I'm feeling Reality
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Guys, rather we approve of it, like it, or want it, bottom line is, I’m beginning to think that’s this season our 5 spot will not be settled type of situation, Bulk, quickness, whatever the scenario. I can’t say whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing for 100% sure, it’s not the ideal situation, at least for me, but then again I’m not the coach either, obviously the man is doing something right or else his record wouldn’t be what it is, we wouldn’t have won 11 straight conference championships, it’s not his job to keep ALL fans happy, what is his job is to win, and WIN he has. The one thing about so many bodies at the 5 is when the guys go in they can play aggressive we have ALOT of fouls to give, I would love to see more of Cheick, but he is just behind he will be there that’s for sure AT SOME POINT this season and that’s a nice thing to know, to have him and traylor bring energy lots of energy that’s for sure obviously Cheick more athletic but just raw. So I guess whether we like it or not we might as well settle in and go along for the ride, take it for what it is, I just don’t think things are going to change, well not for some time anyways it’s going to be a committee spot. I’m sure in an ideal role Coach would love to settle on 1 taking over the 5 but if no one stands out over the others, then how is he gonna make that decision? Hope it gets settled but if it doesn’t- - we continue to win, play the situational 5 then so be it. I’ve said as far as point production, we don’t need a lot from the 5, we get 9-10 pts a game out of that spot then ok, we have scorers what we need out of the 5 is rim protection, rebounding, some defense and little scoring fine the more scoring great, but NOT a necessity . ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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@jayballer54 In football they say if you have a dual QB system you do not have a QB in Reality.
I believe in our situation this year at the 5 spot we do not have a starting center. But we can start different guys depending on what we are going up against.
Big and long teams Licas and Hunter give us our best bet.
Quick and skinny teams Traylor gives us the best bet on D until Brsgg and Diaalo learn to switch and talk on D.
Offensively Diallo probably gives us our best scoring option. But offense only gets you to championships. Defense wins it. He’s a liability on D as much as Traylor can be on offense, limited but serviceable.
With these 5 we can keep the energy level high. Legs fresh. Can throw different wrinkles in our offense for each one of them.
Oh and if all else fails for these guys we’ve got 24 fouls to give before we lose all of them.
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I don’t know that Cheick is as much a liability on D as you may believe. I think his issues are with PT right now. Defense is a group effort, and right now the guys are not as used to him being back there as they are with others. He’s already blocked the third most shots on the team, and he missed five games. In not even 11 minutes a game, he’s averaging 3 rebounds. That’s pretty solid. And we already know about his athleticism.
This is why I would rather see Cheick having gotten more PT this month, as opposed to trying to get everyone time. The priority should have been getting Cheick and Bragg time both with Ellis and also together, because some combination of those three are part of the ultimate “best five” that we can have. We need our best five to win a title. Right now, I believe that group to be Diallo-Ellis-Selden-Greene-Mason. Unfortunately, that group hasn’t played more than probably 50 or 60 total game minutes together, if that.
That’s the group I would want to lean on if things got dicey against a good team.
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@justanotherfan I hear what you are saying but there was a glaring play towards the end of the first half that Diallo and Bragg both defended a guy on the block as everyone else rotated to cover the other post player for UCI was wide open at the top of the key. Even once the ball went to him neither Diallo of Bragg even attempted to close out on him.
He nailed a three.
Team D isn’t possible of one or two guys aren’t moving the way they are supposed to. The guards did what they were supossed to do on the double team. The covered the wings out along the 3pt line. Once the ball comes out of the double one of those bugs has to rotate up and at least attempt to close out.
To me that is the definition of a liability on D.
If they are doing that in practice and Self and staff are seeing that happen it would explain why they aren’t getting the minutes that everyone is wanting to see.
If they get it sooner than later then they will play more mins sooner than later.
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I saw that play. The question I had on that play was if there was a scouting report mistake or if they were okay letting him shoot that shot. Coming into the game, that guy was 1-8 on the season from three. Not exactly a guy I’m rushing to close out on. He was 2-2 last night, but I am curious what the KU scouting report said on him.
Still, your point is well taken that Diallo and Bragg haven’t yet demonstrated good team defense. But that is why you play them in December, to work out kinks like that. It’s conference season now, and we all know that Self will not want to work things out and put the streak in jeopardy, so it’s likely that Diallo and Bragg will get pulled and we will enter March with a very unsettled frontline.
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@justanotherfan I hear you, but at crunch time, Graham will be in there instead of Greene. I guess for now it will be either Mickelson, Traylor, or Lucas in the 5th spot at crunch time …whomever is playing well at the time in Coach’s opinion
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@JRyman Of course, there was the time when Bragg did close out nicely as well. And as @justanotherfan said, I doubt contesting that three would have been a priority at that point in the game. I would have wanted him to shoot the three – until he made a few. Then there was the time that Lucas got sealed away from the hoop, out of position, and gave up a hoop, too. The reality is that each of these guys make errors.
I guess I’m most puzzled by Self’s position on Bragg in comparison. Bragg has demonstrated himself in real game situations, and against good teams.
Self’s quotes from last night should be very concerning for any Kansas fan interested in a National Championship.
Would Self say that he thinks these three (Lucas, Traylor, Mick) as the 2, 3, and 4 big men are the best way for us to win a National Championship?
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@HighEliteMajor wasn’t only LL that got sealed off in the post. Hunter did as well and JT basically got pushed out of bounds.
They weren’t only taller by a long ways but they were thicker guys full of muscle and knew how to use it.
I keep laughing at how Diallo was the MVP of the Mds AA game. We are talking about a game where no one plays D.
I want to see him and Bragg succeed. Not for future recruits to see but as players and men as well.
You ask can Kansas win it all without Diallo and Bragg and going with the three elders. Probably not. Then again Kansas isn’t going to win a title without any of those three elders either.
It’s a team game. With everyone playing together and as a solid group this years team and rotations can win. The different players in the post can cause a lot of match up issues with opposing teams.
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@JRyman Right, they all had questionable moments. No doubt.
I would say that without Bragg and Diallo, we look seem to look like last year’s team in the post, but we don’t. We’ve got one big change and that’s Mickelson is starting and playing significant minutes. It just appears to me that without Bragg and Diallo, or at least one of them functioning at a high level and playing significant minutes, our chances of a national championship seem much lower than with their high functioning/involvement.
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@HighEliteMajor said:
It appears to me that without Bragg and Diallo, or at least one of them functioning at a high level and playing significant minutes, our chances of a national championship seem much lower than with their high functioning/involvement.
This is the big issue. We can’t win a national title with a frontline of Ellis, Hunter and either Lucas or Traylor. There will absolutely be a game where we need an NBA talent big man to match up with the other team’s NBA talent big man. It’s probably only one game, but that’s the difference between a win and a loss in the Elite Eight or Sweet Sixteen.
It’s a team game, no doubt. But we have to match up on some level. We can probably get by without both Diallo and Bragg if one of them is playing well and Selden has a great tournament. We know what Perry’s limitations are, so we can’t expect him to morph into a 2003 Nick Collison for a month.
The fate of this team come March lies with Diallo and Bragg, for better or worse, just like it rested with Alexander last year and Embiid the year before. History is trying to teach us something. The question is whether we have learned anything.
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I’m certainly not arguing with or taking a contrary approach to any fan or poster who wishes to see more minutes for Bragg and Diallo. Their game experience and development is essential to our going all the way this season. Outside of a few adjustments in past game minutes, I think BIll Self is protecting wins as well as the progress of those two in a steady forward fashion. The one huge factor in such development: the 2 freshman recruits are getting to practice with and against the C-3, a trio of experienced teammates who have accumulated 14 collegiate seasons among them. In terms of topflight Division 1 programs or future NBA drafts, our 3 experienced bigs might rank as only “B” class players; but they possess a world of savvy and know how. We are blessed with a C-5 who, at this juncture, appear to be injury free and on the incline. For another 30 days I see no way that the coaching staff can reduce the lineup to 8 primary players, except for game-to-game matchups and situations. There are 11 essential players on this current squad…not counting Vick.
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@HighEliteMajor Yes. I am worried. It makes you wonder when those 2 will get a chance. That said, I thought Bragg was not good last night…lost the ball off his leg, missed an open shot from the baseline. But, you are right…they all make mistakes.
