I know you have been around long enough to remember my constant rants about lacking a chip! ;)
drgnslayr
11251 posts
There is no logical merit in talking about trading conference titles for NCAA titles. Not only can we not do it, but I don't think there is a logical strategy where we intentionally not care about how we play in conference and have that help us win NCAA titles.
I've aired my criticism on Self and staff for years. Sometimes that has involved strategy questions... like questioning hi/lo at any cost.
My biggest criticism remains... Self's ability to fire up his troops. He is such a mellow man (except sometimes yelling in the huddle). For example... in that TT game, where was the urgency? I only saw it for a minute after Brawn stole the ball at the end and slammed it. He briefly turned up his game. I see a big difference in our teams over teams like Jay Wright's. Everything we do works so much better when guys play with urgency. I have always challenged this and probably always will.
We have a great group of guys, and I think our coaches want to win. But I don't think they know how to turn up our guys. We currently aren't playing at a level of urgency where we can defend and interupt another team's offense. This was on clear display in the TT game... how TT disrupted our offense but we didn't disrupt theres. Our talent level is higher so we made the game closer.
I think your concept of the only thing that matters in this game is a NC is shortsighted and a negative view of the game. That is a great angle to take when you are a cynic and just want to propel your concepts ahead of a HOFr coach. Only one team wins it all every year and your approach basically says everyone else in college basketball sucks. It shows a complete inability to appreciate the game beyond this one single focus. You must have hated all KU basketball since 2008.
Your approach in here is nearing troll status.
Yes... makes sense IARP throws the book at us:
@wissox said in Bill Self "growth stunter":
How do you quantify tough? Is it going unbeaten? Winning in tough places? Coming back in a game like we did the other night and overcoming an unheard of shooting slump? Is it just intimidating the heck out of everyone like Kentucky 2012 did? Is it playing lockdown defense? Or is it having an offense that will always score more than your shaky defense gives up?
I don't always think the toughest teams win. I think part of it is optics. What we see. We see guys scrapping it out. Running at full speed on every play. Exhausted yet still hitting another gear.
There are different kinds of tough. There is physical toughness. Being exhausted but still going hard. There is also mental toughness. Our current team is in good physical shape and we have a bench to help the minutes load. But what I did see at OSU was a certain amount of mental toughness. I didn't see our guys give up. Didn't see heads hanging low or frustration. If the sportscasters didn't keep telling us, you couldn't tell they had missed 20 or so shots in a row. That mental toughness impressed me. I was also impressed with David and his physical toughness. He stepped up and hustled.
I see other guys not quite being tough enough in some areas.
It is so easy to feel this way... and at times, I do, too.
But I also see a team with so much potential. Look at the bright side of this game. Maybe Dave is back and ready for a great season moving forward!
It is a year we are really missing Marcus Garrett! We really need these guys to buy in to pressing hard on defense. Without that happening... we can't go far. We've got the personnel to compete with anyone! We just need all 5 players on the floor bought in to heavy pressure every single play! Harris has bought in...
I think Martin is a big key when it comes to defense. He may be our "quickest" player and he's capable of stepping up more on D. He's a guy that is so visible on the floor. You just can't miss his play while he's on the floor. He could do a lot to inspire others.
The difference is 5%! We don't need guys to just give 100%. Somewhere around 105% we will kick the sh*t out of every team in the nation, including Baylor!
I'm not going to let KenPromNight tell me what my eyes see.
KU Offense: Top 30
KU Defense: Top 200
We should be a lot tighter as we start conference play, especially considering we aren't playing freshmen.
"On any given night we can bet anyone!" That's a great phrase, worthy of a bumpersticker. But when describing conference play I'd rather hear other comments about how superior we are to everyone else.
Once again, we are starting conference play without a definite "team leader." A floor general. Someone to rally the troops. Someone in between coach and players to bark orders. Someone controlling tempo. Someone reading defenses. Someone calling plays. You know... the way basketball used to be played.
I am a big fan of Harris and Martin. Harris has a lot more potential left in his game as he grows into manhood. Martin... still trying to assess if and what he will be able to do more. I definitely think we need Bobby healthy and he should give us some good minutes ahead.
Where is this team on the toughness scale? Anyone willing to reply?
We got to add a smiley emoji to this site! Ha... you crack me up!
I've always had a soft spot for Whiskeyconsinites! Yep... it is a word, and appropriate at that (known from experience)!
Definitely need to come up with advice for lowering stress levels during poor KU ball moments.
There is a health page up now.
Anyone have tips on that... I can use advice!
I think the same! I just rebounded out of a few mediocre years. I don't do mediocre well. So I made some changes to my business that push me out on the road... I'm off to New Orleans in 10 days for a two week trip that should bring back some zip to my step! Planning other exciting places after that.
Not sure I can relocate anytime soon... but in the least I can travel more and defeat the staleness!
Okay... you get the award for kicking some life into this group. Keep up the critical approach... everyone needs to be challenged in here and that hasn't really happened since HEM left.
What worked tonight was Self ripping DMac's ass. I couldn't believe what I was seeing... David actually lifting his legs and running the court like everyone else. On one play he scored at the rim and made it back quicker than anyone and rebounding a fastbreak shot from OSU. Bravo!
Who didn't get ripped tonight, and clearly deserved it... was Och! It's like he went out there and got his points early and then went on cruise control. Not sure what is on his mind... but what is on my mind is he is reverting to old habits of becoming invisible in games. He definitely did NOT raise his NBA stock tonight! Quite the opposite.
OSU just plain sucked! I'm still surprised we pulled out of there with a victory.
As I mentioned before the game... this would be a game won by possessions. Look at the stat sheet... the guys who rebounded lead the +/- category by a substantial amount. Braun is keeping his role as Superman. DMac finally elevated his game. The guy who matters as much as anyone else on this team, Wilson... still stunk on his shot, his rut continues... but he nabs 15 boards in 26 minutes. He is going to matter in our success this year as much as anyone. Maybe he kicks in gear when Self chews his ass out there.
I'm a Self fan... make no mistake about it. But if you read back on my rants for all these years you will discover my view of Self's Achille's heal as being not able to get his troops emotionally psyched for games and play hard... like Jay Wright is effective. Drew and Baylor... a completely different story. They have an NBA approach (in some ways) because they realize how important it is to have the complete package from the main office down to the water boy. I don't expect Baylor to fall from the top of the Big 12 (or nation) anytime soon. As a true fan of the sport itself, my hat tips to coaches like Wright and Drew.
If you exam the stat line on Self... he's achieved a great deal. I still remain critical about Kansas basketball but as I have aged I don't downgrade Self as much because I see other schools passing us. Instead, I acknowledge those schools on the move for what they are achieving. Just not a fan of Calipari and K.
Haha... now I'm on the spot! Better come up with some huge health tips!
Tip #1: Laugh as much as you can! You only live once... or twice... so make it count.
I'm old... I'mmmm oldddd... I'mmm mold!
I am a 63 old single father of two young children. We just watched Cobra Kai and I'm teaching them how to throw a front kick.
I can still do 10 consecutive hand stand pushups.
I'll die before I get old... I mean mold.
lol
PS: if you want to get old fast... just keep watching politics. The system is rigged... and by that I mean both sides (and their media cheerleaders) keep you engaged by pissing you off about the other one. Don't waste your time with these clowns.
If we need a non-basketball topic, it should be health and well-being! Something fruitful for everyone!
Happy New Year, my long-time Jayhawk buds! It has been my pleasure to be a part of this! You all rock... rock chalk!
Stillwater is the most important conference game we have all year!
I'm going to say that before every game because this team could slip up easily. Our margin for victories is slim.
Stillwater is always a trap game except it really isn't a surprise when we lose down there, regardless of the quality of our team.
These are weird times... I'm hopeful we pull this one out, if we can control possessions. Our guys are going to have to hold on to the ball and also rebound well. If we win the possession battle we should win. Hopefully, we can create some steals and get runouts from them. It is all about how aggressive and smart we play. Composure.
I sense the possibility that we don't win the Big 12 again this year... maybe 2nd or 3rd... but we have the possibility of being a late blooming team and then go for a long March run. I can easily see this scenario play out!
This is a team that could eventually find itself... get in a rhythm... and go on a long winning streak!
Yes... this could happen! Or no... it doesn't!
We all see the looming doom against a team like Baylor... maybe Texas.. and who knows... ISU? Without question... the team with the highest potential moving forward is Baylor. Not even close!
We all expect this team to hit another gear, but it hasn't happened yet, and now I think we all question if it will happen or not.
What is keeping this team from hitting another gear?
Is it Dave? Jalen? Remy? Everyone? Self?
Dave is the slow cog in a team that needs to play faster. If we ever get to that tempo, most of the time Dave will get stuck around half court not knowing which goal to go towards because the ball will move like a ping pong ball.
Jalen is clearly our best rebounder on this team. Every game now, he becomes more important because we are largely winning games because we make it a possession battle.
KJ... I see the potential but he is still so raw. I see using him enough so he can mold into a 10-mpg guy.
Here is an odd thought that will bound to get me flamed in here.... pull off Cam's redshirt. If he can run the floor up with some speed, he gives us a threat from trey line and leave him out there to set ball screens and shoot treys. It forces the defensive big out away from the basket and will allow all our other weapons to drive to the rim with ease.
Okay.... I just slapped myself and am awake now. Back to the reality that this is a Bill Self team and that means eventually working back to some hi/lo. Dave is being toughened for down the stretch, when he will be needed most. I just don't see how we get up to real running speed with him on the floor.
@justanotherfan nailed it with his comment that this just is not a team built for a back to the basket 5. All it does is clog the post and limits the other 4 players from driving to the rim. We need the lane area cleared out for other things... drives to the rim, backdoor lobs, mismatch posts sometimes.
Gosh... it sure feels like we are desperate because we just came off a big loss. Are we all projecting off a premonition in Stillwater?
Here is something to analyze...
Baylor is soon to completely own the Big 12. Football... basketball...
I sense they have conviction, a plan, and have progressively built an infrastructure that will last.
Discuss...
I'm not a basketball coach, and dang sure not a HOF'r coach! I question things, but ultimately believe Self knows what he is doing. I read where all the bench receives PT in practice mixed with the A team. That must be the place where guys really earn their actual game PT. Even though Nevada hung around for some of this game, I never considered them a real threat. So we didn't have a necessity to run our top guys for 30+ minutes except for the fact that they all needed to knock off the rust. When Bobby returns, if he is healthy, I think he will add another "1/2" to my formula, so we actually run 7 deep in a game, with Bobby and Mitch equaling 1. Our bench beyond that is our backup if someone gets hurt.
Anyone seeing a different perspective? Someone breaking through later this season?
Okay... we knew it was coming.
Coach has tightened down the minutes and it looks like down to 6 1/2 players, with Mitch being the 1/2.
Is this just because we had 11 days off and our most-productive players need game PT? Or is this a look at what is to come this season?
Coach mentioned the lack of productivity from the bench... but how can you count it when players only receive a few minutes... not enough to get into a flow.
We all saw how frustrated Joseph was. And there must be some frustration with JaCol.
It is looking like there is a small gap for KJ to gain some minutes.
Didn't most of us think we have a very deep bench? Do we still think that? I have little doubt that if some of these guys suddenly landed more minutes (probably because of an injury), he will start showing improvement. But is there a huge separation of skills?
Dajuan receives more minutes than Remy... the guy bringing in all the hype cred. Will that change over the year? I don't think so. I think Dajuan is clearly showing superiority out front. His defense is starting to remind me of a scrappy Marcus. And he keeps the ball from sticking on offense. I am liking how Remy is being pushed into playing tougher D. He needs it badly and will be a key for this team moving forward... if we can get solid D out of him and Dajuan, we stand to go far this year.
I see the same likelihood as you. I didn't factor in the IARP prediction, but find it likely and he could be the one who gets cut.
Curious what will happen with Cam. Obviously... who we recruit and who stays is a part of this. But also... could he become a gym rat and build a higher level of athleticism over this year? It has been known to happen... thinking Jeff Withey.
Still been good having him. An experienced practice teammate. Just having his age and wisdom on the team can help other young bucks. Also, having a practice big that can shoot from outside is good practice for David, Mitch and others to learn to guard the trey line. It would be great if we had another big to go to this year (if we even play again) but our overall depth is good and Self needs to find minutes for players anyways.
Many factors involved coming up. I suspect games will be cancelled because of travel issues, too.
I am hopeful omicron will vanish as quickly as it came in... but there are other variants still around, too. We still don't even know the length of immunity associated with having variants or vaccines. It is a total crap shoot if we even finish out the year. I think it is safe to say that most D1 will suffer from interruptions in schedules.
Very curious how the college football championship will come off. Imagine if a team or teams have to cancel and we have a winner based on "healthiest" program?
Self has the right approach. Keep an open mind and be ready to pounce on opportunities to make things as normal as can be expected under the circumstances.
@nuleafjhawk said in Colorado Game recap:
I just figure that CU bailed because they didn’t want a national ass-whoopin. They bailed from the conference because they were tired of getting spanked at least twice per year, so it’s not a big deal to bail on another game.
And also having their fans outnumbered on their own court!
My son is 8 and had his first shot with dad when I received my booster.
It always feels scary making a medical decision concerning your kids, but the current science points to vaxing. You have to analyze the risks in both directions... for most people, they should see the need. Helpful to inquire with your pediatrician.
Half of the experience of bringing a team together is to travel together. We still got something out of that trip.
@jayballer67 said in Non-KU Games:
So you think Huggy is feeling really bad Oscar Tshiebwe left - -got away ?-- Lordy 14 points &- - -TWENT EIGHT - - – -TWENT EIGHT rebounds and the game is not ove.
I’m afraid what the hell he going to do to us on the Boards not going to be pretty Mercy oh Mercy an Animal
We should do with him what we should do with every threatening rebounder we face.... everyone put a body on him. It's called "team rebounding" and it works when used. When a shot is going up everyone looks for that guy first to make sure he is sealed off.
Realize I agree with you and we should demand openness about the virus. It just isn't going to happen with their government which is empowered through secrecy and control.
Two positive things we could do now...
-
Kick their ass in the games
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Buy American whenever possible
Dave looked better! lol
@jayballer67 said in IARP update:
This article that I read from another KU site said they had 5 Level one , 4 level two and two level three violations.
So... an inside straight! lol
I don't like that fact that we can't contest the outcome. To trust anything to these people with questionable motives seems completely irrational and risky.
Maybe they try slapping probation on our players from receiving outside sponsorships? (bad joke)
Yes.... the defense, flat out, sucks at this moment!
All that foot speed.... wasted. Guys play totally out of position, they do a very poor job on switches... most of the time we have at least two defenders stuck in "no-man's land" not guarding anyone. It's one big mess!
The thing is, none of our playing time guys are freshmen. These guys know better! Self needs to really crack the whip on the lot of them! The head is Remy... He really needs to toughen up his game. Pac12 ball is not Big12 ball. His biggest adjustment isn't learning Self-ball or a new team... his biggest lost space is his lack of playing Big12 ball, and he's yet to have that baptism. Soon enough! Colorado may give him half a taste. Just wait until he faces Huggy Bear and his Mountaineers in WV!
I'm a big huge fan of Remy but can't give him a break on this. He has to bear down and start playing like a Big12 PG.
Och slacked off on quite a few plays... it's not just about him putting up shots. Maybe his energy is partially based from feeding off the rest of the team's energy. We were out-hustled in this game. The Lumberjacks definitely brought pesky defense with them and I'm glad they tested us.
I haven't seen the Buffs this year but already feel like it is one we will either drop (and look horrible in the process) or we smash them because the guys react on being told we usually stink at this time of year. Hard to say which team will show up, but I'm guessing we will know early. I gave Remy a hard time, though he did come through at the end and we can always use a "money player" at the end!
Probably creates a better "Self teaching moment" if we lose it... then they get forged into becoming a better prepared team as we enter league play.
Anybody nervous after that tight game against the Lumberjacks?
I woke up this morning with a Yin Yang perspective.
Yin:
David... when are we going to see him deliver? I think everyone has dropped some of their expectations... but when you see him stumbling over his own feet you wonder if even those are too high!
Remy... glad you iced the game but we can use more heroics throughout the game so we aren't challenged down the stretch by a team like the Lumberjacks.
Och... what is HE doing up here in the Yin? Well... this was not one of his better games. He seemed invisible in the second half. That might make a few of us wonder if the new, high-octane Och will be hit-and-miss throughout the season.
Team FLATNESS! We've seen this before... on other teams. But we thought this team was different! Our defense was horrific! We gave up 53.4% from the floor! 15 TOS... kind of high.
Yang:
Christian... he's on another planet... a higher planet... regardless where the rest of our team is! Lead the team in scoring, rebounding, blocks... almost assists.
JaWil... started coming on, and we definitely needed his contribution in this game to win it. Had a great stat line for only playing a half of ball. Best +/- on the team! He is definitely the guy who can go mid-range and get points.
Team perspective: out of school, thinking of eggnog. Not really a great excuse, but the key here is we got the win and we have lost several silly games in December before. Santa hasn't written off this team!
I'm not nervous about this team. I expect there to be ups and downs. Nothing is glaring except our post presence (oops), but I see so much potential with these guys I'm not going to get hung up with negative views this early in the season.
Their defense just plain, flat-out sucks at this point, but I said the same thing about the Chiefs a few weeks ago. Seasons are long enough to see progress and I do expect to see a great deal of improvement as this team moves forward.
Thank you for the expression that allows me to taste Bruce while also holding my ears! lol
I don't think he's a legit 5 defender unless we convert to an X-axis team... (not gonna happen).
Mitch is our 5 backup.
Jalen is our best rebounder.
If we flip to Self's new version of "hi-lo" then Jalen works fine... sort of like the Memphis team we beat in '08. Motion offense... dribble drive... feed the paint when it works. Starting to look like Self is figuring this out anyways. We don't win on a traditional hi-lo. Teams aren't really taking Dave as the ultimate threat and he can sometimes do more to clog the paint then be our best option in the paint. I don't want to trash Dave... he has received plenty of unwarranted heat already. Dave is good as long as we use him properly.
Having 4 perimeter players all capable of driving the paint sounds like a winning strategy to me. I guarantee you Mark Few would LOVEEEE to have our options!
Jalen can handle the 4 spot and have him basically opposite (along the baseline) with Och... and use Och for the backdoor alleyoops... both guys slashing towards the paint.... both guys popping out anywhere on the trey line... both guys cutting to the rim to take a feed (Zags style). Unlimited options.
We just can't have that offense where we put 4 guys on the perimeter and try to out-speed pass the defense. That's when we know we are flat (as has always been the case and probably half my rants on here throughout the years).
This has to be one of Bill's more entertaining teams to scheme offense around! Has to be!
I'm definitely not checking Jalen off my list. I still have faith he will come on big this year. Partially, I hold on to Self's statement about how much quicker the team is with him in the lineup. However... I do think the team has been speeding up some without him on the floor.
Jalen is like any of these guys... regardless of athleticism.... if you want to be effective on offense, watch the Zags and how those guys cut to the rim when off-ball. He could be a total beast at this!
Pity we don't have laugh emojis!
Maybe Self is grooming him to be that valuable "6th man" this year? Not sure Jalen is psyched for that role.
Think about what kind of weapon he could be at 6th man? Coming in around the 14 minute mark in the first half... both teams settled into a tone of play and then here comes this guy with high energy, grabbing every available rebound and then pushing the tempo up the court... then physically taking it to the hole.
@BeddieKU23 ... you may be on to something with that last post. He may be a very temperamental player that also may be a challenge to coach. I thought he would become a volume scorer... but true volume scorers all have bad memories on their last performances, especially the bad ones... even can't remember what they did earlier in the same game.
At this point, it seems his issue is more than missing the first few games. One thing... he definitely seems to be lacking confidence.
Gosh.. imagine we have 3 players averaging around 20 ppg?! That would be nuts and also would take even more pressure off Big Dave needing to put up numbers in the paint!
I lived in 5 European countries and would constantly see KU clothing everywhere! I can't say that about any other school... or I would say it.
I think Jayhawk fans quickly learn how special it is to be fans of KU basketball.
I was fortunate enough to be at KU when AFH was open for anyone to use during the days when it wasn't in use for school functions. I lived down around Alabama and 23rd and would make the uphill climb on my bike every morning early and hoop it in AFH. Even playing in pickup games felt special. Always felt like basketball Gods were watching, usually probably holding their noses! lol
@BShark said in Agbaji and Braun:
Everyone plays better with a good PG as well.
Ha... you are preaching to the choir!
We are seeing none of the Jalen from last year... where he would drive hard in the paint. He just looks lost out there. And... he isn't hitting his shots. Sign of confidence issues.
Kind of wondering if he is in Self's "suffering box?" I have this feeling like there will come a day this year where he busts free and it will bring this team to a higher level.
Hope I'm right!
Last year, Jalen created his own offense. We had a team that lacked enough scoring. His numbers were okay considering he just made it all happen on his own. He needs to be integrated better into the offense. I don't see him at all integrated now.
A handful of positive tweaks with this team and they can be a FF-caliber team! It is not unrealistic to think this!
It's going to be a great conference season this year! And with the bottom of our league still being legit... the key will be to not lose to a trap game. Consistent play will be a huge plus this year and in that area I feel like we have an advantage because we have an experienced team with pretty good ball skills. Our TOs seem to stay within reason. Rebounding okay. Steals good. We are a team that does good on the possession chart.
I'm not even looking at a cumulative stat sheet. Just based on what I witnessed. I also like how we finish out on many steals.
This team should still continue to play slightly faster. I hope Jalen's game comes around and he helps speed us up. We should become masters at scoring off of secondary breaks. Tons of open treys!
Baylor is going to challenge us a lot more moving forward, every year! Drew has really put it together and his basketball environment may be the best in college basketball today.