@HighEliteMajor

He’s still too much boy, not enough man for the league.

But we’ve all seen this before… time, effort and experience will grow hair on his ears and then the world will know if he has NBA talent.

“Has something changed in the NCAA?”

A lot has changed since then.

Back then, the NCAA still floated under the guise of being a “private membership club” which basically gave them complete, unfettered power.

What has come to reality since then is they are losing much of that exclusive power now because of their broad impact on American society… meaning… they can be challenged in a federal court room, and whenever that happens, they tend to lose chunks of power.

One can argue that the best thing for Silvio’s future is to stay right here for the remainder of the year.

It shows some maturity to do it. He stays and learns solid fundamentals (which have proven to help other Jayhawks in the NBA). He risks less injury by not going full tilt in a foreign league which can get very sloppy. And… probably the best reason… he doesn’t learn bad habits abroad that will just have to be fixed in the league.

Plus… who knows… maybe a diploma is in his future and basketball isn’t. We’ve seen it be the case with many bright talents.

BShark said:

KJ is Kevin Young basically.

Let’s hope he can become KY, but with his thicker body.

I think within the next couple weeks we will see more of the guys sort of find a role on this team.

I’d like to see Vick watch old Laker games with Michael Cooper. There is a lot he could quickly pick up on from another thin player who was athletic.

I’m in on the Vick fan club!

I see Garrett as a vital piece to our success this year.

Everyone in here is correct to be critical of his offense.

But we will never find our way back to the Final Four without playing defense.

Garrett is one of the few players that even has a concept of defense right now.

Self has to teach defense and he has to put some defense on the floor. Right now, this is one of the poorest defensive teams I’ve seen from Bill at Kansas. Hopefully, they’ll improve dramatically over the year!

As of right now, MG may be the only player that has bought in to “Self ball” (defense).

By the way, I can easily see us lose a couple before conference play. This team is one big chaotic mess right now! We haven’t established anything on either side of the ball yet. Right now, Self will put anyone on the floor that will step up and fill in any of the holes in this team, on either side of the ball. Look, we’ve had to rely on a blistering Vick just to stay in games! What happens when he goes cold?

Right now, Self has to put any player on the floor who can execute ANYTHING! That is how loose this team is. We can’t even smack down cream puff teams with Doke in the paint. Gheez.

But I’m thrilled watching Vick finally showing us his wares. He still has other skills he’s not showing us. I’d like to see him take it to the rack more.

Have we even run our backdoor alleyoop yet this year? Wow… Self’s calling card.

@HighEliteMajor

I vote Dedric Lawson for President!

This guy is perhaps not as athletic as we are used to, but the guy is racking up double-doubles. Why?

F O C U S ! The problem we have always suffered from! We’ve always had the talent and the athleticism. And Self is a heck of a coach in so many ways.

But it takes F O C U S to really execute. Nova… Nova had focus. They came and executed. The difference was stark and we had no chance in that game.

Dedric just hangs in there every game. He’s focused on the ball, and where the ball is going.

I wish Dedric would gather the crew and teach them all “Dedric ZEN!” I wonder if he’s spent hours staring at a candle flame.

Doke… man… settle down! Sit with your candle and count slowly to 100, each number with a breath, and do it until the candle burns out.

Devon… he gets it. He’s sharing a candle with Dedric.

Marcus… inhale… inhale… inhale… whewwwwwww… there you go… let it out… keep air out of your lungs for half a minute and then start breathing again.

Quentin… look in a mirror. Focus on those eyes for an hour. Yes… you got the looks! And the charm… But you need to see a ball player now. Keep staring until you see him!

Charlie… stare into the crystal ball… x-axis! That means… dribble… pass… cut… dribble… pass… cut… dribble… pass… cut… move your feet and create space. Wear down opponents and steal points the second they forget to stop running with you.

Vick… I’ve got nothing to say except OUTSTANDING!

KJ… stare down everyone. Your teammates… your opponents… You have some kind of magic no one is on to yet and it will be appearing sometimes this year and you will bring us Ws. You already have!

Mitch… Take your candle into the weight room and sit down with Hudy. Build bulk all through the season. Forget it if it throws your shot off. Focus on bulk. If you can continue to bulk you will become a freak defender and your muscle will earn you plenty of points. Forget finesse.

David Mactruck… Keep your candle a secret. Sneak on the court late night with just your candle flame and go stealth. Let everyone forget you exist and circle March on your calendar for your real “coming out” party.

@DoubleDD

How about we cut two more teams and then we can go back to our old brand… The Big 8! Surely, we still own all of those trademarks still.

Imagine the perceived prestige… a power conference that is busy CUTTING teams!

Hahahahahhaaaaaaa…

@wissox

Darn it! I’ve been working extra hours and have missed lots of good chatting in here.

@BShark

Wish I could have read the rest of that article.

I look at the big 4s and 5s becoming extinct if they can’t make big offensive plays outside of the paint. Big plays include nailing the trey, but also mastering high ball screens and becoming excellent passers.

When big guys can make big plays outside of the paint they force the big defenders out of the paint. That is crucial to open up the rim, and also make it easier to nab offensive boards.

Big guys are crucial for defending the rim and rebounding.

I’m defending the big guys in this post, but everyone in here knows me as the “x-axis guy” who would take on any team if I had 5 guards that could really play all aspects of the game, including boxing out.

Where I see the game changing is now coaches see they can win big or small, and the key is to put their best players on the floor, regardless of their size.