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Message: [QUOTE="RF2044, post: 4531208, member: 40"] Correct -- and that someone is you. So let me present to you the actual facts, which even you won't be able to rationalize away -- even though I'm sure you'll try. Arinze and Rick were fantastic college players -- outstanding despite their limitations -- but the notion that they played extensive minutes together is false. [LIST] [*]Rick averaged ~26 MPG [*]Arinze averaged ~23 MPG [*]Coach Boeheim started them together at the beginning of halves, then would quickly rotate one out because: [LIST] [*]Boeheim preferred to play a versatile pair of combo forward in Wes / Kris over the big man tandem, because that was our best scoring / most dangerous lineup [*]Kris Joseph averaged more minutes than both of those players [*]Kris was also the 6th man of the year, according to one publication [*]Whichever big rotated out would be based upon a variety of factors, including: [LIST] [*]Fouls [*]Matchups [*]Whoever happened to be playing better at that given time in any given game [/LIST] [/LIST] [*]More than 50% of Rick's time in 2009-2010 came playing center, not PF where he started -- this analysis has been validated many times over the years, when this question comes up [*]Neither Rick nor Arinze could make any shots outside of the shadow of the basket [*]Neither Rick nor Arinze made nor even attempted any three point shots [*]Although both of their skill sets were slightly different, they were both basically players who scored inside with power, and didn't stray out of the paint [/LIST] So in light of all of the above, yes, SWC -- both Arinze and Rick playing in tandem clogged the lane, by definition. That was also a team that -- prior to Arinze's injury -- had perfect balance and chemistry. It was the best passing team we've had since Sherman Douglas ran the point, and the interior passing was fantastic. Them playing together wasn't a massive liability, but it occurred in limited doses because our best lineup featured both Wes / Kris at forward along with one -- not both -- of the bigs. Both of those things can simultaneously be true at the same time. But those two playing together as "twin towers" was a limited use case that occurred at the beginning of halves, with more than 50% of their respective PT being when the other player wasn't on the floor. So let's dispense with misconstrued, fallacy interpretations that we weren't good that year, or that they didn't start most games together [Arinze missed a few due to injury], or that they were completely incompatible, or that there weren't some gorgeous touch passes inside between Arinze / Rick for easy scores -- because none of that is relevant to what's being discussed, and none of that is what I'm saying. But yes, two low post players who can't score outside the shadow of the basket clog the lane. That was true 13 years ago, and it's even more true in contemporary basketball, where bigs are expected to have more versatility than in days gone by. Which is why [URL='https://syracusefan.com/posts/4528372/reactions']Irt4su[/URL] shouldn't let the nonsense I'm responding to above detract from the astute observation he made. Edwards and Brown are compatible, but some adjustments will need to be made so that we're not handcuffing Mintz's penetration. Why? Because two bigs who are chained to the paint clog the lane, if neither of them can step out and face up. Jesse and Brown can't do that, and neither could Rick / Arinze 13 years ago. [/QUOTE]

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