... Depth also gives players enough rest, so they're fresh down the stretch, not ragged like TC and MG were last year.
Depth gives players enough rest, but Boeheim doesn't. Not historically, at least.
Sorry, couldn't resist such a great one-liner.
Anyway, it'll take a season before either of us starts to look right or wrong on this subject, but my stance chiefly comes from my observation that playing terrific zone defense:
a) is very difficult and is the product of seasons' worth of game experience, and
b) dependent on the quality of your teammates' defense.
If those two things are true, we have three regulars who will be incapable of becoming elite zone defenders this season by virtue of their being first-year players (the first factor) and the defense played by everyone around them will be less effective as a result (the second factor).
I also think that Boeheim's talk about man defense shows his resignation to a decline in the quality of our half-court defense. This is unusual and I'm ready to embrace it - I like that he's flexible here, and I'm fairly confident that superior offensive players can make up for a somewhat diminished defense.
As for your points, you may be right (and even if you aren't, I'm cool with the liabilities that I see). But I'd counter that:
1) This ignores the fact that Gillon, a tiny guy at a very important position, is likely to play a lot of minutes. Having a tiny guard up top negates a size advantage elsewhere. Size is further negated by the fact that Chukwu and White are really slow.
2) We'll see how Chukwu does as a shot-blocker. At best, he's probably a work in progress. Lydon's got a little experience and is savvy, but no amount of weight gain will change the fact that he's a non-center playing center. Sometimes he'll block some shots, but every time we play a team with a real center, we'll be at a disadvantage with Lydon (who, to compound a bad situation, we really need to protect from racking up fouls) at center.
3) Agree with most of this - we're a much more typically athletic Syracuse team this season. White might be an exception to that, but I shouldn't pretend to have seen enough to judge. Athleticism covers a lot of sins. (Will it cover a 5'10" point guard up top? We'll see.)
4) See my snark up top; it was a joke, but I'm serious. If Boeheim finds a player he thinks is indispensable, that player will be on the court for 36+ minutes and will be a little tired. It's always better to have scholarship practice players instead of walk-ons, but I don't value that as much as some.
Anyway, I hope this is academic, because we probably have enough offensive skill to score 80+ most nights and not stress about a few missed rotations. I'm really looking forward to seeing a more classic Syracuse team. Dominant defense is nice, but watching this group score might be more fun.
