Postgame Thoughts... Duke

[chugg21]

Numbing times for Cuse fans.

Used to think you were among the most optimistic of the believers. Things must be getting rough.

 

[orangepassion]

I get motivation and all that...but that’s a pretty strong comment against them when we’ve seen plenty of guys dog it on D this year and try to score without comment

With the possible exception of Dolezaj, Guerrier has given more effort and energy than anyone on the team

 

[orangepassion]

Are you implying his son? If so, without Buddy we lose big to ND and this game we would have lost by 30.

I was. The point was about the Defensive end. Does he look like he's playing harder than Guerrier on Defense? How can he complain about giving up all those 3's in the last 2 games and then put all the Defensive blame on the forwards? It also looks really bad when you blame and bench every member of the team over the course of the year except your son when he has had his struggles.

 

[We Are Syracuse]

Holy cow. ADJW is going to have to say something here. He’s trashed every player personally but Buddy. Come on man!

It's so embarrassing... I don't even know where to start with Boeheim. It's honestly disgusting.

 

[4evaOrange]

My rankings for next coach:
4. Autry
3. Hopkins
2. Oats
1. Buddy

Uhhhh *cough cough* look no further!!

 

[Zelda Zonk]

• Quincy and Alan are more interested in offense than scoring? What about Buddy and Joe? Is this supposed to mean that the guards put forth more effort and/or are more effective? Ridiculous.

• Frank and Jesse aren't ready. Frank, sure. Even though many thought he was very talented and uber athletic, i thought he was a project. Jesse has been with us for a while. With either of them, i think it's insane that they still aren't good enough to defend, rebound, box out, and set picks. There's nothing 'next level' about any of that stuff. They don't have to score or b Draymond Green on the break. We need serviceable bigs. If JB/the staff can't get them ready, that's their fault. A critical fault. They don't even have to be a plus on O or D. Just less of a minus than we have with the Splendid Splinter being outbodied at every turn. And we need size and power to help Quincy. If Q is the second strongest player on our team, it's less of a problem than if he has to be the strongest.

• JB on the former Duke player: my god, this is stupid. Oats sticks his dumb head in about K, JB pitches a fit, and then JB doesn't learn a lesson or practice what he preaches, and sticks his own dumb head in about someone else's headache. And is too arrogant/proud to duck out, reconsider, or re-evaluate.

• This game was a demonstration of recruiting and how we as fans continue to be stupid and biased about bumping up our own guys' evaluation based on a bunch of specious rationalizations. They get 5-stars. We get 3s and 4s but say they're better except for being foreign or whatever. They're getting 5-stars and we're getting guys who didn't start for their high school teams. Big difference. And then there are those of us who continue to say such silly things as, "I trust the staff's evaluations," or "If JB wants him, I want him," or "JB gets the most out of his players." How many examples does one need to disprove this, or at least cast doubt upon it?

• I feel a bit bad for Joe. He probably came to SU thinking he'd be a backup with a chance to advance over 4 years. I dunno. Maybe he had overwhelming innate confidence and thought he'd be a star right out of the gate. Either way, he was a backup forced into a role he wasn't really ready for—not on a good team—and that backup role is probably what his ceiling should have been... on a good team.

• I still don't think Buddy has done anything wrong, ever, per JB. Haven't seen him get the business within a game, nor in media comments. Which is ridiculous. And if i were a player, would be offensive.

• Kadary is/can be really good. But, he can't play 40. It seems like he regulates his effort and pace as if he knows he has this physical limitation. I swear—i've posted on this a few times before—he has the same stamina affliction i have. Which i have yet to identify. All the signs are the same. I hope the staff is consulting the best specialists. And i hope it gets diagnosed publicly, so i can figure out my ****.

• Next year... It's hard to look forward to next year. Someone has to play center. Jesse is not going to make enough of a leap forward to be a plus. Nor Frank. We need a grad transfer for a year to bridge. A strong center, Quincy, plus Woody and Benny splitting the 3, Kadary and Buddy starting; Joe and Bobby as the 'penalty subs'—might be a bottom of the top third of the league team.

• I would suggest that JBA be converted 'back' to a 3, but which minutes does he take? I don't know what role there is for him. It was a mistake to try to make him a center.

This guy is supposed to be a banger?

 

[Scooch]

It won't happen, but I wish people would watch the actual press conferences instead of just reacting to the tweets. I just watched it and it isn't nearly as bad as the tweets make it out to be. The Bilas stuff was cringe, but not awful. The criticism of players was not over the top at all.

This is often the case. However, I wish he didn’t do a 20 minute post game where he opined about every player on the team, and chimed in yet again on a media member. It’s unnecessary.

 

[rrlbees]

It won't happen, but I wish people would watch the actual press conferences instead of just reacting to the tweets. I just watched it and it isn't nearly as bad as the tweets make it out to be. The Bilas stuff was cringe, but not awful. The criticism of players was not over the top at all.

i just watched it and it wasn’t that bad at all. Probably one of his calmer pressers.

 

[two3zone]

Per 40 minutes Q is 5th on the team in FGA.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Q struggles against bigger players. And he too often turns into them for some reason. Have to get back to him maneuvering with his positioning, footwork, rim as a defender.

But wait. Some on here think he is a future NBA early draft kid. Surely he can’t struggle against large, talented players and be an NBA sure thing.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

It is just painful to watch these other teams drain three point shots and have a coach who won't make any adjustments. 99% of the college coaches would change their defense midway through the 1st halves of the both the ND and Duke games. How about pressing some in the first half to get back into the game so the players can rest at halftime? Maybe have guys try to rebound our missed free throws? If a lineup is not working don't wait until the 10 minute mark to sub. Use more of your bench and don't talk about them not being ready to play it's almost March and you recruited them. Being so predictable along with our drop in recruiting has turned SU into a bubble team season after season. Jobs should not be guaranteed we all still need to perform!

Didn’t really notice, but did Mike Brey change his defense against SU.
Also, which of our players do you really think could guard which of Duke’s players man-man? Be honest!
Why change to a worse option? Just to say you did?

 

[CuseCPT]

I guess I'll say this for the 1000th time on this board.

It isn't really about is M2M better than zone, or can our players play better at it consistently.

It's about would forcing an opponent that is scoring at will to see different things and make different decisions when they get the ball across half court instead of allowing them to continue to execute what they clearly prepared for. It's about trying something to knock a team out of cruise control.

Is "we tried it in the first exhibition game against Lemoyne and it didn't work" really a good reason to remove the most common defense in basketball from your toolkit for 12 years?

 

[Alsacs]

I guess I'll say this for the 1000th time on this board.

It isn't really about is M2M better than zone, or can our players play better at it consistently.

It's about would forcing an opponent that is scoring at will to see different things and make different decisions when they get the ball across half court instead of allowing them to continue to execute what they clearly prepared for. It's about trying something to knock a team out of cruise control.

Is "we tried it in the first exhibition game against Lemoyne and it didn't work" really a good reason to remove the most common defense in basketball from your toolkit for 12 years?

He used to mix things up when it was getting shredded.
But as you said a exhibition game 11 years ago has given him his logic for not changing when things aren’t working.

It’s just frustrating.

 

[Chip]

Again this weeks coaches show is gonna be straight fire

JB's radio show is going to turn into The Sam Rothstein Show from Casino.

 

[Newhouser]

Kadary got most of the minutes tonight. No reason to beat a dead horse over something that wasn’t an issue tonight. We need a legit FC. Not a SG playing SF and not a SF playing center.

Couldn't agree more. Posted in game thread our frontcourt is a much bigger issue than our backcourt.

 

[Newhouser]

You know what I will side 100% with JB here.
Bilas needs to be knocked down a peg.
Bilas implied race was part of JB’s mindset.
That was a joke and needs to be corrected”.

I think both guys have massive egos and their love affair with K is the only reason this is continuing. If this was a WF or FSU kid JB wouldn't have commented to start with.

 

[Newhouser]

We don't know that he can't recruit anymore. He doesn't really try. And when Jimmy is playing the Marek role next year, and you can almost count on it, things will get really ugly. This isn't just on JB. He can't help himself. A school with a A.D. and a Chancy should put a stop to this. And there seems to be no intention to do that.

Agree and again its why for me the jury is still out on the AD. I know people are confident he has a plan - he better.

 

[Trueblue25]

Used to think you were among the most optimistic of the believers. Things must be getting rough.

I still look forward to Cuse basketball and Football.

If I’m being realistic though, our basketball program is not in a healthy spot and there’s very little to get excited about other than continuing a winning season streak that ultimately is fairly meaningless at this point.

 

[Red Holzman]

He used to mix things up when it was getting shredded.
But as you said a exhibition game 11 years ago has given him his logic for not changing when things aren’t working.

Was at that LeMoyne game: a real head-scratcher.
Debatable, but still think JB purposefully took that exhibition loss playing M2M to prove "Zone is Best" and shut everyone up.

 

[chugg21]

I still look forward to Cuse basketball and Football.

If I’m being realistic though, our basketball program is not in a healthy spot and there’s very little to get excited about other than continuing a winning season streak that ultimately is fairly meaningless at this point.

Feel the same way but arrived at this spot 2 years ago.

 

[chugg21]

Per 40 minutes Q is 5th on the team in FGA.

Yet he's complaining that the guy in 1st by a good margin isn't getting enough quality looks.

 

[AZOrange]

and the funny part of the zone is that for the last few years especially the announcers and others have stated how comfortable teams look playing against it. From a development standpoint think about that. The one thing we are supposed to do well, we do terribly. Add that to our below average fundamentals in all other aspects and you get what we have now. There is not one aspect to the game that we are good at. Even FT shooting percentage while high doesn’t help a team that can’t get to the line. Not being able to play your sole defense is inexcusable. And if the coach says that’s because the players aren’t trying that’s an indictment of the entire program.

 

[sutomcat]

Was at that LeMoyne game: a real head-scratcher.
Debatable, but still think JB purposefully took that exhibition loss playing M2M to prove "Zone is Best" and shut everyone up.

I believe the players had been pressuring him hard to play M2M (Flynn and Harris mostly if I remember correctly). He kept them in man all game, chasing after faster, lighter, much smaller players, and showed them they were not good M2M defenders.

It actually worked. The zone was much better that year.

 

[Alsacs]

I believe the players had been pressuring him hard to play M2M (Flynn and Harris mostly if I remember correctly). He kept them in man all game, chasing after faster, lighter, much smaller players, and showed them they were not good M2M defenders.

It actually worked. The zone was much better that year.

It was the 2010 team with Wes Johnson not the 2009 Flynn and Harris team that lost to Lemoyne

The 2009 team switched to man to man that season to beat Kansas in KC.
The switch sparked the comeback.
That team with Flynn and Harris was athletic enough to switch defenses frequently.

 

[721Comstock]

I believe the players had been pressuring him hard to play M2M (Flynn and Harris mostly if I remember correctly). He kept them in man all game, chasing after faster, lighter, much smaller players, and showed them they were not good M2M defenders.

It actually worked. The zone was much better that year.

That was before the 09-10 season (Lemoyne), and Flynn & Harris were both long gone.

Jonny & Paul were known to either not play the D that was called for by coach, or not play D at all.