Backup C

[zhanjuzi]

This is really getting to be too much.

Nobody is more excited about Roberson's potential than I am. If you don't believe me, go back and review the practice write up I did at the beginning of October. I'll wait.

But this kid got a chance to start against Georgia Tech, and failed to deliver. In fact, he laid an egg in all facets of the game, in a contest that we might have won if he'd produced something. Anything. I'm not trying to pin the loss on him, just pointing out why you'll forgive me for taking all of the claims about what a great rebounder he is, how he's been held back by Boeheim, how he's going to be a first round pick next year, etc. with a tremendous grain of salt. Again, I am a big fan of this kid and hope he is a great player for us. And I certainly believe that he might have been more ready to contribute had he garnered a little more PT throughout the course of the year.

But some of these accolades are completely over the top wishful thinking. Backup QB syndrome at its worst. When he got an opportunity to contribute during a time of team need, he didn't rise to the occasion. Hopefully next year he will.

Roberson's total fuster cluck in the GT game was one of the most disappointing experiences of the year for me. I'm hoping he hasn't become a head case and can contribute next year .. but for this year we will never see him on the floor again. My sincerest condolences to longislandcuse, Quazzam69, two3zone.

 

[pulaski74]

Because he is loyal and stubborn to a fault. He also threw him under the bus during the press conference. I personally think Buss and Roberson transfer if we lose this weekend and if Grant and Ennis come back.

hey there young fella, guess you grew up w/roberson too? please don't waste my time and others w/ your opinions. I'm onto you.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Grumpy? Good point. As good as comparing a guard to a small forward. What does Devo have to do with any of this thread? You may be right then, I missed that part opt the thread. If only we had Devo instead of CJ. What a brilliant idea.

The rest of your points and those of "the2-3PWN" are still countered by my points 1-6. I understand people "think this or that". I would rather go with facts and not wishful thinking. And that is all it is ...wishful thinking...as the facts prove. I did not miss one single part of the thoughts on this thread.

CJ could be more effective. He only made All ACC and 2nd team All American. We expected so much more from him.

Did you happen to look at the comparison of CJ's stats to Roberson's? Once you do, tell me who should be on the floor. And this does not take into account being lost on defense most of the time.

During most of our losses Grant was missing in action from his back. That had more to do with it than anything else.

I'm not really grumpy, I just have a low tolerance for people giving opinions as if they were facts. Especially when the facts show how far off they are.

Lets kick some *ss starting Thursday!! I truly believe we will.

So I see that the facts I presented in my post were completely ignored by you (yes, I actually presented facts to support some of my claims). Yes CJ is great, but he does a few things not as well as he should. I'm not one of the guys who believes that Roberson should get all of CJs minutes. I think JB should have done a better job and gotten Roberson some more time during the season so he could help us now and CJ wouldn't have so many minutes on his legs already this season. That's all.

Oh, and if you think Roberson is lost on defense you're nuts. He plays the forward position as well as any freshman I've seen so far. He's a bit rushed on offense, but his D isn't the problem. And with equal minutes, I absolutely guarantee that Roberson would be a far superior rebounder than CJ. He will be the equivalent of Grant next year.

 

[NineOneSeven]

And this does not take into account being lost on defense most of the time.

.

I'll be quick here. The part of your post I quoted made me chuckle. Fair's strength is far from defense.

 

[RF2044]

Oh, and if you think Roberson is lost on defense you're nuts. He plays the forward position as well as any freshman I've seen so far. He's a bit rushed on offense, but his D isn't the problem.

I'm not sure what you're basing that on. In the Georgia Tech game, Roberson looked like a deer in the headlights defensively--he had a terrified look like he was not sure where to be, and was out of position often. Marsh and I both noticed it during the game.

I wouldn't consider that assessment "fact," because it is not. Again, I can get behind the sentiment that Roberson should have gotten more PT, that it might be better for the team if he'd been part of the rotation, etc. But some of the proclamations being made in this thread about his current state capabilities just aren't accurate, and represent wishful thinking as much as anything.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

I'm not sure what you're basing that on. In the Georgia Tech game, Roberson looked like a deer in the headlights defensively--he had a terrified look like he was not sure where to be position-wise. Marsh and I both noticed it during the game.

I wouldn't consider that assessment "fact," because it is not. Again, I can get behind the sentiment that Roberson should have gotten more PT, that it might be better for the team if he'd been part of the rotation, etc. But some of the proclamations being made in this thread about his current state capabilities just aren't accurate, and represent wishful thinking as much as anything.

That clearly wasn't the fact based portion of my post, in fact, nothing related to Roberson was. My facts all had to do with CJ (rebounding, playing time, assists, etc).

I don't know the game (could have been G Tech), but the only thing I saw him do that was clearly stupid was when he was bodied up on the other teams big man then for some reason jumped out of the way to let Rak take over. I've never seen anyone do that at any level after CYO. I still wonder if Rak told him to get out. Led to an immediate bucket and probably a foul on Rak if I remember clearly.

As for the rest of his D, I still think he does just fine for a freshman. He gets out on the shooters, and then back to the paint, much quicker than CJ does. I swear CJ has allowed more interior buckets than any of the other forwards while Grant has allowed more 3 pointers. And I still think defensively Roberson is a better choice than Mike G.

 

[NineOneSeven]

I'm not sure what you're basing that on. In the Georgia Tech game, Roberson looked like a deer in the headlights defensively--he had a terrified look like he was not sure where to be, and was out of position often. Marsh and I both noticed it during the game.

I wouldn't consider that assessment "fact," because it is not. Again, I can get behind the sentiment that Roberson should have gotten more PT, that it might be better for the team if he'd been part of the rotation, etc. But some of the proclamations being made in this thread about his current state capabilities just aren't accurate, and represent wishful thinking as much as anything.

The people who don't think Roberson should have gotten more PT this year AND the people who think Roberson should be playing more than Fair are both equally insane.

MOST people here are somewhere in the middle, I think that's also where you are.

 

[orange79]

As for the rest of his D, I still think he does just fine for a freshman.

That's totally different than "I still think he does just fine." I think he will be a good player for us, but he looked clueless on D most of the time I saw him.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

That's totally different than "I still think he does just fine." I think he will be a good player for us, but he looked clueless on D most of the time I saw him.

I still think he's a better option than G. Or even Rak at the forward with Baye at center (and that's really what this thread is all about now).

I must have missed the games where he looked clueless on D because I saw a kid moving quickly, contesting all the 3-point shooters well, and then getting back and actually helping the center out. Other than that one play I mentioned above (which still boggles my mind).

 

[longislandcuse]

I watched every Syracuse game so far this year and I didnt see Roberson looking like a deer in headlights on D, maybe it was different being at the game?

All i saw was a player who you can tell is ultra-talented but is crazy tentative due to the fact that he has zero room for error and barely plays in live game situations.

I dont know what Keita and CJ's excuses are for their defensive lapses and out of position attempts at rebounding being that they are our senior leaders.

On offense CJ has a green light that needs to be turned to yellow, he's a beast when he plays within the offense but he's not TJ Warren, Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker, not even close. Luckily we have 2 future lottery picks out there with him who can help run the offense, it doesnt and cant be, CJ or bust this postseason. He can get his 20, but it has to be done differently than a bunch of iso's.

 

[RF2044]

I watched every Syracuse game so far this year and I didnt see Roberson looking like a deer in headlights on D, maybe it was different being at the game?

All i saw was a player who you can tell is ultra-talented but is crazy tentative due to the fact that he has zero room for error and barely plays in live game situations.

I dont know what Keita and CJ's excuses are for their defensive lapses and out of position attempts at rebounding being that they are our senior leaders.

On offense CJ has a green light that needs to be turned to yellow, he's a beast when he plays within the offense but he's not TJ Warren, Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker, not even close. Luckily we have 2 future lottery picks out there with him who can help run the offense, it doesnt and cant be, CJ or bust this postseason. He can get his 20, but it has to be done differently than a bunch of iso's.

There isn't much in this post I agree with. I'm going to just say this, because IMO it is the root of our offensive problems and very few seem to be picking up on it [this isn't specifically directed at you, LIC], but it's the execution, stupid. The problem with our offense isn't that CJ has turned into a cowboy--its that the execution of the team's offensive concept has broken down. CJ isn't just out there winging it, but he is forcing at the end of shot clocks when we need to get a shot up. The criticism about "when he plays within the offense" is, in the main, just off target.

Please note that I'm not trying to argue that he is a transcendent talent, that his offensive capabilities are on par with Melo, etc. CJ is the focal point of this year's offense, and other than Ennis is the only confident scorer we have. I have no problem with him taking shots. He just needs to make them at a better clip.

This whole argument reminds me that you're only as good as your last game. CJ sure looked good going against Parker in the first Duke game. He played lousy last game, so ergo he needs to take fewer shots. No, he just needs to make some of them.

But overall, CJ isn't the main problem with this offense. We need crisper execution of our half court offense sets. We need stronger, more purposeful screens and more efficient movement away from the ball. We need to corral more offensive rebounds like we were doing the first half of the season. We need our four perimeter players [Cooney, Ennis, CJ, Gbinije] to make some shots during the course of the game. We need Grant to not be invisible offensively for lengthy stretches of the game. We need Rak and Keita to finish the ones that they're supposed to. And we need to be active defensively, to turn defense into offensive opportunity. It is a team breakdown, not one player--although I think that a lot of posters would like to pin it on one magic bullet explanation for what's gone wrong.

As for Roberson, well, I categorically disagree that he isn't lost on defense. The wishful thinking aspect is that he's such a good player that he'd be able to go out there and make contributions if he was only given the opportunity. But the reality was that he didn't, and in failing to do so looked completely lost on both sides of the ball. Against GT, I would have taken a strong performance on the glass, maybe some blocked shots; any scoring would have been gravy. But he didn't provide any of that. He looked like he didn't know where to be position was on either side of the ball. Which is unfortunate, but is what it is. This will be an important off-season for Roberson, as ample PT is there for the taking next year. But talk about him playing, contributing, being held back THIS YEAR are again off-target, IMO. Based upon things I've heard about practice, I guess I'm not surprised that he hasn't played more. And JB sees him in practice every day.

 

[RF2044]

That clearly wasn't the fact based portion of my post, in fact, nothing related to Roberson was. My facts all had to do with CJ (rebounding, playing time, assists, etc).

I don't know the game (could have been G Tech), but the only thing I saw him do that was clearly stupid was when he was bodied up on the other teams big man then for some reason jumped out of the way to let Rak take over. I've never seen anyone do that at any level after CYO. I still wonder if Rak told him to get out. Led to an immediate bucket and probably a foul on Rak if I remember clearly.

As for the rest of his D, I still think he does just fine for a freshman. He gets out on the shooters, and then back to the paint, much quicker than CJ does. I swear CJ has allowed more interior buckets than any of the other forwards while Grant has allowed more 3 pointers. And I still think defensively Roberson is a better choice than Mike G.

Here's what you actually said:

CuseFaninVT said: ↑
Oh, and if you think Roberson is lost on defense you're nuts.​

No, I'm not nuts. I'm actually right on the mark in terms of what I'm criticizing about his defensive positioning. I have no idea what you are basing your observation on, let alone the claim that I'm "nuts" for correctly observing that the kid isn't doing what he's supposed to.

CuseFaninVT said: ↑
He plays the forward position as well as any freshman I've seen so far.
​

Other than, say, the other dozen or more freshman forwards we've had over the years who actually have played better than him on both sides of the ball.

CuseFaninVT said: ↑
He's a bit rushed on offense, but his D isn't the problem.
​

I want to be clear about something--there isn't a poster on this forum who is more excited about Roberson's long term potential than I am. I wrote a glowing endorsement of him in the extensive preseason practice write-up I did back in October. I clamored for him to get PT early in the season, and argued with those who claimed that he had a poor offensive skill set. I was excited to see if he could break into the rotation at the end of the year when first Keita and then Grant sustained injuries. I was hoping that he would rise to the occasion when he got the start against GT, and that it would propel him into a more prominent role in a reserve capacity for the stretch run. So again, there isn't a poster on this forum who wants to see Roberson succeed more than me.

But again, I disagree with your assessment [and it might be better just to agree to disagree, rather than argue]. He's got some refined offensive capabilities--far more than what he's shown. The problem is, he hasn't shown them AT ALL. That isn't just him being "a bit rushed on offense." And if that wasn't bad enough, his defense has been equally poor. Which brings me back to my original point--you're saying a lot about Roberson and his performance, but I have no idea what you are basing any of it on. Certainly not game performance.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

But overall, CJ isn't the main problem with this offense. We need crisper execution of our half court offense sets. We need stronger, more purposeful screens and more efficient movement away from the ball. We need to corral more offensive rebounds like we were doing the first half of the season. We need our four perimeter players [Cooney, Ennis, CJ, Gbinije] to make some shots during the course of the game. We need Grant to not be invisible offensively for lengthy stretches of the game. We need Rak and Keita to finish the ones that they're supposed to. And we need to be active defensively, to turn defense into offensive opportunity. It is a team breakdown, not one player--although I think that a lot of posters would like to pin it on one magic bullet explanation for what's gone wrong.

I don't want to go back and forth on Roberson because in reality he won't contribute anymore this year in all likelihood so it's an endless debate.

One thing that absolutely shocked me that I saw when looking at the stats is the shockingly low numbers of assists that everyone but Ennis had in conference this year. Trevor Cooney only had 14 this year in ACC play. That's unacceptable from your off-guard. He needs to look inside more if he doesn't get the shot he wants. That immediate pass back to Ennis drives me insane.

 

[RF2044]

I still think he's a better option than G. Or even Rak at the forward with Baye at center (and that's really what this thread is all about now).

I must have missed the games where he looked clueless on D because I saw a kid moving quickly, contesting all the 3-point shooters well, and then getting back and actually helping the center out. Other than that one play I mentioned above (which still boggles my mind).

This I agree with 100%. In two games when Grant was injured and G got major playing time on the back line, he snared a grand total of one rebound. That's it.

I would have liked to believe that Roberson would be a better option to play on the back line, but something was missing--something that JB saw in practice all season long.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Here's what you actually said:

CuseFaninVT said: ↑
Oh, and if you think Roberson is lost on defense you're nuts.​

No, I'm not nuts. I'm actually right on the mark in terms of what I'm criticizing about his defensive positioning. I have no idea what you are basing your observation on, let alone the claim that I'm "nuts" for correctly observing that the kid isn't doing what he's supposed to.

CuseFaninVT said: ↑
He plays the forward position as well as any freshman I've seen so far.
​

Other than, say, the other dozen or more freshman forwards we've had over the years who actually have played better than him on both sides of the ball.

CuseFaninVT said: ↑
He's a bit rushed on offense, but his D isn't the problem.
​

I want to be clear about something--there isn't a poster on this forum who is more excited about Roberson's long term potential than I am. I wrote a glowing endorsement of him in the extensive preseason practice write-up I did back in October. I clamored for him to get PT early in the season, and argued with those who claimed that he had zero offensive development. I was excited to see if he could break into the rotation at the end of the year when first Keita and then Grant sustained injuries. I was hoping that he would rise to the occasion when he got the start against GT, and that it would propel him into a more prominent role in a reserve capacity for the stretch run. So again, there isn't a poster on this forum who wants to see Roberson succeed more than me.

But again, I disagree with your assessment. He's got some refined offensive capabilities--far more than what he's shown. The problem is, he hasn't shown them AT ALL. That isn't just him being "a bit rushed on offense." And if that wasn't bad enough, his defense has been equally poor. Which brings me back to my original point--you're saying a lot about Roberson and his performance, but I have no idea what you are basing any of it on. Certainly not game performance.

Wow, really taking me to task on this aren't you? I think maybe your early season HIGH expectations have caused you to underestimate his defensive abilities, but I see that a lot from people on this board (see Keita and his play at the end of last year somehow excusing his multitude of awful mistakes this year).

I'd love to hear the dozen or so freshman forwards you think have played better D for SU.

That you're nuts comment clearly wasn't directed at you. I think you are one of the better posters here and respect your opinion, but honestly, in the games I've seen, I can only recall only really bonehead mistake (that I've outlined above) from him on D.

Please explain to me what you mean by lost on D. I'm just not seeing what you all see.

 

[RF2044]

Wow, really taking me to task on this aren't you? I think maybe your early season HIGH expectations have caused you to underestimate his defensive abilities, but I see that a lot from people on this board (see Keita and his play at the end of last year somehow excusing his multitude of awful mistakes this year).

I'd love to hear the dozen or so freshman forwards you think have played better D for SU.

That you're nuts comment clearly wasn't directed at you. I think you are one of the better posters here and respect your opinion, but honestly, in the games I've seen, I can only recall only really bonehead mistake (that I've outlined above) from him on D.

Please explain to me what you mean by lost on D. I'm just not seeing what you all see.

Sorry--thought it was directed at me.

Also, will definitely circle back to resume, but have meetings the rest of the morning. Stupid work!

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Sorry--thought it was directed at me.

Also, will definitely circle back to resume, but have meetings the rest of the morning. Stupid work!

I really hope you do because I just wasted an hour or so of my time re-watching the GT game and I have to say, maybe I do think your nuts (not really, just intending to provoke). So yeah, I'd really like to hear what you think makes Roberson look lost on D during that game. Cause I ain't seeing it.

I noted (yes, I took a lot of notes) two or three plays where Roberson made a bad play on D including the one I mentioned earlier (it was a basket but Rak did not get a foul). I also noted at least 3-4 plays where Baye made brutal mistakes and 2-3 plays where our senior forward was badly out of position leading to dunks or easy buckets. When the ball is on the other side of the court, CJ plays way too far out on 3 point shooters that are 2 passes away and disregards the forward slipping to the basket.

I do want to say that I think the press is a bit beyond Roberson right now, but then again, our press seems to be outside the comprehension of all of our players.

And yeah, Roberson isn't ready on the offensive end. He didn't make any bad plays leading to turnovers (hi CJ driving to the bucket and then inexplicably passing to Baye who wasn't even looking) but he's very tentative. But he had a couple assists, one good head fake and bucket, and his two shots that missed were closer than most of Trevor's misses.

On a side note, I found another reason why I dislike playing Rak and Baye at the same time. Rak gets the ball in the low block (first half about 5 minutes left) and Baye immediately moves toward Rak and sets up under the basket, bringing his defender along for the ride so he can help out defending Rak. UGHHHH.

 

[two3zone]

I really hope you do because I just wasted an hour or so of my time re-watching the GT game and I have to say, maybe I do think your nuts (not really, just intending to provoke). So yeah, I'd really like to hear what you think makes Roberson look lost on D during that game. Cause I ain't seeing it. I noted (yes, I took a lot of notes) two or three plays where Roberson made a bad play on D including the one I mentioned earlier (it was a basket but Rak did not get a foul). I also noted at least 3-4 plays where Baye made brutal mistakes and 2-3 plays where our senior forward was badly out of position leading to dunks or easy buckets. When the ball is on the other side of the court, CJ plays way too far out on 3 point shooters that are 2 passes away and disregards the forward slipping to the basket. I do want to say that I think the press is a bit beyond Roberson right now, but then again, our press seems to be outside the comprehension of all of our players. And yeah, Roberson isn't ready on the offensive end. He didn't make any bad plays leading to turnovers (hi CJ driving to the bucket and then inexplicably passing to Baye who wasn't even looking) but he's very tentative. But he had a couple assists, one good head fake and bucket, and his two shots that missed were closer than most of Trevor's misses. On a side note, I found another reason why I dislike playing Rak and Baye at the same time. Rak gets the ball in the low block (first half about 5 minutes left) and Baye immediately moves toward Rak and sets up under the basket, bringing his defender along for the ride so he can help out defending Rak. UGHHHH.

Baye brings a defender every time he sets a screen and the ball handler is doubled. So annoying. He should almost stand out of bounds on offense under the basket and only come out when a shot goes up.

 

[SarasotaPaul]

So I see that the facts I presented in my post were completely ignored by you (yes, I actually presented facts to support some of my claims). Yes CJ is great, but he does a few things not as well as he should. I'm not one of the guys who believes that Roberson should get all of CJs minutes. I think JB should have done a better job and gotten Roberson some more time during the season so he could help us now and CJ wouldn't have so many minutes on his legs already this season. That's all.

Oh, and if you think Roberson is lost on defense you're nuts. He plays the forward position as well as any freshman I've seen so far. He's a bit rushed on offense, but his D isn't the problem. And with equal minutes, I absolutely guarantee that Roberson would be a far superior rebounder than CJ. He will be the equivalent of Grant next year.

Roberson could get all the playing time he needs but if he hasn't learned in practice, why would yo think playing time would help him that much. Baseball uses the minor leagues to get players ready. If they bring them up too soon , it hurts them a lot more than helping them. Thats what practice is for, learning.

There is a reason a majority college kids get so much better in their second year. They have had a full year of practice and all spring and summer to work on getting smarter and stronger. Roberson looks like he will be one of those that really comes on next year.

If his "D" is so good, can you explain why JB jumps up and yanks him when something goes wrong on the defensive end? It doesn't take much to figure that out. I am basing my opinion more on that then anything. Take into consideration that I have watched JB and SU basketball for over 35 years (the first 30 with season tickets and sitting close enough to hear and see JB's "teaching techniques, which are not for the faint of heart). I have a great handle on JB's reactions. He isn't usually inviting them over for dinner when he yanks them and "talks/instructs" them.

As for CJ being too far out, thats exactly where JB wants him if a good shooter is on that wing. I have seen JB scream at CJ for not being far enough out more times that for laying back. JB plays odds and thats where he wants his forwards in some games. He would rather a few layups rather than a flurry of 3's form good shooters.

 

[Francis03]

Roberson is a way better rebounder than CJ. Roberson should have been playing 10 minutes every game. JB puts Keita out there with no offensive value. Roberson at the 4 and Grant and/or Roc at the 5 improves our rotation dramatically because:

Roberson makes his free throws
Roberson rebounds very well.
Roberson can triple threat, rip through, make a 15 footer and actually hold onto the ball.

Keita on offense is offensive.

This team cannot score the ball. Yeah, lets just keep running Keita out there...

That had me dying.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Roberson could get all the playing time he needs but if he hasn't learned in practice, why would yo think playing time would help him that much. Baseball uses the minor leagues to get players ready. If they bring them up too soon , it hurts them a lot more than helping them. Thats what practice is for, learning.

There is a reason a majority college kids get so much better in their second year. They have had a full year of practice and all spring and summer to work on getting smarter and stronger. Roberson looks like he will be one of those that really comes on next year.

If his "D" is so good, can you explain why JB jumps up and yanks him when something goes wrong on the defensive end? It doesn't take much to figure that out. I am basing my opinion more on that then anything. Take into consideration that I have watched JB and SU basketball for over 35 years (the first 30 with season tickets and sitting close enough to hear and see JB's "teaching techniques, which are not for the faint of heart). I have a great handle on JB's reactions. He isn't usually inviting them over for dinner when he yanks them and "talks/instructs" them.

As for CJ being too far out, thats exactly where JB wants him if a good shooter is on that wing. I have seen JB scream at CJ for not being far enough out more times that for laying back. JB plays odds and thats where he wants his forwards in some games. He would rather a few layups rather than a flurry of 3's form good shooters.

Practice is also for preparation for the current season. If he didn't think he was ready, he should have redshirted him. Or maybe he should fire some of the assistant coaches for not getting the kid ready this late in the season.

As for JB, I'm going to leave that alone for right now, because I'm too pissed off about UVM just getting hosed at Georgia. Let's just say JB has an MO and he's true to form with Roberson. I won't be surprised if Tyler takes his talents elsewhere after seeing how Rak has been treated by JB while JB allows Baye to make fundamentally stupid errors consistently.

I'm pretty sure you weren't understanding me when I said two passes away. There is no reason for CJ to be that far out on a shooter who can't get the ball easily. None. Unless JB likes seeing his center in foul trouble.

 

[Ghost]

I'm not sure what you're basing that on. In the Georgia Tech game, Roberson looked like a deer in the headlights defensively--he had a terrified look like he was not sure where to be, and was out of position often. Marsh and I both noticed it during the game.

I wouldn't consider that assessment "fact," because it is not. Again, I can get behind the sentiment that Roberson should have gotten more PT, that it might be better for the team if he'd been part of the rotation, etc. But some of the proclamations being made in this thread about his current state capabilities just aren't accurate, and represent wishful thinking as much as anything.

I might be more concerned with that if I didn't still think the benefits would outweigh the negatives. First, I don't think CJ is a particularly great zone defender to begin with. Second, I think he seems particularly bad late in games. Third, Roberson to me is a energy guy - bounce around, spaz out a bit, and hopefully grab some boards.

So, if playing Roberson has him (Fair) playing harder on the defensive end to close out games - I take that trade-off.

Moreover, we're willing to throw G down there - and I'm not sure what he showed to warrant the minutes. I'm not sure he grabbed a single rebound while playing down low (he prolly did). Hell, we were willing to put Rak out there to let Dajuan start at center. I don't know, I just don't think it's rocket science at the forward spot. So much of the zone is on the center...not that the forwards are just sitting around...eh, I don't even know what I'm saying now. lol

100% with you on the second paragraph - I just want fresher legs.


KNICKS WON!

 

[SarasotaPaul]

Practice is also for preparation for the current season. If he didn't think he was ready, he should have redshirted him. Or maybe he should fire some of the assistant coaches for not getting the kid ready this late in the season.

As for JB, I'm going to leave that alone for right now, because I'm too pissed off about UVM just getting hosed at Georgia. Let's just say JB has an MO and he's true to form with Roberson. I won't be surprised if Tyler takes his talents elsewhere after seeing how Rak has been treated by JB while JB allows Baye to make fundamentally stupid errors consistently.

I'm pretty sure you weren't understanding me when I said two passes away. There is no reason for CJ to be that far out on a shooter who can't get the ball easily. None. Unless JB likes seeing his center in foul trouble.

You really don't get it. You redshirt early in the year or not at all. That gives the kids a chance to improve and get playing time. Its up to the kid. Some can't learn in year one, some are not ready physically, and some are just behind better players. Genius move, to fire the coaches if the kid doesn't learn in year one. Amazing logic there.

Ever hear of a skip pass? Thats when you use one pass to get to a player when usually two would be needed.
This may surprise you, but I have a very good idea of how JB uses his zone, to the point where I can tell when he will make an adjustment during the game to take something else away from the other team. 35 years of actually watching and learning will do that.

As for Raks foul problems. Its not because he's covering for CJ. Its because he reaches and slides into players and other dumb things. Then he pouts at the officials and holds his hands out to them. The refs really appreciate this and show it by calling everything on him. Could that be why Keita plays so much?

I'm not surprised you would expect someone to transfer with your evaluation of JB. Fortunately most kids are smarter than that. Very few that transfer do much of anything, proving the point that they shouldn't have gotten the playing time so many think they have gotten.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

You really don't get it. You redshirt early in the year or not at all. That gives the kids a chance to improve and get playing time. Its up to the kid. Some can't learn in year one, some are not ready physically, and some are just behind better players. Genius move, to fire the coaches if the kid doesn't learn in year one. Amazing logic there.

Ever hear of a skip pass? Thats when you use one pass to get to a player when usually two would be needed.
This may surprise you, but I have a very good idea of how JB uses his zone, to the point where I can tell when he will make an adjustment during the game to take something else away from the other team. 35 years of actually watching and learning will do that.

As for Raks foul problems. Its not because he's covering for CJ. Its because he reaches and slides into players and other dumb things. Then he pouts at the officials and holds his hands out to them. The refs really appreciate this and show it by calling everything on him. Could that be why Keita plays so much?

I'm not surprised you would expect someone to transfer with your evaluation of JB. Fortunately most kids are smarter than that. Very few that transfer do much of anything, proving the point that they shouldn't have gotten the playing time so many think they have gotten.

Cross court skip passes are the stupidest things in basketball. And if CJ can't get to one of those, he really should think about doing something else. You aren't listening at all. Not surprising though.

I watched the GT game yesterday (not the whole thing, just the parts where Roberson was playing). You are out of your mind if you think his defense was 1) bad and 2) contributed to him not seeing future minutes. He played D just as well as CJ in that game. He's ready on the defensive end. Offense I won't argue with you about. He needs to calm down and let the game come to him, and from my nearly 40 years of playing hoops, I can tell you the ONLY way that happens is with more time on the court. That's it.

I hope he doesn't transfer, but I would not be surprised if he did.

 

[SarasotaPaul]

Cross court skip passes are the stupidest things in basketball. And if CJ can't get to one of those, he really should think about doing something else. You aren't listening at all. Not surprising though.

I watched the GT game yesterday (not the whole thing, just the parts where Roberson was playing). You are out of your mind if you think his defense was 1) bad and 2) contributed to him not seeing future minutes. He played D just as well as CJ in that game. He's ready on the defensive end. Offense I won't argue with you about. He needs to calm down and let the game come to him, and from my nearly 40 years of playing hoops, I can tell you the ONLY way that happens is with more time on the court. That's it.

I hope he doesn't transfer, but I would not be surprised if he did.

The skip pass, eons ago, was stupid because kids didn't have the skill to use it. I would guess you are one of those. Guess thats where you are stuck too, in the past. Its now one of the most effective passes, especially against zones. But you would have to be able to watch and learn and you refuse. Can't help you there.

He does need to calm down and also get some confidence. His shooting has been bad all year long and we all know he must have a better touch than he has shown so far. Besides, I believe he is actually a power forward, so his small forward skills may not be there yet. Thats why freshman play so little. Its a giant step and very few can take it in year one. Ever hear and actually listen and learn when coaches say the best thing to happen to freshman is to become sophomores? If you did you wouldn't say that court time is the only way to get better.

You know, I've played for 48 years so you have some catching up to do. We are both now know to be old farts. At least one thing in common. Scary isn't it?

As for transferring, if he's any good he won't. Those that know from practice that they are behind other players are the ones that leave. Look at the list of players that have excelled recently and sat most of their freshman years. These kids don't get hung up on fan's theories. They know damn well what they have to work on and why they are sitting. So time on the court is only a small part of it. You don't see the court until you are ready, and then you learn some more.

Anyway, its way past time to prep for the game. Since we both want SU to win, we have a second thing in common. Now I will seek therapy.

Enjoy the game and help root, scream us on!

Doubt either of us will bend much to the others ideas, but that doesn't make either of us a bad guy.