@wissox

I get your frustration, but no matter what news source you could have checked over the last six weeks, you would have gotten the same story - Grimes is gone. I’m not even really sure how much traction the “Grimes could be back” story really has, but that may be because I already accepted that he was gone, which every credible report until this week would have told you.

The trouble with stay/go and recruiting is that 100% of the reporting is based on rumors and speculation. There’s just not a lot of 100% solid information. A student athlete says something, then everyone analyzes it. Their dad wears an orange shirt - they must like Texas. Mom wears blue the next day - looks like Duke is in the mix. They order biscuits and gravy for breakfast, must like the SEC schools. Its all rampant speculation based on random facts that may not even mean anything.

I follow recruiting the same way I follow politics - ignore the pundits and talking heads. Pay attention only to what the person says or does. If they say they enjoyed their visit to KU, it means exactly that. They enjoyed their visit. It doesn’t mean they are ready to commit. It just means they had a good time over the weekend. That’s better than having a terrible time, but they might have also had good visits at their other schools.

Until Grimes says something more, I am going to presume that he is going to stay in the draft. Things could change. There could be injuries, subpar performance, breakouts, whatever. But Grimes is in right now, and my guess is that he will stay in until he says he isn’t.

@drgnslayr

Most teams don’t have the depth to foul someone all the time. Even if you used walk ons, what you would sacrifice offensively to have a guy in there that can’t contribute offsets the gain of the missed FTs. That’s why teams usually only do the fouling in the second half, or for limited spurts.

If you wanted, you might be able to scheme Doke out of a game by strategically fouling in stretches. Foul him every time for two or three minutes at a time to break up KU’s offensive flow, then go back to your regular sets.

Other notes from physical testing:

Dotson has the fastest lane shuttle so far (2.8 seconds). His standing vertical and max vert (30 and 38.5 inches) are very solid for a guy his size.

Grimes did not do well in the leaping department. A disappointing 27.5 in the standing vert, and just 36 in the max. Grimes has not run yet.

No one has bench press numbers yet.

Grimes finished with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 turnovers.

Without having seen the actual game, I can’t put that performance into any real context.

@drgnslayr

Kareem is one of the 25 best players of all time.

Wilt is one of the 10 best players of all time.

It’s that simple, really.

@Crimsonorblue22

You can track stats here:

https://stats.nba.com/game/0921900001/

So far in his game, Grimes is 3-6, including 1-3 from 3PT, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover. 7 points in the first half.

BShark said:

Grimes combine measurements are not great

6’4" barefoot, 6’5.25 in shoes, 8’4.5" standing reach, 6’7.75" wingspan, 209.6 pounds, 8.4% body fat

He measures out as a PG moreso that a SG. His reach is average for his size, but he would struggle against bigger wing players.

The only number that is troubling is that body fat. You would like to see that down closer to 6%.

The bigger measurements are going to be his vertical and strength measurements.

Grimes’ standing reach is equal to Jarrett Culver.

Also, Bol Bol’s standing reach is a ridiculous 9’7.75" Tacko Fall’s is 10’2.25". Jay Bilas is hyperventilating somewhere.

Grimes’ future depends on what he does at the combine. Play well, and he’s a first rounder. Play poorly, he is hoping to catch on with a summer league team.

Dotson will probably be back at KU. He’s still just a bit too small. I could see him being banged up even as a rookie backup from the size and contact he would have to take.

Dedric is probably a second rounder that makes someone’s roster as a small ball 5. I could see him having success sliding up to the 5 because he’s so efficient and is a reliable rebounder even without elite athleticism. He’s still not going to be great defensively, but playing the 5 (and adding some strength) could help him translate that into a career. With the direction the NBA is heading, a 6-9 5 man that can rebound, handle the ball, shoot from the perimeter and pass effectively is a nice weapon. He won’t be a star, but he’s a nice piece to have stashed on your bench.

I’m not denying that Grimes’ production didn’t match his talents. I thought Grimes would come in and average 15 ppg, with 6 rebounds, a couple steals and 3 or 4 assists. That’s the type of talent his video suggests he has. Instead, he played to about half that, so yes, I agree with @Marco that Grimes was, by any reasonable measure, a disappointment compared to the expectations.

I am worried about what that does to KU’s recruiting. I think that may have hurt us in pursuing Rayjon Tucker. Remember, we have had consecutive years where a highly talented player looked lost in the system for much of the season (first Newman, then Grimes). Perhaps that played into Tucker’s decision. I don’t really know.

I do know this. Grimes will be evaluated as a PG at the NBA level. He will have an opportunity at the combine to show his skills. We will see what he has from here. As I said before, there’s a chance that he’s a complete bust at the next level, but I think the chance that he’s a superstar is higher than the chance he’s a bust, with the chance that he’s a solid role player the most likely outcome.