Perspective...

[Cliver]

And we know Cal would never violate a rule. Maybe he plans on heading off to the sunset of the NBA in a couple of years and figures once again it is no biggie if he leaves a mess in his wake. I can't speak for the DO, but the story is based on an interview with Green, so they were supposedly his words. I have not seen any other story to confirm this fact though.

We've got him for at least four more. His son walked on this year so I'm confident Cal will stay until Brad graduates. I guess it's possible that he could accept another job and the kid could transfer, but I doubt it.

And look: I get that the whole "Cal's shady" thing is convenient and easy to sell, but A.) No high-level D1 coach walks away from his career 100% clean; B.) Boeheim's not exactly spotless, himself; and C.) the combination of Cal and Kentucky means he really doesn't have to do anything shady. The program and the track record pretty much sell themselves. Now, am I saying the guy's perfect? Of course not. I'm not delusional. But I trust that between our compliance department, the strength of our program, and the lasting sting of his previous burns, there will never be a need or desire to play dirty.

 

[Cliver]

We love discussion. And drinking at bars - no matter whose.

It's the ones who come to troll that end up having very short stays.

Glad to hear it. And the good thing about trolls is they're small and easy to toss.

 

[llandz]

Actually every other story I find says he signed the letter on Wednesday night. I am not happy that, as a Newhouse grad, our Daily Orange reporter may have gotten this wrong.

 

[pfister1]

And we know Cal would never violate a rule. Maybe he plans on heading off to the sunset of the NBA in a couple of years and figures once again it is no biggie if he leaves a mess in his wake. I can't speak for the DO, but the story is based on an interview with Green, so they were supposedly his words. I have not seen any other story to confirm this fact though.

We all know it wouldn't be a punishable offense for U.K. or Calipari, just an honest mistake, if that.

 

[orangecuse]

Yeah, really. We've got the best team we've had since 2012--UK doesn't scare me, I don't care what our respective rankings are now, we're a top 5 team.

And that holds true historically, where we are top 5 all time in wins. It is one thing to lament losing out on a top prospect, and quite another to suggest that we need to know our place and similar such defeatist nonsense. "One game does not a program make" -- talk about lack of perspective.

One more thing: I was in Houston last April, and unless I'm mistaken I watched a team that doesn't recruit 2-4 top 20 kids annually take it to a traditional Blue Blood that did.

Jeez, why so sensitive, I didn't mean to strike a nerve. 'Defeatist nonsense?' What the heck is that?

I was being objective when I said that we rarely land top 20 type recruits in comparison to UK, Duke and KU, etc., and, rom a recruiting standpoint, they are on a different level than us, that's it! That is a fact, nothing to debate there. JB himself has said this over the years consistently as well.

That said, SU's program has been extremely successful and JB has accomplished this with his own particular system. I never stated or implied otherwise, you chose to interpret it that way for whatever reason, and, that's what is 'nonsense.'

We've played 3 games so far this season. Let's see how it plays out, that's the beauty of being able to play the games to see what ultimately transpires. I believe this team has the potential/making of a stellar season and I'm very excited about that. Top 5...maybe, we'll see. If we do end up playing UK this year in the tourney and come out victorious, again, it doesn't change the fact that they recruit at a higher level.

I was also at the FF in Houston, and watched as well. I guess you're refering to 'Nova's victory over UNC in the championship game. However, I don't see how a last second 27 footer at the buzzer to win equates to 'taking it' to the team you're referring to. FWIW, I was also at the FF in Atlanta in 2013.

 

[Oakland]

Hi Clive, thanks for coming over. I'm interested in how QG fits in with our old friend Isaiah Briscoe. The word is that Cal promised QG the starting PG spot next year. Where does this leave IB? He is a crappy shooter which is why, I assume, he is not on the nbadraft board that I looked at. The NBA doesn't draft college 18% 3pt shooters any more, does it? Is IB expected to step aside for QG, go overseas? How do you see this working out?

Full disclosure: I'm a UK fan. I'm not here to harass or aggravate an already inflamed situation. I'm here because Syracuse is one of a handful of non-conference teams that I respect and follow, and because I'd really like to see a UK-Syracuse series sometime in the future.

Having said that... In reference to the bold line, how do you figure? Again - not looking for a fight. Just here to talk basketball.

 

[OburgCuse]

I understand completely, although we've sort of grown accustomed to this working in the opposite way over the last few years; I think we're routinely ranked too high in the preseason and that too much stock is placed in what the stud freshman might do. We all saw how that worked out when Noel and Goodwin were with us, and for a while - until the tournament, really - the Randle year was the same.

You might be right about your team ranking-wise, but I'll say this: on paper Syracuse doesn't appear to have the wealth of experience that a lot of teams rely on to beat Kentucky's youth. I look at your roster and see a lot of freshmen and sophomores. Now, I also see more vets than we have, but you'd have to tell me which of those guys is effective and which isn't. Still, in a matchup between a young and a relatively-young team, I'll trust Kentucky's talent - and believe me, it's there. The sample size is small, of course, but I like what I've seen for the most part.

I do think it's strange that Malik Monk has played the role of shooter almost exclusively thus far. I expected his bread-and-butter to be above the rim, with enough shooting to keep the D honest. I'll take what he's given, but I hope to see more of the explosiveness he's known for. Team rebounding has also been concerning, but I feel like that's a matter of Adebayo figuring out how to play within the rules, and Humphries learning to squeeze the pumpkin.

Give me some specifics, though. Let's talk match-ups. I don't know your guys at an individual level as well as I'd like, so fill me in on what you're seeing if you don't mind.

And hey: if you guys find it annoying that a UK guy's drinking in your bar, then feel free to say so. I'll get it. I'm a mod at a UK forum and know how this sort of thing can look.

4 seniors (3 fifth year seniors at that) out of 9 scholarship players (not including Moyer who is redshirting) is probably more experience than most top echelon teams have during these one/two and done days. Even our two sophs have final four experience on their belt so I would argue that is actually the perfect mix of vets to neutralize your talented youth.

I think the big thing that our fans see that gives us so much optimism this year is the balance that we bring to the table. We've got quality shooters, penetrators, and bigs (not quite there yet with our post scoring but hopefully will get there) that allow us to play a variety of styles against teams. The last few years other than '09 and '12 (our two best regular seasons) our teams were significantly lacking in 1 or 2 of those categories and we still managed win a lot of games and reach 2 final fours. Our depth may not be as deep in numbers as the '12 team but due to position flexibility we can have so many combinations of 5 with our 9 guys that allows us to play big, small, shoot, press, etc. so this brings on a lot of excitement for this season.

 

[Cliver]

Hi Clive, thanks for coming over. I'm interested in how QG fits in with our old friend Isaiah Briscoe. The word is that Cal promised QG the starting PG spot next year. Where does this leave IB? He is a crappy shooter which is why, I assume, he is not on the nbadraft board that I looked at. The NBA doesn't draft college 18% 3pt shooters any more, does it? Is IB expected to step aside for QG, go overseas? How do you see this working out?

I wouldn't trust anyone who says Cal promised a starting spot to a player at any position. What Cal will do is promise the opportunity to earn the starting spot, but he won't just give the spot away. My point might seem easy to counter, as every freshman PG (others positions, too) he's recruited has started virtually from day one, but I'd say that has more to do with the fact that the starters leave every year and the newcomers only have to beat out guys who are clearly backups.

Look at last year when Briscoe was brought in to play PG. Ulis was there, was clearly better (a top three all-time PG for us), and Briscoe didn't start over him. They played together at times, but Briscoe most certainly didn't start over Ulis. So, if Cal told Briscoe that he was guaranteed to start, then Briscoe took the change of heart pretty well. The same thing is happening this year: Briscoe's here, Fox came anyway, and the two of them are going to share the floor a lot. Cal makes two- and three-guard lineups work all the time. Point being, if Briscoe is somehow still here next year (which he won't be), then Quade Green will still get plenty of minutes and will probably start along side Briscoe; if Briscoe's gone (and he will be), then Green will start all alone at the point, or with Alexander, or maybe even with Trae Young. Not likely, but I wouldn't rule it out just yet.

As for Briscoe's game, well... Dude's a stud, and he'll get drafted after this season. It's very early, but he's already showing improvement in his shot. His free throw percentage is at 75% and his FG is around 55%. Now, that second number doesn't paint an entirely accurate picture of his shot progression because he does so much work around the rim, but the percentage is still good enough to keep us happy. Besides, his ability to get to the basket is his calling card. He's strong as a bull, he gets to the rim at will, and he's an uncanny finisher. I'm talking one of the best finishers from the guard position in recent memory. That'll get him drafted, and whoever drafts him can work on his shot from there. If a front office is willing to put time into MKG's whack shot, someone will put time into Briscoe, too.

But, short answer: I expect Briscoe to be in the NBA next season, and I expect Green to start.

 

[Cliver]

4 seniors (3 fifth year seniors at that) out of 9 scholarship players (not including Moyer who is redshirting) is probably more experience than most top echelon teams have during these one/two and done days. Even our two sophs have final four experience on their belt so I would argue that is actually the perfect mix of vets to neutralize your talented youth.

I think the big thing that our fans see that gives us so much optimism this year is the balance that we bring to the table. We've got quality shooters, penetrators, and bigs (not quite there yet with our post scoring but hopefully will get there) that allow us to play a variety of styles against teams. The last few years other than '09 and '12 (our two best regular seasons) our teams were significantly lacking in 1 or 2 of those categories and we still managed win a lot of games and reach 2 final fours. Our depth may not be as deep in numbers as the '12 team but due to position flexibility we can have so many combinations of 5 with our 9 guys that allows us to play big, small, shoot, press, etc. so this brings on a lot of excitement for this season.

This was my question earlier: I don't know your roster well enough, so which of these guys are legitimate contributors? And I completely agree about the FF experience. That's big, and it'll help. Might be the perfect blend to beat Kentucky. But, Cal's shown repeatedly that age usually doesn't matter with his teams. By March, his teams are humming (with the exception of a couple squads), so by the time we'd realistically run into Syracuse, UK's freshmen will be (theoretically) tuned up. This group is also shaping up to be one of the best defensive teams Cal's had at Kentucky. That, and our speed in transition, can neutralize a lot of the style variations you alluded to above.

I get it though. It defies all logic to choose a freshmen-dominated roster over a veteran team. If I hadn't watched it happen again and again over the last seven years, I wouldn't even try to argue. But when the talent's there, it's often all you need.

 

[%man]

And we know Cal would never violate a rule. Maybe he plans on heading off to the sunset of the NBA in a couple of years and figures once again it is no biggie if he leaves a mess in his wake. I can't speak for the DO, but the story is based on an interview with Green, so they were supposedly his words. I have not seen any other story to confirm this fact though.

He certainly wouldn't violate that rule. That would just be stupid. He's not stupid.

 

[IthacaMatt]

This is not a good look.

And yet Coleman, Tucker and Sidibe are still in play and could make for a very solid class, with Brissette. Is there any chance we can get involved with Coleman again? He's not signed, right? Let's salvage this situation.

 

[SoBeCuse]

This was my question earlier: I don't know your roster well enough, so which of these guys are legitimate contributors? And I completely agree about the FF experience. That's big, and it'll help. Might be the perfect blend to beat Kentucky. But, Cal's shown repeatedly that age usually doesn't matter with his teams. By March, his teams are humming (with the exception of a couple squads), so by the time we'd realistically run into Syracuse, UK's freshmen will be (theoretically) tuned up. This group is also shaping up to be one of the best defensive teams Cal's had at Kentucky. That, and our speed in transition, can neutralize a lot of the style variations you alluded to above.

I get it though. It defies all logic to choose a freshmen-dominated roster over a veteran team. If I hadn't watched it happen again and again over the last seven years, I wouldn't even try to argue. But when the talent's there, it's often all you need.

Nice to have your contributions on this board, Cliver. I'm one of the few here who respect UK and Cal's game ON the court. Generally they improve like you say and are "humming" in March. Age does not matter for the most part. I do respect Cal's method of getting those divas (and they are divas lets be honest) to play together, sacrifice stats, play hard, and play good fundamental ball. I don't think just any coach can make it work with these types of players in Lexington.

Syracuse has a mixture this year of youth and old. The prize returning player from the F4 team is Tyler Lydon who is a 6'9 true soph and an under the radar gem recruit last year. He's on the draft boards as a possible lottery guy as a perfect NBA 'Stretch 4.' Think like Chandler Parsons meets Tom Chambers. Also from last year...

Frank Howard. 6'5 PG. Great passer. True soph and seldom used last year but came on in the Tourney. Good athlete. Great court vision. Made huge strides in the offseason in his strength and shooting. He's averaging 9pts/6apg so far in a little over 20mpg. He's been splitting time with John Gillon. More on him later.

DaJuan Coleman. 6'9 C. A former Cal/UK target. He missed a whole season then some due to two major knee injuries. He's in great shape now but with bad knees ultimately we fear. He's a good rebounder and can make an occasional post move. He's there to mostly bang with bigs when we need to.

Paschal Chukwu. 7'2 C. Splitting time with Coleman right now at C. Transfer from Providence who sat out his soph season. Raw but a deterrent defensively. Good athlete and pretty fluid for a guy his size.

Tyler Roberson. 6'8 PF. Senior. Former Top 50 recruit from Union, NJ. He's your Alex Poythress. Really good athlete and a GREAT rebounder when he is dialed in especially on the offensive boards. Can make a short jumper. He had 14 and 20 (!) last Jan at Duke.

NEW GUYS:

Tyus Battle. 6'6 SG. Athletic true freshman combo guard. Ranked anywhere between 25-38 depending on the recruiting service. He's figuring it out but can do it all. Played at St. Joseph's in NJ so he had good coaching. Originally committed to Michigan but changed to Syracuse.

John Gillon. 5'11 PG. Perhaps one of the most exciting players on the team. He's a one of two grad transfers in the rotation. From Colorado State. Think a more physical Ulis-type. He's been splitting time with Frank Howard at PG and has been averaging 11/5 so far. He's been a lighting bug of the bench. Really quick, crafty around the rim, good shooter.

Andrew White. 6'7 SF. Andrew White has been filling the void due to Malachi Richardson's sudden departure to the NBA. Another grad transfer but he's from Nebraska and was a Kansas recruit originally. Old school game. GREAT shooter, physical, decent athlete. Just a scorer. Much needed.

Taurean Thompson. 6'10 PF/C. Really a pleasant surprise here. True freshman and a guy Michigan State wanted badly. He was #75 by ESPN 2016. Played at St. Anthony's before transferring to Brewster for his senior year so he has had great coaching. He has been getting minutes at C and PF so far and is producing. 15 mpg and averaging 8/4. Really polished game around the basket and nice touch. Has been making some jumpers. Reminds me of a poor man's yet more physical Chris Bosh at the same stage.


That's your 9-man rotation. They have been sprinkling in some M2M along with the zone of course. This team will press some as well depending on game situations and on which unit is in there for Boeheim to unleash it. It's a solid rotation with no scrubs, really. Cheers.

 

[AlaskaSU]

You left out our other Tyler. Lyden is a big strong soph, 6'8", our most highly acclaimed player, projected as a first rounder. His three point shooting is in an early season slump but no one is worried. He is good in all facets of the game although most of his drives are straight line forays, He is perhaps one of the Nation's best shot blockers. He is a walking mismatch playing the three but so far our guards have not exploited the possibilities.

 

[SoBeCuse]

He's in there. Second paragraph.

 

[%man]

Hi Clive, thanks for coming over. I'm interested in how QG fits in with our old friend Isaiah Briscoe. The word is that Cal promised QG the starting PG spot next year. Where does this leave IB? He is a crappy shooter which is why, I assume, he is not on the nbadraft board that I looked at. The NBA doesn't draft college 18% 3pt shooters any more, does it? Is IB expected to step aside for QG, go overseas? How do you see this working out?

It will leave him the same place he is right now. Replace Fox with Green....

 

[%man]

And I can't say with 100 percent certainty that Cal doesn't cheat. It would be silly to think I could. But one thing he does to help get multiple high-level recruits is not to recruit positions. He often has 2 or 3 guys playing at the same time that might all be 4s in reality...for example. He can tell recruits, and back it up with history, that if they are one of the top 5 or 6 players then they will get their time on the floor and in his system it really doesn't matter what position you play. Not sure if he has this system for the purposes of recruiting but if so it's rather ingenious. Anyway, just a thought..

 

[Mainsqueeze]

I wouldn't trust anyone who says Cal promised a starting spot to a player at any position. What Cal will do is promise the opportunity to earn the starting spot, but he won't just give the spot away. My point might seem easy to counter, as every freshman PG (others positions, too) he's recruited has started virtually from day one, but I'd say that has more to do with the fact that the starters leave every year and the newcomers only have to beat out guys who are clearly backups.

Look at last year when Briscoe was brought in to play PG. Ulis was there, was clearly better (a top three all-time PG for us), and Briscoe didn't start over him. They played together at times, but Briscoe most certainly didn't start over Ulis. So, if Cal told Briscoe that he was guaranteed to start, then Briscoe took the change of heart pretty well. The same thing is happening this year: Briscoe's here, Fox came anyway, and the two of them are going to share the floor a lot. Cal makes two- and three-guard lineups work all the time. Point being, if Briscoe is somehow still here next year (which he won't be), then Quade Green will still get plenty of minutes and will probably start along side Briscoe; if Briscoe's gone (and he will be), then Green will start all alone at the point, or with Alexander, or maybe even with Trae Young. Not likely, but I wouldn't rule it out just yet.

As for Briscoe's game, well... Dude's a stud, and he'll get drafted after this season. It's very early, but he's already showing improvement in his shot. His free throw percentage is at 75% and his FG is around 55%. Now, that second number doesn't paint an entirely accurate picture of his shot progression because he does so much work around the rim, but the percentage is still good enough to keep us happy. Besides, his ability to get to the basket is his calling card. He's strong as a bull, he gets to the rim at will, and he's an uncanny finisher. I'm talking one of the best finishers from the guard position in recent memory. That'll get him drafted, and whoever drafts him can work on his shot from there. If a front office is willing to put time into MKG's whack shot, someone will put time into Briscoe, too.

But, short answer: I expect Briscoe to be in the NBA next season, and I expect Green to start.

I'm kind of surprised by this. He is shooting 15% from three after shooting 13% last year. No one is drafting a 6'3" combo guard with a 1 to 1 TO ratio and shoots 15% from 3. I also question if Fox goes pro. He is 1-9 from three. I don't care how good a PG people think he is. I would be surprised if someone drafts a guy who has no outside shot. I also question Monk. He doesn't look like a good shooter either. 32% or something like that in High school and besides an awesome night against Mich St. he is 1-6, 2-6, and 2-8 from three. I mean the Harrison's shot above 30% and are 6'6" guards but had to stay two years and one barely got drafted in the 2nd round and the other not at all. I guess we just have to see how it plays out in 6 months. Could see all three coming back. Shai G. and Green fighting for fourth guard minutes.

As far as why i think we would beat Kentucky. First mentioned above shooting. You have 1 streaky shooter and a bench guy Mulder. If monk gets hot like Mich st. then you can win or maybe Mulder comes in to neutralize the zone. If not kentucky would be in trouble. Your guards are best at driving to the hoop but the zone would make that difficult. Maybe they get to FT line a lot like 30 plus times. As far as down low your freshman aren't Towns, Davis, or Cousins. Our best rebounder and senior Tyler Roberson plays best in big games. He would clean up on the boards. Lydon is also great on the boards. IDK. Kentucky would have to get out and run, get to the FT line a lot, and hope we go cold from three. But four of our guards can shoot the three at 40% plus. Lydon is in a slump but shot 42% last year so we have 5 guys that can shoot. As a team we are shooting 42% from three. Kentucky is shooting 28%.

 

[%man]

I'm kind of surprised by this. He is shooting 15% from three after shooting 13% last year. No one is drafting a 6'3" combo guard with a 1 to 1 TO ratio and shoots 15% from 3. I also question if Fox goes pro. He is 1-9 from three. I don't care how good a PG people think he is. I would be surprised if someone drafts a guy who has no outside shot. I also question Monk. He doesn't look like a good shooter either. 32% or something like that in High school and besides an awesome night against Mich St. he is 1-6, 2-6, and 2-8 from three. I mean the Harrison's shot above 30% and are 6'6" guards but had to stay two years and one barely got drafted in the 2nd round and the other not at all. I guess we just have to see how it plays out in 6 months. Could see all three coming back. Shai G. and Green fighting for fourth guard minutes.

As far as why i think we would beat Kentucky. First mentioned above shooting. You have 1 streaky shooter and a bench guy Mulder. If monk gets hot like Mich st. then you can win or maybe Mulder comes in to neutralize the zone. If not kentucky would be in trouble. Your guards are best at driving to the hoop but the zone would make that difficult. Maybe they get to FT line a lot like 30 plus times. As far as down low your freshman aren't Towns, Davis, or Cousins. Our best rebounder and senior Tyler Roberson plays best in big games. He would clean up on the boards. Lydon is also great on the boards. IDK. Kentucky would have to get out and run, get to the FT line a lot, and hope we go cold from three. But four of our guards can shoot the three at 40% plus. Lydon is in a slump but shot 42% last year so we have 5 guys that can shoot. As a team we are shooting 42% from three. Kentucky is shooting 28%.

In what way does Monk not look like a good shooter to you? He is. Fox is a better shooter than Wall, and the percentages will show that over the season. He's a great free thrown shooter and has good form on his shot. He'll go lottery, maybe top 5. Briscoe is in very good shape. By some he is conserved the best defensive guard AND the best finishing guard in the county. Obviously that always debatable. In any event, he's a sophomore who only has one weakness from being a solid first rounder. That's not too bad of a place to be.

 

[Flacusian]

JB's impending retirement, the sanctions and the media's seeming infatuation with UK and Duke and some other mitigating factors have no doubt had an impact on our seeming diminishing recruiting ability. We live in a media driven society and impressionable 18 year old kids are bombarded with all the hype and their decisions are certainly skewed by the manner in which certain programs are bolstered by the continual attention and plethora attention given them.

As much as the Squid is a total schmuck he elicits the attention of these young kids and he is seen in their eyes as " the guy who gets the pick of the best" and they like to be seen as being part of " another monster UK recruiting class comprised of the best of the best". Cal blathers on and on about God only knows what but the fact of the matter is that his excitement is palpable to the kids and he has the ability, with his car salesman / infomercial pitchman persona to get kids to buy into the UK phenomenon. I mean, sheesh ... how hard is it when the kids are treated like royal princes who are coddled and pampered and are the recipients of a kind of treatment that no other kids in America get who are attending college. Syracuse cannot compete with that type of recruiting approach and nor should they. There is something inherently indigestible about it and the fact of the matter is that although UK has poached the crème de la crème of the recruiting classes for the past decade... What do they really have to show for it? One chip... BFD! There are some inherent problems with being the "One and done" king of the hill and their lack of dominating on the hardwood come March is the proof in the pudding.

Duke on the other hand... while they receive the reverential treatment in the press and the word "Duke" is said so many times in the course of the college basketball season that it can make you ill, seem to do more with their classes of 5 stars than UK does. No doubt Coach K is on another level altogether than the Squid and it also seems that the assemblage of K's talent resembles more of a cohesive team than that which Cal puts out on the floor. Cal's embarrassment of riches was rubbed into the face of all those who weren't UK wildcats in the form of his notion of trotting out Line A, Line B, Line C,... like a hockey team. Gotta think that most kids aren't enamored with that gimmickry.

Syracuse I dare say will never be considered "THE PLACE" to play for the upcoming talent in this day and age. There's nothing sexy about Syracuse winters and the Dome has it's limitations as well as it's benefits. Not to mention JB is not a fast talking high energy pitchman who can convince kids that "this is the place to be". The fact of the matter is that success begets success and as much as you would think that 2 final 4 runs in recent years and having a track record of putting guards into the NBA after a single season... maybe two, would be enough to have kids lining up at the Melo Center to sign on... but, sadly it's not. For a lot of these kids it's about being in the center of the media spotlight and in the middle of all the hype. And it's no longer about the steak... it's all about the sizzle.

All these things sort of suck... but at the end of the day here's what I think. I would rather be a Syracuse Basketball fan than any other team on the planet. Warts and all and here's why. Nobody has ever taken so little and made so much out of it as Jim Boeheim and what he has done with the Syracuse program. We are far from the sexiest program or the most revered and we certainly don't have the market curbed on getting the best talent. But many of the kids we do get... work their asses of and buy into the team concept and are PROUD to be ORANGE. They all come back long after they have either moved on to the NBA or their playing days are over. I love out program BECAUSE we find the diamonds in the rough who are not heralded as the 5 star wunderkinds and they develop into great players. The list is long... the Andy Rautin's types... Otis Hill, GMAC, Johnny Flynn... They came in, bought in, worked hard and made our program great. Just like last year when we were deemed by many to not be worth of the Dance. And we went out and kicked a$$ all the way to the final 4.

So UK can have their Diaper Dainty's and all the publicity and... yeah Quade Green too. But they better look out cuz there is a team in Central New York this year that is going to be kickin' A$$ and takin' names all the way to the last game of the season. I am going to revel while watching Franklin Howard emerge as one of the best point guards in the Nation. We don't need no Quadrant Green. So for me it's bout being in the moment... the moments THIS season. We will take care of things one game at a time this season... and next season will take care of itself. That's the way we do it around here. We find a way to get it done and we find kids who others may have overlooked but JB and company see something special in.

Now lets go get this 2nd Chip for JB ok?

 

[Mainsqueeze]

In what way does Monk not look like a good shooter to you? He is. Fox is a better shooter than Wall, and the percentages will show that over the season. He's a great free thrown shooter and has good form on his shot. He'll go lottery, maybe top 5. Briscoe is in very good shape. By some he is conserved the best defensive guard AND the best finishing guard in the county. Obviously that always debatable. In any event, he's a sophomore who only has one weakness from being a solid first rounder. That's not too bad of a place to be.

Like said we will have to see how it plays out in 6 months. I just don't see Briscoe getting drafted. You can't be a combo guard and shoot less than 20% from 3. Fox has to show he can shoot. Wall shot 32% from 3. Monk has to show consistency. He shot great against mich st and poorly in other games.

You say they are great and I say there are question marks. We won't know until next march. And all it takes is a great NCAA tournament for a guy to get drafted.

 

[%man]

Like said we will have to see how it plays out in 6 months. I just don't see Briscoe getting drafted. You can't be a combo guard and shoot less than 20% from 3. Fox has to show he can shoot. Wall shot 32% from 3. Monk has to show consistency. He shot great against mich st and poorly in other games.

You say they are great and I say there are question marks. We won't know until next march. And all it takes is a great NCAA tournament for a guy to get drafted.

I didn't say they were great nor did I say there weren't any question marks. Just saying your analysis is off on all three imo.

 

[Oakland]

According to the Daily Orange, the person you wouldn't trust is QG:

Green’s reason for choosing Kentucky was simple: head coach John Calipari told him he would be the starting point guard as a freshman. “That was the only
pitch to me,” Green said, adding that it beckoned him enough to choose UK over a program that was among the first to offer him.

As far as IB's outside shot getting better; he shot 13.5% last season and is shooting 14.5% this season. In sports, guys who haven't been able to improve a skill that they have worked on 2?, 3?, 4? hours a day for the last 10 years, generally won't get better. If a coach like Cal, who is constantly being promoted for his ability to improve his 5* players, can't help IB, what shot does a meer NBA coach have?

Can somebody else help me here as I'm not a big NBA guy, the PF on the one team I follow, the GS Warriors, shoots 33% from 3 - does the NBA still hire guards who shoot 14% in college?

So I'm still unclear on IB as I doubt the NBA wants him: is he UK's SG next season (as in scoring guard, not shooting guard), or does he go overseas?

I wouldn't trust anyone who says Cal promised a starting spot to a player at any position. What Cal will do is promise the opportunity to earn the starting spot, but he won't just give the spot away. My point might seem easy to counter, as every freshman PG (others positions, too) he's recruited has started virtually from day one, but I'd say that has more to do with the fact that the starters leave every year and the newcomers only have to beat out guys who are clearly backups.

Look at last year when Briscoe was brought in to play PG. Ulis was there, was clearly better (a top three all-time PG for us), and Briscoe didn't start over him. They played together at times, but Briscoe most certainly didn't start over Ulis. So, if Cal told Briscoe that he was guaranteed to start, then Briscoe took the change of heart pretty well. The same thing is happening this year: Briscoe's here, Fox came anyway, and the two of them are going to share the floor a lot. Cal makes two- and three-guard lineups work all the time. Point being, if Briscoe is somehow still here next year (which he won't be), then Quade Green will still get plenty of minutes and will probably start along side Briscoe; if Briscoe's gone (and he will be), then Green will start all alone at the point, or with Alexander, or maybe even with Trae Young. Not likely, but I wouldn't rule it out just yet.

As for Briscoe's game, well... Dude's a stud, and he'll get drafted after this season. It's very early, but he's already showing improvement in his shot. His free throw percentage is at 75% and his FG is around 55%. Now, that second number doesn't paint an entirely accurate picture of his shot progression because he does so much work around the rim, but the percentage is still good enough to keep us happy. Besides, his ability to get to the basket is his calling card. He's strong as a bull, he gets to the rim at will, and he's an uncanny finisher. I'm talking one of the best finishers from the guard position in recent memory. That'll get him drafted, and whoever drafts him can work on his shot from there. If a front office is willing to put time into MKG's whack shot, someone will put time into Briscoe, too.

But, short answer: I expect Briscoe to be in the NBA next season, and I expect Green to start.

 

[%man]

Like said we will have to see how it plays out in 6 months. I just don't see Briscoe getting drafted. You can't be a combo guard and shoot less than 20% from 3. Fox has to show he can shoot. Wall shot 32% from 3. Monk has to show consistency. He shot great against mich st and poorly in other games.

You say they are great and I say there are question marks. We won't know until next march. And all it takes is a great NCAA tournament for a guy to get drafted.

I didn't say they were great nor did I say there weren't any question marks. Just saying your analysis is off on all three imo.

According to the Daily Orange, the person you wouldn't trust is QG:

Green’s reason for choosing Kentucky was simple: head coach John Calipari told him he would be the starting point guard as a freshman. “That was the only
pitch to me,” Green said, adding that it beckoned him enough to choose UK over a program that was among the first to offer him.

As far as IB's outside shot getting better; he shot 13.5% last season and is shooting 14.5% this season. In sports, guys who haven't been able to improve a skill that they have worked on 2?, 3?, 4? hours a day for the last 10 years, generally won't get better. If a coach like Cal, who is constantly being promoted for his ability to improve his 5* players, can't help IB, what shot does a meer NBA coach have?

Can somebody else help me here as I'm not a big NBA guy, the PF on the one team I follow, the GS Warriors, shoots 33% from 3 - does the NBA still hire guards who shoot 14% in college?

So I'm still unclear on IB as I doubt the NBA wants him: is he UK's SG next season (as in scoring guard, not shooting guard), or does he go overseas?

The first sentence makes zero sense based on the rest of the post. As far as Briscoe, he improved his free-throw shooting like 50 percent over the summer. He's got a lot of work to do on his shot. What I'm saying is that he's and elite defender and finisher. If can become anywhere near an average shooter in the next THREE years, he'll be an easy first rounder.

 

[Jack Hall]

I didn't say they were great nor did I say there weren't any question marks. Just saying your analysis is off on all three imo.


The first sentence makes zero sense based on the rest of the post. As far as Briscoe, he improved his free-throw shooting like 50 percent over the summer. He's got a lot of work to do on his shot. What I'm saying is that he's an elite defender and finisher. If can become anywhere near an average shooter in the next THREE years, he'll be an easy first rounder.

Elite defender? Did you watch their iu loss, absolutely nothing about his D was elite in that key tourney game. Not convinced anything has changed this year. They beat a plummeting msu team, not overly impressed. Lets watch the whole season. Kid needs to lose some weight

 

[%man]

Elite defender? Did you watch their iu loss, absolutely nothing about his D was elite in that key tourney game. Not convinced anything has changed this year. They beat a plummeting msu team, not overly impressed. Lets watch the whole season. Kid needs to lose some weight

Whoa there. I said nothing about UK's success this year. And yes, most coaches and analysts believe he's an elite defender.