Langford
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I worry about who will be the team leaders as well. I also think this could be good for us in a way. You have a lot of new pieces that can form their own identity and figure it out on their own. We’ve been fortunate enough to pass the baton on so to speak to guys waiting in the wings but I don’t think that option exists unless Doke returns. He’s got some fight to him. We’ll see I expect Dedric to be a vocal piece next season
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I think Dotson will emerge as a leader.
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@LSH Seems to me like it could end up being a situation where we are trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Vick may become the de facto leader because of his experience instead of a natural leader taking over the team next season. And that seems like a disaster to me.
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@Kcmatt7 I’m pretty sure Newman and Vick are gone.
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@BShark I feel very confident that they are too. I wouldn’t waste another year of potential earnings if I were either of them. Vick could go play overseas next year for a pretty penny, or he could stay here an MAYBE play himself into the 2nd round. I’d take the money now.
I think the Langfords are just being smart and waiting out the process, because there really is no reason to rush it.
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Langford is an elite level talent. From a talent perspective, its difficult to compare him to Vick. Obviously, Vick has the experience edge, but Langford is incredibly talented and could likely make up that experience gap.
Next year’s team likely struggles a bit early on because they have to integrate a lot of new pieces. The good thing is that it looks like everyone can probably fit together from a basketball perspective. There’s not a lot of overlapping skills and preferences that could cause guys to get in each others’ way.
It took Newman most of the season to figure out how to be most effective because he needed time to work with Doke and everyone else on where people would be. Notice how his drives early in the season seemed to be into very congested spots, but now he seems to be driving into open space? That’s getting used to where people go, how they cut, etc. There was a play in the Duke game where Svi cut baseline and Malik found him for a perfect reverse layup. Early in the season, Malik either drives too early and gets cut off, or Svi cuts to early and the timing isn’t there. Now, that play works out perfectly because Malik arrives in the lane at the same time Svi is making his cut. If either one is half a beat off, that play isn’t there. It may not result in a turnover, but it certainly doesn’t result in an easy layup.
That takes time. That takes repetitions. That takes familiarity, which can be achieved by March, but won’t be there in November/December.
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Nice post. I think coaching has helped push Newman where he is as well. This is everything clicking at the right time for KU. I Imagine the coaches have spent a lot of time to get guys into the roles they are now. Malik was being touted big time by Self in the offseason and that certainly felt like an aberration for a while but now we’ve seen the benefits of sticking with it and continuing to fight for the best out of Newman and the team.
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A guy in the know told me Langford is done to KU, barring both Newman and Vick returning.
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That’s a done deal then, because Newman at least is going, and Vick may as well.
Landry Shamet declared for the draft today, so I can’t see Newman not declaring next week once the season is over.
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Shamet sign w/agent?
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@Crimsonorblue22 Said he plans to. Made it very clear he isn’t coming back.
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@justanotherfan Mercy - - Marsha took a huge hit this year lol
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@jayballer73 Will find out alotta about Marsha the next few seasons, not that he didn’t build the place up a bit from Turg but I think he got pretty lucky with a few guys, it will be interesting. I believe we are +1 in terms of Scholarships to players currently with whom we have signed. I’d bet cold hard cash at least Newman is gone and Vick just may go to. My inside sources said months ago Newman was forsure gonna go before his recent up tick, someone will draft him and take chance with his scoring capability.
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@kjayhawks Marsha’s juco transfer didn’t pan out either. Not sure if it was injury or illness. I know he couldn’t practice till fall until he passed summer classes.
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@kjayhawks I’ve felt Newman was gone for a long time now. - - Whether it be NBA - or Oversea’s - -either way - -I too think Vick also gone - -refer about Newman - -Vick the same way - -I just think they ae ready or they want to start pulling in some money
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I heard Newman growing up in a 2 bedroom home w/dad and dads 2 siblings and gma. Wonder where his mom is at? So many sad stories, hurts my heart.
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I am excited about the possibility of signing Romeo Langford. Langford will make it 4 McD’s AA in our recruiting class next year (possible 5 if we count de Sousa who came a semster early.) Is this a record for KU?
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I don’t believe De Sousa is a McDonald All-American.
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FarmerJayhawk said:
A guy in the know told me Langford is done to KU, barring both Newman and Vick returning.
That’s certainly encouraging news!
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@JayHawkFanToo Silvio would have absolutely been a Mickey D’s this year. If Im not mistaken the kid was a 5 star recruit
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Most rankings had him as a 4 Star ranked anywhere between 30-40, so likely not a McDonald All-American.
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@BShark was Trae Y to OU a family business decision?
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Crimsonorblue22 said:
I heard Newman growing up in a 2 bedroom home w/dad and dads 2 siblings and gma. Wonder where his mom is at? So many sad stories, hurts my heart.
This article has more on Malik’s childhood; apparently Mom was still in his life after he moved in with his dad.
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/vahe-gregorian/article207530979.html
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I still think RL picks KU. I was reading Big Dave’s interview about RL. DMack said, “I don’t know why he doesn’t just pick KU…” Dotson, Grimes, McCormack, and RL will definitely want to take the team to the promised land. I don’t know if I want to lose anyone. I really don’t care what Vick does either way. I am more concerned about Newman. My ideal desire would be for Vick to leave, keep Newman, and to gain RL. I’m just not sure what Vick and Newman will do at this point. I definitely think they will be at the NBA combines. I want Langford one way or another. I’m just not sure at this point.
Garrett
Doke? I have a funny feeling he’s back. He is an academic AA. He’s not mentioned in any mock drafts either.
DeSousa
Moore
Lawsonx2
Meeotch
Dotson
Grimes
DMack
Obajai
Newman
Vick
Svi
DG
Cunliffe - transfer, like Whitman? He could go to a D2 school and tear it up.
Langford? If Cunliffe transfers, we could keep both Newman and Vick if they wanted to make another run.
Who am I missing? By this count, it makes 15 with Cunliffe, Vick, or Newman gone. If I chose between Vick and Cunliffe, I think Vick is better for chemistry. But, Langford will be looking at playing time. If Vick and Newman stay, Langford will go Vandy. So losing Cunliffe would not help with Langford. We may keep all and miss on Langford. If we want Langford, we will need Vick to declare. I would like Newman to stay.
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If there was ever anything more obvious to Doke about NOT being ready fro the NBA it should of been the game last night. - -The reason? - -several:
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- Doke can not guard a mobile 5 who can step out on the floor like what happened last night. - If he were to declare for the NBA now - these guys would eat him alive. Doke has multiple things he needs to work on before tries to go that route.
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Was talking with some other friends and all agreed. – In order for Doke to make it in the NBA he just has to develop SOME kind of a jumper whether it even be a 7-10ft jumper - his little hook he has or dunk right now is not going to cut it in the NBA. - - He has to still work on more foot speed - -really actually he is pretty easy predictable at this point what he is going to do once he gets the ball. - He is to methodical almost looks like he is trying to over think what he wants to do
Thing is not really even sure if Doke will ever make it in the NBA - - - -Doke is not the typical 5 now days - -again they have went more to the more mobile 5 that can go out on the floor - -another reason he has just got to work on developing some kind of a jumper - not gonna be easy all you have to do is look at his free throw shooting - -not sure if he can - -gonna take a lot of work - but one thing is for sure just because he is well Coach said he didn’t know where the 7 ft thing came from he is not 7 ft Coach said but any ways either way with what he has got right now just because he is 7ft and what 280? - that alone is not going to cut it - -he needs to come back for sure - -work on developing some kind of shot – -foot speed – and work with Hudy may need to drop another 10-15 lbs - - It was so obvious last night - not a knock on him just is - -it is what it is - -plain and simple - who he realizes he has work to do. – ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY
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@truehawk93 I’m confused by your list. Svi and Graham are seniors.
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Svi and Devonté are seniors so they are gone. This leaves 13 players for the 13 (not 15) scholarships allowed. For Langford to join either Newman or Vick need to leave or maybe Cunliffe either leave or red shirt.
BTW, Doke is an Academic All-Conference rather than All-American.
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JayHawkFanToo said:
Svi and Devonté are seniors so they are gone. This leaves 13 players for the 13 (not 15) scholarships allowed. For Langford to join either Newman or Vick need to leave or maybe Cunliffe either leave or red shirt.
BTW, Doke is an Academic All-Conference rather than All-American.
Actually, i believe it leaves 14 players for the 13 spots. Did you count Lawson twice? As we stand now, at least one underclassmen must depart to have enough scholarships. If we want room for Langford, we need two to leave.
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BShark said:
Matt has certainly thought we had a good chance for a while. Might as well put his money on it
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I think Malik declares, Vick stays and Cunliffe either redshirts or transfers and we do sign Romeo. I think Matt makes a good point that if he was leaning towards Indiana or Vandy he would have committed by now. I also believe he’s waiting to see who leaves KU. I personally would rather have either Vick or Newman stay than Romeo.
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Read where we are now at 16% up from 11% in his CB - the thing is Matt is the one that made the predict - -so the thing is - is it Matt just being a homer and hoping OR has he caught wind of something - -maybe - -seeing as Romeo has said he will probably announce towards the end of the month after these All Star games
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@jayballer73 My personal crystal ball is at 99% KU.
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BShark said:
@jayballer73 My personal crystal ball is at 99% KU.
- -lmao - -you don’t count you goof ball lol
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Agree with @SkinnyKansasDude Why would he wait til the end of the month if he has already decided on Vandy or IU. I’ll my sources have said Malik is a one year guy here and he was great in the post season, even in the Nova game he had 21 and 8. I would be shocked if Vick doesn’t atleast test the waters.
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I think Vick is just going to get “forced” out. Or, really, the AWIII treatment. Self will tell Vick he is more than happy to have him back, providing he knows that he may very well end up coming off of the bench. From there, I think Vick and his camp will decide that he might as well leave and start making money now, because his draft stock is never going to hit potential first rounder at this point.
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@Kcmatt7 I think same could apply to Cunliffe, too much talent ahead of him to get meaningful PT
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Vick would play if he returns. I don’t see a place for Cunliffe in the rotation, though. I don’t see how he plays in the future, either. My guess is Cunliffe transfers to a D2 program to play immediately (you can play immediately if you transfer down). That keeps him from having to sit out again.
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@Kcmatt7 I really like your “ahead of the curve” commentary. I think your suggestion is a very likely path. One mitigator might be that Vick did get back in the lineup (not like we had much choice), that he did bounce-back ,and the team did coalesce with Vick in the lineup. I think if Vick leaves, it is exactly what you’ve projected.
The question to me is whether Self would play that hand with Vick if he was unsure if Langford was coming? Or stated another way, would he only play that hand with Vick if he know Langford coming? If Vick is gone and Langford does not come, that’s some pretty strong circumstantial evidence of the dynamic going on … not definitive, of course.
Man, feel bad for Cunliffe. Should have transferred to a next step down program like ISU, or OU.
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@HighEliteMajor I feel bad for Sam also.
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@HighEliteMajor I think that Self is willing to take the risk with Vick, even if Langford doesn’t come. If he leaves, it is a small hole to fill, imo. We would still have 4 guards, and a 5th perimeter player in KJ if we needed him to play on the perimeter. Their won’t be some gaping hole if he leaves and Langford doesn’t come, so I don’t think Self cares if he hurts any feelings.
I think it is worth the risk to just be straight up with Vick, because if for some reason he does come back, knowing he would be the super sub 6th man, that mitigates any potential chemistry problems. You just tell him, Langford is coming, and he is going to start barring any unforeseen events. We would love for you to stay, but we understand if you would rather pursue other opportunities instead.
If somehow we got both, good gosh almighty. It would finally give us a guy capable of scoring 20 coming off the bench. A luxury we haven’t had in a long, long time. That would be the dream.
As far as Cunliffe goes, I would have to agree. He should have gone to a smaller school. It sounds like the staff lied to him and said he would get a lot of PT and took him mostly as an insurance policy. He was used and abused. I feel bad for the guy, but I could honestly see him being a key piece to a mid-major team that makes tournament noise in a few years. I wish him the best, he has seemed like nothing but a great teammate even through rough circumstances.
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HighEliteMajor said:
Man, feel bad for Cunliffe. Should have transferred to a next step down program like ISU, or OU.
Forwarding to cyclonefanatic.
Cunliffe won’t be a factor next year. He has been saying the right things but I won’t be surprised if he transfers again. He still has a RS year to take*.
*He played two half seasons which each count as a full season of eligibility. The time off for the transfer however does not count as a redshirt, he just couldn’t play.
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Romeo probably won’t announce before the deadline to declare. If Vick and/or Newman declare, then it’s all clear for Romeo. And Romeo’s commitment makes it less likely either return.
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@Kcmatt7 Agree, Vick is very replaceable. Even as a SR. Don’t mean to bash. I wouldn’t hate it if he came back but I don’t see it. Iirc he has some kids, so he might just want to start cashing checks.
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Athleticism shouldn’t be an issue next year, leadership is needed. So Vick isn’t the ideal Sr. for next season. Malik could be that upper class leader, but he’s not likely to come back.
Bring on Romeo.
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What about romeo’s Dad? Is he a problem?
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@Crimsonorblue22 I’m sure that Bill knows how to handle these types of parents pretty well.
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@Kcmatt7 Why would Vick be forced out?
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BShark said:
@truehawk93 I’m confused by your list. Svi and Graham are seniors.
I’m just listing them for clarity and accounting.
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RockkChalkk said:
JayHawkFanToo said:
Svi and Devonté are seniors so they are gone. This leaves 13 players for the 13 (not 15) scholarships allowed. For Langford to join either Newman or Vick need to leave or maybe Cunliffe either leave or red shirt.
BTW, Doke is an Academic All-Conference rather than All-American.
Actually, i believe it leaves 14 players for the 13 spots. Did you count Lawson twice? As we stand now, at least one underclassmen must depart to have enough scholarships. If we want room for Langford, we need two to leave.
Lawsonx2 is both Lawsons
