We didn't get to see a whole lot of Sidibe. He did show a lot of promise in his limited game time. If he's healthy, and can stay out of foul trouble I'll be thrilled. To say that he's the best freshman center we've had in 25 years is a strange assessment. He had some great moments and a few special games, but he rarely played. Way too early to throw those kinds of accolades at him.
What I don't think you understand is that even if he was Anthony Davis coming off surgery for an inflammatory condition that can be chronic, I'd have the same opinion. It's a difficult position for the staff to be in. I believe it's unwise if we don't recruit/land a player capable of manning center position as a freshman.
I just want to win, same as you. Just because we have differing opinions on how to achieve it, doesn't mean you're right and I'm wrong, nor does it mean the opposite. It also doesn't make me negative.
The vibes I'm getting are that our bigs in this class will be Akok and Ajak. Both nice players, neither of which IMO are capable of manning the center position as freshmen.
I will be disappointed if that's the route we go, NOT because I dislike these players, but because I think we'd be leaving ourselves very vulnerable. Akok is a stretch four, and a good one. But he doesn't play center. Ajak, on the other hand, has not had a good spring or summer, and there are far better centers available. Both could be great solutions at center in a few years. Anyway...
Let's Go Orange!!!!!
Love the passion on this front and I agree with a lot of the points here. Sidibe has to be a bit of a concern at least until we see him completely healthy (or there are posters here with access to info on his medicals who know a lot more than most of us here).
Also agree that recruiting a center is a priority and it's always a bad look to strike out on a bunch of your top targets -- no idea if this is happening, but if it does, it's not great.
I'd add that JB's best teams tend to put lineups on the floor that fit well together -- a true PG, an SG that can create some offense, two long wings with some defensive aptitude and effort and a center that at a minimum can take up some space and clog up the lane. So, yes, getting a real center traditionally is an important key to us having a quality team.
However, I also think the way the game is set up, there are a few reasons to believe that perhaps we don't have to be as stringent on the positions we're recruiting. The one that jumps out to me is the corner three. Teams have made significant efforts the past couple years to overload the zone and set up that corner three, especially since most teams are putting at least three shooters on the floor at all times. The responsibility for challenging that corner three falls primarily on the center as the wing has a tough time challenging the three on the wing and recovering in time to also challenge the shooter in the corner.
As such we had Chuckwu, who improved significantly in this department over the course of the season, running at that shooter in the corner. The only issue is that the big guy isn't as mobile as you'd like in that spot and often times challenged effectively, but also took himself out of the play landing three rows deep in the stands after the challenge.
So, in theory, just having three long players in that back line, all of whom have some athleticism and can move their feet a bit, could be a solid option for us even if we do occasionally deal with getting pushed around inside by some bigs against teams like Carolina, et al.
Also, traditionally, we've played a lot of 4-on-5 offense with a JB offense that isn't the most creative in college hoops -- basic motion with a bunch of ball screens. A kid like Akok that has legitimate offensive skill playing in the center with four other solid offensive players around him could be a nice boost for us on that end.
So, again, not saying having a true center isn't an advantage and maybe even a necessity to cover matchups with traditional bigs like Carolina always seems to have. I also hope we're landing one of the centers we're going after, but I can see a lineup without a true center still being pretty effective if we're bringing in a bunch of long, talented forwards.
