@drgnslayr Yes, that would make the image much less disturbing.
tundrahok
1840 posts
@drgnslayr, great call. Taking those charges was fantastic. Good to see the big guy get some positive results.
My expectations for Tarik at the beginning of the season were pretty low. Seems like if a guy is going to make an impact he should be able to do it in 3 years without having to change schools. But I love his positive attitude and hustle, and really like seeing hard work pay dividends.
Fran wasn't bad yesterday. He's shown an anti-KU bias ever since his son walked on at Okahoma, which has bugged the crap out of me, but yesterday nothing he said really bothered me. Probably didn't hurt that we were destroying the kitties most of the game.
Should student-athletes with high earning potential get such a policy? The article I cited above provides additional information.
These policies, meant to hedge against risk, are risky in themselves: None of these student-athletes is likely to ever collect a dime, even if they are hurt. These guarantees cover "permanent total disability," meaning only policyholders who are never able set foot on a field or court again—not simply those who suffer injuries that may reduce their earning potential—can file a claim.
Of the thousands of policies bought over the years, virtually no college athlete has successfully filed a disability insurance claim. In the last 15 years, only one player is publicly known to have benefited from this kind of coverage: former University of Florida defensive tackle Ed Chester, who was projected to be a first-round NFL draft pick in 1998 before blowing out his knee after returning as a senior. He never played again, collecting $1 million on a private policy that was obtained for $8,000.
As medical technology has advanced, there's a lot of good rehab facilities and procedures out there that, except for the most dire of injuries, most of the time you can come back from it.
So based on my discussion of risk above, if your risk assessment emphasizes probability, such a policy probably isn't worth it. If your risk assessment emphasizes consequences and you come from a family of means, such a policy also probably isn't worth it but you can still afford it if you want. If your family does not have much wealth, it seems the policy could just add to your debt burden.
I think I just convinced myself that these policies aren't worth it. Thanks to @REHawk and @HighEliteMajor for prompting me to look into it. I think I learned something.
Should Embiid stay anyway? I don't have a clue! From my selfish perspective I hope he does.
@REHawk, they can get a maximum policy of $5 million through a program known as Exceptional Student-Athlete Disability Insurance (ESDI) that the NCAA provides student-athletes it predicts will likely be high draft picks.
The premiums for the NCAA's ESDI program, which has existed since 1990, vary by sport, position, and preexisting injuries, but cost upwards of $40,000. It's available to players projected as draft picks in the first three rounds for the NFL and NHL, and first-rounders for the NBA, MLB and, most recently, the WNBA. Between 100 and 120 athletes participate per season, a number that has stayed constant in recent years, according to the NCAA.
They can also get private insurance, with higher maximum payouts, that have fewer restrictions than the NCAA's but can cost more.
Students have to pay the premiums themselves, but they can get an automatic low-interest loan for the premium where payment is not due until the student-athlete either signs a pro contract, the benefits are dispersed due to a catastrophic injury, or the policy expires (usually when the student leaves school).
All above info from this informative article:
<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/04/the-5-million-question-should-college-athletes-buy-disability-insurance/274915/)
Risk is a function of two things.
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The probability of a bad thing happening.
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The consequences of that bad thing happening.
Some people put more weight on one than the other in their assessment of risk. E.g., the probability of successfully crossing a balance beam should be the same if it's 2 feet off the ground or 200 feet. But the consequences of falling are different. Personally, I weigh probability higher when evaluating risk, whereas my wife puts a greater emphasis on the consequences (especially of my stupid behaviors).
The financial consequences a career-ending injury for Embiid's family appear different than the consequences for, say, McLemore's family. That could affect their assessment of risk.
@HighEliteMajor, regarding Bilas' thoughts on the "real deal" staying another year in college:
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Is the risk of injury any different in college or the NBA?
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Do raw players with high potential develop faster by sitting on the bench in the NBA or playing in college?
Bilas' suggestion was pretenders should go, and the real deals should stay. I don't know if he's right, but I find the idea intriguing. I'm sure we could calculate the probability of suffering a career-ending injury in the first year of an NBA contract (as a proportion of all players in the past 20 years whose career ended due to injury in that first year). It surely happens, but I suspect the probability is not that high.
Then the question is, how much better can he get with a second year under Self's tutelage? We've seen how much he's improved already in half a season. Imagine the dominant player he could become in the NCAA in year 2. The following year he could dominate immediately in the NBA, likely sooner than if he'd ridden the bench next year, and likely have a longer, more dominant career.
@approxinfinity Love the many neat features of this site, while keeping it clean and simple. I just use a computer and rarely have issues, but I keep wishing other sites would have some of these cool features....the auto update without having to refresh, the little bell, the user info, the unread list.... Makes other blogs and chats seem primitive. Just wanted to say thanks again to you and the nodebb guys.
@iowajayhawk2005 I agree 100% about Black. He's not going to help us much on the court, but he has great attitude that hopefully will be infectious.
But why the vitriol toward Greene? I'm still hoping he will clue in.
@nuleafjhawk, I made the same observation on Jesse's live blog. I saw him smile twice! Real joy expressed, not just a painful passing gas kind of smile. It was nice to see.
@drgnslayr I interpreted our overt civility as a response to KUSports' suggestion that anonymous posters can't be civil. We are evidence that their rationale for destroying that community was ridiculous.
The rebounding (or lack thereof) was the most frustrating, especially seeing SDSU get so many putbacks because we didn't simply box out. 13 blocks is great, but a couple of those blocks ended up as SDSU baskets anyway, when the help defender leaves his man, who then gets the rebound and puts it back in. When you try to block somebody else's man, you can't box out your own man. Then he gets the basket off the miss.
We got killed on the boards (51-39), and that was an area I didn't realize we needed so much work on. Especially fundamentals, like boxing out.
@drgnslayr I would always believe my own politician would do something distasteful, just like any other politician. I'd just hope mine was smart enough not to get caught.
@Crimsonorblue22 Yes, having Danny bring the ball up to counter OU's guard quickness was brilliant. Nice reference!
Danny always seemed like he had a guard's brain in a forward's body. Given time I bet he can be a successful head coach. I was just hoping he wouldn't want to, and would stay an assistant at KU forever. But it's early yet, and I bet he'll turn it around at Tulsa, as long as he has the fire and desire.
Jesse's link was broken, but this should work.
Well, that's not working right now either. Maybe something else going on with the site? At least you can copy and pastel.
Unfortunately, the college coach may not be in the best position to give that advice because, again, the college coach has their own personal interests to look after, whereas NBA scouts and evaluators have no reason to tell a player they are ready if they know they aren't.
@justanotherfan, as long as the NBA drafts on potential instead of readiness, I'm not sure you could necessarily trust what an NBA scout says. I agree information is key, but I don't think the question is whether a player is ready or not. It's whether they can get ready just as well while getting paid.
We should play them in football. The football programs at the two schools are about on par.
(just kidding, no malice)
Fascinating story, especially about his interactions with Head Coach Bill Self. Dude can be harsh. That's probably good, especially when the player responds appropriately like JoEl.
@bskeet One of 351 teams does it each year, not just one of 67. You have to get there first. And we've gotten there 24 times in a row, way more than any other school currently. Streaks matter, both conference championships and NCAA appearances, when we're talking about dominance. They draw attention and provide prestige. Current streaks of dominance are fantastic. Of course we'd all like another national championship, but sustained excellence cannot be argued with.
Many posters have observed that Coach Self will bench some players at the first mistake, while letting others play through their errors. Often it's the young, inexperienced players that get the quick yank, those who most need game experience, while the veterans are allowed to play on.
Keegan provides some insight into Self's approach.
http://www2.kusports.com/news/2013/dec/15/column-brannen-greene-starting-figure-it-out/ ↗
Self, as do most coaches, preaches “next play.” Players who turn it over and react by using their first three steps in the other direction to accelerate to top speed have taken their first three steps toward redemption.
Those who turn it over, miss a shot or don’t get a whistle and react by freezing, frowning and then getting around to running to the other end have taken their first three steps toward the bench.
So he suggests it's not the mistake per se, but the three seconds after the mistake that determines whether Self will respond with a trip to the bench. I haven't paid close attention to what the player does immediately following a turnover or a bad shot, but I think I'll start.
The main point of Keegan's article is how Greene has emerged as the first shooter off the bench, ahead of White and Frankamp. I don't think the race is over, however. White is injured. I wouldn't count him out. He works his tail off, and has been in Self's system for 2 years. He understands better than the freshman what needs to be done. Of course, he only got 2 minutes in the Florida game, before his injury. But I think the speculation of his imminent transfer is way too premature.
Many posters have observed that Coach Self will bench some players at the first mistake, while letting others play through their errors. Often it's the young, inexperienced players that get the quick yank, those who most need game experience, while the veterans are allowed to play on.
Keegan provides some insight into Self's approach.
<a href="http://www2.kusports.com/news/2013/dec/15/column-brannen-greene-starting-figure-it-out/)
Self, as do most coaches, preaches “next play.” Players who turn it over and react by using their first three steps in the other direction to accelerate to top speed have taken their first three steps toward redemption.
Those who turn it over, miss a shot or don’t get a whistle and react by freezing, frowning and then getting around to running to the other end have taken their first three steps toward the bench.
So he suggests it's not the mistake per se, but the three seconds after the mistake that determines whether Self will respond with a trip to the bench. I haven't paid close attention to what the player does immediately following a turnover or a bad shot, but I think I'll start.
But unfortunately, Tharpe ain't Robinson.
Keegan's point is obvious, but important to remember. When Sherron was a freshman, we had the luxury of letting him be 6th man. He got to be a freshman. We don't have that luxury this year, of letting the freshmen be freshmen.
I know, but Tubbs poisoned the whole school for me. I was at an impressionable age...
Possible game links (usual caveats apply):
http://nutjob.eu/njtvx14.html ↗
http://www.freevip.eu/basketball/192930/1/kansas-vs-wake-forest-live-stream-online.html ↗
http://www.rajangan.me/ncaa-basketball/1/653681/kansas-vs-wake-forrest-live-stream ↗
http://firstrowus1.eu/watch/224102/1/watch-wake-forest-vs-2-kansas.html ↗
http://atdhe.xxx/basketball/watch-wake-forest-2-kansas-4gie2 ↗
Courtesy of somebody on the KU live blog.
I've always respected teams like Oklahoma.
@drgnslayr, Billy Tubbs was hard to respect. OU was the team to hate in the 1980s, predominantly because of him. Times have changed, but back then they were the team I despised more than any other.
Canada. I'm familiar with ice and snow. I actually live in the city, but do work up on the Arctic tundra a few weeks each year.
ESPN thinks I'm in Alaska, though.
@JayhawkRock78, Tom Keegan must have read your post before you yanked it. He has come up with the same conspiracy theory regarding Iowa St icing the field...
<a href="http://www2.kusports.com/news/2013/nov/26/opinion-isu-didnt-conspire-against-kansas)
@JayhawkRock78, you must have yanked your rant when I was composing mine! Sometimes a few sour grapes are hard to avoid.
The state of Iowa has the worst weather of any state in the union. I went to school in Minneapolis for awhile, and I had to drive through Iowa whenever I went home to KS to visit. The state had it in for me. Every trip, either going down or coming back I'd hit the worst weather imaginable for the time of year going through Iowa...torrential downpours, fog, sleet, snow, or ice. The ice was the worst; fishtailing going 15 mph on I-70, stopped and slid sideways without any forward motion, just on the grade of the highway. Could not walk back to my truck when I got out to check the conditions. I just couldn't get there...too slippery even to walk. No traction whatsoever. Spent the night at a truck stop, curled up on a doormat like a dog (of course I could have stopped earlier and found a hotel, but I was immortal in my youth).
People in Iowa must be used to such horrible conditions. They must know how to prepare for it, and know how to take advantage of it. @JayhawkRock78, I would not be surprised at all if KU fell victim Saturday to some field prep shenanigans.
Danny Manning never won in Ames. It's a tough place to play, always has been. Tough road games make our conference all the more fun. I'm glad they care...as long as we keep winning, overall.
Who did Joe Dooley flip off several years ago? K-State fans? It happens.
A poker face sure comes in handy in basketball. The twins never had it.
It works for ESPN, but Netflix doesn't seem to buy it. I haven't really tested it anywhere else.
“Where he messed up with the story,” senior center Tarik Black said of 250-pound Embiid insisting he came out on top in his battle of man versus beast, “is he told me he had to carry it back home. No human being can carry a lion. It’s impossible.”
An adult male lion weighs 330-550 lbs. I think Jojo could carry it.
Thanks approx, my old eyes breathed a sigh of relief when I checked the site this morning. I like lulu's photos, but more when I'm focused on them and can appreciate them.
@approxinfinity I like vanilla!
I'm pleasantly surprised. Really didn't think we had another win in us this year.
Of course, our last 2 scoring drives today totaled 15 yards, following interceptions and long returns by the defense. Without those, our offense scores only 17 points and we lose.
But I'll still take the win.
Minor point: In the Unread screen, it was nice to have a bit of text shown with the latest comments on the right, rather than just the tiny user's icon (which is too small now for my old eyes to identify).
To me, simple is good. Busy is distracting. I like black on white without complex background.
The beauty of this site has been its simplicity. The discussion content is why we come here. It doesn't need to be gussied up.
Just my $0.02. I'm also grateful for all the work done by approx and others to give us a forum to discuss our common passion.
Tharpe, Mason & Selden at the same time worked pretty well. Not very big, but they played well. We're going to see plenty of Frank Mason this year.
I emailed Jesse. He said he accepted the KU beat writer position at the Topeka Capital-Journal. Starts Thursday. Probably just a better gig. I might have to start reading there, too.
Tait just said on the live chat that Jesse took a new job. Last day's tomorrow.
Supports my wild-ass speculation above.
UK is coming back. Blech.
Good point Blown, Robinson became a pure point. But he was a scorer in high school, Remember his freshman year when he pouted on the bench and refused to go in for garbage minutes? That kind of ego doesn't seem consistent with pure point. I love Robinson, and am very glad he grew out of that.
@Wishawk, I've come to believe that "combo guard" means "not a point guard". Last year is an excellent example. Do you think it's as important to have two ball handlers when you have an actual point guard running things? We haven't had a real point guard (distribute first, score second) since Aaron Miles.
Our actual free throw percentage was 40%, 12 out of 30. That's bad.
Practice? You're talking about practice?
My impression is that you don't get a lot of practice in the pros. I suspect he would have had a longer and more successful pro career with one more season as a Jayhawk.
Every time I see that photo at the top I think somebody needs to teach Jamari how to make a better fake smile. Too much vertical, not enough horizontal, to look natural and sincere.
Agreed Paris, lots of the LJW sportswriters have periodically made comments about anonymous posting for years. I do agree with ralster that Bedore's reasons don't hold water. But at least he has been consistent.
I really don't think the sports guys had any say in this decision. It was made high up in The World organization, and I suspect our guys have had to toe the party line. I'd really like to visit Lawrence, track one of them down, and have a frank discussion over beers to see what they really think.
But here's some wild-ass speculation. Tait has done the last 2 basketball chats, and some new guy is doing the football chat right now. I propose that Jesse got so fed up with how the new LJW policy has destroyed the commentary that he made a fuss to his employer and they took away his chat, relegating him to some dark corner in the LJW dungeon without internet access.
From Bedore's Basketball Notebook:
The combined 58 team fouls were the most in a Jayhawk game since 58 fouls were called in the KU (22) vs. Maryland-Baltimore County (36) game on Nov. 23, 1991.
That's 22 years ago.
Konkey, I hope you're right and the power conference refs ease up on their interpretation of the changes like other conferences have. Last night was painful indeed. The intent of the changes was to speed up the game and increase scoring, and so far the opposite has happened (at least, fewer field goals and more free throws). Maybe it will get better over time.