Chalmers 2nd Jayhawk with NCAA, NBA titles

ahpersecoachingexperience 12 months ago

We need a rings display in afh.

KUGrad1983andTrueBlueFan 12 months ago

There is a rings display at AFH that already includes a Miami Heat NBA Championship ring, donated by Simien. And the many Big 12 Champ rings are incredibly impressive given that Max Falkenstein donated his and he was with the program longer than anyone.

AtlJaybird 12 months ago

You mean like this one?

Wayne Simien's NBA Title Ring with the Miami Heat from the 2006 NBA Finals. The ring is on display at The Booth Family Hall of Athletics in Allen Fieldhouse. by AtlJaybird

kellerman411 12 months ago

Mario is so explosive and talented. I really don't think the Heat could have done it without him. Some of the things he does out on the court make you want to pull your hair out but he's worth having out there. He's the fourth best player on that team.

What worries me is that Miami may see good potential trade value in Mario if Norris Cole can play his position and it's looking like he can. After the game 4 performance, I think he cemented his place on that team but you never know. It would be really cool if the Heat took Tyshawn like Yahoo projects them to.

JHawk06 12 months ago

I'm not sure if it would be his choice or not. Chalmers will most likely be looking for a decent payout with another team since he is so underpaid currently. (have to pay those 3 stars so much) That along with the attitude some players are giving him makes me think a trade is 95% going to happen.

murphsco 12 months ago

I sure hope that mario gets traded this off season, I hate the Heat and hate the fact that Mario has to play alongside those Arrogant Pompeous A_Holes.!! He could be a star on many other teams in the league. I also hope that Tyshawn does not get drafted by the heat, this would not be a good situation for him at all!!

kcn18 12 months ago

Don't get me wrong I like Mario but he seems to be the most Arrogant one out there

HawkKlaw 12 months ago

Mario already is a star on the Heat. There's just 3 other stars that are brighter than him on the team right now. Don't get me wrong, Chalmers is one of my all-time favorite Jayhawks. But to compare his talent level to that of Wade or LeBron is foolish. Those guys are future hall of famers. Mario will always be a "good NBA player", but he won't be one of the most elite players to ever play in the NBA like D. Wade or LeBron. I get that you think they're egotistical a-holes (I do too), but really if you play in the NBA and don't believe that you're the best you will never be the best. D. Wade and LeBron definitely have egos, but to be on their level in the NBA you have to think pretty highly of your skills.

Krohnutz 12 months ago

Are you bipolar? Just curious.

JayDogger 12 months ago

Congrat, Mario. To you, not your team.

I had forgotten that Pollard was on the '08 Celtics team. Cool.

kustrong 12 months ago

+1

Rock Chalk

Krohnutz 12 months ago

Garnett actually commended Pollard for playing him tough during practice, which I thought was pretty cool on KG's part.

jaygirl193 12 months ago

If you consider coaches to be Jayhawks too, you must include Larry Brown.

jhawkrulz 12 months ago

That list is not very long....

Larry Brown... No other coaches have completed that feat.

connhawk 12 months ago

Man, LeBron gave half his career to Cleveland and the Cavs never managed to give him solid teammates. Remember when he carried the Cavs to the NBA finals by himself? The rest of the starting lineup: Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Drew Gooden, Sasha Pavlovic, and Larry Hughes. I know we love Gooden here, but that is just not a championship-caliber team. Is he supposed to just waste his whole career being a one-man team for the Cavs? MJ never had this problem because he had Pippen (and Rodman) and a cast of solid role players. Magic never had this problem. Bird never had this problem. Shaq didn't have this problem.

The Cavs wouldn't/couldn't build a decent team for him, so he decided to just make one himself.

murphsco 12 months ago

They would have eventually brought in the pieces and were always trying, Lebron just didn't have the Balls to do the right thing and stick it out. Instead he runs like a coward to Wade and Bosh, this is why he will never be one of the greats!! This along with his Arrogance makes him completely unlikeable. I always hope that he will tear an ACL some day so that it might humble him a bit although I don't know that this is possible.

justanotherfan 12 months ago

You don't have to like Lebron or support what he did when he left Cleveland. You can trash the Decision and the Heat welcome party and all of that stuff.

However, if you watched these playoffs and saw the level at which Lebron played, particularly from the middle of the Indiana series on, and you don't think he's one of the greats you are letting your bias affect your basketball watching.

I never rooted for Jordan's Bulls, but those teams were great. Never rooted for Bird's Celtics, but those teams were great. Was never a Shaq fan, but he was as dominant from 97-04 as anyone has ever been. You don't have to be a fan of a player to recognize their greatness, but if you aren't able to see the greatness, you aren't really a fan of the game.

royals85 12 months ago

Haters be Hatin. How can you not like LeBron, one of the funnest guys in the NBA. He is alreay one of the greats and this is coming from a Lakers fan. Take your hater shades off and enjoy watching him play, just dominate.

Hoping a guy tears his ACL is real classy, you sure you are Jayhawk fan?

jayhawk92 12 months ago

I agreed with you until you said "I always hope that he will tear an ACL." Seriously?

RockChalk1225 12 months ago

Run like a coward to Wade and Bosh? Did you watch a game in this series? Wade was awful, Bosh was above average but not great by any means. Cleveland would have eventually brought in the pieces? No. Hope he tears an ACL? Classy. No one blames Jordan for having a top 50 all time player on his team and role players much better than anything Lebron has had.
Congrates Mario!

MoonwalkMafia66 12 months ago

Here's the thing. When you commit to doing something, you stay committed. Honestly, that's what pissed me off about all the schools that left the Big 12. But with Lebron, he chose his own legacy over what he vowed to do. Do you think Dan Marino didn't want to win a Super Bowl? Do you think he couldn't have picked up and left to take that shot? I think that's why Dan Marino is such a great example. If he didn't win with the Heat, do you think Lebron wouldn't have done the same thing. It doesn't make sense to say, "he gave his all to Cleveland and didn't get what he wanted." I mean, how bratty does that sound? Lebron's a bitch, and it will tarnish his legacy no matter how talented he is.

turdferguson 12 months ago

Yeah, why didn't he stick it out in CLEVELAND, and become basketballs Dan Marino (the best to never win)? What a piece. Fact is they had 7 years to give him one decent player to work with, and they couldn't/wouldn't/didn't. Plus he was able to drive them to enough wins that their draft picks were never good. He was a F'ing 25 yr old kid who saw the chance to control his own fate, and went about it poorly as almost all 25 year olds do go about things. I don't know how old you are but judging by the Marino reference, older than 25. I am sure you're real freaking glad that every decision you made at 25 was not put under a microscope and disected by millions of a$$clowns like you.

I just think it is moranic the way people invest their hatred in a superstar who is actually a total team player who shares the ball, plays defense and has never has been in trouble on or off the court. But the same people probably have little to no similar feelings about stars who actually are bad human beings. The ones that get DUIs or have illegitiamate children that they don't support.

And the worst part is the hatred stems from everyone comparing him to the best player of all time since he was like 16. I have never seen an interview where Lebron claimed to be the next Jordan or better than Jordan. The media put that on him and now that's all he gets graded by. It's pathetic. It's like if moon walk drew comparisons to the greatest trash man of all time when he was just in high school cleaning McDonald's restrooms, and had to wake up every day and face those comparisons for the next 11 years.

1stnamemistermiddlenameperiod 12 months ago

Lebron James chose common sense. Name one champion with the Cavaliers organization. Miami had Pat Riley, Wade, Haslem, and Chalmers.

Vow? Substantiate your claim with any sort of evidence. What did James "vow" to Cleveland and when did he do it? If James blew out his knee and became average, would Cleveland show loyalty to James if a better player were available or would they make a business decision?

Would you be willing to become the NBA's Marino during the age of social media, where any self-proclaimed expert can broadcast their a-hole worldwide?

And certainly, you are man enough to call Lebron a bitch to his face. Right? Sure you are.

marchphog88 12 months ago

I have a hard time buying the "that's not a championship-caliber team" line, because it's kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy and depends so much on what the non-stars end up doing.

Just look at Miami's team this year--if Shane Battier doesn't go unconscious from three during the Playoffs, it's likely that Miami isn't celebrating their title win today. Contrast that to the Cavs team you referenced--Larry Hughes is at LEAST on par with Battier in terms of skill--but since that team didn't win the championship, we look back in hindsight and say things like "that's not championship-caliber team".

Any team that makes it to the NBA Finals is a championship caliber team. Any team that finishes with the best record in the NBA in consecutive seasons is a championship caliber team.

The point is really that The Cavs were active (perhaps overly so) in trying to put a good team around Lebron. They were making trades, FA signings, and doing whatever they could to get him help. At what point does the responsibility for leading those roleplayers to be solid fall on the team leader?

Plus, the point can be made that the Cavs team that reached the Finals wasn't even really READY to be there. They got there a year early. And in the next season, the management made a huge trade at the deadline to get Lebron some help.

And I think the point here is that Lebron gave up. Rather than doing it organically, like 90% of players before him, he and his best buds decided they would just form their own team. They circumvented the rules of the NBA that are designed to encourage competitiveness and parity. They were well within their rights to do so, but I have a hard time respecting the a player with James' ability taking the "easy" route.

Tack on the WAY he did it, and it was just bush-league. No courtesy call to the Cavs. No humility. No respect to the fans of Cleveland. Everyone forgets that Ilgauskas left Cleveland the same season Lebron did, but he didn't have a ridiculous PR even. He didn't participate in a team introduction that looked like a freaking Championship Parade, talking about 5-6 titles in a row. And he took out a full-page ad in the Cleveland paper thanking the fans.

I was a huge fan of Lebron over the first half of his career. HE changed that by showing that he doesn't give a crap about the fans that make him more than just an athletic dude who can put a ball in a hoop. He's all about his "global image".

1stnamemistermiddlenameperiod 12 months ago

"I have a hard time buying the 'that's not a championship-caliber team...Any team that makes it to the NBA Finals is a championship caliber team. Any team that finishes with the best record in the NBA in consecutive seasons is a championship caliber team.'"

The Cleveland Cavaliers, minus Lebron James, nearly set an NBA record for futility the season following James' departure.

"The point is really that The Cavs were active (perhaps overly so) in trying to put a good team around Lebron. They were making trades, FA signings, and doing whatever they could to get him help"

In the summer of 2010, the Cavs signed Joey Graham. Here is a list of some notable 2010 UFAs:

Steve Blake, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Tyson Chandler, Channing Frye, Al Harrington, Chuck Hayes, Grant Hill, Richard Jefferson, Anthony Johnson, Joe Johnson, Kyle Korver, Jamaal Magloire, Kenyon Martin, Brad Miller, Flip Murray, Rasho Nesterivic, Dirk Nowitzki, Joel Pryzbilla, Theo Ratliff, Michael Redd, Luke Ridnour, Deshawn Stevenson, Kurt Thomas, Tim Thomas, Dwyane Wade, Earl Watson, Chris Wilcox, Peja Stojakovic, Sheldon Williams

There are half a dozen playrs on this list that could have put the Cavs over the top. Any one of these players could have helped the Cavs more than Joey Graham.

"Rather than doing it organically, like 90% of players before him..."

I challenge you to substantiate this claim with actual facts.

"They circumvented the rules of the NBA that are designed to encourage competitiveness and parity."

"They", James, Wade, and Bosh were all unrestricted free agents. They didn't circumvent the rules. They abided by them. If the three of them forced trades after signing deals, then they would have been circumventing the rules.

kustrong 12 months ago

Congratulations Mario, for being an awesome player and teammate. Like Jay, I like you but not your team. It really pissed me off to see the guys on that team treat him like a hack on such a large stage and he just took it. There was no love or appreciation on that team for Mario and that is wrong.

Rock Chalk

memhawk 12 months ago

If Chalmers was on the OKC team, they would have kicked Miami's butt. So, they should be glad he's on their team!

ATL_Hawk 12 months ago

I disagree with your assessment - I'm no heat fan, but it looked to me like the ribbing he was getting was akin to the type of ribbing a big brother doles out to his kid brother... there were plenty of chest bumps, high fives, and nods of approval going around this post-season, and Mario had enough big plays to command some respect, IMO.

marchphog88 12 months ago

I must respectfully disagree with this assessment. The way Bosh was yelling at him was completely uncalled for. I would feel differently if I had ever seen any of the "big" three yell at each other in that same way.

Mario Chalmers is a FOURTH YEAR player. He should be past the role as whipping boy for a group of guys who know absolutely nothing about good leadership.

Undressing a teammate on the court, in front of national TV and thousands of fans, is not a show of "respect".

JHawk06 12 months ago

Seriously. Happy for Chalmers but thinking he will move on (see above)

connhawk 12 months ago

Everybody was really complimentary after that game. Look how happy D-Wade was for him after the game (warning: language): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiL8Hz4znIE

memhawk 12 months ago

Two other Jayhawks on teams in this year's NBA playoffs/finals should have the "two ring" distinction. Paul Pierce and Nick Collison certainly deserved the honor. Pierce is halfway there. Collison should have had his NCAA ring and could have had his NBA ring. Of course, if Nick had his NCAA and his NBA, then Cole would have both as well, since he's half way there with the NCAA.

justinryman 12 months ago

Jacque Vaughn got a ring with the Spurs and is an assistant with them now and was in the NBA Conf. Finals.

With the Final four in the NBA this year a Jayhawk was getting an NBA title ring.

LubbockJhawk85 12 months ago

by LubbockJhawk85

justinryman 12 months ago

NOw if he can just catch on with the Olympic team for a Gold!!!

bmensch 12 months ago

4 years later, I still can't believe Giddens was drafted over Chalmers in 08! I'm happy for Super Mario and all of his success!

drgnslayr 12 months ago

Congrats, Mario!

I just wish his teammates weren't so abusive to him. They dump all their rage on Mario and without Mario they would have watched the NBA Finals from their couches.

Mario needs a place to dump all the bad energy he picks up from "the trio"... notice how many technicals Mario receives these days?

Yes, Mario is a tough cookie and has earned his "Mr. Clutch" tattoo... but don't think, for a second, he isn't impacted by all the negative yack.

jhawk7782 12 months ago

I was hoping it would be Collison celebrating a championship.
Nothing against Mario, one of my all-time favorite players, but not a big fan of Miami. Collison still does so many things that don't show up on the stat book... And he seems to be appreciated by his teammates for his hard work.

I don't really follow the NBA as much as I follow Jayhawks playing in the NBA. Couldn't help but notice that three of the final four teams had Jayhawks on their roster.

1stnamemistermiddlenameperiod 12 months ago

I'm not even a Lebron James fan, but I'm very puzzled by the Lebron hating. Did Lebron force a trade? Did Lebron demand more money? Did Lebron railroad his coach? Did Lebron give any ultimatums? No, no, no, and no. Why is it that if a player gets traded, forced to take a pay cut, or released from a team he doesn't want to leave, its all about business. But if a player wants more money or leaves a team that wants to keep him, he's a traitor? Why aren't the Cavs held accountable for blatantly tanking their '02 season to get Lebron in the first place? I was waiting for cries of “poetic justice” but apparently organizations are held to a lower standard than players. Wow!

Here is a list of some notable 2010 UFAs:

Steve Blake, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Tyson Chandler, Channing Frye, Al Harrington, Chuck Hayes, Grant Hill, Richard Jefferson, Anthony Johnson, Joe Johnson, Kyle Korver, Jamaal Magloire, Kenyon Martin, Brad Miller, Flip Murray, Rasho Nesterivic, Dirk Nowitzki, Joel Pryzbilla, Theo Ratliff, Michael Redd, Luke Ridnour, Deshawn Stevenson, Kurt Thomas, Tim Thomas, Dwyane Wade, Earl Watson, Chris Wilcox, Peja Stojakovic, Sheldon Williams

If Cleveland was serious about keeping Lebron, everything they needed to win a championship was available that summer—youth, athleticism, scoring, defense, rebounding, experience. Who did the Cavs sign? Joey Graham. Joey Graham. I'm sure the squad full of bums already signed to long-term deals—who, minus only one notable player, would nearly set a record for NBA futility the following year—had something to do with it. Either way, if you were Lebron, how much confidence would you have in the future? How long would you be willing to wait? Remember the choke artist label Elway had to live with prior to the arrival of Shanahan and Terrell Davis? Would you have faith that your organization could or was capable of pulling the same type of turnaround?

Lebron left $30 million on the table for the chance to win a championship. He made a business decision. He made a life decision. He made the right decision! No one can say for sure that Cleveland will NEVER win an NBA championship, but it was obvious that it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Free agents neither wanted to play for the Cavs nor sign live in Cleveland.

Yet despite the fact that Lebron James, who's rap sheet includes no criminal indictments or investigations, remains one of the most hated athletes (even by people who didn't give a [Mizzou] about the Cavs) while guys like Ben Rothlisbeger escape the public's rath despite being accused of sexual assault tow or three times. Lebron James is one of the most hated athletes while Chris "Birdman" Anderson is is being investigated for clild porn. Child porn. For those of you who missed the first 2,782 characters of my diatribe, I said “child porn”. Where's the out rage? Maybe there's something else at play here. Only the haters know for sure.

drgnslayr 12 months ago

I never liked James in the past because he took so much attention away from the game itself. Junk like "The Decision" made me want to puke.

But I gained a new respect for James during the playoffs this year. He kept his cool and kept on his team to keep their cool. He was all business and it was great to see what he is capable of doing when he is all business (pretty friggin' impressive!). The guy was amazing in all aspects and certainly added great entertainment value to the viewing audience.

Going forward, I could see myself become a James fan.

1stnamemistermiddlenameperiod 12 months ago

One thing that I found out after the fact was "The Decision" was actually for charity. That whole setup was for the benefit of the Boys and Girls Club...and it was ESPN's idea, not his. its kinda like all those investors suing Facebook for the bungled IPO when it was actually Nasdaq's fault.

jhawk7782 12 months ago

I thought this was about Mario. And since when did liking or not liking a certain player become linked with child porn? Flawed logic - wrong forum.

1stnamemistermiddlenameperiod 12 months ago

Just go back to sleep.

jhawk7782 11 months, 4 weeks ago

That's it? Thanks for proving my point.

ralster 11 months, 4 weeks ago

1stname, I agree with your entire post. People want to congratulate Mario alone here (obviously, as we are ku people), but they want to trash the Heat's other stars. If you love good basketball, did you bashers miss that Game 5 played by the Heat? LeBron "made" his team beat OKC: Lebron himself with 13 assists. How did Mike Miller + Battier + Chalmers hit all those 3s? By perfectly-timed assists. Did people miss the team defense played by the Heat? They clamped down on Durant and Westbrook. They double teamed Durant at mid-court line(!!), getting turnovers. I also saw LeBron re-focusing Mario at the end of the 3rd quarter when Chalmers was waving to the crowd. I have zero problem with the Heat winning the championship, as they came back from 17pts down one game (a negative fact for OKC). The Heat also won a game in OKC, while OKC could not win @ Miami. Miami + LeBron proved the naysayers wrong. Chalmers gets a hella lot of credit, as he did drop 25 in 1 game, and was double-digits in the final game, making clutch plays...as he always did at KU. (Please know my 3 fave NBA teams are OKC, Heat, Celtics).

Many, many people think Michael Jordan was/is arrogant and pompous. Who cares? I loved MJ. I like LeBron. Always liked DWade. Liked Shaq. Liked Dirk.

KJRFC 12 months ago

Not sure if this has been answered yet (I didn't see it in any posts), but how many players have won both NCAA and NBA titles? I know Larry Brown is the only coach to do it.

texashawk10 12 months ago

It was in the Q&A with Tait yesterday and I believe the answer is 40 players. Mario and Shane Battier both joined the club last night.

mvjayhawk 12 months ago

congrats to Mario....he really earned it, and kudos to Pat Riley for sticking his neck out for him last year...and early on in the process as well. 2nd round picks aren't likely to play this big of a role for a team....so great job by the org. and Mr. Chalmers.

this team could win several more titles...i'm sure Mario would like to stay right where he's at. would you rather win and get your tail chewed a bit? or go 30-52 every year, rack up the minutes, be the glory hound and maybe, maybe the All star games. i'd pick the former.

Plus, he'll get paid...quite handsomely in just a few years when his deal is up. Go Jayhawks!

bjejayhawk69 12 months ago

I thought Wade looked like a bigger ego maniac after the finals. Standing on the table saying Look at ME look at me. Lebron at least went around to each Thunder player and shook hands or hugged them. Also Wade gave Mario little credit for saving their *ss in game 4. Wade is the now the biggest cry baby of them all after every call he wines to the ref.

Happy for Mario though

ralster 11 months, 4 weeks ago

Wade did jump on the table to celebrate back in 2006 also, as I clearly remember--so maybe thats just his thing. As he said, he has gone thru alot this season...I dont care how much money someone makes, going thru a bitter divorce cannot be easy for anyone. Plus he is 30, like Kobe. I dont think he can do it alone anymore, neither could Lebron, neither could Jordan (without the right supporting cast). The greatest thing about the Heat is that all these guys "bought in" to becoming a team...but each capable of striking hard (Bosh, Lebron, Wade, Chalmers...and apparently Mike Miller & Battier too...). Since I like how Bill Self gets his 'stars' to play team ball, it shouldnt be hard to see why I like the Heat (& Celtics). Frankly, Lebron "ran" that whole final game almost perfectly--drawing attention, but making his team beat OKC on both ends of the floor. It almost appears that the Heat is now Lebron's team with Wade in a dangerous-supporting role (same for Bosh, who many forget was the "Man" for the Raptors for years). Same old lesson from MJs early years--score crazy points, but a 1man show couldnt get past the Pistons. Team + roles = winning basketball. Same thing Coach K did with all the stars on the Olympic team. Interestingly, he got Kobe to be a role player to Lebron's taking over the world stage.

Speaking of Lebron (since people are bashing him under a Mario story): I would not categorize him as the "greatest". No, that is Jordan, as he has the hardware to prove it. Ask Lebron and MJ how hard it is to win 1 ring, let alone 6! No, Lebron is merely "one of the NBA stars who has-a-ring", much like Dirk, Pierce, KG, Ray Allen, Wade. Kobe is somewhere in between, but his defense and personality/charm are no where near what MJ's was.

And finally, how much "public contrition" does LeBron have to do? He called himself immature after losing last year. Admitted his faults, and set about working on all the weak aspects of his game and mental approach. I say he succeeded in a major way. I can be happy for him, as any player who won their first ring can tell you how hard it is (recall Jordan's first trophy?) I say he did his pennance. Its not like we are talking about Micheal Vick (who actually has paid his price, too...). Time to move on.

I could care less about Cleveland Cavaliers or the Cleveland fans--its been 2 years, move on! Its just like the "dog pound" wailing at the moon (or whatever) when the Browns moved to Baltimore. Its all business, and has been happening in the NFL + NBA for decades. Colts, Rams, Cardinals, Raiders, Oilers/Titans, KC Kings, Hornets...

ralster 11 months, 4 weeks ago

This is odd. My last paragraph above was typed with my above 'reply' to 1stname's post. Strange. Above post should truly end with the final paragraph starting "And finally,...".

RCJH

Men's Basketball

Chalmers 2nd Jayhawk with NCAA, NBA titles

Comments

This is odd. My last paragraph above was typed with my above 'reply' to 1stname's post. Strange. Above post should truly end with the final paragraph starting "And finally,...".

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