LaGerald the Executioner.
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On LaGerald’s 360 dunk the other day, I thought of how he has the capacity to make both fans and foes alike uneasy. He’s got an edge. A chip. He’s out for blood. He’s a shark. A killer. He wants to win by making you lose. Badly. Its everything. On a good day he will destroy someone. Break them down. I contest that he is exactly what we need.
Look at Oregon’s Bell. Damn if he wasn’t effective. What @KansasComet pointed out was spot on. Altman whipped up a hate for Kansas and his players were under it’s spell. For 40 minutes I don’t think Bell had a single thought other than that he was on a mission to destroy us. He did just that. In his post-game he couldn’t put much of a sentence together. It was like he was in another place.
I believe LaGerald is significantly smarter than Bell, and he does not need a complete duck of a coach to get him all pissed off. He comes out of the gate with that edge. I think that edge could be razor sharp and something we need. Josh had his creativity. Devonte had his swag. But only Frank of our big 3 didn’t lose his edge once we got punched in the face. Frank has the edge. He came to Kansas with it. He’s refined it. He’s a complete human being, can call that intensity and rein it in. But the edge is all important to basketball. I will win and you will lose and you cannot stop me and I will stop you.
That is not for the feint of heart who do not like competition. One can be a gentleman off the court. But on, until the fate of the game is sealed, I want the guy who will never give an inch to the opponent. That is only bound by the rules of the game.
And then there is Greyson Allen. Someone who is not bound by the rules of the game. And I would argue that he did not find salvation in basketball. The rules are not a holy code for him. They are an inconvenience. He would just as well stab you in the back with a knife. Take the ball from you as you lay dying and shoot it.
The rules are holy because it is within the rules that we have a standard means of assessing who has won. If the rules are bent then it invalidates whether I have beaten you. And as an executioner, I want it known by me you and whomever happens to be watching that I will break you on fair terms.
I believe LaGerald has the edge and we need it. I want more ballers with the edge. Guys who want the taste of iron in their mouth. And I hope more of these guys coming in have it too.
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@approxinfinity Great post that really cuts to the heart of the matter. In my opinion, that is the type of players that Coach Self craves. The issue is, he just doesn’t have enough of them. Absolutely agree that we need killers on the court, players that will kick your heart out and laugh about it afterwards.
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I think Bell has been playing with a chip on his shoulder for years. He is a 4th year Jr because a few yrs ago he and 2 other star Oregon players were accused of sexual assault. I believe they were all acquitted but the allegation itself sent the two other players to different schools (one ended up at Houston, the other at UTEP). Bell somehow survived the ordeal and stayed at Oregon and has reaped the rewards of developing his game. I thought we let Bell control the paint and that is something you just can’t do against a hungry player looking to block shots.
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@BeddieKU23 Thanks for shedding light on his backstory. His postgame interview really annoyed me; I’ve been trying not to say he’s a selfish idiot and be dismissive of him even though that’s how I felt at the time. People are always more complicated than packages – can’t slap a label on them and send them on their way.
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I’m more interested in seeing Vick improve his ball handling and court awareness.
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We really need him to lead the charge to be a defensive minded team.
Bill needs to get these boys back in the top 5 of 3pt/FG defense. If Udoka progresses enough and can stay healthy, we will have the back line to allow more pressure on the perimeter. If Coleby and Udoka the 4 and 5 we will likely be offensively challenged and continue with the 4/1 line up.
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Actually I misspoke about Bell, he just sat one year and was not accused. The 3rd player was Brandon Austin, somehow I confused Austin with Bell. The two that ended up at different schools have sued Oregon for 10 million for the allegations brought upon them.
I also did not like Bell’s post-game interview. In the heat of a defeat I feel its probably best I never stick around to listen to what the other team has to say. For now, my hope is that bell goes 0-7 in the next game and fouls out early
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@Blown said:
If Udoka progresses enough and can stay healthy, we will have the back line to allow more pressure on the perimeter.
This is HUGE…
We were so spoiled with Cole and Withey.
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@BeddieKU23 said:
For now, my hope is that bell goes 0-7 in the next game and fouls out early
I always have the opposite reaction. I want any player who beats us that badly to turn out to be a phenomenal star. If we had lost to Davidson, we would have seen Curry become what he is and say, “Well, I can see why we lost.” As we did with A Davis in 12.
Otherwise I feel like a nobody took us to the cleaners, and that everybody else could figure him out but not us!
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@mayjay I’m with @BeddieKU23 - I want the team that beat us to get beat by at least 50 and for the star of that team to have 2 quick fouls, pout like a girl, tense up his whole team - wait wait wait - that’s another story. …and for the star of that team to have his butt handed to him on a platter.
And I want the opposing coach’s dog to run away from home.
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The more I ponder the title of this post “LaGerald the Executioner” the more I like it.
Bill Self has a reputation as a tough guy - but his teams rarely reflect that. Frank got it. Frank got the crap out of it. He has my ultimate respect, as a basketball player, but mostly as a man.
Anyway, I would like to submit that we start recruiting “Executioners”. Guys that want to get you down by twenty - then double that. Guys that leave the opponents lying on the floor when they fall. And kinda laugh at them, but not loudly enough to get a “T”. I’m serious. You can be gentle and kind and sweet and be all rainbows and unicorns and butterflies off the court, but be a bad a$$$ on the court.
I want us to change our name from Jayhawks to the Kansas Executionhawks. I want to be the coach. I want to channel Bobby Knight and Frank Martin and I want everybody in America to hate me - except for my Championship players and their families.
RCEH !!
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@nuleafjhawk said:
And I want the opposing coach’s dog to run away from home.
But then the coach would start writing country songs and we would literally never hear the end of him!
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@nuleafjhawk Yuck. I don’t wanna be Duke. There is room for respect on the court. You can kick your opponent more times if you help them get up. It’s demoralizing to be dunked on by a guy, have him pick you up off the court, and then be denied the inbounds pass. I don’t want dirty play, I want hard intense play for 40 minutes. But that means more than 6 players need to be game ready.
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@dylans OK - you’re not on my team. Lol.
