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Message: [QUOTE="OttoMets, post: 1951437, member: 716"] I don't disagree with your last line, though it's unrealized potential up top, and the back is dependent on the lineup shaking out. Howard's good and Battle's been very impressive, so I agree that they could improve to a point where they're better than we were last season (I'll concede the fact that Cooney and Gbinije were solid, though I think Cooney was mechanical, slow, and generally overrated by the fanbase). That's no certainty, though, and they're not there yet. And I don't think we'll be strong with a lot of Gillon in the lineup. He's too small and the learning curve is too steep. The back line's a coin flip: At center, Lydon should be improved from last season, but it's never a positive when you're moving your best player to an unnatural position that just happens to be a foul magnet. Our guards will have to be excellent to protect him; they can't be the same sieve that had Christmas playing matador defense two years ago. The big guy, I don't know. He's slow. Coleman is what he is that this point, and that's a knowledgeable but mechanical and not very effective defender. For the forwards, Roberson should be no worse than he was last season (good). Thompson looks to have a good IQ, but he's looked shaky on the week; again, that steep learning curve leaves me with low expectations for just about any freshman. White's got the same problem, and he's looked slow. And Lydon's spent so much time out of position that we shouldn't hope for him to be a great defender on the wing. So that could be a wash; Malachi came into his own as a defender late in the year (to be expected, I think he's more gifted than Thompson or White). I'll be most interested to see how the traps and press can keep us out of half-court defense for 6-10 possessions a game. That plus offense will be how we win games. If the zone becomes another weapon by March, even better. [/QUOTE]

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