Ketch's 10 Thoughts From the Weekend (It all comes down to this ...)
- Thread starter Ketchum
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Curry is the most overrated player in NBA history.
France wins the WC.
Durant should be much higher.
France wins the WC.
Durant should be much higher.
Kody has balls bigger than Pedro Cerano....If only we had a football player, IE a QB that let his nuts hang and backed it up with his play.
Two-time MVP, three-time champ and greatest shooter in history of the game.
Other than that, how was the play, Mrs.Lincoln?
Its hard to count out Thomas Mueller as the player we will be talking about. Guy shines at the World Cup.
Surely you’re not talking about finals MVP and four time NBA champ Tony Parker? You’d put guys ahead of him that have won nothing?
Ketch,
Thanks for answering my b/s. Here’s my fup...
Removing Warehime (since he was already demoted and probably on his last year) is Mehringer the coach most on the hot seat of the remaining staff? His WR substitution pattern was maddening last year. It seemed like he never let the QB and WRs ever get into a rythym for an entire game after CJ went off against USC.
Thanks for answering my b/s. Here’s my fup...
Removing Warehime (since he was already demoted and probably on his last year) is Mehringer the coach most on the hot seat of the remaining staff? His WR substitution pattern was maddening last year. It seemed like he never let the QB and WRs ever get into a rythym for an entire game after CJ went off against USC.
Must be a pick for the local Spurs fans lol. Course you being a Sixers fan I figured you'd have Iverson up there. I'd take Iverson over Tony Parker and I'm old enough to have watched both play. Easy decision in my book. No biggie though
Personally I’d have Isiah higher on the pg list. In the era of Bird, Magic and MJ he won 2 rings with a Finals MVP. 25 points in a quarter on a completely busted ankle and was the leader in turning the Pistons in to what they were. And at his size too, I put him above Steph and close with Oscar, ppl forget him and seems to never get his full due.
#3- I know for a fact that at least one person left the UT athletic department because the pay is crap and the hours are ridiculous. I know this because they are a relative. So not all left because of del Conte downsizing
Let's go ahead and get this out of the way ... Tennessee Tech is good.
Through 18 innings of baseball, I can't say I've seen much of a difference between one of the monster programs in the history of college baseball making its return to the big stage and a school I think I only heard of last week.
Did you know that Dottie West is probably the most famous alum in the history of the school? Or Rodney Atkins. Trust me, I looked it up.
The Golden Eagles have earned some damn respect and with both teams digging deeper into their stable of arms going into the deciding game three, it looks like a 60-40 type proposition for the Longhorns going in. Given the way these dudes can rake, they'll be licking their chops going to the plate every bit as much as the Longhorns will.
Personally, I won't be surprised either way. As I said, Tennessee Tech has earned its respect.
Yet, if you're a Texas baseball player, you have to feel confident right now. Playing at home in a winner-take-all game to reach the College World Series is why each player on the Texas roster came to Texas. When these players put their heads on pillows Sunday night, they'll feel like momentum is on their side on a ride to fulfill some sort of preordained destiny.
All you can ask for at the beginning of each season is a chance to be in this position, 27 outs away from a trip to Omaha.
Oh, and only one team on the field Monday is going to have Kody Clemens on the roster.
No. 2 - About Kody Clemens ...
We've officially entered Pat Burrell territory when it comes to the Texas second baseman.
For those that don't remember, once upon a time not quite 25 years ago, the former Miami star came to Austin for a regional and every time he swung the bat that weekend, it felt like you blinked at your own risk because he was likely to go yard in the brief close of your eyes.
If you saw Burrell play in that regional, you know what I'm talking about. It was awe-inspiring. It has stood out in my mind all these years later as the signature "don't you dare pitch to this dude" aura I've personally seen at the college level.
Enter Clemens.
Through five NCAA post-season games, Clemens is nine for 19 (.474) with four homers, three doubles and nine runs batted in.
He's also been walked five times, which means he's been on base 14 times in 45 innings of playoff baseball, which is just absurd.
With one of the greatest seasons of any player in the history of the program, complete with a massive post-season run, Clemens is playing for increased legacy on Monday afternoon.
It's there for the taking.
No. 3 - A few things that missed the War Room ...
Had a chance to talk with a source in the athletic department on Thursday night (following the release of the War Room) and here are a few notes to pass along:
* While it made news last week that 13 people had been eliminated from the athletic department as part of an effort to trim the historically obscene number of people working inside the Texas AD, I'm told that very quietly a number of other people inside the department have left in the last few months and that the department is actually either close to or under the 400-person mark. The person I spoke with felt like there might still be some more trimming, but that the majority of the trimming had probably already occurred prior to these 13 dismissals.
* This person could not say enough good things about Chris Del Conte. "He's everywhere," this source said. We joked about the topic from the board last week which had people choosing between Del Conte or Tom Herman in a hypothetical world where you could have only one. In this person's estimate, Del Conte was the easy and clear choice, which I think speaks volumes about the confidence in the athletic department under the new AD.
No. 4 - Do you disagree?
Someone asked me over the weekend how I might handicap the Texas quarterbacks when it comes to the 2019 season.
I have to be honest, I've been stumped about it all weekend, which is why I'm giving the topic its own section.
Here's what I came up with:
Junior Sam Ehlinger (5:2)
Senior Shane Buechele (4:1)
Casey Thompson (8:1)
Cameron Rising (8:1)
No. 5 - My favorite in-state 2019 prospect without an offer ...
This guy isn't my highest-ranked un-offered in-state player, but he's just a guy I'd offer out of principle.
So, who is the guy?
Newton athlete Tamuazia Brown.
The 6-2, 176-pound Brown is a Rivals four-star and has offers from the likes of Alabama, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas A&M. More than anything, this isn't a big year in recruiting inside of East Texas, so I'm all about offering as many high upside guys from East Texas as possible, especially the guy that might be the best pound for pound player in the state from that region.
As it stands, Crandall offensive lineman Branson Bragg is the only player in the 2019 class from East Texas with an offer.
No. 6 – Buy or Sell …
BUY or SELL: With the OL shakeup having occurred this past off-season, Drew Mehringer is the assistant most on the hot seat this season?
(Sell) While Mehringer is under the spotlight, make no mistake about it, Derek Warehime is coaching for his Texas football coaching life this season. Without a 10th coach rule change this year, it's hard to say what would have happened to Warehome, but Tom Herman likely was going to make a change along the offensive line, no matter what.
BUY or SELL: Daniel Young leads the Longhorns in rushing this year?
(Buy) I was going to sell and take the field, but Young can't be MY guy, unless I treat him like MY guy.
BUY or SELL: All of our 2019 commits are 110-percent committed regardless of the outcome of this season?
(Sell) I don't care what they say, no out of state commitment is ever 110-percent committed. I'm not thinking of anyone in particular when I say that, it's just a rule of thumb. Actually, I'm thinking of John Brantley, who swore he was 100-percent a Texas commitment and not going to Florida for months...until he wasn't.
BUY or SELL: Herman and Co’s OOS reach is starting to gain elite status, especially with the addition of Jake Smith?
(Sell) Sell. My definition of elite means walking into states like California, Florida and Louisiana and landing five-stars in states like the ones I listed in multiple years. I'd say damn good.
BUY or SELL: Trey Sanders signing with Texas could significantly get some of our lost recruits to rethink their current verbals to other schools?
(Sell) I don't think it would impact a single guy that committed elsewhere in the way you hope it might.
BUY or SELL: Jimbo Fisher turns around aggy performance on the field, gets 10+ wins, and becomes a constant competitive force for Texas to deal with in recruiting even beyond the 2019 recruiting cycle.
(Sell) He ain't winning 10 games, but he will be a thorn in UT's side in recruiting.
BUY or SELL: Within the next five recruiting classes, one of those classes will be made up by at least 50 percent OOS recruits?
(Sell) I'd would have had a different answer if you had said 40-percent.
BUY or SELL: Texas ends up signing at least 3 out of these 5: DeMarvin Leal, Noah Cain, Elijah Higgins, Branson Bragg and Derek Stingley Jr?
(Sell) Not as of right now, no.
BUY or SELL: Maryland beats us again?
(Sell) I think that game is going to be much tougher than most believe, but if I think Texas loses that game, it means that Tom Herman was the wrong hire and I don't believe that.
BUY or SELL: Javonne Shepherd commits to the good guys?
(Buy) 85-perc...er... 86-percent.
BUY or SELL: After tapping out in Game 4 of another Finals sweep, there is nothing LeBron James can do in the balance of his career to take the GOAT crown?
(Sell) If he matched Jordan's six titles, which would mean winning three more, I think the case can be made. Outside of that, it's curtains.
No. 7 - The all-time greatness of Kevin Durant...
Below are my favorite Kevin Durant notes and stats following his second consecutive Finals MVP performance.
* Joined Michael Jordan as the only four-time scoring champion and two-time Finals MVP
* Joined Jordan and Shaq on Friday night as one of only 3 players to win Rookie of the Year, All-Star Game MVP, regular-season MVP, multiple Finals MVPs and multiple scoring titles.
* Joined Michael and Shaq as the only players to score 25 or more points in each of their first 13 Finals games.
* Joined LeBron, Kobe, Shaq, Hakeem and Jordan (twice!) as the only repeat Finals MVP winners.
* Joined Jordan as the only other player that has multiple Finals MVP awards and 30-plus point average in championship series:
* Became the 5th player in NBA history to produce a 20-point triple-double in a Finals-clinching victory.
* Trails only Rick Berry, Allen Iverson and Jordan in career points per game in the NBA Finals.
* Per @RichardYannow: "Kevin Durant averaged 28.8 ppg this Finals. The highest TS% ever in a Finals when averaging at least that many points:
1. Kevin Durant, 2017, 35.2 pts, .698 TS%
2. Kevin Durant, 2018, 28.8 pts, .654 TS%
3. Kevin Durant, 2012, 30.6 ppg, .650 TS%
His career finals averages:
32 ppg on .670 TS%, 55/43/91 splits. All of that while matching up against LeBron James (on both ends)."
No. 8 - Updating a couple of all-time lists ...
These are my top 15 all-time NBA players:
1. Michael Jordan
2. LeBron James
3. Magic Johnson
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
5. Wilt Chamberlin
6. Shaquille O’Neal
7. Tim Duncan
8. Larry Bird
9. Kobe Bryant
10. Hakeem Olajuwon
11. Bill Russell
12. Oscar Robertson
13. Kevin Durant
14. Elgin Baylor
15. Steph Curry
These are my top 10 all-time NBA point guards:
1. Magic Johnson
2. Oscar Robertson
3. Steph Curry
4. Isaiah Thomas
5. Jerry West
6. Bob Cousy
7. Jason Kidd
8. Steve Nash
9. Tony Parker
10. John Stockton
No. 9 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
... I'm almost out of words when it comes to Rafa Nadal, who won his 11th French Open on Sunday. I'll stand for him just like I will for Kevin Durant.
... The last six majors in tennis have been won by either Nadal or Roger Federer. They just won't go away.
... Justify won the Triple Crown. Cool. I got nothing else.
... I kicked around the idea of buying UFC225 on Saturday night, but I found myself just not caring enough about the fighters involved and decided to go to sleep early instead. Sounds like I missed a good card.
... CM Punk might want to think about getting a job in the real world, if professional wrestling is no longer his bag.
... Shohei Ohtani on the disabled list makes Jack a dull boy.
... Zach Steffen is THE US national team goal-keeper as far as I'm concerned. Man of the Match against France.
... Consider me a very bummed out Liverpool fan that the deal for Nabil Fekir fell apart this weekend because of concerns with his repaired knee upon inspection of his medical. On one hand, I really want him on the team, but on the other hand I completely understand using caution before a monster financial investment. Here's hoping this deal can be repaired after the World Cup. Or perhaps it's time to go get Christian Pulisic.
I'm pretty sure Alex Ovechkin won the weekend.
No. 10 – And Finally ...
Five World Cup Predictions
a. Mexico loses to Brazil in the Round of 16. England loses to Germany in the quarterfinals.
b. Players we'll be talking about: Sadio Mane (Senegal), Ousmane Dembele (France), Timo Werner (Germany), Luis Suarez (Uruguay) and Neymar (Brazil)
c. Surprise of the Tournament: Senegal makes the quarterfinals
d. Disappointment of the Tournament: Messi doesn't make it out of the quarterfinals. Ronaldo doesn't get to the quarterfinals.
e. Winner: Germany beats Brazil in the Final, unless Bobby Firmino starts over Gabriel Jesus.
Nice write up. Go see First Reformed with Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried. Great flick and he deserves a nomination.
Hot sports opinion - I’d take Reggie Miller over Stephen Curry all day long every day of the week.
