Maliq Brown to Duke

[OttoinGrotto]

Does this mean Estrella is not in the picture?

His season just ended. Who knows if he was ever in the picture/will be in the picture.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I don't disagree. Still need to replace that production somewhere.

You need more than one guy per position.

 

[Fly Rodder]

Oh I know. Full rebuild just makes me chuckle. So sky is falling.

Of course, I believe that’s from the same person that declared Red’s first season a bust before it was over.

Some of the takes are comical.

The SU basketball program is pretty comical lately. And by lately I mean a decade.

 

[Madbiker]

Lampkin is worse at defense than Maliq. Look at some of Colorados games. He is not a defender.

So why is Red bringing him in? He better get someone who can guard the bigs we're going to see at the top of the conference teams.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Even if you wanted to comeback why wouldn’t you put your name in the portal? I mean just for the leverage and the size of the bag your current school is offering,

No, because the contract has been broken. The school doesn't have to take you back.

 

[br801]

Lampkin is worse at defense than Maliq. Look at some of Colorados games. He is not a defender.

But he's beefy.

 

[SUFan44]

Yet we are most likely Bell and Starling who are the most replaceable pieces smh.

Two best shooters. Starling also very low maintenance.

Give it time. This is the new reality of college basketball.

 

[Orangefan1]

Guys I get people are upset but let’s think of it. With our current roster of players we are barely an NIT team! Let that sink in a minute and I’ve had my share of criticisms but he won 20 games this year. Brown at best is a backup power forward. He can’t shoot the ball. We need to think differently about where we need to go and I’m pleased to hear Red is also understanding this and making some bold moves

 

[PeteCalvin]

I think it's much more he's choosing a McD's AA pf over Maliq

I love Maliq as a player and love what he gave us this year. However, looking at this team and this situation objectively, he is not a guy who can create his own shot facing the basket, and he’s not a shooter. Those are just facts. And, he is not the type of center who can create mismatches or score with his back to the basket. That is not his game. He’s the odd man out.

Freeman may not have the experience, but he has the intangibles this team had so desperately lacked over the past several years, the flat out talent that this board has probably been screaming for over that same amount of time. Do we honestly want to sit Freeman, a natural scoring PF, and play Maliq at the 4, or start Maliq at the 5, a position we know he did not want to play? I get why we’re all upset, but the truth is he is not a center, and he is not a scoring PF. He is a natural SF who plays solid D but cannot stretch defenses or handle the ball to the level needed to excel in that role. I wish he would accept a role as the 6th man, the spark plug off the bench, the ultimate role player (like Josh Pace), but maybe he thinks that’s beneath him. I don’t blame him for being upset with the situation, but it is what it is. You take it as an opportunity to grow your game, or you look for another path. I’m sure everything that people have mentioned in this thread are reasons for him entering the portal.

Red had some tough decisions to make this offseason, and I’m sure the players knew they would have some as well. Someone on the forum said it was going to be a bloodbath, and that’s what it is. I’m sure Red told everyone where they stood and what Plan A, Plan B and Plan C would be. Plan A was always going to be Freeman starting at the 4, period. Getting a true starting center in the portal, period. You don’t sit a 5-star McDAA who plays like Freeman, and you can’t get a dominant 5 in the portal without having minutes to offer.

Yeah, this hurts. I’ve been listening to my son rant all night about how this is the end. But it’s not the end. It’s the new normal, and we have to press on and hope we get blessed in the portal.

 

[Sherman20]

I’m sure there’s a number high enough to get him to not care, but Maliq was arguably our best player last season and he’d likely be coming off the bench next season. It takes a very special person to willingly accept that, especially when he can just go play anywhere else and have the role he feels he deserves.

If he had been a bench player this past season and was going to get more minutes but still come off the bench next season, maybe he stays. But that’s not how things played out and I don’t blame him for not wanting to take a demotion after how well he played this season.

Why would Maliq come off the bench next season? Lol. He would be one of the centerpieces.

 

[M2MPrinciples]

Lampkin doesn't offer any rim protection and would need to be surrounded by shooters in order to work on offense. Right now we have Bell and a ton of question marks.

 

[kcsu]

Why would Maliq come off the bench next season? Lol. He would be the centerpiece.

Centerpiece of what? Lets pump the brakes.

 

[dcw914]

Lampkin is worse at defense than Maliq. Look at some of Colorados games. He is not a defender.

Watched a good number of CU games this year since one of my best friends lives out there and is a die hard buffs fan. Teams attacked the rim at will against CU, purposefully going at Lampkin. Marquette scored almost 50 in the paint to knock them out of the tourny. I love the size and rebounding but can’t help but be pretty concerned about our defense next year. I understand something had to give with maliq and donnie both playing the same position, and I was one of Maliq’s biggest fans so maybe i’m jaded, but would be pretty underwhelmed with this move. Who are we stopping with JJ, Bell and Eddie playing a bunch of minutes? Not what I was expexting from Red after he harped about defense all year but we’ll see how the rest of the roster shakes out.

 

[TinyManInside]

If we can’t get a kid like Maliq to Return, I don’t know what our future is as a basketball program, but it’s not going to look anything like it did for the last 50 years.

It’s probably going to look like the last 7 or 8. We’re not Syracuse anymore and haven’t been for a long time.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Absurd to think he and Freeman couldn't start together. Just get a damn center and maybe for once in a long time we'd play big. Clemson plays two big forwards with Hall most of the time. Yes, Bell would have to sub in at forward and spell as the shooting guard, but he'd get plenty of minutes. It's probably too late now, but it's a terrible shame. And can't help but wonder if Gmac's leaving might have figured in.

Red's not a very good salesman, if he can't point to how all the teams who made the Sweet 16 has 3 quality big guys to rotate through the 4 and 5.

If we look at who left with any impact it’s Q, Taylor and Brown. 3 guys used as Swiss Army knives this year. 3 guys playing out of position.

Many on this board have rightfully said that in order to bring in the best available in the portal Autry has to have available major minutes and likely a starting spot. I think he’s done with the positionless approach unless it’s for players off the bench.

It's really this simple. You need building blocks to carry over from season to season. They give your team continuity. Not each one of those guys has to be a star, but they need to be able to play a role in a rotation.

You like to have 3 guys coming back from year to year, who were contributors as a big man, a wing and a guard. If you have that, you have a foundation. You add in new recruits, in the old days a transfer or two, and you can ensure that your team isn't starting absolutely from scratch every year.

That's why Boeheim was able to keep it going without let-up for all those years. He tried to limit himself to 3 or 4 guys per class, always rotating new guys in to replace those about to graduate, or who don't work out.

Right now, these are our building blocks:

BIg men: No building blocks. Two projects. One was injured, one is coming off a redshirt.

Wings: Bell

Guard: JJ Starling, Cuffe

Freshmen: Donnie Freeman, Choppa Moore

Injured: Westry, MacLeod

Gone: Benny, Copeland, Taylor, Maliq Brown, Peter Carey

Probably gone: Judah and Mounir Hima

We need 2 big men, or one really proven, starter level Center, plus another PF to back up Freeman.

We need a SF who can slash, rebound and hit a three. A really good, Elijah Hughes / Andrew White level of guy.

We need a pure PG, and we need another guard who shoot a three, so there is competition for our designated shooters,

So, we need 5 guys - a starting Center, a 6th man quality SF, a pure PG, another rotation big (preferably a stretch 4), and a depth at SG/SF, like Rooths from IMG.

I don't think Red can pull that many guys. I think every day he waits to add an assistant who is a hell of a recruiter is a failure. The window has 30 days left.

 

[dasher]

Why would Maliq come off the bench next season? Lol. He would be the centerpiece.

No He wouldn't.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Red has to take this as an opportunity to rebuild the roster in his image. Sort of like Fran is doing. He needs to bring excitement back to the basketball program.

We have a spot for 2 starters with starter minutes. PG and Center. Go get the best. Red has been called a great recruiter on here multiple times. Lets get to work. If you don't have the NIL you need then get to work. Get people involved like Fran has done. Drive the program. Get in the portal and get involved publicly don't do certain things in silence be loud and proud. Look at what your football counterpart is doing and follow the blueprint.

I think most if not all NC State players who get major minutes all came from the portal. No reason it can't work.

Fran EXPLODED into social media. I haven't heard much of anything from Syracuse Basketball. They spent 3 days making social media posts congratulating Gerry.

Where the hell is his replacement, Red? Who are you working on?

None of these kids are posting on social media about being offered by Syracuse. Step the hell up, man. It's your job on the line.

 

[Jasoncuse]

One of the reasons our D was so bad this year was because our perimeter guys got torched often and then we had no shot blocker inside to cover for them. Now, we’ll still have the bad perimeter defenders but with a potentially worse defensive Center, if this Lampkin news is true. LOL

 

[PeteCalvin]

Does this mean Estrella is not in the picture?

I have to think the extra run he got yesterday and the media blitz Barnes has directed at him have tipped the scales to him going back to UT. Hopefully not, but Barnes is really making it difficult.

 

[Sherman20]

I think it's much more he's choosing a McD's AA pf over Maliq

Why is everyone banking that Freeman is gonna be some superstar from day 1? Freshman rarely ever are, especially front court players. I don’t see it. He’s not even a top 5 or 10 player overall. I’m not saying that Freeman isn’t really good for a high school player, but he’s not going to have the same impact as a Junior year Maliq would. And Freeman would still get 25-30mpg. Maliq would get 30mpg, and a portal center would get 25-30. I don’t see why that shouldn’t work out. Guys on last year’s UConn team never played more than 30mpg. Even Clingan only played like 15 mpg.

 

[Jasoncuse]

Fran EXPLODED into social media. I haven't heard much of anything from Syracuse Basketball. They spent 3 days making social media posts congratulating Gerry.

Where the hell is his replacement, Red? Who are you working on?

None of these kids are posting on social media about being offered by Syracuse. Step the hell up, man. It's your job on the line.

This program continues to live in the past.

 

[IthacaMatt]

No He wouldn't.

You could sell Donnie on coming off the bench, if we had a terrific 5, and we gave him some time at the 3. That's how this would have worked. Quality 5, Maliq only has to play 10 minutes or so at C. Donnie plays some 3, 4 and 5. MacLeod would have been the shot blocker. That rotation would work.

If Red couldn't get a real 5 and convince the others, then I don't think we're going to get even better guys to replace them. That's not how it worked out last summer, if you remember. The guys we got were generally worse than what they replaced.

 

[85SUAlum]

I truly cannot understand why anyone would want to be a college basketball coach anymore.

or a fan.

 

[shu 49]

So why is Red bringing him in? He better get someone who can guard the bigs we're going to see at the top of the conference teams.

Brown was agreat forward defender. Of coursehe has a hard time with 6'10" dudes who are quick and big down low WHERE he dont belong.

 

[Orangezoo]

Colorado was 49 in KP def last year. Our D will have to be better at the point of attack whoever leads that charge. Shot blockers on wing and at backup 5 with someone like Lampkin are a must. Not sure how this all plays out but hopefully there is a vision here.