My Lineup for Next Season....

[Jake]

Ideally James is a better compliment to the other four, to spread out defenses. Jb doesn't want to be zoned next year. So I think he'll want to put one of the shooters in the starting five. Now, James will have to earn it next fall. But I think he'll get a legit shot.

My hope is that dc arrives in shape, and not like melo as a frosh. He'll man the middle of the zone, but will function as a "4" on the offensive end. Rak will do the reverse. It'll be interesting to see if baye and dc play together...and who plays the middle when that happens.

Grant is likely to play early... But not in the BE. As Matt said above, Keita will play a lot of minutes.

We are terribly thin in the backcourt. Mcw must stay healthy.

 

[orangefan13]

I think people are jumping the gun with DC at the 5 and Rak at the four.

If DC takes it upon himself to go after the boards he could be a solid powerforward.Think back to Rick Jacksons senior year. Rick played PF for us for four years and was solid enough build to do so.
DC has massive hands and is built with the body to jump into the rebounding lanes with contact at the four. Just look at those hands below..
Im not saying it will happen. But DC has 0 shotblocking skills Rak on the other hand is built to play center. Rak is a above average shot blocker and rebounder at center. Hes below average in both those catagories at PF as of last year. Thats just the way it is.

 

[Cusefaninvirginia]

Ideally James is a better compliment to the other four, to spread out defenses. Jb doesn't want to be zoned next year. So I think he'll want to put one of the shooters in the starting five. Now, James will have to earn it next fall. But I think he'll get a legit shot.

My hope is that dc arrives in shape, and not like melo as a frosh. He'll man the middle of the zone, but will function as a "4" on the offensive end. Rak will do the reverse. It'll be interesting to see if baye and dc play together...and who plays the middle when that happens.

Grant is likely to play early... But not in the BE. As Matt said above, Keita will play a lot of minutes.

We are terribly thin in the backcourt. Mcw must stay healthy.

Backcourt depth is a big concern. We have the players to make a legit run to the final four this year, but are only a backcourt injury away from being an afterthought. you can't do much of anything if you only have 2 scholarship guards on your team. is mookie definitely coming back? for this kind of insurance reason it's nice to have him on the bench.

 

[Gabjon]

I would like to see James start with the 2 bigs, I think he would be great coming off screens catching and shooting similar to the way Andy, Wes and Dnic have done in the pass. It also allows the bigs to clash the boards and get easy put backs!

 

[orangejunkie]

Southerland is a pure shooter, but CJ brings so many more intangibles. Interesting to compare the two. Fair is a much better rebounder, Southerland the better shooter. Fair puts the ball on the floor a little better and is more of a mid range shooter. I think if Fair put some serious off season time into developing his jump shot, he would be the better choice to start. Either way, they both play significant minutes.

 

[Gabjon]

Southerland is a pure shooter, but CJ brings so many more intangibles. Interesting to compare the two. Fair is a much better rebounder, Southerland the better shooter. Fair puts the ball on the floor a little better and is more of a mid range shooter. I think if Fair put some serious off season time into developing his jump shot, he would be the better choice to start. Either way, they both play significant minutes.

Honestly I think they both should start or at least I consider them among the top 5 players on the team, but if you start DC2 and Rak then you shouldn't start Fair with them because he is at his best operating in the mid-range and you can't have 3 players operating 15ft and in, there won't be any space to drive and it will be too easy to double people if teams just don't zone us. Furthermore JB doesn't start his top 5 players and hasn't done so for a few years, when was the last time we had our starting all in the game at crunch time? They will both be in when it matters most!

 

[dlegend44]

Backcourt depth is a big concern. We have the players to make a legit run to the final four this year, but are only a backcourt injury away from being an afterthought. you can't do much of anything if you only have 2 scholarship guards on your team. is mookie definitely coming back? for this kind of insurance reason it's nice to have him on the bench.

Any team, regardless of how talented they are will have problems if they lose their starting PG. See UNC last year after Kendall Marshall's injury. MCW, Triche and Cooney will easily be able to handle 80 minutes a game between the three of them. One of the problems we had last year was trying to find enough playing time for 4 quality guards. Triche is a good college guard and MCW is going to become a superstar this year!

All accounts I have heard, say that Coleman is a legit one-and-done talent. We have not had many players of DC's caliber at Syracuse over the years. Rak would have started and played major minutes for 99% of the programs in college basketball last year. DC and Rak will be an overwhelming force for most teams to try and match-up against. Out rebounding should be better this year.

There will be stretches where JB goes with a shooting line-up that roles out Cooney and Dirty at the same time. The rotation at the 3 should be interesting. CJ and Southerland are close in terms of overall talent but have different skills sets. Grant might be good enough to warrant meaningfull playingtime as a Freshman.

 

[realorange]

Any team, regardless of how talented they are will have problems if they lose their starting PG. See UNC last year after Kendall Marshall's injury. MCW, Triche and Cooney will easily be able to handle 80 minutes a game between the three of them. One of the problems we had last year was trying to find enough playing time for 4 quality guards. Triche is a good college guard and MCW is going to become a superstar this year!

All accounts I have heard, say that Coleman is a legit one-and-done talent. We have not had many players of DC's caliber at Syracuse over the years. Rak would have started and played major minutes for 99% of the programs in college basketball last year. DC and Rak will be an overwhelming force for most teams to try and match-up against. Out rebounding should be better this year.

There will be stretches where JB goes with a shooting line-up that roles out Cooney and Dirty at the same time. The rotation at the 3 should be interesting. CJ and Southerland are close in terms of overall talent but have different skills sets. Grant might be good enough to warrant meaningfull playingtime as a Freshman.

And if you were really looking for baskets, especially if you were behind late in a game , you wouldn't have your two best shooters in at the same time???

 

[IthacaMatt]

Ideally James is a better compliment to the other four, to spread out defenses. Jb doesn't want to be zoned next year. So I think he'll want to put one of the shooters in the starting five. Now, James will have to earn it next fall. But I think he'll get a legit shot.

My hope is that dc arrives in shape, and not like melo as a frosh. He'll man the middle of the zone, but will function as a "4" on the offensive end. Rak will do the reverse. It'll be interesting to see if baye and dc play together...and who plays the middle when that happens.

Grant is likely to play early... But not in the BE. As Matt said above, Keita will play a lot of minutes.

We are terribly thin in the backcourt. Mcw must stay healthy.

I think that among our bigs, Baye is perhaps the best passer (haven't seen enough of Coleman, but he reminds me of an Elton Brand type down low). I could see Keita at the high post and trust him as a passer, at least more than I see our other 2 bigs in that spot, in a high low offense.

 

[normaliswear]

Only reason I could see JS start over Fair would be to have shooting both in the starting lineup with JS and coming off the bench with Cooney. But barring JS making a big leap, CJ is the better player. DC2 and Rak definitely start at 5 and 4.

 

[Gabjon]

I think that among our bigs, Baye is perhaps the best passer (haven't seen enough of Coleman, but he reminds me of an Elton Brand type down low). I could see Keita at the high post and trust him as a passer, at least more than I see our other 2 bigs in that spot, in a high low offense.

DC2 has an amazing ability to throw a full court pass pretty on a line, so I image he will be a good half court passer as well he also has a good 15ft form what I've seen. But the zone is hard for bigs to learn as freshmen and they all seem to struggle compared to fans expectations (myself included) I am hoping he has a huge head start giving he is local kid, but I'm sure he has never been asked to side his feet like that before.

 

[orangefan13]

If I were a syracuse coach I would look at things this way right now. imo. ...

1.I don't think we have fully grasped the understanding that we can change the starting lineup game from game.

2.Grant could be worthy of a 5th starter roll. Alot of people are ruling out that fact that he might deserve it in the way Fair kinda did his freshmen year. Its not so much about the minutes he gets as it is does he deserve it.

3.I think Fair, Southerland, DC2, Cooney and Maybe Grant could be worthy of starts different games. But, you want one isolation threat to come off the bench and you want one shooter to come off the bench. Its whats best for the team. Anyone can get hot midgame but it is better to roll the dice that one of them could just come out hot.
That means Cooney or Southerland should start with either DC2 or Fair. That way we can bring one isolation and one shooter off the bench, and as the year goes on MCW might be that good that we want a clear lane for him which probably pushes DC2 or Rak out of the starting lineup (or do we go with the high entry pass to DC2 or Rak to start games instead).

4. We live and die by the if it aint broke don't fix it way to much. I hope JB doesn't think that way I think it could hinder a teams full capabilities.

5. There are years when we say we have a 6th 7th starter coming off the bench. I predict next year that four or five of our players to come off the bench will be better then this last years(no knock on Keita were talking about offense here). And thats predicting a heck of a lot.

6. Obviously starting lineups and 6th men in the first half revolve around foul trouble. Fouls need to be saved for the second half. Cooney and MCW will have the pressure with Triche to stay out of four trouble and I worry some about our guard defense I think MCW will be our best guard defender because he can play aggressive extended D. But, I also feel Triche is pretty good in a extended D for shor periods.

7.We will be a very very very scary second half team.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

If I were a syracuse coach I would look at things this way right now. imo. ...

1.I don't think we have fully grasped the understanding that we can change the starting lineup game from game.

2.Grant could be worthy of a 5th starter roll. Alot of people are ruling out that fact that he might deserve it in the way Fair kinda did his freshmen year. Its not so much about the minutes he gets as it is does he deserve it.

3.I think Fair, Southerland, DC2, Cooney and Maybe Grant could be worthy of starts different games. But, you want one isolation threat to come off the bench and you want one shooter to come off the bench. Its whats best for the team. Anyone can get hot midgame but it is better to roll the dice that one of them could just come out hot.
That means Cooney or Southerland should start with either DC2 or Fair. That way we can bring one isolation and one shooter off the bench, and as the year goes on MCW might be that good that we want a clear lane for him which probably pushes DC2 or Rak out of the starting lineup (or do we go with the high entry pass to DC2 or Rak to start games instead).

4. We live and die by the if it aint broke don't fix it way to much. I hope JB doesn't think that way I think it could hinder a teams full capabilities.

5. There are years when we say we have a 6th 7th starter coming off the bench. I predict next year that four or five of our players to come off the bench will be better then this last years(no knock on Keita were talking about offense here). And thats predicting a heck of a lot.

6. Obviously starting lineups and 6th men in the first half revolve around foul trouble. Fouls need to be saved for the second half. Cooney and MCW will have the pressure with Triche to stay out of four trouble and I worry some about our guard defense I think MCW will be our best guard defender because he can play aggressive extended D. But, I also feel Triche is pretty good in a extended D for shor periods.

7.We will be a very very very scary second half team.

Orangefan13 I disagree with the majority of what you are saying:
1. You want some stability in your lineups so people get used to each other in game situations. Game to game starting lineups sounds like a recipe for disaster.
2. Grant will not start. No way, no how. It's bad enough that CJ hasn't started in years past. There is a logjam at forward and J Grant will be lucky to get MCW type minutes.
4. JB has been making a lot of positive changes.
5. Four or five off the bench? J Grant is the 4th. Who else? I don't see how the bench will be better than last year. It should still be good going a solid 8 deep and as many developmental minutes for J Grant as he can spare. But not last year good.
6. It is not obvious that starting lineups and 6th men will revolve around foul trouble. I doubt that to be the case at all. With good depth that goes 8 deep, foul trouble should rarely be an issue, much like last year. JB may monitor DC2 to make sure he is available for end game situations but with BMK and Rak available that should be no problem.

 

[MSOrange]

Orangefan13 I disagree with the majority of what you are saying:
1. You want some stability in your lineups so people get used to each other in game situations. Game to game starting lineups sounds like a recipe for disaster.
2. Grant will not start. No way, no how. It's bad enough that CJ hasn't started in years past. There is a logjam at forward and J Grant will be lucky to get MCW type minutes.
4. JB has been making a lot of positive changes.
5. Four or five off the bench? J Grant is the 4th. Who else? I don't see how the bench will be better than last year. It should still be good going a solid 8 deep and as many developmental minutes for J Grant as he can spare. But not last year good.
6. It is not obvious that starting lineups and 6th men will revolve around foul trouble. I doubt that to be the case at all. With good depth that goes 8 deep, foul trouble should rarely be an issue, much like last year. JB may monitor DC2 to make sure he is available for end game situations but with BMK and Rak available that should be no problem.

Solid post Sgt! I haven't exactly agreed with some of your previous posts But I think this one makes a lot of sense

 

[longislandcuse]

I like a lineup of MCW/BT/JS/Xmas/DC with Cooney/Fair/Keita off the bench.

If Fair starts we will get zoned all the time unless CJ improves his 3 point shot and we will have 3 guys who congest the paint on offense. With James starting we can spread the floor for MCW to survey and break down the defense, allow BT to get into the lane and give us a kick out 3 point shooter. Also when you bring in Fair you can bring Cooney with him to keep the floor spread. CJ might be the better player but the pieces dont fit as well as they do with JS starting.

 

[orangefan13]

Orangefan13 I disagree with the majority of what you are saying:
1. You want some stability in your lineups so people get used to each other in game situations. Game to game starting lineups sounds like a recipe for disaster.
2. Grant will not start. No way, no how. It's bad enough that CJ hasn't started in years past. There is a logjam at forward and J Grant will be lucky to get MCW type minutes.
4. JB has been making a lot of positive changes.
5. Four or five off the bench? J Grant is the 4th. Who else? I don't see how the bench will be better than last year. It should still be good going a solid 8 deep and as many developmental minutes for J Grant as he can spare. But not last year good.
6. It is not obvious that starting lineups and 6th men will revolve around foul trouble. I doubt that to be the case at all. With good depth that goes 8 deep, foul trouble should rarely be an issue, much like last year. JB may monitor DC2 to make sure he is available for end game situations but with BMK and Rak available that should be no problem.

Fair enough but I think there were a few key context points that got missed. .
1. Cooney, Southerland and Dajuan might be the best 5th 6th and 7th scoring combo in the country. -I am a fan of hitting them with your best strategy from the getgo like GT 02-03. Not saying it will get the W but I like alittle attitude when you smell blood. Teams tend to commit a quick foul early when they miss their first 4 shots.

2. Agree 100% I was saying Grant could be ready to be a starter thats all.
4. Agree% But whos to say we don't ride the "if it aint broke don't fix it" train alittle to much. We just automatically assume its always right. Theres a old saying assume makes a @ss out of you and me .

6.The point I am making is JB is going to pull people after they pick up two fouls in the first half. Sometimes its your bench guy that comes in at the 16 mintue mark and gets two quick fouls.
. If that happens to say Cooney off the bench then we can ride Southerland off the bench or give the ball to DC downlow more . Thats the advantage of having a true scorer like Dajuan, Southeland or Cooney. Yes, I am taking a leap of faith that Dajuan Southerland and Cooney will surprise people by their consistant scoring abilities. And giving Rak a outside chance to. As opposed to melo who didn't have post moves, or last years southerland who was cold for much of the season. I think we will be able to ride dc2, Cooney and this years James.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Only reason I could see JS start over Fair would be to have shooting both in the starting lineup with JS and coming off the bench with Cooney. But barring JS making a big leap, CJ is the better player. DC2 and Rak definitely start at 5 and 4.

This is how I see it.

Starting Five

C: Coleman
PF: Christmas
SF: Fair
SG: Triche
PG: MCW

First In:
F: Southerland
G: Cooney
C: Keita

Next (likely pre-Big East only):
F: Grant
G: Mookie
G: Walk-On PG

I don't think we go 10 deep like last year, at least not with the same quality. The only way I see Mookie getting minutes is if someone gets injured. I would like to see the kid get a fair chance in his last go round. I'll bet he has matured a ton. And we might actually need him. I'd love to see him light up some team for 15 p0ints some night coming off the bench. He totally could do that.

Grant may force himself into the rotation for Big East play. It's a matter of how well CJ and Stinky take their opportunities to increase their roles on this team. CJ is a solid garbage man in the Josh Pace mold, but a better mid-range shooter. I don't think he'll have a reliable 3 this year, but he might be able to make them now and then. Stinky could blow up this year into a Preston Shumpert kind of player for us in his last go-round. Seems really odd that Southerland is a senior already.

A 3 guard rotation is all you need - just look at the last several years - so long as a couple of them can handle the ball and a couple of them can shoot the 3. We've got 3 guys who can do both. That's a huge plus. We've got size and athleticism at guard, too.

Not as deep a team as the last couple years.

We weren't that deep in 2010, either. This could turn into a similar team with good inside presence and offense around the basket in Coleman and Christmas, like AO and Rick provided. Cooney matches Rautins as the dead-eye shooter off screens, and can drive hopefully as well as Devendorf did.

MCW is a rangy PG. He's got a bit of Z Sims in his game, in terms of long arms on defense, good size up front, and an ability to see ahead in the play and make quick decisions to deliver the ball. Very confident in that manner. Better shooter than Sims, quicker on his feet, and will be better at getting to the rim. If MCW can shoot FTs with confidence, it will be very important.

I think Cooney's redshirt year is going to be a great thing - I think he will be much better prepared for being a solid contributor as the third guard. He's been "bodied" by big crafty guards in practice for a year, so hopefully that's made him a better player.

I like Triche as the Derek Jeter of this team - don't force it, don't overtly "try to be the man", just be yourself, just execute on your fundamentals, play with confidence and understand how good you are. Bring confident leadership. Be your cool self.

Baye Keita (LET'S ALL DROP THE "MOUSSA" THIS YEAR, PLEASE. THAT'S NOT WHAT THE KID CALLS HIMSELF.) He will be a very solid back up center for us this year. We don't have to have Christmas as our sole back-up center against a big strong center. Although Keita is thin, he is long armed, and he noticeably bothered Sullinger in the tournament, where Christmas tried hard, but was "big boyed" by a guy who outweighed him by 30+ pounds. I don't think Keita will ever be more than a part-time guy, but he could play a Hilton Armstrong role on this team. I just hope he has gained 15-20 pounds and his hands are healthy.

With Christmas, it's entirely up to him. He needs a better motor, and maybe started to get that, when the intensity turned up on the post-season, when Melo was suddenly gone again. Christmas did play fairly well at center. Can he be effective at PF ? I think if we rotate him and Coleman up and down the lane into the low post, they both can be effective. Is either one a good passer in the high post ? I don't know. Keita, IMO, is an underrated passer in the high post, and I like him setting screens out there. He does well for a skinny guy. I can see Christmas being an effective, back-to-the-basket, classic low post center. Same goes for Coleman. I see them both having pretty good hands to accept and convert drop-off passes from the guards on the drive. We could be very good down low. I hope these guys can shoot 70%+ from the line. If so, we'll be a very good team and can contend in the Big East and nationally.

 

[orangepassion]

The back court is too easy - obviously Brandon & MCW start. I think Cooney average 15 to 20 minutes, which is perhaps more run than some others are projecting.

The frontcourt is where things get interesting, but I would go with:

C - DC2 - The only 5 w legit O

PF - CJ - The all around glue guy. I think he will improve some aspect of his game over the summer, hopefully, his shooting/scoring.

SF - Dirty - improving steadily in all aspects from scoring to rebounding top D & has earned a chance to start.

That leaves a bench of Rak, Baye, & Grant. Rak & Baye add some D & size. I have a feeling that Jerami will surprise & get more rotation time than many are predicting. Sure he will get some DNPs, but I think he will average 7 to 10 MPG & show that he can score.

In terms of what Jimmy does, I have a feeling that Rak will start over Dirty.

 

[longislandcuse]

If we cant rebound next year with some combination of DC2/Rak/CJ/JS/Keita in the game at the 3/4/5 at all times im going to end up breaking my tv.

 

[orangepassion]

The back court is too easy - obviously Brandon & MCW start. I think Cooney average 15 to 20 minutes, which is perhaps more run than some others are projecting.

The frontcourt is where things get interesting, but I would go with:

C - DC2 - The only 5 w legit O

PF - CJ - The all around glue guy. I think he will improve some aspect of his game over the summer, hopefully, his shooting/scoring.

SF - Dirty - improving steadily in all aspects from scoring to rebounding top D & has earned a chance to start.

That leaves a bench of Rak, Baye, & Grant. Rak & Baye add some D & size. I have a feeling that Jerami will surprise & get more rotation time than many are predicting. Sure he will get some DNPs, but I think he will average 7 to 10 MPG & show that he can score.

In terms of what Jimmy does, I have a feeling that Rak will start over Dirty.

It's really difficult to pick the starting frontcourt right now because it's unclear what DC's condition will be at the start of the season and how much the frontcourt players will have improved over the summer. If DC
hasn't lost much weight over the summer and is in the same shape Melo was in his freshman year, he's not going to play much. This is particularly true if JB wants to play a fast-paced game as opposed to a deliberate half-court
game. If DC has lost substantial weight and is in good physical shape then he has a good chance of starting and getting substantial minutes. If Rak can improve his offensive game to become a scoring threat, then he will also
get substantial minutes. Baye can play defense and can run. If he can gain some weight and strength and develop some kind of inside offensive game, he will get substantial minutes. If not, he'll be the back-up when Rak & DC get into foul trouble and some interior defense is needed. CJ will play over James because he's steadier and more reliable & is a smart player. JB likes players such as him. James is more likely to play if our guards aren't shooting well and the other team is packing in the defense in the inside. If Cooney, MCW and BT are shooting well, then the need for James to play diminishes. The only way James will get much playing time is if his defense and rebounding improve dramatically so that he can used be as a PF - particularly against smaller teams. As for Jerami, I don't see him getting much playing time once the BE season starts unless he's substantially better than
CJ & James which is unlikely. JB doesn't bench experienced players to play untested freshmen unless they have Carmelo-like talent or he has no other choice such as when there's no other battle-tested player at the position.
After the first practices, JB will decide who is best able to play in his system and start them. My best guess right now is MCW, BT, CJ, DC & Rak. If DC is not ready, JB will play Baye or James depending upon whether he needs defense or offense.

 

[IthacaMatt]

It's really difficult to pick the starting frontcourt right now because it's unclear what DC's condition will be at the start of the season and how much the frontcourt players will have improved over the summer. If DC
hasn't lost much weight over the summer and is in the same shape Melo was in his freshman year, he's not going to play much. This is particularly true if JB wants to play a fast-paced game as opposed to a deliberate half-court
game. If DC has lost substantial weight and is in good physical shape then he has a good chance of starting and getting substantial minutes. If Rak can improve his offensive game to become a scoring threat, then he will also
get substantial minutes. Baye can play defense and can run. If he can gain some weight and strength and develop some kind of inside offensive game, he will get substantial minutes. If not, he'll be the back-up when Rak & DC get into foul trouble and some interior defense is needed. CJ will play over James because he's steadier and more reliable & is a smart player. JB likes players such as him. James is more likely to play if our guards aren't shooting well and the other team is packing in the defense in the inside. If Cooney, MCW and BT are shooting well, then the need for James to play diminishes. The only way James will get much playing time is if his defense and rebounding improve dramatically so that he can used be as a PF - particularly against smaller teams. As for Jerami, I don't see him getting much playing time once the BE season starts unless he's substantially better than
CJ & James which is unlikely. JB doesn't bench experienced players to play untested freshmen unless they have Carmelo-like talent or he has no other choice such as when there's no other battle-tested player at the position.
After the first practices, JB will decide who is best able to play in his system and start them. My best guess right now is MCW, BT, CJ, DC & Rak. If DC is not ready, JB will play Baye or James depending upon whether he needs defense or offense.

Lots of good comments in here, but I disagree about James and CJ playing together. I see it happening a lot next year. If we can play where 1 big can control the defensive board against a certain opponent, then you can play the 2 of them together for a while. Great offense with that lineup, especially with Coleman or Christmas on the low block.

 

[AlaskaSU]

Seems to me that South's problem is lack of confidence. When he is just goofing around he has a handle but he never tries to use it in a game. He has never ever even tried, not even once, to dribble to the basket. If I were coach I would tell him to take it to the rack during pre-conference games. At this point South is a specialist, very streaky long range gunner that can sneak inside for weakside dunks. A big asset is his height in terms of being able to get off a long range shot at will. When hot he can be a difference maker. CJ has versatility to score in a number of ways which allows him to have the consistency that a starter needs. He also seems to be in the right place at the right time. He was overpowered at PF, but at SF he should have his way. Even though his game is mid-range he does not have to pack it in, which is the only argument made for South starting. CJ can dribble or cut to get into his mid-point range. He knows he will be playing SF. He said that he is using the camps to spread his image around. He has pro aspirations. He will be working on extending his range. Each year his range has extended and this year should be a further expansion.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Seems to me that South's problem is lack of confidence. When he is just goofing around he has a handle but he never tries to use it in a game. He has never ever even tried, not even once, to dribble to the basket. If I were coach I would tell him to take it to the rack during pre-conference games. At this point South is a specialist, very streaky long range gunner that can sneak inside for weakside dunks. A big asset is his height in terms of being able to get off a long range shot at will. When hot he can be a difference maker. CJ has versatility to score in a number of ways which allows him to have the consistency that a starter needs. He also seems to be in the right place at the right time. He was overpowered at PF, but at SF he should have his way. Even though his game is mid-range he does not have to pack it in, which is the only argument made for South starting. CJ can dribble or cut to get into his mid-point range. He knows he will be playing SF. He said that he is using the camps to spread his image around. He has pro aspirations. He will be working on extending his range. Each year his range has extended and this year should be a further expansion.

So long as Triche and MCW can hit 35-38% from three and average 2 or 3 a game, we won't need to start James. Stinky can come off the bench for instant offense, along with Cooney. In fact, I see the two of them coming in together a lot next season at about the under-4 minute time-out, and rotating either Xmas or Fair (depending on who may have screwed up), and likely MCW out and move Brandon to the point while Cooney is out there at the 2. Then give Cooney a few minutes to settle, and MCW comes in for Triche. Second forward substitution in the early season will then be Grant for the other forward, along with Keita for Coleman at the first foul.

That's how I see next year's rotation. Nine guys, with Grant 50/50 to keep playing in Big East competition, depending on how good Fair and Southerland and Christmas get to be next year. If 2 or all 3 of those guys are GOOD, then Grant doesn't get a lot of time this year. Somehow, though, I don't think all of them are going to be fully ready to take advantage of their opportunities and play at Big East level of intensity and physicality, meaning that Grant will get some serious run. He could turn into the shot of juice on the break that Kris Jo provided way back in his Sophomore year.

 

[Rocco]

If we cant rebound next year with some combination of DC2/Rak/CJ/JS/Keita in the game at the 3/4/5 at all times im going to end up breaking my tv.

Need the guards to rebound too. Rebound first, then proceed to other end of court.

 

[moqui]

Southerland is a pure shooter, but CJ brings so many more intangibles. Interesting to compare the two. Fair is a much better rebounder, Southerland the better shooter. Fair puts the ball on the floor a little better and is more of a mid range shooter. I think if Fair put some serious off season time into developing his jump shot, he would be the better choice to start. Either way, they both play significant minutes.

actually, by the end of the season, CJ was only a marginally better rebounder, and that was entirely accounted for at the offensive end (which is to be expected as an interior player vs. a perimeter player). Dirty was actually the better rebounder on the defensive glass when you normalize for minutes played - indeed, his defensive rebounding percentage of 15.1 was better than everyone on the team except Rak. CJ's mid-range game is vastly overrated by this forum - I don't have the actual numbers, but I would guess that he shot in the low 30s when he stepped outside 10 feet. On defense, there was no comparison - Dirty was superior in his rotations and closeouts, and at the same time more of a difference maker with steals and blocks.

but, at the end of the day, this is all just nit picking. There is no such thing as a perfect player and all of the frontcourt players have flaws or questions. Will Dirty avoid the very long slumps that have plagued him? Will DC2 be in shape? Can Baye get stronger? Will Rak be more active playing the wing on the zone?

all nits to pick, but they all bring complimentary strengths, as well, and regardless of who starts they will play roughly equivalent minutes. I believe that by the end of the season, Syracuse will have the best and deepest frontcourt in the nation. If the guards can stay healthy, SU is a serious Final Four contender.