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Message: [QUOTE="billsin01, post: 3622512, member: 837"] This is a great post. A few thoughts to add: [B]On the second half rotation:[/B] You nailed this and I struggle to see how people criticizing that rotation don't see that logic. I'm not even saying it's the right decision as much as in this particular game, JB went with his vets in a difficult spot. That doesn't mean we won't see a lot of Kadary going forward (hopefully we will) and it doesn't even mean that Kadary shouldn't have played more. But JB is going to go with the guys he trusts and they did enough -- just barely enough -- to get the W. [B]On the defense:[/B] I agree there will be times Girard just isn't tall enough to truly challenge an opposing shooter but my concerns with him are more that there are a lot of times he just doesn't seem quite intense enough. Like it comes and goes. That time he got pressured and dribbled the ball off his leg, you could feel it happening. When a guy is pressuring you like that you either need to make strong evasive moves or attack it. He just kept backpedaling in the same direction until he got stripped. Defensively he ends a lot of possessions flat-footed at the free-throw line staring at a ball going in the basket from behind the play. He often appears a step slow on rotations or lets himself get dragged, somewhat aimlessly into a bad spot. Bryant, on several occasions, had the ball on the wing, passed it to the top, the PG took a couple dribbles the opposite direction, then passed back to the left for a wide open three, stepping into the shot. The wing was slow and JGIII was slow on the recognition. Needs to improve. Also, I'd love to see us do a better job of running shooters off a spot. The number of clean looks a shooter (or shooters) get against us each game is difficult to watch. Some of it is height. Some of it is talent. But some of it is also hustling to close out and at least making a shooter have to reposition. Really feel in today's game, our wings need to start out up pretty far on the wings and the guards need to be picking guys up at 25. Letting a guy dribble into a longer three with no passes or reacting a step late on an open three on the wing is killing us. Even if we give up a few more layups, I feel we're a little passive and conservative and it's hurting us against teams that can shoot. [B]On Girard:[/B] Brutal game but he was a half-second away from hitting the three most important shots of the game. That said, I really wish his off-season wasn't old football workouts and was centered on agility/plyometric work and adhering to a strict diet. 20 extra pounds makes some sense but a lean Girard with an extra half-step of quickness would be awesome, IMO. [B]On Dolezaj:[/B] Agree that it was a game made for him with a loose zone but how many players, including PGs have put up 20 and 9 assists in a game? I'm guessing Flynn and Sherm and some of our better PGs, but that list mostly our best guys at the PG position. really unique and impressive game from him. [B]On Buddy:[/B] Really impressed with how he has rounded out his offensive game. Still needs to improve a bit defensively, IMO, but he's a pretty tough guard for opponents. Really hoping he can improve coming off screens. That would be dangerous. I think that was it. Hope Sidibe can get healthy quickly b/c he's huge for us. Otherwise, as ugly as it was, college basketball is in a weird time. Just need to get better as we go. Hoping we can do that. [/QUOTE]

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