cthomas

Purdue is almost always good in conference because Matt Painter is a magician at maximizing what he has. He has a style of play and he recruits to that with great success. It's the teams from other conferences that are the problem because they don't play that way. Teams who have the players to force Edey away from the basket will be a problem, especially if they have athletic guards. Maybe Purdue will have enough, and it will take a good draw, to get it done this year. But I don't think anyone is afraid of Pursuers supporting cast.

1 minute ago, Stlboiler23 said:

How are we essentially the same as last season? 

Nearly everyone back who were major contributors for starters. If you are counting on freshmen to replace some of the older guys, then you have more confidence in them than I do. I like our freshman class too, but most of them won't be difference makers for us either. I like Coach Painter a lot, but the style of play may be his undoing. The college game is moving to an NBA style, like it or not. Personally, I don't but it is a reality. It takes athletes more than anything. I think, and could be wrong, that your backcourt will be a weakness that other teams can exploit once again.

The conference will be really good at the top. The usual suspects will be doing what they always do. I think we will be an entirely different animal next season. More length, more athleticism, more versatility, and more quality depth. To me, we will be built for more success in the post season. Purdue will be good, especially at the start of the year, but they are essentially the same as last season and I don't think that translates to the tournament. MSU, much the same with better incoming players. It's the style that ultimately doesn't work. I think we are moving to one that does.

58 minutes ago, Seeking6 said:

Just my two cents. Penske would never allow something like that. You take the good with the bad out there. The idea that a decision was made because Penske's guy was in second is not showing the Captain or the Track the respect it deserves. Again just my two cents.

I don't think that's what p. But when discretionary decisions are made like yesterday, you open the door for speculation. That's why I think there needs to be rules that govern situations like these. I think Scott Dixon may have won a couple more races if officials had handled the end of the race like yesterday. It's just the arbitrary way that played out that is questioned. If a different driver had won, probably no one would have thought much about it. However, the overall issue would remain. There needs, in my opinion, a point after which there are no more restarts. But, as my wife always reminds me when I state an opinion, "it's not all about you." 

6 minutes ago, 5fouls said:

The final red flag does not happen if it's not a Penske car sitting in 2nd.  That's what I dont like about it.  And, I have all the respect in the world for the man and what he's done for racing.  But, things should not be handled differently just because he's involved.

I don't want to think that was a factor because I want to believe that Penske has more respect for the event than that. But the optics are not good when an unprecedented decision takes place that benefits a driver from his team. I've been watching and listening since the 50's and I can't ever remember anything like what happened yesterday. 

57 minutes ago, Parakeet Jones said:

We agree on most things with Indy, but we differ here. I don’t want to see a green-white-checker like NASCAR. That’s too gimmicky for me. I don’t mind one red flag with 10+ laps to go, but the GWC is a bridge too far to cross for me. No race should exceed its scheduled distance. That’s the one modern part of NASCAR I hate. On a related note, the IndyCar forum I read and occasionally post on would spontaneously combust if that ever happened. 

I don't like the GWC either. To me, they breed crashes and eventually, that will be tragic. Admittedly, I'm an old school racing fan and enjoyed the variety of cars, engines, and configurations of the 60's, 70's, 80's, etc.. Of course they were extremely dangerous machines and the drivers had virtually no protection. And, a lot of them were killed so we are in a way better place today in that respect. Those Track Forum guys scare me. However, it's one of the few places where truly inside people post with excellent content. I will say, as much as I love open wheel racing, the craziest racers I have ever seen were the Moto-GP motorcycle riders hitting 200 mph at the end of the front straight and then leaning into the turn. They seemed to defy the laws of physics.

24 minutes ago, Parakeet Jones said:

I had zero problem with the first red flag, the second two I did not like. (Although in hind sight I’m glad the third one happened to undo what the second one did.). 
 

I think at Indy, lap 190 needs to be the cut off for a red flag. 

I agree and was thinking that lap 190 might be a good cut off. I read that it took an hour to complete the last 20 laps. I didn't realize that, but it felt like a really long time.

I never liked seeing the race end under yellow, but I think there needs to be a point where a red flag is no longer an option. The closer to the end, the more reckless some of the drivers become. Throwing the green and white flags simultaneously was asking for a NASCAR level incident. I'm glad everyone made it through without serious injury. And, yes, that tire thing was incredibly scary.

47 minutes ago, IU Scott said:

You mean the guy who only started because XJ got injured. I just think Trey would be better as the 6th man type than a starter.

If we find a player who is good enough to push Galloway to the bench, we're in for a really fun season.

I really liked Calbert and those teams. Not sure what went wrong with Crean, but I have to think the atmosphere is much better with CMW. And, by the way, I'm liking what Coach Woodson is doing more every day. He is literally rebuilding the IU culture from the inside out.

15 minutes ago, dgambill said:

We don’t know how to handle success anymore. Now even when we are winning the recruiting battles and making progress towards others we don’t know what to b!tch about…so we find something. Fickled bunch we are. We need to get used to having success. It’s going to happen a lot more than in the past. Hope some people learn to be happy…seems the only IU fans left are the cry babies….always looking to find something to complain about.

Fans hold grudges, players for the most part don't. For them, It's about the competition in the moment. When it's over, they move on. I'm pretty sure that almost everyone playing the game now knows CMW's pedigree. That means more to them than the antics of a player, brother or not, than anything else. I can't emphasize this enough. How we as fans view the game, and how the players view the game, are completely different. Dylan Harper is looking at CMW based on how coach can get him where he wants to go. He really doesn't care about where he coaches. That's my opinion anyway.

47 minutes ago, FKIM01 said:

I think Asa and Liam McNeeley are my two favorites for 2024.  Several others right there but in addition to being uber-talented, Asa is a National Honor Society inductee.  This is not a kid you'll see flashing firearms on instagram or that kind of thing.  When looking at two very talented kids, I'll always choose the smart kid who's behaving.  I'm betting this young man is at the top of Coach Woodson's list for 2024.

Been a long time since we have been really in the hunt for the top kids. NIL helps tremendously, but Coach Woodson's NBA pedigree is the closer. We may be on the cusp of something very good.

CMW seems to be the right coach at the right time. We have always needed a coach with NBA credibility to compete for top ten kids. We could not have a better coach for the NIL era or to compete in the portal. Hard to have more NBA cred than CMW. Kids are noticing. Without the CMW, we wouldn't even be on Harper's radar.

If this goes bad and we have to roll with who we have, they might surprise us and everything works out fine.

9 minutes ago, Parakeet Jones said:

They need to lift the blackout to help cultivate the next generation of race fans. 

Absolutely. Back in the old days, I would listen to WIBC just to get practice updates. I couldn't get enough of who was fast and who wasn't. Now I have to search for info. The more free television time the sport gets, the better. Even a reasonable pay per view locally would be better than the blackout. I have never understood the argument that allowing a local broadcast would damage attendance. The 500 is an event you either go to or you don't. Television plays no part in that decision.

I have no idea where all of this ends up, but the saying that money corrupts everything is usually not far from the truth in my experience at least.

5 minutes ago, Seeking6 said:

I don't think this is behind paywall. Look I'm all about everything IMS does. I defend their traditions to a fault...but I really don't think blacking out locally tv or streaming would impact the attendance. I mean there is always going to be 300,000 out there on race day.

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/motor/2023/05/08/indy-500-blackout-ims-block-local-live-viewership-peacock-2023-nbc/70196739007/

My thoughts exactly. For a few years you could watch the on car camera feeds on the IMS website. Not recently though. It's an over the top reaction to something that wouldn't happen anyway. So, I'll be setting on my deck listening to the radio and watching timing and scoring.

8 minutes ago, FKIM01 said:

The truth likely lies somewhere in between.  My daughter graduates IU dental school Saturday and I can't wait to get her out of Indy. 

https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-news/crime/two-dead-in-double-shooting-on-indys-near-north-side

This literally happened in the alley next to the house she rents with three other people (mostly dental students). Early Saturday morning, about 30 minutes before she got home.  The male victim was their neighbor.  No idea on motive...the police literally told her they thought it was purely random. 

As a father, that's scary as hell to me.

Not trying to derail the thread, but I have a 19 year old grandson who fits the demographic of the gun violence in Indianapolis. As a grandfather, I worry about him constantly. He's a great young man, but you can always be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

3 minutes ago, IUALUM03 said:

I live and work downtown.  This is a gross exaggeration and built off a talking point that more and more suburban people are latching on to.  Is it perfect and did the pandemic give it a hit? Absolutely, but this sentiment that it is a scene from mad max or you can walk without being endangered is tired and untrue.  Fear mongering at its finest.

I have defended Indianapolis for years as a great city. I have a daughter and five grandkids who live on West 10th Street. I pick them up and drop them off nearly weekly. The kids go to Ben Davis and I attend sporting events there. So, I'm not going to argue the state of the city. Based on my experience and my daughter's, the city has problems. The question was if some people would choose to watch the Mad Ants instead of going to a Pacers game. My opinion, I think some will.

3 minutes ago, 13th&Jackson said:

The Pacers were next to last in attendance. Does moving their G League team to the same metro potentially increase ticket sales? Or do some folks in the northern burbs say, "I'll just watch the former Mad Ants for a lower price and not drive downtown"

I've lived either in Indianapolis or near by for over 70 years. I always felt safe when in the city whether attending events or going to restaurants. That's not the case anymore. I retired in 2009 after working downtown for over 33 years. I just don't go down there unless I have to. It makes me sad. So, if I have an entertainment alternative outside the city, I'm taking it even if it's not quite the same.

5 minutes ago, tdhoosier said:

Please. Why should he be loyal to IU or any other school?

Kid’s have always made the best decision for them. It’s not selfish, it’s smart. 

How many decisions do you make in life that go against your self interest?

Not my point. We, as fans, get caught up in kids should pick us based on our pedigree. They don't. At this point IU basketball is no different than an NBA franchise shopping for the best players we can afford.

He is a kid trying to make the best decision for him. There is no loyalty to a school involved in any of these decisions. They all selfish in nature and have nothing to do with playing for the glory of old IU. They are always about what gets these kids where they want to go the quickest. In this college basketball world, especially with the portal, they are all mercenaries. I hate everything about it.

I hate that we invest so much time and energy into the decisions that teenagers make. I want IU to accumulate as much talent as possible but not at the point of groveling at the feet of kids. I'm sure that CMW conducts himself in a very professional and business like manner. But we fans can get over the top. Even with this kid, we will have a lot of work to do to integrate this many new players into a good basketball team.

23 minutes ago, btownqb said:

Like this addition. Clearly willing to accept a role. 

Like this addition as well. Also like that we have CMW to make the pieces fit.