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Why is Frank devolving?

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8 years 1 month ago #3229 by HawkErrant
He was so solid, but has steadily gone downhill this year. A scorer in HS (2nd only to Moses Malone in Virginia HS history), he's not anymore. Earlier in the year he showed he had learned to dish and drive, but shows no ability to do it lately, disappearing in the trees and getting stuffed by the branches. He's not getting the assists expected from a PG, he's just not running the O well at all, and he can't keep in front of a good guard on D.

Sad to watch.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." - Mark Twain "Innocents Abroad"

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8 years 1 month ago #3232 by CorpusJayhawk
Word squared!!

Don't worry about the mules, just load the wagon!!

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8 years 1 month ago #3234 by Bayhawk
Of course it is in the public domain . . . ;)

Word!

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The end is nothing; the road is all.
-- Jules Michelet

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8 years 1 month ago #3235 by porthawk
It's a great question and I was thinking the same thing. Is he playing hurt? Have teams just scouted him better? Teams seem to have a second (or third) body coming over to help when he drives past the man guarding him. You would think there would be a man open, but like you said, it seems he's not getting as many assists as he could/should be. I will say that a stat on the screen said that his 4.7 assists/game were good for 6th in the league.

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8 years 1 month ago #3250 by konza63
Like a good race horse that a gambling owner can't get enough of, Frank has been run into the ground.

We've played this two-PG offense all year...from day one...and it means that Frank rarely gets spelled. I thought the 2-PG offense was a good look at the beginning of the year, but I believe it's running its course now. It would be nice to occasionally mix it up with Devonte running point, Selden at the 2, and Brannen/Svi at the 3. Or hell, put Ellis out there as a stretch 3 and play Lucas/Bragg or Diallo/Traylor in the interior. But whatever we do, Frank needs to play less minutes and get rested up and healed up.

We know what he can do...and what struck me tonight is just how much his scoring prowess has gone down since the beginning of the year. I have to believe my eyes aren't deceiving me when I say that he's gone from a steady 12-14 PPG down to about 6-8 (and most of the latter come from free throws, when his tired legs allow him to make them, these days).

Not good, folks. Not good.

“With kindest regards to Dr. Forrest C. Allen, the father of basketball coaching, from the father of the game.”

1936 inscription on the portrait of Dr. Naismith, displayed above Phog Allen's office desk at KU.

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8 years 1 month ago - 8 years 1 month ago #3260 by konza63
I just checked his game logs, and I was wrong on the scoring decline. He's still at around 13 ppg for the season, and over the last 10 games or so he's still been right in that territory.

But what I did notice is his FG percentage has definitely declined over the last 9 games (starting with the OU game). Check out his FG% over those 9 contests:

25%
37%
50%
30%
33%
21%
54%
27%
20%

Aside from the 50% and 54% outliers, Frank has obviously been in a major offensive efficiency funk of late. And beyond that, he's making uncharacteristic mistakes more often than in the past. His A:TO ratio hasn't been too bad during that stretch, staying in positive territory except during our losses--which signals a possibly direct correlation:

WVA loss: 2 assists, 7 turnovers
OSU loss: 0 assists, 2 turnovers
ISU loss: 3 assists, 6 turnovers

Bottom line: I think he's gassed. And probably pretty badly nicked up (knee, elbow, wrist, ankle--or possibly all of the above, since he's hurt each one at various times in recent weeks). Take it easy on him, folks--we know he's a good player, but when you can barely walk it's tough to play 35 minutes of optimal hoops. (Also note that he just came off of an exhausting, 42-minute game vs. UK...see: riding the horse into the ground)

Dude needs some rest and relief. But in the 2-PG offense, when will he get that? Just what Coach Self needed--yet another hole in the dike to address. :S

“With kindest regards to Dr. Forrest C. Allen, the father of basketball coaching, from the father of the game.”

1936 inscription on the portrait of Dr. Naismith, displayed above Phog Allen's office desk at KU.
Last Edit: 8 years 1 month ago by konza63.

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8 years 1 month ago - 8 years 1 month ago #3264 by DrJHawker
I've actually felt Frank's play is the biggest difference between how we've played lately versus how we played early in the year. I don't think it's the conference, I think we miss the pre-conference play of Frank. It's been mentioned that there had been a noticeable difference since the 3OT win versus OK. I was expecting improvement over last year but he was actually much better last year. devolving is a good way to put it. I hope it's a funk he snaps out of soon.

I agree with your follow up post. Frank looks tired and beat up. I was disappointed Coach reinserted him in the game when we were doing fine without him. Especially when it was clear we would win, I thought Frank should be getting a break.
Last Edit: 8 years 1 month ago by DrJHawker.

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8 years 1 month ago #3267 by murphyslaw
I definitely agree with you and Port that he is banged up and gassed. Too many hard falls and too many minutes played. Yes, he's a tough kid, but he is human, after all, and he seems to have convinced Self that he is good to go no matter what

We all remember Jerrod Hasse (sp?) and his injured wrist, but I read in his book, "Floor Burns" that he knew all along it needed surgery. He convinced RW that it was fine, and of course we know how he fared in the NCAA tournament.

Speak up, Young Man. No one will think you're soft just because you need time to heal.

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8 years 1 month ago #3270 by mpeterson44
I tend to disagree that Frank is tired from too much playing time. We have to rely on the coach and training staff to determine if a player is able to play or not. If the college schedule is too tough then they will surely fail in the NBA since they play a schedule with twice the number of games. They just have to play ball. Wilt Chamberlain averaged over 48 minutes per game in a NBA season so it can be done.

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8 years 1 month ago #3272 by konza63
Agree to disagree.

But with all due respect to the great Big Dipper, it's much more taxing to run point like Frank--especially in the style that he plays, which involves a ton of interior drives, taking contact, and going down hard on the floor--than it is to play the post.

It's also more mentally taxing, since you're the QB of the team. And while most PGs in college get healthy rest intervals because there's an able backup to come in, Franks' backup is on the court with him most of the time (Graham).

“With kindest regards to Dr. Forrest C. Allen, the father of basketball coaching, from the father of the game.”

1936 inscription on the portrait of Dr. Naismith, displayed above Phog Allen's office desk at KU.

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8 years 1 month ago #3274 by mpeterson44
I agree with you to a degree but the play at the next level is going to be much tougher. NBA play is a BIG step up. Scouts are looking for players that can make that step.

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8 years 1 month ago #3276 by konza63
I definitely agree with the NBA thing, but viewing the particulars of Frank's current situation through a future professional prism can take one off point about what ails KU in the here and now.

As a KU fan first and foremost, I care far more about how Frank's health, stamina, and playing strength is going to hold up for the rest of the season and into the crucial post-season than I do about how his number of minutes could impact his future professional playing time.

“With kindest regards to Dr. Forrest C. Allen, the father of basketball coaching, from the father of the game.”

1936 inscription on the portrait of Dr. Naismith, displayed above Phog Allen's office desk at KU.

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8 years 1 month ago #3280 by Riverhawk
Konza, my friend, this is where the Coach's stubbornness comes in. Frank is gassed, just like every lead guard Self has ever had. He plays the heck out of them...and has for years. Mason in particular burns a lot of energy on both ends of the floor. I was really disgusted last night when KU was up by 17 with about 4 minutes left...and guess who was still in the game? The only time Self didn't burn out his point guard was the 08 team when he had Chalmers, RussRob, and Sherron. Great coach, but imho this is really a blind spot, and one that always hurts this team come tournament time.

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8 years 1 month ago #3283 by Bayhawk
Fifteen assists to sixteen turnovers for the team . . . . four and two for Frank,

RC

The end is nothing; the road is all.
-- Jules Michelet

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8 years 1 month ago #3289 by Senex68
I want you to consider the following. He's playing 90% plus of each game, and we've had a couple that lasted a bit longer than normal. So from a purely physical perspective, he's got to be completely exhausted. He's a student as well as a member of the basketball team, and no matter how modest his academic responsibilities are, they must impact him. Add in his practices, and then factor in his incredible number of falls, etc., and he must be beaten up really badly. So I am convinced that he's not just 'dinged,' but rather meaningfully beaten up. And it doesn't take much to alter an athletes 'edge' at this level of play. Given his overall ability level, even a modest reduction in his physical health would turn a relatively good player into a mediocre one, which is what has happened. So what we have is a guy who is tired and beaten up, playing a position that is tremendously taxing, and playing it with a style that leads to more bangs and falls, and playing 35 plus minutes a game. I don't wonder why his performance has diminished.

To be honest, I have no idea what Self is doing with this team, particularly the guards, He's playing them to death, and I am still convinced that there is a sense of real friction and unhappiness among the players. Regardless of how masterful Self is, the team dynamic this year is simply not good, and Green's bizarre last second dunk last night was a loud and clear shout out to Self, reflecting a deep seated resentment about the treatment he perceives he's received this year. Warranted or not, it's real, and it's beginning to really impact how this team feels about itself and the coaching staff.

"When you have a ruling class that doesn’t believe in — or even much like — the fundamental values of the nations it rules, things tend to work out poorly.”

Glenn Reynolds

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8 years 1 month ago #3292 by konza63
Spot on.

“With kindest regards to Dr. Forrest C. Allen, the father of basketball coaching, from the father of the game.”

1936 inscription on the portrait of Dr. Naismith, displayed above Phog Allen's office desk at KU.

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8 years 1 month ago - 8 years 1 month ago #3295 by HawkErrant
Bay,

It's so much more than assists v TOs,

How many times last night did we see Frank drive into double teams, get smothered and then have great difficulty doing anything with the ball? And not just into the paint, either. There were at least two times in H2 when he dribbled to the left wing right into KSU double coverage and barely maintained possession. KSU players clearly paid attention to their scouting reports, knew exactly what Frank was going to do and did everything they could to disrupt him, and this without their starting PG.

No disrespect intended, but KSU is just not that good this year (now 2-7 in B12 play), yet they played a better game -- in AFH -- than KU did in just about every aspect except getting the ball in the hoop. Self said as much in his post game presser. I do not recall ever seeing him so disgusted after a game (BG didn't help his mood). Thankfully our guys found enough D in them for enough time to really limit a poor shooting KSU team -- and hitting 65% in H2 despite good KSU hustle never hurts.

I know we are spoiled, but we are also frustrated. We know what these guys *can* do, and just don't get the lack of focus and mental discipline, and the retrograde motion of one of our most important stars.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." - Mark Twain "Innocents Abroad"
Last Edit: 8 years 1 month ago by HawkErrant.

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8 years 1 month ago #3297 by NotOstertag
First, I agree that he's a combination of gassed, dinged up, hurt, exhausted, and worn down like a 10 year old NYC taxi cab. His style of "slash into the paint and get the ball on the rim before getting hammered" combined with playing an average of 73 minutes a game (might need to check that stat, but I think it's close ;)) isn't something you can do without suffering the consequences. Even if HCBS gives him some rest, the kind of abuse he's taken tends to have a cumulative effect that won't simply go away by letting him sit for 10 minutes a game.

But the OTHER, and EQUALLY IMPORTANT part of the puzzle, as I see it, is the fact that at this point in the season, there are no secrets. Every coach in the nation has hours of game tape and fully understands Frank's game. Let's face it, if any of US were asked to come up with a strategy to stop him, it's not rocket science to figure it out. In particular, it's as easy as instructing the help defense on what to do: When Frank drives, assume he'll get past his man, and then step up and intercept him as far as possible from the rim, making sure you're set, and making sure that you keep your hands straight up in the air. When contact comes, as it inevitably will, if that contact is as far away from the rim as possible, the ball will be less likely to go in, AND if you don't slap down on him trying to block the shot (as literally every opposing big man did in the 1st half of the season) you won't send him to the line.

Is this 100% effective? Of course not, but it reduces Frank's ability to do what he does. To my eye, anyway, it seems that the opposing bigs, on a while, are getting better at keeping Frank from the rim and the free throw line.

"When I was a freshman, I remember Coach Naismith telling us how important it was to play good defense." - Mitch Lightfoot

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8 years 1 month ago #3303 by replayloungehawk
We need Steph Curry!

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8 years 1 month ago #3305 by konza63

When Frank drives, assume he'll get past his man, and then step up and intercept him as far as possible from the rim, making sure you're set, and making sure that you keep your hands straight up in the air. When contact comes, as it inevitably will, if that contact is as far away from the rim as possible, the ball will be less likely to go in...


True that...when he's singularly focused on scoring off the drive. But when he plays smart, he looks for the dish as well. When you get a chance to watch last night's game, take a look at the very last play in the first half. It was, without a doubt, in my Top 5 favorite plays all year. The clock is winding down, Frank is deliberately taking his time out on the perimeter to assess the field of play, he then waits for it to get down to about 7 seconds, flashes into the lane, draws the defenders, then makes a crisp, 20-foot pass to the baseline corner to a wide open Greene, who nails the 3-pointer at the buzzer and gets fouled for the and-one in the process.

It was sheer beauty, and the kind of heads-up, well-executed play that we need to see more of.

See, folks, it's not all bad with Frank. He has it in him. He's just beat up and hurt, and needs to make these types of good decisions a tad more frequently. Still like the kid a lot...just think he's dragging at this stage of the season for reasons already articulated.

“With kindest regards to Dr. Forrest C. Allen, the father of basketball coaching, from the father of the game.”

1936 inscription on the portrait of Dr. Naismith, displayed above Phog Allen's office desk at KU.
The following user(s) said Thank You: NotOstertag, bmchawk

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