We've all seen how driven and tough he is. All I'm saying is if Thomas can do it, so can Frank. You're right, it is a very long shot for him to reach all star status. But I have faith in #BIFM
@KUSTEVE The Poets got some good hands around the rim. I like the Perry Ellis comparisons @approxinfinity
I truly hate that guy and his kids, the whole dammed family.
Those shoes wont sell 100 pairs.
Alright KU fans, Ive officially become sold on this Whitman guy.
At first, I was questioning Coach Self's pick here. Why pick a big when we still need a guard? I see it now. We need experience in the post more than we need another guard. Will "The Poet" deliver some big time back up minutes for us or barely get off the bench? Who knows. Point is, he's another big body to push our guys in practice.
My whole hang up about the experience level is even Whitman himself hasn't had much experience in Self's system. Hell, Udoka, Coleby and Lightfoot have more experience at KU. But they don't have more IN GAME experience.
So, based on that I'm officially retracting my previous doubts about Coach Self's decision to bring this guy in. I hope he has a good season for us next fall.
You guys, I still don't understand why we got this guy. I mean don't we need a guard more than a big right now?
@drgnslayr for real. If IT can be an All Star, so can Frank.
Frank's bigger stronger tougher. Franks a tank.
Whoa! Why are we getting this guy? I mean Id much rather have Duval.
@wrwlumpy Wow that is a cool pic!
@jaybate-1.0 100% clear! Thank you sir!
Man, I would pay money to see Frank and Devonte play against Russ and Mario!
Its not out of the realm of possibility either. I mean, maybe not 2 on 2 but all those guys could gather up for a Legends game again next year. The last one was in '11.
@jaybate-1-0 This thread is inspired by you after you mentioned you would pick Mario and Russ over Frank and Dtae. I'm assuming you meant in terms of lead guards on a five man team. But for this topic lets think about what would potentially happen if the four of them would play a two on two game.
Mario and Russ. Junior and Senior respectively. Mario 6'1" I think and Russ 6'2" I think. Mario would be the 2, Russ - PG
Frank and Graham. Senior and Junior respectively. Frank 5'10" DG 6'1" Frank - PG, Graham - 2.
Experience - draw
height/length - Mario and Russ
3pt shooting - Frank and DG
2pt shooting- Frank and DG
FT's- Mario and Russ
Ball handling- draw
Defense - draw
but this is a tough one for me to quantify. I mean, size and length obviously go to Russ and Mario. quickness and tenacity on defense I think is pretty damm close between them. Frank loses a bit because of his height but who here thinks that would stop him from locking down Mario or Russ? not me
This is such a hard thing for me to do. Mario and Russ are obviously tough. They won a national title together and Both of them led the team in steals and assists if I remember right.
Frank and Graham I think have an edge in that they can both produce offensively when Russ was mostly relied on for his defense and ball handling, running the point.
@jaybate-1-0 Wow! You would really take Mario and Russ over Frank and Dtae? I honestly don't know who I would pick. I mean for discussions sake if the four of them were to play a two on two game, I would say that Frank and DG would beat Mario and Russ. On defense I would think that Mario and Russ have a slight edge over Frank and DG. Offense, Give it to Frank and DG. Both Frank and DG can shoot from all over, both can drive past their man, get to the rim. Mario and Russ are close but Russ wasn't the shooter,scorer type. Mario and Russ are taller and longer than Frank. About the same size as DG. But Frank is better than Sherron. I mean, its Frank!
That's such an interesting match up. I bet we could split this into its own thread.
Frank and DG against Mario and RussRob. Who wins??
@dylans Yeah, Wooden holds the record for Title wins but we are wondering if Roy will break Coach K's total, which I believe is at 5 now?
Nah. I don't see Roy getting, what, three more rings needed to break K's record. Maybe he might get one more, even less likely two more. I just don't see it. East coast bias or not, I don't think he has enough years left in the tank to pull it off.
@jayballer54 I don't know football but I read briefly on KC's 10th pick. Solid QB being compared to Farve at the same stage in his career. Sounds exciting to me. I hope the kid pans out for KC. Best QB draft prospect at KC for how many years?? Surely more than 35. Did Len Dawson get drafted by KC?
Well, we can only hope as KU fans to see SVI not satisfied with his draft stock, return for another year to KU to work on his game.
I mean, one more year at KU isn't going to hurt him. He is barely old enough to be a soph. Right now, he's a trifectate only player with some ability to handle the ball and drive. One more year at KU could see him add other facets to his game. He's got handles, he can play point, but that's never been his main focus at KU. He isn't big enough or strong enough to guard NBA wings, that's another thing he can build on with one more year.
Id like to know what all the basketball minds out there think about Frank Mason in the NBA. When will he get drafted, how will his career go, how high is his ceiling?
We just had to let go of one of the best, if not the best player in this century of Kansas ball. I'm talking the last 17 years. Have we had guys get drafted much higher than Frank will? Hell ya.
With the exception of Joel Embiid and Josh Jackson and Wiggins, what other player recruited by Self in his era will have a greater impact on the league than Frank?
I mean seriously, if Isaiah Thomas at 5'9" can be an all star for the Celtics, then Frank can aim that high as well.
Who here thinks Frank is better than IT??
I sure as hell do
I suppose we would have to look at Deans roster at UNC and figure out where all the top recruits were from. Do we discount the lower third of the roster? Scout teamers, walkons, etc
serves them all!!! Hubris incarnate with the lot of them
@JayHawkFanToo That's mega lame.
@wrwlumpy Great preseason questions.
So I have no idea but I would think that the transfers could go with the team to Italy. Why wouldn't they be able to? Its not like the WUGs a couple years back when Svi had to stay back cuz he wasn't from the US.
Udoka with us in Italy!? That's gonna be some cool Ish!
So are we taking wagers on how much muscle mass Lightfoot gains over the summer? Friendly of course.
I'm betting 15 lbs.
I think we should be favored over Kentucky. We have so much experience coming back and quite a bit of new blood to add.
Sure, UK will be preseason ranked higher than KU but that doesn't mean anything. They'll also have another whole new team of top 10 mickey D talent as per usual. I still like our odds in that game.
approxinfinity said:
@Lulufulu ok! I agree, has to be a fine fine coach. My guess is Fred Hoiberg. I think he's got his eyes on the job and got in thick with Bill when leaving Iowa St.
Wow. Freddy? You think he would leave the NBA for KU?
@KUSTEVE mentioned Brad Stevens. Also think he would leave the NBA for KU?
If so, you guys, I'll jump on that bandwagon. Those guys can really coach.
I would like to have someone with KU ties. I said earlier a KU alum would be nice but I don't think its a disqualifier if they aren't one.
Kid thinks he can come to KU in the foot steps of Sherron and Frank...I'm all for it. He'll get bigger and stronger with Hudy, he'll learn the system in practice and be ready to ball out in '18. Bring it. Rock Chalk!
:laughing: Yeah, we never do anything with small guards.
love it.
@approxinfinity We've had amazing success at KU with a succession of HOF coaches. The next one up will have to be on par with that and IMO have KU ties in some way.
Leads me to believe that a former Jayhawk player or assistant coach will take the helm when the time comes.
First guess? Aaron Miles
@approxinfinity Hey, I'm taking a travel nurse job at UVA in Charlottesville!
I like Zombies