Graham can create his own shot. Svi might become proficient at it. Greene and Selden can't cut that mustard. If Svi becomes a dependable long- and midrange shooter, Greene will be a wasted pawn in SelfBall for a 3rd season. Selden will play and start. Self will make only miniscule changes to his offensive philosophy. For recruiting's sake, best scenario for Greene to announce transfer. Pronto!
REHawk
1583 posts
Huh. I'm curious as to why this thread is not listed among current topics today. I figured it would stir lots of interest and debate. I don't see it listed anywhere among recent topics for discussion.
@approxinfinity Man, this is prime time for Adidas to step to the fore to deliver us some gunboats!
Now that the dust begins to settle, time to look ahead. Unless Kansas can lure a few accomplished grads back for summer play, there is bound to be much negative speculation regarding Jayhawk selection to represent USA Hoops. Quite possibly we will be without our two top freshmen recruits, Alexander and Oubre. Will Greene and Mickelson commit to another year in Lawrence? Will TRob or others return? Will a 7 ft. newcomer appear upon the scene to add depth to SelfBall? Is there a cold chance in hell that Self can draw troops together for an international onslaught on the world stage? At this moment, hopes would appear to be more than somewhat bleak. That said, I do tend to focus upon the hole of a doughnut.
On a 10.0 scale, Self and Marshall face 1.o more pressure than in most contests this season. On a lighter note, I was very surprised that Self employed Mickelson so few minutes last game. I look to see our #1 candidate for a superstud role on FARMERS.COM earn some significant attention today.
@drgnslayr Obviously, the seeding committee set this one up.
Shockers so hungry for this match-up, their front row fans will be peeing their pants.
Starters: 2 seniors, 3 juniors. Bench: 3 freshmen. Experience-wise, the Shockers have an edge. Just sayin'....
@JayHawkFanToo JFT, your numbers are confusing to me. 5 and 1 in the tournament the past two years?
@Crimsonorblue22 Yeah, I think that Barnes is too nice a guy to win consistently. My feeling regarding Holmes, if he had played so assertively all season, Barnes might have built a winner around his play. As it was, Holmes was a distraction. KU Flyer's hypothesis about character might come into consideration here.
My hypotheses: Iowa State lost because of two early fouls to Niang whose mind and motor sensors got warped by the 15 minute benching. Baylor lost because of Drew's final 3 minutes of coaching. Texas lost because Holmes waited too late in the season to show up aggressively.
@RockChalkinTexas In this annual Crapshoot I have become leery of lower seeded, lower echelon programs who arrive all fired up to compete and harvest accolades against the team with the current longest uninterrupted series of NCAA Tourney appearances. Will probably be gripping the arms of my recliner tomorrow, praying that Lady Luck smiles upon Jayhawk colors. And if that word LUCK sounds too nebulous I am willing to go with GOOD FORTUNE.
A nightmare number for the Big 12. Niang has a rough day for ISU. Drew has a rough day for Baylor. Fools Gold dooms their days.
@drgnslayr This OAD/TAD direction which college basketball's super franchises has recently taken has delivered a real quandary for the likes of Bill Self and his dependence upon incrementally developmental basketball. At this stage Bill appears to be walking a sagging tightrope, standing halfway in space, knees quivering. I view Clever J. Cal as ruining the amateur game. Under his stewarship U. of Kentucky basketball has mutated into minor league NBA. Without major spectacular rules changes by the governing body, other superpowers at the collegiate level must fall in line or submit to the nursing of hind tits. This reality now weighs heavily upon all programs, all topnotch or aspiring coaches. Sooner probably than later, this issue alone is enough to drive Self from the collegiate ranks.
@drgnslayr Opposing coaches, esp. this weekend, must prepare for a variety of Jayhawk offenses, most notably the re-emergence of the outside game. Now they must also deal with issues of Cliff's eligibility and possible injuries or recoveries among other Jayhawk players. Self himself, swept up in the array of various tugs and stresses, must be quietly emitting a wolfish grin.
And here's another little whispering that could turn in to the blaring of a smalltown noon siren. If the Powers That Be don't find it in their array of options to clear Cliff to play in this Tournament, they are setting themselves up for an extensive legal battle, the outcome of which will probably result in the writing of new codicils to govern such future issues. Bill Self has carefully pulled Kansas Athletics from the heart of such an oncoming fray by publicly laying the issue upon Cliff's doorstep. In actuality, the issue more precisely squats upon the doorstep of the Div. 1 governing body.
Something has whispered at me, all along, that we have not heard the last of the "Cliff Thing," either positively or negatively. I hope that the Red Dog gets cleared to play. I don't envision that possibility as an eventual distraction for Bill Self or his current big men.
I'm willing to wager that the equipment folks were told to pack a bag marked "CLIFF" for the trip to Omaha...just in case.
@jaybate-1.0 "Incremental increase." That pretty well sums up how I have come to measure this team, this season. Lordy, am I ever hoping that the wheels hold up for a few more lead laps around this tightly curved racetrack!
@jaybate-1.0 Hayseuss H. Christopher, jb, you have just posted a 2-part series of Jayhawk Hoops articles, the very best I have ever read by any professional sports reporter, much less died in the wool dedicated KU poster! Surely you have burned every last ounce of petrol in the tank.
@bskeet Guy's gotta stick with his Bucknell bride, but hey, if we should lose this New Mexico State game you'd best pack up and flee that neighborhood! Bad karma could linger for Jayhawks throughout the decade.
@jaybate-1.0 Ah-Ha! You have called me out on a grievous wording error. I should have called this "the limp-along phase of our terrific 2014-15 season." Muchas gracias.
@HighEliteMajor HEM, I am in a rush to leave this iron beast for a few hours, so had time to read only Item #1. Skeptic that I am, I hope that the Cliff Thing does in no way bite our program in the butt. KU silence regarding the eligibility matter seems more than somewhat ominous. Or maybe BIll Self has actually said all that need be said, and the Problem does not affect us...other than the loss of a top-rated freshman player/recruit....
...and won't have to undergo pregame taunting that NO #1 SEED HAS EVER LOST TO A #16 SEED IN THE TOURNAMENT! That said, I wonder what incremental adjustments Bill Self might make at this stage of our limp-along season. He reached deep into his hat to pull out that zone, perhaps a minute or so too late in our last contest. I've fond memories of some of his adjustments in past key NCAA wins, esp. vs. Roy. Shucks, maybe we will dazzle from OUTSIDE-IN?
@jaybate-1.0 "Autobahn" wasn't bad. No need to elaborate!
@DoubleDD Man, if this KU squad can just mend enough to limp into the Elite 8 contest, I will be happy. In wildest optimistic dreams, I can't envision us going beyond. If we should bulldoze to the Final 4, it will mark the second coming of THE MIRACLES.
@wrwlumpy Thanks for the photo sharing, lumpy. I motorcycled thru Las Cruces several years ago; retain fond memories of the campus and environs. You have stirred my wanderlust to pack the Explorer and head back to the Southwest before these failing eyes betray me. Easy to envision the lure of this geographical site for so many foreign players. If the New Mexico State BB recruiter should ever decide to move eastward, perhaps Bill Self should make room for him at KU.
If I am an agent and/or family advisor for Cliff, do I want his Jayhawk play exposed in this Tournament?
@jaybate-1.0 Man O Man, don't you KNOW that opposing coaches are going to be studying that Iowa State game film in fine detail. Every move that Perry made or did not make will be highlighted and rehashed til the cows come home.
@Shanghai_RCJH Evenly distributed scoring from their top 6 players.
The Xs and Os of our game is way beyond my ken. But I do know this: Bill's "Fools Gold" statement will hang like an albatross around his neck until his teams eventually run to a series of Final Fours, probably on a level with his current string of conference titles. And somewhere along the way this season, Brannen's game got snuffed. I imagine that he will have to follow the path of Frankamp if he is ever to stand a chance to flourish on the collegiate level. There is little doubt now that the 3 pt. game is not an essential ingredient in the current Jayhawk offensive strategy. Not likely to change in the tactical makeup of a Hall of Fame bound coach with an 11 game league championship run and an overall 83% win record at KU.
I'm gonna stick with that alliterative duplicitous moniker, "BAD BALL." Right from its origin, I felt that jaybate had hit upon something very clever and appropriate to define what I was viewing. Bad bad bad. Man, this stuff is BAD!
@HawksWin Sorry...but you gotta sink or swim on your own, trying to assess how far this squad might go. That said, if we can dislodge ways and means to muddy up games in even more ugly fashion, we might just limp to the Championship Game. Truly, a very unusual Jayhawk season. Bill Self must be sleeping in a pair of tall muck boots, sloshing through vivid nightmares.
@nuleafjhawk Aw, regardless of statistical accuracies, I like the last line of your initial post. Barnes has recruited some terrific players. And so far as I recall he has never stepped into illegal behaviors which have brought embarrassments down upon the Longhorn Program.
I can't envision this Cliff's mess upsetting our apple cart of season wins...unless someone in the Kansas program was privy to Mom's loan dealings from the getgo. And I do envision the NCAA revising and rewriting rules regarding such paperwork, but not in time for Cliff's season to be saved (return to tournament lineup). That said, something tells me that Kansas might yet get Cliff back for the NCAA Tournament. Currently, too much silence on 2 of the 3 fronts....
@approxinfinity Bad Bad Bill's Bad Bad BALL!
@JhawkAlum By the way, Alum, that is a mighty fine title for this thread!
@jaybate-1.0 I'm simply amazed at the manner in which Self continues to maneuver this squad into position to win games. That late game adjustment to Ziegler yesterday serves as fine tribute to Bill's chess playing skills. His pushing and pulling players into and out of his lineups appears to be simply fantastic. Here I sit, five weeks removed from my initial posting of fears regarding Frank's heavy burden of minutes, and Self still has the kid churning relentlessly. Finally, I am close to the point wherein I can just sit back and enjoy the ride.
My native skepticism has been booted to the pine...alongside woeful Cliff. Expectations still run low, but I won't be surprised one little bit if this team staggers into the Elite 8.
Thursday legal spin seems to indicate that Cliff has presented everything in his possession to the NCAA. Outside documents still not available to NCAA (which won't sit down with Cliff until those documents are rendered). Legal counsel looks to be bullying into position for future lawsuit(s) on Cliff's behalf. Counsel perhaps hopeful that NCAA will continue to stonewall? If so, most probably will turn into a time- extended multi-million dollar lawsuit vs. NCAA and maybe the agent/lending company. KU Hoops left in passive neutered position of tangential onlooker.
@jaybate-1.0 Kelly? He purty.
My hope is for Perry to be able to play well a week from tomorrow. We have won the Big 12 season crown. This league tourney, in my humble opinion, falls way second in importance to the NCAA circus. Perry comes back too quickly, maybe blows out that ACL, O MY!
Bill Self is a tough, very competitive coach, not inclined to give an inch in the W/L column. But I am certain that he is weighing Perry's situation very very carefully. PE represents the focus of current Bill Self Offense...and probably the offense for 2015-16. Bill will strive to protect that crown jewel.
My only prediction: Kansas will not win the trophy. Too many missing or wobbly wheels. I hope we move on to the Friday game, in order for bench players to glean more experience. Looks as though Cliff is past tense.
Sad, sad deal. Dumb dumb situation. Understandable, perhaps, but DUMB from the getgo. The cap situation should have warned Jayhawk fans that trouble was on the wind. I feel for Cliff. He needed two years in the program, probably much more than we needed his slowly developing collegiate game, as it turns out. A healthier and stronger Cliff, spending a second year in Lawrence, most probably would have moved into NBA lottery consideration. In his current predicament, he will be fortunate to be selected somewhere between 15th and 21st in this June's draft. Guaranteed multimillions of dollars most probably have dwindled to a few million, at best, his first five years as a professional. His skills most probably will undergo extensive developmental time in the D League. Franchises will not risk time and millions to cope with future injuries or retarded development. Understandable complexity, I say, because hasty bird-in-hand greed is almost impossible to turn down for the families of many players who live in poverty or near poverty. Without one hell of a bundle of good luck, Cliff will sail off into the sunset as an American Sports Tragedy. Opportunity thwarted and denied. A very tough bullet for Bill Self and Jayhawk fandom to bite.
"...and I wish that all my players were healthy, eligible, and guided by the example of my quiet and very best player, on and off the court. Would also be very helpful to all Division 1 programs if NBA Management and Players Association could agree upon a minimum Age 20 Draft."
I, too, am for resting Perry and Wayne Thursday afternoon. And for trying to sit Frank for at least 15 minutes. That said, we must be prepared to be copacetic with a possible loss. I think our 2 seed would still hold up for the Big Tourney.
These days, more than one way to shut down the playing time of topnotch recruits. Sic a bevy of slick charismatic loan officers on the kid's family members. SHAZAM! Bye-bye college eligibility.
@nuleafjhawk Someone said BG was strutting around campus in a neon pink t-shirt displaying a centercourt photo of Tyshawn Taylor rockin' the horizontal hump atop the Hawk.
@Blown "...there is a fine line between pain and injury." I think I know what you are saying, though I was not a "ball coach." Structural mishaps often become very difficult for all coaches to grade and handle appropriately. The degree of injury, pain tolerance of the individual athlete, competetive disposition of the athlete, professional medical advice, relative importance of the current contest: all are factors which a coach and athlete must weigh and appropriately deal with. Obviously, Bill Self is a Man of Toughness....
This is probably the LEAST disappointed I have ever felt regarding a Jayhawk loss. Bench players really rose to the occasion; got the chance to shed some rust and polish their games. Two weeks from now those reserve minutes might just echo resoundingly in key Tournament situations. Interesting, Bill Self's admission that he probably should not have played Selden. Wayne's 0-7 really cost us some possessions. He is as strong minded a warrior as Mason, so the coaching staff knew he would not back off, even with the injury. Am I wrong, or does Self possess a history of pushing players through ankle injuries? (I am not attempting to dog on Self. Just wondering if perhaps there is a slight flaw in his magnificent armor. I well know that he tends to ride with a starter for just about every spark remaining in that player's engine.) (Esp. if not a freshman!)
@truehawk93 OK, Okay, I'll get off Brannen's back. And jump on yours. What makes you think that Brannen "is down?" Shucks, I was just describing him in the mischievous manner to which he appears best attuned. "This game meant absolutely nothing"? Baby, you might oughtta crawl back under your favorite rock. We're discussing JAYHAWK BASKETBALL on this site!