My Take | Syracusefan.com

My Take

sutomcat

No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Want to start by complimenting Bryant, who I thought played very well and frankly, deserved to win.

Great job of coaching by their HC, who kept changing up his defenses and was able to get Syracuse into a 3 point shooting contest for much of the game.

They carved up our zone like a turkey, and we were forced to press for long periods to stay with them.

That PG Green is a really nice player. Pride can play and their big guy really bothered us inside. They worked the ball around the perimeter well, got players open going into the paint and kicking it out, were really unselfish and played hard all game long.

If not for the injury to Melo and the foul out, they surely win the game.

It was disappointing to see JB shorten the bench so dramatically in the first game of the year. I think our incredibly bad defense in the first half largely drove this. The injury to Sidibe certainly played a role too. Hate seeing Marek playing big minutes at center but he had to play Quincy and Alan, as they were the only guys that seemed to want to get rebounds.

I thought Kadary did a nice job running the offense at the point in the first half. Vast improvement over when JG was in. Kadary kept getting the ball to Marek in the high post, and that seemed to our best bet scoring points in the half court.

IMHO, JG is looking for his shot far too often. He need to realize he is at best the 4th or 5th option on this team. His value is in getting the ball to the more talented, better offensive players. Maybe some day he will be the man, or one of the men, but he is in a supporting role and if he can’t accept that, I think he is going to receive a lot of time on the bench thinking about this.

The team looked rusty and was not 100% in synch, which is understandable.

Thought the defense in the first half was horrendous. Players left open all over the place, players allowed to dribble through the zone all the way to the basketball unchallenged, repeatedly. What the hell happened? This is an experienced team.

The guards aren’t super long or super mobile or very physical. Not much change from last year, which is very disappointing. Thought Buddy was decent. He was usually in the right place. He sometimes tried to stay in front of his man. JG was out of position a lot, and just seems very challenged regarding defensive fundamentals. He just lets players go past him all the time. Not a good thing for a player who is often filling the safety role on defense as the last man back.

Thought they picked on Alan’s area in the 2-3 a lot as well. He has a lot to learn regarding spacing and zone rotations. That said, he plays hard, is a top notch competitor and is very physical, as advertised. Made some good passses too.

Was surprised he didn’t start. I see he ended up playing 38 minutes, more than anyone else, so I guess he isn’t too upset by this.

Anselem and Braswell looked very suspect on defense when they were in. It seemed like JB played several subs at the same time, which isn’t the greatest strategy. I want him to play 8 or 9 guys but it might be better to keep 3 or 4 starters out there at all times, and rotate the subs in one at a time.

Marek looked uncomfortable early serving as the focal point of the half court offense and he made a number of bad plays. Thank God he got it together over time. Thought he was very solid in the 2nd half and down the stretch (except for that last FT). We dodged a bullet when that awful call from the refs that fouled him out was reversed (as it should have been).

JG had a brutal game but I give him props for having the guts to keep shooting on a day when it seemed he could do nothing right. I pray he learns from this, remembers he is a PG and spends more time running the offense instead of trying to go one on one to force up a bad shot. That happened too often, especially in crunch time.

Glad we got a win. Hope the players learn from this. Alan looked okay taking threes but was not good on his other shots. Hope it was rust or nerves and he will be better slashing, getting baskets in transition, etc. Niagara is not a bad team. If we don’t make a big jump forward, there is a distinct possibility we could lose to them. Jim, don’t get too excited.
 
Want to start by complimenting Bryant, who I thought played very well and frankly, deserved to win.

Great job of coaching by their HC, who kept changing up his defenses and was able to get Syracuse into a 3 point shooting contest for much of the game.

They carved up our zone like a turkey, and we were forced to press for long periods to stay with them.

That PG Green is a really nice player. Pride can play and their big guy really bothered us inside. They worked the ball around the perimeter well, got players open going into the paint and kicking it out, were really unselfish and played hard all game long.

If not for the injury to Melo and the foul out, they surely win the game.

It was disappointing to see JB shorten the bench so dramatically in the first game of the year. I think our incredibly bad defense in the first half largely drove this. The injury to Sidibe certainly played a role too. Hate seeing Marek playing big minutes at center but he had to play Quincy and Alan, as they were the only guys that seemed to want to get rebounds.

I thought Kadary did a nice job running the offense at the point in the first half. Vast improvement over when JG was in. Kadary kept getting the ball to Marek in the high post, and that seemed to our best bet scoring points in the half court.

IMHO, JG is looking for his shot far too often. He need to realize he is at best the 4th or 5th option on this team. His value is in getting the ball to the more talented, better offensive players. Maybe some day he will be the man, or one of the men, but he is in a supporting role and if he can’t accept that, I think he is going to receive a lot of time on the bench thinking about this.

The team looked rusty and was not 100% in synch, which is understandable.

Thought the defense in the first half was horrendous. Players left open all over the place, players allowed to dribble through the zone all the way to the basketball unchallenged, repeatedly. What the hell happened? This is an experienced team.

The guards aren’t super long or super mobile or very physical. Not much change from last year, which is very disappointing. Thought Buddy was decent. He was usually in the right place. He sometimes tried to stay in front of his man. JG was out of position a lot, and just seems very challenged regarding defensive fundamentals. He just lets players go past him all the time. Not a good thing for a player who is often filling the safety role on defense as the last man back.

Thought they picked on Alan’s area in the 2-3 a lot as well. He has a lot to learn regarding spacing and zone rotations. That said, he plays hard, is a top notch competitor and is very physical, as advertised. Made some good passses too.

Was surprised he didn’t start. I see he ended up playing 38 minutes, more than anyone else, so I guess he isn’t too upset by this.

Anselem and Braswell looked very suspect on defense when they were in. It seemed like JB played several subs at the same time, which isn’t the greatest strategy. I want him to play 8 or 9 guys but it might be better to keep 3 or 4 starters out there at all times, and rotate the subs in one at a time.

Marek looked uncomfortable early serving as the focal point of the half court offense and he made a number of bad plays. Thank God he got it together over time. Thought he was very solid in the 2nd half and down the stretch (except for that last FT). We dodged a bullet when that awful call from the refs that fouled him out was reversed (as it should have been).

JG had a brutal game but I give him props for having the guts to keep shooting on a day when it seemed he could do nothing right. I pray he learns from this, remembers he is a PG and spends more time running the offense instead of trying to go one on one to force up a bad shot. That happened too often, especially in crunch time.

Glad we got a win. Hope the players learn from this. Alan looked okay taking threes but was not good on his other shots. Hope it was rust or nerves and he will be better slashing, getting baskets in transition, etc. Niagara is not a bad team. If we don’t make a big jump forward, there is a distinct possibility we could lose to them. Jim, don’t get too excited.
Great stuff here. Really well done. My only quibble is that I don’t think you were hard enough on Buddy and Girard regarding their perimeter defense and close outs. It was just as bad as last year. The film will not be kind in particular to Buddy who seemed to give up on a couple of occasions when he could have at least gotten a hand up. Maybe he was tired which seems likely, which makes it all the more mind-boggling why Kadary sat the entire second half. JB‘s comment that he was worried about Kadary’s foul trouble makes no sense. What does it matter if he isn’t going back in anyway?
 
Great analysis, as always!

After what I saw, I'm expecting Griffin to average at least 38 minutes. He's a baller. One of the few we have.

Kadary better get a lot of minutes too. He looks like a player.
I think those 2 would make a nice starting backcourt long quick athletic able to shoot from the outside and get to the rim to finish and give us extra rebounding from the guard position step in passing lanes on defense and finish with with some sick dunks, but with JAB at the helm it probably won't happen.
 
Tonight was rough. I sure hope we can bounce back and that we aren't trending towards the bottom of the ACC in hoops to keep football company.
 
It's hard for a guy who scored 50ppg in high school to see himself as a "4th or 5th option". I'd put him as 3rd or 4th right now. Basically we've got three outside shooters and will have at least one guy in there who can score inside, (if Bourama is ehalthy), with Marek in the middle.
 
Great stuff here. Really well done. My only quibble is that I don’t think you were hard enough on Buddy and Girard regarding their perimeter defense and close outs. It was just as bad as last year. The film will not be kind in particular to Buddy who seemed to give up on a couple of occasions when he could have at least gotten a hand up. Maybe he was tired which seems likely, which makes it all the more mind-boggling why Kadary sat the entire second half. JB‘s comment that he was worried about Kadary’s foul trouble makes no sense. What does it matter if he isn’t going back in anyway?


3 fouls in 9 minutes is quite a rate, (13 over 40 minutes). If JB had left Kadary in, he would not have been in much longer.
 
We will get destroyed...ok, I'll tone it down...
We will have trouble against most teams that have real quick guards. Guys like Clark of Virginia and Lykes from Miami will penetrate at will. I hope we find an answer. Hello Mr. Richmond. Please help!!!
 
Seems like Griffin should have touched the ball every time down. 2nd half, seemed like he only touched it if he got an offensive rebound.
 
So what. 3 fouls in 9 minutes and a freshman is going to be on the pine.

My point was you commented he wouldn't be in much longer. That is debatable.
 
...

The guards aren’t super long or super mobile or very physical. Not much change from last year, which is very disappointing. Thought Buddy was decent. He was usually in the right place. He sometimes tried to stay in front of his man. JG was out of position a lot, and just seems very challenged regarding defensive fundamentals. He just lets players go past him all the time. Not a good thing for a player who is often filling the safety role on defense as the last man back.
...

Diplomatic criticism as only you can give it. Nicely done, Tom.

I haven't watched a minute since Senior Day, but this is all I need to see.
 
I’ve seen at least two posters who claim Bryant deserved to win. Something about that statement just doesn’t sit right with me. The game wasn’t stolen from them. They didn’t make enough plays and the scoreboard doesn’t lie. And frankly after having not practiced for two weeks one could make an argument that our kids were incredibly resilient in coming back from being down double digits and thus ‘deserved’ the win.
 
I’ve seen at least two posters who claim Bryant deserved to win. Something about that statement just doesn’t sit right with me. The game wasn’t stolen from them. They didn’t make enough plays and the scoreboard doesn’t lie. And frankly after having not practiced for two weeks one could make an argument that our kids were incredibly resilient in coming back from being down double digits and thus ‘deserved’ the win.

"That's why they make scoreboards'

After No.16 seed UNC-Asheville gave the No.1 seeded Orange a scare in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, losing 72-65, Bulldogs head coach Eddie Biedenbach felt the better team didn't walk away a winner.

"I have all the respect for Jim Boeheim, their team being 31-2. He's a fantastic coach. They deserve all the recognitions they've got this year. [UNC Asheville] was the better team tonight."

Boeheim had a drop the mic response to that one.

"That's why they make scoreboards," Boeheim said.

 
Want to start by complimenting Bryant, who I thought played very well and frankly, deserved to win.

Great job of coaching by their HC, who kept changing up his defenses and was able to get Syracuse into a 3 point shooting contest for much of the game.

They carved up our zone like a turkey, and we were forced to press for long periods to stay with them.

That PG Green is a really nice player. Pride can play and their big guy really bothered us inside. They worked the ball around the perimeter well, got players open going into the paint and kicking it out, were really unselfish and played hard all game long.

If not for the injury to Melo and the foul out, they surely win the game.

It was disappointing to see JB shorten the bench so dramatically in the first game of the year. I think our incredibly bad defense in the first half largely drove this. The injury to Sidibe certainly played a role too. Hate seeing Marek playing big minutes at center but he had to play Quincy and Alan, as they were the only guys that seemed to want to get rebounds.

I thought Kadary did a nice job running the offense at the point in the first half. Vast improvement over when JG was in. Kadary kept getting the ball to Marek in the high post, and that seemed to our best bet scoring points in the half court.

IMHO, JG is looking for his shot far too often. He need to realize he is at best the 4th or 5th option on this team. His value is in getting the ball to the more talented, better offensive players. Maybe some day he will be the man, or one of the men, but he is in a supporting role and if he can’t accept that, I think he is going to receive a lot of time on the bench thinking about this.

The team looked rusty and was not 100% in synch, which is understandable.

Thought the defense in the first half was horrendous. Players left open all over the place, players allowed to dribble through the zone all the way to the basketball unchallenged, repeatedly. What the hell happened? This is an experienced team.

The guards aren’t super long or super mobile or very physical. Not much change from last year, which is very disappointing. Thought Buddy was decent. He was usually in the right place. He sometimes tried to stay in front of his man. JG was out of position a lot, and just seems very challenged regarding defensive fundamentals. He just lets players go past him all the time. Not a good thing for a player who is often filling the safety role on defense as the last man back.

Thought they picked on Alan’s area in the 2-3 a lot as well. He has a lot to learn regarding spacing and zone rotations. That said, he plays hard, is a top notch competitor and is very physical, as advertised. Made some good passses too.

Was surprised he didn’t start. I see he ended up playing 38 minutes, more than anyone else, so I guess he isn’t too upset by this.

Anselem and Braswell looked very suspect on defense when they were in. It seemed like JB played several subs at the same time, which isn’t the greatest strategy. I want him to play 8 or 9 guys but it might be better to keep 3 or 4 starters out there at all times, and rotate the subs in one at a time.

Marek looked uncomfortable early serving as the focal point of the half court offense and he made a number of bad plays. Thank God he got it together over time. Thought he was very solid in the 2nd half and down the stretch (except for that last FT). We dodged a bullet when that awful call from the refs that fouled him out was reversed (as it should have been).

JG had a brutal game but I give him props for having the guts to keep shooting on a day when it seemed he could do nothing right. I pray he learns from this, remembers he is a PG and spends more time running the offense instead of trying to go one on one to force up a bad shot. That happened too often, especially in crunch time.

Glad we got a win. Hope the players learn from this. Alan looked okay taking threes but was not good on his other shots. Hope it was rust or nerves and he will be better slashing, getting baskets in transition, etc. Niagara is not a bad team. If we don’t make a big jump forward, there is a distinct possibility we could lose to them. Jim, don’t get too excited.


Thanks for the write-up. Good thoughts as usual.

A couple of your comments that jump out to me:

1. TC: "If not for the injury to Melo and the foul out, they surely win the game."

IM - Absolutely agree. Scary thought.

2. TC: "It was disappointing to see JB shorten the bench so dramatically in the first game of the year. I think our incredibly bad defense in the first half largely drove this."

IM: You also made the point about all the subs seemingly being used at the same time - not the best way to get the best result. In soccer, too much rotation of players can kill continuity. Sending in 4 new guys to run the press is kind of a gimmick, and is not really training those kids to play with the other starters. That would be more useful.

3. TC: "JG is looking for his shot far too often. He need to realize he is at best the 4th or 5th option on this team."

IM: It drove everyone crazy on the game thread that Joe missed over and over and over in the second half, and JB never subbed in Kadary. Devendorf's comment that you have to give a guy a chance to play through it is fair, but man, we can't do this game after game. We do have other players.

4. TC: "I thought Kadary did a nice job running the offense at the point in the first half. Vast improvement over when JG was in. Kadary kept getting the ball to Marek in the high post, and that seemed to our best bet scoring points in the half court."

IM: I totally agree and would like to see more of the young man. I think Girard maybe is going to lose the starting job, if this thing is done fairly. JB gave him the whole game, and yes, he made a couple big shots at the end. But we might have been up 10 already and not needed those late heroics if we played our "smoother flowing" offense. Against the bigger physical ACC teams, we are going to need to play Griffin at 2G sometimes, so we can have a bigger back line.

Not thrilled with this start to the season, to be honest. I enjoyed your analysis, though. You really hit a lot of excellent observations.
 
I didn’t watch the whole presser but to me, the overwhelming question was, why didn’t Kadary play in the second half?

Maybe that question was asked, maybe not. The press might have been too afraid to get in JB’s doghouse to ask it.

I think if Kadary did not get in foul trouble in the first half, he might have never come out. He played well. Even JB said that was as bad as JG can play last night.

The thing is, JG’s biggest asset is his confidence. Not playing a big part of the first half, and seeing Kadary play a lot and play well has to be concerning to Joe. I suspect JB decided, at least for now, that the team would be better off with him committing unconditionally to Joe to try and build his confidence. Maybe part of the reason Joe played so poorly is because he saw how well Kadary played and felt pressure to keep his starting job?

I think this is going to be one of the central themes for this team this season. How do you handle the PG position? JB is a loyal guy but he has been willing to play the best players consistently in the past.

Can he find a way to get Kadary playing time and keep JG motivated and productive? Joe (and Buddy for that matter) are used to playing a ton of minutes. With Kadary now a viable third option at guard, he needs to cut their minutes some but keep them motivated and productive.

Assuming Bourama gets healthy, he has a similar dilemma at forward, where at the least, he has Alan, Quincy and Marek, all of whom need to play a lot. At some point, it has to be tempting to experiment with giving Alan some minutes at the top of the zone. Might help the perimeter defense and would add another rebounder.

Matt Gutierrez quoted an insider in a recent article saying that he thought Kadary was going to take JG’s starting position at PG by mid season. There is no doubt Kadary is putting pressure on JG for playing time. Hope Joe responds to that pressure better from this point forward.
In theory, we have real competition at all positions for the first time in a long time.

That should be a good thing. It should drive everyone to player harder and better. Let’s hope that happens. There is the potential to develop real depth this year. Hoping we see JB establish a consistent rotation, establish roles for each player and use the competition for playing time to drive this team to reach its full potential, which I think is high.
 
I didn’t watch the whole presser but to me, the overwhelming question was, why didn’t Kadary play in the second half?

Maybe that question was asked, maybe not. The press might have been too afraid to get in JB’s doghouse to ask it.

I think if Kadary did not get in foul trouble in the first half, he might have never come out. He played well. Even JB said that was as bad as JG can play last night.

The thing is, JG’s biggest asset is his confidence. Not playing a big part of the first half, and seeing Kadary play a lot and play well has to be concerning to Joe. I suspect JB decided, at least for now, that the team would be better off with him committing unconditionally to Joe to try and build his confidence. Maybe part of the reason Joe played so poorly is because he saw how well Kadary played and felt pressure to keep his starting job?

I think this is going to be one of the central themes for this team this season. How do you handle the PG position? JB is a loyal guy but he has been willing to play the best players consistently in the past.

Can he find a way to get Kadary playing time and keep JG motivated and productive? Joe (and Buddy for that matter) are used to playing a ton of minutes. With Kadary now a viable third option at guard, he needs to cut their minutes some but keep them motivated and productive.

Assuming Bourama gets healthy, he has a similar dilemma at forward, where at the least, he has Alan, Quincy and Marek, all of whom need to play a lot. At some point, it has to be tempting to experiment with giving Alan some minutes at the top of the zone. Might help the perimeter defense and would add another rebounder.

Matt Gutierrez quoted an insider in a recent article saying that he thought Kadary was going to take JG’s starting position at PG by mid season. There is no doubt Kadary is putting pressure on JG for playing time. Hope Joe responds to that pressure better from this point forward.
In theory, we have real competition at all positions for the first time in a long time.

That should be a good thing. It should drive everyone to player harder and better. Let’s hope that happens. There is the potential to develop real depth this year. Hoping we see JB establish a consistent rotation, establish roles for each player and use the competition for playing time to drive this team to reach its full potential, which I think is high.
I just hope JB doesn't play favorites. Anyone who knows basketball can see after yesterday's game that Kadary is without question a better player than Joe. Kadary will play basketball professionally. Joe will be the Mayor of Glen Falls.
 
I am not concerned over whether Girard or Buddy will stay confident, motivated or productive playing starter minutes, but not 37 minutes. Better chance the competition and periodic rest will help them.
On offense, the principal issue for Joe was missing shots that he will normally make at a 35% or so rate. He was brutal and maybe the pause was a factor.
Not expecting the defense at the top of the zone to be fixable with Joe & Buddy. Those two will have to make shots (as Buddy did yesterday) to offset what they give up.
The front court depth is the more serious issue, particularly if Sidibe is out. It is only one game, but can any of the reserves contribute?
 
I am not concerned over whether Girard or Buddy will stay confident, motivated or productive playing starter minutes, but not 37 minutes. Better chance the competition and periodic rest will help them.
On offense, the principal issue for Joe was missing shots that he will normally make at a 35% or so rate. He was brutal and maybe the pause was a factor.
Not expecting the defense at the top of the zone to be fixable with Joe & Buddy. Those two will have to make shots (as Buddy did yesterday) to offset what they give up.
The front court depth is the more serious issue, particularly if Sidibe is out. It is only one game, but can any of the reserves contribute?
Yes they can.
Jes
Frank
Bras
Kadary
And of course Griffin should all be playing.
I would argue that another coach would have the following starting lineup.

PG: Kadary
SG: Griffin
SF : Marek
PF: Guerrier
C. : Sid
 
I am not concerned over whether Girard or Buddy will stay confident, motivated or productive playing starter minutes, but not 37 minutes. Better chance the competition and periodic rest will help them.
On offense, the principal issue for Joe was missing shots that he will normally make at a 35% or so rate. He was brutal and maybe the pause was a factor.
Not expecting the defense at the top of the zone to be fixable with Joe & Buddy. Those two will have to make shots (as Buddy did yesterday) to offset what they give up.
The front court depth is the more serious issue, particularly if Sidibe is out. It is only one game, but can any of the reserves contribute?
The minutes can and should be balanced. Nobody in our current backcourt trio needs or should play over 30 minutes. We aren't taking minutes from Steve Nash. Over 30 is diminishing results and JB is too stubborn to acknowledge that.
 
I didn’t watch the whole presser but to me, the overwhelming question was, why didn’t Kadary play in the second half?

Maybe that question was asked, maybe not. The press might have been too afraid to get in JB’s doghouse to ask it.

I think if Kadary did not get in foul trouble in the first half, he might have never come out. He played well. Even JB said that was as bad as JG can play last night.

The thing is, JG’s biggest asset is his confidence. Not playing a big part of the first half, and seeing Kadary play a lot and play well has to be concerning to Joe. I suspect JB decided, at least for now, that the team would be better off with him committing unconditionally to Joe to try and build his confidence. Maybe part of the reason Joe played so poorly is because he saw how well Kadary played and felt pressure to keep his starting job?

I think this is going to be one of the central themes for this team this season. How do you handle the PG position? JB is a loyal guy but he has been willing to play the best players consistently in the past.

Can he find a way to get Kadary playing time and keep JG motivated and productive? Joe (and Buddy for that matter) are used to playing a ton of minutes. With Kadary now a viable third option at guard, he needs to cut their minutes some but keep them motivated and productive.

Assuming Bourama gets healthy, he has a similar dilemma at forward, where at the least, he has Alan, Quincy and Marek, all of whom need to play a lot. At some point, it has to be tempting to experiment with giving Alan some minutes at the top of the zone. Might help the perimeter defense and would add another rebounder.

Matt Gutierrez quoted an insider in a recent article saying that he thought Kadary was going to take JG’s starting position at PG by mid season. There is no doubt Kadary is putting pressure on JG for playing time. Hope Joe responds to that pressure better from this point forward.
In theory, we have real competition at all positions for the first time in a long time.

That should be a good thing. It should drive everyone to player harder and better. Let’s hope that happens. There is the potential to develop real depth this year. Hoping we see JB establish a consistent rotation, establish roles for each player and use the competition for playing time to drive this team to reach its full potential, which I think is high.
So then why did JB bench Carey in the second half against Virginia in the season opener and give Girard the second half of that game?

He didn’t care about Carey’s confidence giving minutes to Girard?

You are a great poster but I am sorry JB’s confidence can be changed to JB js stubborn. If Girard is going to lose confidence then the spin that practice matters should never be uttered. As it could easily be said to him sorry Joe you haven’t been able to practice we want to win this game so we went all hands on deck we needed Kadary to play a little in the second half.

Yesterday’s game is a microcosm of people complaining about Joe and Buddy playing too many minutes and why recruiting a quality guard will be difficult for a couple of years.
 

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