Don't forget to mention Calipari.... and how he walks right out on the court anytime he likes. He did get a warning in the Tenn game.
It was nice to see "Gentleman Barnes" beat the slickster.
drgnslayr
11251 posts
Right. Bill knew the situation with Carlton and he still kept him on the sidelines until after it was official.
I'm sure our guys were affected by the refs strange calls. But that will always be a part of basketball and our guys should show more poise than that. Our team body language was attrocous! You could tell we were going to lose this game long before the final buzzer.
Once again... this is where we need a leader on this team. A demonstrative leader.
I just watched the second half.... but in that half, Josh played little defense. He missed assignments leaving WVU with easy points right under our goal.
I've been impressed with Josh all year for his hustle. Especially when considering he is just a freshman.
I'm giving him a pass on this game because of his lack of game experience on this level. He has NEVER been in this position before. All the basketball he has played.... but never has he faced such a hostile environment where even the refs are Mountaineers.
His poor defense definitely cost us. But what about our experienced players? They have been there before, some have been there 3 or 4 times before!
I'd like to see a fed probe into college officiating. These refs who call phantom calls need to be called out themselves. That is rigging a game. If the players don't have contact but the refs call a foul, that means they are making a call based on assumption. I know that sometimes the angle appears to show a foul... but they can't make calls on assumptions.
I watched the Kentucky game after ours. Kentucky got ripped off at the end on a phantom call, too. It isn't just us.
I think we all need to try to settle down and let this case unfold.
If you look at what facts are available at this time, it does not point to any member of our team facing charges.
What is known at this time is police have a single suspect, who also was using drugs and alcohol. The drugs sound like pot.
That doesn't really sound like a member of our team, and our players hang out together non-stop, so I'm pretty sure if it was a player it would be several players charged.
The part of the story that frightens fans is the interviewing of 5 of our players. That doesn't mean they had any involvement in this alleged crime. It could easily be that they saw something because they are residence of the building, or they may even know the suspect or the girl. Notice that someone from the AD's office has also been interviewed along with two other women.
Notice how big of news this is for our Kentucky friends.... they condemn our team already just by the way they formatted their headline -
I'm pissed off.
I'm pissed off because some dweeb at ESPN switched our game with the MSU game and tricked my DVR into recording the wrong game. So I missed the first half of our game. But did I really miss anything?
It shocks a fan base when their team wins 18 in a row then drops one. The sky is falling. But is the sky really falling?
I know everyone reading this is thinking I'm going to say the sky is NOT falling. My job now is to calm down fans. Well... that isn't my job!
I'm going to try to remain a bit neutral on this one.
My statement is: "The sky could fall!"
The sky could fall if Bill's players don't start following his orders.
If we bring the same defensive level of intensity into Lexington this Saturday, we better all be prepared for the same shellacking we took from the Blue Machine a few years ago when our guys humiliated every resident in the State of Kansas. I know I will be wearing my civil defense bomb shelter gear during this game... just in case.
"Fool's Gold" was on display last night. The very reason why Bill turned off the switch on trey shooting last year in favor of BAD BALL was proven last night. And heck, we even shot well from three. Part of "fool's gold" is the concept that our guys stop hustling on defense because of the easy scoring on offense. Just from watching the second half last night, I have to say that was the worst defensive performance I've seen from this team all year. We can blame the loud crowd and the refs.... but we are going to be in those situations moving forward, so do we just throw the towel in on many of our road games?
Bill has questioned our toughness on defense all year. Maybe we should have listened to him.
For a very bad reason, many fans believe we are not capable of playing good defense, especially after losing Doke. No one, including myself, questions the fact that having a big shot blocker helps on defense. But there is no way we can cop out on the idea that this team can't play good defense. Look at all the National Champion winners over the last decade and I can only think of Kentucky and Anthony Davis being the only dominant big man. Villanova? Nope. All of those UCONN teams? Nope. Even Kentucky had a lot more than Davis blocking shots and defending.
Our guards have been a disaster on defense. A disaster. For the skill level they are capable of, and with all that athleticism, they can't stop ANY guard from driving right to the basket. They miss assignments, switch too often instead of fight through screens. Sag in and leave the trey shot wide wide wide open. I'm still surprised we haven't been beat by some scrub team that gets hot from trey. Maybe we are saving that for Week #1 in March.
Okay, I said I would be neutral on this post. We can definitely become a GREAT defensive team! We have everything but the big shot blocker in the paint, just like all those great National Championship teams before us (minus Kentucky). We just have to go out and hustle. We have to become tougher. No more slacking off.... no more sagging. Our guards have to move their feet, hedge properly, and fight through screens. Our guys have to call things out and provide good weak-side help (only when necessary).
Where is the enthusiasm? Was I the only one who noticed just how bad our team body language was last night? Who friggin' died?! Have you ever noticed teams that come into AFH and are almost cocky while playing us?
We can do this. We can be the next Villanova.
NO EXCUSES!
I don't see the offense in Doke yet. He just had dunking, and his FT shooting is light years away. He wasn't going to shoot well at the line this year...no way. He has zero form, and what he was doing changed literally every time he took a FT. Shooting FTs requires developing a regiment, lots of practice repetition, developing muscle memory, etc. There are plenty of players that never develop the touch, no guarantees on Doke, even if he works his tail off. Wilt couldn't shoot a FT if his life depended on it.
If I am an opposing coach, I wouldn't see the need to double down on Doke. I would just instruct my post guys to foul him if he gets the ball at the rim. That foul probably wouldn't even cost them a point. Since our offense ranks high and creates probably over a point per possession, it would be wise to sucker us into feeding the post so they can hack him.
I think Doke would have improved... but I am yet to imagine him being a difference-maker. He is a mile and a doughnut from being a JoJo.
Let's see what he does next year... after another year of Jayhawk basketball. I don't want to be over-critical on Doke.... he has enormous potential and just needs the time to develop.
But note that we will have to make sacrifices to play Doke's game. He has brought his weight down a lot, but he still wasn't conditioned well enough to go more than a few minutes at a time. Will that improve? Hard to say. His genetics holds the cards (issues like lung capacity). I'm pretty sure we will have to go to a very slow game if we want to build our team around Doke. That even effects guard recruitment for a few years. Do you know any 5-star guards that want to play a slow game?
We seem to go through this same argument almost every year.
We blame one or more of our players for not being a 5-star recruit.
So the player, who is who he is, should somehow wave a wand and add 5 inches to his vertical, etc.
If people want to scream, then scream at our coaches for recruiting him and not landing a higher level player.
It reminds me of the old Brady arguments. People blaming Brady for not being taller and more athletic.
Can someone explain to me the logic of beating down a lower recruit for not playing like a McDs AA?
And if it is just a case where the player can snap his fingers and become the next Lebron James... why don't we all snap our fingers and become Lebron and walk-on so we can cinch another NC?
I totally agree.
I'd love to see us make the game tonight a statement game.
I would think some of our guys are developing a chip if for no other reason than not being a unanimous #1.
I think it is hard to keep a momentum spurt up for 40 minutes. We don't need to do that. We just need to not dip so badly when the momentum dies down.
I think Josh has been great at keeping up the hustle. Even when his shot isn't dropping he is impacting the game for us. He has helped us from having big drops, like when the momentum fails us.
I ponder both sides of this subject and go back and forth.
Sure, I'd like to have more depth in the post, especially a monster like Doke.
But the other side of me thinks we are in a better position without him. When I just reread what I posted above.... those are a lot of issues that would impact our year.
I will ponder this throughout the remaining season.
I know one thing.... I'm thrilled to know he will be back next year and he will be in a better position to help us more.
You guys think the intensity level of rec ball equals the intensity of D1?
I found out the hard way when I jumped up to euro league play over a lower level of play.
The game moves much faster at D1. Not even close. First... just playing with guys that run so much faster makes it a big stress to keep up.
I just came from reading the Gameday Breakdown over at KUSports.com.
I think Matt Tait does an admirable job covering Kansas basketball.
He listed 3 key factors for a Kansas victory. One of those keys is for us to get out of the blocks fast.
That seems like an obvious piece of advice. But does it hold water?
We only have one loss this season so it is pretty hard to look and compare our failed performances as related to winning and losing.
It seems logical that getting out to a fast start will help us in many ways. It will give our guys some optimism, it will diminish the crowd noise and home court advantage, it may even help create chaos for WVU, causing them to fall apart and never really challenge us.
This could be one of those games where we go up early and we stay on top all game, answering back on every Mountaineer run.
Or.... it could backfire.
Just look at many of our past games. We have had plenty of experience falling behind early in games and then mounting big comebacks. We've also had games where we get out quick, and then had to hold on and eek out the victory.
I'd like to see @Jesse-Newell come into the picture. I think he could get to the bottom of this.
Do we stand a better chance of winning if we get out of the blocks quick tonight?
I'm like everyone else... and I want to see us get out quick. But what I care about a lot more is that we finish strong.
The momentum tide tends to shift several times in a game. WVU will be out for blood. They've dropped 2 in a row and they see their season slipping away. They love to play in front of their home crowd, and they do not want to lose another game at home.
If we kick them in the head early in this game, will they roll over and die? I seriously doubt it.
The more I think about this, the more I think we might have a better final result if we come out just a bit slow. Not falling behind by many.... but definitely not kicking them in the head right from the getgo.
These Mountaineers stand a very good chance of tiring out. They are under immense pressure to win. Their press requires an outrageous amount of energy to run. Kansas might be a bit slim with depth, but we are a well-conditioned team with fast athletes.
I sort of like the idea of playing this game out from the sleeper position. We just stick around.... down by 5 or 7 for most of the game... then we go on one of those famous Jayhawk runs down the stretch. WVU is winded and spent. No way to come back. No time left to flip the momentum back.
Sounds like the NCAA is reaching deep in their bag of tricks to somehow give Duke a high seeding.
Now they can say (when people scream about Duke earning a 2-seed) they might have factored in more weight on the early part of the year.... some bs like that.
If I was a gambling man I'd bet we lose at Kentucky and at KSU.
There is a reason I'm not a gambling man.... I'd be broke!
From that article -
"But of course, if media scrutiny is Young’s deciding factor, he should come play for OU. The spotlight on Jayhawks basketball is ten times brighter than the one down here, and Young’s game will be picked apart from the instant he steps on campus. If Young comes to OU, he’s just not going to hear that much criticism. The fans will just be glad he’s here.
I understand the emotion behind Young’s tweet. But if he thinks that going to Kansas will get him away from critical media, he’s sorely mistaken. I think Young understands that at the end of the day. Young may yet go to Kansas—his father has long been rumored to favor a traditional power, while his mother would prefer him at home—but if he does, it won’t be because of Clay Horning.
In Lawrence, articles like that may be too numerous to retweet them all."
What a crock of hooey.
First... no one knows college basketball better than the Kansas fan base. Even my Duke inlaws agree about that. Players coming to Kansas are treated extremely well, but not totally babied.
We've held hands of several players that didn't work out and we still care about them.
We are NOT into blind, emotional criticism of players. We do offer constructive criticism... and if a recruit is just looking for an easy path in college, he shouldn't go to Kansas. But what school situation will make him better? What school situation will better prepare him for a shot at the league?
Let's show a simple example. Landen and his past habit of "over-gathering." Wasn't it our critical analysis of his flaw helpful to him making the change? And look at the results.... it added probably 4 points to his stat average.
Outstanding post!
I think we could be a better team come March, but I'm not certain of it.
I'm a huge Doke fan.... I've been hot on his game ever since he was in HS. But in this particular situation, I'm not sure how much help he would give us this year.
Let's put away the thoughts of all those blocks and stuffs for a second.
Let's think about his FT shooting, his fouls, his miscues and his lack of integration with his teammates.
Was he too far behind to become a big positive for us this year?
How would he impact tempo?
Target for "hack a Shaq?"
Accruing lots of fouls helping push our opponents into the double bonus sooner?
Kicking us back to a 3-guard offense?
Refocus back to the hi/lo?
Team development falls behind because Doke is behind?
Landen still lost because of the haze over PT at the 5?
I know that sounds like Negative Ned. But those are all real questions that require more than a crystal ball.
I'm actually looking at this with a glass half full. I'm assuming we are a better team because of the struggle we faced losing him.
And Doke will be here next year and ready to plug in to dominate!
I'm hopeful we don't drop more than 2 for several reasons.
Of course, we need to win #13. So that is the main reason.
We also need to raise the level of play, considerably. We've had a cakewalk up until now. It is time for our guys to really be tested and pushed.
I like that we have so many tough games together. It makes us raise our level of play and hold it. If we can hold it through 8 games, we may just hold that level of play right on out through March.
This is where this team grows up. Especially for Josh, Carlton, Lagerald and Svi. Those four can really use some "seasoning." Imagine what this team might become if we can get better play from these four?
And if we get these four to play better, what will that do for Frank, Devonte and Landen?
Where would we be today if we still had Doke?
What would be the outcome in March with him versus without him?
"Actually we see it year in and year out. Opposing bigs or guards always have a great game in AFH. Watch every home game and you find that various opposing players have or at least one has a monster game. For example, Buddy Hield came into AFH and torched us for 30+ points his senior year."
I think a lot of that relates to Bill's strategy to not change up much just because a certain player is hot. Sure, he will switch up on match ups. But He isn't really a believer that one guy is going to beat us.
With his record in AFH, I believe he knows what he is talking about.
Tai chi would work for him, too. Just liked the aggression in wing chun, and of course, the focus on foundation and center core.
Many of us played a lot of ball in our youth.
But there is a big difference between the intensity we played at and the intensity level in D1. I have no doubt that our guys need a couple of days just to be partially rested.
Think back to your glory days... Was that a D1 full court you played on, or a 3/4 court? Just that one factor makes a big difference. And were you running back and forth and getting on either end of the court in 3 seconds?
I tend to agree with @justanotherfan . "Well rested" gets exposed at the intensity level these guys play at.
And it must be exhausting just because of the nerves... knowing hundreds of thousands of people are watching on tv and in the arena.
The key for a Kansas win is for Kansas to play 40 aggressive minutes. We are going to have some TOs. We have also proven we can win games this year with a bunch of TOs.
We just have to play through mistakes and have a little cheerleading going on within players. Stay poised and attack. Our best offense this year is within the first 10 seconds of the shot clock. Attack!
If we lose our aggression WVU will sense it and become even more aggressive. They sense when they have a team on the ropes. Baylor collapsed. It was like watching those nature videos of the wildebeast being run down by the cheetah.
I'm with you about Shaka and his "House of Mirrors."
But okay.... he's a coach in the Big 12 now. So come on, Shaka, work your tail off and become the image in the mirror.
It is good for all of us if Texas regains legit status. Barnes left the program legit. Now Shaka has to fight a long ways to bring it back to where it was when he took control.
Imagine that push had come from one of the Morris twins while at KU?
Technical. Ejection. Etc. etc. etc.
Everybody watching the Texas game right now? Allen is starting to get his game together. He is going to be a good player.
Keegan actually had a pretty good write-up on HuggyBear today. Did a good job of describing the lifestyle in WV, especially around coal. Huggy is loved by his school and his players, too. He definitely has earned my respect. I don't think his style and redneck history would work for him coaching in Lawrence, but he is perfect for WV.
I have to admit... I didn't support WV coming in to the Big 12... but I have really appreciated their basketball with Huggy at the helm. He brings a toughness that can only be good for our conference. It can't be easy for him to recruit, but he manages to build a Top 20 team just about every year.
Here are my observations on our guys...
Landen - I was never worried about his game coming around because his game is based on fundamentals. Fundamentals typically show up in the stat line after many games have been played. I give him a super "thumbs up" for stopping his long gathering. That has been the big change in his scoring and has bumped up his point average by at least 4 ppg.
Frank - I do believe he isn't pushing as hard as he can in order to save his health down the stretch. If he was really pushing his scoring 100% we would see him averaging 8-10 points more a game. He is doing the right thing. Frank wants to go out of his college career with a BANG! Be prepared for a freakish Frank Mason March!
Devonte - He has been picking up his game quite a bit recently. Playing sound, shooting well, well rounded. He has more in his tank for March, too. I think he is our difference player. Frank will get his 25 or so ppg in March, but what will Devonte do? He can score big numbers but what will be more important is his big potential for assists. He has the ability to make us a real team.
Josh - We can't ever forget he is a freshman. He is a bit of a wildcard. His flashy plays are great for SportsCenter and also he is good at getting all our guys motivated. But what really COUNTS with Josh is his CONSTANT HUSTLE. A big part of what he does will never show up on stat sheets. When Josh has a bad night he scores 6 points... but he grabs 8 rebounds, has 3 assists, 2 steals and helps shut down several opponent possessions. If you want to know a big reason why we consistently win, look no further than Josh Jackson. He has been outrageously consistent about contributing a great amount every game.
Lagerald - Has monster potential, but I wonder if we will just see it now and then for the rest of the year. Once he figures out how to bring better performances during conference play we will then skip into March, and that is a totally different environment and learning experience. I'm not sure how he will translate effectiveness in March. We can only hope...
Carlton - I think he will continue to make improvements this year. I'm doubtful he will put up many points, but we really don't count on points out of our post with this team. Concerning low post play, he really needs to learn how to hold his ground. He still gets pushed out of the paint with ease... even guards push him out. I'm thinking he needs to slightly lower his center of gravity, spread his stance a bit more and angle his feet different from each other so he can't always be pushed out in one direction. He probably needs to lean just a big more forward. His center core should be balanced between his feet better. I advise him to learn some Wing Chun next summer. He could stand to learn a few positioning tricks, just to stay even with our opponents. And he needs to gradually become more aggressive without fouling. He could also learn about where rebounds are most likely to go. If he can learn to rebound equal to Landen, he will add a lot of help for us in March.
Svi - He is doing well on offense. He has become more selective on his jump shot and he is driving more than he ever has as a Jayhawk. He is one of our top scorers on the drive, and he can create his own shot while guarded. He is a capable defender but sometimes is a bit slow reacting and that causes him to foul. His defense will continue to improve... it already has quite a bit!
Mitch - He needs to be mentioned. He represents the biggest chunk of extra depth we have. He is going to become a real quality player and we are very lucky we have him for future years. Can he contribute now? Heck yes. He puts out complete hustle every play he is out there. And that does pay off. If he was playing 25 mpg you would see just what he would produce. It certainly wouldn't be zero!
Bill Self - He has done a great job of putting this team together. He has grown his coaching abilities immensely over the years and it really shows this year.
I like the overall direction of our program. Look how far we have come since Bill came here. Night and day... I rank him as the best coach we have ever had.
Look at Cameron... What is the name of their court? "Coach K Court."
Their entire prestige and existence in the basketball world rotates around Coach K.
Then look at Kentucky....
SEC Basketball Impossible To Watch ↗
They are in a really horrible basketball conference. As America possibly divides over race, their conference appears on one side. They were basically invisible before Cal brought his toxicity to town. What happens after he is gone?
I'm hopeful for a nostalgic return of college basketball back to some of the old blue bloods.... Indiana... UCLA... and of course, we will remain the most consistently successful program in college basketball!
"Who ya gonna believe, me or your lyin' eyes?"
~Chico Marx, Movie "Duck Soup"
[link text](
17th Ranked Duke loses at home to NC State. They should now fall out of the Top 20.
Is this the future Duke after K calls it quits?
I've first-hand worked with felony-record holders trying to turn the corner on life. To be honest, I don't think I could do it myself. They aren't looking for sweet rides and gold jewelry... just trying to provide for their families.
What do you do when no one will hire you?
The cop out answer is, "they should have thought about that before committing the crime?"
Problem with that is it doesn't give them a path forward now. And it is a problem for all of us because many go back to crime.
One guy I've been working with for three years now is resting in the county jail. He was just trying to stay warm so he committed a very small crime that didn't hurt anyone just so he didn't have to freeze his butt off living this winter under a bridge.
Oh yeah... Okay, that is everyone!
!PI-CBK-Kansas-Frank-Mason-III-120515.vresize.1200.675.high.43.jpg ↗
Question.... Does Frank Mason want to leave Morgantown with a perpetual bad taste in his mouth?
Gheez... is there a player or coach for Duke that hasn't faced a health issue in the past 3 months?
Oh yeah... the tripper dude.... whats his name...
I know if I run into YOU in the market it will be a long chat! Ha...
I did figure out a trick... set the alarm on my phone for 30 minutes. If I'm chatting to someone for long the alarm goes off and I have an excuse to move on.
Very well said.
I've lived in 6 countries. I enjoyed living in all of them, but America clearly stands out as my favorite for many reasons, not just because I was born here.
And while posting on this topic I will go a step further.... Kansas, in general, is a great state to live in! Sure, we could have mountains, and oceans, and warm weather year around. Sure, we could have this that and the other thing. But just realize you can move to another place and have those things. What you will find is all of those things come with a price tag. It isn't just a higher cost of living.
When I was young I was restless to see the world, to experience everything I could. I did. I enjoyed every minute of it. But I came back here. I came HOME!
I'm sure there is an extra attraction for people like me because I was born here and lived here in my youth. So I can't really advise others on what will make them happy or fulfilled.
I am currently quite satisfied with life in Kansas. I can hop on a plane and be on a warm beach any time I want. Or land in the Rockies for a good time in the mountains. It is all awesome, and all easily available.
A huge part of what makes Kansas great is the people. People here in Kansas (In general) are very friendly and social. I walk into my local supermarket and can run into someone and talk for hours.
I'm speechless. Devastated.
You are smack down on it!
People have already forgotten Nova from last year. They have also forgotten the UCONN dominance.
I saw some good things in our game with Texas. Josh squeezing down low to help on double-teams with Landen. They still have some bugs to work out with that. Josh still has to tame down the bad fouls. He is too valuable to get into foul trouble.
Think back to Nova and how they shut down Perry Ellis by having a guard double-down on him.
We are not that far away from playing some stellar ball. I think all the TOs is a side effect for not tuning into the right tempo.
I shed tears today. I was a huge Yordano fan. That really tore me up.
Concerning our game coming up in Morgantown.... we are toast if we don't take care of the ball better.
I'm thinking we will improve a lot faster if we lose one or two now anyways. There are parts of our game that has declined over the past weeks and we should be improving now, not declining. The focus has been on our bigs, but don't listen to people like Fran. Kansas isn't going to make it to the Final Four because of Carlton picking up his game. It is our guards that count most, and they have played weak ball pretty much throughout conference play. Our best game was Ames.
I think our entire team is playing with a healthy level of motivation. And we have a reasonable amount of focus. Our biggest problem is mechanical. We need to better control tempo. I can pretty much guarantee to you that we won't be blowing out any more teams this year if we don't control tempo.
You have heard others explain WHY we didn't blow out the worst teams in our league... "they had their best game all year." So let me ask you WHY did they have the best game all year and WHY against us?
There is the possibility that they are most motivated to play us over other teams. That could be a bit of it. But the real reason they are staying close is that we are playing THEIR tempo, not ours.
We do need to get better in some areas moving forward. No question. But if we just solve our problem controlling tempo, we will become as close to "unbeatable" as possible. We easily have the talent and experience to run the table and not lose a single game the rest of the year! And you know what that means... NC!
Unfortunately, I have my doubts we are ready to control tempo and I expect it to cost us, once again, in Morgantown.
I was there, too. Not a dry eye in AFH.
To be fair to Texas... they had to do what they did. This is the perfect situation for why I like coaches with class. Rick Barnes was total class and I think he cried, too. In fact, I'm sure he did.
Ha... I'm just showing my age. I still think old school about the league. I might be way off base. I watch a little bit here and there, but to me this pro sport passed its prime time long ago.
Here is a question for you... When the league had Bird, Magic, Isiah, and what seemed like at least 100 super star players... I thought it would only continue to go up from there. It seems more like it did nothing but go down. Very few NBA games today are even watchable. There are some talented players.... but really.... boring!
I used to mostly watch NBA for my pro sports habit. These days I watch NFL and MLB (and sometimes some NHL).
I think part of it is the addition of so many extra games. But I would like to read some posts from you and others on this.
Why is the NBA so friggin' boring?
And how do we keep college basketball from falling into the same situation?
Right on. Especially when players lose confidence, they tend to overthink during play.
Pretty much everyone is saying he is coming on considerably in practice. That is where his improvements should show up first. Now he just has to translate it to real games.
Interesting post. I can see that.
A big part of making it in the NBA is just getting a REAL opportunity. Playing D-league is not a real opportunity.
The more established a player is when entering the draft, the harder teams look at him for a fit. When they decide a player fits, they are willing to make some level of commitment. The more commitment they make, the easier path the player has to actually make it.
Look at JoJo. Before he showed what he could do in the league, the Sixers had to step up big time.
I'm not so certain Devonte will show enough traction with NBA scouts this year to be desired enough for a real investment in his future. But there is a lot of basketball to be played still.
I don't think his age is a factor. I'm not one of those people. He will still enter the league as a puppy, and what is the "life expectancy" in the league anyways?
Didn't the feds actually imprison a VW exec for fudging mileage reports? It is somewhere there in my memory, probably under a pancake.
Wow! Talk about swagger!
[link text](
The key with snagging a big swagger guy is that you have to tame him enough to win with him.
The Morris brothers had some swagger and lots of posturing. But in the end, they really didn't put their moxie to work for team wins. They often ticked off opponents that brought ultimate revenge down on us.
But hey... I'm all for a guy like Emmitt! He is a perfect swing guard or stretch 4. I like him especially if Bill finally makes the commitment to long term small ball. He's the perfect "utility big." He could be a swing guard in a big lineup, a stretch 4 in a normal lineup, and a 5 in a total x-axis squad!
Yikes! I think whatever the cc company knows the nsa already knows. I'm also certain my phone carrier knows what I eat, who I connect with, and can probably calculate the mpg on my truck. And that is just the beginning.
BTW: I usually guess wrong on players staying or going.
But I'm usually right about what follows. Most of these guys either don't make it in the league, or have to put in a lot of time and effort just to have a shot, and that shot is LONG SHOT!
This idea that the longer a player hangs out in college then the more likely he can't make it at the next level is 100% bull snit. If a player continues to IMPROVE at the college level he is raising his stock except under extreme conditions.... like if this year is a weak draft year and next year is a megaboom draft.
Sure, the NBA gambles on "potential." But no one can tell me they will not accept the reality of watching a kid blossom in college.
Devonte proving himself at point at Kansas is huge. If he can do that it will definitely help his stock. Definitely.
Turning speculative "potential" into "tried and tested" is a major step up in the draft and how much a team is really willing to invest in a player.
I can't recall what I had for breakfast.