You'd Think This Team was 1-4 Instead of 4-1.
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Not to go full tuck or anything but going around to various KU sites and reading you’d really think this was the case.
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In my opinion, there were astonishing optimism and surprisingly high expectations for this team before the season started. Anything but 5-0 and clicking on all cylinders would be considered a disappointment.
I read that Mason and Graham would improve significantly, despite the fact they were already darn good last year.
I read that JJ would impact more than Wiggins.
I read that Lucas, a fifth year senior with limited talent and athleticism, would improve over his unexpected surge late last season.
I read that Bragg would make a big sophomore leap.
I read that Vick and / or Svi would make big leaps and start to contribute mightily.
Leaving aside Coleby and Lightfoot, we have 3 bigs and 5 guards who were all expected to either impact right away or improve by leaps and bounds.
The fact is we don’t have enough bigs to play 3+2, and we don’t really have enough guards to play 4+1 if any one of our 5 guards is in foul trouble, injured or playing poorly.
We are thin and need every wish to come true in order to go all the way.
I am hoping that happens. Hope is not expectation. Hope means encouraging effort and not giving up when things don’t go as well as “expected”.
How about more hope and fewer expectations?
Right now I am just awed and happy for the guards who are killing it, and wondering who this new coach is who plays outside in on offense and zone on defense. Fascinating season!!!
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Its still early, overall i have little issue with our guards, they are playing at a high level. Now bigs thats different story. Vick and Svi will come around.
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KU is just about always overhyped in the preseason.
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I feel decent about Self getting the bigs to be serviceable. We are missing Danny though.
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@kjayhawks said:
Its still early, overall i have little issue with our guards, they are playing at a high level. Now bigs thats different story. Vick and Svi will come around.
I agree. My point was we need everybody, without exception, to come around and play at a high level to be playing in April.
Also free throws.
Also figuring out what the referees are calling.
Also global warming at 3 point range.
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@kjayhawks Why will Vick and Svi come around? I think at this point we can hope, and they haven’t been bad by any stretch, but at this point, I think we know what we’re getting with Svi.
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Sometimes it’s difficult to keep track of downers & whiners on this site. Several stay vieled in the woodwork till the lights are out (bad loss) & some have clandestinely changed their handle a time or two for whatever reasons. But most of us remember who & how funky & negative they’ve been & try to avoid continuing exchanges with them - it’s quite similar to dueling with an unarmed man. (recall jaybate & Joe Ross or Jayhawkinnebraska from the old site) ? Those were just classically hilarious ! Most of them have a pseudo/limited knowledge of the game & even less of the employment or disposal of the English language so hammering them can be enticing as a floating clay. But alas, I guess there’s a time & place for everything; even us numbskulls. And since the holidays are here once again, yes Virginia, I’ve been known to pre-qualify like that myself more times than I care to admit…
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@wissox Svi i could see a guy thinking that but this is Vicks first few games of playing meaningful minuites, i bet he improves quite a bit before seasons end.
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@wissox my only complaint about Svi is that he is not driving the lane enough.
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@BShark Our bigs have gotten worse every year since Danny left. Can’t overemphasize how much impact he had.
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Bravo! Bravo! Really nice to read your posts again. Hope you keep posting often.
“How about more hope and fewer expectations?”
That is really what needs to happen. I think the Indiana loss helped people realize this team is a “project in progress.”
Gosh… reading through your expectation list regarding our players, I think most of it is true, still from just experiencing our games so far.
The only question mark (really) is Landen. He will adjust and come on before you know it. We also have to realize that we are running NO OFFENSE at this moment. On a time out Bill might run a play. Besides that, we just have our guys in position free lancing. After our offense settles down, that will help Landen out considerably. Also… he has to adjust to the refs changing the way they call games.
It should be obvious to everyone how much Frank has stepped up this year. And Devonte has been coming on bigger each game.
Vick has clearly made a monster leap, and Svi is definitely improved, too… especially on defense.
I think Josh is much better than Wigs was at this time in college. Without question. Wigs was a one trick pony with his pivot drive. He stacked his stat sheet because we basically shut down on our offense and just turned it over to Wigs.
Until we get our game sorted out in many areas, it will expose weaknesses in depth.
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The announcers last night were comparing Josh to Wiggins, and like drgnslayr, I like Josh’s more all-around game much better than Wigs. Also the intangible, Josh seems much more aggressive and willing to be a court leader than Wigs ever did. In the loss to Stanford, that final play where Wigs backed away from taking the last shot and instead deferred to Frankamp, is etched in my brain. Also etched was Bill Self walking off the floor after that game. He was furious (presumably) with Wiggins and tearing into one of the assistant coaches. To be able to hear what he was saying would have been interesting. Doesn’t seem like Josh will pull that same kind of disappearing act. I like this years team a lot and think our bigs will start to produce once we start making it a priority to feed the post. Dok must keep moving forward and getting more and more minutes. His offense and rebounding already look the best of the bigs. His defensive footwork needs some time, but his shot blocking is looking decent. So far, Dok is giving more effort than the others. If he can keep progressing and improving his footwork and defense, we should be ready to dominate conference play.
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@drgnslayr Thanks for the very kind words from a greatly respected poster!
I just want no injuries, no cramps and few “nicks”…
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@SlickRockJayhawk I thought Wigs was somewhat timid until conf season then wondered at times if he might be protecting the merchandise. We’re seeing none of that at all from Josh. Heaven forbid this kid gets hurt cause IMHO he is the real alpha that we hear so many get tagged with.
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@SlickRockJayhawk said:
The announcers last night were comparing Josh to Wiggins, and like drgnslayr, I like Josh’s more all-around game much better than Wigs. Also the intangible, Josh seems much more aggressive and willing to be a court leader than Wigs ever did. In the loss to Stanford, that final play where Wigs backed away from taking the last shot and instead deferred to Frankamp, is etched in my brain. Also etched was Bill Self walking off the floor after that game. He was furious (presumably) with Wiggins and tearing into one of the assistant coaches. To be able to hear what he was saying would have been interesting. Doesn’t seem like Josh will pull that same kind of disappearing act. I like this years team a lot and think our bigs will start to produce once we start making it a priority to feed the post. Dok must keep moving forward and getting more and more minutes. His offense and rebounding already look the best of the bigs. His defensive footwork needs some time, but his shot blocking is looking decent. So far, Dok is giving more effort than the others. If he can keep progressing and improving his footwork and defense, we should be ready to dominate conference play.
It’s early but Josh just seems to have a couple of major things over Wiggs. First he has a much better feel for the game. He just seems to be able to process things on the court so quickly, a basketball savant more or less. Second he doesn’t have that Selden/Wiggs drift to his game. Loved both of those kids and their contributions to KU but it was obvious that they drifted. Selden in particular if he didn’t have a good start, you knew it was ghost mode Selden for the whole game.
I think this more than makes up for Wiggs having a better shot and perhaps a smidge more athleticism.
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The only thing that worries me at this point of the season is Landen Lucas playing like the 2nd half of last season never happened for him. And I think Carlton Bragg is a little behind what everyone thought he would be.
Can you imagine Andrew Wiggins on this team? Rather than 2013 with the only upper classmen being Nurse Tharpe?
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@BShark Various KU sites? You mean there are others beside this one?
Im kidding. But, I really dont read the posts from members at the other sites.
@Jesse-Newell wrote a really killer post about Josh Jackson.
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The only thing keeping this team from reaching its full potential, imo, is our bigs. Streaky free throws and trey shooting? yeah sure. But mainly, we dont have a low post presence.
Our guards, all 5 of them are playing like men. Frank, DG, JJ, SVI, Vick, all men among boys.
All 5 can run the point, all 5 can create for each other, all 5 have the potential for excellent scoring nights.
We cannot say that about any of our bigs.
Although, I have to give Mega props to Coleby right now. I mean he Showed up against Georgia. Without Coleby, we lose that game. I hope that Coleby has turned a corner, has seen the light go on. He played like a man last night even though he fouled out. Maybe he will be our starter by mid season, like Lando was for us last year.
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@BShark said:
I feel decent about Self getting the bigs to be serviceable. We are missing Danny though.
Oh man you are so right. We are absolutely missing Danny.
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@BShark Well, we look terrible…a lot. It doesn’t look like our front line has a clue. Never seen a Self team get beat on the boards like that. Which means when Bill gets it fixed, and he will, we will be simply on another level. Somewhere in the next 15 games, we’re going to become the best team in the country.
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@Eric-san LL is hobbled whether we like it or not & I wouldn’t be surprised
if he sits & the committee takes over after the holiday. Big men & bad wheels (feet) sometimes have a sad story ending. LL has worked his rear off for 5 years & he deserves better. He didn’t just start sandbagging overnight guys, he’s 
hurt plain & simple & there’s no way around it.
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@globaljaybird sure can’t tell by how he runs.
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@Crimsonorblue22 I agree - I don’t see anything wrong with his running stride either. I am not going to jump to any conclusions. His problem right now is he can’t stay in the game.
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@Lulufulu somebody asked coach about missing Danny working w/the bigs and he said we do the same drills. How’s wake doing w/bigs?
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@Crimsonorblue22 No idea. But I would have to guess that there is a talent deficiency about as wide between us and Wake as there is between Duke or Kentucky and us. Ya know what Im sayin?
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@Lulufulu said:
@BShark Various KU sites? You mean there are others beside this one?
Im kidding. But, I really dont read the posts from members at the other sites.
@Jesse-Newell wrote a really killer post about Josh Jackson.
This one is definitely my favourite now.
@Crimsonorblue22 said:
@Lulufulu somebody asked coach about missing Danny working w/the bigs and he said we do the same drills. How’s wake doing w/bigs?
The same drills can be done, but Danny may be the POST Whisperer. I’m not ruling it out.
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@BShark Embiid did ok
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Embiid is a transcendent talent but fair enough.
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@Eric-san It makes a heck of a lot more sense to hypothetically put Graham with the old Wiggins squad rather than Wiggins with the current group. But supposing that happens, who would get more minutes, Wiggins or Jackson?
Take a look at the clips in this Jessie Newell article, and I think the answer is clear: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article116605513.html
The prophesy is true.
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@betterfireE Jackson might foul out though. They are both fantastic players and great reps
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@Crimsonorblue22 He is not quick to position or jumping - no elevation at all. Could be knees, maybe a foot or ankle, just no damn hops. Anyone on this board that’s played will tell you, the knees take the ultimate beat down if you play the paint. Reason I mentioned the feet is prior reference to the boot, but something is amiss. If Bill thought Coleby could give him the ability to run set plays, set the right picks, & play the low post with the other 3 or 4 guys-guards, he’d be in there already. He’s not close to 100% either, but whatever the reason LL is likely soon to be removed from the rotation. Funky attitude, woman trouble, injury, whatever. He’s too damn young for a mid life crisis. Bill is loyal to his upperclassmen, but only for so long. JMO
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@globaljaybird he never had hops
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I rarely view this as a bad thing. KU fans care and know the game some. They recognize when the anticipated V-8 is misfiring some.
Their only problem is like most persons they expect each new team to be more like the last one than new teams ever are.
Fans, like players, also expect officiating to stay the same, and it changes and they take time to see its impacts clearly.
But I would be sad if they ever got to quiet. I like their energy and analyses.
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Some of the hot takes make me think of UK fans (Gabriel is Kevin Durant JR!!!).
I agree though, better to have passionate fans.
I feel this team was always going to have some growing pains, Selden and Perry were such big parts of the team. Josh may in fact save this team, but hopefully a couple of the post players get it together.
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@Crimsonorblue22 Read down the posts under Bigs thread & @Texas-Hawk-10 explanation of the adrenaline factor-He nails it PDG.
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@Crimsonorblue22 Dang it crims he will not ever have what Wigs or Josh has but he did avg some 8 or so reb last year & like jb said you don’t just wake up one day & forget how to play. Rebs is position, position is 80% footwork, footwork is wheels & there’s a flat spot on one of his & he can’t even get it in the parking spot. If it’s NOT a physical issue affecting his play, as bad as his body language is, it may be an intensely demoralizing personal issue. We’ve watched this guy grow up for 5 years now & clearly he is just not himself.
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@globaljaybird head case
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@Crimsonorblue22 People can be that way sometimes & if so lets hope it is easily overcome.
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I wouldn’t be shocked if it was a mental/confidence issue for LL. IIRC, it was around the time Self asked his players who they wanted to be the 5th starter, when LL really stepped up his game. Maybe he feels it’s just a matter of time before Dok takes over the starting job, and he’s worrying and thinking too much.
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@ParisHawk PHOF +
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@Crimsonorblue22 Norm’s no slouch…
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I like how Coleby competed the other night. He still can’t jump or move the way he used to. He was a fairly athletic guy at Ole Miss.
He’s got long arms, can rebound/box out and offered some rim protection at least the other night. That looked like the best option we had Tuesday and maybe going forward.
I respect Lucas for what he did for this team last year but until he turns it around I’d sit him and make him earn his position again. The fouls whether bogus or not are really hurting this team
