HUDY'S IN CHARGE NOW.
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Anybody else notice that Svi is not wearing shoes, yet is taller than just about everybody?
Mickelson is clearly taller than Bragg and Diallo in the back row, and by more than just an inch. If Mickelson is 6-10, Bragg and Diallo are both 6-8, which seems accurate given that Perry appears to also be around that height. Coleby also looks like he’s about that same size.
Jamari is a physical specimen, and he looks like he knows it.
Greene is noticeably absent here. He’s got about seven more weeks of recovery. If he’s delayed by even a week or two he won’t be ready for the start of practice. Hope the rehab is going well.
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What is a better lineup? Svi, Perry, Wayne, Frank and Devonte or Alternating Frank and Devonte and going with a big man? Bill will have to have the rebounding, so probably one of the point guards will have to sit. When have we ever had this kind of luxury since 2008. I hope Diallo make’s this decision moot.
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What incredible depth we will have with Lucas, Hunter, Bragg and Vick. All of these guys will play and the defense can take a lot more chances with fewer worries. Maybe West Virginia can run with us, but no one in the Big 12 will have our depth.
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@wrwlumpy said:
Maybe West Virginia can run with us, but no one in the Big 12 will have our depth.
Given how the last few years and tourneys have played out, why O’why do KU fans still keep on using other BIG12 teams as a benchmark for greatness.
No one in the Big 12 will have our depth? no kidding…that’s like the old chris rock line…you can’t be a dad and take pride in saying “i send my kids to school”…
we need to get past the big 12…else we will see #12, and an early round exit again…but if the majority are satisfied with that, then all this is moot.
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@elpoyo So what should the thought process be for all of us “stupid Heads” during the Conference season? Every year, someone wants us to forget about winning the Conference saying that it doesn’t matter, or where we get seeded doesn’t matter. Is there a strategy to losing certain games to assure us of a National Championship. Why not enjoy the ride and forget about being a permanent “Second Guesser.”
Are you saying that you want a National Championship more than the rest of us on this site and that you have a way to do this that Self doesn’t know about? Is it the team’s fault or the fan’s fault for wanting to compete in a conference and be the best. Pick the games you want us to lose and explain why.
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@elpoyo “why O’why do KU fans still keep on using other BIG12 teams as a benchmark for greatness.”
Saying that West Virginia can run is using them as a benchmark for greatness? LOL.
If you’re trying to be funny, keep it up, because that’s hilarious. If you’re being serious you may want to think about things a little more before hitting “enter”.
Maybe a more appropriate moniker would be “el descontento”.
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@wrwlumpy said:
very year, someone wants us to forget about winning the Conference saying that it doesn’t matter, or where we get seeded doesn’t matter. Is there a strategy to losing certain games to assure us of a National Championship. Why not enjoy the ride and forget about being a permanent “Second Guesser.”
Nothing is wrong with that you said above. all i’m saying is, we’re much better than thumping our chests when comparing ourselves to the rest of the little 12. it sickens me when our fans make statements .
instead, why can’t we not say “neither duke or UK will have our depth”…
Also, there is a growing sentiment among KU fans that they are simply satisfied with big 12 streak and chalk an early round exit to “oh well- the tournament is too hard to win” or “the tourney doesn’t matter…its the streak”. I think this is nothing but baloney. Don’t see the fire in the fans and the coaching staff that i used to see. It seems as though an early round exit is more probable than a deep tourney run.
I really hope we end the streak soon and focus on the tourney. The streak, while amazing, is fools gold. It doesn’t do one bit for our recruiting.
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@justanotherfan Dude, cool line up, but no way Self puts Svi in at the 4.
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@wrwlumpy LoL, I meant to say that to you. Not @justanotherfan
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@justanotherfan I saw that too! Svi with shoes could be near 6-10!! It could just be depth of the curve that is affecting the perception of size on that back line though… and lack of shoes for certain guys. Has Jamari gotten stronger? I hope Greene is better soon too.
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@elpoyo Whats wrong Colonel Sanders… Chicken?
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Several of you mentioned Greene missing from the photo, and it made me wonder about his injury. Does anyone recall what exactly his injury was? I’m sure it was fairly serious, and something to do with his hip. It’s not a Bo Jackson type thing, is it? I mean, if it was, that would suck. Medical procedures have come a long way since Bo Jacksons career altering injury occurred, but he was never the same - better than most but never the same. Hoping Greene works his way back athletically with that deadly three killing zones…
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@rocketdog http://www2.kusports.com/news/2015/apr/16/ku-sophomore-brannen-greenes-surgery-deemed-succes/
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@nuleafjhawk said:
@elpoyo “why O’why do KU fans still keep on using other BIG12 teams as a benchmark for greatness.”
Saying that West Virginia can run is using them as a benchmark for greatness? LOL.
If you’re trying to be funny, keep it up, because that’s hilarious. If you’re being serious you may want to think about things a little more before hitting “enter”.
Maybe a more appropriate moniker would be “el descontento”.
internet messageboard tough guy…i’ve heard of your types before.
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@wrwlumpy Based on Self’s comments, I expect to see a lot of : Frank, Devonte, Wayne, Perry and either Diallo (if eligible) or either Mickelson (more likely based on WUG) or Lucas.
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@Crimsonorblue22 Thanks, I forgot about that article on the Greene injury. Yeah, Jackson’s injury was way worse, so I’m feeling a lot better about Greene coming back and maybe having a pretty decent year.
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@elpoyo I’m not hard to spot in person either - I have I.M.T.G. tattooed on my forehead.
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“why O’why do KU fans still keep on using other BIG12 teams as a benchmark for greatness.”
Since when do KU fans do that?
It’s SPORTS MEDIA that constantly over-hypes the Big12 and KU freshman stars dreaming of being OADs.
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@elpoyo he is a very tough and respected guy on here!
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In regards to Greene, He and his girlfriend were having lunch and Brannon parked in a handicap zone with his sign in the back window given to him after his surgery. A troll followed them into the restaurant took pictures of them and their food and bitched about the parking. Her tweet was taken down by the track star girlfriend but the final portion he posted is here. Don’t mess with BG’s GF.
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@wrwlumpy Vick has some hops!
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I thought KU got 30,000 shoes 0r so each year from Adidas.
How can Frank, Devonte and Svi not have any?
Did they sell them?
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@jaybate-1.0 Who’s buying cheapo $100 shoes? In case you missed it Jamari is wearing ADIDAS flip flops so there’s another couple hundred pairs shoes for you @jaybate-1.0 . No one needs foot fungus. Didn’t the Nebraska contract that you are referencing allow for a portion of that money to go to apparel also? That’s the way I remember it.
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@wrwlumpy I hope you’re right about the leader standing out front. As long as Mason leads this team correctly they will go far. It’s up to him where this team goes, he has the keys.
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That’s right. I forgot. Nebraska only got somewhere between 15,000 and 30,000 shoes per year with apparel considered. Howling!!!
Hey, what if Nebraska only ordered one shirt and 29,999 pairs of shoes, because the street value of the shoes was higher than the street value of shirts, shorts and hoodies?
Talk about tough choices!
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Re: Frank–which is more important to his leadership: shooting 43% from Trey, or being a good communicator with his teammates? I would hate to give up either. But it is an interesting question.
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@jaybate-1.0 30,000 shoes? Thats a lot of shoes. Is that just for basketball or for all the collegiate sports?
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@jaybate-1.0 I’ll take 38% from trey and a good communicator.
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@jaybate-1.0 I bought a pair of Adidas running shoes a couple weeks back. I was shopping online and looked at Nike, Adidas, Brooks, Saucony. I decided to support my feet with Adidas due to my unwavering loyalty to KU-Adidas
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“Who’s buying cheapo $100 shoes?”
Certainly not me! I buy the super cheapo shoes for $49.95, and I complain all the way to the cash register!
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@drgnslayr I can’t bring myself to by basketball shoes anymore. They’re too outlandish and pricey.
@jaybate-1.0 How much does that come out to for each student athlete that is clothed with that money? Seems like way to much, but government waste is nothing new.
I’d take the spoken leadership over a trey gun, but I’m glad I don’t have to choose. Miles couldn’t shoot, but could lead. Mario was a vocal leader that never doubted his own shot. hmm on second thought I’ll take both like Mario and Sherron and Frank.
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@elpoyo said:
Also, there is a growing sentiment among KU fans that they are simply satisfied with big 12 streak and chalk an early round exit to “oh well- the tournament is too hard to win” or “the tourney doesn’t matter…its the streak”. I think this is nothing but baloney. Don’t see the fire in the fans and the coaching staff that i used to see. It seems as though an early round exit is more probable than a deep tourney run.
I typically don’t have time to post on this site anymore, but yes, I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment. This seems to be a growing trend not only among KU fans, but the team as well. I think there’s more at play than just being satisfied with the conference of course (i.e. murderer’s row non conference and conference schedule), but it just seems that by the time we get to the tournament our team is spent. The tournament doesn’t even feel the same anymore. How sad is that? Everything leading up to the tournament seems to take an eternity, and then we get to the main event and it’s over in an instant. KU fans in a lot of ways seem to have become complacent, and I think this has trickled down to the team.
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@MoonwalkMafia Where you been?
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@dylans Yokohama. But I keep up.
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@dylans said:
but government waste is nothing new.
Isn’t adidas a private corporation giving out 15,000 to 29,999 pairs of shoes (just a rough guess-estimate) to a public university?
The government entity–a state university–is gettiing the consideration, not giving it out.
And corporations don’t have a history of making contributions (other than taxes) to government just for the heck of it. They like to get something in return, right? Not something illegal in return, but SOMETHING!!!
So: what are they getting in return?
Is paying a university $30-60,000,000 really helping them sell that many shoes?
I can’t think what else Big Shoe could be seeking.
Hard to figure.
Rock Chalk!!
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Note: I am not picking on Nebraska, or Adidas. KU is contracted with Adidas also. Nor am I picking on Nike either. Or Under Armour. Nor on any other brand. Nor is any conspiracy, nor wrong doing, being proposed either. I assume everything is above board and legal. The question is: what IS going on?
It is hard to understand this system, how it operates, and why it takes this apparent form, and not some other.
Why does a Petro-shoeco want to pay these amounts of consideration to a university and in part in the medium of so many apparent pairs of shoes?
And why do universities want to receive consideration in this way?
I am sure there is a logical reason. I just cannot yet understand what it may be?
Rock Chalk!!!
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@MoonwalkMafia It’s a crazy world take care of yourself. When you get time leave a post this site could use a quality poster as yourself.
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@jaybate-1.0 I have no idea how all the money is wasted. I do think it qualifies as government waste as they could’ve made Adidias appropriate the money differently. For instance a waddling track for the corn fed women of Nebraska.
I do know a few months ago a storage locker with Rodrick Stewart’s KU stuff in it was auctioned off. There was his game warmups, several pairs of shoes, and a huge duffle and I can’t remember what all else. It was a laundry pile of Adidas stuff. No doubt several thousand dollars retail.
I wonder (and am too lazy to research) how many student athletes benefit from this money and how much it breaks down to?
But for now I don’t give a care as I’m at the hospital awaiting the arrival of a new Jayhawk fan!
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@MoonwalkMafia @elpoyo I totally disagree guys. Of course I cant speak for every KU fan but for my self, my view is two fold.
One, the Big 12 conference streak will reach 12 this year, well lets just say, it is extremely likely that it will. What other coach in a power conference has done this in the last 30 years? Noone, thats who. The last coach to win 12 in a row was Coach Wooden. On this fact alone, coach Self is reaching legendary status. If the streak reaches 12 this year and 13 next year, thats just bananas!
Two, I want KU to win a national title every year. Every one. But, I am also a realist. The college game has changed a lot since '08, the last time KU won it all. Its the shoe stacking era and like @jaybate-1.0 says, the chips are stacked against KU - Adidas and the balance of power is skewed towards Nike-UK and Nike - Duke and even Nike - west coast schools like Cal and Az. Not to mention the apparent refereeing favoritism that is painfully evident when refs swallow their whistles every time ( seemingly ) that KU gets fouled intentionally. Was any whistle blown when Perry got his nose bashed in? Dont think so. Ok, so thats not an NCAA game but still, you get my point I hope. KU just cannot win the uphill battle in the NCAA’s every year. The best chance KU has to reach the national title game is to win the conference, win or take 2nd in the big 12 tourney and get a 1 seed in the Midwest or South bracket, closer to home, closer to our #1 fan base. We won it all in 08, got to the final four in '12, sweet 16 in 04 and 07, '11 and 13? I think? My point here is we are due for an excellent year this year. If everything falls into place like it should. We are due. We have a very talented, deep and experienced team. KU’s best teams have had just that perfect mix of talent, depth and experience. We have that now! Even in the worst case scenario if Diallo doesnt get cleared, which he will, I believe that Perry, Bragg, Mickelson and Traylor/Lucas will be just fine. If Diallo has to sit for half or a whole season, Bragg will step up. He will. And, Mickelson will gain momentum going into the season from what he did in the WUGs.
Lastly, I dont like to see KU get beaten early in the NCAAs. Its just a terrible end to the season. I still cant get over the fact that we should have gotten to the final four in 13 against Michigan. EJ blew the game for us and he will always be in my dog house for it. The year we lost to Stanford while sitting JoJo and watching an overmatch, young but talented KU team get schooled by Stanford was killing me. So my point here is NO, I am absolutely not complacently accepting an early round exit when it happens. I want more. But I also realize the truth in what I said above and this year, I hope, will be a major defining moment for KU again.
Rock Chalk!!
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@Lulufulu Nice post.
Do we have to choose between wanting the streak and wanting a deep run in the NCAAs? Can’t we want both?
I very much want to meet and beat Wooden’s streak. After that, finishing second one year is not the end of the world. I want KU to make history.
As far as the NCAAs being a crapshoot, I don’t buy that for the first weekend. Every time a KU team doesn’t make the Sweet 16, I call that a failure - in the Tournament.
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Congrats, but trust me, soon you will need more shoes!!!
Way to go pop!
Rock a bye Jayhawks
The cradle will rock…
And down will come baby
Cradle and Chalk!
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“EJ blew the game for us and he will always be in my dog house for it.”
Really liked your post above.
But I can’t put the blame on EJ in that Michigan game. Yes… he choked. But his choke represented coaching fault for the entire year. EJ was never a PG. He didn’t claim to be one in HS. He was recruited as a 2, and to be frank, he might have chosen another school had he known he would be forced into that role.
EJ wasn’t a leader, wasn’t a “go to” guy, wasn’t a great ball-handler or assist king. EJ was a 2. EJ was forced out of his natural position because our coaching staff blew it recruiting and developing a real PG. He took the brunt of blame instead of letting the focus of blame go to where it should have gone… the coaches.
We didn’t win big with EJ, but he will always be one of my favorites because he silently took his medicine and made a big sacrifice for KU. We never heard a peep out of him being forced into something he wasn’t. His sacrifice went all the way to the end, where he will forever wear “blame” in his Kansas career… something very unfairly leveled against him.
There aren’t many players (or people in general) that will take the bullet EJ took and continue the sacrifice role forever.
I was very frustrated with EJ like many others. It took me a while to find this understanding of the situation.
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@drgnslayr Solid point
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@jaybate-1.0 said:
Re: Frank–which is more important to his leadership: shooting 43% from Trey, or being a good communicator with his teammates? I would hate to give up either. But it is an interesting question.
Leadership is far more important at this point from Mason. KU has other good 3 point shooters (Graham, Selden, Greene, and possibly Svi), but they haven’t had a true on court general since Tyshawn and T-Rob. Elijah and Withey weren’t great leaders, Naadir Tharpe was a terrible leader, and Mason and Selden have yet to embrace that role and I do think that has played a not insignificant role in some of KU struggles in March the past 3 years.
I was encouraged by what I saw out of Mason and Selden’s leadership skills in South Korea and I think that might the biggest contribution Nic Moore made to this team was showing those two how to be leaders since neither had seen good leadership during their time at KU.
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@Texas-Hawk-10 KU hasn’t had a solid point guard since Sherron, Tyshawn was too unpredictable and terrible with turnovers. Mason reminds me soooo much of Sherron in how he is fearless and will take it right at an opponent and on the other end make sure his man is locked down and Mason is super strong, just a beast. Kid can probly play running back if he wants.
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@Lulufulu said:
@MoonwalkMafia @elpoyo I totally disagree guys. Of course I cant speak for every KU fan but for my self, my view is two fold.
If the streak reaches 12 this year and 13 next year, thats just bananas!
cept’ it ain’t doing jack shit for our recruiting. no recruit comes to KU saying “wow…look at the streak”. NCs is all that matter. We can continue to be a big fish in the little BIG12 pond, or we can go out and try to become more relevant and hang with duke and uk.
Not to mention the apparent refereeing favoritism that is painfully evident when refs swallow their whistles every time ( seemingly ) that KU gets fouled intentionally. Was any whistle blown when Perry got his nose bashed in? Dont think so. Ok, so thats not an NCAA game but still, you get my point I hope.
Was a whistle blown when BG bashed Niang’s head in causing it to bleed? I can’t imagine you being all up in arms about that? We all think our players get called for fouls intentionally. to say stuff this like and why it only happens to KU is totally bush league.
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@elpoyo So you’re telling me that the top recruits don’t get all goo-goo over the Big 12 streak? They don’t dream of hanging another Big 12 banner in AFH? Heresy. Pure heresy.
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“Leadership is far more important at this point from Mason”
Right on.
If anyone needs to see an illustration of this point, get a hold of the WUG series and the Pan Am Games series and compare. One of these teams has a real PG (actually, 2) that successfully lead, the other was stupid enough to let VanVleet go for a scoring PG and was a complete disaster.
But, as mentioned, it is nice to have both, shooting and leadership!
