Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="billsin01, post: 2041501, member: 837"] Interesting to see all the dates laid out so I appreciate the original post. However, my feeling on this (which not everyone will agree with, obviously) is that the past few years have been a combination of factors: [B]Player development[/B] Francis and others have mentioned, clearly hasn't been ideal. It's easy to point to BJ or Kaleb Joseph or whomever, but what about Lydon? I love Lydon and I agree he hasn't looked particularly healthy lately even though he's shooting lights out. But he started the season looking absolutely lost offensively. How is that? I don't know what the philosophy was there but if I were JB (not an agent, but his college coach) I would have been pleading with Lydon to add good weight (not whatever he did) and work on two post moves -- turn around J and baby hook. Up-and-under ... whatever. Instead Lydon seemed to be trying to figure out where to get to and what to do when he got it, mostly featuring bizarre-looking runners early in the season. That hurt. And any way you slice it we need to do better taking whatever players we have and getting true improvement year over year. [B]Recruiting misses[/B] These things happen. If you're a JB apologist (like I am) then relax -- even hall of famers miss guys and have recruiting lulls (people forget that K had a pretty good stretch of good but not at all great or overly talented teams from the Brand/will avery group up until the last few years). It's OK. It's just a disappointment that we've had so many guys produce almost nothing and leave. Kaleb, Chino, Patterson ... It sucks. [B]Unexpected departures[/B] If guys want to leave, leave. It's all good. But it's hard not to shake your head at the luck we've had with this the past few years. I would have sworn Ennis was a three-year guy even as he was playing well early in the year. Grant had a really unique athleticism but when he proved he had no ability to hit a 15-footer as a sophomore, I was absolutely thinking we'd get another year out of him. Fab exploded as a soph but still only averaged 8 ppg -- it's not like he didn't have a ton of room left for development. Richardson would have been a HUGE help this year and while we'll remember the UVA game forever, he was up-and-down the whole season. Dude shot 36.6% on 2-point FGs in conference play. Think about that for a minute. And, not to be a pr!ck, but he's logged less than 40 mins. total in the NBA this year. Is that really what he left for? Again, it's fine that he left, but I feel like I can objectively say that Fab actually going to a few more classes and he, Mali, Grant and ennis staying another year could have been beneficial to all parties. But, what are you going to do. At the end of the day it's fine but difficult to plan for. [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?