I made a commitment to stop talking about UK awhile ago. I have tried to stay away from this one but I can’t hold it in any longer.

For the love of everything that is holy, lets stop being the little brother of UK!

It’s like Duke and Kentucky are going at it for dominance and we sit on the sidelines saying “Hey! Look at us too!”

The original post about Cal was alright. We can see his arrogance and poke fun. Great. But why should it reflect KU when UK does well or vise versa?

UK is on a great run and Cal has made the right coaching moves, and we turn it into a pissing contest on how well Self would have done with that talent. Would he have achieved greater? Or would he have underachieved because he is to rigid? WHO CARES! Their success doesn’t take away from ours, and their failures doesn’t add to our season.

KU wins the world games and we reek of jealousy when one of the first comments is about UK. And when UK made it to another final four, we complain of our situation in light of UK.

Remember how little and dumb Missouri sounded when their season magically became better after KU got bounced early in the tournament? Like it added wins to their season total? That is what we are beginning to sound like.

We have all been frustrated every year since 2012. But for heavens sake, we are a blue blood program, the second most winningest program, and are constantly a 1 or 2 seed in the tournament. We should not accept early exists from the tournament, but not because UK has been successful. But because we are Kansas and we don’t need to compare ourselves to anyone.

@Texas-Hawk-10 I disagree with HEM on a number of topics. But where does this come from?

Some posters become emotionally charged with his posts and get personal.

I don’t know HEM personally but I usually read everything he has to say. His statements are usually littered with statistics and none subjective points. How one chooses to interpret and value the statics might be, but not the statistics themselves.

This is usually how a HEM post goes:

-Outlines the problem with Self or a player* -Writes his position on Self or a player* -Gives facts or statistics to back up his opinion* -Then restates his opinion. *Opposing posters replies: -Do you know more than Self? -Traylor is a great leader and brings energy. -You’re always so negative. *HEM replies asking to prove him wrong. *opposing posters -You’re arrogant -You’re stubborn -Self is smarter.

You get the idea. The moment when you have to get personal when talking about facts, you have officially lost and might want to rethink your position. But this is a trend whenever HEM posts. Facts against personal attacks. It’s sad to see.

Disclaimer: Self makes mistakes. I believe he is making some mistakes with this team.

BUT lets not go crazy and think a Final Four or National Championship can’t be accomplished with Self’s High-Low game. We have a tendency to be spoiled and fickle as fans. Before UK started the season, a lot of people laughed at coach Cal when he said he was going to platoon. Then after he had success 3 games into the season, we were calling for Self to do the same thing.

When he wasn’t getting the talent of OADs, we thought Self lost his recruiting touch. But when he got them, we hated the constant turnover and the lack of toughness to our team. And the list goes on and on.

Lets not forget, before Embiid’s injury, we were set to make another final four run. The year before, we GAVE the game away to Michigan (which made it to the national championship). The year before that, we lost in the NC. And the year before that, VCU broke our hearts in the elite eight.

And now here we are. Is Self to blame for some of it? Of course. Is the game passing by Self? Most definitely not. With the right players, Self’s traditional offense is still very effective. Again, this year he has not adapted like he should have. But Self is still the right coach for us.

I have sworn off talking about UK awhile ago, and I have kept true to my promise. Lets keep in mind that we don’t need to be UK. We are freaking Kansas, a true blue blood, and a constant national powerhouse. When we constantly compare us to them, we exude a little-brother syndrome and we are too good for that!

Come of my KU brothers and sisters. Let us not be so fickle and keep in the mind the past 5 years and not get overwhelmed to point of questioning everything Self has accomplished AND will continue to accomplish

@Crimsonorblue22 The way the Heat used him as their whipping boy always infuriated me. If he committed a turnover, you’d either have Bosh yell at him, James death stare, or Wade scream during a timeout. If anyone else did, all they had to do was pat their chest and mouth “my bad”.

I understand treating an over zealous rookie like that. But Chalmers was a 5 year vet getting treated like that. How can anyone be expected to be productive when you’re in that environment?

@KUinLA I think the question that you haven’t answered is where were you after KU blew out Texas, ISU, or any good game this season? If there is a legitimate reason, then sleep well with a clean conscious.

What I believe rubs @icthawkfan316 and others the wrong way is you treat this site like dog who gets beat after a bad day at work. I will assume the best and think that you actually enjoy this site and the Jayhawks and only feel the need to post when you can’t take it anymore. But maybe try and venting all your thoughts and not just the negative one. In the end, you are a KU brother (or sister) and I hope you are enjoying the ride as much as everyone else. Have a good day!

“I want to take the least amount of risk as possible. It’s my dream to go to the NBA and I want to do whatever it takes to get there,”

Is this someone we want at KU? I know we are a long shot anyway but this seals the deal for me. I know the NBA dream is something every recruit will have, but the personality of taking the least amount of risk can very easily fall into not playing hard to avoid injury, being upset if not getting the PT he wants, or playing in an offense that doesn’t pack his stats.

We will dodge a bullet and have less gray hairs if he doesn’t come.

@jaybate-1.0 I hear you man.

Do I think Self is a Demi God and cannot be wrong? Of course not.

But KU wins Maui and stutters through a game to get a win and we are doomed. For goodness sake, we were handling the number one team in the nation for 32 minutes!

We have become quite the pessimistic bunch after a couple years of underachieving.

Keep on preaching brotha!

New guy here but I have been reading your guys’ insights ever since kubuckets was created.

I am interested to see how players will step up after Graham’s injury. I have been eagerly waiting see Greene and Svi play extended minutes together. Mason driving with Svi on one side or Perry getting doubled to pass back out of Svi on the other. Two 6’7+ shooting wings is something that I haven’t seen in Self’s era.

If those two get hot, expect Utah to let Perry on more one on one and our inside out game becomes more deadly.On top of that, with Mason improving with dishing it after beating his man, the team’s flow could similar to Roy’s teams with the defense minded team of Self. I am being rather optimistic but that is what pregame predictions are all about!

I expect a close game with a lot of runs but KU wins by six because of foul shooting at the end. Rock Chalk.

I have heard many people talk about Wiggins saving himself when he was in college. But it honestly has to stop.

Did he put up 25 and 8 like he was capable of? No. Did he disappear at times? Yes. That is product of not having the right mentality but not lack of effort. Self has mentioned time and time again that just because a player lacks a motor, doesn’t mean he isn’t trying hard. He has said that thinking to much, and simply not knowing how to play hard all the time. A player thinks he is giving his all until a butt chewing occurs, then they explode (like we have seen in the Big Red Dog this season). I believe players like Ellis always plays his hardest or what he thinks is his hardest.

If a player is going to slack off before the NBA, it wouldn’t be on the offensive side of the ball. He would fill the stat sheet with points, rebounds, and assist but would not play the type of defense needed to save his legs. But when we look at Wiggins, he was the only lock-down defender on KU last year and was arguably the best thing he brought. We would routinely guard their best player and do it very well. Wiggins was not half-a**ing it like so many have proclaimed.

We can pick apart how Wiggins was not the bull-dog he needed to be and didn’t us his superior athleticism to finish above the rim. All those are fair critiques. But to blast our best defender that year on effort doesn’t fit.

@DoubleDD I was in the same position. My son got a 10,000 dollar engineering scholarship and to be honest, KSU was the best option for him to go. But there isn’t a better feeling then seeing your boy on T.V. during a KSU game and him wearing a “Decade of Dominance” shirt. Proverbs 22:6 “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”

@mayjay @globaljaybird Chillax fellas. I always enjoy HEMs post whether I agree or not. I get you say he is insulting, but look at what your saying compared to the comments you have taken offense too.

HEM: “chicken” or “butt-hurt”.

Compare that too “ass” or “idiot” or telling him to stop posting.

HEM is a big boy and can handle himself. But once in awhile, it rubs me the wrong way.

Also, with Mason and Lucas gone for sure and the possibility of Svi and Graham leaving, look for a lineup of 3 bigs with Preston, Bragg, and Doke to ignite the high-low once again.

In the meantime, I am enjoying what this year has to offer!!

@HighEliteMajor Self has been SLOWLY evolving for awhile.

Before the 08 team, he was a staunch believer in set plays. He started opening up his offense to a more free flowing offensive scheme that gave the players many options.

Then came the slow progression of the dreaded “fools gold” era. Slowly, he let his players fire away at open 3s early in the shot clock.

The last part was his two big, traditional high-low game.

In the past, I could see Self yanking Jackson for Svi or Vick extremely early after an ill advised drive or pull up jumper. Now, he lets his talented players play through the learning curve.

I still love the high-low game and hope it comes back when the personnel is right. I think it’s the most consistent way of getting easy buckets when the shots aren’t falling. But for now, I am enjoying watching Mason take over in ways a PG in the past wouldn’t have been allowed to!

Does anyone know why is it when they both go to jail for it, Bragg’s mugshot and name are everywhere but the woman has to be kept anonymous?

@Texas-Hawk-10 The big difference between those programs is they had a prett good offense to go with their D.

Smart is a terrible offensive coach. Can he get a good win once in awhile because of it? Sure. But you can’t rely on your havoc D while going against big major conference guards night in and night out. If he finds an assistant who is offensively minded, then we are talking. But something tells me that his ego would cause him to never let go of the reigns that much.

That’s what happens when you build your whole career off of a flukey win!

@HawkChamp I think you have left out a major X factor. Newman by all accounts will be a stud. A 5 star recruit that has a year learning Self’s system without pressure. If Graham goes, look for Newman to fill his shoes quite nicely.

If Lucas falls over, it’s a charge instead of a blocking foul. Such crap.

@justanotherfan I like what you did with the stats. But there is one crucial aspect that you missed.

CONDITIONING!

Wilt averaged OVER 48 minutes a game that special season. No way on God’s green earth could Shaq keep up his numbers throughout an entire game. His rate of scoring and rebounding would fall tremendously.

It adds to how much more of an athlete Wilt was. What guard could do that nowadays? Yet alone your 7’1 center while being the sole focus offensively and defensively.

Whenever people talk about the greatest, it’s ridiculous how obvious their bias is. For instance, most people’s top 10 basketball players played within 10 years of each other. Is it a coincidence that most people’s top 10 include MJ, Magic, Bird, and Kareem? Some even include Isaiah Thomas!

My top 5 goes like this:

MJ Wilt James Oscar Hakeem

Hakeem is a toss up between Kareem and Russell. But don’t even get me started on the most overrated player of all time in Kobe Bryant. He should never even sniff anyone’s top 5 and I wouldn’t put him in my top 10. 15 at best for him.

From what I saw, KU might have a slightly better offense but OUs defense is far superior than KUs. Not good!