This is a get-right game. A chance for guys to find their mojo again. I'm hoping for strong performances from Newman and Cunliffe.
justanotherfan
3643 posts
Corporations do not hire workers based on tax policy. They hire based on demand and business opportunity. If anything, lowering the low and middle class tax burden would help companies because more disposable income means more purchasing power for consumers.
The fact that the individual tax provisions expire, while the corporate provisions are permanent, combined with the fact that the deficit will increase, meaning its probably impossible for those cuts for the middle class to be extended once they expire without changing the corporate structure (an unlikely thing considering many members of the GOP have signed pledges refusing to raise taxes for any reason). And yet, the big pay fors of this bill are far enough into the future that the current policymakers won't have to face the blowback when things go bad.
Being 6-4 definitely changes his prospect profile in my mind. If he does grow to 6-6 or so, thats a huge bonus because he has on ball skills and good shooting mechanics.
Still interested in seeing how he progresses this year. With a good year, I think KU offers late Spring
I am struggling to evaluate him. He has good skills, but I can't decide if he will be athletic enough to be effective in college.
He's still young enough to grow, but at his size, I'm just not sure. I need to see how explosive he is this year.
I like Garrett, but his inability to shoot from distance really stifles our offense with him up top since he doesn't have gravity at the top of the key.
Without a strong post presence to draw double teams, a nonshooting PG clogs things up because the PG's man can float on defense, cutting off driving and passing angles.
Sexton is from the south, and he wasn't a high recruit until later, so KU wasn't in on him early like Alabama was. Those things have an effect. Dwyane Wade went to Marquette because they were the only school to stick with him through everything. That kind of thing matters to some kids, especially kids that are overlooked, or late bloomers.
Cunliffe has played on the ball before, and has a good shot.
Svi has always played off the ball, so he has a hard time shifting to the point. Vick's role on this team makes it difficult for him to play point. Malik has handled the ball before, but he's more of a scorer, and his availability is questionable for at least the next couple of weeks anyway. Garrett can play point, but his lack of shot makes it difficult to fit him in up top.
That leaves Cunliffe, a guy that is comfortable with the ball, and won't upset the spacing that is so critical for KU's offense.
Again, we aren't (or shouldn't be) asking him to be Frank Mason, or even Tyshawn Taylor. We are asking him to run the offense for a few minutes each half while Devonte rests. Basically, we are asking him to be Ryan Robertson or Calvin Rayford for five minutes each half. Keep the offense steady while the starter rests.
Hopefully Self trusts Cunliffe enough to let Graham sit and rest.
I had one back in HS, before people knew how serious they were. I didn't miss any games, but it basically ended my season from an effectiveness standpoint. I didn't shoot over 50% from the field in a single game after that.
Finances can be tricky.
Perhaps the purchase was legit, but when you open up your finances, that can lead to more questions. What about this purchase? What about that one? Let's look at your tax records. Let me see your mortgage/rent statement.
When you look into someone's finances, you usually don't just answer the question right away. It leads to more questions.
Think about it this way. When you go to buy a house, it takes 30-60 days to close at a minimum. And that's once you are approved (meaning they already have all of your information when that 30-60 day clock starts running). While you are going through that process, people are combing through your records to make sure your work history and credit history suggest that you can afford that house. They are verifying employment. Verifying raises and bonuses. Checking with former landlords (if this is a first time buyer), etc. Verifying that the direct deposits into your account match your income statements.
Even if the car purchase was legit, they want to see if everything else matches (i.e., are you paying for the car, plus your other expenses, out of your accounts, or is someone else chipping in). That takes time, unfortunately.
The answer, of course (which is unfair to big time prospects), is to show up on campus in a crappy used car so no one questions it.
The injury kind of re-shuffles things for Newman. He's playing okay, but not exceptional. I certainly think he can be better, but the injury may not allow that with the nature of concussions and how long it takes to get back to normal. He's been slightly better than he was at Miss. St, while being more efficient. I think he was nearing a breakout, but again, the concussion changes that trajectory in a way we can't know right now.
How that affects his pro prospects is an open question.
I actually would like to see the ball in his hands some. We have to get Devonte some rest. With Newman on the shelf for however long until the concussion clears, I wouldn't mind seeing Cunliffe run some point to take the pressure off Graham. We need to get his minutes down from 38 to about 31 or 32. If Cunliffe can run the show for four to five minutes each half, that could change the season.
I wish he had come to Kansas. His whole attitude changes everything. He can put the whole team on his back with his mentality and skill.
Malik needs, at minimum, two weeks to truly get right. That's two weeks of nothing. No running, no shooting. Just rest.
Problem is, once he's right, he will be out of shape because he's been sitting around for two weeks doing nothing. And that's assuming his symptoms go away within about a week and he gets another week to really heal. If he's still got symptoms after a week or so, he has to rest until those go away.
It could be mid January before he's contributing again, maybe mid February if the symptoms persist, maybe not the rest of the season.
Concussions are scary. I hope he gets a chance to rest and relax, and that KU's medical staff makes sure he doesn't rush back.
It hurts the Big 12 that Jones is down for Texas. UT had a chance to grab a good non-con win against Michigan tonight. Without Jones, I doubt that happens. Likewise, later this month in a game against Alabama, a likely bubble team. That's another opportunity for a quality win. Those are the types of wins that will matter come March when the Big 12 is trying to get a fifth, sixth, or seventh tournament team. Texas' best win right now is Butler. That likely won't improve without Jones.
With KU having dropped a couple of unexpected games, the conference as a whole needs to grab some quality wins - Oklahoma could help everyone out by beating Wichita State this weekend.
TCU has one good win (Nevada) in an otherwise soft schedule. WVU beat Virginia. OU beat USC, but could use a high quality W against Wichita State. Tech has two quality wins (Northwestern and Nevada). K-State's best win is Vandy. Baylor's best win is probably Creighton (it would have been Wisconsin, but they have not looked good lately). Iowa State beat Iowa, but I don't know if that will hold up as a quality win. Oklahoma State's best win is probably Pitt, and Pitt isn't very strong. KU has the UK win.
Meanwhile, Iowa State has a bad loss (Milwaukee) and a potential bad loss (Mizzou if they fall apart in conference play). K-State has a bad loss (Tulsa). Oklahoma has an iffy loss (Arkansas). Kansas has an iffy loss (Washington).
The overall quality of wins in the Big 12 could be significantly down if the conference does not do well in the SEC Challenge. KU has to beat A&M. Texas has to beat Ole Miss. TCU has to beat Vandy. Baylor has to beat Florida. Either Oklahoma or Oklahoma State needs to go on the road for a win (Alabama or Arkansas).
The biggest problem KU has offensively is that we can't get easy shots consistently. If the jumpers are falling, life is good, and we can probably run any team in the country out of the building.
But if the shot goes cold, we don't really have a backup plan to score. Doke isn't a consistent post scorer, so if we are shooting blanks from outside, it gets really hard to make things happen on the offensive end.
Defensively, this isn't a team full of great or even above average defenders. Devonte is above average, but in his role playing 38 mpg at the point, he's probably closer to average because he has to save something on that end. Vick is above average, but he's playing out of position at the four, so he can't always take advantage of that. Unlike Josh, he isn't necessarily built to handle the bigger players all the time because he's giving up 2-3 inches every night.
Newman and Svi are average-ish, Doke is foul prone, and Mitch can't bang with most 5's. Garrett is also above average, but he doesn't help us offensively right now because he can't space the floor with his shot. Clay Young is undersized, but can steal some minutes inside against lesser bigs, but there is a risk of exposing him too much and having him become ineffective as the season wears on and a good scouting report on him starts to circulate.
Thankfully, these problems can be fixed, and the solutions aren't far away. Sam Cunliffe should help in the backcourt right away because he should help stagger the minutes a little bit more so Devonte and Lagerald aren't playing nearly every minute. That lets our two best perimeter defenders sell out a little bit more on that end - the difference between playing hard for 32 minutes and playing hard for 38 minutes is enormous.
The other, less certain fix, is of course Billy Preston. Preston is bigger and stronger than Mitch, and more skilled than Doke. He changes how we can score because he can go get buckets on the block if necessary. He commands a double team inside.
Let's think back to the 2006 team that got knocked out in the first round of the NCAA tournament by Bradley. That team was the same one that the following year went to the Elite Eight, and two years later won the whole thing. So why did that group get bounced in Round 1 as freshmen, then go all the way to the Elite Eight as sophomores? Darrell Arthur.
Not because Shady was the best player on those teams - he was probably the third best. But he changed the way that team could play because he could post up and generate easy shots when guys weren't hitting jumpers. He could draw fouls and get guys on the line (and in foul trouble). Right now, this team lacks that in the same way that the 2006 team lacked that. Billy Preston's skill set changes this team from the 2006 first round eliminated Hawks into the 2007 Elite Eight version.
The only question is whether he ever sees the floor for this team. If he doesn't, this team will run hot and cold with its jumpshot. If he does, we can go back to discussing the weather in San Antonio in late March and early April.
That this team can't defend anyone right now. That's a substantial flaw.
You are right. Lightfoot should be a complementary player, not your second big man. It's not his fault that he is being forced into a bigger role than he is ready for. That would ne like blaming Clay Young for not averaging a double double. Mitch is doing his best, but he's better suited for a more limited role.
The Washington game exposed some flaws. Today exposed more. If Billy and Sam can't help shore those up, it could be a very tough year.
This team will still win games and should still win the Big 12, but it will be a challenge if things don't change.
I don't think Washington makes the tournament. I think thet finish in the bottom quarter of the Pac12. I may be wrong about that, but nothing aside from their win against KU suggests they are very good.
As I said in my later comment, if it turns out they are good, this is nothing to worry about, but if they end up being a poor team, I will probably revisit this loss in February
Looking at the information @bmensch1 posted, the only eventual national champion with a comparable loss to KU's is UConn, and that UConn team was not a particularly strong eventual champ - seeded as a 7 seed. They were one of the lowest seeded teams to ever win the title - only Villanova in 1985 as an 8 seed was lower. Only 7 teams seeded lower than 6 have ever even made the NCAA final - including Danny and the Miracles in 1988.
That means that losses to a team that bad, particularly non-conference losses, don't happen to eventual champs. If you look at that list, every single one of those "bad" losses was in conference. Typically, those losses are on the road.
This one sticks out because it was non-con, meaning this wasn't Washington's second crack at KU for the year, and it wasn't in Seattle.
I'm not saying the sky is falling, but this exposes a vulnerability that has to be addressed. Maybe UW is better than we all think, and this loss won't look as bad in two months. But if the Huskies are languishing in last place in the Pac 12 come Mid-February, and we still have no Billy Preston and aren't getting much from Cunliffe, I will be reviewing this game some more.
Generally national champs don't lose to bad teams. It suggests the team is ripe for losing in the round of 32 come March.
Does anyone here legitimately believe Washington will play past the round of 32, if they even make the tournament? Washington isn't very good, so that loss does make you question KU's floor. That matters when you have to string together six consecutive wins against varied and increasingly more difficult competition.
Of course, this is somewhat moot because the lineup KU fields in March could be significantly different in a good way.
Basketball has a large mental component to it.
For a guy like Vick, he's used to being a third or fourth option. He's not used to shooting every time he touches the ball. For most of his life, had he done that, he would have been benched at the next dead ball. Vick is a good player, but he has never been a star.
Washington challenged him to step outside his role last night and take 35 shots. Vick took 23 and is probably still wondering if he shot too much.
@Kcmatt7 is correct that Vick is not an "alpha." JJ was a star. If he's left unguarded, he shoots because nobody has intentionally left him unguarded since he was 12. Vick is a very good player that compliments the stars (what will ultimately make him successful at the next level in my opinion). He shoots when he's open, but is looking to get shots for the stars on his team.
As a result, there's a degree of hesitation when he's left open because he's trying to make the best possible decision - shoot, pass, drive.
Playing in the middle of that zone is a tough ask for Vick. As a guard, he's used to facing the basket, not playing with his back to it. As a result, he has to really read through the defense when he's making decisions in the middle. He's just not used to being in that spot on the floor with his back to the basket. As a guard, when you are there with your back to the basket, you usually dribble out and re-set.
That's why Preston would make such a big difference there. He knows how to play with his back to the basket, so catching in the high post, he is used to the different looks the defense gives there. He also has the ability to turn and keep the ball high without risking TOs, while Vick getting the ball high doesn't protect it from the bigger players guarding the basket.
Preston can hit that little jumper, put the ball on the floor, kick it out or go big to big with Doke because those are all roles he's used to. Vick plays that high spot like a guard, which is fine, but changes how he wants to attack (i.e., drive and kick, shoot floaters, throw lobs, etc.). Syracuse tried to sit back and do the same thing, but KU shot too well. Last night, they didn't, so Washington was able to sit back more. Preston makes that impossible because he probably tosses up something like a 35 and 15 against a defense like that (not saying Vick's 28/5/7 is anything to sneeze at, but putting Vick out on the perimeter as an option to pass to changes the dynamic, too).
This team needs Graham in March more than December. He's logging too many minutes right now. We need a solution at the point that doesn't involve Devonte playing 35 minutes a game.
I missed most of last night's game, but last night was a night where a player with Preston's skill set would have made a difference. His size and ability to score from inside and in the middle would have made him an idea guy in the middle of that zone.
If Preston is available, this KU team is much more complete than the current version.
Harvey is in an interesting situation. He's a good player, but the HS he goes to doesn't do a great job of developing guards. The only hope is that his AAU team can help him develop more as a guard, because I don't think he will get much from his HS coaches.
As a result, it's hard to prioritize him if you're KU, even though he is a Kansas kid. He probably won't be as far along as some other players in different situations, so the choice is to take a kid that might need an additional year (a tough sell for a 6-4 player) of development, or take a kid that's a bit further along on the development curve. His HS doesn't run a lot of PnR or drive and kick type of action, and those are the two areas he needs the most development work on. Maybe that changes this season for him. I haven't seen any reports yet, but I think he's only played once so far this season.
I was terrified of Curry on that last shot. History is probably different if he insists on taking that shot - he should have taken that shot.
Also, different sports have different scholarships. For instance, softball has 25-30 players, but only has 12 full equivalencies. This means that they can give partial scholarships or full scholarships, but no more than 12 full scholarships, whether that's 24 half rides, 12 full rides, 18 two thirds rides, etc. Most players get something, but very few get a full ride. Aside from football and basketball, few sports actually offer full ride scholarships to anyone other than the very best performers.
Considering D. Lawson and B. Preston likely will play at least some in the NBA, that's a fair statement. How many teams in the country have two future NBA players on the roster? Maybe 7 or 8?
Moore started and played 29 mpg at Cal. Cunliffe started and played 25 mpg at ASU. The Lawson brothers averaged 12 and 8 (KJ) and 19 and 10 (Dedric) at Memphis. Preston was a McDs AA. There are 300+ teams out there that can't find that type of talent anywhere on their roster. That lineup and an average bench would finish 3rd or 4th in every major conference, and would win just about every mid major and definitely every low major.
Every single one of those guys would be the best player on over 100 D1 rosters right now. Today. All of them could start at 90% of the D1 schools in the country.
You make some fair points. Vick isn't a PG, but his handle is solid enough to allow him to be a secondary ball handler in the NBA. With all of these guys, I am projecting some level of improvement over time, because if they do not improve, they won't last more than a year or two - nobody stays in the NBA without improving over time.
Certain stats translate well from level to level. The most consistent is rebounding. Vick averaged 3.5 rebounds last year in about 24 minutes per game. He's bumped that to 7 per game this season in almost 33 minutes. That means he can play in smaller lineups without sacrificing too much on the glass.
Vick has also been a good FT shooter in his career. Including his freshman year 3-6, Vick is a 77% career FT shooter at KU. That suggests a sound stroke. He's also a career 40% three point shooter. It's foreseeable that he can move into a 3 and D wing role with his athleticism, rebounding ability and the ability to likely shoot the three at a league average level. Add in that he can guard 1's, 2's and 3's, and he is in good shape to have a nice career at the next level.
Devonte won't be a scorer at the next level, but he's a guy that must be covered because he can shoot. In that respect, he could have a career very similar to Mario Chalmers, which is part of the reason I tabbed him at 9 years. Chalmers briefly faded out of the league after last season before landing with Memphis again. He may hang around another year or two. He may not. He's at 9 years in the league right now. Additionally, Devonte will play a full year at the point as a primary ball handler in college, something Mario never did with Sherron and RussRob around.
Doke will get a long look with his size, but I just don't know if he fits in the modern NBA. Still, he will get chances through the end of his rookie contract because he's big and pretty athletic.
Svi is a good shooter and improved ball handler, but I don't know if he will stick for the reasons you point out. Even if he never plays a second of NBA ball, he can get paid to play basketball for the next 15 years somewhere.
I have a new theory about Lavar Ball. Lavar takes the pressure off his sons. Think about it. Rather than the story being about LiAngelo doing something stupid in China, the story is that Lavar is an idiot. LiAngelo screwed up, but he isn't getting roasted too badly because his dad blots out the sun with his bravado, taking LiAngelo off the hook.
Lonzo plays poorly - story is about Lavar criticizing the coaching staff, allowing Lonzo to get out of the spotlight and work on his game.
LaMelo is basically under the radar, because the story is always about Lavar.
He has basically insulated his sons (and his ailing wife) from a lot of the media attention because the story is always about him. He always ends up taking all of the heat and most of the slings and arrows. I can't tell if that's a perfect calculation on his part, or an overactive ego.
I would tend to disagree regarding guys not sticking in the NBA.
Devonte will probably play a few years in the NBA as backup PG at the very least. He's probably slotted as a starter on a poor team, but a backup on a very good team. His shooting and defensive ability make him a likely fit even though he probably won't be a high draft pick.
I've already outlined why I think Vick could have the best career of anyone on the current roster, so I won't belabor that here.
Svi will get a very long look. How he adapts to NBA athleticism determines if he stays in the league a dozen years or a dozen games.
Doke will also get a look. If he can become an elite PnR roll man, he could become a DeAndre Jordan type player. Thing is, he may be back in Lawrence next year to work on that.
Newman is the wild card. If he can move to the point, he could have a career. As a 2, he's destined to head overseas.
Preston is a bit of an unknown. Physically, he can play in the NBA. But the direction the NBA is heading, he really needs to improve on the perimeter both offensively and especially defensively so he can match up with wings and Durant/Paul George type players. If he can do that, he has a decade in the league. If not, he will wash out.
I would say out of all of these guys, Vick plays 12 years, Devonte plays 9, Preston plays 7, Doke plays 4, Svi and Newman go overseas.
Newman is struggling with his rhythm right now. He's a quarter beat off. He can feel it. He knows it. He's trying to get back in sync, but the more he presses, the worse it gets.
It's like a jazz musician that loses the tempo for a moment. The correct adjustment, as experienced musicians know, is to take a quick break, skip a beat, and then pick it back up. A novice will chase the beat, going too slow, then too quick, stepping on the down beat and rushing the tempo in trying to get back in time. Right now, Newman is trying so hard to succeed that he is failing.
A great basketball mind once told me that the difference between a good PG and a great one is that the great ones know who needs a layup, and when. Malik Newman desperately needs a layup. He needs Devonte to manufacture him an easy bucket early in the next game. If that happens, I would predict a big game for Malik. If it doesn't, he will probably continue to chase the beat, likely with similar results.
Devonte can erupt for big games, but for this team to maximize its potential, a fully weaponized Malik Newman (remember, this is the guy that once went for 70+ in a high school game) is critical.
Another point I forgot to mention is that Vick is already used to being a reserve and being a role player. He's not a guy that has to convert from being a star player that gets tons of shots every night to a role player that may not get any shots for a whole quarter at a time in the NBA. Vick hasn't been the focus of the KU offense since he arrived in Lawrence. Even this year, he's getting more shots, but he's not the primary or even really the secondary option.
That's an adjustment that lots of players struggle with. There are very few college players that will go on to be first or second options in the NBA - maybe half a dozen in a given year if you're lucky. Vick won't have to do that. He was sixth man last year. He's roughly the third or fourth option this season. That's the type of role he will have in the NBA, and he's already shown that he can excel in that role.
The Big 12 is pretty tough in women's hoops.
Texas, Baylor and West Virginia all ranked in the top 15, with Oklahoma State, OU and KSU all having solid programs.
The first step for KU is to demonstrate that we are better than TCU, Texas Tech and Iowa State. That gets us out of the basement.
Then show that we can compete with OU, OSU and KSU. That puts us in the middle of the conference.
We aren't ready to take on the big three yet, but showing that we can play with the teams in the middle of the conference is a huge step for a struggling program.
Vick could go in the first round because he fits a very clear role in today's NBA.
Point out a team that doesn't need an extra wing that can handle the ball, shoot the three, guard multiple positions and be a secondary rebounder in smaller lineups? With the way the NBA is currently working, literally every team needs a guy like that. Vick won't necessarily be a star, but every playoff team needs a guy with his skillset, both as a starter and also coming off the bench. Basically, every team needs two or three LaGerald Vick type players.
Once the lottery picks are off the board, teams will covet wings that are athletic, can shoot, and can guard multiple spots. That's Vick.
Clay Young isn't your typical walk on. He had potential D1 offers to low majors out of HS. He has D1 ability.
I will grant that he isn't the type of guy that would ever start at KU, but being a rotation player isn't completely out of the question. He's very solid.
Simple competence at the point last year makes Texas a tournament team. I watched them three times last year and was amazed at how often they would go extended stretches in games without being able to even get into their offense, even when not facing a press. They just simply couldn't get guys into the right places on the floor, or couldn't get the ball to them in those places.
Simply having a decent PG has made Texas worlds better this year. Having a potentially elite PG has OU looking like a good team. Think what Iowa State would be if they still had Monte Morris this year. The college game is dependent on good PG play because the players are still so young that they need someone on the floor in order to execute even the most basic sets.
When Coach Self made his Topeka YMCA comment, it stemmed from PG play. Capable (or incapable) play at the point can make a good team look bad (or vice versa).
It's amazing what a NBA caliber PG will do for a team. OU probably finishes in the top half in the conference if he had been there last year.
Small ball is really the revolution of the PF position, as @kjayhawks correctly points out.
When you have two interior type players, its easier to double team big to big and clog the lane, reducing the passing and driving angles. With one solo post player and four players stretching the floor, a dominant type 5 man is hard to stop. You can look at how much space some of the younger big guys operate with when there are four shooters.
A really good example of this from several years back is the Orlando Magic under Stan Van Gundy, with a young Dwight Howard in the middle. They spaced the floor with shooters - Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis played the majority of the minutes at the forward spots (top two players in minutes on those teams). In fact, the year they went to the finals, of the top 10 minutes played guys, Howard and Tony Battie were the only true post guys. Everyone else was a perimeter player - point guards Jameer Nelson, Anthony Johnson and Rafer Alston (two of whom often played together in the backcourt), plus wings Turkoglu, Lewis, Mikeal Pietrus, Courtney Lee, JJ Redick (all of whom shot at least 35% from three).
Obviously, it helped that both Turkoglu and Lewis were 6-9 or 6-10, so Orlando was never really small, but they played almost exclusively on the perimeter, with Howard able to work alone in the post. Howard led the team in scoring and rebounding, tossing up a 20/14, while Orlando's shooters bombed away from three - hitting 817 threes at a 38% clip! That was good for second in the league (only 6 behind the Knicks, who hit 823, but at a 36% clip). Orlando was 6th in 3pt percentage, and no other team in the top half of the league made more than 660 threes! Volume and efficiency.
That team was built the way you would imagine a modern basketball team. A dominant interior player, a ball handler and lots of wings that could shoot and defend.
Only downside is that Tune is a pro-style QB. Right now, with our O-line situation being what it is, KU would probably be better off with a mobile QB that can make plays both in and out of the pocket.
He can run a little bit, so he may fit that mold. We will have to wait and see.
That said, he's got a great arm on him. He can throw some absolute lasers. He has a good looking deep ball with nice arm strength.
This Syracuse team is very long, but also very lean. Azuibuke could very well over power this team, or pick up a lot of cheap fouls. How that plays out could decide the tenor of this game.
The key however, is for KU to hunt good shots. Threes will be there all day long, but you can't get lulled into taking long jumpers just because you have half a step or so to get the shot off. Guys have to hunt - literally search out - the good shots and not just settle for what seems like an open shot.
The 'Cuse zone could be interesting. Typically good shooting can unravel a zone, and this is one of the best shooting KU teams in memory.
That said, a long zone can sort of lull you into taking more difficult shots than you should because you are tricked into thinking you have space because you don't have a man locked in on you at all times. The hope would be that a guy like Vick or Newman would help to slice up the defense by driving the seams, getting kickouts to Svi and Devonte to begin the onslaught again.
I think Graham is done for the night now
That fact needs to be memorialized for posterity's sake.
Cliff Alexander putting together a nice line in the G League. He may get a shot if he can keep that up.
Its unfortunate that the NBA moved away from a guy with TRob's skillset. He was definitely a guy that I was rooting for to succeed in the League. It's nice to see that he's doing well elsewhere. I don't know that he will get another NBA shot, but you never know.
I think Langford may wait until very late as well to pick. There's a lot of things to sort out. If Vick is back, even with KU playing 4 guards, he is in a very crowded backcourt. Granted, he'd be one of the most talented guys, but it would be a crowd.
That said, if Vick keeps playing like this, he's gone anyway, and Langford would be a very nice addition. He's a really pure shooter that should be able to play both ends. He would pair very nicely with Dotson and Grimes, two talented slashers.
I have no feel for how good most of the teams in the country are, including KU. Every team just looks really fragile right now, either because of depth, talent, discipline or something else. I have a feeling that this is one of those years where it is going to take a while for teams to sort themselves and the true contenders/pretenders reveal their nature.
The shoe companies do one significant thing for college athletics - they make it so that a good portion of the funding for athletics does not have to come from the university. That's huge when you think about offering sports that don't generate gate and tv revenue (basically anything other than football and men's hoops at most schools). The shoe contract pays for uniforms and equipment for all programs in most cases, meaning the diving team is equipped with everything they need for free.
I don't agree with everything they do, but knowing how the numbers work in most athletic departments, shoe money helps keep a lot of non-revenue sports around and sustainable.
Right now, because the pro leagues aren't involved at the lower levels, the shoe companies create a lot of the framework. The only way to change that is for the pros to get involved and create the framework and rules, or let the shoe/apparel companies take over and do their thing.
Looking at the numbers, Tre'Shaun Fletcher does basically everything for them. Leads in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Containing him will be key. Vick should probably draw the early assignment on him. Fletcher is a lefty that played at Colorado before, where he was a decent contributor (18-19 mpg as a so. and jr., contributed a few points and boards). He wasn't a star, but has made a mark after sitting out last year as a transfer.
They really only go 7 deep, much like us, but they have three bigs and four guards, while we have 2 bigs and 5 guards.
Toledo will try to bomb from outside, so the defense better be engaged because if they get hot, they could make things uncomfortable.
Hate crimes do generally carry an additional sentencing penalty, so there is some negotiating leverage on the side of the prosecutor. For most hate crimes, the possibility of probation is off the table because the hate crime statutes make it an aggravating factor. At times, justice may be served by not charging or pursuing the hate crime conviction, which in a way misses the whole point because it doesn't act as a deterrent from committing the crime, just as a bargaining chip in charging/sentencing.