I asked before the season if people would be patient with JB this year...

[SoBeCuse]

Marek can’t score inside. Working inside out works when you have someone that can score inside.

Post up Moyer? For what? What’s he gonna do?

Push the ball. I miss that too. Have you seen these guys run a break?

Move side to side? Why?

Screen off the ball...for who? To do what?

Our offense sucks. It’s a hard watch. I’m frustrated too watching it, and wish we had better ball movement and more off the ball movement and screens...I don’t know that it would be any more effective right now though.

We have nobody that can score inside. We have two guys that can shoot, one that can create mid range shots for himself, one that’s a decent passer with questionable overall instincts, one forward that’s a good athlete, one forward that can pass, and one forward that can dunk if he’s open. There’s not a lot of skills there at this point. We all knew offense would be a struggle this year.

I agree with all this. It is frustrating though because these guys aren’t necessarily chopped liver recruits on this team. Way more ‘talent’ on this team compared to ND without Colson/Farrell. Still, their guys got into the lane and made plays (granted they missed many shots) but they were penetrating the zone. Maybe some fatigue on our part helped them rebound the way they did which was totally unacceptable. Moyer should be able to do and show more being that he was a Top 100 recruit. One would think Chukwu (and he has improved no doubt) should show better instincts by now. One would think Frank’s handle would be better (if he is going to be a lead PG and not a SG) and I realize he has improved as well. HW looks lost. I thought Buffalo’s freshman guard looked better than HW. The dude who went to LeBron’s HS in Akron. I don’t know. I guess I expect more and the ability to execute basic basketball plays from most of our guys but maybe I shouldn’t.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

because I knew it was going to be a rough year, especially offensively due to a lack of offensive talent. I was assured by multiple people that everyone knew this was a developmental year until reinforcements came in next year. Boy you guys were wrong!!!

I think the vast majority of posters see the forest through the trees and get it.

There are a bunch of sine-curve posters - people who get too happy when things are going well and, conversely, get too angry and upset when things are not but there is a small sub-group of posters whom I call the snark and venom group.

When things are going well, they disappear. However, when the team hits a rough patch they show up in force. Their posts are streams of negativity and they show up in every thread. So, whereas there will not be hide nor hair of them when things are going well, they will post 15, 25 or 35 (or more) posts when things start to head south.

The result is a forum fanbase that appears to be relentlessly negative but, to my mind, is a just a small, unrelenting group of negative posters who wield an outsized influence in terms of board perception due to their thread domination, with its endless drumbeat of snark and negativity, when the team is on the skids.

Leave them out of the equation and I think the result is a much more balanced board.

 

[NineOneSeven]

I want to know where General20 is. Very good insight and game recaps, but a lot of the time after losses we do not get them.

 

[tbonezone]

ok spiro...

"Nattering nabobs of negativism."


need somebody on the other side to balance out the glasses crowd else your boat tips over .

 

[cuse10]

Patience isn't the problem for me. With Lydon and Thompson departing, Syracuse went from being one of the most experienced teams in the ACC to the one of the youngest. It was widely accepted that it would be a rebuilding year. My issue is how they are playing and losing games. Sans Kansas, you could strongly argue that they should have beat St. Bonaventure, Wake Forest and absolutely should have wiped the floor with Notre Dame. Their offensive execution is the worst I've seen since Syracuse stopped pushing the rock up the floor and opted for a slow down offense. They're not playing watchable basketball and what makes matters worse is that guys that are coming in aren't skilled enough to contribute on both ends. Shooting and dribbling are two things you can work on your own without the assistance of a coach to get better and most of the team can't do them outside of Frank and Tyus. The brand of basketball they've played is unsustainable and losing three games in a matter of two weeks are the flaws catching up. The defense won't be able to save them every night. At some point, they're going to have to put the ball through the basket. It is imperative that Marek, Matt and Oshae add the mid range shot to their arsenal in the coming off-season and after every practice it should be something they spend time working on; at least 500 shots from the five key areas on the floor. This isn't high school where their athleticism allows them to dominate on the level they played at. They have and will face guys who are more athletic and more skilled than they are every night.

 

[SWC75]

ok spiro...

"Nattering nabobs of negativism."


need somebody on the other side to balance out the glasses crowd else your boat tips over .

The best way to bring balance to the board is to be balanced youself.

 

[Jasoncuse]

I just hope that the whole "Next year we're loaded" idea has some legs.

Bazley is a probably McD's and Carey is a top 50 G, with sharpshooting Buddy coming in. But they'll be freshman that may need some seasoning. Bazley is extremely skinny, so how he adjust to contact and stronger opponents? Our skinny players have struggled mightily this year whenever they are challenged inside. Hopefully, his mid-range game will be what carries him.

We'll have Frank back, probably, and maybe Oshae. Hughes will be eligible, but he's still a bit of an unknown. Seems like we'll have some more options, but will the offense be any better or at least significantly better since it's absolutely pathetic currently? If we continue running the same crappy iso ball that we've run for so long, do we have the pieces for that to work?

 

[Forza Azzurri]

ok spiro...

"Nattering nabobs of negativism."


need somebody on the other side to balance out the glasses crowd else your boat tips over .

Hey, I purposely didn't call anyone out.

If you responded, you self-selected...

Yours,

Mr. Agnew

 

[orangecuse]

because I knew it was going to be a rough year, especially offensively due to a lack of offensive talent. I was assured by multiple people that everyone knew this was a developmental year until reinforcements came in next year. Boy you guys were wrong!!!

"Close your eyes, visualize this, you're in the Carrier Dome"... You're in the present moment...a Saturday afternoon on a cold & snowy raw early January winter day, remember, your eyes are closed. You know that the Fighting Irish are playing your beloved Orange hoop team, and, mind you, expectations noted, two of their star/top players and leading scorers are back home in their campus apartments. There's about 15 seconds left in the game, SU is holding onto the ball with their probable best player, and ND has 49 points, again, 49 points. Now, go ahead and open your eyes...SU also has 49 points.

I'd imagine your immediate response would be what the Fu!? You got to be kidding me, I know I had limited expectations, etc., but for Pete's sake this ND team has two of its best guys out and we have frigging 49 points as well, in the Dome!!! 'Bless your heart JB!!!'

In the moment, and on this particular day, given the precise circumstances, even the tortoise would lack some patience.

 

[General20]

I want to know where General20 is. Very good insight and game recaps, but a lot of the time after losses we do not get them.

Its not the losses that keep me from posting but the holidays. I'm just too busy right now, and I actually missed a couple of those games all together. In a week or so after some family leaves town, I should be able to post some more.

 

[TinyManInside]

This is a weird season because most people went in with the expectation that we were going to be terrible. A good portion of the people on this board went in thinking that Frank Howard wasn't even a D1 player, and that Chuckwu couldn't even walk and chew gum at the same time. Chuckwu is far from great, but even so he's been much better than almost everyone on this board imagined, and Howard is averaging 16/6/3.5 /2, which is light years better than what most people here thought he'd ever be capable of. I mean, a lot of people thought FH was the second coming of Kaleb Joseph and that Howard Washington would play over him.

So it's kinda weird that overall we're better than expected and people are complaining loudly and often about two players who are waaaaay outperforming what those same people expected.

This team has a lot of fight but is hampered by poor shooting, bad turnovers, and a major lack of depth. It is what it is. I think they'll end up in the NIT, but I'm not ready to write off an NCAA bid yet.

 

[two3zone]

He’s obsessed with only running an NBA style offense, even when we don’t have all the right personnel for it. Even if you don’t scrap the entire offense, why not be creative and run some different sets? That said, we were more effective earlier in the year. We need to get that fire back again. Guys are playing way too tentatively.

We absolutely do not run a NBA styled offense. That's some myth that gets spread around here by somebody who probably doesn't watch the NBA.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

Explain to me how we managed to score against Maryland, Kansas and Gtown, etc. Sorry, but the offense has suddenly hit a new low.

I think a part of that is that all the teams after those you named were able to see what we were doing, and who was proficient in what situations. I don't think we'd perform the same way if we were to play those teams now.

 

[orangecuse]

We absolutely do not run a NBA styled offense. That's some myth that gets spread around here by somebody who probably doesn't watch the NBA.

Word of the week for sure! It's a myth that this ND team is actually "good" with their 2 top guys out. It's a myth that we are actually a "good" rebounding team.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

This what we used to be

Holy. I had to stop the video after just two minutes. I'm laughing out loud and weeping at the same time.
• Fast break. What's that?
• Interior passing. Huh?
• Power.
Yes, it's a highlight reel, but i'm imagining how badly Coleman would abuse any of our current forwards. How many breakout dunks Stevie would have. And can you imagine Franklin tossing a pass backwards, between his legs?

What an era.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

My expectations for this season were pretty low. I find over the past 3 years, when we obviously don't have exceptional talent, the losses don't bother me as much as the losses we used to suffer when we had really good and highly rated teams. Maybe it's age?

That's the question i'm always asking myself. I don't 'hurt' after losses anymore. Not over the past 3-4-5 years. I don't know if it's the approach to/turning 50 thing, or if it's just who we've been running out there, and not being a top 20 team anymore. Kinda sucks. I might say the 'interest' is there, as i still don't miss a minute of games, but the passion isn't nearly as strong. Hope it comes back.

 

[orangecuse]

Its not the losses that keep me from posting but the holidays. I'm just too busy right now, and I actually missed a couple of those games all together. In a week or so after some family leaves town, I should be able to post some more.

Wow, your family either really knows how to celebrate the holidays...or, they don't have a clue when they've worn out their welcome.

 

[SWC75]

That's the question i'm always asking myself. I don't 'hurt' after losses anymore. Not over the past 3-4-5 years. I don't know if it's the approach to/turning 50 thing, or if it's just who we've been running out there, and not being a top 20 team anymore. Kinda sucks. I might say the 'interest' is there, as i still don't miss a minute of games, but the passion isn't nearly as strong. Hope it comes back.

The best cure for a painful loss is to imagine how the players feel.

 

[General20]

Wow, your family either really knows how to celebrate the holidays...or, they don't have a clue when they've worn out their welcome.

The first ... also daughter's first Christmas.

 

[orangecuse]

The first ... also daughter's first Christmas.

Congrats and cherish!