🏀 KuBuckets Archive

I'm thinking the attitude in the corn State is "the more, the better."

Keep Oztleberger as an assistant, and add someone like Prohm in the head spot. Oztleberger is the head recruiter... and to put him in as head coach will dilute his abilities to recruit. Best he stay an assistant so he can put more time into his recruiting targets.

I think the key for ISU is to keep Oztleberger... either as an assistant, or if they have to, put him in as HC.

I'm curious if Oztleberger would stay at ISU if they bring in someone else as HC?

Anyone have a vibe on this?

@Texas-Hawk-10

"I’m not joking about Embiid being once in a generational offensive talent."

Well, I'm not laughing! :-)

I think JoJo has the capacity, and I'm extremely anxious to see him perform at the next level. Just hope his body holds up to the challenge.

You are right about footwork. JoJo has extremely good footwork for a man his size, and he was quickly picking up Olajuwon-style, "shake and bake" moves. I look at him and see a guy who could even surpass Olajuwon. And that says plenty because I'm a monster Olajuwon fan.

My entire point about Cheick is that we have to look at what he can help us with this year. Frankly, we shouldn't need his scoring, and that should all be considered a "cherry on top." What we need is his defense and rebounding. He appears to be very capable of being a good rebounder this year. And I'm betting the same for his defense. He will first have to figure out how to defend without fouling... something all young players have to learn in D1.

Beyond that, he is a great combo with Perry. I'm sure he can do well enough with finishing right under the basket (throwing it down) and that is all the threat we need from him offensively, so his man can't just hawk on over to double-team Perry without paying a price.

It isn't fair that we compare Cheick with JoJo.... They are built totally different and one is a 4 the other a 5. Two different offerings, but both are quality.

My biggest optimism with Cheick is his motor. Motor is a huge part of college basketball... and the guys that maintain a fast motor the entire time they are on the court ALWAYS build good stats because college ball LACKS good motor players.

Cheick will have to work on his skill set, and with every skill he picks up, every new move to the hole to add to his toolbox, it will show up on his stat sheet because high-rev motor players do everything in quantity!

@ParisHawk

Yikes... my slip... it was after his second retirement that he couldn't make it back.

@wrwlumpy

Confucius say: "XL-size always sell out first."

@Crimsonorblue22

That would certainly be amazing! I vote for that!

As far as coaches moving around...

I think every coach is different. Something unique making them tick to their own watch. Some really like building a legacy around their name... others could care less and only want to compete and be challenged. These two personality types are a major factor in whether a successful coach stays or goes.

Look at the comparison in my previous post. Brown earned the distinction of having won both in D1 and in the NBA. That deserves an asterisk by his name. But if you look at how he is positioned in the NBA and in college ball, he is far from the shelf that Coach K sits on... or many of the top coaching legends of the NBA.

Looking at Brown's history seems more like a penalty than a privilege. Personally, I can't imagine trying to coach at all those places for just a few years. To me it looks like mostly a lineup of failures. The inability to execute a plan. Does any franchise or college institution bring in a coach with only a vision of short-term goals? To me... Larry was his own worst enemy. Had he always stayed in the college game I feel sure he would be at the top of the leader board for coaching wins and many of the accomplishments in Coach Ks side would have shifted over to Brown. Brown could have shared the lofty cloud of college coaching with Wooden... Instead, he is known most as a drifter. And every future team that gets him gets to taste just how much fruit he carries... for a while, only a while.

Self makes a huge gamble if he jumps to the league. If he can't make the adjustment, he'll be gone from his first NBA job within a few years. Then he goes on the pile of coaching fatalities... then he is stuck at around 60 yrs of age and he has to recreate himself. Find a new way to bring him back to the top. Good luck with that one. It would be very unlikely he could bounce back to the college game and land at another blue blood. Not saying it is impossible... just improbable. More than likely, he would have made a "Jordan-esque" fatal move. Jordan couldn't make it in baseball... not even close. Then... he couldn't make it back in the league.

Self should keep an eye on his mentor, Larry Brown. Larry is a basketball guru. No question. Just like Jordan as a basketball player. But I find it unlikely he can drink from the championship well ever again.

As much as I despise Duke... I have to hand it to Coach K for knowing his limitations and being able to keep his game world from going stale. He will be rewarded in the HOF, record books, and in future conversations about D1 for many decades to come... like Wooden. And his main asset was that he stuck to it. He stuck to his methods at ONE job. Coach K IS Duke basketball. And I"m sure his ashes will be sold at auction to one of their illustrious lawyer grads and donated back to the school to BEGIN their basketball legacy... trying, once again, to compare their legacy to the grandfather of basketball, the University of Kansas!

@jaybate-1.0

I thought it was...

"My Tutr Wroat Dis Song Fer Me"

Yes... it looks like football will take the major hit.

I recall several years ago a statement made by the NCAA concerning punishments. They said they were going to lighten punishments and turn away from the "death penalty" type of hammering on programs because they thought too heavy a punishment could have a more-severe impact than they intended. I believe they referenced SMU football on that one.

This "redirection" was focused towards the blue blood programs so they could be saved and (more important) their revenue streams preserved.

It is all about $money$!

@RockChalkinTexas

"For me, it all comes down to this analogy: Scott Drew (Baylor) isn’t known as an X’s and O’s guy. Bruce Weber (Kansas State) is. Scott Drew can recruit. Bruce Weber can’t.

Which coach would you want leading your program?"

Love the analogy... basically admitting they can only find half a coach... plus the examples in the analogy are spot on.

"World Wide Wes on line one...."

@Texas-Hawk-10

"Devonte Graham is the player I’m most excited to see howuch he grows. He’s going to have a chance to go down as the best PG in the Bill Self era by the time he leaves"

Glad to know I'm not the only one focusing big time on Devonte having an explosive year this year!

Back to the conversation about Cheick.... We don't really need high point production out of him this year. We need a solid rebounder and defender in the post. All his offense is gravy.

There is all indications he is going to give us this. He's strong and hungry and full of energy every second on the floor. We couldn't ask for more.

I don't get how people think he won't produce much but will also be a OAD player? He has to show quite a bit of offense to jump on the draft boards....

@DoubleDD

Concerning superstitions:

"During a study by researchers at Clarkson University and the University of Rochester, rhesus monkeys played a fast-paced computer game with built-in rewards: correctly guess the next step in the pattern, get a treat. However, even when the sequence was random, the monkeys gambled like they were on a winning streak, showing a false belief in their run of good luck -- even when the reality was anything but lucky. Despite being given multiple opportunities to rehearse a different scenario, the monkeys stuck to the patterns they perceived to be winning ones [source: Blanchard et al.]."

Are Monkeys Superstitious? ↗

Turns out, our fury friends are more like us than we may want to believe. Or if you follow science, reverse that statement; we are more like our fury friends than we may want to believe.

Concerning Cheick:

I'm not expecting Cheick to make SportsCenter Top 10 often this coming year... but I am expecting him to be an energetic scrappy post player, definitely producing some good stats.

I look at post players putting in 35 mpg and grade them like this:

RPG - 0-5 underachieving 6-7 just pulling his weight 8+ performing well

I believe Cheick will perform well. It may not come until league play, but by March, he will be a big weapon.

Scoring? Not sure, but he should at least be able to replace Cliff's numbers.

Defense? May not get as many blocks as JoJo, but should be able to move his feet a little better so perhaps he changes more shots.

@Lulufulu

Considering Self moving to the NBA... I make a comparison between two outstanding coaches that have been around for a long time. Which legacy does Self want to create for himself?

!brownvsk.jpg ↗

@sfbahawk

Good call on GS ball.

I agree that their defense is sticky enough to give most teams fits. And their bench is deep and under-rated. They kept throwing bodies at Cleveland and it really caught up to the Cavs in OT, when they were wasted and had lost Irving.

Talk about a bad rookie coaching error.... I thought Blatt really blew it by over-using Irving. Now he's gone for the playoffs and so are the Cavs hopes. No way they can do it with just LeBron. Blatt should have saved Irving, and if necessary concede the first two games in Oakland. Take a real shot at them in either Game 5 or 7. The focus should have been to save Irving for timely moments to go in turbo mode.

So is it true?

Is Marshall trading wheat for corn?

@approxinfinity

Wow... thanks for the links!

I had no idea that pinball was illegal.

Now I understand why kids want to smoke pot and play pinball... because it is (was) illegal!

@DoubleDD

I nevr do dat!

@jaybate-1.0

Is it really true that you can buy both popcorn and corn on the cob at a Cyclone game? I couldn't tell if someone was pulling my leg...

@konkeyDong

I just put in "gottlieb pinball" in a google image search.

@Crimsonorblue22

A lot of arcade is creepy... I think it goes back to the old days of freak shows at State fairs. I remember those days, and the images they used on the freak show displays closely resembled much of the artwork used in game arcade stuff, like pinball. I'm not sure which came first... but I bet someone in here knows.

The only thing good about the name "Gottlieb" -

!tumblr_msxlbxRjak1rrpxw5o1_1280.jpg ↗

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!tumblr_mstm1im3BR1rrpxw5o2_1280.jpg ↗

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@JayhawkRock78

Thanks... I've never really thought about what it takes to be a walk-on.

Surely some of you in here watched Game 1 of the NBA Finals last night.

GS was cold for most of the game. They never really caught fire. But they took it to Cleveland in OT for the win. They were giving up dunks under the basket for 3-pt attempts.

Bogut must be the biggest NBA scoring dud in the post I've ever seen. And I think that ends up being one of his qualifications for playing on this team. He's the starting center... then they have the bench post guys that can score... so if they want to go smaller and have an offensive threat from all 5 spots, they put in Speights or Ezeli. Or they play real small without a 5.

This is a team built INVERSELY from Self ball. And there is nothing "fools gold" about these guys. Even Self has praised Curry's talent.

@jaybate-1.0

Conspiracy theory....

The US DOJ targets FIFA and digs deep enough to target Nike.

Nike has previously resisted claims by the DOJ of sweatshops in China... in many ways "rubbing it in" by disclosing detailed information about their China sweatshops in their very own Corporate Governance Report.

Chinese government invests heavily in Nike stock both in Nike America and Nike China.

Now US targets Nike.

Chinese government attack US government servers.

Retaliation.

So Pollard is gone, making one empty spot on the bench, via a walk-on scenario.

Question...

How many hours of school must a walk-on be enrolled in to qualify as a basketball walk-on?

1 hour, maybe?

So if Paschal can work out his room and board....

!259lnap.jpg ↗

Gosh... so Marsha goes to ISU.

Shaka Khan at Texas.

Maybe Greg McDermott finds his way into the B12?

Just how "mid-majorish" does the Big 12 need to be?

I'm a big fan of college going to 30 seconds. I'd even like to see them switch to a 24 second clock the last 5 minutes of every half. I hate seeing teams up by 7 with 5 minutes left going into a stall.

I think the 30 second shot clock favors us Hawk fans. Bill will be forced into being a little less philosopher and more of a hard core coach (like NBA) just trying to win games. He'll have to start working his guys to create their own shots... FINALLY!

I love all the "team ball" but not to the point where it chokes off our team!

Eventually you have to have a "go to" guy and that guy has to be able to take his man. Mano e mano. Get the friggin' job done. We've failed in March because we go 100% on team ball. But then we face a jacked up team that has our number and we just continue passing it around with no one open until the shot clock gets us.

I'm anxious to see a Jayhawk player be able to take another guy and score on him again!

I want to see another Langford at KU!

@Texas-Hawk-10

Good post.

I think Otzelberger has the best opportunity to have a big season this year for ISU because most of the players already know him. If they bring in another coach it is just like replacing the entire roster with new players because communication will have to come from scratch.

Otzelberger knows enough to keep ISU competitive this year. They may take a minor step back without Fred, but it is hard to say what other dynamics might change also. Sometimes players really step up after a coach leaves because they develop a heck of a chip.

ISU has so many quality players.... hard to imagine them not right up there with us, even with Fred gone.

I think the other big threats will remain OU and UT. Lon is very capable... a great coach who really knows the game. I'm not sure about Shaka Khan at Texas. He'll need a year or two to adjust and I'm one of those who question if he is overrated.

WV will always be there, too. They seem more like the team who will throw a monkey wrench in the conference race at some point. Huggy Bear is a capable coach. I'm just not sure if he can keep up with recruiting to a football school like WV.

I like how @REHawk worded it... with a distinction between "forced out" and "nudged out."

College basketball is insanely competitive. Self has to maintain the goal to always put the best team on the floor at all times. I'm not going to say "at any cost" but I would go so far as to say "at a high cost." Sometimes existing players statuses change from "being a vital link" to "being in the way." It is the nature of the game.

Nice guys do finish last. When Self can afford to be nice, he will be nice. When it is crunch time and he has to make a decision for what he considers to be best for the team, he'll remain the good guy or become the bad guy or anything in between. He has a job to do, and his job isn't to be social director.

Hey... you can't convince me that almost any of our players could not become almost irreplaceable if they did nothing but eat, breath and sh*t basketball. If I was a friggin' walk-on I would still spend every night in the gym working on my personal development apart from team practice.

When I see a kid shooting FTs in the 60% I already question his commitment. On occasion you have situations that may not be preventable. Wilt on the FT line is the example I am thinking of. He may have had an issue with his depth perception. If a kid can't hit a FT then you don't want him in the game down the stretch. If you don't trust his game down the stretch then he may find himself replaced.

Concerning Tharpe... it is hard to say what was the complete picture concerning him. If he was dumb enough to be a part of the selfie, he surely was capable of other negative events and/or just having the wrong attitude for Kansas basketball. I wouldn't have pulled that stunt even if I was a walk-on.

@drgnslayr

"That’s a play where the league needs to step in and hammer down on these guys for the hard foul. This has gone on forever. Play the ball while smacking down hard on a guy to prevent the “and one.”"

What really sucks is that the hard foul on the break away is all about saving 1 friggin' point. A guy ends his career over 1 friggin' point!

I know it was different back in the hayday of the Detroit Pistons. Those fouls were handed out like candy because they sent a message saying "anything close to the goal is going to cost you!"

Those days of basketball are over. Surely the league is smart enough and capable enough today to stop games from going off like they did back then... huge team brawls on the court and near locker rooms.

So today, it is all about trying to save 1 friggin' point. Why doesn't the league make their own point about the hard foul and start slapping huge fines on players? I'm cool with the flagrant 1 and 2 (when called consistently) and then levying huge fines for aggressive fouls that can hurt players.

@BeddieKU23

I got your sarcasm and got you back with my own!

What if we cut Snacks? I bet if we could minus his girth, we'd have two spots open up! ;-)

@tis4tim

I hope Cliff finds a good path with his life. Often struggle is the needed ingredient to help guide to a bright light. I hope that is the case with Cliff, and he ends up playing his dream on a NBA team.

@REHawk

Here is the link:

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in the Republic of Korea ↗

"At this stage, WHO has no evidence of sustained transmission in the community."

"WHO does not advise special screening at points of entry nor does it currently recommend the application of any travel or trade restrictions."

@wrwlumpy

"What an idiotic concept! No one is going to play such a silly game! At least make it worthwhile and have them actually pick and throw peaches in the basket so we can get some work out of these knuckleheads!"

"Imagine if Naismith were still alive to watch the final MU-KU game."

I'm sure he'd be throwing rotten peaches at the little tigs. No reason to waste rotten fruit!

@BeddieKU23

Ouch! We can't do that... then who will man the record player?

But seriously.... if Chukwu is still visiting us, then something is up. One of the possibilities (Vick not reclassifying) is no longer on the board.

@Statmachine - Right... the senior transfer rule. Plus... he seems like a bright guy, maybe he just wants to start his masters and Kansas doesn't have what he wants?

Okay Charlie Brown, hit it!

A game of musical chairs to determine which existing Kansas player gives up their scholarship for Paschal Chukwu.

Is it a transfer? Or someone willing to go off scholarship to play? Or will there be no extra chair for Chukwu?

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@Crimsonorblue22

...then he goes back to Ames on his knees asking for his old job back?

Fred will die with a basketball in his hands. He wouldn't have it any other way. I respect that in him.

But seriously... no one has mentioned that topic yet:

HOW LONG BEFORE FRED RETURNS TO ISU?!

I know the fans there are pissed... like when LeBron left Cleveland. Notice the short memories in Cleveland?

"Desperate fans have short memories." Someone famous said that. Can't remember who.

Fred is very capable and I'm certain the last thing he wants to do is fail in the NBA. And basketball is his life, so he considers the NBA home, not Ames.

I hope the answer to my question is NEVER!

Good luck pursuing your dreams, Fred! You only live once, and no one knows that more than Fred...

@BeddieKU23

I think Self has the right focus.... Kansas basketball first, WUG second. If need be, he can bring in another player if we need it for WUG. He could bring in a better player than Vick (older with D1 experience). Self is thinking ahead for Kansas basketball, and well he should.

Chukwu wouldn't visit us if there still isn't the possibility he can play here.

I'm sure Self has had to assure Chukwu that signing Coleby does not indicate less of a desire to sign him.

What I like about signing Chukwu is that first, he is a bird in the hand. We've missed on most of the big men we've gone after and I certainly wouldn't count on us signing Bolden. Plus... why not sign Bolden with Chukwu? I see Bolden possibly being a big 4... His height is listed as 6'10" (which probably means 6'8" to 6'9" ). He would probably take a year of Hudy to be effective at the 5 at Kansas. Chukwu will already have a year of that before he becomes eligible. I kind of see Bolden as a guy who won't explode until he reaches the NBA for a while. He seems OAD material. If he stays another year, he would be phenomenal. He's just like Oubre. We just got a taste of his game then he's gone.

Chukwu is a legitimate footer. Those have become rare and hard to find, especially those that can run around without tripping over themselves.

Maybe I'm wrong about Bolden and he wouldn't be OAD material. His ranking isn't that high so far... but he has definite post moves. Not many of those guys around. And if he grows another couple of inches, watch out!

@ParisHawk

I don't really know all the exact details. I am of the opinion that the real commitment starts when the recruit receives his first benefit. I'm not sure if the NCAA sees it as his first stipend or receiving anything from his scholarship, like books or signed into housing. Or... if the commitment is real just upon signing the GIA. I'm sure there are many in here that know the exact rules on this.

I'm under the opinion that guys have walked free from LOIs without having to sit a year... as long as they didn't advance with their GIA.

"Looking at the NLI site, “NLI must be accompanied by an athletics financial aid agreement”"

Something is confusing about that. Otherwise... all players who sign a LOI would have to sit a year before becoming eligible somewhere else.

REQUEST TO ALL:

Please fill in the holes here!

@justanotherfan

I agree with your post about NBA pressure. I believe it far exceeds that of college coaching.

There are so many additional factors involved with the NBA over college. The first factor is the structure behind the teams. Looking at pros first, you have the GM and a team of management wonks. Most of their job is focused on winning basketball. The pressure is intense, and that pressure feeds right into the head coach. College ball you have an AD, that also manages aspects of all the sports programs at the university. Typically, football equals or exceeds importance to basketball. Even at a basketball school like Kansas... if we slough off football, good chance our AD comes under huge pressure, every bit as much as if something went wrong with basketball. The duties of a college AD are very different from the GM of a pro team. Fundraising has become the largest focus in recent years.

Outside of the inner team structure... a NBA team reaching the playoffs, when you consider all the extra games they play each year (like exhibitions) will play over 100 games a year... about 3 times that of most college teams. With every additional game added, so adds the pressure. No question that NBA players are in much better shape than college players. Not even close. But they also face more stress to their bodies and more opportunities for injuries. In any given year you can take the healthiest NBA team and compare it to one of the most-injured college teams and the NBA team will still have to deal with more injuries. An NBA season is truly a "game of attrition" and very different from college basketball.

Fan attitudes are completely different when comparing college and NBA. There is no recruiting in the NBA. Players are bought and sold continually throughout the year. There are team caps and management in place that only focuses on the financials. But when a team stinks in the NBA fans want an immediate fix. They start screaming for trades. College is recruiting, drawn out over years. Sometimes fans scream that a coach can't recruit (i.e. Bruce at KSU) but the pressure differs. The "shot clock" in the NBA is shorter, not only on the court, but off the court. Everyone is expected to produce, with the ultimate result being more victories.

NBA is corporate, D1 is "family-operated." You'll see a lot more guys stand up for a coach at the college level. The NBA is corporate, and every wonk is there to save their own skin and will throw a coach under the bus quickly if it is what the team owners want.

Chukwu wouldn't be visiting Kansas if there was no way to bring him on board. Period.

@REhawk has it right... either we have a current player prepared to transfer or flip to walk-on status, or Vick may still keep his 2016 classification.

I tend to believe it is the later. I'm thinking he is ALL KU now.... a total team player who will do what is best for the team. If we get Chukwu and Vick doesn't reclassify because of it, he should earn a lot of brownie points. I know he does in my book.

His current jump in ranking is for 2016. 2015 rankings are completed and he isn't a Top 100 prospect. Big difference because being ranked a year away has less relevance. Players can make big leaps up or down in a given year. I still look at his rise coming from two things: 1. the "Self bump" (yes, it is real), and 2. with 2015 gone, it sheds new light on the guys left for 2016. The hype is in full tilt because Kansas signs him early and he'll be part of the next crop of talented players.

I am still excited with the idea of landing Chukwu. There just aren't many quality footers out there. He is listed by some as 7'2"... which makes me believe he is at least 7'. Compare that to other footers that later only end up being 6'9 1/2"..... I bet he has a crazy long reach, too!

@ParisHawk

"In both cases, it means the school has granted a scholarship."

The way I understand it... a LOI is not a scholarship. It's a contract commitment to come play ball at that school. A scholarship's "main workings" are the grant in aid. Big difference here... because a player can usually squirm out of a LOI and as long as they haven't received a benefit yet (which comes from signing a grant in aid) he can transfer without having to sit a year. Once a player receives a benefit, he is truly committed because the NCAA makes them sit a year if they transfer.

This could come in play if Vick signs a LOI with Kansas and doesn't reclassify, then later wants out of his LOI. Most schools let guys go without too much struggle. And if schools put up a battle they are viewed as not putting the players first, which will give them a recruiting black eye. Savvy players know they can hire an attorney and get them out of a LOI easily.

@HighEliteMajor

"Personally, I just dread the idea of Traylor blocking Diallo or Bragg. Ugh."

This gets into the area where none of us know of the relationships and commitments Self has with his players. Last year we all pulled out our own hair watching Wayne on cruise control through much of the season and Self not pulling him out to make him earn his minutes back. It is obvious he has some kind of verbal commitment with Wayne. I'm guessing he has some kind of verbal commitment with BamBam, too.

I recall when Jamari was waiting on the sidelines with Ben and Self started talking about his relationship with Jamari. He was deeply touched by his situation of living in a car to making something good happen with his life. Self said back then that he would make sure Jamari left Kansas with PROFESSIONAL basketball skills so he could make a living playing ball. I don't think he was talking NBA.... but as we all know, there are a lot more opportunities to make a living playing ball besides the NBA. Self is going to give Jamari minutes this year.... you can count on that.

@REHawk

I'm thinking you are right. Self has told Vick to hold off until he knows about Chukwu. Otherwise, I believe we would have heard from him by now.

And signing Coleby should not clog the waters for recruiting Chukwu. Chukwu is a definite 5, and would be the only real 5 on the team. Coleby offers us post depth. Of course he will fight to win minutes and may do so. Big, strong guys are hard to keep on the bench. They always find some minutes. No team we play will out-muscle us on the boards while he is at Kansas.

I read where he will start his Kansas eligibility when he is 23. 23? It always pays to have some men on your team, and no question about him being a man.

Wow... now lets sign Chukwu and have a monster recruiting year! This really plays out perfect! I couldn't be more thrilled!

Consider this guy the next Tarik Black. Size, strength and attitude. It's all there. He is totally thrilled to be a Jayhawk, just like Tar was. So forget his old stat sheet. All eyes forward! Remember how Tar helped us?!

I'm waiting as a buyer!

@wissoxfan83

Here is the entire KU vs Davidson game

[link text](

The more I go back in time and review that season, the more I think of that team as a team that did achieve... but not over-achieve. We clearly had the talent load in that March Madness. Just check out Davidson... one play away from beating us. Hard to believe.

I give "Danny and the Miracles" the crown as a Jayhawk team that over-achieved. Along with 2012, the TRob and TT show.

@JayHawkFanToo

It might have solidified extending at Sprint because MU is NOT in our conference any longer. Makes sense.

Like... if you are having your house appraised, discard the trash out of your yard first so the value goes up.

@Crimsonorblue22

Hey... it's Friday... and you could be right!

@Crimsonorblue22

Right! ;-)

@nuleafjhawk

She's tough. Survived the beginning of the Balkan War as a child when they were forced to flee Serbia. How can you go wrong picking a wife you'd feel comfortable with in a foxhole?

I just feel fortunate she hasn't called me the "P-word" yet!

I think bringing in Coleby for a visit is just part of recruiting Chukwu.

The idea is that we put a heavy push on Chukwu to commit on his visit. Easier to do when we have other players eager to sign if he can't make a decision.

We definitely want Chukwu. Problem is... as time goes by, between the present and his visit, Chukwu keeps adding more schools to his list. We really don't want this to be a long, drawn out recruit process. Self wants to fill that spot and get on with WUG.

I'm going out on a huge limb (tiny branch) and betting the ranch that the Bulls didn't fire Thibodeau until they had a verbal agreement with Fred.

This makes sense because it isn't like Thibodeau didn't produce this year and they didn't want to be forced into hiring just anyone.

The timing fits. Connect the dots. Fred's recent surgery was a success. The Bulls were in "wait and see" mode, and Fred confirmed he would be their next coach. It says wonders that his relationship is so tight with the front office that moves can be made on just a verbal commitment and handshake.

Bye-bye El Mayor! Thanks for bringing us plenty of tough games and a refreshing coaching style and offense!