I think Svi is considerably stronger.... but I'm worried about his speed.
PSU was small... and relatively fast. Maybe that makes for a bad match up for him. It looks like he is being molded for the 3 spot.
drgnslayr
11251 posts
Speaking of HELP... I am jonesin' something fierce!
I'm going through severe KC Royals games withdrawal. Anyone else?
I think I've watched Game 5 at least 10 times now! KU basketball can't come soon enough!
One of the few facts we have to go off of was us backing off of Herard.
Hard to believe we would do that without some serious knowledge of a better post recruit coming our way.
I am doubtful we are doing it thinking Cheick will return....
For those who flunked out of their Chinese language course...
My translation comes out to: WTF?
All brought to you by those groovy internet guys over at Google Translation!
I hear what you are saying.
I guess the question is.... is there any way that Cheick COULD have known he was taking a bogus Algebra class? I think if there was NO WAY he could know this then he belongs more in the Cam comparison. If he couldn't know, then he is pure victim.
If that be, then they could let him play but just make him take a no-credit algebra class to bring him up to snuff.
The brightest minds need to be involved together (meeting of the minds) in order for rules to change in college basketball. That is the intent of these committees. And, to a large part, they at least weigh concepts in deeper levels of consciousness over Jay Bilas. He is just a carnival barker, pitching his own agenda. He has a respectable knowledge of the game, but still limited...and also extremely biased... and it shows on some issues while other in-game situations he can be okay on. That is what really rubs me about him. He buys stature by being decent in front of the mic on some games, then turns around and spends his stature in areas like college rules, where he just thinks he knows what he is talking about. A big part of it is his desire to erase all contact from basketball... that relates to his own personal bias because he couldn't cut it in the league because he had zero physicality. Very weak player. So... bring the game down to his old playing standard. Physical contact should always be a major part of basketball... but it should be regulated to a level where the gifted will overcome being touched while playing.
WARNING: Be prepared for a horrible year of basketball officiating! They are opening the door for major, major controversies! Since they are broadening the scope of what a foul is, that just opens up the potential for further discrepancies... that means unfair calls (both real and perceived) that will determine the outcome of games. And they wanted to speed up the game... yeah... right.
At least they have added in a penalty for guys flopping. But... I'm sure that will create controversy, too. I remember WUG and one of our guys gets a call for just having a slight jerk back in his neck. Hardly a big time flop.
Okay... made a bad example.
How about entry level into Harvard?
"Is there evidence that CD knew his Algebra classes were bogus prior to his final semester at OSNA?"
No... but do we let rules slide because he didn't know? I'm not saying everything is fair in life, but then we open a big bag of bogile if exceptions are made. I'm sure exceptions are made often and we don't know it. But why would one person receive an exception and another not? And what kind of message do we send to kids.... goof up and don't know about it, and you won't pay the price.
"Is there evidence that KU lowered the admission standards for CD?"
Better not be! Or we will be in the same boat as UNC... maybe get our fingers slapped with losing a scholarship for a year or so (angry sarcasm at the UNC situation).
I want Cheick legal to play as soon as possible. But if he doesn't pass the bar that everyone else has to pass.... it will be tough luck for us. Hey, come on... we aren't Duke! We can't go to the magic bag of dirty tricks to pull a few strings to get this done! (more angry sarcasm pointed at Duke)
I think a lot of this should go past the NCAA and directly to our federal judicial system. These "handlers" are nothing more than pimps, and should be convicted like them. Pure exploitation.
什么他妈的？
"if Diallo ends up not playing at all this season, do you think he declares for the NBA next year anyway?"
It then depends on other factors... how other D1 players perform... and most of all, it depends who he talks to and influences him.
How he would actually do in the draft would largely be determined by who he hires as his agent. I'm always amazed why more basketball "experts" don't realize this. The real reason why a college player loses his eligibility for D1 the second he "hires" an agent (who is working on future commissions) is because those agents immediately start investing money and effort (benefits) into the player. Agents send them to development camps, and on all kinds of appearances, and individual team workouts, etc. The better agents really understand basketball, and a big chunk of the league coaches and upper brass are known like family. They know exactly what teams are looking for.
Every time you read a story about a player hiring his cousin or early handler as his agent, you know that player has no concept of what mistake he just made. He has just dropped his potential (probably in half). He might be able to work through it and still get to where he belongs, but very very doubtful.
I'm curious what is up with Lucas? He looked the same way in WUG. He did have one decent game... was it against Germany? But... he was the last guy to be able to adjust to the rules and eventually foul less. He is having the same issue now.
I think it is showing us how rigid his game is. It takes him longer to adjust to changes. We see it in the rules... where we can't always see it is with his adjustment to each team we play and to different players.
I think he has made it this far in basketball... NOT because of his athleticism, or scrappy play and attitude, or talent. He has made it this far because he has always focused on the fundamentals. So that explains why it is hard for him to adapt quickly to changes.
If you watch him in the post, he is the only post player we have that knows how to seal for a rebound. The only one! Yet... he can't own the boards because he just isn't athletic and doesn't have enough scrap in him. I bet I've seen him get out-rebounded a dozen times where he had the seal off, but still got out-hustled. Those moments make him look really bad.
"Remember, the minute you compromise the rules, then the rules will begin to collapse. There are some, like Jay Bilas, that want that to occur. On one hand, they say they love college basketball. On the other hand, they take ever effort to destroy it."
Right on the money!
"We were all 14 and 15 at one time. And I know some 14-15 year olds are the exception, like jfan, but can we say for certain that Diallo knew which core classes were legit when he was a frosh and soph in school?"
Cheick may have been 14 or 15 when he took an inferior Algebra class or didn't take one at all... but he was 18 or so when he finished HS and had time to correct this while in HS.
Yes... he was (and is) young, but the rules for entering college or playing D1 ball can't be compromised. Should we let anyone into med school, without the grades and classes, etc., because they are young and didn't know better?
We wouldn't be having this discussion if it was for Cheick to enter med school. I think we all lower our academic standards for the minimum bar into playing D1 basketball. I'm not pointing fingers because I'm as guilty as anyone in here!
He showed flashes of his potential.
He should turn out to be the next Michael Cooper. I thought Vick was smaller (I call him "Mini Cooper"), but after a trip to Wiki... they are both 6'5" (warning: KU inches!) and Cooper was 170 lbs, Vick 175 lbs. I've stood up against the great Michael Cooper, and he is every bit of 6'5". They both have that same game... energy, fast twitch muscles, long arms, thin but strong, fast....
For those who came after Michael Cooper finished his career with the Lakers... In 1987, he won NBA Defensive Player Of The Year Award, and he was in the running for that award for a solid decade. Eight-time NBA All Defensive Team. Bird always said he was the best defender he ever faced.
Vick is a ways from being that... but my expectations are for him to be the steroid version of lock-down defender Travis Releford. We will see some of that this year. Very easily, by year's end, he might be the guy brought in to shut down a hot guard. I hope we see him develop this season so we at least get a glimpse of the future Vick.
!michael_cooper_1988_05_01.jpg ↗
MESSAGE TO VICK: Study all the video you can on Michael Cooper.... he's your man! In particular, study his defense. What people didn't know about Michael Cooper was that he diligently studied his opposition. He would look at hours and hours of play from everyone he faced. He understood how to hedge. He understood at what point of a drive he could reach in and jab the ball away without fouling. He knew where his opposition liked to finish their shots... their magic spots on the floor.... and he made sure to challenge them on that spot. No doubt, there is skill involved with playing great defense, but most of it is a mindset.... hard work, hard work, hard work! Cooper was a work horse!
Perspective... we need to keep perspective here.
Pitt States tallest player was what? 6'7"?
Our post looked good against a very short team.
Our guards seemed to just match their guards. We shot poorly from 3, too.
Our defense was consistently beat on the extended passes... stretching our defense beyond what they could handle.
I know this game doesn't mean much. It's too early, and we have to rebuild chemistry every year.
But I think it showed us how important Wayne Selden is to this team. Maybe he didn't show up because he is hampered with a bad ankle. Maybe. I'm guessing that is why he made the decision to not push his game.
"The Tea Leaves say they are in an appeal. Why else would Self have to be in meetings all day on a game-day. This has nothing to do with Bill Self other than him being the coach of Diallo."
Good chance we are in appeals because Self was asked that question and couldn't answer. If we weren't in an appeal, he would have said so because he knows fans would feel better about everything.
My guess (pure guess) is that we are in the appeal process now. Not because it has taken this long, but from that reaction. So I've got my bet down on a Riverboat pot with the master player himself.
Maybe you know the answer to this..
Is there something fishy going on at Arizona? I caught just a bleep from a conversation that mentioned the Wildcats in a negative light. I know Cal is turning up the heat on recruiting out west. Is Stumpy under investigation?
I don't want to jinx the Cheick situation... but imagine next year turns out:
Diallo, Bragg, Lightfoot, Bolden, Coleby, Lucas...
We need at least one uber elite post player next year. And if that isn't going to happen, we could have at least been solid by having both Herard and Lightfoot.
I know I am making an inference, but it seems like either 1 or 3 must be very likely.
Am I missing something?
According to KUSports:
"Sources said the Jayhawks backed off on the No. 34-ranked (by Rivals.com) Herard recently with KU having landed 6-9 Mitch Lightfoot and still in the running for several other big men including Jarrett Allen, Udoka Azubuike, Marques Bolden and Harry Giles."
How do we all interpret that?
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Cheick Diallo will be back next year because he was found to be ineligible or partially ineligible this year.
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Lightfoot is so under-ranked that Self (and others) see Herard as being behind Lightfoot in a future lineup.
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One of the elite undecideds above (or two) have given Self enough optimism to back down on the 34th ranked Herard.
We've been down this road before. Self said he learned his lesson after botching the Tarc recruitment. The botch was we pulled off of other post recruits because we thought we had Tarc in the bag.
I'm totally guessing here... but I project that we have a very firm private verbal from Marques and perhaps it is based on not signing Herard.
The rest of this list... who knows? I'm curious if we could sign 2 off this list. Maybe Self is happy with Marques and Mitch as being enough for our post recruiting.
Many of you guys know a lot more about this than I and it would be great to read your thoughts.
"But at the same time I think I heard my wife say " Sure, you can have a bunch of scantily clad 22 year old girls over to watch all the games. And I’ll clean house and cook for them too. " Something like that…"
Can you PM me the hearing aid brand you use? I have good hearing, but I need it filtered down to what I want to hear.
I am so sick of the "politically correct" crowd. Don't they realize how they insult me with their correctness? What about me?
You remember this one:
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."
My personal attorney recently told me this:
"If you get upset with someone, it is best to not react in front of them. But if you do, go ahead and slug them versus saying abusive comments. It will be a cheaper lawsuit settlement."
Turns out... to some people words hurt more than stones. Personally, I could care less what someone calls me (as long as it isn't late to dinner). But if they reach for a stone, I'm in total defense mode!
I think it is easy to walk away from this game and say... "hey... this is the same team we had last year but minus Kelly and Cliff!"
I have to admit.. I was feeling that way through most of it. Perry looked a bit quicker and perhaps a bit stronger.
Hunter looked better than last year at this time.
Otherwise... the big difference would be Carlton! He definitely did shine and gives us hope regardless of the Cheick outcome.
Unless he gets hurt, we are going to see Carlton get lots of PT this year. I'm psyched for that! I know this was a nothing game, but he sure didn't play like a freshman last night.
The other stuff I posted above Carlton is just a feeling. Too soon to infer anything about this team. This is always the time of year when fans easily make assumptions only later to be proven wrong.
It will be interesting to see them next week. You have to be prepared for the possibility that they might even look worse next week! I know... a week of practice should help, but often at this point it just makes them play stiffer.
They probably just need more games to loosen up. All the practicing with no games can stiffen up a team, especially when their practices are all about teaching them structure.
I'm glad (for the most part) that we looked like one big cow patty. It helps keep fan expectations down. Usually, we murder these teams and fans get a false sense of where the team is at because they don't consider the quality of our opponent.
Also... it gives Self plenty of red meat to rip these guys a new one in practice all week. 6 days until the next exhibition so that means a lot of focused practices.
There were some bright spots. Carlton looks like he will earn serious PT. Hunter looked pretty good, too. Landen doesn't really seem like he has changed at all. Jamari brought some good energy. Self has him tagged as the "energy guy" this year.
Wayne... I hope he is just still hobbled with a bad ankle. He looked slow and disinterested.
BG..... well... taking Self's words.... "he just doesn't get it!" (so far, anyways)
Svi... I know this game was nothing, but I was hoping to see more after eating all those hype sandwiches the past 6 months! He is definitely heavier... but he looks slower. Maybe he isn't a fast-twitch guy.
Vick... I finally figured him out. He is the next MICHAEL COOPER!
Devonte had moments where he showed he is a point guard. Frank had moments where he showed he is a shooting guard.
I'm really praying with get Cheick cleared and he develops quickly. The team needs his energy on the floor. This team is so capable of going out and taking a nap at half court.
Wasn't it Davis who slipped up in the game and said Cheick hadn't been cleared yet but it was just a matter of time before he played college basketball? Something like that... I heard something while sharing attention with our toddlers.
Rebounding and TOs help make up the possession totals.
Put possession totals with points-per-possession and you get to the punch line... FINAL SCORE!
The key is to compare against your opponent, not look at the stats just on our team. Games move at different paces.
To go deeper, analyze how you got your points-per-possession, and also your opponent's stats, too.
I'm not a statistician but I respect those who are. There is always "more to the story" but stats give the bottom line.
I'm slowly grasping this new stat on the positive/negative a player has on point totals while getting PT.
I trust many of the posters in here on stats far over trusting myself!
I'm a huge Bolden fan because he is very skilled and has a ton of potential.
But more than anything I want POWER.
If I had to pick one... I pick Udoka.
If we land him... I feel like we will have a great recruiting class in the post. But I would also like the offensive potential of Bolden. We will need to replace Perry's points.
"I guess the question is, can Self tweak and flex to reduce the 10% without endangering the 90%? In my work (nothing to do with sports), fixing the 10% does sometimes endanger the 90%."
When I think of what makes Self, Self... what is his unique identity as a coach... I think of 3 things:
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Hi/Lo offense
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Man-to-man defense (almost exclusively)
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Strict discipline on young players (quick hook), soft discipline on veteran players (no hook)
Those are the 3 areas of his coaching that pop out and make him distinct. As @ralster mentioned... Self is a tremendous "net positive" for us.
Can Self keep his ways and just tweak it 10% to make it better?
Perhaps, perhaps not. This year will be a real test for that. And if he can adapt his ways to the strengths of his current roster? That... I'm not certain about. This gets into my sermon about the differences between D1 coaches and NBA coaches.
I think he will still want to micromanage and stiffen up the game by making his players play within a very tight structure. I'm not expecting him to have a "Royal moment" and let the guys play more on their own instincts. But these guys aren't the same personnel the Royals have. They are young kids put under a bright spotlight.
That final step in success usually requires teams to show something new at the end. This is something we don't even consider. Look at how much harder it is to do in pro baseball. They play a zillion games. They hardly have time to do develop because they are busy preparing for a game. But Yost was a master at keeping the Mets off-guard... especially with his pitching strategy. Meanwhile... guys like Herrera were adding a pitch to his arsenal just in time for the playoffs...
We need to offer up something unique at the end. A few new inbounds plays. A few extra wrinkles in the offense. A few ways to adjust defense to get hot teams out of their offensive rhythm.... This is where we typically fail big time. This is where we play in March and are losing a game and it just plays out the same to the very end, where we end up going home.
Duke won last year, partially because K verbally abused the refs at halftime to get his calls later. But he also tried unique things the second half and made the Badgers adjust.
In '08.... Self put Rush out top on a defensive zone. It created serious problems for Memphis.
In '15.... What did we change up on the Shockers? I agree with @Texas-Hawk-10 .... Self has to study the Shocker game. What went wrong? What could he have done differently? Is total blame on our players? Is total reason we lost because the Shocker players played better? We were spanked. My guess is Self is the Riverboat Gambler and actually has studied that game but doesn't want to share that with anyone. If he says he did study it, then he made a political mistake because much of the Jayhawk base still lives in lala land and doesn't give the Shockers their due.
There is plenty to take away from the Shocker game to make us a better team... especially on the strategy side. I'm not against us playing M2M defense... but we need to have plenty of twists in our defense to keep opposing offenses from settling into a rhythm. Especially with the coming year and 5 seconds off the shot clock.
I agree with your words about management sticking to their guns and letting a coach take the time to build.
But I don't believe it would ever happen with Gill or Charlie. Both seemed to be working in the wrong direction. Gill, especially, created a horrible team environment. Discipline had completely shattered and when that happens it takes a new staff to get it back.
Hard to grade Beatty yet. He walked into a tough situation. Word is that his biggest strength is recruiting, and football success is largely based on recruiting. I have to admit I haven't been keeping up with Kansas football this year. From the soundbites I have caught it was very positive. Beatty spoke openly about strategies and how he is building a long-term winning structure.
We have to start somewhere. I just hope if Beatty does start to turn our program around we can keep him here. I don't know enough about him to get a feeling about that. I'm sure others can weigh in on that to better comment.
I noticed nothing on KUSports about Herard.
They get tipped off probably more than most sources. Not even a mention. Bad journalism? Maybe....
I know he hasn't announced yet, but they print all kinds of recruiting rubbish all the time on guys we aren't even recruiting.
There was a lot more talk about Lightfoot right before he declared.
I vote "legalize"... on Cheick, too!
Wow! How much for the ball? I need to put it on my Christmas list. I better start bribing Santa now...
You need to work out a legally-binding contract with your wife about remote control control. Have it signed and notarized and have an extra copy held with your attorney. Nothing too fancy or elaborate... perhaps the length of the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt.
I'm dreaming that Svi will be more like Tyshawn in his senior year! ;)
Imagine the possibilities with this team if Svi becomes a huge contributor? And if we "legalize" Cheick? Everyone gets healthy...
It will be interesting to see the changes.
I agree with most of the rule changes. Just weary about the contact rules... it is a big contrast with the other rule changes trying to speed up the game. Meanwhile... if they call 50 or 60 fouls in a game, how slow will that go?
What they should consider is one of the old International rules... where the ref doesn't need to touch the ball and set the game on inbounds for many situations. Especially if there will be a lot of foul calls.... this will speed up the game considerably on the inbounds and also create plenty of quick offense and penalize the teams that aren't ready. This keeps the game moving much like soccer does and gets us away from having play reset every play like American football does. It definitely creates exciting basketball plays!
"From all the coaches comment I have read, it looks like the shot clock will not have much effect in the game; the average possession last less than 20 second anyway. KU played with a shorter clock at the WUG and had no problems."
I'm not buying Self's comment on that. I feel he is just being the "Riverboat Gambler" and he is deflecting his aces in the hole.
Any reduction in the shot clock should help teams that are heavy on defense. Kansas, typically, is one of those teams. Flipping it the other way, the reduction in the shot clock can hurt teams with a stagnant offense.
I don't think we will see too much of the same team that played in WUG, largely because we won't be playing those style of teams, and when we step into conference play, we will be playing teams that know us.
I think all of us Jayhawk fans should be pleased with taking 5 seconds off the clock. Not because it speeds up the game as much as we perceive it being a slight advantage to teams like ours.
That is just my opinion.
Let's face it... stats have become a HUGE part of sports.
First... stats are a tool. They are not the only tool to use for analysis, planning, coaching, etc... but they are a tool, and a very important tool.
Back to how stats have become a HUGE part of sports. I'll go a step further.... sports media is making stats the STAR of sporting events. Proof in point... the World Series. Now I can see how relaying some stats to the fans is useful, especially the one stat discussed in the link below... but come on! Every player was analyzed against the entire history of the World Series. Familia, who is one of the best relief pitchers in baseball today, was given the boot for being the worst... three blown saves.... a World Series "record." Was it really necessary to defame the guy because of what happened? He was put in bad situations, never a clean inning to step into, and an infield defense that plain stunk.... and he was going against the very best (oops, almost gave away the stat that counted most).
I know one thing... I know one record that was truly SHATTERED during this World Series... the number of times that commentators compared and mentioned World Series stats. I bet it was in the hundreds of times.
Okay... I've cleansed my pallet.
Now... on to the one stat that really counted:
Incredible stat captures how clutch Royals were this postseason ↗
I love these Royals! They defended everything that is right (and capable) in sports. They are the example. They have now set the bar. It was so refreshing to see real TEAM work and no egos creating separation. This may end up being my personal highest moment in sports I will ever witness.
According to Self, Perry has up'd his game a big notch for this year. He looks more physical and will play with more physicality.
If that is true, I think we can exempt Perry from this comment.
Brannen on the other hand... I think when Self recruited him he was enticed by his size and shooting ability... so he thought he could help him round out his game to be a complete player, and a future NBA prospect. It seems Brannen may not be "polishing out" like Self imagined he would. I'm speculating here... maybe Brannen will step it up a big notch this year.
I do like how Self finally backed up one of the comments I have had about Brannen since Day #1.... "bend those knees!"
It would seem that bending knees would be an easy fix, but turns out it isn't. A part of it is genetics. The way a guy is built. Bones, tendons... muscles... and the composition of muscles. I never realized that before until someone straightened me out on it. Of course, it can't be used as a total crutch. Players can learn to adjust their stances to some degree. For Brannen... he severely needs to lower his center of gravity, bend his knees and widen his stance. By doing so, he will become a lot more explosive and capable. I hope it happens, but I'm not holding my breath.
I thought it was great that Colon got the winning run hit for game #7! He was sky high and his teammates totally embraced the excitement with him! Every player on the roster played in the series.
I think we have a pretty unselfish crew of players. I hope they can bond like the Royals have. It is a different game. Baseball season so long giving players plenty of time and experiences to bond.
Colon mentioned getting a bunch of help from veteran players. I think that is something we can really use to get the maximum development out of our young players.
Now we are finally back to having some veteran players. @Lulufulu mentioned the mixture of experienced players and talent.
I just had to post something to say THANK YOU, ROYALS!
They have brought me back into being a MLB fan again, and so they will be filling my down time from Kansas basketball with their skillful play every spring, summer and fall!
Ned Yost, the Royals Skipper, pretty much lets his guys play. He doesn't burden them with micromanagement. He doesn't script them with demands in key situations. He lets them play ball.
According to everything I read and see, his team is, by far, the happiest group of super bonded players in the majors. That is half of what makes them fun to watch... how they support each other and play TRUE TEAM BALL!
Surely there is something our Jayhawks and Self can learn from this.
I know we can't compare the Royals to our basketball team exactly. It is not only a different sport, but the maturity level is substantially lower with our young guys. We know they can't execute at the same level as guys 5 to 15 years older than them.
But can't we try?
We go to March Madness every year, but every year we show up and play stiff. The Royals definitely didn't play stiff in the playoffs.
Is the answer to have more responsibility handed over to the players and do less coaching micromanaging?
I believe there is something to this. And Self said he learned to trust his players more this past summer when they played in WUG.
Tell me what you really think.
"In the press conference, Self confirmed your point on the shooting – but he shook his head and referenced “carelessness’” with the ball when discussing Svi. That’s not surprising. The dude can pass, and I’m guessing with new confidence in the system, he could be trying to thread the needle perhaps too many times (based on Self’s intolerance for turnovers)."
My reading of the tea leaves is that Svi passes "too well" and he needs to "dumb down" his passes because his teammates aren't at his level of court awareness. So he is making great, hard passes that his teammates can't handle.
This is a very common problem with players that see more than their teammates. They often throw great passes that are dropped or totally missed because the player on the receiving end wasn't ready or paying enough attention to make the catch.
If this is the case, the answer is to go ahead and keep Svi throwing the tough passes and get his teammates to up their levels to his, not drop his to their level. Playing with a guy that has great passing skills should improve all his teammates' ability to see the court and anticipate better.
Yeah... I read that.
I don't doubt that Jamari had the best week of practice. But I think it is all part of getting everyone to push harder. Just like he was talking about a bad couple weeks of practice for the team.
The key, especially early and with new players, is to get these guys to realize that they are not only competing against other teams, but also among other players on the same team (for PT).
Let's put things into perspective.
These first games are just advanced scrimmages in front of a crowd.
Self does what most coaches do... use every situation to help motivate the players he needs to motivate the most. Self currently feels like other post players could use more of a kick in the pants than Jamari, so Jamari will start.
This has zero reflection on who will start in B12 play and beyond.
I discovered a big insult (by accident)... telling a southern lady, "you should taste my mother's fried chicken!"
If she had been carrying a gun, I would have been murdered.
Ha! Neither of us are from the south, but I know a southern woman who says, "well bless your heart" often. I'll never look at her the same...
Right now I'm trying to figure out "did you really think..." Maybe because it has the word "really" in it. It took me several years to figure out the Riverboat Gambler's vernacular, especially his use of the word "really." And when he uses that word repeatedly... like "really, really, really" turns out to mean something totally different than just one "really."
"which goes to show that none of us has inside information and all we do is guess"
Now wait a minute. I have inside information. When I really want to know the answer, I ask my wife. In order to keep things privy, she uses her special communication codes (just like the Riverboat Gambler does).
I think I have some of it figured out now:
"Duh!!!" = I'm dumb
"What did you expect?" = I'm dumb
"Seriously?!" = I'm dumb
I'm still working on the rest of the code...