So the nicknames are almost done, it's been a chore, but there's been so much going on that I wanted to chime in with my thoughts:
No surprise to me that Michael Beasley, Bill Walker, Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur declared for the draft although I would be surprised if Walker or Arthur change their mind. Seems to me that all four should go in the first round and I'm happy for them. I always find it odd when people chastise these stars for leaving early. Who amongst us wouldn't have left college early for guaranteed millions in our field of expertise? A very small percentage indeed, and most of us don't have the same risk for injury that they would. I think Rush and Beasley will be the best pros of the four, I'm just not sure Walker and Arthur have the right make up...but the certainly have the talent.
Frank Martin's 5 year extension didn't surprise me a ton either but i don't think it'll work out very well in manhappy. I feel pretty confident saying that the Wildcats underachieved this season with Beasley and Walker. If they continue that path with considerably less talent fans in Manhappy may be right back where they were in the Woolridge era.
I hear rumors that Luke "I am your Father" Hochevar may take John Bale's spot in the rotation as early as Sunday. Hochevar looked good in his last start in Omaha and while it's earlier than I anticipated, I'm stoked. Greinke, Banny and Hochevar may make up the best young staff in all of baseball.
Speaking of starters, I owe Brett Tomko an apology. He hasn't been near as terrible as I anticipated. In fact, to this point he's been our third best starter. I don't expect that to continue, but I'll give him props now while I can.
Showing posts with label Brandon Rush. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brandon Rush. Show all posts
Friday, April 18, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
What a weekend!
I have to say this was one of the most enjoyable weekends I've ever been a part of. The basketball was fantastic...the selection committee got it right...and because of how much I enjoyed it, I completely blew of the triumphant return of KCSR TV...well that and the fact that I was setting up the first annual KCSR Bracket Challenge. Again, in case you missed it, simply send me your email address, I'll send you an invite and you could be well on your way to owning the first ever KCSR March Madness Champion T Shirt. More thoughts from the weekend...
12 seed Georgia winning the SEC Tournament, in front of (seemingly) 2500 people was easily my favorite story of the weekend. It's also a testament to the inferiority of the SEC. It's not even feasible that Colorado could have done that this weekend.
Baylor getting in to the Dance was my 2nd favorite story. Besides the Cinderella factor, last time the Bears went dancing? 1988
Sunday's championship game was possibly the best game I've seen this year...I'll take it over either of the Duke/UNC in terms of quality of play. I think Self said it best when he said it was "humbling" at times.
If Brandon Rush keeps playing like this, Kansas will be in the Final4.
If Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers keep playing like this, Kansas will win it all.
A tornado hit the Georgie Dome in the middle of the SEC Championship? WOW! No one died? Bigger WOW! Whoever designed that should get some kind of medal today.
Kansas, bracket is the easiest of them all. Only the 3 seed and 11(K-State) are better than the other brackets. By the way, last time Kansas and K-State were in the same bracket? 1988.
Yeah, I'll probably pick Kansas to win it all in at least one of my brackets.
12 seed Georgia winning the SEC Tournament, in front of (seemingly) 2500 people was easily my favorite story of the weekend. It's also a testament to the inferiority of the SEC. It's not even feasible that Colorado could have done that this weekend.
Baylor getting in to the Dance was my 2nd favorite story. Besides the Cinderella factor, last time the Bears went dancing? 1988
Sunday's championship game was possibly the best game I've seen this year...I'll take it over either of the Duke/UNC in terms of quality of play. I think Self said it best when he said it was "humbling" at times.
If Brandon Rush keeps playing like this, Kansas will be in the Final4.
If Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers keep playing like this, Kansas will win it all.
A tornado hit the Georgie Dome in the middle of the SEC Championship? WOW! No one died? Bigger WOW! Whoever designed that should get some kind of medal today.
Kansas, bracket is the easiest of them all. Only the 3 seed and 11(K-State) are better than the other brackets. By the way, last time Kansas and K-State were in the same bracket? 1988.
Yeah, I'll probably pick Kansas to win it all in at least one of my brackets.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Big 12 Report Week 4
It was a busy week in Big 12 country, but not necessarily a happy one for a lot Big 12 fans...
- Texas Tech fans had to deal with the sudden departure of Bobby Knight. Even the fans that didn't like him(if there were any) have to recognize that this hurts their chances for a postseason birth this season.
- Tiger fans don't seem thrilled with the reinstatement of Jason Horton and Darryl Butterfield, and on top of that had to deal with the pounding from KU. No matter how expected, that still has to sting.
- K-State fans went from undefeated and atop the Big 12 to questioning how their team could lose to a shorthanded Missouri squad. Granted, they're still tied for first but they have to feel like any game is losable now.
- Oklahoma was 3-2 last week and giddy over the early return of Blake Griffin. Now they're 3-4 and hoping a road game at Colorado can get them back to .500 in conference.
Sure the Aggies, Longhorns and Jayhawks are happy, but we expected that from the beginning, right?
1. Kansas (7-1) I'm sure there are KSU fans out there who think they should be #1 based on their head to head victory. To them I say, the #1 team in the conference doesn't lose to a 2-5 squad missing three of their players. The Jayhawks have one heck of a tough weekend coming up with Baylor at home on Saturday followed by a Big Monday matchup at Texas. Another chance for this team to prove their toughness, let's hope it goes better than Manhatten did.
2. Kansas State (6-1) The loss to Mizzou was enough to knock them out of the top spot, but really not devastating in terms of the long haul. Michael Beasely had a monster night putting up 35 and 13 against Nebraska and tying a K- State record with his 18th double double of the season. The Wildcats may not be the number one team in the conference, but he's without a doubt the #1 player.
3. Texas A&M (5-3) Things are starting to look a little more like we expected for Turgeon's Aggies. Saturday's Blackout at Mizzou could be trouble if they overlook it, but I think this team is done overlooking teams after 3 early losses.
4. Texas (5-2) So they won two games they were supposed to, whoopee. Would it surprise me if they lost at Iowa State on Saturday then turned around and beat Kansas on Big Monday? Not entirely...
5. Baylor (5-2) Are the Bears starting to come back to earth? I think it's posssible. Their next 5 are brutal: @ KU, @ OSU, UT, @ OU, KSU. I'll be impressed if they win two of those.
6. Oklahoma (3-4) Sooners need to start winning and fast. Lucky for them, Colorado is up next.
7. Texas Tech (3-4) This spot has been a revolving door, and with Bobby Knight out I don't believe the Red Raiders will be able to hold on to it. Need to win Saturday at Nebraska to preserve any chance of me saving face.
8. Iowa State (3-5) Roller coaster season for the Cyclones is probably going mostly down from here on out.
9. Missouri (3-5) I told you I only put them at the bottom because of the term 'indefinite' although in the case of Horton and Butterfield we all thought that term should have meant longer than it did. Tigers have already shocked two ranked teams at home this year, will A&M make three?
10. Nebraska (2-5) Biggest...disappointment...of... the... year...
11. Oklahoma State (2-6) I hope Sean Sutton makes it through this year with his health. He doesn't seem to handle losing very well and they've done a lot of it.
12. Colorado (1-7) 1 point loss last night at Stillwater begs the question: How many winnable games are left for the Buffs? Not many at all.
We're really close to the midway point, my awards so far:
Player of the Year- Michael Beasley
Freshman of the Year- Michael Beasley
Coach of the Year- Frank Martin/Scott Drew
All Big 12 Team
Michael Beasley
DJ Augustin
Bill Walker
Brandon Rush
Richard Roby
To see how those compare to my preseason picks, click here.
The postseason outlook looks pretty similiar to last week:
Kansas- #1 seed
A&M, Texas- #4 seed
KSU- #5 seed
Baylor- #7 seed
Oklahoma- #12 seed
Texas Tech- NIT
- Texas Tech fans had to deal with the sudden departure of Bobby Knight. Even the fans that didn't like him(if there were any) have to recognize that this hurts their chances for a postseason birth this season.
- Tiger fans don't seem thrilled with the reinstatement of Jason Horton and Darryl Butterfield, and on top of that had to deal with the pounding from KU. No matter how expected, that still has to sting.
- K-State fans went from undefeated and atop the Big 12 to questioning how their team could lose to a shorthanded Missouri squad. Granted, they're still tied for first but they have to feel like any game is losable now.
- Oklahoma was 3-2 last week and giddy over the early return of Blake Griffin. Now they're 3-4 and hoping a road game at Colorado can get them back to .500 in conference.
Sure the Aggies, Longhorns and Jayhawks are happy, but we expected that from the beginning, right?
1. Kansas (7-1) I'm sure there are KSU fans out there who think they should be #1 based on their head to head victory. To them I say, the #1 team in the conference doesn't lose to a 2-5 squad missing three of their players. The Jayhawks have one heck of a tough weekend coming up with Baylor at home on Saturday followed by a Big Monday matchup at Texas. Another chance for this team to prove their toughness, let's hope it goes better than Manhatten did.
2. Kansas State (6-1) The loss to Mizzou was enough to knock them out of the top spot, but really not devastating in terms of the long haul. Michael Beasely had a monster night putting up 35 and 13 against Nebraska and tying a K- State record with his 18th double double of the season. The Wildcats may not be the number one team in the conference, but he's without a doubt the #1 player.
3. Texas A&M (5-3) Things are starting to look a little more like we expected for Turgeon's Aggies. Saturday's Blackout at Mizzou could be trouble if they overlook it, but I think this team is done overlooking teams after 3 early losses.
4. Texas (5-2) So they won two games they were supposed to, whoopee. Would it surprise me if they lost at Iowa State on Saturday then turned around and beat Kansas on Big Monday? Not entirely...
5. Baylor (5-2) Are the Bears starting to come back to earth? I think it's posssible. Their next 5 are brutal: @ KU, @ OSU, UT, @ OU, KSU. I'll be impressed if they win two of those.
6. Oklahoma (3-4) Sooners need to start winning and fast. Lucky for them, Colorado is up next.
7. Texas Tech (3-4) This spot has been a revolving door, and with Bobby Knight out I don't believe the Red Raiders will be able to hold on to it. Need to win Saturday at Nebraska to preserve any chance of me saving face.
8. Iowa State (3-5) Roller coaster season for the Cyclones is probably going mostly down from here on out.
9. Missouri (3-5) I told you I only put them at the bottom because of the term 'indefinite' although in the case of Horton and Butterfield we all thought that term should have meant longer than it did. Tigers have already shocked two ranked teams at home this year, will A&M make three?
10. Nebraska (2-5) Biggest...disappointment...of... the... year...
11. Oklahoma State (2-6) I hope Sean Sutton makes it through this year with his health. He doesn't seem to handle losing very well and they've done a lot of it.
12. Colorado (1-7) 1 point loss last night at Stillwater begs the question: How many winnable games are left for the Buffs? Not many at all.
We're really close to the midway point, my awards so far:
Player of the Year- Michael Beasley
Freshman of the Year- Michael Beasley
Coach of the Year- Frank Martin/Scott Drew
All Big 12 Team
Michael Beasley
DJ Augustin
Bill Walker
Brandon Rush
Richard Roby
To see how those compare to my preseason picks, click here.
The postseason outlook looks pretty similiar to last week:
Kansas- #1 seed
A&M, Texas- #4 seed
KSU- #5 seed
Baylor- #7 seed
Oklahoma- #12 seed
Texas Tech- NIT
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Sunflower Showdown
Seems like I've been waiting forever for this game, then I thought about how long Wildcats fans have been waiting for a win over KU in Manahatten...25 years and 1 day to be exact. Yes, a quarter of a century ago yesterday was the last time K-State beat Kansas. Absurd isn't is? But there have been plenty of articles about "The Streak" and it's absurdity. Even more about Michael Beasley and his guarantees to end said streak. Even a few on Kansas' reaction to Beasley's guarantee to end "The Streak".
Yeah, the whole streak angle has been beaten into the ground, right? Maybe. One thing everyone seems to agree on is that the streak won't have any effect on tonight's game. The most common things you hear is "These kids weren't even born when this streak started"...to me that's pretty shortsighted. With everyone talking about Beasley's guarantee filling the Jayhawks' bulletin board, how can we not analyze the other side of it? These Wildcats have heard about "The Streak" since before they stepped on Kansas, you don't think they're motivated by that? You don't think they'll play harder tonight than any other? Of course they will.
So, we have the veteran Jayhawks trying to silence the confident (if not arrogant) Wildcats on one side. On the other you have the young Wildcats, tired of hearing about 24 years of disappointment, wanting to prove themselves. To me, that sounds like a recipe for one of the best games of the season...at first glance.
The problem with that theory is it doesn't take in to account the disparity in talent. All year long I've told you how Michael Beasley was this year's Kevin Durant, and I stand by that. And Bill Walker is a great young player as well...maybe the 2nd most talented player on the floor but after that there is no comparison here. Mario Chalmers, Russell Robinson, Brandon Rush, Sherron Collins...The Wildcats have noanswer for them. The guards will be the difference and I expect Mario Chalmers to have a field day.
Kansas State is a good team no doubt, a tournament team for sure, but not the kind of team that beats an inspired Kansas team. No, their only hope was to catch this team sleeping and Mr. Beasley made sure that didn't happen. Everyone has given Beasley a free pass because he's "good enough to back it up". Everyone seems to think that great players can make guarantees...I agree...IF they're on a great team. Beasley didn't write a check that he couldn't cover, he wrote one that his team has to try and cover...and cost them any chance at a victory.
Last odds I saw had Kansas as a 7 point favorite and I'd be amazed if they don't cover that. Expect 20+ turnovers from the Wildcats, as well as a lot of frustration. The Streak continues...
Kansas 79, Kansas State 66
Yeah, the whole streak angle has been beaten into the ground, right? Maybe. One thing everyone seems to agree on is that the streak won't have any effect on tonight's game. The most common things you hear is "These kids weren't even born when this streak started"...to me that's pretty shortsighted. With everyone talking about Beasley's guarantee filling the Jayhawks' bulletin board, how can we not analyze the other side of it? These Wildcats have heard about "The Streak" since before they stepped on Kansas, you don't think they're motivated by that? You don't think they'll play harder tonight than any other? Of course they will.
So, we have the veteran Jayhawks trying to silence the confident (if not arrogant) Wildcats on one side. On the other you have the young Wildcats, tired of hearing about 24 years of disappointment, wanting to prove themselves. To me, that sounds like a recipe for one of the best games of the season...at first glance.
The problem with that theory is it doesn't take in to account the disparity in talent. All year long I've told you how Michael Beasley was this year's Kevin Durant, and I stand by that. And Bill Walker is a great young player as well...maybe the 2nd most talented player on the floor but after that there is no comparison here. Mario Chalmers, Russell Robinson, Brandon Rush, Sherron Collins...The Wildcats have noanswer for them. The guards will be the difference and I expect Mario Chalmers to have a field day.
Kansas State is a good team no doubt, a tournament team for sure, but not the kind of team that beats an inspired Kansas team. No, their only hope was to catch this team sleeping and Mr. Beasley made sure that didn't happen. Everyone has given Beasley a free pass because he's "good enough to back it up". Everyone seems to think that great players can make guarantees...I agree...IF they're on a great team. Beasley didn't write a check that he couldn't cover, he wrote one that his team has to try and cover...and cost them any chance at a victory.
Last odds I saw had Kansas as a 7 point favorite and I'd be amazed if they don't cover that. Expect 20+ turnovers from the Wildcats, as well as a lot of frustration. The Streak continues...
Kansas 79, Kansas State 66
Sunday, January 27, 2008
KC Sports Report TV....finally
If you checked the blog the last two days you didn't see anything new, sorry for that. Yesterday was my Fantasy Football Awards Banquet, a couple of thoughts before we get to the videos...
- If your league doesn't have an awards banquet, you should. Just as the draft has turned into an excuse for the guys to get together and drink, now so too has the awards banquet. If for no other reason, doubling the opportunities to get together with friends is good enough.
- The guy who finished last in our league (thus earning the number one overall pick) was already talking about drafting LT next year. Really? The way LT finished the year(injuries and attitude) I'm not so certain.
- There was a big debate between our new commissioner and last year's champ about how much luck has to do with success in fantasy football. My stance? A ton! Anyone that doesn't get this has obviously been extremely lucky and is far too self consumed to recognize it.
Okay, that was scalding enough...on to the videos...
Someone in the comments this week asked for a Kareem Rush write up, how about a video instead? And in the interest of fairness: Brandon....and Jaron.
While I was looking online I found Linas Kleiza dunking on Earl Watson...nice.
As long as Michael Beasley keeps his Wildcats undefeated, I'll keep posting highlight clips...Here's another, this one against France.
And finally, soccer season is right around the corner. Here's a compilation of the Wizards best goals of 2007...
- If your league doesn't have an awards banquet, you should. Just as the draft has turned into an excuse for the guys to get together and drink, now so too has the awards banquet. If for no other reason, doubling the opportunities to get together with friends is good enough.
- The guy who finished last in our league (thus earning the number one overall pick) was already talking about drafting LT next year. Really? The way LT finished the year(injuries and attitude) I'm not so certain.
- There was a big debate between our new commissioner and last year's champ about how much luck has to do with success in fantasy football. My stance? A ton! Anyone that doesn't get this has obviously been extremely lucky and is far too self consumed to recognize it.
Okay, that was scalding enough...on to the videos...
Someone in the comments this week asked for a Kareem Rush write up, how about a video instead? And in the interest of fairness: Brandon....and Jaron.
While I was looking online I found Linas Kleiza dunking on Earl Watson...nice.
As long as Michael Beasley keeps his Wildcats undefeated, I'll keep posting highlight clips...Here's another, this one against France.
And finally, soccer season is right around the corner. Here's a compilation of the Wizards best goals of 2007...
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