Postgame Thoughts… Duke

[cuseincincy]

the team has

1 PG - symir
2 SG - Joe and Buddy
4 forwards - jimmy, cole, benny, ajak
3 center - jesse, frank, sid

the starting lineup should be

PG, SG, F, F, C

i know *gasp* that would mean joe AND Buddy cant both be starters but the team needs to have a PG

i know *gasp* symir isnt the best player on the team...but he is the only point guard and point guard is a kinda important and necessary position on a BASKETBALL TEAM

As we saw last year JB has chosen his PG by height and shooting ability, not by skill set.

 

[kcsu]

What else is she going to say? This team sucks and my kids are trash? Of course not. She’s being put on the spot, on national television asked about her freaking children. But you’re right, she shouldn’t have talked about how she enjoys watching both of her kids play for their father.

Jesus some of you are so out of touch with reality it’s sad.

Julies answer is honest . Its also so indicative of whats wrong with the program. Basically losing is now ok because she, jim and the kids are all together.

 

[rrlbees]

I think Girard might be our 2nd best player this year after Jesse. Either he or Buddy.

DBPM Joe is 2nd to Jessie. OBPM Joe is 2nd to Buddy. Overall BPM Joe is 2nd to Jessie. So you’re probably right.

 

[rrlbees]

the team has

1 PG - symir
2 SG - Joe and Buddy
4 forwards - jimmy, cole, benny, ajak
3 center - jesse, frank, sid

the starting lineup should be

PG, SG, F, F, C

i know *gasp* that would mean joe AND Buddy cant both be starters but the team needs to have a PG

i know *gasp* symir isnt the best player on the team...but he is the only point guard and point guard is a kinda important and necessary position on a BASKETBALL TEAM

Yea, let’s take 1 of our 3 best players out. Brilliant.

 

[kcsu]

As we saw last year JB has chosen his PG by height and shooting ability, not by skill set.

Why and for who? Even yesterday Sy graded lower than Joe on defense. In fact Joe graded 2nd behind Jesse.

The fact is we dont have an ACC caliber starting pg on the team. Sy is better at the 1 than Joe but hes average at best. He looks good because hes being compared to Joe, not because hes good. Neither of these guys would start at the 1 for any other ACC team. Probably not for any team we have played this with the exception of maybe 2 teams.

 

[rrlbees]

For Jimmy. Start Sy. Bump down Joe and Buddy. Cole at the 4. Jesse at the 5.

I wouldn’t be completely against that. It’s better than the idiotic take to put Buddy or Joe on the bench.

 

[Hopkins16]

I wouldn’t be completely against that. It’s better than the idiotic take to put Buddy or Joe on the bench.

There are no good answers - It's just a badly composed team. Select any five and there are major deficiencies. We need to win some of the recruiting battles for highly ranked better skilled players. It's that simple. Look at what Duke has been putting on the floor, and a notch below that North Carolina. Nothing changes next year as Duke has an incredibly talented group coming in - another set of players (about 4) who are future pros, McDonald All Americans. We just can't compete with the 3 star players who are our prized recruit and the countless projects to be developed. Sadly, we've had a few big recruits recently who've decommitted (Bazley, Dior, Lands). Sorry to burst the bubble, but the so called "sneaky good" class next year is not a game changer but more of the same.

 

[baggerbob]

I’ve lost the thread on Joe, above. Relatively, on this team. He needs to play. Now, I would argue and have argued that Sy should start with Joe off the ball. Buddy to the three. Take your pick at the 4, I’d go Swider, then Jesse.

Reason being is that our D is so bad, let’s try to improve the offense just a bit more and have a more competent ball handler.

Joe is really good making the pass out of screening action and looks for Jesse.

In the bigger picture? We need to level up across the board with talent. Joe and Buddy are the worst defensive backcourt I’ve ever seen here. Our 1-4 might be the worst 1-4 ever, cumulatively.

The strategy where the Boeheims get the most shots isn’t great, as we can all see.

Is Joe good? Eh. He needs to play on this team. His PER is third, he’s crushing TS% and eFG% on this team outside of Jesse I think. His BPM is second.

DBPM he’s at 0.0 before this game. The Boeheims are -0.8. Cole at 0.2. Sy’s was bad, can’t remember it. Benny is at 0.3.

Remember, the culpability for this situation lies not with Joe, but with JB. Our offense runs through his sons. Jesse is the only thing saving us on defense.

Joe has to play, just wish he was our 2G, not PG.

Move Swider to the bench, go with 2 bigs for better defense, Frank and Jesse. Jim has done it before with Roberts and Mookie, Rick, and Arinze. Swider could come off the bench for offense.

 

[CardiacCuse]

Yea, let’s take 1 of our 3 best players out. Brilliant.

neither buddy nor joe are playing "irreplaceably"

what do you suggest? status quo for the rest of the year?

buddy is a horrorshow on defense. cant believe people dont see that. so even though he is a good scorer (when not against athleticism) he is hardly a net positive out there a lot of the time. hes also shooting 32% from 3 through 20 games...not exactly lighting it up.

joe has a 4:3 turnover ratio. not good enough for a PG. hes shooting well...which is why i would play him at SG and not PG...but his defense is dreck too.

I would lean into defense and see what happens.

that *gasp* might mean more of the bench will play and *gasp* joe and or buddy might not play as much *the horror*

 

[AZOrange]

They’re not “terrible” at all, but not elite. 26th rated in KenPom. Which is solid.

This is where statistics can be misleading. I’ve watched them 12-14 times this year. They really can’t guard anyone. I mean we were missing wide
Open looks and our offense was terrible down there!

 

[AZOrange]

Yeah, like the fact that our forwards are outclassed every night.

At times it appears we are playing 3 v 5

 

[AZOrange]

I wouldn’t be completely against that. It’s better than the idiotic take to put Buddy or Joe on the bench.

It’s fairly obvious what the lineup should be. Buddy should move to the 3. And Cole rotate with Jimmy at the 4, but that ain’t happening

 

[690West]

I'll never stop being baffled by anyone that thought this was a possibility. He had a hot streak to end last year, and a couple other hot streaks that were not that notable.

It seems clear now, but there's a little revisionist history going on here. He did not simply "have a hot streak to end last year" There are 4,000 D1 players and, for a week, he was empirically the best player in the country. It was short, for sure. That's where the hype that baffles you comes from. In the moment, it wasn't ludicrous at all.

 

[orangepassion]

The fact is we dont have an ACC caliber starting pg on the team. Sy is better at the 1 than Joe but hes average at best. He looks good because hes being compared to Joe, not because hes good. Neither of these guys would start at the 1 for any other ACC team. Probably not for any team we have played this with the exception of maybe 2 teams.

If we could combine Symir and Joe, we'd have a top flight starting PG with athletic ability and a top notch shot. Unfortunately, we aren't able to do that.

 

[cuseincincy]

It’s fairly obvious what the lineup should be. Buddy should move to the 3. And Cole rotate with Jimmy at the 4, but that ain’t happening

The fact that we've seen this lineup a few times means JB sees it too. But...he...is...so...stubborn. He just can't get away from his "best 5 players" mentality.

 

[Cuse12]

You know how we watch the CFP and Syracuse football is playing a different sport. I watched the 2nd half of UK/Auburn yesterday and got that same feeling about SU hoops.

LITERALLY YES, that is what I urge other posters to do - go watch elite teams, then you will understand the reality of this team and teams of recent. We are on a different planet then elite teams. We are so far away it is sad. But it is true. I wish I was not doom and gloom all the time, but there is a point where you have to call it what it is.

 

[AZOrange]

The fact that we've seen this lineup a few times means JB sees it too. But...he...is...so...stubborn. He just can't get away from his "best 5 players" mentality.

Exactly

 

[CardiacCuse]

the best 5 on offense

and the best 5 on defense

are not the same

of course the players who have barely played this year arent going to look great on D...it takes reps...

the starting 5 is a lot better on D now than they were in the first games...(still not good enough)

so 5 Best players...is up for debate imo

 

[721Comstock]

the best 5 on offense

and the best 5 on defense

are not the same

of course the players who have barely played this year arent going to look great on D...it takes reps...

the starting 5 is a lot better on D now than they were in the first games...(still not good enough)

so 5 Best players...is up for debate imo

Also - the best COMBO of 5 players, is different than the best 5 INDIVIDUAL players.

And THAT is the problem this season.

This isn't JB's first rodeo at being stupid about player rotations and which 5 should be on the floor together.

Our 1989-90 team may have been our most talented in program history.

Syracuse Orangemen Basketball 1989-1990

Summary of the 1989-1990 Syracuse Orangemen Basketball season, led by stars Derrick Coleman, Stephen Thompson and Billy Owens, and coached by Jim Boeheim. The team would go 26-7 and play in the NCAA Tournament.

orangehoops.org

JB insisted on playing "the best 5 players", which worked for a while, until it didn't.
He tried to shoehorn Stevie Thompson into the PG spot, which he was woefully inept at.

It wasn't until he inserted Michael Edwards at PG, that the team started rolling again.

Now clearly, this team couldn't hold that team's jockstrap.
But - Symir is like Edwards - a TRUE PG, who can unlock the team's potential on O.
(and is a far superior defender too, something this team desperately needs more of.)

You'd think The Perfesser would learn from his own mistakes.
You'd be wrong.

 

[Cuse181]

Julies answer is honest . Its also so indicative of whats wrong with the program. Basically losing is now ok because she, jim and the kids are all together.

SHE IS THIER MOTHER. Who cares what she says, it’s a freaking puff piece! If syracuse was 19-0 or 0-19 she’d say the same thing. How is this even a discussion? I swear the delusion of this fan base is getting out of hand. A mother cannot even be proud of her children doing something that less than .001% of the population has done without it erroneously signaling an acceptance of mediocrity in the program. Grow up.