KU Finds Itself: Welcome to Bad Ball
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@wissoxfan83 I thought that Taylor lost his balance and then his leg hit Mason. Would like to see it again, but I thought Taylor losing his balance caused the contact…that’s why they didn’t call it.
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@Blown You are right about that. We would be raising cane about the non-call. But…there were lots of calls during the game that could have been called differently…both ways.
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@VailHawk Bingo! And they own the SEC network which means we get SEC ad nauseum during football season.
No one has talked much about this, but it’s an obvious conflict of interest. Think of how much influence ESPN has on the sports world. Handing out Top 10 plays, players, plays of the year, rankings, power rankings. Which teams they’ll write features on. SEC Storied, a regular show on ESPN, not on their own SEC network. I don’t see Big1G or Big12 storied. There’s no ACC Storied.
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@drgnslayr I feel your frustration about long ball offense, but I feel the problem is not about focusing on an inside game or outside game. We are just not a good offensive team, inside or out.
We have 3-4 good individual shooters on this team, but they cannot get looks on their own, they cannot catch and shoot good after moving in the offense, they aren’t good at making themselves available as an outlet on fastbreaks, we aren’t good at kicking the ball out drives, we aren’t good finishing drives to make a defense have to suck in just to be able to kick out, and the team can’t set a screen without fouling. They can only hit open looks. They are very deadly at open looks, but not if they have to doing anything but just stand there, get the ball, the shoot it with perfect timing and set feet. Contrast this to other good shooters that we’ve had, B-Mac, Mario, BRush, Sherron. These guys would miss if “too open”. B-Mac was deadly in the “elevator play”, but Greene would probably miss that shot 9 to of 10 times. We haven’t seen anyone knock down a shot on the “chop play” since Conner last year.
I contest the only way to get open looks is to have an inside game that has to be respected, to the point defenders sag off our perimeter guys. Selden got hot for a few games because his defenders were playing off, daring him to shoot. After a couple games they are right back on him, because they know he can’t finish even if he gets around them. And his 3% has gone back to crap.
Notice when we did hit a lot of 3s, all the scoring was perimeter and nothing down low. And notice now that the defenses are pushing our guys out, that Perry’s numbers have gone up. The opposing game plan is now to make Perry have to beat you, and force Oubre, Mason, and Wayne to drive. If we had a good 2 man game down low, then the perimeter open back up.
We just aren’t a good enough team (in many aspects) to get whatever shot we want. We have to take what they give us. I think Self wants our 3 point shooters unleashed, and right now, this late in the season, the only chance is if Perry remains a 20-30 point scorer and we win with that enough that opponents give us back our open 3’s. If Greene wants to make it rain from 3 land in the tourney, and go for 25 a game; then he better be the biggest cheerleader for Perry dropping 30/game from now through the end of the season.
This is a team game. Sometimes it’s not about doing more of your best thing, but minimizing what you’re the worst at. The best thing-shooting outside shots. The worst thing-running an offense (any offense) as a team.
Self is trying to build a better team.
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@jaybate-1.0 I don’t know jaybate, I think you’re being overly harsh, to make your point. We weren’t lucky to win this game. We gutted out an ugly game.
We out rebounded UT and had 10 (!) blocks… Without Cliff. That signifies a motivated from front court.
We were as hungry, in the Reb dept, as we’ve been in a while. Texas didn’t give us that. That, we earned.
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@KansasComet Was clearly a blatant traveling violation when Taylor Jukes his 360 deg out of control spin. Bilas really pissed me off with his crybaby rant. Needs to change his name to Bias
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@Blown Yes, my comments were directed to his commentary today. I know he has had a lot of good things to say about us in the past (when we’re not playing Kentucky or any ACC team…) but for some reason he was just getting under my skin today.
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@drgnslayr Taylor is a dang good ball player and I wish he had a Kansas uniform on - but - BUT - the dude plays out of control a L O T.
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@globaljaybird I agree. He spun and was in trouble and although some may have thought it looked a little like Frank checked him, to me it appeared Frank was backing up and trying to get out of his way. And just possibly the rec center refs figured they owed us one from the Stanton deal.
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@jaybate-1.0 We’ve all heard Self say that he believes that a team will play 1/3 good games, 1/3 mediocre game, and 1/3 bad games. We also know that shooters get hot and also have slumps. We witnessed Self experimenting with Greene trying to manage hot shooting games when we need it and letting him slump in games that we didn’t need his shot.
It appears that Self is perhaps trying to manage the team so as to has them get their mediocre and bad games out of the way, so that the good games are left for the tourney.
Not letting them get full of themselves. Constantly throwing “new stuff” at them. Managing slumps. Not relying on any one player. Lowering expectations.
Maybe all of this is to be able to ease off the pressure later, give them all the wrinkles, and let them come out in the tourney loose, comfortable about anything that can be thrown at them, and with nothing to lose.
Interesting!
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@jaybate-1.0 I’ll try and keep this brief. I agree to some extent with you, but I tend to believe this whole season performance was planned by HCBS. I mean let’s face it, the whole country had given up on KU getting #11 and was ready to anoint Texas as the successor or possibly ISU. But all along HCBS knew what he had and that this team was capable of making a farce of the psuedo-Big 12 championship race and embarrass a whole bunch of college bb analysts. So, rather than risk adding unknown numbers to the unemployment rolls, including RB, HCBS has kept his cards to his chest, knowing he has a royal flush, and is bluffing his way through this season just to keep national interest up in the psuedo-Big 12 race. That’s my 2 cents worth.
@globaljaybird @Crimsonorblue22 After we beat WVU Tues night, and we will beat them because (1) AFH and (2) @Crimsonorblue22 will be there, I may, just maybe, wipe out the rest of the Crown 75th.
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Solid post.
Ultimately… we need a few more guys that can create their own shot. We rely too much on “team ball”… meaning… the “don’t let the ball stick” passing. It is a great thing when it works. But quick passing alone isn’t the answer either.
At some point you need guys that can create.
Texas lived today on Taylor creating. It was almost enough to give them a victory. Without Taylor… they were toast.
Perry is our guy who creates for himself. His recent uptick has been tremendous.
Sometimes… Frank can create.
Rarely… Wayne can create.
Brannen… he’s a bird perched on the 3 line waiting to receive the ball when he is wide open.
I will take Bill Self out to dinner at the best steak house in America if I ever see one of our guys pull the ultimate shot fake. Just one time!
The news isn’t all negative.
Perry is doing better. So is Kelly. He is starting to take matters into his own hands. Great… we need another guy to do that.
But is there time to reformulate an offense this late in the season? I think it is tough for this team to build an identity now.
It looks like we are in for mostly grind games from here on out, unless we get a few pushover teams to play.
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@nuleafjhawk ha ha!
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@nuleafjhawk nothing new!
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@nuleafjhawk you know he had a good game in Texas too, but they still lost. Team game!
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@drgnslayr Agree, but the ones who create have to learn to create for others as well.
I don’t think this team reads defenses very well at all. Frank can blow by almost anyone guarding him, but before he goes, he needs to have an idea of what to do and thus direct teammates to where they need to be to take advantage of his drive. He needs to set up an outlet on the perimeter, a easy score for someone down low, and for someone to be in position for a rebound if he does take the shot himself. I know I always go back the 08 team for examples, but they were the best at running this offense. If they didn’t get the look they wanted after about 20 seconds one of the guards would call for the ball back out to the key, they would motion the guy into certain positions and then take off to the basket and somebody would get a good look. Jackson and Kahn were very effective 5’s because they went to where the other could create for them. I believe you could put Landen on that 08 team as a starter and he would average 10ppg just for being where RussRob and Mario told him to be.
When this team passes the ball around, not letting it stick, it seems they are just going through the motions, instead of passing and probing with purpose to move the defense. How many times in the past have we seen the ball get reversed with no good looks, and they would all move about 5 feet to one side, do it again, and that time have a good angle for one of the bigs to seal and get a good shot; or (if the defense overplayed) reverse and have an open perimeter shot.
The key missing ingredient for this team is no floor general, no coach on the floor.
I’m with you on the shot fake thing!!! I’m so disappointed about the Conner thing, because in the early season camps and scrimmages, he was the only one who would use them. Every game he would get the ball kicked out to him, pump fake, take one dribble to his left and bury a 3, while the defender was about 3 row deep after jumping at him. He got a few layups and mid-range jumper that way too. That whole thing is just sad.
All that said, this whole thing can click in their minds at anytime, maybe this season! And when it does, look out!!
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@jaybate-1.0 And bad ball might just get us to the elite 8 if the deck is stacked right.
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@jaybate-1.0 The NCAA should do a draft like the NBA does. No more nike stacked teams with 10 mcd’s AA’s
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It was a hard fought game.
We won a must win game.
We protected.
Perry got 28 on 21 FGAs and double digit boards.
Kelly went 15/9…
The Frank played through what seemed two bad injuries.
Heroic effort.
And textbook ugly.
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It might work.
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@drgnslayr Graham can create his own shot off the dribble. He has a pretty nice mid range game.
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It seems like the ball is sticky as of late. And while Frank is a tough sob, his decisions are regressing to shoot first past second. He needs to grasp that he can lead as a facilitator and doesn’t have to lead as a scorer.
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“Agree, but the ones who create have to learn to create for others as well.”
Spot on!
Once again, great post and vision of what is missing.
The leadership you mention is down the road in Wichita. VanVleet is a heck of a PG. There just aren’t many PGs like him around.
Correct. But in defense of Frank… he was never been a PG until coming to Kansas. He’s had to learn the spot, learn to translate his game to D1 and learn the Self system. I give him a lot of credit. Next year, Graham may be a better pick for someone to facilitate. Maybe slide Frank over more into the 2 (where he belongs) and just let him be a backup PG.
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@Lulufulu but If drafts were held kids would have no choice in their colleges. That wouldn’t be fair.
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Taylor was out of control. Frank was in control and going backwards. Frank reached in at the ball around the key, but once Taylor started his drive Frank actually played it right for a change. Maybe he learned his lesson after WVU and Staten.
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@jaybate-1.0 “If beauty walks a razor’s edge, Bad Ball treads a laser beam.” My O My, jb, you have climbed to the very pinnacle of Buckets postings! “Playing terrible is the new good.” Nice.
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BEWARE, Those Who Enter. Fear BAD BALL!
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You are right @Blown. @Lulufulu and I are old and running out of time, and so we were at a philosophically weak moment, because of the outrageous asymmetries of talent distribution. I cannot speak for Lulu, but I repent. We have to better understand the mechanisms of the asymmetries before we try to fix them.
Is it Big Shoe, Big Agent, Cal’s “dribble drive”, or Coach K’s ongoing claims to be graduating players, while coaching a roster full of OADs that are driving this?
Or are we just caught in a mid stream transition to 10 man roster OAD ball?
Thanks for giving the old guys a gentle nudge.
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@Blown Yeah, thats true. Didnt think about that part. I would want to go where ever I wanted if I was a 5 star recruit too. But, there has to be some sort of limitations set. If we see 2 teams with 10 5 star recruits again next season, it just wont be good for the game, at all.
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I agree with your sentiments, too about the uneven distribution of talents. In fact, I don’t know if my opinion of the game is changing because I am aging, or if I am really just becoming quite bitter with the way it has been Incorporated, for lack of a better term.
My love of basketball goes back as far as I can recall being able to walk and run. It was the game I could play, even alone, regardless of financial limitations. I could get better at it alone, or with a team. I didn’t have to have certain shoes, or a uniform. I could play because of my ‘God-given’ talents and my desire to out run and jump the person in front of me.
The game has changed. There is too much money on the line now. The game is officiated differently, now. Style points are more important than team work. One and Done is more important than collecting and developing talent over a period of time. Even at the risk of Jeopardizing seasons…ie…the Big Red Dog.
The NBA is a poor product in my opinion, but Kids are growing up wanting to be like them because of the Celebrity Factor. When I grew up wanting to be like Mike, or Larry, or Adonis Jordan it was purely because of the way they played the game. Jordan’s competitiveness. Birds Fire. Hell, I don’t really know why I loved Adonis, probably just his name and that he shot a high % from 3. I never cared about those guys being millionaires. But that is the change I’m seeing in today’s game. SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!
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@Blown nice!
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@Blown I keep wondering about cliffs dad, as well as other parents of these presumable OAD’s. Just wondering… Wigs has a great head on his shoulders and I think his parents were-are a great influence on him. A great burden on our coaching staff to lead these kids where they need to go from here. Just some thoughts.
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@Crimsonorblue22 I manage complex multimillion dollar losses and settlements. Have done it my entire career. I witness what money does to behavior on a daily basis. Its sad, even the “goodguys” have their flaws revealed through money and greed.
