🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@jaybate-1.0

I don't think people realize that there really isn't a difference between athletic shoes and blood diamonds. I venture a guess that there has been equal hardship in the manufacturing of shoes in Asia as has been in excavating diamonds in Africa. Drug cartels could learn a thing or two from a basketball giant like Nike. Their level of corruption runs through every facet of their industry, from the high visibility of lobbying local, state and federal politicians all the way across to their low visibility corrupt production practices in Asia, hidden to protect "trade secrets."

My hopes are we someday get a Justice Department that really goes after mob organizations, like Nike. Good chance the evidence is already there, spilled by brave informers, like UBS informant Bradley Birkenfield, and Hervé Falciani's theft of HSBC's files.... and others. Nike has been operating a monster slush fund in Swiss banks for decades... free from taxes and the ability to transfer funds "below the radar."

And let's talk about manufacturing...

Nike Sweatshop History: Should Action be Taken? ↗

John "the Squid" Calipari is about to be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame. It is hard to believe that he will reach that accomplishment before Bill Self. I guess Nike has more influence than Adidas in Springfield, MO.

Not every fan base in this country agrees with Calipari's induction. In particular, the fans at Memphis State University pulled the white linen from under Calipari's formal dinner plans by cancelling their event to honor him. I guess to be crystal clear, the fans grabbed the table cloth end points and it was MSU President Dr. M David Rudd that did all the pulling.

This is not a prank, like the prank pulled by our low excuse for a rival, the Purple Kitties of Manhattan. This is a message sent from one of the biggest basketball die-hard communities in America. Message to all: Don't F%&# With Memphis! It is unlikely Calipari will personally visit Memphis to recruit a player or to go for a friendly visit to "old friends"... at least, he won't go without taking a team of armed bodyguards. You can bet there will always be a "welcoming committee" awaiting Calipari's arrival in Memphis... equipped with pitchforks and insta-lite flaming crosses and stakes,

Calipari was reached for a comment on Memphis and their reaction and he manufactured the following:

"The university gave me a chance to revive my career and together we built something special that continues today," Calipari told the Memphis Commercial Appeal's Jason Smith. "(My wife) Ellen and I enjoy the friendship of many and our family considers Memphis a special place with many fond memories."

Yes, the university gave him his SECOND chance to revive his career, and look what he left them? Yes.... "something special that continues today." Something so special that the fans are not prepared to thank him.

I wonder what kind of festivities are planned at UMASS?

This can only happen to John Calipari. Not everyone is ready to fold up their values (like a tablecloth linen) for the likes of a John Calipari. I have renewed my respect for the City of Memphis. It takes guts to stand apart from the tapioca PC mentality of the general public and make this statement. And MSU President Dr. M David Rudd did the right thing by refusing to throw out his fan base with the dirty dishes. What do you know, there is something special that continue today in Memphis, and it doesn't involve honoring John Calipari!

John Calipari Won't Be Honored by Memphis for Hall of Fame Induction ↗

Memphis apologizes to fans over plans to honor John Calipari ↗

@dylans

"My only real concern is they turn into another group of classless antlers. I don’t want a rival like that. Hatred doesn’t make a good rival"

You are right.... hatred doesn't make a good rivalry. It has done us all good to remove Mizzou out of our lives. Classless, stupid hatred will get people nowhere. We may not be able to convince the Tigs or Purple Kitties of that, so they will just have to live with their limitations and suffer the consequences. They will receive their own karma paybacks and we don't need to dirty our hands or distract our minds towards hateful retaliations.

In fact, I feel pity for these people. They don't have enough of a base mentality to realize they are only hurting themselves. These are the kind of people that if you move their dinner plate 6-inches away, they will starve to death.

I am on board with others who think Diallo will be the difference-maker in our coming year.

I'm certain he will get plenty of rebounds and most 50/50 balls. He will be a defensive deterrent to some degree, hopefully more than we anticipate. He will offer up some offense and will help add points to our game totals.

But I feel the BIGGEST DIFFERENCE from adding in Diallo is the increased pace he bring to this team! I feel that one factor alone is reason to give him the majority of PT minutes in his slot. He offers not only energy, but hustle. Hustle is part energy, the rest attitude. His hustle attitude is bound to rub off on our team. I'm thinking he will most impact Wayne Selden. Wayne is a guy who can bring NOTHING to a game and be INVISIBLE. However, when Wayne is jacked up, he can OWN a game... DOMINATE a game... help LEAD in a game... BRING VICTORY to us! I also hope Diallo's attitude will bring more (and constant) hustle out of Perry. No more games where he disappears!

I feel like we are a Sweet 16 team without Cheick and a Final 4 team with him!

@HighEliteMajor

Self had said that WUG offered us a great training tool. I believe him on that... enough to where he would risk losing the goal to better help our team for the upcoming season. I believe this to be true, especially when thinking of the championship game with Germany. I believe Self benched Mick because Mick had already proven himself in WUG, and had already gained what he was going to gain. Whereas... for the most part, Lucas' WUG performance had been a disaster and Self didn't want Lucas coming away with negative energy from WUG. He needed Lucas to end on a high note to help give him some esteem for the coming year. That is the way I look at it. If the game was life or death, I feel certain we would have seen plenty of Mick.

@ParisHawk

True and glad you mentioned that.

This move was made as the first move to bring Aaron into the system. No guarantees he stays either, because after his injury heals I expect him to go back to playing for a fat check. But this first step is crucial for the day he is done dribbling and starts using a whistle. Good chance he will do that at Kansas!

@jaybate-1.0

Marathongo! Good job!

I can't wait to see Aaron uplift the games of Frank and Devonte.... I can't wait!

This may be our year!

I say the heck with all of this...

Let's use this as motivation (chip) to kick their asses in ALL SPORTS!

How ENTERPRISING would that be?

I am very excited about this!

This is H U G E !!!

@jaybate-1.0

It has taken me a while to digest BAD BALL.

At this point, today, I feel the following. But tomorrow, I may feel different about it and change my mind because it still seems foreign to me in the first place.

I know situations changed during the year, and there must have been a timing issue of WHEN Self flipped the switch. My biggest gripe is that we did this at the end of the year... when we strictly needed results and not lessons in toughness, etc.

I look at BAD BALL as a tactic we probably should have deployed early in the year, and then have time to bring the offense around and be more effective on offense while still carrying a chip on defense. That would have worked.

The problem I see in last year is that we created an "Izzo learning moment" at the end of the year, when Izzo will be the first one to tell you that his hard lessons come EARLY in the year so there is time to reap the actual reward later on!

Players get hot, players slump. Things going on around them can impact the direction they are going. Imagine we hit our trey slump early and had to learn to fight harder to win... like by playing much tougher defense. Even if we just get to 500 ball playing like that, we know we can win even on our worst offensive days. Then imagine we have 20 games left to fix our offense? I would think that the longer the season went on, the better our offense would play because it was performing far lower than our typical standard.

I know (for sure) that I could not do as good a job as Self does at running this team. I would take his 82% winning percentage and would be lucky to win 50% of the time. Self is a great coach and I'm glad we have him!

But Self is like the rest of mankind, and he makes mistakes now and then. I think he just put his foot in his mouth on the "fools gold." If he doesn't feel like he did and he liked the results of focusing on low post scoring after that, then there is a great chance he will use the "fools gold" statement again this year, right after we have a game where we hoist up a truckload of 3s.

Anyone want to place a bet on that one? I'm willing to bet he doesn't mention the term "fools gold" again (unless he tries to reverse the meaning). And I will accept that as his acknowledgment of putting his foot in his mouth.

Self may be living down his "fools gold" statement for the rest of his career. How will we ever land another top trey shooter when competing recruiters will show their interpretation of Self's "fools gold" and how Kansas doesn't emphasize treys. How do we defeat that blunder negatively impacting recruiting as we move forward?

I think Self should come out and address his comment. Clearly state that Kansas will use any and all weapons to win a game. Defend the trey! Let people everywhere know that "fools gold" was just a term he blurted out to fit a precise situation and it has nothing to do with how he sets his game strategy. blah blah blah....

Like I said above..... it deserves repeating.... How are we going to recruit the next superstar trey shooter? How?

Okay.... I'm jumping into the jackass pool! ;) I have no doubts about earning that title for myself, especially since it has been reinforced several times in my life by people I respect labeling me as a mule.

We can all use statistics to support our point of view. Usually, the numbers can be massaged to support opposing views. So I'm not going to use them to make my point here.

From my experiences of playing for several decades, I will only state my own opinion on the "fools gold" comment.

I can only see it as negatively impacting the players that take 3s. I know it would negatively impact my production of 3s and I'm not over-sensitive on anything. I am King Jackass! I know it would make me think too much while playing in real time. This game is a game requiring players to play by instincts, not over-thinking. I am certain my 3-pt % would drop like a lead balloon if my coach announced to the world that my 3-pt shot was "fools gold." And I am only putting it in the context of the basketball world I played in.... a heck of a lot smaller world than KU basketball!

I've suddenly renewed my fan vigor for MLB play (thank you, Royals!). I notice how managers stick up for their guys, even when their guys are clearly wrong.... ESPECIALLY when their guys are clearly wrong! If a player gets thrown out of a game, the manager is not far behind. The key to all of this is that players need to feel like their coaches GOT THEIR BACKS!

To me, just my perspective, it felt like Self threw his trey shooters under the bus. I don't know how to see it in any other way. I think that was one of the few times where he didn't filter his comments like he usually does. I bet he would filter that comment out now if he could go backwards. He could have been a lot smarter on how he impacts his players to play differently then to denigrate part of their game.... and treys are an important part of the game!

That is just my 2 cents. There may be a stat out there that runs counter to my comment. If so, so be it. I'm just stating what I feel about this.

Calling out "fool's gold" on an action by a player or players infers that those players are fools. It infers that their actions are driven by the shiny gold prize they perceive it to offer. And, or course, the "fools" part attaches possession via use of a denigrating descriptor.

I'm glad no coach I ever played for called me a "fool" (just a Jackass! ;) )

@joeloveshawks

Good post and questions!

I'm not sure what to believe on Frank's actual minutes played last year. It is easy to distort the situation by just looking at one round number. For example, maybe Frank was limited on minutes in the pre-conference games. It seems like he played a lot more during conference play. And then there was the Devonte injury.

There are other issues at play, too. Frank likes to drive hard to the basket. I really appreciate that in him... however.... count how many times he goes down in a game? He makes me wince several times every single game because he hits the deck hard. I think Sherron is the closest comparison to style of play, and all of this is part of the equation.

Ultimately... Frank didn't pass the "eye test" towards the end of last season. He clearly wasn't "fresh." Every player is unique and deals with a unique season. Coaches have to be aware of what they are seeing and take appropriate actions. Frank was continually pushed into heavy minutes even after he was showing his cumulative fatigue. "Cumulative fatigue" shows up throughout a game, not just the end.

Coaches often use a PT minutes number, just as a barometer, and to use as their standard. But down the stretch, PT decisions need to be impacted heavily by the "eye test."

I got a chuckle out of all this... and I wasted no time throwing some sarcasm at it to milk the moment for everything.

However, I do respect that not everyone has my loose sense of decorum boundaries. And for that reason, I find it to have been totally inappropriate.

But hey... let's enjoy watching KSU defend themselves and just be silent observers without a reaction. The real cold "slap in the face" we give it is to not acknowledge it. Kind of like how we don't acknowledge the Tig trash from Missouri since they left the B12. So they want to kick up the border war again? What border war?

Why give a-holes any attention? I like to focus my attention on quality. People stepping up and contributing to our world.

I have a feeling that the band director is actually a very cool dude. He feel victim to his own naivety and perhaps not micro-managing their formations. Bet he won't let that happen again! And now he is covering up for someone else... the designer of the scheme and the one who intentionally made it "sexual." I have no doubt that the person who came up with all of this wasn't naive, and there was intent.

BTW: this will be a theme returning to our consciousness every time sports media discusses KU and KSU in the same breath. After football season, it will pop up again in basketball season. And the purple kitties will, once again, have to deal with their actions.

All we have to do is not react negatively, or even at all. Just kick back and enjoy the ride!

Wow.... what a reaction to their own "sportsmanship pledge!" This is what this is all about.... a retaliation against themselves! Kansas never really made a big deal about Jamari getting bumped. This all generates from the league and from within KSU. It's their reputation... so let's kick back, chomp some popcorn, and watch the show of KSU building a d-bag reputation! Goooooo, WIldcats!!! ;)

@JayHawkFanToo

I may have misstated myself. I don't have a problem with a 7-8 man rotation. But that doesn't mean we can't throw in some deeper bench for 3 or 4 minutes here and there to help keep the rust off. Part of that rust comes from guys sitting on the bench that know they won't be going in, so they aren't paying as close attention. And they may not be working quite as hard in practice because they realize their role is nothing more than bench warmer. Giving guys just a few minutes throughout the season helps keep them stay up to speed. A carrot is always there in front of their noses. And they tend to have better attitudes.

I also feel like, in most situations, we are able to maintain more team spirit because most everyone is involved DIRECTLY with our outcomes.

I'm not for us installing a platoon system or anything similar. I just think it is a shame we waste much of our depth every year. Their play may not help against another top seed.... but when we play a much lower seed (where we usually lose), these guys might just offer us up the spark we need as well as give our top guys some needed rest before we play a tougher game in a few days. Our elite players may have a problem getting up for a game against a much lower seed, but our reserves just want to see floor time, and now they will see floor time in March!

I also think @ParisHawk has a solid point about resting our key players. If we exploit Frank like we did last year, there will be no NC in March. He won't have the legs to lead that kind of charge needed to win it all. That was a monstrous strategical blunder last year.... using up Frank's legs and not having him rested enough for March. The blame will always be pointed at him being "nicked up." Bologna. Frank was "used up."

@jaybate-1.0

"You are saying, well, yes, Self can be strategically flexible but tactically stubborn, and so that is why he is not winning higher than 82% of his games and getting more rings. But you are reducing that what he is doing is already winning 82 percent and 1 ring and 11 titles and that there would be cost to pursue the benefits of increased tactical flexibility you value. There would be costs and benefits to him to do what you suggest. There is no strategic free lunch… Wooden was nearly completely inflexible in strategy and tactics. He did not even believe adapting at all to what other teams did. Wooden won ten rings. Self is like Jim Carey in The Mask compared to Wooden in terms of game adjustments."

That is why I mentioned "risk" in my statement. The risk may encompass losing more games and dropping the 82% down in order to be better prepared for March. I say this with a "maybe." I think many of us in here appreciate Izzo and how he seems to prefer losing plenty of games throughout the year to toughen up his troops and to keep their rankings lowered so they aren't bogged down with sports media frenzy... flying well below radar.

My only objection to this is if we put our conference streak in jeopardy. I'm one of those who really appreciate this streak and I absolutely HATE losing to any B12 teams. But I also HATE losing in March.

What I don't really care much about is pre-conference play. I care, but not as much. To me, the season really starts when we play our first conference game.

Here is one area that I believe we need to improve.... we need to keep more of our bench "in the loop" during the year so we can take full advantage of our depth in March. Burying someone like Svi in deep freeze all year does not prepare him for March. We need only look back a few months to see what happens when you have bench guys ready to play in March. Freshman Grayson Allen won the NC for Duke... not Okafor.

But in order to do this we have to give up some vital minutes to some of our bench for seasoning during the year. There is some risk involved with that.

@jaybate-1.0

"Look weak early and you get branded weak."

"Frank also suffers from bad early branding. "

Spot on.

Just like players often get branded strong early and then fizzle out. I like Niang and his play, but seriously, he didn't have a good year last year and it is easy to assume he never returned to being 100% after his injury two years ago. There has been a lot said about him being a 1/2 step off his game.

So let's put it this way... would any of us trade Perry Ellis for Georges Niang? I certainly wouldn't.

@Crimsonorblue22

Yep... our last game of the year... November 28th!

Yes... crowdfunding is legal. I didn't know this:

"The money will go directly to the band and its scholarship fund since the fine will be paid by the Office of the President."

So the KSU Big Chief supports this type of behavior by paying the fine? I thought that was levied against the band director?

My hope is Diallo clears and advances his offense quickly. If he does that, great chance we have the horses to run effective offense, both outside/in and in/outside.

Then I hope we find a balance of hitting a solid % from trey, while also hitting a high % from the low post and mid range.

I hope through this success that Self sees how important BOTH areas are on the floor and no longer tries to artificially slow the flow of one or the other, and the opposing defense partially dictates that because we become a team of OPPORTUNISTS.

If I was to look at one area of ISU ball that I'm envious of, it is their ability to become OPPORTUNISTIC and succeed at what defenses give.

I wish we could contract The Mayor for a day just to teach attitude... NBA attitude.

If I'm not mistaken, the KSU band committed a State crime by depicting oral sex, especially with an animal and a non-human object. I believe this is still considered a sex crime in Kansas. And that looked like the mini-Jay. Anyone know his age? This could be a depiction of child pornography and with the wide distribution now falls into the federal crime book.

And as we all get a laugh and think I'm being sarcastic... just take my advice and don't consider peeing in public... unless you want to be labeled as a sex offender for the rest of your life!

For those who still haven't seen the live version -

Kansas State Marching Band Made A Giant 50-Yard Penis ↗

BTW: be prepared for this to be aired during our game(s) with KSU football.... also KSU basketball!

@HighEliteMajor

"I appreciate the discussion. The key here is that we avoid making the mistakes of the past."

Amen to that! I really hate that we continue having to turn to Einstein and his quote about insanity... but we often fall into that cliche.

On one hand, we have one of the most-winning programs over the last decade, but we also have often been a big dud in March. It has gone on long enough to see a trend. If we want to break that trend, we need to install some changes. It might be as little as changing a coaching attitude. It might be more than that. To some degree, we have to run some risk in doing so.

Greatness isn't defined by reaching a high plateau. Greatness is defined by reaching a high plateau and relentlessly carrying on to climb higher. We need to continue to climb and not rest on being satisfied at our current plateau. Also, staying on the same plateau eventually means falling lower because our competition continues to climb higher, passing us.

I would like to see this question asked to Self EVERY SINGLE YEAR -

"Coach.... what changes will you try this year to advance the program further than where it was last year?" (hint: What path will we take to climb past our current plateau?)

@jaybate-1.0

Wow.... lots of info in your post. Good job!

"THE GENIUS stared down the barrel of doom."

I can kind of believe this scenario, and kind of can't. I always base my perception of Self's desperation by how he plays defense. He tends to hate leaving his M2M even when we are getting clubbed to death. Pretty much all of basketball history has shown that flipping defenses CAN work. It forces the opposing offense into dealing with something different, and for no other reason it can work just because they couldn't adapt equally to the efficiency they had already established. I will never understand Self on this one! I tend to agree with his focus on M2M, but he should be shifting over to temporary zones often just to see the impact and then be OPPORTUNISTIC and stick with what works. Even short stints of zone can help bounce offenses off their rhythm even when going back to facing the M2M again.

I think Self is a great coach, and we are truly lucky to have him. But I also think he leaves a lot of potential on the table by not being more OPPORTUNISTIC in the way he thinks. He is extremely rigid in his thought process. It usually shows up in our losses... because we watch the same "grind it out" strategy after it already proved not to helping us win.

I think "desperation" should show itself through the coach trying different tactics to spurn a change in the outcome. I don't see that very often at Kansas and with Self. He will "grind it out" and accept the outcome.

Flipping to BAD BALL was change. It was mostly one big strategic change that was a big part of us going 500. Could our results have been worse? Yes... as you stated, perhaps his strategy lifted us from a path of 250 we were on. Maybe.

But also... think of it this way... think of it through the eyes of an OPPORTUNIST. Wouldn't an OPPORTUNIST run with BAD BALL but then also continue to put wrinkles in that strategy? Did we always have to "dud out" from trey after that? Couldn't we have run better offense, more high ball screens and screens off the ball to open up 3s to lift our percentages again and get back some mojo? Why does our change always have to be so stark? Everything is either BLACK or WHITE? What about GRAY, where the real opportunities are... where the defense CONSTANTLY has to adjust to a changing offense being thrown at them.

And our post scoring sucked in BAD BALL. Also consider that the percentages are weighted by only the possibility of scoring 2 points instead of 3. Maybe we could have created BAD BALL focusing on tough defense, but also keeping some OPPORTUNISM left in our offense? Did we really have to TANK our offense for the rest of the season to reap the rewards of BAD BALL? That strategy gave us the results we could expect. 500 ball. Decent defense bundled with stinking offense. Half good and half bad. 500 ball. If we were the purple kitties, I would say that was a good strategy. Since we are one of the elite programs... NO! We should expect more and we should have a strategy for more than 500 ball.

@HighEliteMajor

"Self was very vehement and vocal with the team regarding what he’s said in the media – that you can’t rely on three point shooting, that the team has to take a different path, and that the team was going to take a different path."

This is right on... and what really ticked me off how Self handled this. We all know he believes you can't rely on 3-pt shooting... and that may be true... just like you can't rely on post scoring either. Eventually, you will face the big footer (or in the case of Kentucky... footerSSS) who will shut down your post scoring, so do you just say "f-it" and still continue to feed the post and get smoked? I guess in our case the answer is "yes." When Kentucky smoked us we followed the same game plan all game, which did nothing but build Kentucky's blocked shot stat line. That was embarrassing, and unnecessary.

Truth is... all teams can't rely on just one thing. Being one-dimensional usually ends teams' run in March. What teams have to RELY on is being OPPORTUNISTIC and taking what the defense gives. Teams that have the broadest range of threats has the best chance of advancing in March, because they overcome all the unique resistance thrown at them by teams they haven't faced during their season.

Moving forward, it will be very very hard for us to win in March without 3-pt shooting, just as it will be every bit as hard if we don't get any post scoring. Most teams will take a hit in the mouth for the first half and adjust their defense in the second half to try to fight back. This is where one-dimensional teams get crushed. This is often the way Kansas loses, because we don't adjust to what the defense gives. Sometimes it is friggin' embarrassing, especially when we get smoked by the MoValley teams, etc. It is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. At halftime, you can already sense the loss and you know it will take a friggin' miracle to pull off the victory against a lower-seeded team.

Kind of reminds me of the frustration I used to have with the KC Chiefs and Marvelous Marv Levy. I would be driving through western Kansas, listening to the Chiefs games, and I would call 99% of their plays before the snap. Let's see.... off-tackle... off-tackle.... off-tackle. There was no way for them to win in the playoffs.

@jaybate-1.0

Good post!

I think there is something to what you said. When one team dominates a conference for a long streak, sports media starts blasting the conference as being weak, except one team.

What would be great for the B12 is to see more teams not named Kansas go far in March (led by us winning a NC). Until that happens, the portrait painted of the B12 will be tainted by some sports media. On the flip side of that coin... some media over-hypes the B12, creating the big surprise catastrophic shock when B12 teams (like the clones) get murdered early on in March. And now the clones are starting the year over-rated once again. Are they a Top 10 team? Seriously? A new coach and a bunch of juco transfers puts them at the top?

The B12 does need to study why more of our teams don't advance in March. Are we hampered by our B12 tourney? If so... aren't most teams playing in March going through their conference tourney the same time we do and have the same hill to climb?

How great would it be if we won a NC this year and also had another B12 team in the Final Four? How great was it for Manning to bring home the trophy against OU in the championship game?

!8745653_G.jpg ↗

When your opposition spends all their time thinking about you and you spend almost no time thinking about them... who is the big winner? Right... we are!

I believe this was a retaliation from within Purple Pussycat country. The fan base is totally torqued over the recent sportsmanship pledge. Simply (because simple is the only way to think about simpletons), no one is going to tell them to "grow up"... especially formalizing it in writing.

If we were of like-mind, we would jump the fence at Snyder Stadium and spread a few tons of kitty liter on their playing field as a retaliation. That is the way we used to react. But now, we finally figured out that the best way to retaliate against the kitties is to NOT acknowledge their childish behavior. We will be the adults and they will be the children, screaming for attention and never getting it.

Poor, poor kitties... they appear to have watched "Animal House" reruns a few too many times.

@HighEliteMajor

Solid post.

I guess I still wonder why Self focused away from the trey. Why?

I don't believe he would intentionally use a change in strategy to hurt us... so why?

Could it be that he knew BG and others were merely taking advantage of spot up shooting opportunities, and that those would dry up as our reputation climbed as being trey capable? Could be.

None of us know what he tells his team in private. Maybe he challenged them to prove they could hit treys even guarded. Perhaps if they proved that it would no longer be "fool's gold."

I really don't get it. I thought Self would play his hand as a "Riverboat Gambler" and boast about our trey shooting, intentionally trying to draw teams out to guard, and THEN have them feed the post. Heck, even Perry without the double-team can score often in the low post. Maybe his "Riverboat hand" was to discredit the trey, hoping other teams would listen to him and not start guarding it.

I do think some of the fall off on the trey % has to do with the opposition starting to challenge it. Wayne might be our best trey shooter when contested. None are really proficient at hitting guarded treys.

Perhaps it is a combination of Self discrediting the shot AND opposition challenging it more. So... then the shots were tougher to hit while the esteem was falling at the same time. That would explain such a HUGE drop in %s.

Clearly... we screwed up our trey shooting after that comment. People can question if the comment hurt the shot or not, but the results can't be challenged. Those are hard statistics. Sometimes there is no good explanation for teams going hot or cold beyond just being a continuum of tries that may be slightly impacted by the most recent results, helping with confidence and helping trend (in both directions).

@dylans

Ha.... I'm in Kansas, too, but was never accused of molesting animals. I think it is just a purple kitty perception that they bring on to themselves.

The super strange aspect of it all is they really don't care when you mention this, almost taking pride in it.

@REHawk

Which leads to....

If BG does come out and hits, let's say, 45% from trey (consistent all year, injury-free)... does Self pull us off the trey line and force it inside again? With or without Diallo?

Someone in here needs to refresh my memory... when Self did that last year, was it right at the time BG suffered his hidden injury? Did Self know what was going on and mask it with one of his typical "Riverboat Gambler" comments about fool's gold?

@dylans

Its a university that lists "animal husbandry" as their specialty. Molesting a Jayhawk bird is what they do, along with sheep, chickens, rabbits, turkeys, etc. Think of them as an X-rated version of a 4H club.

@jaybate-1.0

Plus... Wayne's game seems to roll with his confidence, or lack there of. I noticed when he drains a couple of 3s, he is more likely to try other things, including taking it to the rack.

I've really pulling for Wayne this year. He is a guy that has humbled himself too long, and now he needs to step up and make sure the big lights focus on him. Perhaps it has just been his humility holding him back. Up until now, does he seem like he thinks he is worthy of getting the spotlight?

I appreciate his humility... but I'm ready to see some ego come out and hammer the opposition with!

@HighEliteMajor

"Would you sign up for this right now?"

I might get stomped on in here for saying this. But I'd rather have just one or two more NCs in that time frame and still have our conference streak alive.

We've been through all the conversation about what "counts most." I don't want to open that can of worms.

But I look at it this way... if we are concerned about how the rest of the world sees us... then we need the 4 NCs. I think we just need one now and then to stay nationally relevant.

If we are concerned more about our league, then we prefer the insane conference streak, which then would be approaching 30 continuous years... easily the most-dominant league performance streak of all times. That even has national clout. But what it definitely has is Kansas being top dog of its conference, something I cherish because I absolutely HATE losing our conference to anyone in our conference.

I can't stand losing our conference.

Let me put it this way...

What if we could make a deal with the devil this year to guarantee we win a NC this year. But in order to do so, we have to finish runner-up to the K-State Wildcats.

NO FRIGGIN' WAY!

Of course, I'd rather win both. I'm just illustrating how much I hate to lose to anyone in our conference. Too much history. The NC thing is just a couple of weeks of hooray and then back to square one. People quickly forget when it isn't their team. I bet we could ask on the streets of NY about our Kansas Jayhawks, and when they last won a NC. Chances are perhaps 2% would even guess close. I don't care if I impress those NY guys. They love their Orangemen, so let them be.

I want to own the B12 forever! And I'd like the occasional "cherry on top" with a NC now and then.

Every loss hurts... but especially losses in our conference.

@jaybate-1.0

Makes you wonder how much the Diallo eligibility issue impacts these guys?

@jaybate-1.0

Adidas owns it all!

At this point, nothing would surprise me.

@Statmachine

I'm guessing half the State of Iowa suffers from severe migraines every year because the press likes to stir the pot with Kansas. And even when they beat us 2 out of 3 games, they still lose out. They just keep thinking a victory here and there will make them supreme over a real basketball legacy program. Their fans have an insatiable hunger, lifting their blood pressures and forming the base for their migraines. I'm sure pharma loves all of this.

ISU Clones basketball... big whup. It's great that they improve to help our conference and make conference play more interesting. But they will never become an elite program. Never. Big whup.

@BeddieKU23

All we can do is hope we can get his FT% up to at least 65% or so... but there are the exceptions where guys just can't get it down, even when millions of dollars are riding on it.

A guy this size... dunking alone should bring him many points every game. It sure worked for Shaq! If he can use his size like Shaq used his, anything in close gets dunked regardless who is standing there or not. Shaq just went over everyone and had such force that no one could defend his dunks. Udoka seems to have that kind of power and he appears to have a long reach and some serious hops. I bet he can grip a basketball like one of us can grip a baseball!

@BeddieKU23

I think this guy is the rare exception where we never want him bombing 3s. Shackle his feet and bolt him down in the paint!

"Initially, KU forward Jamari Traylor was afraid of his cotton ball."

What I want to know... what ever happened to this -

Could KU basketball study lead to a change in the way the game is played? ↗

I'm ready to hear from the lab coats on why we don't always perform well in March and what we can do about it.

Makes me wonder if all these guys are smearing testosterone cream on their nuts before a big game? And if not, why not? Every want-to-be jock at the gym is showing up smelling like buffalo musk and willow tree sap.

I sense the KU faithful here are starting to warm up to Udoka!

I've caught the fever!

@madmaxKU

"Let’s say Mason plays better than anyone imagines, why would he stick around for another year."

I just don't see Mason peaking out his junior year. As good as he is now, he still can become infinitely better. And let's remember how much more challenging it is to play in the league versus college. He needs to get as close to his ceiling as possible if he hopes to stand a chance in the league. He is still a long, long ways from being NBA caliber. He'll have to be better at most things in order to beat out a bigger guard. High draft choices are reserved for picks that they feel have a strong chance of making the team and filling a need, or a pick because a trade deal is brewing or thought to be.

The one big chance I see him leaving early is if he brings home a NC. Then, he has nothing to come back for and he'll have premium interest in the positive if we win it all. I think that is the only result that surpasses what you said... playing better than anyone imagines.

@Crimsonorblue22

I want to see us thrash Kentucky and have the TV camera pan over (during the game) to one of the older fan sections and show some old timer sleeping.

By chance, if that happens, I will already classify our year as being successful.

@Makeshift

Yes! Skill-wise, I don't find it a close comparison between him and Shaq. Shaq had size and was able to take advantage of his size to be effective. But there is no way anyone can compare these two on a skill level and not choose Hakeem.

In fact... what other center out there could match his footwork alone?

I'm not trying to knock Shaq. He was an amazing player in his own right. But where are all the examples of him taking the ball coast-to-coast, even dribbling behind his back, and finishing at the hole? Or all the crazy back-to-the-basket moves like Hakeem had, including fade aways and all the moves you would expect from a talented guard, not a big man?

@madmaxKU

Self was asked about recruiting more guards, even though our big hole is in the post next year. Self replied that he will continue to recruit guards because anything could happen and we suddenly need guards. So Self feels like any or all of your ideas about guys leaving early COULD happen (or the negative possibility that someone gets badly injured). But that doesn't mean LIKELY to happen.

Personally, just my opinion, but I don't see much of a chance Mason or Graham will be benched for a stud guard coming in. That would be extremely risky regardless of the talent level. There is no knowledge as to how quickly a newbie elite guard will translate their skills to D1, learn Self ball, AND create chemistry with the team. So while there are elite guards out there that will surpass our current guards on strictly a talent comparison, that still doesn't mean one could come in and steal a starting spot away... especially from a senior or junior.

Mason and Graham have both shown steady improvements even over the course of one season. If they stay healthy there is no reason to think they won't make another leap over the next year. I still find it unlikely either of these guys enter the draft next year... but the ridiculous sports media will be jumping all over that idea the first time these guys post double-figure scoring this year... why? Because they think anyone scoring a few baskets should consider themselves NBA stock.

Svi... analysts project him to have NBA draft potential next year. Who knows? Certainly not these people. They have to find original content to keep the readers they have. Keeping readers and growing readership IS what they do for a living, not actually reporting facts. If I had a penny for every projection error they made, I would buy the Taj Mahal.

Truth is... no one knows where these players will be after this March. Anything can play out. Injuries... or what if we win a NC? That tends to induce more players into the draft.

@Texas-Hawk-10

I miss his shake and bake. Olajuwon had perhaps the best footwork of any center to ever play in the league. So many times he would snag a defensive rebound and drive coast-to-coast and finish at the rim. No one had an answer for that. Never did, and probably never would. Back to the basket or facing the basket in mid range,... he had it all.

Sometimes he would toy with defenders. He was facing the basket and he would start a move and already have the defender beat, but he would give him another chance by turning his back to the basket so he could show how he could beat him that way, too.

@jaybate-1.0

Can AFH be rented out for wedding receptions? Just a thought.... I'm already married but my goddaughter is looking for a venue....

@joeloveshawks

Well please don't build your expectations to those levels! The references are related to the style of play, not necessarily promoting these recruits to equivalences.

@HighEliteMajor

"What do you think about Azubuike?"

I'm purely speculating here.... but I see his size, strength and agility and I think he will be able to focus on his game instead of just being "Hudyized." He is already Hudyized, though it never hurts to get stronger and reduce body fat. So I see his game improving quickly.

I see him as a guy that is a perfect marriage with Self, and Self's concept of low post offense. It would take a year or two for him to master some back to the basket moves, but that is great because it keeps him in Lawrence and off the NBA draft charts.

In the very least he can immediately do some of what Towns did for Kentucky last year; back to the basket and crudely taking tiny, forceful steps backwards to get closer before shooting. But Udoka would have his break out year eventually and that would be a monster year where every team in the nation will struggle trying to stop his low post scoring. There just aren't many big bodies out there who could stop him from the rim. NBA is a different story and Udoka will have a definite adjustment period learning how to make points in the league.

There really is no reason why he couldn't be a double-double guy even as soon as his freshman year. Just on the rebound side... he should quickly dominate and some of those rebounds involve putbacks to lift his scoring numbers. The biggest question is his ability to not foul and also if he can shoot FTs.

I look at him and I'm not counting on him dominating year 1. But I don't see why he wouldn't be dominant in year 2 and on. I like the gamble on him quite a bit more than I do Schnider because of his physicality. He is a rare gem, no doubt, and he looks to be a possible big score if he can be polished!

My guess is that the longer he goes unsigned, the higher his rankings will climb. He is getting more attention all the time, and part of that is because Self is after him. He is a guy I would target hard to sign in the coming signing period!

@jaybate-1.0

@HighEliteMajor

"Interesting that today we see what coach Bill Self says on the “innocent kid” thing: “I know with others we’ve had and other schools have had guys that it takes time. This is certainly one that is no fault of his. He goes to a school for 3 1/2 years and finds out after he graduates that, ‘Hey, we could have a potential problem.’ Hopefully it can be rectified.”"

Sounds like the Riverboat Gambler trying to talk other players into anteing up.

Since these are private schools, and I doubt player/students sign a waiver on their legal rights, when will we start seeing lawsuits leveled on these private schools for promoting a dishonest concept?

I'm pretty sure a good lawyer could spell out probable lost income (financial damages) when these recruits are forced into a timeout from D1.

@HighEliteMajor

"Schnider, as you mentioned, as the 2nd or 3rd big, is fine, but not as the #1 dude in the post in this class."

I'm curious what your thoughts are on Azubuike? It looks like we have offered him and are recruiting him hard now.