Cambridge
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
Canes Pugnaces
Posts: 5,303
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Post by Cambridge on Jan 16, 2006 14:40:39 GMT -5
I'm not sure I agree. I mean yes, I understand the need or want for one "go to guy" but I also remember the extreme limitations (cough cough paging the Mike Sweetney era). I would prefer we just continue along this arc, and produce a team and a system that can exploit 7-8 legitimate scoring threats that no one can leave open or we make them pay. If we can do that, we will be a very, very difficult team to defend. Already, we are one of the most efficient teams in the nation (top 20) and we just happened to have played two of the three BE teams above us in offensive efficiency.
Personally, I like the way the team is developing and I definitely don't want to see a backslide towards one on one "two fist" era basketball. Sometimes I feel like this is the Madden effect on sports...everyone wants to pad the stats of their favorite player, almost more than they want to win the games.
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Post by Nitrorebel on Jan 16, 2006 15:30:48 GMT -5
Thanks for clarifying MCI. I did read at some point he was 6th man. Anyway, I think the larger point is apparent - DJ may have played with the Jazz but he's no Augustin or Tasmin Mitchell or Glen Davis.
It'll definitely be interesting to look back at these teams a few years down when the talent-level will be higher and draw comparisons. For the record, I think Bobo, like Riley, are excellent support players as a second or third option. I just don't think any of our guys are go-to guys, though Jeff has the potential to become one.
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Post by Fan Of The Game on Jan 16, 2006 19:19:44 GMT -5
If more leadership will convince DJ to shoot open 3's in big games and not pause and pass, then I'm all for it. That's how we'll beat teams that are 3-10 points better than us, by having all our players show up for all our games.
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Post by ][-][ 0 `/ /-\ 5 on Jan 16, 2006 22:57:19 GMT -5
If more leadership will convince DJ to shoot open 3's in big games and not pause and pass, then I'm all for it. That's how we'll beat teams that are 3-10 points better than us, by having all our players show up for all our games. The thing was Dj is that some nights he is on but sometimes hes not. Yes we saw him explode againts the Johnnies but he was a combined 1-9 against WV and Uconn. Sometimes I feel like we should tell him to shoot but others I just want him to stop.
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mapei
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
Posts: 2,088
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Post by mapei on Jan 17, 2006 17:14:53 GMT -5
In general I would take our chances with open shots. What I hate is to see us pass one up and keep flinging the ball around only to have a lousy shot as the clock expires. We have good (if not great) shooters who are afraid to shoot.
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Post by Fan Of The Game on Jan 17, 2006 23:35:39 GMT -5
The thing was Dj is that some nights he is on but sometimes hes not. Yes we saw him explode againts the Johnnies but he was a combined 1-9 against WV and Uconn. Sometimes I feel like we should tell him to shoot but others I just want him to stop. It would seem III is on to DJ's hot night/cold night duality...he smartly started him in the second half versus USF. Hopefully by the same token we'll see him not get minutes on a cold night.
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Loyal Hoya
Silver Hoya (over 500 posts)
Posts: 554
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Post by Loyal Hoya on Jan 18, 2006 0:58:06 GMT -5
It's an interesting discussion. There are two types of player that I think we lack.
There is the "Go To Guy," the player that you can count on to hit a shot at the end of the game or whenever you need it. Reggie Williams and Charles Smith come to mind. These players are pretty rare. As great a scorer as he was, I'm not even sure that I would put AI in this category.
Then there is the player that I would call the "soul of the team." These guys are not always the best player on the team. Rather they are the guys who provide a toughness, defense, and - depending on the position of the player - timely rebounding, steals, blocks and/or dives for loose balls. In this category, I think of Joey Brown, Jerome Williams, Perry McDonald, David Wingate, and Nat Burton. Boubacar Aw and Joe Touomou provided the enough energy and defense to qulaify for this role, but after AI left they did not play with many players who had the necessary skills for their teams to be any good. Mateen Cleaves on Michigan State's national championship team was also a good example of this type of player.
You might argue that Alonzo and Patrick played both these roles.
I don't think we have a "go to guy" on this team. Jeff Green is probably my favorite player, and I think of him as the team leader. But I haven't detected a whole lot of soul on this team yet.
Maybe I'm looking for a JT, Jr soul on a JTIII team, and I'm never going to find it.
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