Lineup / set changes required to salvage the season

[OrangeDW]

Possible. Run after a made basket. Change pace somehow. Do something. Frank isn’t that type but I see Kansas and other teams off a miss have their PG come back to the Centers, receive a handoff or whatever from them with their momentum heading up the court and go. Get moving! Jalen could do this.

We get very few easy baskets. No post game, no penetration from PG, and no transition. Awfully low margin for error if you get zero easy ones.

 

[SoBeCuse]

We get very few easy baskets. No post game, no penetration from PG, and no transition. Awfully low margin for error if you get zero easy ones.

I know man. Pretty low margin for error indeed. Dire straits offensively because a lot of these so called “good looks” they get are baloney and a hoax. I’m not totally absolving the staff and JB (he recruited these guys after all); but I don’t know how much stuff you could even draw up by some offensive guru and have the product considerably improve.

 

[malpearl31]

Very thoughtful good post, but i do not see your suggestions as game changers. Basically it is tweedle dee and tweedle dum. The only move a see that will really change the concept of what we are doing and open things up, is to move Brissett to the 5, Ty to the three, and start Howard and carey.

There's some really good stuff in this thread... and a lot of it I agree with. But one thing that I do not think we'll see this year is Oshae at the 5. Pretty sure Boeheim is on record saying as much.

 

[Scooch]

For many years our football team played a white knuckle style intend to keep the game close and eek out wins. Sadly I feel like hoops imitates that approach more often than not the past few years.

We recruit athletes (supposedly) yet don’t seem to ever want them to get out in the open floor and, you know, be athletic.

I know some people are characterizing posts now as post-loss H0T Takes. But many have been noting for a lonnnnng time now that our offense is a dysfunctional mess.

 

[Madbiker]

It's already clear the offensive strategy is to throw the ball around the perimeter until there's 10 seconds left on the shot clock and then have Brissett or Battle force a drive to the rim or throw it back out for a 3. Same set 80% of the time. On offense we play like a mid major. Maybe comes from watching so many of them run this against us. I'm already running low on No-Doz.

 

[Alsacs]

For many years our football team played a white knuckle style intend to keep the game close and eek out wins. Sadly I feel like hoops imitates that approach more often than not the past few years.

We recruit athletes (supposedly) yet don’t seem to ever want them to get out in the open floor and, you know, be athletic.

I know some people are characterizing posts now as post-loss H0T Takes. But many have been noting for a lonnnnng time now that our offense is a dysfunctional mess.

2013 team had
Michael Carter-Williams
Brandon Triche
CJ Fair
James Southerland
Rak Christmas
Bench: Cooney, Keita, Grant
This team sucked offensively.
Don’t tell me we didn’t have talent.
Our offense cost us the NC.
People are haters for realizing our offense has been a major problem.

 

[samspann1]

Hot take

Is it really, though?

 

[rrlbees]

Is it really, though?

absolutely

 

[samspann1]

Regarding RF's post, I like Dolezaj at the foul line extended. He's more than capable of hitting that shot, and is a pretty good passer.

 

[samspann1]

absolutely

Agree to disagree, I guess.

 

[rrlbees]

Agree to disagree, I guess.

always works for me.

 

[Ghost]

There’s no cutting with a purpose. Everything seems to be a go through the motions. No urgency until we are in dire straights. Sick of it.

I agree with most of the first two posts, but some of this could be remedied just by this. Just watch the first half of Georgetown compared to the second half. We come around those cuts with a purpose in the second half - in the first half we're just catching the ball and barely moving. Are these guys just lazy? It's ridiculous and seems to happen far too often where we just sleepwalk through a half with no consequences.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

I usually avoid the forum after a loss, as the knee jerk reactions are often as unpleasant as the loss itself. I'm actually pleased to see that things are fairly tame today.

Given how the season has unfolded, its been apparent that the injuries prevented the team from gelling properly in the preseason, and given Frank's lack of mobility, he's hurting us out there and making our offensive struggles worse.

Two years ago, we struggled immensely in the preseason portion of our schedule -- then got a lot more competitive [including beating three top 10 teams] after making some lineup changes. There are a couple that need to happen now, given the execution we're seeing on offense.

First, with all due respect to a veteran like Frank [who is one of my favorite players on the team -- full disclosure], it is time for him to sit until he's physically recovered. Please note, that doesn't mean that he shouldn't play -- but he needs to come off of the bench as a stabilizing factor, instead of going through the motions when he's physically impaired. This might seem harsh [especially given the way I've been rah-rah about this kid in the past], but this is an opportunity for Frank to show leadership, and he might be able to earn his way back into the lineup later in the season, when he's back at full strength. Plus, I'm willing to bet that he'll be better playing full tilt for 10 minutes, instead of 70% for longer stretches of minutes.

Carey shifts into the starting point guard role in his place, and is given a green light to attack. Speed is his weapon, and he should be directed to push the ball at every available opportunity to see if the team get get easy scoring opportunities in transition. When the team secures a rebound, players like Battle, Hughes, Brissett, in particular need to be coached to get out and fill a lane. IF a good "take" doesn't manifest, then settle back into the half court offensive set. Carey needs to get into the lane -- he's shown that he can do a lot of damage there, both as a scorer and passer. But he has to do more than just be a conduit in half court sets to swing the ball around the perimeter. More on this later.

Hughes also bumps out of the starting lineup. Not because he's been inadequate, but because the team just seems to perform better with Dolezaj on the floor. Marek is playing starter's minutes anyway -- this just makes it official.

In terms of the lineup, that makes the starters Carey, Battle, Dolezaj, Brissett, and Chukwu. Hughes becomes the first sub off the bench, essentially subbing for four positions [and having the others just shift around] other than Carey. Frank subs for Carey, and Sidibe subs for Chukwu. For now, Boeheim gets parked until he shows a bit more readiness.

Bringing Hughes / a hopefully healing Howard off the bench gives us two guys capable of scoring double figures as reserves. In the event that the team just can't get started, bringing them in could be a shot in the arm. Or, if the team gets off to a fast start, then you roll with it and adjust accordingly on a game-by-game basis.

In terms of offensive sets, I honestly am not seeing the iso stall ball that some seem to complain about every game. I see a team that is running a motion offense, with lots of guys looking to potentially drive. Battle can do it a little, same with Hughes, and same with Brissett. But when those opportunities aren't there, we end up just swinging the ball around the perimeter aimlessly as the shot clock winds down, until somebody has to force. That's not "iso," it's wasting the shot clock and then having to force.

The issue I have with that is not the concept behind what the team is doing. They are moving the ball swiftly, they [on paper] have several shooters, and they have a couple of guys [including forwards] who can put the ball on the floor and create if there's space. The problem is -- THERE ISN'T SPACE most of the time. Why? Because we're playing four out, and sometimes five out if the center is used as a screener, so the defense can sit back and keep the ball outside because they aren't afraid that we're going to burn them from deep. Against Ohio State, that backfired because we shot ~50% from three point range. But against most teams, they're content to let us swing the ball around and shoot 33% from behind the arc -- it plays into their hand.

So what's the antidote... because the other elements are in place for this offense to actually work? Well, the main thing that's lacking is forcing the defense to react, which in turn creates vulnerabilities that can be exploited. This can be accomplished in two ways. One, make an entry pass into the post -- either on a drive or on a feed. Obviously, Chukwu isn't a guy we can force the ball into a la Rak, but look at how different things were in the second half against Georgetown, when we got the ball inside a couple of times off of forcing defensive movement -- Chukwu scored 8 points and had a couple of key buckets when defenders were out of position. So, whether off of a drive or an entry pass, the ball has to go inside, and force the defense to react to it. I also wonder if Brissett could be "this guy" on offense for us. He seems better suited for it anyway than Chukwu, despite the inefficieny finishing inside.

Another wrinkle would be to do what teams consistently look to do against us -- get the ball to the foul line extended. THIS might be what would work best for our team, as we have several people who could do damage there. Brissett. Dolezaj. Battle. Hughes. Hell, ODU used a 6-4 guy there, and that guy could turn and face up for a mid-range jumper, or take the ball into the paint and pass it to open spots when the defense collapsed. We could certainly emulate that same style with someone like Battle or Hughes or Brissett.

Why would this be effective? Because it would force the defense to react. And when that happens, space opens up, and it would be up to that facilitator / play maker to make the correct read. If the shot is there, take it. If the baseline opens up, then deliver the ball for a baseline three or someone cutting. And if the center comes out to challenge, then dump the ball down to the big. Of if guards dump down to follow the ball to the free throw line, then kick it back up top for a wide open three [like teams consistently do against us]. We have the right personnel to run this type of set and do damage -- no matter which player ends up being in that facilitator role.

The difference between our sets now is that swinging it around the perimeter makes it easy for defenses to defend us and force long shots. Getting the ball down low or at the free throw line extended forces the defense to make a choice. Watch how UVa plays against us -- heck, watch most college teams, and you'll see that there is a constant probing of what the defense will do. Again, we've got the personnel to make this work and thrive doing it. This wouldn't be a fundamental change, it would just be a nuance that the team could be coached to do.

I'm reminded of something an old coach once told me during a losing streak, about how when things seem bleak, you need to focus on execution and let things take care of themselves. The offense has potential, it just needs to be tweaked to put our players in the best chance to succeed and score more points. And the only way to do that is to [1] get out in transition and actively seek easy scoring opportunities, and [2] by adjusting the offense slightly to put more pressure on opposing defenses.

My two cents.

I find you to be a very rational poster so I will respond to you.

I disagree completely but will caveat and explain later.

The premise, coming into this year, was that this team would be a final four contender.

Why?

Several reasons. Last year's team was a very good defensive team and this year's team was expected to be equally as good. This year's team was expected to be much better offensively due to both the addition of new players and the improvement of returning players.

So, let's take a look with the caveat that there is a small sample size of games in the current season with Frank and even fewer if you exclude cupcake games.

Brissett: Brissett is worse seems to be the consensus. True of False? False. Brissett is not worse. He is different. His shooting percentage has actually improved relative to last year across the board (both 2s and 3s). What has changed is his shot composition. He is taking approximately the same amount of 3s as last year but he is taking 3 fewer 2s a game as he spends more time on the perimeter. A consequence of this is that he is taking fewer Fts and getting fewer offensive rebounds.

Battle's shooting percentages have also increased across the board (both 2s and 3s). The biggest difference for Battle, however, is that he has doubled his average FT attempts relative to last year.

Howard: First the good. He is taking much better care of the ball. His asst to TO ratio is 2 to 1 this year vs 1.3 to 1 last year. He is also making others better. Brissett, Battle and Hughes are all shooting better since his return. The bad? His offense. He is averaging 7 fewer points on 7 fewer shot attempts with the biggest difference being the fact that he is taking 6 fewer 2s per game. He is not penetrating and scoring (how many of those patented little floaters have you seen him take this year?). THe team is also much better defensively with Frank - giving up 5 fewer pts per game and opponents are shooting a lower % from the floor, and from 3, with Frank.

The team is actually better offensively this year. Our PPG is +3. Our shooting % are up, especially from 3, and we are getting to the line more. And this is with a FH who is not close to being the offensive force that he can be when healthy. We do need to get back on the offensive boards as offensive rebounds have dropped by 50-100% depending upon how you look at it (this is where different Brissett is bad for the team).

The problem is that our offensive improvement has been offset by a decrease in our defensive efficiency. Surprisingly, at least for me, this boils down to one area: Fouls. Our opponents are going to the line 6 more times a game this year and getting 3 more points a game from the line (exactly offsetting our offensive improvement). Unless this is fully attributable to the insertion of Hughes, I believe this can be rectified and we can get back to being the same team defensively that we were last year.

Bottom line, there is nothing here that tells me that Carey should start over Frank. We are a better team, both offensively and defensively, with Frank on the floor.

But the picture painted also tells the story of a team that has not improved relative to last year.

And therein lies the rub. The solution is really simple. Get Frank back to being Frank. If Frank gets back to being Frank, this is a much better team. But, if Frank cannot get back to being Frank then we are, once again, a bubble team.

So, then the question becomes, if current Frank is Frank's ceiling this season, for whatever reason, then does the insertion of JC raise the ceiling?

I don't know the answer to that.

 

[two3zone]

Brissett: Brissett is worse seems to be the consensus. True of False? False. Brissett is not worse. He is different. His shooting percentage has actually improved relative to last year across the board (both 2s and 3s). What has changed is his shot composition. He is taking approximately the same amount of 3s as last year but he is taking 3 fewer 2s a game as he spends more time on the perimeter. A consequence of this is that he is taking fewer Fts and getting fewer offensive rebounds.

Brisset is shooting worse from 3. He's playing 6 less minutes but taking more shots, if anything he needs to shoot less.

 

[rrlbees]

I find you to be a very rational poster so I will respond to you.

I disagree completely but will caveat and explain later.

The premise, coming into this year, was that this team would be a final four contender.

Why?

Several reasons. Last year's team was a very good defensive team and this year's team was expected to be equally as good. This year's team was expected to be much better offensively due to both the addition of new players and the improvement of returning players.

So, let's take a look with the caveat that there is a small sample size of games in the current season with Frank and even fewer if you exclude cupcake games.

Brissett: Brissett is worse seems to be the consensus. True of False? False. Brissett is not worse. He is different. His shooting percentage has actually improved relative to last year across the board (both 2s and 3s). What has changed is his shot composition. He is taking approximately the same amount of 3s as last year but he is taking 3 fewer 2s a game as he spends more time on the perimeter. A consequence of this is that he is taking fewer Fts and getting fewer offensive rebounds.

Battle's shooting percentages have also increased across the board (both 2s and 3s). The biggest difference for Battle, however, is that he has doubled his average FT attempts relative to last year.

Howard: First the good. He is taking much better care of the ball. His asst to TO ratio is 2 to 1 this year vs 1.3 to 1 last year. He is also making others better. Brissett, Battle and Hughes are all shooting better since his return. The bad? His offense. He is averaging 7 fewer points on 7 fewer shot attempts with the biggest difference being the fact that he is taking 6 fewer 2s per game. He is not penetrating and scoring (how many of those patented little floaters have you seen him take this year?). THe team is also much better defensively with Frank - giving up 5 fewer pts per game and opponents are shooting a lower % from the floor, and from 3, with Frank.

The team is actually better offensively this year. Our PPG is +3. Our shooting % are up, especially from 3, and we are getting to the line more. And this is with a FH who is not close to being the offensive force that he can be when healthy. We do need to get back on the offensive boards as offensive rebounds have dropped by 50-100% depending upon how you look at it (this is where different Brissett is bad for the team).

The problem is that our offensive improvement has been offset by a decrease in our defensive efficiency. Surprisingly, at least for me, this boils down to one area: Fouls. Our opponents are going to the line 6 more times a game this year and getting 3 more points a game from the line (exactly offsetting our offensive improvement). Unless this is fully attributable to the insertion of Hughes, I believe this can be rectified and we can get back to being the same team defensively that we were last year.

Bottom line, there is nothing here that tells me that Carey should start over Frank. We are a better team, both offensively and defensively, with Frank on the floor.

But the picture painted also tells the story of a team that has not improved relative to last year.

And therein lies the rub. The solution is really simple. Get Frank back to being Frank. If Frank gets back to being Frank, this is a much better team. But, if Frank cannot get back to being Frank then we are, once again, a bubble team.

So, then the question becomes, if current Frank is Frank's ceiling this season, for whatever reason, then does the insertion of JC raise the ceiling?

I don't know the answer to that.

One minor correction. Frank’s asst to turnover ratio this year is 3-1

 

[Forza Azzurri]

One minor correction. Frank’s asst to turnover ratio this year is 3-1

It is but I eliminated the cupcake games from the equation for both this year and last year. When you just include major opponents (OSU, G-town and ODU), it is 2 to 1.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

Brisset is shooting worse from 3. He's playing 6 less minutes but taking more shots, if anything he needs to shoot less.

He is overall but against major opponents, with Frank back, he is shooting 38% from 3 vs 34% last year. And versus majors, with Frank, he is actually taking 3 fewer shots than last year.

The problem is that the # of 3s he is taking is a little less (4.3 vs 4.7) but the # of 2s is significantly less (5.0 v 7.9). As a result, his FT attempts are down (4.7 vs 6.2) and his offensive rebounds are also down (1.3 vs 2.1)...

He is also shooting significantly worse from the line (57% vs 81%) but I expect that to rectify itself.

 

[kingtidge]

I find you to be a very rational poster so I will respond to you.

I disagree completely but will caveat and explain later.

The premise, coming into this year, was that this team would be a final four contender.

Why?

Several reasons. Last year's team was a very good defensive team and this year's team was expected to be equally as good. This year's team was expected to be much better offensively due to both the addition of new players and the improvement of returning players.

So, let's take a look with the caveat that there is a small sample size of games in the current season with Frank and even fewer if you exclude cupcake games.

Brissett: Brissett is worse seems to be the consensus. True of False? False. Brissett is not worse. He is different. His shooting percentage has actually improved relative to last year across the board (both 2s and 3s). What has changed is his shot composition. He is taking approximately the same amount of 3s as last year but he is taking 3 fewer 2s a game as he spends more time on the perimeter. A consequence of this is that he is taking fewer Fts and getting fewer offensive rebounds.

Battle's shooting percentages have also increased across the board (both 2s and 3s). The biggest difference for Battle, however, is that he has doubled his average FT attempts relative to last year.

Howard: First the good. He is taking much better care of the ball. His asst to TO ratio is 2 to 1 this year vs 1.3 to 1 last year. He is also making others better. Brissett, Battle and Hughes are all shooting better since his return. The bad? His offense. He is averaging 7 fewer points on 7 fewer shot attempts with the biggest difference being the fact that he is taking 6 fewer 2s per game. He is not penetrating and scoring (how many of those patented little floaters have you seen him take this year?). THe team is also much better defensively with Frank - giving up 5 fewer pts per game and opponents are shooting a lower % from the floor, and from 3, with Frank.

The team is actually better offensively this year. Our PPG is +3. Our shooting % are up, especially from 3, and we are getting to the line more. And this is with a FH who is not close to being the offensive force that he can be when healthy. We do need to get back on the offensive boards as offensive rebounds have dropped by 50-100% depending upon how you look at it (this is where different Brissett is bad for the team).

The problem is that our offensive improvement has been offset by a decrease in our defensive efficiency. Surprisingly, at least for me, this boils down to one area: Fouls. Our opponents are going to the line 6 more times a game this year and getting 3 more points a game from the line (exactly offsetting our offensive improvement). Unless this is fully attributable to the insertion of Hughes, I believe this can be rectified and we can get back to being the same team defensively that we were last year.

Bottom line, there is nothing here that tells me that Carey should start over Frank. We are a better team, both offensively and defensively, with Frank on the floor.

But the picture painted also tells the story of a team that has not improved relative to last year.

And therein lies the rub. The solution is really simple. Get Frank back to being Frank. If Frank gets back to being Frank, this is a much better team. But, if Frank cannot get back to being Frank then we are, once again, a bubble team.

So, then the question becomes, if current Frank is Frank's ceiling this season, for whatever reason, then does the insertion of JC raise the ceiling?

I don't know the answer to that.

If this team can't solve driving and scoring in the paint as part of the half court offensive set, then it's going to be a long season.

There's only so many games where you can control the game in transition or shoot lights out from three...

Without points in rhe paint, the offense is too one dimensional and the fouls that come with drives in the paint will continue to be down as will FT attempts. That's the obvious hole in Brisset's game right now... He doesn't need to score on every drive to basket by any stretch, but the fouls and FT's that come with those drives is something we desperately need. To some degree, the same can be saod for Hughes and Battle... They both need more drives in the paint as well. It's the key to opening up looks on the perimeter as well.

I do think that Frank getting back to Frank should pick the lock on some of this... When he's on, his drives and backouts tend to get the other slashers cutting in more aggressively and his passing finds open players. Carey doesn't have that yet and tries to force it too much when it's not there.

 

[rrlbees]

It is but I eliminated the cupcake games from the equation for both this year and last year. When you just include major opponents (OSU, G-town and ODU), it is 2 to 1.

Oh yea, you said that but I was speed reading. Lol.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

If this team can't solve driving and scoring in the paint as part of the half court offensive set, then it's going to be a long season.

There's only so many games where you can control the game in transition or shoot lights out from three...

Without points in rhe paint, the offense is too one dimensional and the fouls that come with drives in the paint will continue to be down as will FT attempts. That's the obvious hole in Brisset's game right now... He doesn't need to score on every drive to basket by any stretch, but the fouls and FT's that come with those drives is something we desperately need. To some degree, the same can be saod for Hughes and Battle... They both need more drives in the paint as well. It's the key to opening up looks on the perimeter as well.

I do think that Frank getting back to Frank should pick the lock on some of this... When he's on, his drives and blackouts tend to get the other slashers cutting in more aggressively and his passing finds open players. Carey doesn't have that yet and tries to force too much it when it's not there.

We are actually a better offensive team this year than last year, even with Frank not scoring.

But you are correct, we are a more perimeter-oriented team this year. We are averaging 7 more shots from 3 and 10 fewer shots from 2.

We are, however, getting to the line 4 more times a game compared to last year. This is primarily a product of Battle being so much more aggressive as he has doubled his ft attempts this year from 5.5 to 11.3.

Frank being able to get into the lane will help us improve our scoring from inside the arc...It would also help if Brissett would spend more time in the paint and less on the perimeter. He can shoot the 3 (38%) but we really miss his offensive rebounding and his getting to the line.

 

[pearl31]

I find you to be a very rational poster so I will respond to you.

I disagree completely but will caveat and explain later.

The premise, coming into this year, was that this team would be a final four contender.

Why?

Several reasons. Last year's team was a very good defensive team and this year's team was expected to be equally as good. This year's team was expected to be much better offensively due to both the addition of new players and the improvement of returning players.

So, let's take a look with the caveat that there is a small sample size of games in the current season with Frank and even fewer if you exclude cupcake games.

Brissett: Brissett is worse seems to be the consensus. True of False? False. Brissett is not worse. He is different. His shooting percentage has actually improved relative to last year across the board (both 2s and 3s). What has changed is his shot composition. He is taking approximately the same amount of 3s as last year but he is taking 3 fewer 2s a game as he spends more time on the perimeter. A consequence of this is that he is taking fewer Fts and getting fewer offensive rebounds.

Battle's shooting percentages have also increased across the board (both 2s and 3s). The biggest difference for Battle, however, is that he has doubled his average FT attempts relative to last year.

Howard: First the good. He is taking much better care of the ball. His asst to TO ratio is 2 to 1 this year vs 1.3 to 1 last year. He is also making others better. Brissett, Battle and Hughes are all shooting better since his return. The bad? His offense. He is averaging 7 fewer points on 7 fewer shot attempts with the biggest difference being the fact that he is taking 6 fewer 2s per game. He is not penetrating and scoring (how many of those patented little floaters have you seen him take this year?). THe team is also much better defensively with Frank - giving up 5 fewer pts per game and opponents are shooting a lower % from the floor, and from 3, with Frank.

The team is actually better offensively this year. Our PPG is +3. Our shooting % are up, especially from 3, and we are getting to the line more. And this is with a FH who is not close to being the offensive force that he can be when healthy. We do need to get back on the offensive boards as offensive rebounds have dropped by 50-100% depending upon how you look at it (this is where different Brissett is bad for the team).

The problem is that our offensive improvement has been offset by a decrease in our defensive efficiency. Surprisingly, at least for me, this boils down to one area: Fouls. Our opponents are going to the line 6 more times a game this year and getting 3 more points a game from the line (exactly offsetting our offensive improvement). Unless this is fully attributable to the insertion of Hughes, I believe this can be rectified and we can get back to being the same team defensively that we were last year.

Bottom line, there is nothing here that tells me that Carey should start over Frank. We are a better team, both offensively and defensively, with Frank on the floor.

But the picture painted also tells the story of a team that has not improved relative to last year.

And therein lies the rub. The solution is really simple. Get Frank back to being Frank. If Frank gets back to being Frank, this is a much better team. But, if Frank cannot get back to being Frank then we are, once again, a bubble team.

So, then the question becomes, if current Frank is Frank's ceiling this season, for whatever reason, then does the insertion of JC raise the ceiling?

I don't know the answer to that.

This is a really good post.

 

[OrangeFoo]

We are actually a better offensive team this year than last year, even with Frank not scoring.

But you are correct, we are a more perimeter-oriented team this year. We are averaging 7 more shots from 3 and 10 fewer shots from 2.

We are, however, getting to the line 4 more times a game compared to last year. This is primarily a product of Battle being so much more aggressive as he has doubled his ft attempts this year from 5.5 to 11.3.

Frank being able to get into the lane will help us improve our scoring from inside the arc...It would also help if Brissett would spend more time in the paint and less on the perimeter. He can shoot the 3 (38%) but we really miss his offensive rebounding and his getting to the line.

I agree with the assessment that we are better offensive team than last year by a bit. But that’s like saying we are taller than the shortest dwarf in the room... it’s a really low bar to set. The real problem isn’t any one thing... it’s the entire system. The system is a low margin of error one that works well enough to get us on the bubble and a really dangerous tournament team if the committee decides to put us in. Oh yeah this is all happening while putting a product on the floor that quite frankly is a painful to watch. If that’s good enough for everyone, that’s cool but its crazy to me that we are completely ignoring the example of the football program. We went from having a really fun offense to being a stale, boring team. Then we hired a bunch if defensive-minded grind it out dudes and only now that we have an offensive coach have we turned it around. If we have three more years of this system it will take a decade in the wilderness for us to find our way back.

 

[RF2044]

I find you to be a very rational poster so I will respond to you.

I disagree completely but will caveat and explain later.

The premise, coming into this year, was that this team would be a final four contender.

Why?

Several reasons. Last year's team was a very good defensive team and this year's team was expected to be equally as good. This year's team was expected to be much better offensively due to both the addition of new players and the improvement of returning players.

So, let's take a look with the caveat that there is a small sample size of games in the current season with Frank and even fewer if you exclude cupcake games.

Brissett: Brissett is worse seems to be the consensus. True of False? False. Brissett is not worse. He is different. His shooting percentage has actually improved relative to last year across the board (both 2s and 3s). What has changed is his shot composition. He is taking approximately the same amount of 3s as last year but he is taking 3 fewer 2s a game as he spends more time on the perimeter. A consequence of this is that he is taking fewer Fts and getting fewer offensive rebounds.

Battle's shooting percentages have also increased across the board (both 2s and 3s). The biggest difference for Battle, however, is that he has doubled his average FT attempts relative to last year.

Howard: First the good. He is taking much better care of the ball. His asst to TO ratio is 2 to 1 this year vs 1.3 to 1 last year. He is also making others better. Brissett, Battle and Hughes are all shooting better since his return. The bad? His offense. He is averaging 7 fewer points on 7 fewer shot attempts with the biggest difference being the fact that he is taking 6 fewer 2s per game. He is not penetrating and scoring (how many of those patented little floaters have you seen him take this year?). THe team is also much better defensively with Frank - giving up 5 fewer pts per game and opponents are shooting a lower % from the floor, and from 3, with Frank.

The team is actually better offensively this year. Our PPG is +3. Our shooting % are up, especially from 3, and we are getting to the line more. And this is with a FH who is not close to being the offensive force that he can be when healthy. We do need to get back on the offensive boards as offensive rebounds have dropped by 50-100% depending upon how you look at it (this is where different Brissett is bad for the team).

The problem is that our offensive improvement has been offset by a decrease in our defensive efficiency. Surprisingly, at least for me, this boils down to one area: Fouls. Our opponents are going to the line 6 more times a game this year and getting 3 more points a game from the line (exactly offsetting our offensive improvement). Unless this is fully attributable to the insertion of Hughes, I believe this can be rectified and we can get back to being the same team defensively that we were last year.

Bottom line, there is nothing here that tells me that Carey should start over Frank. We are a better team, both offensively and defensively, with Frank on the floor.

But the picture painted also tells the story of a team that has not improved relative to last year.

And therein lies the rub. The solution is really simple. Get Frank back to being Frank. If Frank gets back to being Frank, this is a much better team. But, if Frank cannot get back to being Frank then we are, once again, a bubble team.

So, then the question becomes, if current Frank is Frank's ceiling this season, for whatever reason, then does the insertion of JC raise the ceiling?

I don't know the answer to that.

I appreciate the respectful response -- I'm a fan of you as a poster, as well.

But I'm unclear about what you're disagreeing with.

Frank ISN'T Frank right now, and there's no telling how long it will take for him to round back into form and regain his lateral mobility, shooting legs, and ability to attack off the bounce.

I'm of the mindset that players who are impaired actually can do more harm that good by taking up minutes. Please keep in mind -- and feel free to check the past five years worth of posts -- I am a huge Frank fan, and he's been my favorite recruit in this class since he committed. I'm not anti-Frank, and I'm also pragmatic about his strengths / shortcomings. But a guy who is able to give 70% isn't on par with someone who can go 100%, like Carey. So his minutes should get cut back until he is capable physically of "getting back to Frank being Frank," as you suggest.

Second, your point about the defense taking a step backwards actually supports my recommendation to start Dolezaj - who offers more by way of length, rebounding, and zone experience than Hughes.

So... what exactly were you disagreeing with again?

I look forward to the General20's and 007's drawing upon their coaching acumen to weigh in on my offensive set recommendations. Those aren't radical suggestions, and should be minimum threshold expectations, IMO.

 

[Jasoncuse]

I find you to be a very rational poster so I will respond to you.

I disagree completely but will caveat and explain later.

The premise, coming into this year, was that this team would be a final four contender.

Why?

Several reasons. Last year's team was a very good defensive team and this year's team was expected to be equally as good. This year's team was expected to be much better offensively due to both the addition of new players and the improvement of returning players.

So, let's take a look with the caveat that there is a small sample size of games in the current season with Frank and even fewer if you exclude cupcake games.

Brissett: Brissett is worse seems to be the consensus. True of False? False. Brissett is not worse. He is different. His shooting percentage has actually improved relative to last year across the board (both 2s and 3s). What has changed is his shot composition. He is taking approximately the same amount of 3s as last year but he is taking 3 fewer 2s a game as he spends more time on the perimeter. A consequence of this is that he is taking fewer Fts and getting fewer offensive rebounds.

Battle's shooting percentages have also increased across the board (both 2s and 3s). The biggest difference for Battle, however, is that he has doubled his average FT attempts relative to last year.

Howard: First the good. He is taking much better care of the ball. His asst to TO ratio is 2 to 1 this year vs 1.3 to 1 last year. He is also making others better. Brissett, Battle and Hughes are all shooting better since his return. The bad? His offense. He is averaging 7 fewer points on 7 fewer shot attempts with the biggest difference being the fact that he is taking 6 fewer 2s per game. He is not penetrating and scoring (how many of those patented little floaters have you seen him take this year?). THe team is also much better defensively with Frank - giving up 5 fewer pts per game and opponents are shooting a lower % from the floor, and from 3, with Frank.

The team is actually better offensively this year. Our PPG is +3. Our shooting % are up, especially from 3, and we are getting to the line more. And this is with a FH who is not close to being the offensive force that he can be when healthy. We do need to get back on the offensive boards as offensive rebounds have dropped by 50-100% depending upon how you look at it (this is where different Brissett is bad for the team).

The problem is that our offensive improvement has been offset by a decrease in our defensive efficiency. Surprisingly, at least for me, this boils down to one area: Fouls. Our opponents are going to the line 6 more times a game this year and getting 3 more points a game from the line (exactly offsetting our offensive improvement). Unless this is fully attributable to the insertion of Hughes, I believe this can be rectified and we can get back to being the same team defensively that we were last year.

Bottom line, there is nothing here that tells me that Carey should start over Frank. We are a better team, both offensively and defensively, with Frank on the floor.

But the picture painted also tells the story of a team that has not improved relative to last year.

And therein lies the rub. The solution is really simple. Get Frank back to being Frank. If Frank gets back to being Frank, this is a much better team. But, if Frank cannot get back to being Frank then we are, once again, a bubble team.

So, then the question becomes, if current Frank is Frank's ceiling this season, for whatever reason, then does the insertion of JC raise the ceiling?

I don't know the answer to that.

Is the offense improved or have we just not played bigger, quicker ACC teams yet?

To the naked eye, nothing has improved and the team continues to frustrate in the half court. There’s no real sense of purpose or urgency to our offense, nobody than can consistently score from inside the arc and a weak shooting team that shoots far too many 3’s.

 

[Forza Azzurri]

I appreciate the respectful response -- I'm a fan of you as a poster, as well.

But I'm unclear about what you're disagreeing with.

Frank ISN'T Frank right now, and there's no telling how long it will take for him to round back into form and regain his lateral mobility, shooting legs, and ability to attack off the bounce.

I'm of the mindset that players who are impaired actually can do more harm that good by taking up minutes. Please keep in mind -- and feel free to check the past five years worth of posts -- I am a huge Frank fan, and he's been my favorite recruit in this class since he committed. I'm not anti-Frank, and I'm also pragmatic about his strengths / shortcomings. But a guy who is able to give 70% isn't on par with someone who can go 100%, like Carey.

Second, your point about the defense taking a step backwards actually supports my recommendation to start Dolezaj.

So... what exactly were you disagreeing with again?

I look forward to the General20's and 007's drawing upon their coaching acumen to weigh in on my offensive set recommendations. Those aren't radical suggestions, and should be minimum threshold expectations, IMO.

I am disagreeing with your assertion that JC should start over Frank. The numbers don't bear that out. The team is better with Frank on the floor than without him on the floor.

However, the caveat is that, if Frank cannot get back to being Frank from last year, this team's ceiling is the bubble.

In that case, it might (emphasis on might since there is no way to know) make sense to start JC over Frank in the hope that JC may learn enough on the job to raise the team's ceiling.