Let's Talk About What We Need From the Portal

[cusefan88]

Shooting, Defense, Shot Blocking.

 

[Red2003]

I doubt we end up with 6 from the portal. I would hope for 3 starters and a backup. The freshmen being the bench.

That's only 11 scholarships (I'm counting Petar + 4 real Portal additions).

No one is saying we'll use the 15 but I think 13 is reasonable. Last year we had 12 scholarships and then had 4 guys injured at points (Chance/JJ/Donnie/Choppa).

The last 2 guys in the portal are whatever, guys like Cuffe probably. Positive influence in the locker room that had big upside once but coming off injuries.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Yeah, SF1 and C1 are close. I have PTSD from all the years with no true C, so I’m more concerned there. I think it’s also harder to find a C who can play at all vs a SF who can play at all; the dropoff is much steeper. To my eye, there are more guys to pick from at SF and more bargains. At C, if you don’t get a top guy, you’re probably getting the equivalent of a used Kia with 120k miles, a couple accidents, and paying $5k over Blue Book.

As for JJ’s shooting, I think he can shoot. He’s not a 40% 3pt guy but nobody would be surprised by 35%. It all depends on PG and how ball dominant he has to be. If he can work himself open off the ball on an actually functional offense, he’ll get cleaner looks and have to force up 2-3 fewer step back fadeaway prayers per game. He has the ability; players don’t get a greenlight like he has if they haven’t shown they can make them, he just needs help.

I would be surprised if he shot 35%. He's at 29.6 for his career and 68% from the FT line. I think he can get to 31-32 at best and maybe 75% from the line then thats ok.

 

[kcsu]

Had a talk with coach last night who was with Kline. We all have our issues with Reds coaching but if you have ever had the opportunity to speak with him, he is such a nice person. Very humble and an excellent listener. I was very impressed. I do think that SU has the funding to compete and I hope that Red gets it done next season because he is all Syracuse. It's his home and I could tell it is killing him that the program is in the state it is in. Good guy hope he turns it around.

 

[sufandu]

2011 Rick Jackson yes! He was in great shape for senior year.
2010 RJ. I’m still mad at him for not beating Butler.

We've had a few guys that waited until senior year for the light to fully come on. Christmas was another.

 

[sufandu]

C is the least important position IMO. I would put SF1 ahead in that ranking, but SF2 behind the two Cs.

Hard to make the NCAAT when your SG can’t shoot. It is in the position’s name!

I think a problem we will run into is that we need 4-5 guys on a tight budget when other programs will need 2-3 guys and be able to pay more $.

Center isn't that important if you have a physical 4, but we don't have that. Without a decent center, you get big boyed. Physical players have been really important for every team that has done well in the tournament.

It's not really an either/or situation. You need good play on the inside and the perimeter. It doesn't have to be elite at both, but it's got to be competitive at both and on the high end at one or the other.

 

[newmexicuse]

I think some posters are underrating the incoming recruits.

I believe that Fennell will do fine as PG2. I think Anthony will give quality minutes as SG2.

I think White will be fine as PF2.

That leaves biggest needs as PG1, C1, and SF1.

 

[kcsu]

My two cents is that SU has always been a team that has focused on great guard play. Too many to name but one that stands out is Red. He was a HS legend and went on to do great things at SU.
In order for Syracuse to be great we need great guards. Yes, our best teams were loaded at each position, but in the years that we lacked a great center or forward we have competed, but we have never won with average guards. Most teams don't and SU never has.
That is my message to them on NIL. It's like a football team. Without a good QB it doesn't matter. Sure, there are the unicorn teams that come along once a decade but if you want to win at football, you need a QB. If you want to win at basketball, you better have great guards. Until we do we are at best going to be average. Who we spend money on now had better be one hell of a point.

 

[Red2003]

Had a talk with coach last night who was with Kline. We all have our issues with Reds coaching but if you have ever had the opportunity to speak with him, he is such a nice person. Very humble and an excellent listener. I was very impressed. I do think that SU has the funding to compete and I hope that Red gets it done next season because he is all Syracuse. It's his home and I could tell it is killing him that the program is in the state it is in. Good guy hope he turns it around.

The world we live in unfortunately the loudest in the room tends to get more respect*.

Question how old was he looking? I may not think he did a good job as a coach this season but it was obvious that the weight of this season was hitting him. Few of our games he looked like he was closer to 70 than 55.

*Not talking about politics. Looking at other coaches around the league.

 

[Red2003]

My two cents is that SU has always been a team that has focused on great guard play. Too many to name but one that stands out is Red. He was a HS legend and went on to do great things at SU.
In order for Syracuse to be great we need great guards. Yes, our best teams were loaded at each position, but in the years that we lacked a great center or forward we have competed, but we have never won with average guards. Most teams don't and SU never has.
That is my message to them on NIL. It's like a football team. Without a good QB it doesn't matter. Sure, there are the unicorn teams that come along once a decade but if you want to win at football, you need a QB. If you want to win at basketball, you better have great guards. Until we do we are at best going to be average. Who we spend money on now had better be one hell of a point.

Old man Devendorf raised the alarm on the Guard play against Lemoyne. He was real vocal about something not being right in the backcourt.

 

[kcsu]

The world we live in unfortunately the loudest in the room tends to get more respect*.

Question how old was he looking? I may not think he did a good job as a coach this season but it was obvious that the weight of this season was hitting him. Few of our games he looked like he was closer to 70 than 55.

*Not talking about politics. Looking at other coaches around the league.

He looked fine.

 

[kcsu]

Old man Devendorf raised the alarm on the Guard play against Lemoyne. He was real vocal about something not being right in the backcourt.

Nothing was right in the backcourt. It was obvious from the jump that we were going to be hard pressed at the G position. Chance never recovered, Choppa and JJ were average at best. Carlos at best is an undersized sub. We sucked other than the times JJ got hot and carried us. Didnt have a forward who could make a foul shot let alone a three. Coach K wouldnt have won too many games with last years team. We were as bad as i have seen at SU since i was 6 living in a house without a TV. Toss in a really bad coaching job and you get garbage which is what we were. Now if we had had a really good point and if Donnie had stayed healthy we might have had something. Think about the football team. Replace Kyle with the football Carlos and what do you think the record would have been. 4 wins maybe 5.
Bottom line, without good Guard play forget it. We are not making the dance. I have two hopes at this point. One is that the Aussie is good. Two that we spend whatever it takes to land a stud at the point.

 

[50YRsofCuse]

Our needs are simple:
Need 2 good ball handlers that can score. Need players that can consistently make the three. Need players that know how to play defense. Need big players that know how to and can rebound.

 

[Millhouse]

You have to have a low post scorer, or the outside shooters won't have enough space to shoot.

You just need someone who can get to the rim nowadays and outside shooters spread out allow that to happen, doesn't have to be someone parked down there

Jay wright Villanova

 

[IthacaMatt]

You just need someone who can get to the rim nowadays and outside shooters spread out allow that to happen, doesn't have to be someone parked down there

Jay wright Villanova

Jay Wright did that with 4 guards who could all shoot and defend multiple positions.
We ain't got that, Milly.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Center isn't that important if you have a physical 4, but we don't have that. Without a decent center, you get big boyed. Physical players have been really important foe every team that has done well in the tournament.

It's not really an either/or situation. You need good play on the inside and the perimeter. It doesn't have to be elite at both, but it's got to be competitive at both and on the high end at one or the other.

Precisely. And if our offense is going to be jump shooters, then somebody has to collapse the defense. That's what Eddie did for us on offense, at least later in the year as he got it going. That's when Bell started making shots again, because people had to double team the low post.

 

[Sherman20]

I know we've talked about this a lot leading up to the Portal opening, but some of the guys I'm seeing us involved with so far (Dickerson, a couple PGs who are not great 3 point shooters) - we have to all understand one thing. We have to have better offensive players than JJ.

We need GOOD STARTERS. Guys with COMPLETE games. We need 3 of those - a PG, a C and a SF. Good enough to start, with the ability to score, shoot, and defend.

We 3 starters, and 3 back-ups. Not six back ups, hoping 3 of them can start.

I generally agree with this. But JJ’s problem isn’t offense, it’s his poor defense. I think playing alongside a high level PG and a good SF who can shoot and play defense, JJ will get better shots, and 3-pt shooting will improve and the driving lanes will open up even more.

 

[newmexicuse]

My two cents is that SU has always been a team that has focused on great guard play. Too many to name but one that stands out is Red. He was a HS legend and went on to do great things at SU.
In order for Syracuse to be great we need great guards. Yes, our best teams were loaded at each position, but in the years that we lacked a great center or forward we have competed, but we have never won with average guards. Most teams don't and SU never has.
That is my message to them on NIL. It's like a football team. Without a good QB it doesn't matter. Sure, there are the unicorn teams that come along once a decade but if you want to win at football, you need a QB. If you want to win at basketball, you better have great guards. Until we do we are at best going to be average. Who we spend money on now had better be one hell of a point.

Gotta disagree, I think our best teams featured great forwards - Melo, Hak, Billy, Hackett, DC, Wallace etc.

That is not to say that the game hasnt changed a bit in terms of an increasing importance of guard play now a days.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I generally agree with this. But JJ’s problem isn’t offense, it’s his poor defense. I think playing alongside a high level PG and a good SF who can shoot and play defense, JJ’s shooting should improve and the driving lanes will open up even more.

I agree that his defense isn't good enough. I think a team can get away with one "passenger" on defense, so long as it isn't a big. You can hide a defensive liability outside or on the wing, so long as you have someone who can stop dribble penetration by the opposing PG at the other guard spot.

But his offense, if he's our "dog", just isn't good enough to be that guy who wins you games at the end.

 

[sufandu]

Precisely. And if our offense is going to be jump shooters, then somebody has to collapse the defense. That's what Eddie did for us on offense, at least later in the year as he got it going. That's when Bell started making shots again, because people had to double team the low post.

And inside play stabilizes an offense. Shooters have cold streaks. Having somebody that you can dump it down to when an opponent is in the early stages of a run and your shooters have gone cold lessens that run. Or when you're putting someone away late in the game, getting high percentage buckets prevents them getting back into it.

That was the great thing about our 2003 and 2010 offenses. We had the ability to score at every level. Sure McNamara went off for 6 threes in the first half of the NC game, but he didn't hit any others in the second half. But we had Melo that could score everywhere and Hakim that could score in the post. In 2010 we AO and Jackson inside and Wes Johnson and Rautins as shooters along with other guys that could score in a variety of ways.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Gotta disagree, I think our best teams featured great forwards - Melo, Hak, Billy, Hackett, DC, Wallace etc.

That is not to say that the game hasnt changed a bit in terms of an increasing importance of guard play now a days.

I agree. I think forward playing has always been our calling. We are more known for our rangy forwards than we are for our guards.

 

[Millhouse]

Jay Wright did that with 4 guards who could all shoot and defend multiple positions.
We ain't got that, Milly.

Yes, I know, which is why I want to prioritize that far more than paying a low post presence

Who is successful with guards who can't shoot with a good low post presence?

We just tried that with Lamkin

 

[Millhouse]

Gotta disagree, I think our best teams featured great forwards - Melo, Hak, Billy, Hackett, DC, Wallace etc.

That is not to say that the game hasnt changed a bit in terms of an increasing importance of guard play now a days.

Cheat code versatile big small forwards gave us our best years. Can't rely on it every year but its always been the difference between good and great for us

 

[hoopsupstate]

I think some posters are underrating the incoming recruits.

I believe that Fennell will do fine as PG2. I think Anthony will give quality minutes as SG2.

I think White will be fine as PF2.

That leaves biggest needs as PG1, C1, and SF1.

I think Fennell could also slide over to play a wing (3). He’s 6’6”. That gives us some flexibility in using the portal.

 

[baggerbob]

Gotta disagree, I think our best teams featured great forwards - Melo, Hak, Billy, Hackett, DC, Wallace etc.

That is not to say that the game hasnt changed a bit in terms of an increasing importance of guard play now a days.

All those teams also had a great combination
Of guards, those teams all had great balance
on offense and defense.