🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Drake Loses Bet to Rapper 'The Game' over Kentucky Wildcats Loss to Wisconsin ↗

We all know people gamble, some being very close to teams and coaches. But we usually don't have evidence of it.

Is this legal? We all know Drake is tight with Calipari and his players.

Isn't this a bit too close to the game? What is preventing Drake from having some inside knowledge on a game?

It smells like NY back several decades ago.

Hey, NCAA... take one of your guys off the Tamahasee case where you are investigating if a player got extra pasta and send him to Lexington!

@joeloveshawks

I think the question is, "how does Kansas move forward?"

Are we going to follow in Cal's footsteps and collect 9 or 10 McDs AAs on a team? I believe it would be very frustrating basketball and we'll start developing a lot of the same mass hatred for our program that Kentucky has.

I sure hope we don't go this direction... but with our new luxury suites I wonder....

If we want to mimic a strategy regarding collecting a bunch of McDs AAs can we at least make it intelligent players? I know there are fewer players and we'll have to fight with Duke for them, but a big part of what turned me off on Kentucky this year was looking at many of their guys collected and trying to convince myself these are STUDENT-athletes. I'm not going to blast all the UK guys. The Harrison brothers and Booker has some brains.

I don't like Duke and Rat Face, but I like watching them play. Okafor, Jones and Winslow... I hope to see them LOSE tonight!

@DinarHawk

I recall just a few years ago when Self was blasted for not landing the top shelf recruits. And I'm not sure Kansas fans have the patience any longer to go through the 4 to 5 year process it takes to get guys up to speed. If we go back, there will be some down years, especially in our league. Are we ready to do that? And will we accept a loss in the Championship game to a team like Kentucky full of OADs beating our team of guys that worked hard for 4 or 5 years to get to that magic moment?

We can't just say we aren't going to take the top shelf players... but we can have a strategy of not JUST taking top shelf players.

We have to take the players that will give us the best chance to win, not only this year, but thinking ahead for the next few years.

I'm pretty sure that formula involves a few players that could be OAD or for sure TAD or so. I'm more focused on getting top shelf guys to stay more than one year. Where Cal really scored was landing the twins. Those guys are probably going to be there for 4 years. 4 years of super height and athleticism on the perimeter and they are still improving every year. Those players are the players I want to recruit. And they will have had 4 years of starting basketball. Next year, come March, they will already have two championship games from their past to draw experience from. If they do stay all 4 years, how deadly will Kentucky be next year and the year after that?

I would like to see us have 2 to 3 top shelf players every year, but mixed in with junior and senior players. So we don't count on the freshmen saving our necks every single game. Even had we kept a healthy JoJo last year, chances are we were going to get beat in the tournament because everyone was young. At some point you want to draw on some junior and senior leadership.

My fear is that Self is going to recruit over some of our guys, like Frank and Devonte, who will be totally invaluable to our program in their senior years. Perry is going to be a stud next year!

@jaybate-1.0

I don't think Cal is the greatest (or even good) on Xs and Os.

But I wonder if he doesn't have an advanced issue that we have at Kansas. You start getting some McDs AAs on your team then the guys don't ever develop a chip. You end up having a problem motivating these guys. It is much easier to motivate guys that are carrying a chip because they aren't quite at the top in prestige.

Even though he has lost his last 2 championship games... he has been in the championship game 3 of the last 4 years. Pretty amazing stat. If you look back at the game footage on Saturday you won't find many Wildcat players crying after their loss. As I said in another post, I believe their were more Badger players crying out of happiness and relief.

I'm starting to see more and more of these McDs AAs as "fool's gold." They come out and play hard... but they don't have that extra edge that really makes the difference in championship games. Kentucky didn't need that extra edge all year, but they did Saturday, and when it became crunch time they didn't have anything extra to give. Wisconsin bumped it up a notch.

Another reason why Wisconsin won was they have played them before and lost by 1. That not only developed an extra chip in them but they already knew they could play with Kentucky. Kentucky won most of their games this year by just intimidating their opponents. Most of the teams they played didn't believe they get beat Kentucky. Those games were already won by UK.

@Lulufulu "He was not running anything that my untrained eye could not keep up with. All he was having his players do in the half court was set some high ball screens/ pick and roll, saw some baseline cuts, some double curls with his guards coming back up to trey line and a bit of pick and pop. Thats it. Most every time down the court, thats all I saw.

He was just relying on his teams vastly superior size, athleticism and length to get the W.

It didnt work once he got far enough in the madness to where he had to match up with a team (Wisconsin) and a coach ( Bo Ryan ) that could beat him."

You are exactly right. But maybe it is the issue above once again. Maybe these kids aren't hungry enough to learn. You think these guys like to go to school, too? Let's face it, most of these kids are dumb. I hate to give dirt bag Cal a break on anything, but most of his guys don't look smart enough to learn too much. But look at Duke. The Rat not only recruits a team full of McDs AAs, he also picks out the ones with the brains. Look how effective his freshmen are this year. Because they have good basketball IQ.

I don't want to slam Cal on this one because I don't think we were any more complex on offense than Cal, and in many ways LESS COMPLEX.

@truehawk93

"Bring it Shaka. You ain't at VCU anymore my friend. Welcome to the B12"

Right on!

@JayhawkRock78

"Austin however is has a lot of liberals. (Not that we don't have liberals in Houston politics.). Anyway, most of Longhorn nation is conservative so Sharka will have to walk the line."

The heart of Austin is liberal... but the purse strings that finance the show in Austin is 100% tea party conservative.

Shaka's affiliation with Obama is on his Wiki page. He will have to be very careful when addressing the purse strings. But Shaka is an intelligent guy who knows how to verbalize.

I also like Rick Barnes, he is beyond classy. Very hard to stay at the level of class he is and be a college coach.

Shaka should review Texas basketball file footage. Not so much the player footage... the footage on Barnes. He better keep it as close to the class of Barnes as he can.

@FarSideHawk

Guess I missed her. In the Sweet 16 weekend they showed her every 15 seconds.

Think she's just a diehard basketball fan and since she already bought the Finals tickets will show up for the Finals?

hahaheheeeee.... I seriously doubt it!

I'd pay $10,000 for her Finals tickets if she signed them! Just for a laugh in my man cave!

@JayHawkFanToo

Yeah... I think Kentucky is more scary next year and the year after that. I'm guessing the twins will leave Lexington with diplomas. Actually, I have a high degree of respect for the twins. Kentucky has some spoiled rotten super studs... but the twins have not had the easy road to where they've gone. They mostly just had size and athleticism going for them, but over the years they have received the very best coaching possible (and needed it) (BTW: not Cal)... for example, they have been with John Lucas since the 8th grade. Those guys have worked their butts off and will continue to improve every year.

The real catch for Cal will have been the twins. I know everyone is bagging on them... but those guys get better and better and they bring experience to the team. Now... they will carry a definite chip.

Take the constant away from Kentucky (the twins) and lets see how they do!

@DCHawker

I'm a huge Izzo fan. I often clashed with Calhoun and Pitino, but I respect those guys.

I really didn't know that K had so much talent on his team, competing with Kentucky. I still think he is one of the best, but I put the guys who make the most out of little on my top shelf!

"I would put Self is similar company - KU has had good talent, but not really top tier.."

I'm with you. I'm currently a bit confused with Self, however. I guess we'll just try to be one of those teams with 9 McDs AAs. I'd rather see us with only a few mixed in with juniors and seniors who have been coached up. Sometimes lately, it seems our coaches are caught up a little too much into the HS ranking system. They seem to turn away from guys who aren't ranked up even though they have the most upside. I'd rather have more of those guys that are carrying their own chip. Otherwise... we always go down to teams like WSU because their guys are all "chipped up."

@DCHawker

Obviously, Coach K knows how to coach. But why does the basketball world focus on the coaches that sign 9 McDs AAs and then act like it is such an incredible deal that they are able to get to the FF? Seriously?

I realize Duke has 3 super freshmen on their team. And I like watching all of them play. They really know what to do and how to do it. And I have to give K some credit in putting all that together.

But why don't we give other coaches who have ZERO McDs AA on their team but can still win at least equal credit? Don't they have the tougher job? They have to make huge leaps in development. Bo Ryan had to bring all those kids along to where they could step on a court and kick Kentucky's butt. I think he is 10 times the coach over the squid.

I'm sick of watching NBA teams beating up junior high school teams and listening to the media rave and rave about how great they are coached. Give me a break. I still don't respect the squid for anything more than being able to recruit.

@Hawk8086

"Isn't a good part of the success of Wisconsin due to experience?"

Absolutely. And all those guys have a chip on their shoulders. Did you hear about how bad they wanted to play Kentucky again? That should have told fans plenty. I believe they have 4 guys on that team that will go pro and none of them were anything like that quality of player when they stepped into the Badger program. Major kudos to the players and Ryan (and his coaches) for developing their players and team to this level.

When I watch Badger basketball I get excited because it is more of what I expect from the game instead of "rent a stud" Kentucky who really doesn't do anything well but can brute force victories by having footers all over the court blocking and changing shots. I'm sick of hearing how great Kentucky's defense was. They have the best athletes, and tallest. Remember when we had just one stud, Jeff Withey, in the paint and how great just one tall guy made us?

Anyone want to guess why Ashley Judd wasn't shown in this game? Probably because they had a good idea the Kentucky streak was coming to an end. I saw her at every Kentucky game this year... but suddenly she doesn't show up to the Final Four? It wouldn't surprise me if her agent didn't work out a deal with the media wonks to only show her in the final seconds if Kentucky was up by 10. Bet we would have seen her then!

Wouldn't life be grand if Kentucky continues to get all the top college picks and continues to not win more National Championships?

Wisconsin is using "drgnslayr's chip" technology. They carried the chip from losing to Kentucky last year... and they'll have the chip from losing to Duke this year.

Badgers all the way!

Funny thing... if they win on Monday, they will have beat 18 McDs AAs this weekend and they will never really receive the media love that either Kentucky or Duke would have received.

I noticed how many of those media guys were sulking after Kentucky lost. They had a dream that they would have been part of history when Kentucky won out just like Indiana did. So their little "15 minutes of fame" crashed just like Calipari's did.

@approxinfinity

Okay.... I had no idea that Rat Face got that much talent, too.

I was wrong.

Even though I already disliked Duke, I'll throw them on the hate pile with Kentucky!

Yes... rat face is a better coach than the squid. But if you have 9 McDs AAs on a team and can't win a National Championship you have to be mentally void.

@Statmachine

I want Kansas to catch it's fair share of top talent, but I really don't want 9 McDs AAs on a team. I'm more envious of Duke. They have 3 freshmen studs that really pull the weight on that team with several elder players that also pull weight. I still consider them a college basketball team, not a pro franchise like Kentucky.

Duke isn't going to win just because they overwhelm teams with talent. Duke wins because their guys get very good coaching and they execute. We can all hate Rat Face as much as we want, but the truth is the guy is actually a great coach! He deserves one of the top spots in the HOF. He is a guy that could coach up some average players and have them compete. I don't believe Cal could do that.

@jaybate-1.0

"And what stands out most to me today is that we are all Kansas fans and not Wisconsin fans, so we are at least modestly objective about what we were watching!"

I have to be honest here. I've gotten to the point of hating Calipari and Kentucky so much that I almost hate them as much as I love Kansas. I admit it and I have no shame for hating the guy that is pushing college basketball into darkness.

Even though I was pulling for MSU yesterday... I'm still thrilled that we will have a REAL Championship game. Not a "franchise pro team" playing with 9 pros. It would have been really great to see a Big 10 Final. Their conference doesn't get the respect they deserve.

But at least it gives me even more motivation to cheer on the Badgers! They are so refreshing to watch. All talent that had to be developed while in college. Not a single McDs AA on that team. I wish Kansas was still capable of developing players, but it appears we've decided to become a wannabe Kentucky. Wow... that could have been us yesterday!

Imagine that, JB... Imagine us having 9 McDs AAs... many of them sophomores... losing to a team without a single McDs AA! We think we are all pissed off now for underachieving?

Did you notice that there were more Wisconsin fans/players crying than Kentucky fans/players after the game? Doesn't that say enough?

"Well, what if the feeds the referees are viewing are being modified with special effects before they are reviewed by the refs, so the refs actually think they are not lying."

Yeah... they changed the motion graphics and Lyle kissed him on the cheek! If you look at the rules, even that should be called a flagrant 1. But seriously... I'm amazed that we don't have a national forum on that bogus call yesterday. Those refs should go to prison. Yes... prison. Along with the announcers... who started to say a few things about it, then, no doubt, they looked up at their editor who gave them the "cut throat" sign to stop talking about it. The only explanation is the game is rigged. There is no other way to interpret that call. It was a Flagrant 1. The Hayes put back was just a missed call that they would have loved to call, but they weren't watching the shot clock. They stopped play and they quickly discussed the potential to reverse the call.

Let's see....

Zero McDonalds All-Americans 71 vs Nine McDonalds All-Americans 64

And only four of those AAs were freshmen.

Let's all boast about what a great coach Cal is. I had to flip the TV off after the game. Too many sportscasters raving on and on about what a great coach Cal is.

@DoubleDD

"Slimy Cal had every thing he wanted and needed, yet he couldn't deliver."

Close.... but not quite. Cal wants 13 McDs AAs on his roster. Might even push for a few McDs AAs walk-ons.

It will probably take that many for him to win another NC.

@joeloveshawks

Very likely the twins and 4 or 5 McDs AAs will return. I'm thinking they lose 4 players maximum. I believe they already have 3 McDs AAs already signed for next year. Including the top center... and I believe top forward... I think PF.

@VailHawk

"How bad was the UK punch in the face no call?!?!?!"

Followed by the horrible charge call!

And then when it's over the media focus on Hayes score after the shock clock ran out. I'm still amazed the NCAA didn't amend the rules to 3 minutes before the end to review right there on the spot. Calipari had his trained refs trying to do it, but fortunately, the guys behind the table didn't bite. Did anyone else catch that? How they wanted to go change it?

Or how about the Lyle breakaway travel in the first half? One.... two.... three.... no one caught that but me? It's a breakaway play... how does 3 refs miss that?

The Hayes call was redemption for several bad calls. I guess they don't own all the refs, just some.

@wissoxfan83

Minnesota hates the Badgers and Packers because their teams suck. They should think less about hating Wisconsin and focus on winning sports more.

@Crimsonorblue22

Visit the "Keeper of the Plains"... hopefully he'll still be dancing above two bodies of water... if there is any water there.

@dylans

Maybe Wichita isn't your cup of tea... so I take it you don't live there? I'm saying... for people that live there... if they don't like it or feel they should apologize for their town, they should move on. Wichita isn't going to be for everyone, just like NYC isn't. No one has to live in a place they hate (in this country). That was my main point.

I've always loved Lawrence. But I probably wouldn't live there again today. Too many people (for a 'town' ) and too expensive. I still love the place.

Go Badgers! 49 States are behind you!

Rock Chalk, Badger Ball!

@jaybate-1.0

"How about we falsify Danny Manning's birth certificate?"

Heck yes... and we can get his knee equipment at Jayhawk Knee & Tire!

(sorry... I make a small commission on every sale)

@ralster

From a pure basketball perspective, your post was right on. Gregg Marshall was the right pick for coaching.

Picking a Texas coach is a lot more than just picking the guy who can best build a winner. There is all the other stuff in Texas. First being the personal appeal of the coach.

I'm not sure what Gregg Marshall's political position is, but Texas even gambled on Shaka knowing he's a complete Obama follower and campaigner over Marshall. I seriously doubt if Marshall campaigned for Obama. Texas is not an Obama State by a long shot. That means there were personality conflicts with Marshall that could not be overcome, even when compared to a leftwing Coach.

If that last paragraph sounds nutty. Well... it is. But it's Texas. Ever wonder why they've basically sucked so much the last decade in basketball and football while maintaining the very best athletic program and media outlet?

So while on paper it looks like they blew it because they could have had Marshall... imagine forward to a situation where Marshall or his wife make a reaction that rubs Longhorns wrong. That is their worst case scenario, not picking a coach who might not have as good of Xs and Os. Read about Marshall's tough love background. He isn't cut out to be a Longhorn. Let his Cinderella story continue in the natural path it is taking. Texas and Marshall don't mix.

@HighEliteMajor

"The idea that we have to recruit the "best talent" is utter and complete nonsense."

I consider hustle and attitude to be a huge component of talent. If you think of it that way then we DO want the best talent.

I know we definitely don't want a kid with a funky attitude. It only takes one bad attitude to spoil the entire team.

"Does anyone really believe that Kansas has to live like this? "

Heck no. And we don't have to have supporting writers who basically apologize for the City of Lawrence not being some kind of special place (like Lutz reacted on Marshall sticking it out in Wichita).

I don't have a Kansas bumper sticker on my truck, well... mostly because the license tag says Kansas. But I'm quite proud to be from Kansas and I always laugh at people that think they need to apologize for living here. Wichita isn't a bad place and the people from Wichita should be proud. Just like all other places in Kansas.

I've lived in monster cities and many countries. I enjoyed all of it. And now I'm enjoying being home in the State I was born. It's all good!

@nuleafjhawk

I think it would be awesome if we could all meet at The Wheel sometime. I know the owner and we could do something special. Maybe during the season pre or post game.

I still think we need tshirts and ballcaps. We had an awesome design for kubuckets and people kind of got scared off because they thought we were violating copyright law. We should just do it, not for profit and we won't have a problem even if we are riding the copyright fence.

I'm more than happy to give up my true identity as a Yakistan sheepherder.

@RockChalkinTexas

I think that had everything to do with it. Gregg and his wife could easily rub people wrong down there and other places, too. Sometimes their words and actions just don't fit with a prestigious program like Texas.

I've heard this before... but the first priority in Texas when hiring a coach is that their behavior will always be respectful of the reputation of the university. Most schools mention this somewhere but Texas puts this at the top of their requirements. There is a reason why Rick Barnes got that job and held it for so long... because he is well-respected everywhere in America. Not just in Texas, everywhere.

Shaka should be a good match for Texas. He minces his words carefully and his actions are always responsible. Texas did the right thing.... by a mile!

@wissoxfan83

And ethics, too. Don't forget that Knight ran a tight ship and through all his success at UI, he ran clean programs the entire time.

@bskeet

I bet it really boils Bob's blood. I don't think he cares about personal records... but I bet he doesn't want to share that one with Cal. Can't blame him.

@DCHawker

Good reply and questions.

I think there are issues with most players coming in to play Self's hi/lo. How many of these HS post players have polished back-to-the-basket moves? Right... few if any. Plus, big kids today watch the NBA and they spend time shooting perimeter or midrange facing the basket.

I think Self should focus HEAVILY on Diallo, first of all, if we land him ISU doesn't! How tough is ISU going to be when they start landing more talented players?

I think we have as good a shot at Diallo as anyone else. I feel less optimism for Zim. Maker is a total crapshoot and hard to say if he will be eligible.

I could see us having a pretty slick team with ability to shift guys at a few positions. Perry can be a 3 or 4. So at times he will be back at PF, other times at SF. There will still be some minutes available at SF for Brannen, perhaps Svi. Both of these guys are unproven at that position. Both fit better at the 2. To really exploit the SF position, guys need to be physical and scrappy. Neither of those characteristics fit Brannen or Svi right now. However, maybe Svi puts on muscle over the summer and maybe Brannen gets his head on right for playing scrappy 100% of the time. I see Svi more as a 2 and not so much a 3. Brannen should be logging minutes at both positions.

The logjam we have is at the 2 spot. Wayne, Brannen and Svi are all 2s and none of them seem to be ready to conquer the 3 spot. Of all of them, Wayne should be the easiest conversion, but he becomes invisible in too many games. Let's not forget we have both Frank and Devonte, capable as 2s.

We really need a 3 to play like Kelly was starting to play. A guy that can bomb the 3, hit midrange or take it hard to the rack. A guy who can fight bigs for rebounds. The 3 should be the most diverse player on the team with skills in all areas of the game.

@nuleafjhawk

Are you bored at work again? :-)

@brooksmd

Yep.... he was a handful.

I think he intimidated Self. Very outspoken kid who didn't hold back his punches.

@wissoxfan83

I think that was in his rookie NBA season.

@wissoxfan83

I think a big part of this is about winning conference #12. If we sign lower-rated bigs then we might be in for a season where we lose 12-14 games and not win our conference. The positive is that we start improving the year after and so on, as our post players grow in age. Unless people think we can do okay without beefing up our interior.

I would love to get all the Longhorn supporters together and watch them squirm. They just want a good basketball team but their inability to read will bring them to a strange reality soon.

I would love to see the faces of all those rednecks, oilmen and ranchers when they find out the details of their new hiring... Texas Longhorn Head Coach Shaka Smart!

Shaka? That's not a good Christian name, like John or Paul... Where does it come from? Shaka was given that name in respect and admiration for the famous Zulu warrior, Shaka kaSenzangakhona.

!250px-KingShaka.jpg ↗ !Zuluchargegutt.jpg ↗

Shaka Dingani Smart attended Kenyon College, a LIBERAL ARTS school.

Smart has been married to Maya Payne, a professional writer and an alumna of both Harvard University and Northwestern University, since 2006. Their child, Zora Sanae Smart, was born on September 25, 2011.

He is a supporter of President Barack Obama, for whom he campaigned in Florida in 2008 and Virginia in 2012.

WoW! I got to hand it to Texas for going for cultural diversity! Shaka represents great diversity. I just wonder if all those supporters realize how diverse they have now become!

Welcome to the Big 12, Shaka! Our entire conference can use more diversity!

@Kip_McSmithers

That's exactly what I felt. He threw his team under a bus in order to boost his contract. That really turned me off about him.

@wissoxfan83

"I just want them to be RAD's.

RING AND DONE"

Conference Championship rings? :-)

Kansas has now lost their SF to the NBA draft. Kelly Oubre is gone.

Meanwhile, Kansas is going after Cheick Diallo, a 6'9" scrappy post player very capable of scoring, rebounding and blocking shots. Cheick recently gave a clue as to what it will take for a school to win him over. “I don’t want to go to some school and play like ... 20 minutes,” he said. “I want to go to school to play more time.

Kansas seems like it could be a front-runner for Cheick's services if they did two things. First, move the Cliff Alexander process along. It doesn't appear Cliff will be available next year and if that be the case, get him to announce for the draft asap. Second, if Perry decides to stay (probably will) then give him valuable PT in Kelly's old SF slot. Whether Jayhawk fans want it or not, Perry is transforming into a SF. It is the position he'll have to go for at the next level and he should be earning those minutes now. He can hit the perimeter shot and he can score off the drive, just not always finishing at the rim.

With Cliff gone and Perry moving towards the perimeter, Kansas has a gigantic hole to fill in the post at PF and C, which in the Self system can be interchangeable positions. Carlton Bragg will likely take some of those minutes and he would match very nicely with Cheick Diallo.

If these young players play to their reputations... imagine the potential of a frontcourt of Perry Ellis, Carlton Bragg and Cheick Diallo!

My biggest issue with OADs is that each one creates an unknown variable concerning their performance. We've already seen a big difference between the performance output of the OADs we have had.

Seems like if you open it up to having more than 2 OADs on one team you may be taking on more than you can chew. You best have a good alternative backup to these guys if they don't develop enough to give Top 10 performances, especially in March.

Cliff is an example. Even without his fiasco... how productive would he have been in March? I seriously doubt he would have made a difference in the loss to WSU. Kelly offered us more, but even his game fluctuated. I'm not bagging on either of these guys, they are great players but too young and inexperienced to count on.

What I'm getting at is we need to make sure and build the majority of our starting lineup the old-fashioned way. Guys starting should be juniors and seniors and have them backed up with quality freshmen and sophomores.. learning the system and preparing for their moment. If we have the opportunity for one to two true OADs, then we should feel very sure that their one year as a Jayhawk will actually pay a dividend, because they are taking up space that could be filled by a veteran player. Players like Wigs and Anthony Davis were 'no miss' players.

But in the future, these star one-year players have to be blended into the team better. Wigs situation was a mess. Our offense was a mess. Those clear-outs and the rest of the team taking a break when Wigs had the ball... was a mess. If we can't do a better job of infusing this kind of talent, then we should leave them for other teams.

It is rare when I'm going to bag on a player. Many are unprepared and they make mistakes.... that responsibility is on the coaches' shoulders. I think we are one or two players away from competing next year in March. We will have a great group of guys. They all want to succeed. It is up to our coaches to make the right plan and get the players to execute it... and execute it with plenty of optimism, passion and motivation.

@jaybate-1.0

"This tournament has probably awakened quite a few of the remaining recruits, and maybe even some of those that are sitting on UK's and Duke's benches, to the reality of several supposed OADs sitting on a bench for most of the games of an NCAA tournament.

I am not saying this will end program stacking, just that there will be some guys that sit and think, well, I do actually like to play, and not just practice. And If go to KU and I'm a 3 or a 5, I am going to get to have the fun of playing all the time."

I would like to believe this to be true... but there seems to be lots of players that just want to win a championship and don't mind doing it from the bench. Maybe this will change if Kentucky blows it this weekend. Then they sat on the bench and didn't even win a championship! Cal has everything riding on this weekend. The nation should be against Kentucky this weekend... it is bad for college basketball. Those players should be sprinkled across the nation, helping fill real holes in other teams that are good but would have been great had they been chosen instead of Kentucky.

@jaybate-1.0

" If Marshall can turn down the kind of money he reportedly was offered to stay here… well, this must not be such a bad place after all.

This is a proud moment for Wichita. He loves us. He really loves us."

Wichita wins again with Gregg Marshall’s decision ↗

I can't believe I read that. Lutz really said that about Wichita.... the place where he lives. What a low sense of community pride. Gheez....

@VailHawk

Gosh... I remember campaigning my guts out for Sir Lancelot. He said he wanted to come to Kansas... but we botched that. If I'm not mistaken, wasn't that the year we were on hold for Xavier? I was so pissed off at Self.

@cragarhawk

"Coach Knight is the real deal. And always will be in my book. Love that guy!"

Ya dang tooting, he's the real deal!

He's the only guy talking that has actually walked the walk. So what if he confuses a few things in a game. Better than all those blowhards that get their basketball education from thin air. Gottlieb, Bilas, Fraschilla, Mushburger... all talkity-talk!

So Bob has nothing to do? Maybe he'd like to be a developmental coach at Kansas. Heard they will be looking for a new assistant coach. (hint)

@Crimsonorblue22

That is my all-time favorite Jayhawk pic!

@KansasComet

I enjoyed that game immensely. Made me wonder if some of those Iowa rednecks second-guessed their decision to call EJ the "N" word.

I'm just not satisfied with how EJ's career ended.... and I'm not talking about the Michigan game. I'm talking about EJ not getting the right opportunities to move on. I'd like to know today that he is doing well financially and enjoying himself playing ball in a good situation.

I care about the players AFTER they leave Kansas, too. Sherron is constantly in my thoughts.

@jaybate-1.0

I like your read on Self and his move to OADs. I don't think he likes the way college basketball has become, but it isn't like he can change the game or the way players think, or NBA sets rules.

Lemme guess.... replaced by Doug "Credit Card" Gottlieb?

Every time I review my monthly statement and see a charge I'm not sure about I ask myself if I've been to a game near Gottlieb.

Welcome, Shaka!

Monster upgrade for the Shorthorns!

Here is a helpful link showing NBA draft scale. Only the first round draft choices get a guarantee. Interesting what it said about agents and the risks they take. The players are very reliant on having a good agent because if they go in the first round, the agent's ability determines their salary between the scale rate of 80 to 120%. If the player goes after the first round, it is all in the agent's hands to get anything at all (especially a guarantee) for the player. Agents pick up all preparation costs, and that can add up quickly. Kind of makes you wonder if bad agents even want to spend a dime on players before the draft.

The Structure of NBA Rookie Contracts ↗

If we look back at our recent OADs... Henry, Selby, Wiggins and Embiid... it looks like everyone except Selby got something reasonable out of leaving early.

This same model is valuable in understanding ALL players that leave early, not just OADs. For example, the twins both scored decent cake on their early KU exit.

“Only a few agents still charge fees for negotiating a rookie contract since the first-round salaries are required to be no less than 80% of the salary scale number, and no greater than 120%."

I'm guessing a lot of the young OAD players are just looking at that #30 draft spot and thinking it is the "worst case scenario" and they are satisfied knowing they will get somewhere between $800,000 up to $1.15m for turning pro.

Even though I'm unhappy Kelly is leaving, how much of a chance is there that he doesn't go 1 thru 30 in the draft?

What about those kids drafted after #30? How many of those kids sign a contract? Guarantees? It must feel like "bait and switch" for these unfortunate players. The line is drawn in the sand (actually, carved in the hardwoods) and if you end up on the wrong side of the line your ability to earn a living in the league starts shrinking dramatically. Players like Josh Selby can go to Superman Camps and improve their game, but finding an inland path to signing a contract is very very difficult.

This system doesn't seem fair at all. Especially since it is aimed at players so young. Most of these kids have never made a single dollar in their lives before (outside of their scholarship stipend), so how much is $800,000 to one of these kids? I bet they think they can retire on it. Did anyone tell them this is pre-tax numbers? And what is the cost of living in a major city? Entourage fees? Family members with their hands out? Expected style of living perspective from being in the league? Lexus? New expensive girlfriend?

I'm pretty sure a salary of $800,000 is the very basic salary needed just to make it through a year of basketball in the league. And when all that money is gone, and the kids don't sign the important contract (contract #2) how are they going to keep up on the payments for all that baggage they picked up in such a short period?

I just hope the first thing a guy like Kelly does when the check clears is he buys his dad a house. A cash purchase. So if he blows the rest of it and doesn't score a second contract at least him and his dad have something from all of this.

European basketball helps a few more players, but not as many as you think.

@nuleafjhawk

"Have we won a National Championship as a result of a OAD?"

There is a logic error in this statement because it is a team sport. If it was tennis singles, then you could ask this question. We haven't been able to win a NC with these OAD players, but the weight of winning and losing isn't strictly on the OAD.

I think Wigs and JoJo definitely helped us save our conference streak. They came in a total rebuild year. What did we lose.. our first 6 or 7 players from the year before? That was quite a feat.

Of course we don't know how we would have done if JoJo stayed healthy... but let's leave that out of the discussion. What if those guys had signed on to a team with many juniors and seniors in the other key roles? Might we have advanced? Sure.

I don't think we are getting a proper taste of OADs because we have counted on them the last two years on teams that were amongst the youngest teams in America. Worse... on both of these teams, our OAD big was erased in March.

I can think of some of our past teams and imagine what they might have done had we had Wigs on those teams. Teams where Wigs could have been an accessory instead of forced into Savior role.

Maybe we are all looking at this all wrong. It's great to score a few OADs... but just make sure there is a base of quality, experienced players around them.

I would be happy with OAD-type players if we could keep a few of them around for more than a season. Wigs and JoJo... those guys did the right thing. I'm mixed about Kelly leaving. He seems to be really on the fence for making it at the next level. I would hate to see that guy go and end up with an illustrious career in d-league. I don't even have a gut feeling about him. If he gets the right opportunity, he'll make it, but if he gets put in the wrong situation, then gets shuffled backwards, it is hard for players to resurrect their careers even after just a couple of setback years.

I think about this maybe more from the player's perspective. Should OADs be coming to Kansas? Wigs isn't even part of this example because he could have made it if he flipped burgers for a year. Kansas players have media pushing on them to leave Kansas.

@nuleafjhawk

I'll help you out...

!Aurora-World-Fantasy-37-Unicorn-Stick-Pony.jpg ↗

Not sure a lot of people in here ever experienced one of these.

@nuleafjhawk

"Sorry - slow day at work."

Ha... I'm enjoying your slow day at work. Keep it up!

@nuleafjhawk

I'm pretty sure the NCAA keeps watch over that.