I don't know that Washington is going to get rid of Romar unless they elevate Porter's dad to head man. They can't risk losing a once in a generation talent like Porter. I think they see what they can do next year before taking it apart. They haven't recruited Seattle very well, which is basically inexcusable for the University of Washington. Porter is basically the last hope. They win next year, Romar saves his job. They don't, he's gone.
justanotherfan
3643 posts
If you can get a Young or Duval, you do it because those are elite level players. You don't have to get those guys, but if they want to come, you take them because you don't turn down elite skill players.
I agree with you on Allen being an introvert. I don't think he will be a star in the NBA because of that, but I do think he can succeed because he will be a perfect off the bench guy. Because he's quiet, he won't cause a stir in the lockerroom, but he has more than enough talent to help a team out. I could see him carving out a 12-15 year career as a backup big that scores near double figures, but never jumps to the elite level.
Another thing to remember is that while some of these kids enjoy or at least can handle the spotlight aspect of recruiting, there are a lot of kids that are shy and really don't enjoy the other side of the recruiting (i.e. interviews, questions from strangers, etc.). Basketball is their safe space, they have no issue playing on the court, but don't really want to deal with too many strangers off the floor.
I've seen and known several kids like that over the years. They tend, like Allen did, to stay closer to home where they already have a good support system of people they can trust around them. Some of these kids are just naturally introverted and, were it not for their incredible athletic skills, they would likely just fade into the background.
Sometimes they get labeled as the "dumb jock" because they don't talk much during interviews, but they are not necessarily unintelligent, they just don't like speaking in public. Heck, I was a pretty articulate kid when I was in high school, but I didn't like talking to strangers if I hadn't prepared something to say.
How much playing time is available in the backcourt depends on if we play 4 out next year or not.
If we play the traditional (and Self preferred) two bigs, three perimeter players, there are significant minutes for up to four guys, with one guy getting mop up minutes. If we play four out like we have this year, there are minutes for up to five guys, with one guy getting mop up minutes.
Next year inside we have Azuibuke, Preston, Bragg, Lightfoot and Coleby. On the perimeter we have Garrett, Vick, and Newman for sure. If Svi stays (likely), that's four guys right there. If Graham stays, that's five. KU is also still in the hunt for three other perimeter players - Trevon Duval, Kevin Knox and MJ Walker. And don't forget, Preston can play either the 3 or the 4, and should get minutes at the 3 at least sometimes.
Right now, Garrett could be the odd man if we play a more traditional set (assuming Svi and Graham stay). If Graham or Svi goes, we would need another perimeter guy, but again, we are in the hunt for several of those guys.
And let's not forget that Sam Cunliffe will be eligible in January.
Simply put, I think Young goes to Oklahoma because the Kansas backcourt is exceptionally crowded whether Graham stays or goes, and will be even more crowded if he stays.
The three he hit in regulation off the offensive rebound was cold blooded. It was the kind of shot that made me feel good about March. I wasn't even concerned with whether KU was going to win last night after that shot went in, because that is the kind of shot that will matter in March when we need that level of fearlessness and cojones grande (h/t @Kcmatt7) to survive and advance.
Also, has anybody ever seen a player that can make a horrendous play, and then an incredible play in almost the same breath like Josh Jackson? That turnover in OT was just a terrible play. I cannot express how bad a play it was in that moment. It was awful. And still, within like 10 seconds, Josh Jackson had gotten a steal and a layup that basically erased that turnover in an instant. He's done that several times this year. Kid just makes plays. It's incredible.
I don't know about "greatest" comeback.
I think the Mizzou comeback was "greater".
This was likely the most "improbable" comeback because KU simply wasn't shooting the ball well enough to mount a comeback until basically they started shooting the ball well enough to mount a comeback.
The effort was there, but the results just weren't, which was what made me think they wouldn't come back because you have to make shots and I wasn't sure KU could make enough shots (2s or 3s) to make a run. I thought they could get the stops, but I wasn't sure they could actually get their shooting going.
In the other games, you knew the run was coming, and there was plenty of time to make that surge. But in this game, there wasn't much time and the way we were shooting (under 30% from the field at one point) made me think that a run was incredibly unlikely.
I thought KU would lose last night, but I wasn't ever ready to turn the game off. KU was still playing hard, and as long as they were playing hard, I was going to keep watching. It's something I learned from watching the Royals over the last couple of playoff runs. They may not always come back, but as long as they are going to scratch and claw, I'm going to sit there and watch them battle, because something special might just happen anyway.
Cancer is an awful, awful thing. I am not a Snyder fan, but this is one battle I am certainly rooting for him on. Hope he wins in a blowout.
Crook Jones is in some ways just as big a recruiting coup as the Louisiana kids. KU has to recruit the Kansas City area to be successful. They obviously have to also do well in other areas, but they must do well in KC to succeed because that is their "home" recruiting base, along with Wichita.
The 2017 class had a couple kids from Wichita, but KU was basically shut out in the KC area. They don't have any Wichita kids yet in this class, but they have landed a KC kid now. It's important to keep KC and Wichita locked down because that is how KU will continue to grow as a program, locking down the home base, and doing well in Texas/Louisiana.
Crook Jones is also pretty athletic. He's a pretty solid basketball player as well as (obviously) excelling on the football field. I always like seeing really athletic guys because that suggests an ability to adapt because they have more physical skills to draw on (good hands, coordination, quickness, explosive leaping, etc).
K-State lives in a constant delusion. They believe that they are a power program when they have never been, nationally at least, anything more than a conference contender. Outside of the midwest, no one regards KSU as a football school. They aren't seen as any sort of national contender or big time team.
KU has always had two major advantages to KSU in football recruiting.
1) Proximity to Kansas City. Recruits at least know what Kansas City is and are familiar with the Royals, Chiefs, etc. That's much more attractive than KSU or even Mizzou.
2) Nationally recognized athletic program. Yeah, it's basketball, but KU has a national brand that KSU just can't match. You say Wildcats and people think Kentucky or Arizona before they think K-State. Even if you say purple Wildcats, people are just as likely (probably more likely) to say Northwestern as KSU. Because Snyder refused to step up his scheduling until recently, KSU missed the opportunity in the mid to late 90's and early 2000's to get more nationally televised games in the non-con. As a result, even when KSU was really good, they were only on TV outside of Kansas a couple times a year.
Those two factors make a huge difference when you look at the two programs and, as I have said before, if KU can ever right the ship with football consistently, it's likely that K-State's program falls off fairly quickly, especially since Snyder will likely retire if KSU's edge over KU shrinks even a little bit.
The tide hasn't turned yet, but this recruiting class definitely has the wind howling.
SEC won't stay down forever. South Carolina and Florida are still solid. Tennessee and Vanderbilt have both had strong teams in the not so distant past. Arkansas was a national power within the last 25 years. A&M was really good just a season ago. LSU and Mississippi State have been to Final Fours this century.
I would not be surprised to see three or four of those programs start to rise within another year or two. The SEC has improved its coaching. Barnes at Tennessee. Pearl at Auburn. Missouri will get a new coach soon. LSU probably will as well. I just can't see those programs all staying down where they are right now.
@ralster KU is a veteran team, but they don't win at Rupp without Josh Jackson playing probably his best and most complete game on the season. KU had veterans, but it was the young gun that pushed us over the top.
UCLA probably gets to the Sweet 16 just based on the fact that the teams they will face early in the tournament likely won't have the firepower to stay with them. UCLA can hang 90+ basically whenever they want. Not a lot of college teams have that type of scoring punch, so I doubt they get upset really early just because they are a hard team to stay with offensively.
Lawrence would likely opt out of that type of law if they could, in much the same way the city of Charlotte tried to opt out of the North Carolina law, but was not allowed to. Austin would probably do the same, as @ralster. Since many metro areas lean more liberal, most larger metropolitan areas would probably opt out of these types of things if given the choice, even here in the midwest.
As for the game on the floor, as @ralster says, I doubt Calipari would shrink from a series with KU or anyone else. I don't think either Calipari or Self would be interested in playing each other twice in a single season, but as I said above, KU and UK will play nearly every year as long as the SEC - Big 12 challenge and Champions Classic exist.
UK has played UCLA, UNC, Louisville and KU all this season. That's every program with at least 3 titles except Duke, UConn and Indiana (he's also played multiple title winners Florida and Michigan State). That doesn't suggest that he's avoiding anyone. That's 6 of the 14 multiple title winners (not including UK itself, of course). That's basically anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Wiggins is a scorer in the NBA because his game is not as well rounded.
Josh Jackson probably won't be as good a scorer, but he could have a Scottie Pippen type of career as a really talented #2 guy on a championship contender because he can do a little bit of everything, which could allow a dominant scorer to do his thing while Jackson does the dirty work of guarding the other team's best player.
That said, I think there is potential for both Jackson and Wiggins to both be special players. In fact, I would take it a step further and say that Jackson and Wiggins could actually be very complimentary players if they were to end up on the same team, with Wiggins being the scorer and Jackson being the defender/facilitator on the wing. Put them with a solid PG, a stretch 4 and a rebounding/shot blocking 5 and you have a pretty good team.
I think that's Cal as in University of California, not Calipari. The state of California has passed an anti discrimination law that forbids publicly funded travel to states with discriminatory laws on the books. Right now, there's a law moving through the Kansas legislature that may fall under that definition.
As for Kentucky, we have played UK each of the last three years either in the Champions Classic or the SEC - Big 12 showdown. Unless one of those two events gets nixed, there's no reason for KU and UK to schedule a series because we will see them at least once every three years, probably two out of every three.
This is all phenomenal work from the staff. If their work on the field is half as good as the work on the recruiting trail, we may threaten for a bowl this season.
Okay, deep breath. Don't want to run too far ahead.
This is awesome though, and could lead to some really big things. KU is getting the type of athletes needed to compete with Oklahoma, OSU, Baylor, etc. Granted, they won't have this group on campus for another year, but it is a huge step in the right direction. If Beaty gets to four wins this year, I would be all for giving him a two year extension, as well as making sure that Hull gets paid what is necessary to keep him in crimson and blue.
College refs are at times just overmatched and are left guessing, particularly with a guy like Josh that is so quick, long and athletic. They aren't used to seeing a guy like that. On that block/charge call, Josh started out well inside the arc. Both feet inside, moving away from the play.
In an instant, JJ changed his momentum, got his feet outside the arc and got set. If any of us tried to do what Josh did in that instant, we would likely fall down, get hurt, or both. I just happens too quick for the official to see that JJ got there in time. He assumes that he can't because there aren't half a dozen guys in all of college basketball that could have done that.
Self has not yet adjusted his defensive strategy for the new math of basketball. The contested two in the lane is a less valuable shot now, so KU should give that shot up rather than surrendering the open three. That's something you see across basketball right now.
Svi also closes out with high hips, which means he isn't down in a defensive stance as he closes out, making him susceptible to both the shot and the drive.
I agree. The only thing that worries me with those Louisiana kids is that staying home and playing for the Tigers is a big thing down there. I think having Hull here makes that less of an issue, but it's still something that means a lot to family, friends, etc.
And it's not like if Alabama calls, those kids won't answer the phone.
His closeouts are poor. I keep forgetting to watch his footwork in game to see what the issue is. I will try to pay attention to that tonight, because KSU has plenty of shooters to close out to.
The importance of making sure these guys stay committed cannot be overstated.
LSU will be calling. Alabama will be calling. The entire SEC will be knocking on the door. KU has to get these guys on campus.
But even more than that, the importance of having these guys verbal to KU is a message to other HS players that what is happening in Lawrence is legit. Guys with actual talent actually want to go to KU. That's significant not only in recruiting in the hotbeds, but also in recruiting talent from the Kansas City area. This says that KU is back in the game.
Josh was playing off Burton, playing him for a drive moreso than a jumper. He is a 37% shooter from distance, so he can hit it, but I don't think anyone would have suspected a 7-9 rainmaker from him.
Not sure if that was the gameplan or not, especially because Burton is a very effective and efficient inside player that can sometimes get baited into taking too many jumpers. Unfortunately, Josh baited him and he hit most of those jumpers. Burton was 3 for his last 17 from three heading into this game. He had only hit nine total threes in calendar year 2017.
That said, once the guy hits four, you have to take that away. You can't let him burn the house down.
Three wins should be the goal this year, four is a bonus. Five would be outstanding, but the more important thing this season is still player development.
Our most talented players are going to be our freshmen and sophomores. I don't care if Beaty decides to redshirt some of those guys because the real payoff is still probably two seasons away (2019).
That's especially important for the offensive and defensive lines, where guys have to get stronger and develop a little bit more coming out of high school.
I hate the iso for Frank. The play just doesn't have a lot of options if Frank doesn't get into the lane, and he won't draw a foul on a jumper.
I love Frank's game, but I can't compare him to Chris Paul, maybe the best pure PG in history. Paul controls the entire floor even when he doesn't have the ball. That's a rare skill.
Great play to end the half. Defense could be better, but offense is carrying the day so far. Self will want a better defensive effort in the second half
If Jackson is still on the board at five, expect a riot with teams trading up to get him.
I haven't been following this story a whole lot (been buried in work) so I don't want to say one way or another if what's going on here is legit or not.
All I can say is that I hope the players have been paying attention and avoid these types of situations both now and in the future, as well as the types of people that can get you into these types of situations.
I don't want to speculate on what happened because I don't know and it would be irresponsible for me to pretend to be an expert here when I don't know much about the facts.
The key to me is that it looks like Allen looks at the official on that side before he makes his cut. Right as they go to the enlarged box, it looks like Allen peeks at the nearside official. That official is watching (as he should) the action between the Duke player cutting to the ball (Kennard I think) and his defender. The baseline official should be watching Allen's cut, but it looks like his view is obstructed by Jefferson and his defender, and his eyes shift when Kennard drives.
Allen has a habit of trying to pull this type of stuff when he thinks/knows the officials aren't watching him. That's why a suspension should have been more harsh.
I agree. I am just trying to control my own expectations so I don't expect Josh Jackson level production from Preston. I think Preston could be really, really good. I watch his play and his game just pops. He's 6-9, 230 but move's like he's 6-7, 210, with the extra bulk that let's him play through contact like it doesn't exist.
The big difference between him and Jackson is that I don't think he can affect the game as much if he's not scoring. Josh can have only a couple of baskets, but have some assists, a couple steals, a block or two, and a bunch of rebounds. Josh is currently second on the team in scoring, rebounding and blocks, third in assists and leads the team in steals. That's a complete player that is rare to find.
I've seen that in the NBA all star game before, but not in a regular game, and definitely not from a HS player. Most guys just don't have that level of athleticism and coordination at that age to pull a play like that off.
I don't even know where to put his expectation level. He won't be Josh Jackson, but he should be the best incoming big man we've had since Darrell Arthur (I don't count Embiid because Embiid wasn't that sharp on Day One).
I'm excited about the depth that Beaty has brought in. Beaty and his staff have really been rowing upstream without much help since the program was left with not even 60 scholarship players when he took over. That's fewer than a D2 school is allowed, and nowhere near what a Power 5 school needs to even hope to compete.
This is a big year. Progress has been shown both on the field and in recruiting, but now that needs to translate into some actual wins. I am hoping for three or four victories this fall, with the hope of competing for a bowl game in 2018. It takes a lot to turn a program around from where Weis left it, but Beaty is taking the right approach, which will hopefully pay off in 2018 and beyond.
I don't know if JJ will make his free throws, and I don't know if LL will improve his hands enough to be an offensive factor against a swarming defense.
However, I don't think either of those things will keep KU from winning games because there is so much talent here.
JJ is such a good passer and scorer that the only way to slow him down would be to pull a hack a Josh type of gameplan. Unfortunately, most teams just don't have the wing talent to do that with their better players, and they can't afford the drop off offensively if they put in end of the bench guys to do the fouling. That means that Josh's FTs will come within the flow of the game. He will probably shoot about 60%, which should be enough since at the end of games, the ball will be in Frank's hands or Devonte's hands and they will make their free throws.
For Landen, he needs to chip in offensively where he can, but the big things for him are defense and rebounding. He does both of those things well, and he made probably the biggest defensive play of the night last night with his hustle to disrupt Wainwright's shooting motion on what could have been a game tying three.
We don't need Landen trying to score in double figures. With our current rotation, Landen will never be more than the fourth option offensively on the floor. I don't say that to mean he shouldn't get touches, just that the gameplan should never revolve around him scoring. He's done well at the rim, and the advantage of playing four out is that Landen is almost always in the paint where he has to be accounted for because of his rebounding ability.
I guess my point is that KU is in good shape right now, so long as the current rotation stays healthy. There aren't many reinforcements available, so health is absolutely critical.
Also, the big take away from the last two games is that in big games, Josh absolutely can and will step up to be our best player. 20 and 10 on the road at Kentucky, followed up with a 23 and 10 against a top 5 opponent at home. That's what you envision when you recruit a player like that.
And this is where I worry that "the Streak" is too important.
We are currently in the driver's seat in a competitive Big 12 race. We have UK on Saturday (a game that everyone will be amped to play in) and then Baylor on Wednesday, then Iowa State next weekend. You never want to "throw" a game, but with Bragg suspended, it may be time to expand, rather than shorten, the rotation.
Start giving Coleby and Lightfoot significant minutes. Cut back Frank and Devonte's minutes. Maybe play two traditional big men a little bit more for the next couple of weeks to get guys right (and see if those lineups can contribute anything in case you need them come March).
Perhaps that means we go 3-3 over the next couple of weeks, but if that means that our main six guys are ready to go come March, that's probably the best possible trade off.
If anything can be learned from the horrible situations that played out at Penn State and Baylor, it's that there should not be any interference from the athletic department into these types of investigations. I don't care who it is that's involved, if they did something wrong, they should face the consequences. No exceptions.
That obviously doesn't mean that people should assume the worst, just that there should be no attempt to lead the investigation away from any student athlete (or anyone else, for that matter). Let justice be served on whomever it need be served on.
I actually like it in the middle of conference season, and I like the chance to get another premiere opponent on the schedule.
It's also good exposure for the middling teams in the Big 12, and a chance to get a nice win for Selection Sunday. It doesn't necessarily help KU, but its good for the conference overall, so I think they should keep it.
Losing on the road in conference play isn't a huge shock. Everybody loses on the road in conference play. It's just so rare (and difficult) to go undefeated in conference.
Had most of the losses happened at home, I would be surprised, but KU hasn't won in Morgantown since before Andrew Wiggins. That's not a game I mark down as a likely win. It's a bonus win for KU.
Tough game at Rupp this weekend, but then KU can focus back in on the Big 12 race, where they still control their own destiny.
The timing makes it unlikely that any member of the basketball team was involved.
However, I will say this - rape allegations on college campuses are serious, particularly since this incident involves a minor. I hope the admin gets to the bottom of this, regardless of who is involved.
There was a guy I know that used to officiate pro basketball. He was officiating a game in one of the non-NBA pro leagues that had Korleone Young (Wichita East star in the 90s) playing in it. Young was only a year or two out of HS.
During a break, the guy caught up to Young and asked how it was going. Young remarked "these blankety blanks play hard every blanking trip every blanking night!"
There's a difference in intensity, and it is enormous. Sit close at an NBA game sometime and see how hard those guys are working on defense. Count how many steps it takes for them to cover court space, then see how hard you have to work to cover half that much space.
And that difference doesn't even include the differences in talent, ability and fitness that you point to in your comment.
Initially, no, although Quin Snyder is actually a very good NBA coach. I think a lot of those guys actually do better once they get some separation from Duke.
This game is a bit of a freebie for KU.
They shouldn't approach it like that, obviously, but they have some room here.
Because Baylor already lost at WVU, the worst KU does is to match that loss. A WVU win doesn't hurt because of the bad week WVU had last week.
A KU win, however, puts KU two theorhetical games up because they have the lead on the win, plus they have the road victory at WVU (one of the potential trouble spots on the schedule). That's a huge lead at this stage.
One thing that you have to take into account is the amount of time that NBA players can spend on preparation versus college athletes. Lebron doesn't have to go to class, and has lots of money to spend on things like a personal trainer, chef, etc. to make sure his body is in top condition. He's not sitting in a classroom half the day.
Add to that the fact that he is fully mature from a physical and athletic standpoint. Remember, these college guys aren't nearly as strong or well conditioned as they will be when they reach the NBA.
That's part of what makes the NBA a job. It is your job to take care of your body in a way that allows you to recover. That's why these guys hire massage therapists and personal trainers, chefs, use all of the latest recovery therapies, etc. That's their job, so it's worth spending the money to do that.
I would say fully rested by college standards is two and a half days off. That's why you see guys sometimes wear down during the tournament. They aren't used to having to come back and play that second day. It's also why guys hit the "rookie wall" where they just run out of gas because they aren't used to playing so many games, and the conditioning it takes to get there.
25, thinking you'll live forever, or at least to see 26
You never think it could end in an instant.
No one should die young and healthy and strong.
RIP Ventura. Gone too soon.
The war on drugs has been devastating for many. Here's a couple articles about people struggling to find work after being convicted of felonies.
That's just a couple of stories about the criminal class being created. There are many more. It's just a shame because people are supposed to be able to put their lives back together after they get out of prison, but often that simply isn't the case, which forces people back into a subculture of crime, either working without a license in a profession, or working off the books, or simply engaging in criminal activity.
Hate seeing so many injuries starting to happen.
The quality of the tournament depends on teams having their talent available.
Creighton just went from a legitimate top 10 team to probably a fringe top 25 team.
Indiana is even more unreliable without OG.
Oregon is probably toast without Brooks.
Louisville's offense looks terrible half the time with Snyder, I can't imagine it improving without a competent PG.
And Duke can't keep their frontcourt healthy.
It's just sad to see the injuries pile up in what was looking like a blockbuster tournament with 6 or 7 superb teams and another 10-12 really really good teams. There were going to be at least three really, really good teams that didn't survive the first weekend of the tournament, which was going to make that second weekend something special.
But now Creighton and Oregon are both down a peg. If Duke has any more frontcourt injuries, they go from superb to really, really good. Indiana probably can't be consistent enough with OG is out to get the seeding they should, so they will likely knock off another good team. Same for Louisville.
Sadly, the war on drugs has resulted in unbalanced sentences.
If you have a drug offense, you do not qualify for many types of grant in aid for college. For many kids, that means no college. So even non-violent drug offenses such as possession could potentially eliminate an opportunity for college, particularly if a student cannot get that drug charged pleaded down or diverted into something that won't keep them from getting scholarships and grants.
As a result, drug offenses have created a bit of a criminal class - individuals that are prevented from moving up the social chain because of even a single offense. Do you know how many jobs simply will not consider someone that has a drug offense? Even jobs that are lower level will often not consider someone with a drug offense because of the stigma. So if you can't get even an entry level job, and you can't further your education, what options does that leave?
We declared a war on drugs without ever figuring out who the casualties would be. We never pondered who the POW's of that war would be - often the young children of fathers that are either serving time or the single mothers raising those kids.
I think that's why part of Obama's positive legacy has been commuting so many of these non-violent sentences (more than any other president, ever). Having seen what has happened in far too many inner cities, I think he recognized the need for reform and, realizing that getting Congressional action would probably never happened, used Executive power to commute sentences.
The laws haven't changed, but it has changed the conversation, particularly since many states now have legalized marijuana, which makes long prison sentences for possession of marijuana now seem very much out of step with the way laws are currently enforced.
Although it is January 20, so things may change.
I would bet against that.
Just scanning the top 15, 7 of the eight teams are from outside the EST. With two of the Kansas/UCLA/Gonzaga/Baylor group likely to snag #1 seeds, I doubt that EST can get three of the four FF teams. This is especially true because Baylor will likely not be in the same bracket as KU and West Virginia, and Oregon, UCLA and Arizona all have to get split up.
With the middle of the Big 12 being pretty solid, there are a lot of Big 12 teams that could upset EST teams in the tournament. The SEC is weak and the ACC is very top heavy, so it's doubtful EST will have much apart from those top teams.
Frank's legacy is almost entirely tied to how this season ends.
If this season ends with crimson and blue confetti falling from the rafters on a Monday in April, Frank's legacy will surpass most everyone, particularly if he is also POY. That likely also makes him an NBA draft pick, and if Frank parlays that into a solid career, his legacy will be up there with all of the legends (and his jersey will hang in the Fieldhouse).
If this team gets knocked out in the second round, Frank's legacy is probably somewhat similar to that of Sherron's, but a step lower because he lacks a title to go with it, even if he ends up with his jersey retired as POY.
Injuries can occur during either, obviously.
Freak injuries, like the one that took out Azuibuke, can happen basically anytime just by falling the wrong way, or getting tangled up or whatever.
Those aren't the injuries I am concerned about because you can't do much to prevent that, other than wrap everyone in bubble wrap and not play.
The one's I am referencing are the compounding ones. Let's say Frank bangs knees with Tyler during a drill in practice before the Armed Forces game in Hawaii. So Frank's knee is sore, but he's not hurt by any means. He can absolutely play (and should). So he plays three games in 7 days, with a practice between each game, plus a light shoot around thrown in.
He doesn't re-injure the knee, but it's still sore and he has to wrap it up. It gets stiff after flights, and in the morning sometimes, but again, he's not hurt, so there's no need to pull him from the lineup.
Except next is a three games in five days stretch. Knee is holding up, but still sore. Hurts after practice and games sometimes now. Not nearly enough to keep him off the court, but now they are trying to monitor his activity in practice. It's just sore, after all.
Another three games in a week stretch, knee starting to feel better. They back off his practice load a bit, so he's not sore after practice anymore.
Bangs the knee again right before the Finals break. Not as bad as the first time, but we're right back to where we were a month ago. The cold weather isn't helping, as it's stiff every morning. Not limiting him in games or anything, but it takes a while to get loose. He's getting more time off in practice, but a lot of that time is spent getting that knee to behave so it doesn't stiffen up.
Which brings us to this weekend. Saturday game. Monday game. Knee couldn't quite get loose on Monday and was flaring up during the game for the first time all season. Thankfully, there's no other games until Saturday, but Tuesday has that monster trip to Morgantown, where that knee will get a real test.
Now, I don't know if that's what happened at all, but everything I just wrote could have easily happened without Frank ever being too hurt to either play or practice, and showing no signs of any problem until Monday.
Think of the dozens of times Frank has taken a fall and we have all held our collective breath. Any one of those moments could have been a fall that banged a knee or tweaked an ankle or smacked a hip that was already sore from something that happened several weeks ago. That's the wear and tear, and it doesn't get better until after the season.
You have to manage that, and for a guy with Frank's style, that means days off in practice, and limiting minutes in games when you can so he doesn't take a hard fall when you're up 18 with three minutes to go in a game that was long since decided so he doesn't re-tweak that ankle, or smack that hip again, or bang that knee one more time.