@drgnslayr

If you want a “big” lineup, you could go Grimes, KJ, Dedric, Big Dave and Doke. That lineup still effectively fills out each position. There’s some spacing issues with that group, but it could work for short stretches.

JayHawkFanToo said:

Interesting, several analysts now claim the the 3 top team in the League will be the Celtics, Raptor and 76ers who are all in the East…scroll down to item 5 on the link.

I think you might be misreading what the analysts are saying. They are saying that any of the three (Boston, Toronto, Philly) could be a top three team, but that they still believe Golden State and Houston will be top 3 teams.

@DoubleDD

Given the amount of controversy the last couple of days stemming from the Trump-Putin meeting, this is why you do not meet one on one.

No one knows what was agreed to, and there’s no notes or written documentation to fall back on. All we have is whatever Trump and the interpreter remember. That’s poor practice.

bskeet said:

3. Hide your tracks. The days of groups claiming responsibility for this or that is over. Boasting attracts heat. The new enemy prefers to operate more or less guerrilla-style in the shadows. The victim may not even realize they were cut until they are significantly impaired, let alone who cut them.

Excellent point. Beyond that, operate as a quasi-state.

One of the reasons the US has struggled in the war on terror is because there is no one to attack outright.

We weren’t attacked by Afghanistan. We were attacked by terrorist groups based in Afghanistan. Innocents are mixed with perpetrators.

The US military is designed to fight other national armies. It is not built to fight quasi states or non states. Guerrilla style groups aren’t confined to a specific bit of land. They move.

On the internet, its even worse. A hacking group can be in Russia today, Latvia tomorrow, Cyprus the next day, etc. They are moving faster than we have planned to react. The means used to attack can bounce around as well, pinging servers around the globe in seconds to initiate an attack, then fade back into the shadows before we even realize there was a breach.

Welder is too liberal for Kansas. I’m not sure Welder will even be the Democratic nominee.

bskeet said:

We’re in the middle of a world war. It’s just being fought on a new theater – information.

This is so true.

A data hack can shut down critical systems for hours. Every year, businesses are hacked or have an information security breach. For businesses that have a security breach, many of the smaller ones are completely out of business within one year.

Identity theft is real. I am sure everyone on this board knows someone that has had to deal with identity theft, whether it was credit card fraud, bank account fraud or simple credit fraud.

This is a war being fought both domestically and internationally, but it isn’t getting nearly enough attention.

@BigBad

Garrett is a much worse offensive player than any of the guys Metcalf listed there.

@drgnslayr

Since Cal went to UK (2010 season), here are the teams with the most Final Fours:

1. Kentucky - 4 (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015)

Tied for second

Villanova (2016, 2018) UConn (2011, 2014) Duke (2010, 2015) North Carolina (2016, 2017) Louisville (2012, 2013) Kansas (2012, 2018) Michigan State (2010, 2015) Wisconsin (2014, 2015) Michigan (2013, 2018) Syracuse (2013, 2017)

Duke and Villanova have won titles in both Final Four trips they have made. So did UConn, but they have posted losing records more often than they have won titles since 2010. But they also only have two trips. Kentucky has only won once, but has been there four times. That’s not exactly unproven, or fanbase dreaming. The current Final Four drought at Kentucky (three seasons) is the longest since Calipari arrived in Lexington. Duke went four seasons between trips, and hasn’t been back in the same amount of time as Kentucky. Nova has gone twice in three years, but didn’t have a trip since 2009 before that. Izzo has the same droughts as Coach K. Self had a five season drought between 2012 and this past season. Roy Williams went from 2009 to 2016 without a trip to the Final Four.

That doesn’t mean Kentucky will automatically make it to the Final Four this year, obviously. But they certainly have a team that is capable of that.

@JayHawkFanToo

Being even a marginal NBA starter is a tall order, one that most collegiate players wouldn’t achieve.

Josh Jackson’s athleticism and skill level (non-shooting) guaranteed a certain floor for him at the pro level. He’s both a superb athlete and a good ball handler for his size, with solid passing ability and vision, as well as athletic enough, with a high enough BBIQ to be an above average defender and offensive player.

Remember how often Josh Jackson just seemed to be in the “right place at the right time?” He has a great understanding of basketball, which he arrived on campus with.

KU really didn’t change anything for him. He was a top 5 pick either way. Had they fixed his shot, that would have been helpful for him, but his NBA trajectory was neither improved nor harmed in his one year at KU.

@JayHawkFanToo

Several reasons for that.

1. Lower level of athleticism. Jackson is a great athlete that was able to dominate bigger guys with his quickness and overwhelm guards with his size.

2. Lower level of skill. Jackson is a good ball handler, so he can get where he wants to against collegiate players much more easily than in the NBA. Jackson shot 55% on all twos in college. He shot just 58% at the rim in the NBA.

3. Shorter three point line. Jackson shot 37% from three in college. He shot about 36% on long twos in the NBA. His shooting didn’t really get worse from that range. It’s just that, with his jump shot issues, stepping out further makes those issues matter a lot more.

Jackson’s performance in the NBA shows how big the gap is between college and the NBA, even from the P5 level.