"We have a few too many cupcake games to suit me, but that’s just opinion."
I hope we use the opportunity to give our bench lots of minutes. It would be great if we could roll into March with our depth "rust-free!"
drgnslayr
11251 posts
"which one is you?"
Ha... I did have a Dali mustache several years ago. No beard. Way too itchy! I really like that last guy. Wonder what happens when he bumps hard into things?
Right on! Imagine the graphics... 5 tough looking players with crazy beards standing all stout in their uniforms holding a ball.
"There is almost universal agreement that with a health Love and Kyrie, the Cavaliers would have beaten the Warriors."
I think that is strictly hypothetical. I do think Kyrie was a huge loss. But for the offense Love is capable of you have to weigh that against his downright sh*tty defense. He would have been exploited as much as he would have exploited, especially considering that a big weapon for GS if footwork and footspeed, not exactly Love's forte.
I thought Tristan Thompson played extremely well and offered a huge kick on rebounds, especially on offensive rebounds.
I know we live in an "instant gratification" period... but we are talking about THIS year's playoffs, and if they had Wigs!
"You can’t stop anything, no matter how good, or how rotten, that enables greater revenues and does not trigger too great of write offs of sunk costs."
"Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it."
Newton's First Law of Motion.
If I was a GM and had to hire a coach, I'd first ask him if he has read and can comprehend Newton's Laws of Motion. It is a key essential for realizing how x-axis is far superior to y-axis concerning basketball.
"Change" in life generally falls into Newton's Laws even if they aren't directly associated with physics.
So... unless the NEW Wayne takes it to the rack... or Cheick comes through with a lot of offense... we'll be looking at a season of BAD BALL?
At least part of what you want, will most-likely be adopted next year:
NCAA proposes new NBA draft rule to allow early entrants back in school ↗
I think most "experts" think there will be several changes coming soon that will benefit the athletes.
"When a player changes schools/transfers then it becomes an eligibility issue, right?"
True. But a key part of it is whether he received aid. I believe it is the aid that is the real lock on a player at a school. Until that happens, there are ways out without losing a year.
I think one huge factor is that Wigs is the perfect offensive addition for the Cavs because he is tailored made for running ISOs. Clear out a side, or a lane or the baseline for Andrew. This would have taken a great deal of pressure off of LeBron and Kyrie. Andrew represented one more guy that could take over a game.
Not sure they would have beat GS, but I bet they would have given them a run for their money with Wigs. Even though Wigs is still green, with his athleticism I could have seen him get the nod to defend Steph after Kyrie went down. Kyrie did a great job of shutting down Steph and I bet Wigs would have done a good job. Might even have him out front, sort of as a PG, even though LeBron was primarily running the offense from up top after Kyrie went down.
"Yet the WUG’s experience may have been the key that unlocks a side of HCBS coaching that we haven’t seen before."
I'm hopeful for that, just like many in here. I'd like to see Bill trust in his players more. I'd also like to see him put more emphasis on proper substitutions during the game in attempt to keep fresh wheels under our key players. This is also necessary to help prevent injuries.
As far as running less of the hi/lo... I don't know. Since we just jump to a 30-second clock instead of 24, there seems to be just enough time to run the hi/lo.
I don't necessarily want to see us abandon the hi/lo... but I'd like to see us run a simplified version of it ALONG with other offensive sets. We are doing that now... so I'd just like to see us count on it less when it isn't working.
Part of this is a battle of wills. Self against Ellis. He wants to force the interior action in order to keep Perry involved in games. As we all know, if Perry gets a shot or two blocked, his history is to basically become invisible. Hats off to Perry for coming up big in the Germany game after starting off poorly. Maybe if he doesn't have to be pushed so much into taking charge, he will (this year) and maybe Bill won't use the hi/lo just to get Perry involved.
Thanks for the dose of historic reality. We all need to keep Self in a realistic view. It is doubtful he will change much from what he was. I don't think he has to make monumental changes... just improvement tweaks.
What I really liked about WUG was the games leading up to the finals. How we won through attrition. It is doubtful we would have gone undefeated if we hadn't run many of those teams out of the gym with our fast tempo. I know our coming season won't have us playing games that tightly. But we can still get some of the same impact even on well-rested teams. Especially the teams that don't have much of a bench (95% of D1).
Look at the Big 12. Maybe Texas and perhaps Baylor have good depth? A bit at ISU, too. We should be able to stick it to teams like OU, OSU and WVU. And we should be able to push everyone else around, too.
I know some people still support the Love trade... but I'm going to enjoy watching the Cavs and LeBron hide under their couches in the coming years when they get totally called out on one of the biggest screw-ups since Bowie was taken over Jordan in the draft.
"Unfortunately, his new beard doesn’t make him look tougher, it just makes him look like a farmer named Ezekiel from the Amish community in the next county."
That's "the look" today by lots of young guys. Check out the Royals. Makes you think these guys show up at the stadium in horse-drawn buggies.
I don't get it. If these young guys want to grow beards and not look like Amish or ISIS, why not grow something original?
I would think it should be easy to draw "beard fouls" if you grew something like this -
!NGL_29BeardsCloseUpHatAndSunglasses_27596609_897186.JPG ↗
!15762188-mmmain.jpg ↗
!Beard-World-Championship-2013.jpg ↗
Or maybe grow it long and braid it into a whip. Fling your head and whip back a defender! I bet there is nothing in the rule books about committing a "hair foul!"
Does anyone know if there is anything in the rule book about a player having electronics strapped on to his body? I'm sure a guy could play with a pacemaker (if passing a physical) or a hearing aid. It would be nice to see a wild beard with color-changing LEDs planted in it like a Xmas tree!
Perry is easily one of the most rock-solid Jayhawks we have ever had (in his personal life).
I love the fact that we are back in the Maui tournament. That seems to be a good test for our guys to see if they can focus past the distractions and go play solid basketball. I know we didn't exactly accomplish that the last time we were in this tournament....
I keep looking at that SDSU road game and see it as a very possible loss. It will be a true test for all our guys, but especially our freshmen as they venture into a tough road game.
We always have to look at MSU as a threat. But this will be a November game where Izzo will probably like being beat down to help build a chip with his team for later March use. I believe no one in college basketball understands "the chip" like Izzo does. He almost insists his teams lose plenty of games during the season to prepare them for March.
I'm not sure we get a shot at Indiana, but if we do, that promises to be a real challenge for us and should be a great match up for our guards to help their development for the rest of the year, both on offense and defense.
Self will be crazy if he doesn't load a chip on our team for the home game with UK. All he should really have to do is sit our team down in front of a screen to watch last year's flop. If they can't muster up some serious motivation to put the hammer down on UK, then I don't see much of a chance for us in March. The key to March is being able to dial it up when needed. We need to dial it up on the BBN, especially in front of our home crowd! Our guys are not only playing for Kansas, they are defending AFH!
"The WUG may pay bigger dividends than we imagined."
I had picked up a negative view of WUG right before the games, after we lost Devonte.
But fortunately, everyone else stayed healthy and we won it, so that right there eliminated my personal negative fears about WUG.
The fact that our guys learned to play a quick tempo well is a real bonus. And if Self can adjust his coaching to focus on a quicker pace.... we are talking a SUPER bonus!
Now, if he can make a few better decisions on awarding PT, so he doesn't run Frank's wheels into the ground by February, we can have high hopes of performing well in March.
I'm not going to call us a Final Four team just yet. But I do see an excellent chance for us to advance further in March than our previous years after our championship loss to UK in 2012. I always remain hopeful for another NC... but the stars will have to align.
What needs to happen: No significant injuries, no key players worn out, newbies learning the system and contributing, older players stepping up and taking charge, our guys come together as a team, hustle hustle hustle, Self adjusting his coaching, tweaking, substituting properly, developing offense to fit the skills of his players, and our guys carrying a chip.
If you look at that list you will realize most of it is hard work and attitude. The rest requires the stars aligning.
"The only role that the NCAA has in scholarship is limiting the number of available scholarship..."
There is more to it than that. For example, recruits can change schools without sitting a year if they haven't started their actual scholarship (grant in aid). Even if they signed a LOI... as long as they are released from the school.
There are other issues that have become legal issues now, like the rights of the images of college players. I'm not sure, but at least moving forward it seems that the NCAA is trying to connect those rights around the scholarships received by the athletes as a "payment."
It really is the size of the fight in the dog, more than the size of the dog in the fight.
Charles Barkley was considered 6'6"... though some say he was 6'5". His NBA position was power forward and he was an 11-x NBA All Star and led the league in rebounding in 1986-87.
All of this stretch/tweener conversation is just looking at a statistic... height. Perry will be a "tweener" 4 if he plays soft. Then people count his height as a disadvantage and reason why he isn't producing. He is taller than Barkley, and even though Perry is good, I'd take the shorter "Chab" at the 4 any day of the week!
Same is true at all positions.
Look at Cheick. He will be considered a short 5... may not even reach the description of "tweener." However... if he dominates with his strength and hustle like most of us think, there won't be many comments made about him being a "tweener."
Most of the NCAA's grip on college athletes relates to scholarships.
This is just all hypothetical.... it ain't gonna happen! But... JoJo locked down his guarantee money so he is already a millionaire.
What if he decided he wanted to play college ball as a walk-on? Doesn't he have 5 years to complete his eligibility? Could he walk on and play?
How much of the NCAA rules around eligibility relate to scholarships and how much relates to just qualifying to play D1?
I think once he announced for the draft and hired an agent, it made him ineligible to play D1, even as a walk-on.
"Is the NCAA going to give KU the Death Penalty for letting a guy come back and get an education in hopes of bettering himself and restarting his basketball career?"
In the old days I would say "yes" the NCAA has no problem giving us the death penalty for helping a guy get an education. They almost gave us the death penalty for openly loaning a recruit transportation money to rush home to be at his grandmother's bed side before she died. We had even warned the NCAA by self reporting. And at that time there was no structure in place for the NCAA to handle a situation like that.
The only way I see something like this ever happening is if a school would start the process by taking it to civil court and forcing the NCAA's hand to qualify JoJo and the process. Because this would set a new precedence I don't think it could be done in a timely fashion.
Isaiah Austin's story was pure tragedy. But he couldn't come back to D1 for the same reason he couldn't play NBA. It was a risk to his life.
Look at you all... It is mid-July and you people produced a very nice thread on Wayne! Very good read of ideas. Glad to see the momentum in here making it through the summer. I might not even have to bore you with tomato stories! Great job!
I really thought I had this figured out, and I'm glad I posted this thread because now I'm not so sure because of several good posts.
Very good on motivation factor! I do think "pecking order" is a part of this!
I think Wayne may be a bit to polite. He now knows it is his time to shine and he can't take a back seat to anyone!
What is the U.S. men's basketball schedule for the 2015 Pan American Games?
All times Eastern*
Tuesday, July 21: USA - Venezula, 9 p.m.
Wednesday, July 22: USA - Puerto Rico, 9 p.m.
Thursday, July 23: USA - Brazil, 9 p.m.
The gold medal game and bronze medal game will be on Saturday, July 25.
How can I watch the U.S. men's basketball team in the 2015 Pan American Games?
CBC Sports will broadcast and offer live streaming for all of the Pan American Games.
Who is on the U.S. men's basketball team roster for the 2015 Pan American Games?
Ron Baker — Wichita State University
Malcolm Brogdon — University of Virginia
Bobby Brown — Dongguan Leopards (China)
Ryan Hollins — Sacramento Kings
Keith Langford — UNICS Kazan (Russia)
Shawn Long — University of Louisiana
Taurean Prince — Baylor University
Anthony Randolph — Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia)
Kaleb Tarczewski — University of Arizona
Romelo Trimble — University of Maryland
Denzel Valentine — Michigan State University
Damien Wilkens — Indios de Mayagüez (Puerto Rico)
Who is coaching the U.S. men's basketball team for the 2015 Pan American Games?
Head coach: Mark Few — Gonzaga University
Assistant coach: Tad Boyle — University of Colorado
Assistant coach: Mike Brown — last coached in the NBA for Cleveland
Who else in the NBA and college is playing in the 2015 Pan American Games?
Team Canada has NBA players Anthony Bennett (Minnesota), Andrew Nicholson (Orlanda), and Sim Bhullar (Sacramento), as well as colliegate players Dillon Brooks (University of Oregon), Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga University) and Jamal Murray (committed to the University of Kentucky). Team Puerto Rico has JJ Barea (Dallas), Renaldo Balkman (last played in the NBA for New York) and will be coached by Rick Pitino (University of Louisville). Team Venezula has Vasquez Rodriguez (Toronto). Team Dominican Republic has Fransisco Garcia (last played in the NBA for Houston).
RESOURCE: 2015 Pan American Games: USA roster, times, dates, TV information ↗
How to watch:
2015 Pan Am Games: How to watch CBC coverage on TV, computer, phone ↗
(I tried to test out the online viewing and it said it wasn't available in my territory... anyone get it to work? Maybe spoof your IP?)
Yes it should. I used "excuses" because last year we were all thinking of excuses why he was playing poorly. This was just a stunt to make a catchy headline so people didn't know what to expect until reading the thread.
What are your thoughts on Wayne? Can he translate what he did at WUG to D1? At the 2 or 3 or both?
His play at WUG reminded me of when his dad was at a few of our games last year and how he played then. I'm thinking back... was that the B12 tournament?
Might be a lot to what you said.
Remember last year when his dad was at a few games and Wayne dominated those games?
Well, this time we are coming up with reasons why Wayne is playing GOOD!
Why did Wayne go from mediocre D1 play to Superman status in just a few months? There has to be reasons.
Here is my list of "excuses" :
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He didn't have to think about anything except scoring and rebounding when moved to the 3. No more overthinking about dribbling.
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Small forwards don't defend as tight as shooting guards. They tend to be slower, giving Wayne an advantage on his drives. Wayne has the strength to create his own scoring space, even against taller defenders.
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WUG does not equal D1. There were plenty of D1 players on other teams, but let's face it, I don't care what anyone says, this did not equal "March Madness" games.
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There was less pressure than in D1. We played thousands of miles from home. Media coverage was small or none. The crowd at venues was small, and many in attendance didn't know much about KU.
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Failed hi/lo helped create a wider door for Wayne to shoot through with more offense.
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Wayne lost 10 to 15 lbs, all baby fat! This is huge! It definitely showed with him having a faster first step and he has his hops back!
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Self and Townsend have been talking to Wayne that this is his year to lift his role on the team.
I'm sure many reading this can add "excuses" for Wayne's herculean results in Korea!
Interesting post.
Yeah... we weren't successful with the hi/lo at WUG. There were times you could see Self trying to beat that round peg in the square hole and it just didn't fly. Our best low post scorer was Hunter, and he often got his off the rebound or even around the FT line. We just don't have back to the basket players. Maybe Cheick can help some... but does it make sense to base our entire offense on sets that focus on players finishing that are not good at finishing in this capacity?
Another thing... they were playing in front of small crowds, mostly foreign and zero knowledge of Jayhawk basketball (for the most part). So there wasn't any pressure applied from the venue. Wayne was cut loose in a low pressure environment.
I'm going to start a thread on this...
"However, this may also mean that his NBA stock could fall because he would be very one dimensional offensively if he can’t take on ball handling responsibility."
Unfortunately for Wayne, if he stays at the 2 and still can't handle the ball, it might even make his draft stock plummet further than if he hides it at the 3. NBA scouts are already aware of his handle issues.
The best thing for Wayne to help lift his stock is to polish his ball handling, whether he plays the 2 or the 3.
"Ball handling is not so taxing on players that it causes them to disappear in games! "
Typically, I would agree with that statement. But we need to find out why Wayne was a superstar at the 3 at WUG, and a mediocre D1 2 a few months earlier. The answer will show us where Wayne needs to be. We simply have to structure it so Wayne can continue to play like he did at WUG.
Last year, Wayne was "thinking" too much at the 2. He looked slow, partially because of his weight, but also his moves were slow and over-calculated. Most of his moves and passes were telegraphed.
I believe it was a factor of 3 things why Wayne became Superman in Korea:
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He dropped 10 to 15 lbs. That alone, makes a tremendous impact on a players speed, hops and stamina.
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He moved to the 3. He now goes against guys that are typically a half step slower than the 2s. Easier to drive on, and Wayne has the strength to create his own scoring space. Self and Townsend told him to stop thinking about dribbling and start thinking how to get to the rim.
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WUG isn't D1. I know the teams were good. But Wayne often played against lessor opponents. Many of those guys did play D1, like at Princeton. Also, even though many of our opponents played many years together here and there, they still weren't typically as "tight" as a D1 team, that learns to play as a team.
Can Wayne make it happen this year at the 2? Yes... but I am now believing we need him at the 3. He is our only chance at having a really productive 3. We need his rebounds as much as anything. The 3 spot gives him more places to setup on the floor and attack. He can be anywhere from baseline to top of the key. We now see how offensively potent he can be, and we need to make sure and keep him going like he is now.
We still may end up having problems scoring points this year. We shouldn't. We have so many offensive weapons, but if we fall back in to the hi/lo and we don't produce in the paint, we will need every point we can get because we will be looking at a season of BAD BALL!
Hard to know what the real truth is about JoJo. I'm guessing that sometimes breaking the same bone is better than it not breaking but not healing. I'm sure the strategy will change on his next surgery. I'm also guessing there are better fixes possible today because of technological advancements.
All we can do is hope the best for JoJo!
Brilliant!
"You just reminded me of the SNL sketch..."
Anything about food usually reminds me of Monty Python and Mr. Creosote. I wonder if mentioning fine dining is racist?
[link text](
It really isn't fair to compare POY from the AAC with POY of the B12. I think Nic is good, but I don't think he is capable enough to be POY in the B12.
Sticking with the x-axis theme... I put execution skills above height. But of course, if two guys can equally execute, I'd usually take the taller player, and in the this case, Nic's height (or lack of it) really does play out as a negative, because almost every guard out there is going to easily shoot over him. Nic isn't a big leaper, either. Frank, on the other hand, might be short but he gets up over the rim on many of his rebounds. He can go up and fight with some bigs for boards.
I'm pretty sure Self read Maker the riot act. He isn't going to let any player come in with his handler and give his handler a place on the bench. Self will call the shots, period.
And after we heard all this nonsense about Maker playing half a season, I think the entire basketball world (perhaps even Cal) took a step backwards, Kansas included.
No matter how tantalizing a guy like Maker is... no program can totally sell-out their values and structure to let one player change they way they do "business." In fact, I'm certain the rest of D1 would desire to "black list" a school for opening the door for recruits to come in and pull a "LeBron James' takeover."
Maker would be wise to detach himself from Smith. "We'll probably go to Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky," Maker's guardian, Ed Smith, told Peegs.com Saturday night. WE'LL? Does Smith realize he isn't getting a scholarship, too?
I wasn't expecting Wayne to be moved to the 3 at WUG. I don't know if it was the move to that spot that helped lift his game, or was it just because he was facing off against athletically inferior opposition?
Who would be our 3 this year if it isn't Wayne?
Very unlikely to be BG or Svi. They both have the height but neither play aggressive ball like what we need out of a 3. We need someone who can take the ball to the rack and a good rebounder, as well as a respectable 3-pt shooter. The only guys I can think of that fit that definition are Wayne and Perry. Vick might end up playing some 3, but wouldn't count on his contribution this year.
How many 2s do we currently have? Devonte, BG, Svi, Wayne, Vick..... Frank was a 2 in HS and can still play it.
We have to pluck at least one guy from the "2 nest" to move to the 3.
Will it be Wayne? Granted he played against lessor competition sometimes at WUG, but he did show he could be productive at the 3.
Let's say Devonte heals up quickly. How do you keep Devonte on the bench because Wayne is playing at the 2? That alone makes me think Wayne will move to the 3.
I like the idea of signing at least one more transfer/juco transfer over the next year. We want to try to avoid lumping too many new recruits in any given year. Otherwise, we go back to being "one of the youngest teams in America" and you know what that means?! Early March exit for a couple of years.
"...we finally got a guy that can guard Niang..."
I know he can quickly learn to guard Niang.. but what about the first time? Second time? Etc.?
Surely Niang can help school the young man initially. My bet is that Cheick is an extremely fast learner!
I'm on board with our post. Anderson was good... too good for Missouri. Haith was mediocre. Anderson just doesn't have what it takes.
"What’s interesting about Maker is what changed from April when the Hoops Summit clearly showed he was over-matched compared to other bigs in the game (especially Diallo & Labissiere). He was a defensive presence but seemed really out of whack on offense. Now he’s dominating events again and even the #1 player in 2017. Tantalizing talent with red flags. The NCAA Clearinghouse will have a field day with his eligibility."
The kid just needs time to grow up and also get a bit of real coaching. I know I won't be one of them on the wrong side of the fence. As long as Thon isn't bringing his handler around Lawrence, I'd like to see him become a Jayhawk. I'm pretty sure by the end of one season he would become an insane post defender, capable of getting way outside the paint to block shots, too.
With his basic abilities, he is bound to become better offensively, too. This kid is a tall piece of clay, waiting to be formed. If he stays healthy and gets some decent coaching, he is bound to become a big name in the league.
We all just have to open our minds and let loose of some of those bad comments said by his handler. We tend to pass judgment on this kid, when the negative aspects that created the negativity were created by other people.... his handler and the media.
What did Pastner do to his players? Did he feed them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?
Bad, bad... Josh!
I'm starting to think that we need to plant a permanent Jayhawk recruiting operative in Memphis. It appears that Pastner can't keep his troops happy. Here is a read that explains plenty:
Is Memphis' Josh Pastner on Hot Seat After Losing Another Player to Transfer? ↗
Austin Nichols is now the third transfer request in recent months. I wonder if Self has an interest in Austin?
Here is a good read about Nichols making a smart move in getting an attorney to free him up to go to whatever university he wants to. This explains how schools are easily pushed into releasing all transfer demands and letting a player do as he wants after hiring an attorney to bash the school for not being player-friendly and expressing problems at the school.
Austin Nichols free to transfer to U.Va., thanks to influential lawyer ↗
Scientists decide there are 4 kinds of drunks ↗
This study is flawed because scientists forgot to include crystal meth as a variable.
I'm optimistic about Devonte like you are. He has a great PG skill set plus the absolute PERFECT personality to lead a team!
What really got me rolling with Devonte was when I heard he is a natural BMOC! The guy loves people, and that is what it takes from your PG. A guy who bridges all communication possibilities because he wants to connect to everyone!
"Pan Am games man! Langford is playing!"
I've been watching some of the other Pan Am sports. Do you know the schedule for USA mens basketball?
"If UK would have landed Diallo the UK faithful would be saying he will average 20ppg 15rpg."
Hard to make those numbers when running a platoon! ;-)
Hey Cal..... how is that platoon working out for you?!
When those "UK perfection" tshirts go on sale for $2.95, I'm all over it! I need more work shirts for gardening....
"A PB&J sandwich is like apple pie it’s part of the American culture as anything."
I like what you said there.
The last time I checked my watch, this was still the United States of America. It is a country built on diversity. PBJs are an addition to our diversity, not a statement about race. I'm sure some people didn't grow up eating PGJs... so let them eat breakfast burritos or apple pie or whatever. But in a public place, something has to be chosen to be on a menu. Truth is... kids of all ethnic backgrounds tend to like PBJs. We can replace PBJs with Haggis, to please some of the Scots. Let's see how successful that will be...
Right on! Many of us have been screaming for years that we need to up the pace. Having a team full of uber-athletes and we never took advantage of our speed and depth. Run teams out of the gym, they will tire down the stretch as we use our bench.
This is a process... to learn how to up the pace. Self talks a lot about how he is starting to trust his players on this. In reality, it is more about trusting in himself to be able to orchestrate a different game.
Self is human like everyone else. In new areas he may have to deal with confidence issues just like the rest of the planet. He has made changes all of these years, but slowly and methodically. He is now moving into the direction of "modern basketball"... which is a quicker LATERAL pace. Moving up and down the court quicker, running offense before the defense sets, running primary and SECONDARY break offense. Proper substitutions and management of player PT.
"Proper substitutions and management of player PT."
This is a big one for Bill. He really has to learn to use his depth better. We can't expect a good March outcome again if Frank is completely worn out come March. Plus... what available depth we have has to have plenty of PT minutes throughout the year so they don't rust. We can reduce the risk of injuries by making more frequent substitutions so guys aren't playing out there totally exhausted.. when they are more likely to get into a situation where they get hurt. This alone will up our March chances so much higher. Eventually, it is going to be hard to land the top recruits if a high percentage gets hurt playing for Kansas. You can bet that other coaches will pitch this against us. We have to keep our guys healthy. Playing 36 mpg is not going to keep your guys healthy.
We need to shuffle in more substitutions while running at a faster pace.
I really loved how we tired out most of the WUG teams. I hope that sticks in Bill's mind. Seriously, I doubt we would have come home with gold had we not run all those teams out of the gym. Many showed early how they could play us tight.
Thon will have a year of dominant college basketball, as long as he is cut free from his clingers.
I thought Thon is 2016 and Ayton is 2017?
Would be nice to get them both. Both are likely OADs and should be able to make an impact on one year of college ball.
Maybe through all of this we can get one of these guys to sign early. It would help us start our stack on a downhill slope.
"There is clear trend in the NBA away from labeling a player Center. "
Right on the button!
It is all about giving the illusion that a big can shoot the 3-ball. Put on top of that... that he can GUARD the 3-ball!
Big, clunky centers are old school. It sounds great to have a guy 7'4" - 285 lbs keeping the post filled. In reality, those types are falling to the wayside because the game has become a perimeter game, and much more a x-axis game. Big, clunky centers can't keep up with laser passes or jump out to defend the 3-ball.
And with more shots coming from 3 it has brought us longer rebounds. Much better to have guards like Westbrook to snag rebounds instead of planting a tree in the post.
That doesn't mean I am "thumbs down" on Ayton! Bring it to Kansas!
I grew up as a fiscal conservative, and not much has changed there. I am socially moderate.
I became disenchanted with my Republican party during Reagan. He spent us into horrific record debt to build military. Because of his popularity, even though he brushed off fiscal conservatives, he was able to entice more social conservatives into the party. That was the beginning to the end for me and what was my party.
BTW: fiscal conservatism doesn't mean NOT spending money for needed programs or slashing funds or attempting to not pay for things on a government level. Fiscal conservatism is about spending money wisely, with prudence.
Over on KUSports, Tom just published a story on Self keeping the pace faster. I'm afraid Jamari is the only guy left (that went to Korea) that hasn't been able to keep up with the tempo. So while the rest of the guys earned Self's trust, Jamari wasn't one of those guys.
Can he mentally catch up?
Very nice read!
Concerning Perry.... yes, he still needs to finish better against players bigger than him. Kind of funny... the "designer" actually could use some technical help. He doesn't usually protect the ball in low. He could be another 5 inches taller and still get his shots blocked.
But what I took from all of this on Perry was how he has improved at sticking with it. Up through last year, when Perry started a game poorly, he would usually disappear from sight. He didn't do that this time. I know he made at least one or two very key plays down the stretch against Germany. Doubtful we would have seen that last year. That right there is a major improvement in Perry. Sticking with it!
Vick is going to be a scorer. You can see the "itch" in the kid to score. He wants the rock and he wants to score. His athletics and physique are amazing. Add in his desire to score and I'm certain he will eventually be a big time scorer for us. And give him some time to master defense and he should be an excellent lock down defender!
Mick definitely earned plenty of attention from this. I'm not sure where he will fit in this year, but surely he'll get more minutes than last year! The key will be to give him enough minutes so he doesn't rust up!
Jamari desperately needs to attend "basketball school." He needs a ton of individual coaching. I would say his basketball IQ is FAIR-TO-POOR! Without question, he has the lowest basketball IQ on our team. He has a great motor, athleticism and even adding in tools to his toolbox... but he can't get over the hurdle of not understanding the game well enough and seeing more of the game while on the floor. This is really tough to witness because I'm sure he works his butt off and he is a lot more capable than his results because he often makes poor decisions.
Politically, I'm an independent. Can't really see eye-to-eye with either Reps or Dems.
I'm not black and I'm not white. On a census form I'm considered "other." I grew up facing some racism. I call it racism because it involved name calling and sometimes getting picked on. But I noticed other kids were also facing similar antics and they were white. So... guess I'll never know if I "suffered" because of my ethnicity. When kids got hateful towards me, I beat the crap out of them! After that, they figured it was better to be my friend!
I know I'm not the only non-white person who is sick and tired of the race card being pulled out on everything. Attacking peanut butter and jelly with a race card makes me consider the source as racists. Overplaying the race card, in my books, makes you a racist. Someone trying to chisel their own gain off of the real issue of race.
I'm glad I'm not white. Because white people can't challenge anything around race without being called racists. I can call out anyone on racial topics without getting called racist. It is truly unfair today.
Most people can only see issues from one side... their side. Things get quickly stirred because of that. When I say "most people" I mean people of all colors. Often today we are seeing white people angry because they simply can't express anything about color or race without the fear of being tagged "racist." That anger is sometimes showing itself now and that angers non-white people because "hey, we are the ones being held down, so why are you pissed off?' It just continues to stir the pot on both sides. And it is all because people refuse to take off their blinders and open their minds to people of a different color, whether it be black, white, tan...
We may end up going back in time to the 60s and 70s... back to race riots and huge tensions and struggle. And why? Race relations have improved drastically from back then to now. But it isn't perfect nor will ever be. But the problem is people closing their minds. It is just as bad on the democrat side as it is the republican side. Liberal or conservative. Seems that many of my friends totally break the stereotypes laid down in media.
Funny (actually not) how today every idea has to be tagged as liberal or conservative. Why? For example, why is medical/social funding to our troops returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan... why is that liberal or conservative? I'm so sick of both reps and dems I can't stand it. Guess that is why I'm an independent.
Ideas are good or bad or something in between...