Motivation, incentive, fear of starving  all kinds of things could kick in and mesh to make Jeff Graves the basketball player the Kansas frontline needs for the coming season. But for the time being, the prognosis is not scintillating.

First off, the bulky 6-foot-9 product of Iowa Western Community College knows he has a weight problem that cuts down on his stamina and mobility. Yet he shows up for practices looking more like a pork sausage than a greyhound or even a borzoi. Then, as I understand it, he wasn’t nearly as punctual for meetings as coach Roy Williams expects. Then there are all kinds of rumors about how he flunked that 12-minute run test that Roy and Co. employ to determine who’s in shape and who really wants to contribute.

All that’s iffy enough, considering the kind of commitment Williams demands  and has a right to expect  from his squadmen. But there’s the sidelining concussive injury Graves apparently got in some kind of car accident. Add the sobering fact that his mother is doing most of the talking to explain it all. What about the school he’s missed?

Don’t know about you, but I can, pronto, recall at least four former Jayhawks of the Williams era who were oppressively shilled by an overzealous mommy or daddy. Last time I checked, none of them were headed for any hall of fame, even for Douglas County.

Returnees Nick Collison and Wayne Simien for all their skills need another big guy who delivers up front. Graves was touted as the solution to that problem. Those who’ve seen him operate when he’s in reasonable shape say he could do a lot for KU’s 2002-03 outfit. If he remains a lardo incognito, some big changes will be needed.

Like Kirk Hinrich being forced to play small forward again? Great as he is, Kirk is needed in other roles. Not that he wouldn’t respond wonderfully, but there’d be an empty cot in the bunkhouse if Graves doesn’t deliver.

We gotta hope some miracles happened to 6-6 Bryant Nash over the summer and that freshman Moulaye Niang is more ready to help than it was first thought. There’s no more Jeff Carey to lend bulk and experience.

Things could be rather tenuous for a while as the coaches try to determine who can play and who can’t  or won’t  and to find the right combinations. This is a team that can go a long way if somebody steps up as a productive frontline warrior.

I could be worrying about something that will resolve itself. Much ado about nothing, I hope. Graves could do an about-face, measure up and help a lot. But don’t blame a lot of folks for wondering if he’ll come close to matching his credentials.

l One of the best action photos in Kansas football history shows quarterback John Hadl in 1960 turning the corner behind blocking fullback Doyle Schick. Two truly great athletes, both from Lawrence High. And they’re attired in those all-Carolina Blue outfits that created the team’s logo, Ballet in Blue.

Those mild and mellow uniforms resulted when a KU staff member  I think it was Floyd Temple  donned a suit for Jack Mitchell to survey. The coach checked them out, including a white jersey on the road, and decided they looked just fine.

Later, somebody mentioned to Jack that the monotone unies might be a little bland. “So what?” he cackled. “I’m colorblind anyway.” So the Ballet in Blue played on.

l The late Johnny Unitas deserved all the plaudits and tributes he got when the former Baltimore Colt quarterback icon died recently. Coach-turned-broadcaster John Madden has picked Joe Montana as the best QB he has seen. Others contend Sid Luckman, Sammy Baugh, Bobby Layne, Bart Starr and Norm Van Brocklin were in the same class with Unitas and Montana.

Trouble is, Otto Graham too often is overlooked, and he has a modest Kansas University connection.

He was recruited to Northwestern by KU legend Dutch Lonborg as a basketball player, and made All America under Dutch. As a 1944 senior football tailback, Graham finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Then he played two years with the Rochester Royals basketball team which won the 1946 NBA title.

But Paul Brown had been beaten at Ohio State by Graham and saw a quarterback in that 6-1, 205-pound frame. Did he ever. In 10 seasons as a pro, Graham led his team to the league championship game every time and came away with seven titles. In those days, that was the equivalent of 10 Super Bowls.

Otto ran, passed and led brilliantly, later coached in the pros and at Coast Guard Academy, and beat colo-rectal cancer.

The son of the band director at Waukegan (Ill.) High, Otto majored in music at Northwestern where he played the violin, cornet and French horn. As an all-time quarterback, he may not have been the greatest, but he sure was among ’em. Too often he’s unfairly overshadowed by the more current dandies.

l Still with Chicago-Northwestern legends, ever hear of Bill de Correvont? He helped draw maybe the biggest crowd in history for a high school football game.

In 1937, the rampaging de Correvont scored 34 touchdowns in 10 games for Austin High, the Chicago public school champ. Traditionally, the public and Catholic champs meet at Soldier Field for the city title. De Correvont scored three touchdowns in a blowout of Fenwick High that year and, you can look this up: The crowd was estimated at 120,000. Will anyone ever top that?

De Correvont went on to Northwestern, ahead of Otto Graham, then played some defense for the Chicago Bears after World War II. Never was a college or pro sensation, but not many guys ever play before 120,000 at any level.