🏀 KuBuckets Archive

@FarmerJayhawk said in Talent Wins Games:

I’ve all but quit posting on the Phog hoops board. Absolute toxic mess over there.

Yup. Me too. Just unpleasant. Only a few over here I’ve blocked... :)

Great must win tonight vs Honduras. Total domination in the freezing weather.
De la torre was all over the place!

So with three games left, there’s some work to be done.
I figure Mexico wins out. Likely they finish at worst in 2nd behind Canada.
Canada could win all three, but has a couple roadies.
The US has two roadies. I pray they at least go 1-1-1 for Four points, which likely guarantees us a Top Four finish.
I figure at Mexico is a loss. Home v Panama is a must win, and who knows at Costa Rica!
Five points likely guarantees the US a Top Three finish.
All could change with some upsets.
Or it’s too late to do math and my brain hurts.
So, I predict the final finish like this:
1 Canada
2 Mexico
3 US
4 and a possible point total tie between Panama and Costa Rica!

Today’s quiz: what did we learn last night?

I’ll start us off...
— Yesufu is quick and can be tenacious. Focus on the simpler things and find success?

Well well well! Victory in Ames! I'll take it. moving on. nothing to see here...

So, not to get into Covid crazies and have a million anti masking remarks...but do they still contract trace? Will others who were near Och have to sit and isolate?

Looking like Self will have to let Yesu loose if Och/Remy are both out. Somebody’s gotta score.

Is it like a hernia thing with Bobby? that may require surgery.

@Kcmatt7 said in Chiefs playoffs thread:

@rockchalkjayhawk I don't think it was a no brainer. It was like Mahomes brain left his body right at that moment though, and didn't come back for the rest of the game.

That play should get called, and if they hate the look the ball should just be thrown out of bounds. 5 seconds is plenty of time to see if you get something you like. Not sure what went through Pat's head.

Not sure what happened on the INT either. He couldn't have thrown the ball more directly at the guy. Then there were a few JUST out of reach passes combined with a few drops. Didn't even feel like the Cincy D beat them.

Yes, agreed @Kcmatt7 .
I meant to convey an eventual field goal should have been attainable if the pass play wasn’t developing. I shouldn’t type when angry! :(

@mayjay said in IARP - KU seeks alternative resolution:

@rockchalkjayhawk Maybe in addition to the players being gone they are waiting for a generation of fans to stop caring....or die off.

They are getting damn close @mayjay ! :(
I mean, the lack of transparency in the process seems opposite of the intention of this “Independent” process. Maddening.

The chaos continues. sigh.
Of course it's all behind secret super extra special locked doors.
If not for a tweet or two from nobody involved, nobody would know a thing about it.
Why?

@approxinfinity said in Chiefs playoffs thread:

Bout to be 0-3 this weekend: KU bball, Chiefs, USMNT

Crap! thx @approxinfinity! go figure i see the soccer result before i can watch in the Chiefs thread!
You're on my list.

@Crimsonorblue22 said in Chiefs playoffs thread:

@nwhawkfan that sucked, bad weekend. Not Patrick's best showing. Line fell apart. Should've kicked the fg at half.

that FG was an absolute no brainer. totally changed the game with the failure to score. momentum gone, give to Cincy.

incredible meltdown. epic.
Mahomes. wow.
Shocked at the performance, decision making late in the game.

Go Chiefs!!!

Wow. i think bitch slapped is about the best way to describe today's game.
Unpleasant for sure. exposed us athletically to say the least.
No big insights to share, because really the game said it all.
I know Wheeler and TyTy didn't score a ton today, but who would you rather have on the floor, one of them or Harris?
He's just a liability in more ways than he helps. It sucks to have to say for sure, because he's our guy. I know I hate on Harris a lot, but there should be so many other options on this team other than him. Physically developed guys. Sadly we have really no other PG options on the team. He's it. Well, OK, Pettiford, but he's hurt, and lost some development time.

Undeserved rant on Harris i suppose. He wasn't the only issue today.

Dave's a spaz still.

@BeddieKU23 said in Squid Game (Thread):

If only KJ played in the first 20.... beyond puzzling

KJ!!!!!! Am i turning ya'll into believers?

And shiiiittt! Just noticed another conflict Sunday with the Chiefs game!

Yup, I think we’d feel differently about this game had we actually put three goals on the board.
That would have eased my complaints about sloppy play near the goal — a bit.

Musah. So funny you thought he was really good, Approx. I thought he was mostly invisible, which probably means he was doing the dirty work.

Pulisic wasnt involved much. All analysis I read blamed his play on great game planning by the opposing coach. He was surrounded at all times. Do you guys think Pulisic has lost a step or two? I’ve noticed that in EPL play. Injuries catching up to him?

McKennie was very involved. He had his moments. Held on to the ball way too long a few times. Skilled though. Him and Adams are the present and future.

My usual complaint was highly visible...our crossing was mostly awful.

Zimmerman was great. Not sure I like the Weah/Dest combo on the right. Didn’t allow Dest to shine down the wing. Guess that could be true with any combo.

The Canada game is gonna be tough.

Really it comes down to this: It's just gonna be funs for the Fieldhouse crowd to yell ZUUUBY!

Anybody watch the El Salvador game last night?
Nothing wrong with three points.
But plenty wrong in the final third. Yikes.

@Kcmatt7 said in Non-KU Games:

@rockchalkjayhawk Still surprised mock drafts don't have him going #1. I know the other guys in the convo are good, but he's a freak of nature.

No kidding. Ya know, having seen him play just a few times, he reminds me a little bit of Danny Manning. Dunno if he’s got his passing skills though. One of the announcers last night said something about him being the possible No 1 pick.

I was about to say you gotta be kidding about two Jayhawks, but dang.
Looking in recent years and nobody besides Joel.

Jeebus, this Gonzaga 7 foot freshman is awesome.
So far tonight I’ve seen him drive for a dunk in the half court, drive full court to the rim, hit a few threes, dribble.
Highly skilled.

Remy is a bit of a puzzle so far.

If we toss his ASU history and just judge him on what we’ve seen so far at KU:

He’s extremely confident. Maybe too much at times. He talks a lot and moves his arms/hands when he should be paying more attention to his surroundings.

He dribbles a lot. Doesn’t seem to have great vision. His passes are risky instead of simple a lot of times. And not in stride.

I like his shot. Wish he took more. Confident driving, but not always successful.

Generally doesn’t seem to fit into Self’s system or rigid structure.

Then again he should. Graham and Mason took over games with individual play. Why isn’t Remy allowed to do the same?

Jesus, these games lately!
This one wasn’t as ugly, but sure was tough.
TT plays great D. We played some good D at times too.
Och sure coulda saved us some stress by making ONE more FT!

What? Couldn’t hear y’all. Did you say KJ!!!???
More KJ! Dude helped win us that game.

I just hope we have some energy tonight.
It’s going to take an effort to deal with that TT defense. Och and Braun (as usual I guess) need to be ready to break down that D.

Dotson update, Part 2

Devon Dotson, who was waived by the Bulls last week in order to sign Malcolm Hill to a two-way deal, is expected to land with Chicago’s G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, according to veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein of Substack (via Twitter).

I have a confession to make.
I pretty much gave up on this game. I had to watch the replay late at night, was tired and cranky and started fast forwarding when we were down a ton of points. I ended up at the moment late in the game when they were wondering why Och wasn’t shooting 3 FTs. Somehow it worked out. No clue how they came back, but happy they did.

A quick look at the box score tells me Och and Wilson were the offensive studs. Dave too.

Starting to worry about Braun’s lack of scoring ability in league play. I’d have to go back and look at his game numbers, but seems like he’s come back to earth? I did see he made some nice plays though.

Always good to win on the road. Hard not to be critical, but always nice to beat the purple pussycats.

Grimes news and notes

Quentin Grimes has earned more playing time even with several veterans returning to action recently, Steve Popper of Newsday writes. Grimes doesn’t put up big stats but Thibodeau has played Grimes a minimum of 17 minutes in all but one game this month. “Grimes has been playing great basketball,” Thibodeau said of the first-round rookie guard. “But it’s just step by step. You earn your minutes here. What you do in practice. You have to wait for your opportunity and when your opportunity comes, be ready to go.”

@mayjay yup.
Still, a vacuum arrest! sucks for the Chiefs.
Will he play is the question...by the looks of today's Arnette signing, i'd say yes.

@BeddieKU23 said in Never too early starting 5 for 2022-23:

@rockchalkjayhawk said in Never too early starting 5 for 2022-23:

@BeddieKU23 said in Never too early starting 5 for 2022-23:

@BShark

For my sanity Dave moving on is fine. I'm just saying at this point could it really be ruled out? I just don't see a basketball career for him after this. Another year here to perhaps make that a reality has worked for others.

I included J Will simply because at this point we don't know. He was told he wasn't close to NBA ready if ever at all so maybe he focuses on proving them wrong playing here. He'd certainly see his role increase even more next year with Och moving on.

I had Bobby there and I certainly think he could start next season but its difficult to start two guys that haven't shown the kind of offensive skill you need in the backcourt. Gradey developing into a scorer this year makes me think he has a legitimate shot at starting.

Yea, that backcourt isn’t gonna cut it unless Bobby turns into Frank by next season, or if everybody else turns into Rush, WiggIns and Joel. That’d be nice. We need some scoring and shooting from the guards for sure.

I don’t know much about next year’s guys yet. I did see Grady play a few games. He honestly didn’t do much, but that was a while back and a small sample size.

So what does everybody think about Dave? Would you take him back or boot him?

I think its highly unlikely given the recruiting efforts put into the frontcourt the past two cycles. But the covid year does make it possible I guess. I have my own thoughts regarding Dave but perhaps the staff would recruit him back if they felt the need. Self has kept Mitch around 6 years so I don't think he'd ever run out a starter that wanted to be here. However I think they made some promises to recruits and young bigs on the roster already that would make it difficult to make everyone happy.

I fully believe in Bobby for the future. He's yet to hit a shot outside the paint this season so its certainly a valid concern right now whether we can have Harris/Bobby out there a majority of minutes. I love the 2 guard lineup for spacing/ball handling/play-making but I would hate to see us put out a lineup that cannot score easily.

I like Bobby for sure. he showed some promise early on. Not sure of his entire skill set yet, so reluctant to say he's gonna be da man next year at guard.

Would i take Dave back next year? Hmmm. Tough one. We've seen good Dave, bad Dave and serviceable Dave -- all in the same game! So, guess you have to measure him against who he'd be competing with. Clemence i like. But he's not the same kind of player. Any big who can shoot seems like a nice modern upgrade at the C spot.

I would expect Self to have zero faith in a freshman big guy, so i guess either Dave or Clemence to fill that spot. KJ i'm sure you all know by now i love, but he's not a C, except for really small ball.

Wilson. another hmmm. if he comes back, he's likely the focus of the offense. But, doesn't seem like a good bet to have him back if he performs well the rest of the year.

Harris. He's just a cog in the machinery to me. If you compare him to the outstanding guys we've had at his position over the years, he just doesn't stand out. I'd prefer somebody with more size on defense and a lot more offensive skill.

We live in an interesting world when a guy gets arrested for breaking a vacuum.

https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2022/1/20/22893020/willie-gay-jr-arrested-for-misdemeanor-criminal-damage-on-wednesday-night ↗

@BeddieKU23 said in Never too early starting 5 for 2022-23:

@BShark

For my sanity Dave moving on is fine. I'm just saying at this point could it really be ruled out? I just don't see a basketball career for him after this. Another year here to perhaps make that a reality has worked for others.

I included J Will simply because at this point we don't know. He was told he wasn't close to NBA ready if ever at all so maybe he focuses on proving them wrong playing here. He'd certainly see his role increase even more next year with Och moving on.

I had Bobby there and I certainly think he could start next season but its difficult to start two guys that haven't shown the kind of offensive skill you need in the backcourt. Gradey developing into a scorer this year makes me think he has a legitimate shot at starting.

Yea, that backcourt isn’t gonna cut it unless Bobby turns into Frank by next season, or if everybody else turns into Rush, WiggIns and Joel. That’d be nice. We need some scoring and shooting from the guards for sure.

I don’t know much about next year’s guys yet. I did see Grady play a few games. He honestly didn’t do much, but that was a while back and a small sample size.

So what does everybody think about Dave? Would you take him back or boot him?

@Jethro said in Some Post OU Musings:

@Kcmatt7 Substitutions seem to trigger slumps for us. I wish he had spread the time around more in non conference games, so the subs wouldn't look so shell shocked when they finally get time. No way JCL should've sat the second half, no matter how bad he looked first half. We need him to be that spark off the bench that can be a source of instant offense.

Another thing that causes collapses is our mental approach. We seem to let up once we get up in a game. Mentally soft. We need a big old boot that stomps teams in the throat, and demoralizes them. If we're up 10, that's not good enough...let's make it 20. And for gosh sakes, quit being so damn polite. Now, I'm not calling for a chair swinging Silvio, but I'd sure like to see some Mason, Graham, Josh Jackson type mentality. Some Dotson tough ( look at the way he destroyed the cream puff named Quinten). Some Doke tough. Come on guys, let those balls drop!

I dunno. JCL seems like a hot and cold sub guy to me. if he's off, sit his ass on the bench. If he at least hits the rim on his first shot, let him play. he was clearly off last night.

So, you have to have subs. That's the bottom line. Guys get tired, guys need motivation to remain motivated, some guys are having bad days, etc. Agreed Self's done a weird job with subs this season.

To me we have two guards that need to sub in: Remy and the second Self needs to pick one of these two and stick with it: Bobby P. or Yesufu. Give one of em time to get better on the floor.

We have 1.5 bigs that need to sub in: Mitch and some KJ to keep him happy, fly around the court. Mitch gets most of the minues.

And JCL as a shooter.

Yup, this let up after we get leads is disappointing. I'm guessing Remy has that killer instinct, somewhere hidden deep in the bowels of Self's brain. Although, Remy did take some shots yesterday. Maybe it is on him, and not Self.

Man, I tell ya, these games are getting harder and harder to watch!
I don’t remember it always being this way. Brutal.
Nobody seemed very good tonight.
But another road win is fantastic!

Selden update
Wayne Selden Signing With Turkish Team
January 18th 2022 at 2:08pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum
Shooting guard Wayne Selden is signing with Turkish club Afyon Belediye of the Basketball Super League, per Turkish paper Afyon Haber.

After going undrafted out of Kansas in 2016, Selden logged time with the Pelicans, Grizzlies, and Bulls, plus several G League clubs. The 27-year-old wing then suited up for Israeli Basketball Premier League club Ironi Nes Ziona during the 2020/21 season.

Selden inked a non-guaranteed camp deal with the Knicks ahead of training camp and stuck on the roster through the start of the regular season. However, he was waived earlier this month as part of the Knicks’ Denzel Valentine/Rajon Rondo trade. Selden appeared in just three games for New York this season.

The 6’4″ guard holds NBA career averages of 7.2 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 1.5 APG with a shooting line of .415/.344/.718 across 127 contests, including 27 starts.

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2022/01/wayne-selden-signing-with-turkish-team.html ↗

Dotson waived

The Bulls have released guard Devon Dotson, the team announced today (via Twitter). Dotson had been on a two-way contract with the club.

An undrafted free agent out of Kansas, Dotson spent his rookie season in 2020/21 on a two-way deal with the Bulls, then signed a new contract for the ’21/22 campaign. Across two seasons in Chicago, the 22-year-old averaged 2.4 PPG and 1.0 APG in 22 NBA games (6.1 MPG). He played a larger role in the G League, especially this season, when he averaged 20.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 6.3 APG, and 2.2 SPG in 10 contests (36.9 MPG) for the Windy City Bulls.

Dotson will clear waivers on Wednesday, assuming he goes unclaimed, and will be free to sign with any team at that time.

@mayjay doh! 😂

I think a lot Dave’s success yesterday was all about matchups.
West Virginia played a mostly traditionally sized lineup. That meant Dave didn’t have five smalls picking at him the entire game. IMO he felt more comfortable.

How’s that air fried chicken look when done? Crispy?

Marco taking a stand tonight!
You musta had a porterhouse for dinner. Raw.

What a second half!
Didn't see that coming after that intense defensive effort in the first half.

For those saying we don't need Remy...that's ridiculous. we need Remy. He's quick, athletic, and skilled. just hasn't found his niche yet.
I doubt any rumor of him leaving is founded in reality.
And obviously what this team needs is for Dave to play, and to play well. (but more KJ!)

Plenty of negatives in the first half (Braun was horrendous, Petty couldn't dribble), but far outweighed by the amazing second half effort.

And why couldn't Braun just wipe out Huggy Bear when he bumped into him? :)

Sounds like they’ve already done imaging on his knee, with no serious damage reported. Hmmm
So dunno what the news could be, other than I hate the way Self is using me and I’m headed to the G league! (but I’m assuming the pro scouts want to see him improve as a PG, so that’s what Self is trying to help with)

Even Dotson played!

@BeddieKU23 said in ISU Game Thread:

@rockchalkjayhawk

KJ started and barely played. Seemed like a message for both Mitch/Dave to get it together. Don't think it worked but perhaps Self should stick with it

I'll stick with my refrain: MORE KJ!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bouncy and energetic are both good things for this lineup.

@benshawks08 said in Big 12 Regular Season Title (if that still matters to you):

I know some people would rather lose the big 12 regular season because of a belief that that would somehow make KU more likely to win the national title,

Ha, I think you’ve confused regular season title and tourney title. Big difference. Many in the past have semi rooted to lose early in the Big 12 tourney to rest up, and not jinx our NCAA title hopes, right? Never heard anybody wish to lose the regular season title...

Well, we won!
I had a long winded post ready last night, but my internet crapped out before pushing send. So, this one will probably have fewer cuss words!
I was surprised at how pesky Iowa State’s defense was. That made for an u-g-l-y first half.
Extremely surprised to see KJ starting!!!
He was a little bit lost at times, but I think with more PT he’ll be less lost and hopefully less stiff.

Semi shocked that Self is still trying to sort out who plays at this point in the season.

This is a weird season for Self. For some reason it really stands out how he’s trying to “herd” his players into whatever mold he sees fit. I’m not really getting it this year.

I think both teams were hurt and helped by poor officiating last night. KU for sure caught a lucky break on that non goal tending call. Game changer.

That Brockenwhatever dude has an amazing pull up midrange game. Did he miss in that range? His shooting form is perfect. Straight up, straight lines, release high.

Great second half for KU.

@FarmerJayhawk said in IARP - KU seeks alternative resolution:

The interesting thing here is the IARP looks to be the one wanting a different kind of process, not KU. Wonder if they got through the infractions and were like oof there’s not 5 L1’s here

Why do you think the IARP is the one seeking a new process? Seems like KU initiated? @FarmerJayhawk

@tis4tim said in IARP - KU seeks alternative resolution:

@rockchalkjayhawk said in IARP - KU seeks alternative resolution:

Negotiated resolutions were not supposed to be an option once a case enters the IARP.

Yes, but my feeling is KU, like the rest of us, are sick to death of the foot-dragging on the part of the NCAA/IARP.

Even murderers and other scofflaws have the right to a fair and speedy trial under the 6th amendment to the Constitution. I would submit this charade has been neither fair, nor speedy and we are being held in a perpetual state of incarceration.

Yup, agreed we are all sick and tired of this. Also agreed that we’ve suffered plenty already. But remember this is the NCAA, so no right to a speedy trial. No 6th amendment protection here. Sucks.

I’m also guessing that KU is seeking a “plea bargain” here. Reduced charges in some way so they can be done with it.

Just my guess.

This either is a desperate tactic by KU, or the IARP is changing its rules midstream.
And who can say which at this point. Chaos.
Negotiated resolutions were not supposed to be an option once a case enters the IARP.