BG's act of irresponsibility did not necessarily occur in Oklahoma. Self can't afford to leave him home, unprotected. What the heck might he do, unsupervised? Brannen is a long ride from his Georgia roots. His world is a magnificent oyster, stuffed with who knows what.
REHawk
1583 posts
@lincase When Brannen eventually develops the ability to get his shot off a split second quicker, the FOOL will be the defending player or game planner who guards too closely to stop him. A subsequent 3 freethrow attempts would more certainly be GOLD.
I've given this Pat Forde write-up fifteen minutes of serious thought, and here is what I deduce: Quite possibly an agent slipped up to the back door wearing an Illinois cap.
@drgnslayr If Kelly does not get word that he is at least 90% assured to be a top 10 or 11 pick in the June lottery, I hope he will make the decision to return. Would be sad for Kansas faithful, not getting the opportunity to watch him develop. However, if the assurance is there, we know he is gone. Regarding next season, Bill Self looks to be loaded with experienced players; so the league will again face a solid KU threat. Texas will probably still have nice guy Rick Barnes at the helm; Longhorns loaded with talented pieces, mercurial in wins and losses. Hoiberg? Ouch!
@wrwlumpy Good post, lumpy. I have said for weeks that Self could take that Texas squad, add Ellis, and compete toe to toe with Calipari for the national title. But yeah, he could probably have won our league coaching a handful of the other Big 12 teams this season. I don't know what kind of promises Myles Turner exacted from Rick Barnes during the recruiting process, but if he had come to Kansas and molded himself to SelfBall, he'd probably be wearing a championship ring rather than struggling desperately in a program which might be headed to the postseason NIT. What we witnessed Tuesday night was an entire group of Self's puzzle pieces coming together to complete a very unusual but fantastically intricate piece of work. The Guy can win, ugly or no.
@jaybate-1.0 I am befuddled, trying to figure what Self will next do. Somewhere early in the bowels of your post I caught the whiff of ominous gas. This squad needs some R+R. But can it bounce back if the Man takes his foot off the pedal for a week or two?
@wrwlumpy We might have to stack Goodman on the comedy shelf alongside prognosticator Vitale.
@brooksmd I'd pitch in $5. Heck, if we should lose our next two games, I'd up it to ten!
Iowa State comes from behind to slay Sooners!
@wrwlumpy Landon has grown a quarter of an inch since January.
My subconscious thought since Saturday's announcement: Is Snacks wound up in the middle of another negative KU hoops fiasco? Just my natural tendency toward skepticism, I hope....
@SoftballDad2011 I spend a portion of my year in Texas. My wife has taught high school for a few years in S. Texas. The state is Football Crazy! No way would Rick Barnes have survived with his losing percentages if he were coaching football. He faces very little of the pressures and intense scrutiny of Bill Self who sits atop the historical throne of USA Division 1 Basketball. The words TEXAS and BASKETBALL almost fit the pattern of an OXYMORON. Often, I am surprised that so many decent hoops stars emerge from the Lone Star State. In South Texas, for certain, male high school athletes are reluctant to admit that their sport of choice is basketball. Local sports pages tend to dedicate much more wintertime coverage to Girls Hoops. Position-wise, in terms of royal heirarchy, Bill Self reigns as at least a duke (oops!); Rick Barnes, second cousin to an earl. Rick appears to be a nice guy, evidently a much softer mentor on the practice court than his peer Self. He recruits splendid talent, but appears not to recruit and manipulate puzzle pieces so well as the man in Lawrence. I have commented previously that IMHO if Bill Self could add Perry Ellis to the current Longhorn lineup, he could take that group and battle toe to toe with Calipari's 10 or 11 All-Americans. Heck, he might end up doing it with the lesser talents which now don Jayhawk singlets....
@ZIG I, too, have sensed Bill Self's craftiness in not pressing his potential outside-in offense for several weeks. We know it exists, even though in game minutes it grows rusty from disuse. If he can win this league title without it, will he allow it to emerge in the league tourney? Opposing coaches must plan warily. There is an edge in what he is doing.
HEM, keep on pumpin'! I study every word you write. Sometimes I grow furious and inclined to counter your theses, but in the big picture I know less than dogturds about this sport. About all I really have a clue to is PEOPLE and HUMAN MOTIVES; and I know just a little bit more about those than I know about my own self. Several of you knowledgeable posters have really enlightened me about the game. I cherish the opportunity to read all these posts. I DID coach championship teams, but in a different milieu. I still barely know an X from an O.
@HighEliteMajor Shucks, HEM, I imagine that yammerin' end-of-game bloody bickerin' Bilas would agree with you. Perhaps J. Newell, too. Me, I'm just so BadBall exhausted that I can't think beyond Tues. night vs. WVU. Of course, I confess again to being one of those skeptical old guys who worships league titles, then relaxes for the gravy runs. Maybe Self has found the way to maintain his Big 12 dominance before attempting to shake rust from his perimeter game? Probably no follower of KU Hoops can imagine this squad advancing to the Final 4 with yesterday's brand of offense. I continue to admire the Guy's grit and ingenuity. Not to mention his extraordinary winning record. He is protecting AFH Wins like none other.
I wish the best for Hunter. I lay in the sack for twenty minutes after waking yesterday morning, speculating about Hunter and Svi. Was happy to see each of them get time on the court. Gotta be extremely frustrating for each of them, iced to the pine as they have long been. If Self is able to bring in a Top 20 center, I hope that Hunter is able to graduate and move on to a program where he earns minutes and esteem. However, if we lose Cliff, and if no sterling tall recruit opts for our program, Hunter should be a big help his third year of Self Ball and Hudyization.
BEWARE, Those Who Enter. Fear BAD BALL!
@jaybate-1.0 "If beauty walks a razor's edge, Bad Ball treads a laser beam." My O My, jb, you have climbed to the very pinnacle of Buckets postings! "Playing terrible is the new good." Nice.
I wonder if Svi and Hunter will step forth from the ice house. This is that time of year when Jayhawk lineups usually face reductions in minutes for all but 7, maybe 8 players.
This uniform issue, the only thing I really care about is being able to SEE PLAYER NUMBERS as I perch 8 ft. away from my 50" TV screen. When games are not broadcast in HD my failing old eyes often give me fits, trying to keep up with our guards. That said, it does appear that most of our remaining games will fall under high def. filming and release. I will wait to pass judgment after I see how the new uniforms look on our starting lineup at tipoff during their first wearing.
Allow BIll Self 2 seasons to work with the Longhorn lineup + Perry Ellis. John Cal might suffer some digestive maladies come April.
@drgnslayr Please pitch another pinch for me. After that collapse in Manhattan, I'm left with the late afternoon Saturday shivers.
@drgnslayr Okay, finally I must lift my foot from the neck of that weasel. This is not the first season in which he has guided his Bears to late emergence. I'm more than somewhat relieved that Baylor games are behind us in regular season play.
@KUSTEVE Thanks, Steve. That article paints a dandy picture of the Big 12 and Kansas Basketball.
@Blown Well, Baylor wins! And at Iowa State. Yeeee-Haaaaw!
Just imagine all these past Bill Self years, other league programs glued to Jayhawk games at this stage of the season, hoping and praying that KU posts a loss or two so that their very own schools can catch up. Iowa State, Oklahoma, W. Virginia, esp., have been following our W/L column like hungry hawks. Now, of course, we are swept up in that same swirl, esp. gazing sideways at the Cyclones, peering down at Sooners and Mountaineers. Praying that we can squeeze forth 3 more essential wins. To bastardize a jaybate slogan: The going just got tough...and the Tougher had best get to going!
@wissoxfan83 Just imagine how Jamari feels, after getting blindsided by that purple piss ant?
Lumpy, are you reading these posts?
@wissoxfan83 Yeah, Bill, please stop at 29. Otherwise, one of our most astute posters will try to recruit Longhorn Girl to our cheering squad!
Cliff, Jamari, Landon=BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Frank, Devonte, Wayne=8assists, 7 turnovers. BOOM!
Perry shoots 62.5% (10/16); remainder of team, 30% (12/40). BOOM! Frank is running out of gas...or perhaps just played his worst game of the season. Kudos to Weber for his defensive sets and change-ups. Mr. Iba, have you failed us?
If the heading for this thread had read, "The Day the Run for the National Title Died" most posters would not be lurching along like bouncing gliders, swooping in and out of luft. From the outset, the direction of this thread was pointed toward the winning of NCAA titles, not weekly contests or league crowns. Ergo, so many muddled conjectures regarding coaching and player development.
@jaybate-1.0 Holy H. Moly! Me, I just opted for a new prescription and set of glareproof peepers...and I still can barely SEE THE BALL!
At this juncture, Bill Self appears to be running opposing defenses ragged; from toe to heel, heel to toe. They have to game plan in respect to our flaming 3s. So what did we do last night? Fire up only ten 3s, but blister the opposition from inside the arc. And that, with our highly touted center glued to the pine. Cliff has got to be playing in serious pain. Either that or his neuromuscular synapses have snapped like corn in a hot kettle. Just imagine the opportunities for him to post really serious numbers, what with defenses so focused on patrolling the arc! His basketball IQ? Difficult to evaluate. But if his body recovers, and if the game slows down for him by NCAA TourneyTime, the Jayhawks could be rolling out a powderkeg. This is such a diverse collection of talent, even without the footer Bill Self can play the game so many different ways. Even so, he must have been shaking his head in awe last night, watching Graham and Ellis blast the bullseye with such efficiency. Solid minutes of R+R for Selden, Oubre, Mason. What a kaleidoscope!
@wrwlumpy "...last game of the Civil War." Oooh, NICE!
@jaybate-1.0 cyberBullies be beatdown burros born to bray, born to beef, bound and born to barf bullbits.
@jaybate-1.0 Though Weber's winning % is quite a step up from merely adequate, he hasn't actually knocked the socks off opponents during tenure in his #1 chosen profession, coaching. Actually, he tried to RIP the socks off an opponent in his second profession of choice: UNDERTAKING!
Poor economist that I am, this NBA buyout business has me baffled more than somewhat. Do I understand correctly that TRob is due approx. 1.2 million on his current contract. Denver might offer him $600K for a buyout, after which he is free to sign with anyone, maybe even return to Portland? So he might gain dollars in the process? Or perhaps lose dollars if he signs the buyout, then no other team would offer much for his services?
I feel very confident that Svi eventually will rise to some terrific occasions for Jayhawk Basketball. An immediate impact recruit, his crisp passing helped us to a splendid early non-league season. Unfortunately, his bombs weren't falling; his strength not quite adequate to bang with seasoned stronger opponents and teammates. Another 9 months with Hudy should do much to cancel some weaknesses. At the moment, he represents a comfortable cushion for the coaching staff, in case of injuries at the 2 or 3 positions. As do our other newbies, Svi appears to bear the patience to listen, learn, and await the call.
In my not so humble opinion, Perry's problems scoring this season stem largely from inadequate help from our other post players...and from the coaching staff's tenacious determination to polish the inside-out game. Embiid's departure left a huge gap in our customary Big Man Game. Alexander's injuries and slow adjustments to Self's Game has also thwarted Perry's shooting. There is not a finer player on this team than Perry Ellis. He shoulders a mighty big bundle. Perry Ellis goes down, then Fools Gold is absolutely all that's left!
Hang in there, Perry. The Sun Also Rises!
@REHawk Speaking of Staten, no surprise that it was a senior who almost singlehandedly took us to the cleaners in the final 10 seconds Monday night. This One and Done crapola is a blight on college basketball.
@RockChalkinTexas Longhorn collapse really sad. If Bill, Fred or Lon had those kids, TX would be competing well for the title. Deck that crew of players in WVU uniforms, add senior J. Staten, and Huggy would be a Final Four contender.
Man O Man, after TCU this battle for Title #11 is going to rev into white-hot action! No hiding behind the trees with small caliber ammo. The hoops nation is primed to see just what Bill Self and his current bevy of nontraditional Jayhawk troops are made of. Yee-Haw!
@Crimsonorblue22 Aw, shucks, we've got a starter who has probably logged 10x as many minutes as BG; and he can't dribble much better, at least inside the stripe. And he, on most outings, can't flush a bunny even if his mom's life depended upon it!
@jaybate-1.0 HA! My wife just finished blistering my ears about my Brannen Greene suggestions. She has trudged off to bed in a real snit. Maybe I should sleep on the matter, rehash and rephrase my advice to BG????? On the couch....
In my not so humble opinion, we lost this game by hanging our offense on the miserable number 11. ELEVEN THREES! Banish the GOLD, just play like FOOLS.
@jaybate-1.0 Gotcha! WVU by 1. This time I called it, almost to the letter. We shot only 11 threes. Would any poster on this site predict a KU win if told that this squad would fire only 11 threes? Granted, WVU covered us well beyond the arc. That said, we did not look to find Greene or to play to our strength. These last two games, Greene might as well pull a freshman Russ Rob maneuver: just tell Coach, "Sorry, I decline the opportunity to waste my time on the court." Essentially, his insertions have amounted to wasted minutes. If the offense is not designed or inclined to get the ball in the hands of perhaps the best shooter in this season's NCAA Div. 1 Basketball, then Brannen might as well just opt for a pass on the opportunity to take the court. Maybe a transfer to Davidson would be in his best interest. Would Gonzaga or BYU design an offense around his hot hand?
@drgnslayr Huggy has done the league a very real service, building a team of competent ball thieves. Will be interesting to watch Self try to control pace.