OK, time for a new rotation

[Irt4su]

If someone is still an enigma two and a half years in, I'm not holding my breath that we'll ever get consistency from him. That's not to say he can't be or isn't an important contributor to the team.

He’s like the pretty girl that said hello to you and you think about it for days and then you see her again and she just walks right by you without turning even a glance.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Nah.

I love Copeland coming in. Allows Autry to sub out any of four players off to a bad start and he can adapt to that role.

Best sixth man since Dion.

I’d love Benny to earn the starter position over Taylor. Key word is earn.

That's a really good point; Copeland can sub for just about anybody.

 

[mark79]

What is Benny working back from? It's very possible he gets 12 minutes Saturday and goes 1-4 with some head scratching moments. I'd love to see some consistent winning play like we saw last night, but again, what is he working back from? Rust? From what?

Not sure, and I’m not sure any of us non-insiders really know what it is he struggles with. My opinion (and it’s worth what you paid for it!) is that Red needs to stick with Benny this year as we are down big bodies.

As much of an enigma as Benny seems to be, and as frustrated as I am with his inconsistency, I personally don’t see us going very far this year without him contributing like he did vs Pittsburg.

I retain at least some hope that Red can push the right buttons and figure out how to motivate him. Should he have to after all this time? Maybe not, but unless we have Benny contributing I fear we have a pretty low ceiling this year. Personally, I’m just not ready to resign myself to a low ceiling as it takes a lot of the fun out of watching for me. I’m just a “hope springs eternal” kind of fan I guess! So I guess that means I’m still rooting really hard for Benny.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Not sure, and I’m not sure any of us non-insiders really know what it is he struggles with. My opinion (and it’s worth what you paid for it!) is that Red needs to stick with Benny this year as we are down big bodies.

As much of an enigma as Benny seems to be, and as frustrated as I am with his inconsistency, I personally don’t see us going very far this year without him contributing like he did vs Pittsburg.

I retain at least some hope that Red can push the right buttons and figure out how to motivate him. Should he have to after all this time? Maybe not, but unless we have Benny contributing I fear we have a pretty low ceiling this year. Personally, I’m just not ready to resign myself to a low ceiling as it takes a lot of the fun out of watching for me. I’m just a “hope springs eternal” kind of fan I guess! So I guess that means I’m still rooting really hard for Benny.

He's just as not as good at basketball as the fans and coaches thought he initially was. He's been as bad as the others who take a beating here at times this year.

 

[mark79]

He's just as not as good at basketball as the fans and coaches thought he initially was. He's been as bad as the others who take a beating here at times this year.

That’s probably true. I’d take 8 and 4 from him.

 

[Red Holzman]

I like Benny coming off the bench to get regular minutes at the 5 now that there is a need there. I think it will help focus him and maybe get more consistent play out of him. And I love Copeland as the sixth man. If things look ugly early, Red can get Bell and/or Taylor out of there quickly and change up the look. If they're effective, he can ride them farther into the game. He seems flexible in terms of his rotations, which I think serves him well with this group.

I like Benny at the 5 b/c that puts him in the paint more-
that's where he is best vs hanging out at the 3 point line.

 

[Red Holzman]

Looking at MPG for the team, would like to see Copeland get more minutes, and Taylor/JJ get a little less. However, Copeland has been trending higher and been 25+ recently.

Regarding MPG: would like to see Judah get more rest vs playing 39" vs. Pitt.
IMO his history of weak finishes may be at least partially fatigue-related.

 

[AlaskaSU]

red IMO is doing a good job managing the bench. i couldn't watch the whole game but i kept checking in and wondering "where's Brown" i thought he got injured or something. next time i checked he was back in rotation . carey got some valuable minutes (sure he fouled a lot) that may pay off down the stretch.

Sure he fouled a lot, is an understatement. Carey is not playable. Benny at backup center is a better option

 

[bballbeadle]

He’s like the pretty girl that said hello to you and you think about it for days and then you see her again and she just walks right by you without turning even a glance.

I’m sorry.

 

[tbonezone]

when you're sitting on the bench and you KNOW you're gonna play is a whole lot different from "am i getting minutes tonite" . you bring a whole nuther level of concentration and focus to the game and practice.

 

[IthacaMatt]

He's just as not as good at basketball as the fans and coaches thought he initially was. He's been as bad as the others who take a beating here at times this year.

I was reading a comment from a retired soccer player in England yesterday, and I think it applies to sports here in the US, too; pretty much any sport today.

He said, "Today's players are better athletes than we were. They are better technically, have better nutrition. But what they don't have is the fight and determination that we used to have. Players today are babied, they are used to being praised all the time, and they are just not tough enough mentally."

I pretty much think this is dead-on.

 

[IthacaMatt]

People (myself included) are scarred from the recent JAB lineups where we only went 6-7 deep, and never adjusted during crunch time.

Red has done a good job (with some hiccups) mixing up the lineups when necessary. Starters don't matter as much. We have 9 guys averaging 10 mpg.

I do like the idea of splitting up Taylor/Bell more, but part of starting them both might be to see if either gets a hot hand shooting.

Yes, this is a good point - find out who may be hot. But it does sacrifice a bit of defense and rebounding early in the game.

Looking at MPG for the team, would like to see Copeland get more minutes, and Taylor/JJ get a little less. However, Copeland has been trending higher and been 25+ recently.

Imagine us with a more talented roster and going 9-10 deep. This should be good for recruiting and retaining players. You don't need to start to see the court

Totally agree. Excellent post!

 

[IthacaMatt]

this assumes what they get is how many they can get.. Taylor is the best rebounder he just cant get them. Brown is most often in the best spots because he doesnt really go places that lead to no rebounds. Bennie has the most upside to rebounds but is terrible at positioning.

Bell doesnt begin to go to the right spots.

The guards at least on occasion come back to find them.

Copeland hustles into spots and grabs them which is great. Cuffe does it as well.

Yes, this is a good point; sometimes just throwing your body "into the mixer", blocking out, banging down low, leads to tipped balls or balls that your teammates can get, because of your effort. Taylor does excel at that aspect of his defense. He sticks his nose in there.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I agree on Cope. I think people overrate starting and ignore bench energy. I could care less who starts, my minor quibble with Red is not subbing soon enough if the small starting lineup is out of sorts. Benny and Q can be great energy guys off the bench which a second unit needs.

Actually, I kind of like him waiting until the 2nd TV timeout to make changes. Four minutes is sometimes too soon, and if you give these guys more run (especially Bell & Taylor), they have more of a chance to get into the flow of the game and contribute. If they are coming out after 4 minutes, it puts pressure on them both to make a three "right away" - whether it's there or not - or else they may get subbed for. A little longer leash than we are used to, but Red is playing a lot of guys a lot of minutes. For the most part, it seems like the rotation guys all get a run out in each half, not just the first half, like JB used to do.

 

[Ryand877]

Speaking of new rotation, any updates on Westry?

 

[Sbucketball]

Speaking of new rotation, any updates on Westry?

My assumption is that at this stage of the year, even if he becomes available in a few weeks he's not going to significantly elevate the team since he'll need time to ramp up etc.; and in any event while I think he's one of our best players, his skillset is a bit redundant of some of the players we have, although probably with higher upside. I've turned towards next year for him. And if in a few weeks it's looking like no tournament, i hope he just bites the bullet and takes a medical redshirt since he lost his redshirt last year and he might be in college longer than expected due to injuries.