Winning Big with Iron Pyrite, Designer Efficiency, and the Committee of the 5, While Re-Learning Cupcakes Are a Terrible Thing to Waste a Hot Night On
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I only watched about 10 - 15minutes of the Texas vs Washington game. But Shaka was running Some zone defense that didn’t have many gimmicks…fouls had been significant.
If he runs that against KU we could absolutely light up the score board both from the perimeter and by spreading the court and working the hi-low or dribble drive…
When texas made their run on offense he used tempo to speed up the pace, and they had several coast to coast drives to the lane that put them on the line. He also spread the court from the half court set and let Taylor and Felix drive the lane.
Ibeh fouled out fairly early in the second half. Ridley had his moments, but I felt for the guy…his tail was dragging.
The rest breaks he took while playing zone defense saved his bacon …not sure he could play up tempo offense, half court press defense in the back court on the inbound and man-to -man in the half court set.
But by the time we play him he’ll probably be in the best shape of his life.
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And while I despise Mushberger and Fran can rub me the wrong way when play ISU or Oklahoma…thank goodness we don’t have to listen to Bill Walton every nite. That was torture!
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@SoftballDad2011 I always felt Walton hated KU!
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I think Walton is very intelligent and that he certainly knows the game. But his vocal tone, extreme west coast bias and spontaneous digression toward completely random thoughts are too much for me.
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@jaybate-1.0 Makes me thing we have an advantage over MSU this early in the season. KU is so so deep and talented this season. KU should win on tuesday but they wont drop a century on MSU. It’ll be a test of each teams’ meddle and a game of attrition. Close game of attrition if KU can’t can the trey at their normal stellar levels or rebound against a bigger team.
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I actually think he might do pretty well in time, if the alumni don’t turn on him hoping for a Billy Bob, or a Darrell, or a Deke, that is more marketable in the great state of Tayhoss.
Shaka’s problem is not that he is named Shaka. His problem is that he is from Madison, WI and Kenyon College, and not really the ethnic Southerner the Billy Bobs and Darrells and Dekes think they are getting from Clemson, Florida and Virginia Common Wealth.
When the Texans discover that the mothership university of their great state of Tayhorse is a northerner, well, there is going to be a period of learning to live together, isn’t there.
When Shaka was an assistant at Clemson and Florida, he could have been from Pluto for all the fans cared.
And when he was a head coach at VCU, well, VCU basketball is not really a product critically important to the state at large. Wisconsinite Tony Bennett bears that cross right now in Virginia coaching the Cavs and he is doing pretty darned well there. So: it can be done by a northerner in the South. Heck, Dean Smith proved it long ago. But there is a distinct cultural difference between Tony Bennett and the Deaner, vs. Shaka, and again it has nothing to do with ethnicity, or names. It has to do with real culture–where you grew up.
Tony was raised in Clintonsville and Green Bay and Stevens Point Wisconsin. Dean in Emporia.
Shaka was raised in Mad Town.
Tony went to UW-Green Bay.
Shaka went to Kenyon.
Um, Tony is much closer culturally to Virginia end to end than Shaka was to Virginia, or Shaka is to Texas end to end.
As I said this difference didn’t matter much at VCU, because the entire state’s self esteem does not hinge on what VCU does, the way Texas esteem hinges on UT. Texans want to see themselves in their head coaches at Texas as surely as Kansans want to see themselves in their head coaches at Kansas. This is serious business at both places, Texas and Kansas. Both schools constitute the 900 pound political economic gorillas in each of their states.
Rick Barnes, even though he never got to the promised land, was a guy Texans could see themselves through and identify with, as surely as Kansans can see themselves in Bill Self and identify with him. It doesn’t make any difference what part of the state of Kansas Kansans come from, even Kansans that detest KU, Kansans of all sizes, shapes, colors, and ethnicities get the Edmond Kid. They understand what the mannerisms are and what the ticks and vernaculars are. They look in his eyes and they see someone who has seen the world through the midwestern lens, regardless who his parents were and what side of the tracks he lived on. The Edmond Kid is an Okie, and there are some differences of dialect alright, but Kansans and Okies can understand each other. They both get the oil and gas. They both get the wheat and airplanes. They both get Big Ag. They both get east west differences within their states. They get the grain elevators in the west and the crisp but not overwhelming skylines of a few cities from the center to the east. They get each others jokes. Their populist uprisings coincided as did their Main Street politics. There are differences over football, but the differences are tolerable, because they both love their hoops. And its humid as hell in both places.
Shaka sooner or later has to be a guy Texans can look in the eyes of and see a guy they understand–a guy living their myth, not someone else’s.
It is not impossible for Shaka to be understood. I knew several grad students born and raised in mid sized Wisconsin towns that went to Austin and taught at UT and made it their homes and were accepted finally. Some even flourished. Texas is as eclectic a culture as there is in USA these last 20 years. Texans acccept outsiders easily, if they bring the Texas vision to the table. It is a virtue of theirs. But they have to be able to find something in the immigrants eyes that says this immigrant has got the stuff of a Texan, the ambition of a Texan, the desire to do something different and exceptional as a Texan. They don’t want a Californian that wants to be a Californian in Texas. They don’t even want Texans that don’t want to be Texans.
Shaka doesn’t have to make them love him. He has to make them see a Texan in the making–a potential fellow Texan. They don’t love Michael Dell. They respect him as one who did what a Texan ought to do. They never loved Darrell Royal really. They respected that Okie Darrell did what a Texan ought to do in football. For doing it they paid him their highest honor. The hung his name on the stadium. And so made him the Texas equivalent of a Saint.
They finally lost faith in Rick Barnes, because Southern though he was, he just finally lost his Texas sized ambition to land a Durant and put it to KU and win a ring.
Down at TTech, or TAM, or Baylor, it doesn’t matter so much what they see in your eyes, because the prestige and self esteem of Texas are not riding on those schools. Only pieces of such things are riding on those schools. But at Texas, well, Texans may laugh and be boisterously irreverent about the problems of Texas football, or basketball, but underneath there is a high seriousness about that school and its role in carrying Texas’ heritage that cannot be underestimated. The oil men didn’t endow it with oil reserves to exceed Harvard just for the hell of it once upon a time. The eyes of Texas really are upon it.
I like to see most persons succeed. The only ones that I don’t like to see succeed are jerks. Shaka I don’t view as a jerk, so much as an ambitious bright kid from Madison trying to make it in the greatest game ever invented. Ambition is good in Texas, if it comes in a flavor that Texans like the taste of. Shaka might make it, but not if he can’t win some conference titles of the kind he didn’t win at modest VCU.
He is a long shot and I sure as hell don’t want him succeeding at our expense.
But he has a slim chance.
I have my bones to pick with Texas.
But on the whole I like Texans that want to act like Texans and do the great things Texans aspire to do.
I love some of their boats and boat builders.
I like that they keep my car running and lubricated.
But I can do without the beedy eyed ones that just want to score another trillion by knocking over another tin pot dictator the CIA installed for them 20 years before so they can step in and form the Trade Bank of Whererever and secure loans from their friends made to the new gubmint at exorbitant interest rates collateralized by that oil under whereever.
Y’all see what I’m sayin’?
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KU is deep.
But the jury is still out for me on how talented we are.
I just don’t see a team rotating Landen Lucas, Jamari Traylor and Hunter Mickelson as fielding an elite caliber of talent in the paint.
We remain in my eyes a team with a lot of guns on the perimeter with a coach that doesn’t much like playing through a lot of guns on the perimeter that has more experience than it did last year and so far is healthier than last year.
Good health could prove to be the most important recruit from this off season.
And I am bullish on Bragg, too, I just think he is going to have be brought along pretty slowly to keep him from being badly injured.
Sending Bragg out for 30 minutes, maybe even 20 minutes is kind of like sending Cole Aldrich out against MSU that first season that Cole started. Starting Cole against MSU was like asking Tom Izzo to have one of his mugs punch Cole’s nose out the back of his head. There are just some head coaches that you don’t tempt with a freshman, or a newbie to starting, early in the season.
Self had no choice but to start Cole against MSU that first season Cole started.
But he has a choice with Bragg this season and I believe he will expose Bragg to Tom Izzo only 10-15 minutes at most. If I were Self I would actually think about not allowing Bragg to play at all against MSU. People really don’t appreciate how ruthless Tom Izzo is. Gregg Marshall aspires to be as ruthless as Tom Izzo; that’s how ruthless Tom Izzo is.
You put a slender, gifted freshman that is not cut from the intimidator’s cloth to begin with out on a floor to try to beat Izzo, or Marsha, and you will soon have a freshman unable to breath through his nose.
Playing a gentle freshman against Izzo is like sticking you chin out at Muhammad Ali and closing your eyes. He’s going to hit you there and hurt you. And you aren’t going to get up for awhile. And when you do you are going to wish you had not stuck your chin out and closed your eyes.
I hope Bragg doesn’t play at all. He is too potentially good to expose to an almost certain punking by MSU. Protecting him one game won’t appreciably delay his development. He needs several games at D1 speeds and levels of violence against lesser teams to get ready before he is ready to go up against Izzo Ball.
If he does play, he is talented enough that he will come in and make some plays once things slow down for him against MSU, and then making those plays will lead to the punking.
This is one time I would advise: just say no to the temptation, Bill.
Bill, you know you are not going to be able to help getting into a grinder with Tom.
He tweaks your manhood every time you play him, and no matter what kind of talent you have and no matter what kind of strategy would work better, you always get in to a test of basketball macho with him, because he remains the only guy that can beat you when he has less talent than you. He has your number, Bill, and pushes your buttons. So: you are going to go in and its going to default into a grinder if you are able to keep it anywhere near close. And when you bring Bragg in, he is going to punk him just as part of pushing your buttons.
Play knock down drag out if you must, Bill.
But don’t let him injure Bragg for the first half of the season; that would be really stupid.
Be smart, Bill. Don’t throw Bragg to the dogs before he is ready.
This isn’t some normal college coach with a conscience.
This is Ratso Izzo with your number.
If you want to be macho with Ratso, do it with all your other battle hardened types.
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@jaybate-1.0 Yeah, I agree with our front court lacking in the talent department and the need to protect Bragg. But, would playing him against MSU be any different than the punishment he took in Korea against older and bigger players and him with an operable nose? Bragg is tough. I think Coach Self plays him but limits his minutes like you say to around 15ish.
We have Izzos ## too. So far in the Champions classic I believe we are 3-0 against them or maybe 2-1.
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@Lulufulu This will only be the 2nd time we have played them in the Champions classic. They won last time and also beat us in the sweet 16 in 2009.
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@jaybate-1.0 A team rotating Lucas, Traylor and Mickelson will not be elite in the paint. You are correct.
Self needs to end this three plus season Traylor charade and simply give the rotation spot to Mickelson. A three man post rotation of Ellis, Mickelson, and Bragg. Share 70 minutes between the three. And give the balance to Lucas or Traylor. That can be elite. That can play to the level we need for a national championship. That can allow us to reach our ceiling. The Lucas/Traylor signings have been an utter failures to this point, in light of the post talent available on the recruiting trail, and Self’s reliance on the tandem continues to hamstring us.
Traylor does not look better than last season. Look at his first three games. Much of the same. Then look at the WUG. The same (or worse). There is no trend changers. There was no injury holding him back this summer or last season, at least no more than stuff every player and team deals with.
And don’t be fooled by anomalies – In our first game last season vs. UCSB, Traylor had a season high 10 rebounds, then 7 rebounds against UK. He began the season on fire on the boards last season. We know where it ended. In a two game stretch against Utah and Lafayette, he scored 11 and 13 points, and had 7 rebounds against Lafayette. These are outliers, my friends.
The first three games, two of them exhibitions, have shown us that Traylor is the same player. He’s still out of position on the boards, still not blocking out, he has no new offensive “move” – he has the same stuff as last season.
The key here is to watch as the games accrue. If we have 16-18 minutes, 2-3 rebounds, 5 points, and no discernible game changing on defense, this is the same guy. Unfortunately, until we get 8-10 games under our belts, it will be hard to tell.
Mickelson hustles just as much as Traylor supposedly does, and plays just as hard as Traylor supposedly does, and with just as much supposed energy.
When asked why Traylor plays so much despite not rebounding and scoring, Self said “just energy.” That’s pretty telling. But when you see Ellis, Bragg, and Mickelson, it’s obvious the energy thing is a myth – meaning, those three guys play hard. Just as hard as Traylor.
The only way Traylor makes a net positive impact on this team is if he suddenly changes – as three seasons, the WUG, and three games thus far have been a net negative. But we should not have to cross our collective fingers.
Mickelson offers more to this team over the course of a full season. And I don’t think it’s close.
And I think at this stage already, there is still no one that would take me up on my challenge – would you rather have Traylor for the rest the season, or Bragg? No one has piped up and said Traylor.
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@HighEliteMajor I still dont understand why Traylor is starting and not Mickelson. We are going to need his length and rebounding and shot blocking against MSU.
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@jaybate-1.0 Im with you 100% (as usual) Jamari is a Jayhawk, and we all know he will see a decent amount of court time this year unless he is injured or goes into a serious downward turn. He has put his time in to the program, bought into Self’s vision, he has worked hard, so all i can do is root hard for him, loudly applaud his good moments, and try and hope his shortcomings are outweighed by them. I feel that way about Hunter and Lucas as well. Why spend a lot of mental negative energy on constantly bemoaning why we didnt get so-and- so bigs instead of who we have now, and how theoretically that would make us a more viable ncaa champion? These are our guys, and Self is our couch, and i am thrilled that the season is upon us
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The heart of what apparently drives you crazy. Jamari. From jesse Newell’s 11-12-15 cjonline article:
"Self’s favorite play from last season isn’t a game-winning shot; instead, it’s a hustle play from Jamari Traylor where he rose quickly from the baseline after taking a spill against Texas, sprinted to midcourt and snagged a loose ball.
“The best play I’ve seen since I’ve been at Kansas,” Self said afterward."
Think about that for a minute. Certainly no reason to think Self is being hyperbolic. He truly MEANS that. And He has certainly seen some great performances , individual plays, and awe-inspiring moments in his time here.
So if im reading your arguments right, (a big if !) Self is to blame, not Jamari. What Self values in a player and what he values as a philosophy of how the sport should be approached is embodied in large part by a guy like Jamari. And we can also assume His recent statement of “by junior year, you either get it or you don’t” means that to Self, Jamari “gets it”, otherwise he would have told Jamari a good while ago that he may want to transfer because his playing time will dissappear. You have often pointed out your critisicms of Self’s strategic game style philosophy of hi- low, fool’s gold, etc, which is the kind of discourse that makes fan sites like this thrive, (it doubtlessly happens everywhere where you have passionate fans) but now you can add Self’s notion of what he values Very highly in an athlete’s approach to how to play the game to your list of critisicms. Self is who you are angry with, not Jamari.
("Anger"may not be the right word here, but sometimes it kinda feels like you are. There is a sense (by me at least) that your jamari posts and comments are laced lately with a vindictiveness )
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@HighEliteMajor can certainly defend himself, but I will say that if he is criticizing anyone I think it is Self. Traylor is not choosing to play less well than Mickelson, but Self is choosing to play Traylor when he could be playing Mickelson.
By the way, Self would never tell Traylor or Lucas to transfer because they have redshirted, so transferring would mean losing a year of eligibility. Self has never forced the transfer of a former redshirt.
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@wissoxfan83 The use of “thug-ball” is a long-standing slightly pejorative descriptor of Tom Izzo’s style of ball. Because his teams have played that way for over a decade and a half, and also because the Big10 is generally more physical, and their refs allow more than in other conferences…the nickname has stuck around despite Izzo’s entire roster changing multiple times over the last 15 years, …SO, the word “thug” is not being directed at any 1 player, thus no offense need be taken.
For example, many people have said very similar of Huggins’ style (“Huggo-Muggo”), equating it also with thug ball, as you get “mugged” on the way to the basket…
I think its all hilarious. Of course I had a KY fan lamenting that Self’s KU teams are NO different. I have no problem with KU teams being “tougher” than we were under Roy. We are not pushovers…unless we show up without our defensive intensity…
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@jaybate-1.0 Oh, I wouldn’t worry about our guys’ shooting. Maybe having BGreene, Devonte, Frank, and Svi…and having to face HoibergBall…has taught Self that the 3ball could be in HIS hip pocket this season, instead of our opponents.
The other thing to have faith in: BGreene and Svi, both have a “closet full of balls”, that old expression meaning that nothing will stop them from shooting it.
4 HUGE factors in Self’s favor:
- 2 A-rated guards, experienced.
- An effin PLATOON of BIGS, most of whom experienced, and the frosh 6’9 McDAA is gifted enough to start for most Div1 teams.
- A whole six-gun full of shooters. (Frank, Devonte, Svi, BG, Selden, Perry) --> there will be 3 such shooters on the floor at all times. That is a helluva way to spread the floor. Fred Hoiberg would be smiling…or left the BigXII in envy…
- Depth + experience. That ultimate combination finally is here…the stars have aligned!
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Depth + experience.
This gets back to jaybate’s question about comparing this team to 2008.
This year’s team may have as much talent and experience as the NC team, but spread among more players.
That means less talent on the floor at any one time, and less “net” talent if some folks never leave the bench during serious minutes.
That is why jaybate asked to compare the top 7 players only.
Do you really think this year’s 9th man will play a significant role during games this season?
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I never worry about shooting, dear @Ralster.
I instead “grow aware in a probabilistic sense” about the timing of it causing shoot backs to average to occur against good teams, like, say, MSU.
We might shoot quite well against MSU. These hot streaks, like slumps, often come in runs.
But over the course of a season, have enough hot shooting games against cup cakes and it guarantees you will have cold shooting ones against an equivalent number of very good teams.
Most things average out over the course of a season, unless you cut short the activity BEFORE the averaging out occurs, as Self did, when he opted out of the long ball from January on, after the long hot run the first third, or half, of the season.
Its just the law of averages and the clanking closed of the cell door on long ball accuracy a la “Law and Order” that concerns me.
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“ISU barely beats Colorado - ISU might not be a contender in the conference?”
Perhaps the B12 is overrated again!?
My guess… yes… it is overrated again. It is Kansas, and then a giant step down.
The other teams deserve more credit AFTER they prove themselves.
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I don’'t think so. ISU might not contend for the title but it will be up there, so will OU and WV and Baylor and Texas, Most conferences have a few good teams and a bunch of also runs, the Big 2 has bunch of good teams and a few also runs.
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I’m just playing “wait and see” with the rest of the B12. I hope we can be a Final Four team this year… and it would be great if another B12 made it, too.
It is too early to tell on these teams… but I just don’t see Texas or ISU being a deep run team in March, for many reasons, one being they’re adapting to new coaches.
OU… just don’t see it. I have a lot of respect for Lon… but I’m doubtful they will have enough pieces to contend.
WVU… good, and possibly the sleeper team. Huggy Bear is the real deal.
Baylor… Baylor? Drew just can’t seem to maximize the play out of all that talent.
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Give me some more Iron Pyrite!
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Well, this game is in Chicago, Jamari’s town. Barring pregame injury he will start. And he will glean major minutes until or unless he plays his way to the bench. In my humble opinion, Mickelson has not yet quite showed up in practices with the intensity and determination to snatch the brass ring. Ergo, Lucas getting so many minutes to prove himself. If Mickelson turns the corner, decides that he is tough enough to shove Traylor and Lucas and Self aside, he can be the guy to usher us into league play at the five position. He’s just not yet determined or tough enough to stomp on Bill Self’s toes.
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@Bosthawk Really, I think some folks that support Self’s decision to start and play Traylor big minutes read into my comments exactly what you’ve said. The reason, I believe, is that they have no rational evidence to support Traylor’s minutes – at least not evidence that can be exhibited by performance or statistics. I never see that.
Your approach seeks to discredit my opinion by describing some cryptic agenda, or some irrational “feeling”.
If there is anything I am not, it is a “feeling” guy. We could call Traylor “player A” for all I care. This is business – winning a national championship. If a player helps us do that, I’d like them to play. If I see them as a roadblock to that, then I would prefer they not play (or not play as much).
So far, there is NO EVIDENCE that Traylor, as a 15-20+ mpg guy will help us to win a national title. He has too great of a role, in my opinion.
Jamari may “get it.” You may “get it.” Neither makes either of you worthy of playing 15-20+ minutes per game at Kansas. In 2011-12, Traylor would have been worthy. Why? Look at our next best option.
Right now, look at Mickelson and Bragg. Is there anyone that would rather have Traylor moving forward than either of these two? I’ve never seen that argument.
And I hope you can see how Traylor making the “best play” ever has nothing to do with his merits over the long haul, or over a season.
I do wonder if those that see that play saw him jogging lazily down the court behind plays last Friday? Was he sprinting to perhaps get the ball if the break broke down? I just ask the questions.
My beef is with Self on this. But I caution that the season is young. Traylor’s role now may not be Traylor’s role later. The best evidence we have on Self’s view of Traylor came from the WUGs.
Traylor’s baseline performance is my issue regarding his minutes. His average performance is below average. He’ll have some peaks – EKU, etc. Times where, like most players who might be cast in that role, he might win us a game. But his average performance, as evidenced by the last three seasons, is not worthy of 15 -20+ mpg at Kansas.
It was quite odd, but I didn’t see Traylor take over the game against WSU and lead us to a victory. Nor did I see him save us vs. Stanford.
Here’s Traylor’s line vs. WSU - 17 minutes, 2/5 shooting, 5 rebounds, 4 points.
Here’s Traylor’s line vs. Stanford - 25 minutes, 1/8 shooting, 5 rebounds, 3 points.
Against Stanford, the excuse for our loss by some was “missing bunnies” – the total answer was deeper than that. But Traylor was the missed bunny king that game. He could not function against the big guys of Stanford.
This is, in part, my issue with Traylor. He doesn’t bring a good counterweight to Ellis. I see Mickelson as taller, longer, and more diverse near the basket. We could only speculate on this to a large degree until we saw Mickelson at the WUGs. Traylor still has very little skill around the hoop. Mickelson is a rim protector, as well. He seems a good compliment to both Ellis and Bragg. And would be better down low in the high/low offense. Further, since Traylor really only functions “high” in the high low, how can his minutes be justified against a talent like Bragg in that spot?
Self may like him. But I think Self is jeopardizing our chances at winning a national championship IF he relies upon Traylor at 15-20+ mpg. Of all of the lineup decisions right now, of all of the offense and defensive sets, of all of the substitutions I’ve seen in the first 3 games, this is my only issue right now.
We’ll see how it plays out.
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@drgnslayr “Drew just can’t seem to maximize the play out of…” Gentle wording! I can’t seem to move beyond seeing that hapless guy as the embodiment of a goofball kid stomping up a dust storm on the sidelines.
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@HighEliteMajor You are correct. The problem is Coach Self doesn’t have to ask you or anyone else on this board if its ok to play Traylor lol. I really wish Mickelson or Bragg would play next to Ellis period end of story and Traylor should be in only to rest Ellis and only if Bragg is sitting on 2 fouls before the half or 4 in the first of the 2nd half. He should be the 4th big period.
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@jaybate-1.0 Law and Order? Hell, strapped to Self’s right hip is one of those deadly shotgun pistols labeled THE JUDGE!
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@Statmachine Exactly, and the 4th big can have a fairly sizeable role. In fact, there may be games where Mickelson might be difficult to have in a game, such as ISU. No different than Withey was sometimes. If a big is really mobile and plays out to the three point line, that can be where Traylor is more effective. Traylor can switch on the perimeter and cover a smaller guy.
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@JayHawkFanToo Got nothing for you there
