Blowin' Smoke Presented by Weston Tobacco

What's more fun than us giving you a chance to mock us every single week? In our new feature, Blowin' Smoke presented by Weston Tobacco, we will do that each and every Thursday. Gabe DeArmond and Mitchell Forde will make five predictions almost sure to go wrong every week in this space. These will range from big games to big picture predictions with a bit of the comedic and absurd mixed in most weeks as well. On to this week's predictions.

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Mitchell: I am pretty firmly 50-50 on this one right now. I think Pinson would rather be done playing in college. I just think he's always had his sights set on playing professionally and wants to get there as soon as he can, even if it's not through the NBA Draft. Heck, we heard rumors that he wanted to go through the draft process last year. That said, I think the lack of workouts and ability to showcase his ability to NBA scouts will result in him getting feedback that says go back to school for a year, and I also think that, given how well he played down the stretch this season, there's legitimate reason to believe that with another full year of being an important cog in the offense, he could really boost his stock. And the prospect of returning and being a go-to guy should excite him to some degree. So I think right now I will lean toward Pinson returning to Missouri, but not with much conviction.

Gabe: Yeah I'm a firm I don't know. Everybody from the outside looks at this and says "He's not an NBA player right now." And I agree he isn't. Would he be if he came back for another year? Maybe, but my answer is still probably not. But we're asking the wrong question. The right question is "Would you rather get paid to play basketball somewhere next year even if it isn't the NBA or would you rather not get paid and go to class?" It's not quite that simple, but in a lot of cases it is. I don't think people understand the time and effort that goes into this. A lot of these kids don't come from great financial situations. Yes, the scholarship and the education are great things, but they aren't cash in pockets. Some kids need that and want it more than others. And, again, some don't like school. So I'm actually the opposite of you. If I'm forced to answer, I say Pinson leaves...but I also don't feel strongly about it.

Mitchell: Xavier Pinson, Dru Smith, Mark Smith, Kobe Brown, Jeremiah Tilmon. If Pinson leaves, replace him with Javon Pickett.

Gabe: If Pinson's back I think you have the right five. If not, insert random grad transfer name in his place.

Gabe: No...but not because he isn't the coach at Kansas. At this point, I think he will be. I don't think with everything going on he's taking an NBA job and leaving KU in the lurch finding a replacement. But I do think there's going to be some sort of suspension. That game is early enough in the year that I think Self misses the game. I think he'll be on the Jayhawk bench next year...just not when they play Mizzou.

Mitchell: I'll say yes, but I think there's a greater chance than some probably think that he could be gone. I think the sanctions coming to Kansas are going to be serious — potentially three or more Level I violations. Would Kansas stand by Self if that's the case? Probably. They've been pretty eager top flip the NCAA the middle finger during this whole process. The bigger question is would Self be willing to wait around if he gets, say, a year's suspension and KU is banned from the tournament for a couple seasons? If I were him, given that he could almost certainly land an NBA job and have college to fall back on in a couple years if it doesn't work out, I sure wouldn't. However, all of that is assuming the NCAA a) does something about this stuff in the next six months and b) actually comes down that hard on Kansas, and right now I don't think I can predict that both of those things happen since we haven't seen it yet.

Gabe: I think I'm going Jordan Elliott. I won't be surprised if it's Albert O, but I just have questions about him and I think Elliott is the safer pick. And there's also more value, generally speaking, in defensive tackle than there is tight end, at least once you get past the sure fire superstars.

Mitchell: Albert Okwuegbunam probably has the highest ceiling, but I'll go with Jordan Elliott. Elliott doesn't have a lot of wear and tear on his body since he's only really played two college seasons, and the way he improved last year, I think he still has more room to grow. If he finds the right fit, I think he could end up being a guy who quietly plays like six to eight seasons at defensive tackle and is never a Pro Bowler but makes a great living for himself.

Mitchell: I'm really tempted to say Tyree Gillespie, but I think Gabe is going to pick him. So I'll stick with what feels like the most safe answer in Nick Bolton. At this point, I really have no idea how Bolton is viewed by NFL people, but if he has another season like he did in 2019, I have to think he has a chance to leave after his junior year and be a second-day pick.

Gabe: Well, I had actually planned to say Bolton. But since you stole that answer, am I going with Gillespie? I guess so because I don't really know who else I could say. I don't see a receiver, running back or lineman who makes sense going ahead of them. I'd say Bolton if they have a season and he plays the way I think he will play, but for this answer, I'll say Gillespie.