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Message: [QUOTE="A Clockwork Orange, post: 3637012, member: 16"] Reading through this thread I find myself wondering what game some of you watched. It is typical of us Central New Yorkers to be cynical and easy to find the dark side of everything. And I get that. If I go into the game expecting them to win against Rutgers maybe I come out concerned. The fact of the matter is, we have one guy on the court with significant experience in the zone and our offense, and two others who are still learning. The other two starters are brand new. The three backups are all brand new. This is a YOUNG team, with the senior leadership coming from the C/ line of a guy who is not a consistent scorer but has plenty of hustle and an innate ability to find the right teammate while passing. I knew Kadary would be a solid addition, but the intangibles he showed last night from his work at the top of the zone (though rotations were wonky all night) tapping and disrupting passes, to his drive and dishes show me we have someone who can make those around him much better. The defense wasn't great last night, but there's room to improve and I think Kadary is a fast learner. If he gets the rotations down, we've got a much different lookup top when Buddy comes back. The whole year really hinges on what JB decides to do with Kadary now that Buddy is back. I'm optimistic if he gives him the keys and allows Joe time to improve as an off-the-ball player. With Buddy and Alan on the wings and Kadary having a great ability to find the open man, this offense will hum. The defense will catch up. Joe is a liability which is why he should be in there as little as possible with Buddy up top. The two of them have a very difficult time finding the shooter, and also have a bad time stopping the interior pass and dribble drive. So JG with Buddy up top will give us trouble all year on defense. Marek manning the center position all year will be a liability. I have faith that Griffin and Guerrier can become solid wing defenders by mid-January. They have the tools, they need the practices under their belts to help with rotational positioning. I actually think the offense this year has a much higher ceiling this year than last year, and I think the defense will be an improvement from last year as well. I've watched, coached, and played enough basketball to know that the way this team looked in that game last night versus the way they looked last year against Penn State is completely different. I also believe Rutgers IS a top 25 time, and I think SU will be by the end of the year as well. Maybe it's because I'm a transplanted CNY'er and my natural pessimism is being bleached away with the southern sun, but I think this team has promise. [/QUOTE]

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