Keanu Dawes to the Portal

[The Miami Ute]

Keanu Dawes to the Portal

Is anyone else sick of this yet?

[D T]

What would be shocking is if these kids did NOT test the waters….It doesn’t mean they won’t consider returning if the opportunity’s there.

[HoosierUte]

I would expect every player on every team to put their name in the portal every season. This is unlimited free agency.

[Tony (admin)]

Yeah why not?

[Trailgoat]

Every Utah player should test their market value. Utah is a huge risk going into next season. Smart move jumping into the portal before Mondays game to get more PR on Fox Sports. If Dawes finds a program with established NIL, a stable culture, and in the mix for NCAA postseason play next season, it will be hard to keep him. Worked out well for Smith and Keita.

[Yergensen]

KD is player retention priority #1.

I hope the new GM and coaching staff have time for KD retention efforts because player moves are already being made.

This is why we pulled the trigger before end of season. We got the right coach and he is putting together the right leadership team. However, they still have commitments to their previous employers, or at least AJ does.

[FountainofUte]

KD is one of the few guys I hope not to lose, but there is no one on this roster that is not easily replaceable except G Madsen (yes, he’s graduating).

I would not overpay for KD. He’s nice, but there are 1000 kids like him. If he doesn’t want to be at the U that bad, some other kid who can score 8pts a game will.

[Yergensen]

Disagree, KD will score 8 pts a game if you play him 15 minutes a game like Smith did.

Play him 25 to 30 minutes and he’s a 16/12 guy, a walking double double. That’s not just a guy and that’s not easily replaceable.

[TomahawkCruise]

One thing working in our favor is KD grew up a Ute fan. Hopefully that will be enough to persuade him to stay.

[FountainofUte]

I agree and disagree. I think there are probably available players out there who, if given 30 minutes a game, could get 16/12 also. I trust Jensen and staff to know who’s the better buy — KD or someone new.

[Minnesota Ute]

Wait wait… didn’t you hear?? His defense sucks so we should get rid of him… <rolls eyes>

Ok, I’m a little salty at the other thread. I can not express how deeply f’d this situation is. KD is priority number one, and while we can’t afford to overpay anyone, of all the individuals on this roster, he is one that we need to retain if we can.

In many respects, despite the inconsistent usage, he was the best player on our roster this year. You can pick individual players to show one is better here or another there. But the sum total of his stats are great:
On a per 100 possessions basis:
#1 in eFg at 65.5%,
#3 in ft% @ 75% (in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king)
#1 in Total Reb at nearly 20
#1 in Off Reb at 6.1
#5 in steals at 1.8, and Ezra is the only non-guard ahead of him (2.1)
#4 in blocks behind Lawson, Mike, and Jake
Middle of the pack in turnovers 3.1, but the only individuals that played big minutes that had less were Jake and Hunter with 1.9 and 2.6 respectively. I get that it’s minutes based, but continuity and consistency of playing time plays a role in reducing turnovers.
#4 in points behind Ezra, Gabe, and Mason
#1 in DRtg
#1 in ORtg
Plus in Advance Stats, he had:
#1 in BPM at 8.0
Tied with Hunter for #4 in Defensive BPM behind Miro, Jake, & Mike.
#1 in Offensive win share, defensive win share, Win share, and win shares per 40 min

Again, these are all referential stats that attempt to even out the fact that his playing time was inconsistent and unpredictable. But because I’m a nerd, also graphed several parameters against his minutes played, and it was surprising how consistently productive he was. Nearly just as productive per minute at 15 minutes as he was at 25, which is uncommon.

[D T]

We can all agree we want to see KD return….I’d also like to see JW back….Outside these two, a complete reset….Blow it up & bring in a bunch of more talented recruits, assuming NIL funds are there.

[Fred]

Geez dude. Didn’t mean to get you so riled just by saying his D cold be better. A large majority, including me agree that he is #1 priority keeper. I would point out that having the highest defensive rankings on this squad is pretty low bar to clear. Relax, Im sure AJ will do the right thing. If KD doesn’t return, I’m sure it will because of higher offers and not because the last regime didn’t give him the playing time he deserved. There’s a new sheriff in town and the slate is clean.

[Minnesota Ute]

Sorry, for overreacting, it’s just been an open wound for me for about the last 8 to 10 weeks. And while being one of the best defenders on this team may be a low bar, it’s only a low bar because that’s apparently where Craig set it. My point is simply that because he has distinguished himself on this team in nearly every statistical category despite the headwinds, there is no reason to doubt that he’ll be one of (if not the) best player on next year’s team. And if that includes gritty defense (as I hope it does), then he will be a defensive stopper.

My apologies, I know we all want the same thing.

[Fred]

No problem. It’s been a frustrating and long stretch of Utah BB mediocrity and fan forums is where we vent.

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