Roy: Master of Illusion
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“Basketball is never about one player even if that player is the POY.”
That was proven last week! Good point.
I still think our best chance of winning in March exists if we have a real leader at PG. I don’t see us having a leader like that next year.
Having a great PG to lead may not be necessary… but without one, it seems to get much tougher. There were so many good teams this year that didn’t have that PG.
We had 3 really great guard leaders in '08!
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@drgnslayr We will have to see what Devonte does when it is “his team”. Look at the two teams playing for the title - each has one main point guard that they rely on. I think Devonte is capable of doing that as well.
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I’m still recovering from Devonte’s horrific performance that sent us home.
Big players step up for big games. He reminds me too much of Wayne Selden right now for me to think he can lead this team.
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@drgnslayr But we also had zero inside presence. When the shots arent falling you have to be able to do something else. I wouldnt put too much stock into that game other than how important it is to be diversified. Just think about how much better we would have fared with actual size and athleticism down low to counter Bell - would have loved to see Dok dunk on him! Oh, and defense. That has to be better next year too.
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The defeat has probably been a great motivator. UNC at its best was one of the best teams in the Country there was no doubt about it. A complete team that had so much come back with that hunger to win. I cannot imagine a greater motivator then how they lost last season.
It’s not like UNC doesn’t have NBA talent on its team. Jackson has a career in the league with his much improved jumper. Bradley, the freshman is a fantastic talent (KU recruited him and had a realistic chance), and Seventh Woods was able to get some rotation minutes as a freshman and has off-the charts athleticism as a guard.
Meeks & Hicks will end up somewhere although I’m not sure where they fit in the NBA but they both can rebound and score around the basket so someone will take a chance on these 2. Berry is the typical 4 year guard that just wins games. Him being hurt and still finding ways to help this team win says a lot about him.
But I agree, so much is said about the OAD’s and yet here we are another year with none of them having a feature role in the championship game. We had arguably the best one this year and he wasn’t able to help KU get over the hump. Roy has done a great job with his method and reminds everyone he’s still a great coach.
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I just think we lacked intensity and desire that game.
I think far too much credit was given to Oregon. I still don’t buy it. Yes… they gave UNC a run for their money but I didn’t really think UNC was the most-dangerous team in the tourney. I was most-afraid for Duke and Kentucky.
I can’t imagine having a better setup than the guards we had this year. I’m sure it is possible… just like the fact that we had such a dynamic group in '08. But I’m still feeling miserable about our loss. I think we are much better than we showed that game… and it really didn’t have to do with hitting shots.
Our post play was definitely not up to snuff. But so many NC teams don’t have a dynamic post. I immediately think of UCONN and their success in March.
I’m just still in a snitty mood… still wanting to vent!
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@drgnslayr I agree its less about the shots and more about personnel. Bill may never get over his difficulty with coaching in the elite eight, so the only way to counter that is by having a balanced team that can lock down defensively, like the 08 team. We could have that next year and with a summer trip to boot.
If you have a guard oriented team, you have to do everything just right to win a ring. With post presence, it gives you a larger margin for error. We did not do everything right and lost.
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@drgnslayr Yes Graham had a terrible game. That is going to happen, but then you expect the rest of the team to step up. Frank did all he could but did not have much help. Last year against Nova, it was Frank and Wayne that had horrible games, and Devonte did all he could, but had no help. When one of your stars is struggling, several others have to step up and do the little extra to carry the team.
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And recall '08 and how we lucked out in the Elite 8 game against Davidson… who was not coached well enough to realize they had to get the ball to Curry!
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@drgnslayr Iirc, Curry had the ball and passed it up. Our guys played great defense and forced the other player to a tough 30 foot jumper.
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Over recent years I’ve changed my philosophy on the game.
I do think a key post player can make a difference. Hey… we could have won in 2012 if UK didn’t have Anthony Davis… no doubt!
And Gonzaga isn’t such a threat without their monster guy in the post.
But most teams don’t have a big like that.
I hope we keep a 4-guard team. We move the ball quicker and we open up the floor a lot more than with just 3 guards.
And we have proven we can rebound just fine with 4 guards. The only real give up is post defense. And that does hurt us!
But let’s say we go back to two bigs… two bigs limited by their lack of ability to dribble and shot the long ball.
Look what we give up. Other teams don’t have to guard our bigs when they step out except to hedge screens. There is a good chance our bigs can’t shoot FTs well. And how vulnerable are we on presses, traps and just good defense?
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@drgnslayr But on the other side, it makes it harder for the other team to score inside and we have an advantage on the other end. I like the traditional 3-2 the best, particularly when we have a stretch four. Honestly, I think there are advantages both ways but Gonzaga and UNC proved you can get to the title game playing that way.
I hope Billy can learn quickly how to play the spot because he would be huge next March if he could drive and shoot the 3 like Perry.
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The lost definitely sucks no matter how one looks at it.
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@drgnslayr I don’t think in any way it was a lack of desire. If anything, it was the other way around- they wanted it so bad, they tried too hard, played tight, didn’t let the game come to them. We had nothing inside to make the easy shot- every shot was a contested shot. They would collapse on the ball in that match up zone, which took away the drives to the basket. Only once did I see one of our guards drive to collapse the defense, and pass to the 3 point line, and that resulted in a wide open 3 for Svi. We kept throwing up nervous 3s, with little success. The entry passes made into Landen were wasted, as LL’s weak post moves resulted in him shooting several weak shots that never had a chance. You take away our drives, and the post, and guard us on the perimeter, we have no way to score. Which is why we scored 60 points. If we had a 300lb 7 footer in the middle, we would’ve squashed Jordan Bell like a bug. If we had a 6’10" 4 with the ability to put pressure on the defense by shooting or driving along side the 7 footer, now we’re not going to be shut out in the paint. It’s been a long 3 years without a frontline that people feared. For years, we had some really great players at the 4/5.
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@KUSTEVE excellent summation.
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@BShark I’m not a fan of UNC by any means, but maybe the reason it deflects off Roy there is he has won 2 titles with them and has been to the last two title games - and without obvious OAD talent. Yes Pinson hasn’t produced to expectations, but none of their recruits were clear OADs - not sure any were top 10 coming in? I’m also struggling to understand why some of the the 10-30 range recruits seem to be staying at Carolina on a more consistent basis?
Every coach has his unique style, which means plusses and minuses, but one thing I’ve always liked about Roy (didn’t like that he didn’t get guys as committed on the defensive end) is that he plays a lot of guys. Luke Maye came up huge for them in 2 tournament games - Luke Maye, really?!
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Lots of good discussion here.
Not sure the shooting could be much better next year. KU was 6th in the country in 3pt% this year. However there is a lot of room for improvement in terms of athleticism, length/height and depth which should easily offset the shooting maybe getting worse. Either way I’m excited for the upcoming season as always.
Agree with you about the Oregon loss. Oregon was just much more athletic and their defense stifled KU. In no spot did it show more than Bell vs Lucas.
Easily the best for KU performance wise, and a surefire NBA player. This was just, unfortunately, the worst that KU has ever been in the post under Self.
@HawkChamp said:
If you have a guard oriented team, you have to do everything just right to win a ring. With post presence, it gives you a larger margin for error. We did not do everything right and lost.
All it takes is one off shooting night and you are done. Two double post teams in the title game this year. Doesn’t always work out that way of course.
It will depend on the personnel. Self has shown he will play the style that gives KU the best chance to win. I bet we see a mix next year. Preston will play in the post, but he has wing skills.
Keepin it real.
Well, Self didn’t exactly have a lot of kids to trot out there this year that could compete at the P5 level.
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“Gonzaga and UNC proved you can get to the title game playing that way”
I’m not certain… but I think most of the history of college basketball (when looking at the champs) included at least 2 bigs on the floor.
It used to be 3 bigs were common. Teams often ran a 2-3 or 2-1-2 offense. I guess that is how we got that original offensive format -
Point Guard
Shooting Guard
Small Forward
Power Forward
Center
I remember when we used to call the “small forward” a “swing forward”… meaning… that forward might swing out down the baseline or sometimes might pop out to around the top of the key, or any peripheral spot in between. It used to be a very rare deal to have bigs taking outside shots, let alone from trey distance.
College ball mimics (to a huge degree) the NBA. And as players became more efficient at trey, the game changed completely. Before the trey line, teams really worked hard to get low post scoring. It was a totally different game.
Focus is on the trey, and rightly so. I’m not sure with my memory… but if I recall right… the high ball screen became very popular first. Then it became more popular to use motion offense (both dribble drive and rapid passing), and secondary breaks.
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@drgnslayr Over the arc of history perhaps, but more recent history? Other than Anthony Davis, has there really been an impactful big, let alone 2, among the titleists over the past decade. Dieng and Harrell (the latter 6-7)? Luke friggin’ Hancock was actually the MOP for the FF. Bigs don’t play a big role in the NBA and seems that they haven’t in college in the recent past. Gonzaga is actually a bit of a throwback in that regard…
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@DCHawker Probably UConn. They usually had an elite shot blocker on their title teams.
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Yeah… I think of Anthony Davis… who definitely was the difference-maker for Kentucky.
And anything is possible moving forward. But I’m not optimistic for big guys trying to make it in the league if they can’t dribble, pass and shoot the trey… and… with a big motor and fast legs to keep up with the pace, and even head a big chunk of fast break opportunities.
I always expect college to follow the NBA… eventually.
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@Big-Clyde52 said:
The 03 failure was on the players. Roy put together a very good team, but when the players do not execute, it does not matter.
This sounds vaguely familiar - are there any recent -VERY RECENT- Kansas teams that this could be said of…?
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Bill would DOMINATE if he were at UNC. Bill + Jordan + East Coast = Championships every 4 years.
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I have REALLY high expectations for Udoka next year. He already seemed to get the whole concept of setting screens, playing at game speed, strength training, employing the pick and roll. I’m assuming he’s worked on his free throw shooting for the entire past 6 months. If he can drain 70%, no one will bother trying to stop the guy from dunking anything in range, so take hack-a-shaq strategy off the table. He’s going to be a freakin’ monster. JMO.
ETA: not to mention blocking some shots
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@DanR you think he can be shooting? Or are you kidding?
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how could he work on his FT shooting with 1 hand? still in a cast
