2K has been an intriguing player for Cal

His length and athletism is obvious

As a skinny freshmen, he would drive and looked like all arms and legs and out of control, but surprisingly he would score. That told me he was still growing into his body, but had the potential to be a good one.

His soph year he continued to show flashes, including a pretty good looking shot.

This year, you can see the work he's put in the weight room (kudos to our strength and conditioning coach/program)

On the court, he's become a legit shot blocker that we don't have otherwise. He works hard on defense, and for his body type is a solid defender. Offensively his improvement has been steady, but not steep. His flashes of good plays having been slowly increasing, but he hasn't put that breakout game together like the Utah player (Gach) who has a similiar body type, but is 3 inches shorter and plays a different position (Gach is a point/forward)

However, I like how he is asserting himself more in recent games. That's another good sign that he's gain some confidence, and ready to step forward to be more of a primary (instead of a role player). We will certainly need him to step forward next year as a regular starter.

He also looks like a great teammate

Go KK and thrive!

Completely agree and well said. Kuany has always had an intriguing body, and his rawness made me hope for a steep learning curve. I understand how the off-season circumstances of 2020 delayed that improvement, but I have to say that I'm still not yet seeing the extent of improvement that I'd been hoping for.

The thing for me about Kuany is that his development doesn't seem comprehensive (I'm searching for the right word there). The word you use is exactly the word that I think of with Kuany: flashes. He has good moments, seemingly out of nowhere, but I haven't yet gotten the sense of any reliably consistent, comprehensive improvement for him. No doubt the number of good "flashes" is increasing (the ucla game, or was it the Arizona game?, was easily his best yet), but it still feels like almost random flashes and not reliable consistency.

When I say "reliable consistency" I don't meant to say I expect him to be a consistently high-level performer at this stage; I'm saying I'd rather be able to count on him consistently improving the quality of his decisions, his ball-handling, his shooting, driving, etc., even if they're still not all the way there, than these seemingly random "flashes" of good moments.

I get that this may seem like a nuanced and semantic distinction, but it's the best I can do at this moment to articulate my thinking on Kuany.

Hopefully next season, he can fill Grant's role: our main facing-the-basket big guy (adding some rim protection on the other end), while a Lars/DJ combo takes over for Kelly.

Excuse my ignorance -- I haven't watched many games this season, as I truly dislike the current coach -- but when does/did Cal wear those uniforms? I've never seen them worn in a game, and I have seen different blue uniforms worn this year. So, I'm confused.

My first reaction is they look great...far better than what I've seen them wear recently. I prefer the classic style of uniform that Jason Kidd wore at Cal, and I usually strongly dislike any attempts at something different or hip. I think the cursive "Golden Bears" is truly awful and very feminine looking.

But the uniform Kuany Kuany is wearing in the picture looks cutting edge in a good way. When were those worn?

They rolled them out about the start of conference

I love the California block letters, although don't like the very thick yellow trim and shorts

But net net, they are pretty good (agree on the golden bears … good for the women's team who still wear them)

Chapman_is_Gone said:

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Excuse my ignorance -- I haven't watched many games this season, as I truly dislike the current coach -- but when does/did Cal wear those uniforms? I've never seen them worn in a game, and I have seen different blue uniforms worn this year. So, I'm confused.

My first reaction is they look great...far better than what I've seen them wear recently. I prefer the classic style of uniform that Jason Kidd wore at Cal, and I usually strongly dislike any attempts at something different or hip. I think the cursive "Golden Bears" is truly awful and very feminine looking.

But the uniform Kuany Kuany is wearing in the picture looks cutting edge in a good way. When were those worn?

---

Next season's addition of Okafor and Newell, long-overdue front court talent, could hasten Kuany's development.

I've been probably one of Lars' biggest supporters, and he's proven me right that he can improve. I expect him to improve again next year, but it won't be a big step up.

But he will always be a role player at this level. He matches up with some players, but not others. He can provide 10-15 minutes in most games. That's probably his ceiling.

We haven't seen DJ in awhile, and depending on his injury, not sure how much practice he's been putting in to improve his game. Unless we see otherwise, I think we will likely only see a slightly improved DJ next season, and that's if he's healthy (not sure what his injury or status is)

Unless we find an experienced transfer big next year (and we have no scholies remaining at this time) we will be in serious trouble. Looks like we will have to go small as we will have a lot of 3s and undersized 4s next season.

HoopDreams said:

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I've been probably one of Lars' biggest supporters, and he's proven me right that he can improve. I expect him to improve again next year, but it won't be a big step up.

But he will always be a role player at this level. He matches up with some players, but not others. He can provide 10-15 minutes in most games. That's probably his ceiling.

We haven't seen DJ in awhile, and depending on his injury, not sure how much practice he's been putting in to improve his game. Unless we see otherwise, I think we will likely only see a slightly improved DJ next season, and that's if he's healthy (not sure what his injury or status is)

Unless we find an experienced transfer big next year (and we have no scholies remaining at this time) we will be in serious trouble. Looks like we will have to go small as we will have a lot of 3s and undersized 4s next season.

---

You are glass half full while I am glass half empty. I was really positive about Lars. 7 feet tall, good quickness, good attitude, did not need to muscle up or lose weight. His development has been very disappointing to me. He is shooting 53%, and I think he should be around 60% given how close his shots are. He has no presence. He has four assists all season. I think someone else could have made him a player, but it has not happened and I agree that it won't.

I still have major hope for Kuany. He needs to have better footwork and the ability to go left. But he might get there. And 38% from three at his height is not shabby. I hope to see him closer to the hoop.

HoopDreams said:

---

I've been probably one of Lars' biggest supporters, and he's proven me right that he can improve. I expect him to improve again next year, but it won't be a big step up.

But he will always be a role player at this level. He matches up with some players, but not others. He can provide 10-15 minutes in most games. That's probably his ceiling.

We haven't seen DJ in awhile, and depending on his injury, not sure how much practice he's been putting in to improve his game. Unless we see otherwise, I think we will likely only see a slightly improved DJ next season, and that's if he's healthy (not sure what his injury or status is)

Unless we find an experienced transfer big next year (and we have no scholies remaining at this time) we will be in serious trouble. Looks like we will have to go small as we will have a lot of 3s and undersized 4s next season.

---

Yes, I realize that next season, in all likelihood, we are doomed. But we've just lost seven(?) in a row, so I'm looking to the future, pathetically grasping at straws. This is about my mental health.

Big C said:

---

HoopDreams said:

---

I've been probably one of Lars' biggest supporters, and he's proven me right that he can improve. I expect him to improve again next year, but it won't be a big step up.

But he will always be a role player at this level. He matches up with some players, but not others. He can provide 10-15 minutes in most games. That's probably his ceiling.

We haven't seen DJ in awhile, and depending on his injury, not sure how much practice he's been putting in to improve his game. Unless we see otherwise, I think we will likely only see a slightly improved DJ next season, and that's if he's healthy (not sure what his injury or status is)

Unless we find an experienced transfer big next year (and we have no scholies remaining at this time) we will be in serious trouble. Looks like we will have to go small as we will have a lot of 3s and undersized 4s next season.

---

Yes, I realize that next season, in all likelihood, we are doomed. But we've just lost seven(?) in a row, so I'm looking to the future, pathetically grasping at straws. This is about my mental health.

---

If your mental health depends on basketball results, I suggest you start rooting for the Bruins. Cronin is a great coach and their recruiting is aces. Right before the pandemic I saw Amari Bailey play in person, and even as a sophomore he was fantastic. They will lose a bunch of players at the end of the year, but no doubt they will be replaced with great transfers. I only root for Cal, but it is not a matter of mental health for me.

sluggo said:

---

Big C said:

---

HoopDreams said:

---

I've been probably one of Lars' biggest supporters, and he's proven me right that he can improve. I expect him to improve again next year, but it won't be a big step up.

But he will always be a role player at this level. He matches up with some players, but not others. He can provide 10-15 minutes in most games. That's probably his ceiling.

We haven't seen DJ in awhile, and depending on his injury, not sure how much practice he's been putting in to improve his game. Unless we see otherwise, I think we will likely only see a slightly improved DJ next season, and that's if he's healthy (not sure what his injury or status is)

Unless we find an experienced transfer big next year (and we have no scholies remaining at this time) we will be in serious trouble. Looks like we will have to go small as we will have a lot of 3s and undersized 4s next season.

---

Yes, I realize that next season, in all likelihood, we are doomed. But we've just lost seven(?) in a row, so I'm looking to the future, pathetically grasping at straws. This is about my mental health.

---

If your mental health depends on basketball results, I suggest you start rooting for the Bruins. Cronin is a great coach and their recruiting is aces. Right before the pandemic I saw Amari Bailey play in person, and even as a sophomore he was fantastic. They will lose a bunch of players at the end of the year, but no doubt they will be replaced with great transfers. I only root for Cal, but it is not a matter of mental health for me.

---

Yes, I'm trying to go back mentally to when I started as a Cal fan and the Bears were hapless but fun and we lost every game because the refs screwed us. Then root for the PAC-12 in the Tournament. The regression is almost complete.

I think K2 is an excellent example of the recruiting issues. He came in athletic, but raw. He has worked hard and improved and is a key part of the rotation in year three with significant upside. I enjoy watching him play!

However, Cal needs the type of recruit that is raw and improving in year 1, not year 3. That is one of the differences between a competitive high major program and a BDW or mid major.

Projects are OK - once we're back to competitive, we can take no more than one per year and they better have VERY unique physical attributes (wingspan, size). We can't be doing this at positions 1-3.

Kuany, Kuany, where you goin' to?
Kuany, Kuany, can I go too?

-Michael Nesmith

sluggo said:

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Big C said:

---

HoopDreams said:

---

I've been probably one of Lars' biggest supporters, and he's proven me right that he can improve. I expect him to improve again next year, but it won't be a big step up.

But he will always be a role player at this level. He matches up with some players, but not others. He can provide 10-15 minutes in most games. That's probably his ceiling.

We haven't seen DJ in awhile, and depending on his injury, not sure how much practice he's been putting in to improve his game. Unless we see otherwise, I think we will likely only see a slightly improved DJ next season, and that's if he's healthy (not sure what his injury or status is)

Unless we find an experienced transfer big next year (and we have no scholies remaining at this time) we will be in serious trouble. Looks like we will have to go small as we will have a lot of 3s and undersized 4s next season.

---

Yes, I realize that next season, in all likelihood, we are doomed. But we've just lost seven(?) in a row, so I'm looking to the future, pathetically grasping at straws. This is about my mental health.

---

If your mental health depends on basketball results, I suggest you start rooting for the Bruins. Cronin is a great coach and their recruiting is aces. Right before the pandemic I saw Amari Bailey play in person, and even as a sophomore he was fantastic. They will lose a bunch of players at the end of the year, but no doubt they will be replaced with great transfers. I only root for Cal, but it is not a matter of mental health for me.

---

Kidding about the mental health part. (I know, I know: Mental health is no joke.) A more accurate word choice might be my "off-season morale".

I will admit that, between seasons, I like to imagine as rosy a picture as possible about what lies ahead. And even with that, next season looks pretty grim (especially since it would follow five other grim seasons). The roster looks like it could be decent defensively, maybe even a bit better than this year, but woeful on offense (even more so than now).

The roster is log-jammed with below-average to so-so talent. I wouldn't be surprised to see some minor "sifting":

- Will Klonaras return?
- Can Bowser and Thorpe play Pac 12-level ball?
- Are injury-recoveries maybe part of what is hampering Hyder and Anyanwu?

If the roster is "sifted" can we bring in some decent talent?

Obviously, the overarching question is how long are we going to retain this coaching staff. Six more weeks? Fifty-eight more weeks? Longer? Anything past March 2023 would necessitate better-than-expected play and an obvious uptick in recruiting.

Big C said:

---

sluggo said:

---

Big C said:

---

HoopDreams said:

---

I've been probably one of Lars' biggest supporters, and he's proven me right that he can improve. I expect him to improve again next year, but it won't be a big step up.

But he will always be a role player at this level. He matches up with some players, but not others. He can provide 10-15 minutes in most games. That's probably his ceiling.

We haven't seen DJ in awhile, and depending on his injury, not sure how much practice he's been putting in to improve his game. Unless we see otherwise, I think we will likely only see a slightly improved DJ next season, and that's if he's healthy (not sure what his injury or status is)

Unless we find an experienced transfer big next year (and we have no scholies remaining at this time) we will be in serious trouble. Looks like we will have to go small as we will have a lot of 3s and undersized 4s next season.

---

Yes, I realize that next season, in all likelihood, we are doomed. But we've just lost seven(?) in a row, so I'm looking to the future, pathetically grasping at straws. This is about my mental health.

---

If your mental health depends on basketball results, I suggest you start rooting for the Bruins. Cronin is a great coach and their recruiting is aces. Right before the pandemic I saw Amari Bailey play in person, and even as a sophomore he was fantastic. They will lose a bunch of players at the end of the year, but no doubt they will be replaced with great transfers. I only root for Cal, but it is not a matter of mental health for me.

---

Kidding about the mental health part. (I know, I know: Mental health is no joke.) A more accurate word choice might be my "off-season morale".

I will admit that, between seasons, I like to imagine as rosy a picture as possible about what lies ahead. And even with that, next season looks pretty grim (especially since it would follow five other grim seasons). The roster looks like it could be decent defensively, maybe even a bit better than this year, but woeful on offense (even more so than now).

The roster is log-jammed with below-average to so-so talent. I wouldn't be surprised to see some minor "sifting":

- Will Klonaras return?
- Can Bowser and Thorpe play Pac 12-level ball?
- Are injury-recoveries maybe part of what is hampering Hyder and Anyanwu?

If the roster is "sifted" can we bring in some decent talent?

Obviously, the overarching question is how long are we going to retain this coaching staff. Six more weeks? Fifty-eight more weeks? Longer? Anything past March 2023 would necessitate better-than-expected play and an obvious uptick in recruiting.

---

I know you were exaggerating about mental health. Mental health is not a joke, but I think it is okay to joke about basketball impacting mental health. My only point was since there was little hope, and if you need a winning team, there are better choices.

I would be happy to adopt a posture of calumnus of not caring about results and rooting for scrappy underdogs. Get me a coach like Shantay Legans and I am fine with that. But Fox basketball is boring and gives me little joy.

It sort of misses the point whether players are going to be okay or less than okay. Cal needs some top players and it is abundantly clear that Fox will not bring such players.

sluggo said:

---

Big C said:

---

sluggo said:

---

Big C said:

---

HoopDreams said:

---

I've been probably one of Lars' biggest supporters, and he's proven me right that he can improve. I expect him to improve again next year, but it won't be a big step up.

But he will always be a role player at this level. He matches up with some players, but not others. He can provide 10-15 minutes in most games. That's probably his ceiling.

We haven't seen DJ in awhile, and depending on his injury, not sure how much practice he's been putting in to improve his game. Unless we see otherwise, I think we will likely only see a slightly improved DJ next season, and that's if he's healthy (not sure what his injury or status is)

Unless we find an experienced transfer big next year (and we have no scholies remaining at this time) we will be in serious trouble. Looks like we will have to go small as we will have a lot of 3s and undersized 4s next season.

---

Yes, I realize that next season, in all likelihood, we are doomed. But we've just lost seven(?) in a row, so I'm looking to the future, pathetically grasping at straws. This is about my mental health.

---

If your mental health depends on basketball results, I suggest you start rooting for the Bruins. Cronin is a great coach and their recruiting is aces. Right before the pandemic I saw Amari Bailey play in person, and even as a sophomore he was fantastic. They will lose a bunch of players at the end of the year, but no doubt they will be replaced with great transfers. I only root for Cal, but it is not a matter of mental health for me.

---

Kidding about the mental health part. (I know, I know: Mental health is no joke.) A more accurate word choice might be my "off-season morale".

I will admit that, between seasons, I like to imagine as rosy a picture as possible about what lies ahead. And even with that, next season looks pretty grim (especially since it would follow five other grim seasons). The roster looks like it could be decent defensively, maybe even a bit better than this year, but woeful on offense (even more so than now).

The roster is log-jammed with below-average to so-so talent. I wouldn't be surprised to see some minor "sifting":

- Will Klonaras return?
- Can Bowser and Thorpe play Pac 12-level ball?
- Are injury-recoveries maybe part of what is hampering Hyder and Anyanwu?

If the roster is "sifted" can we bring in some decent talent?

Obviously, the overarching question is how long are we going to retain this coaching staff. Six more weeks? Fifty-eight more weeks? Longer? Anything past March 2023 would necessitate better-than-expected play and an obvious uptick in recruiting.

---

I know you were exaggerating about mental health. Mental health is not a joke, but I think it is okay to joke about basketball impacting mental health. My only point was since there was little hope, and if you need a winning team, there are better choices.

I would be happy to adopt a posture of calumnus of not caring about results and rooting for scrappy underdogs. Get me a coach like Shantay Legans and I am fine with that. But Fox basketball is boring and gives me little joy.

It sort of misses the point whether players are going to be okay or less than okay. Cal needs some top players and it is abundantly clear that Fox will not bring such players.

---

who says calumnus doesn't care about results?

HoopDreams said:

---

sluggo said:

---

Big C said:

---

sluggo said:

---

Big C said:

---

HoopDreams said:

---

I've been probably one of Lars' biggest supporters, and he's proven me right that he can improve. I expect him to improve again next year, but it won't be a big step up.

But he will always be a role player at this level. He matches up with some players, but not others. He can provide 10-15 minutes in most games. That's probably his ceiling.

We haven't seen DJ in awhile, and depending on his injury, not sure how much practice he's been putting in to improve his game. Unless we see otherwise, I think we will likely only see a slightly improved DJ next season, and that's if he's healthy (not sure what his injury or status is)

Unless we find an experienced transfer big next year (and we have no scholies remaining at this time) we will be in serious trouble. Looks like we will have to go small as we will have a lot of 3s and undersized 4s next season.

---

Yes, I realize that next season, in all likelihood, we are doomed. But we've just lost seven(?) in a row, so I'm looking to the future, pathetically grasping at straws. This is about my mental health.

---

If your mental health depends on basketball results, I suggest you start rooting for the Bruins. Cronin is a great coach and their recruiting is aces. Right before the pandemic I saw Amari Bailey play in person, and even as a sophomore he was fantastic. They will lose a bunch of players at the end of the year, but no doubt they will be replaced with great transfers. I only root for Cal, but it is not a matter of mental health for me.

---

Kidding about the mental health part. (I know, I know: Mental health is no joke.) A more accurate word choice might be my "off-season morale".

I will admit that, between seasons, I like to imagine as rosy a picture as possible about what lies ahead. And even with that, next season looks pretty grim (especially since it would follow five other grim seasons). The roster looks like it could be decent defensively, maybe even a bit better than this year, but woeful on offense (even more so than now).

The roster is log-jammed with below-average to so-so talent. I wouldn't be surprised to see some minor "sifting":

- Will Klonaras return?
- Can Bowser and Thorpe play Pac 12-level ball?
- Are injury-recoveries maybe part of what is hampering Hyder and Anyanwu?

If the roster is "sifted" can we bring in some decent talent?

Obviously, the overarching question is how long are we going to retain this coaching staff. Six more weeks? Fifty-eight more weeks? Longer? Anything past March 2023 would necessitate better-than-expected play and an obvious uptick in recruiting.

---

I know you were exaggerating about mental health. Mental health is not a joke, but I think it is okay to joke about basketball impacting mental health. My only point was since there was little hope, and if you need a winning team, there are better choices.

I would be happy to adopt a posture of calumnus of not caring about results and rooting for scrappy underdogs. Get me a coach like Shantay Legans and I am fine with that. But Fox basketball is boring and gives me little joy.

It sort of misses the point whether players are going to be okay or less than okay. Cal needs some top players and it is abundantly clear that Fox will not bring such players.

---

who says calumnus doesn't care about results?

---

Scroll up in the thread for the reference. It is not true exactly but more of a possibly different way to approach the games.

2K left it all on the court tonight at Maples. In the words of Todd Bozeman, "Played HARD."

Furd fans yelling "Airball!" Kuany's gonna burn them up next game.