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Message: [QUOTE="billsin01, post: 298935, member: 837"] A couple thoughts first: 1 -- good thought on a summer time post but I agree, "least afford to lose" isn't a huge thing for me b/c I think any key starter poses a pretty big potential loss in almost any year. 2 -- That so many people have Triche so high on their lists surprises me in that I think we absolutely know what we have in him and have seen who he is. If he is a more consistent spot up shooter and can quicken his release it would help but I really think he is who he is. 3 -- I'll rank 'x factors' in terms of being guys we don't know a lot about who could help with this season. [B]The givens (ranked in no particular order)[/B] [B]1) Fair[/B] -- I sorta feel like he could be an x factor if he came back a more polished scorer, but I think we can bank on him to improve his game, lead this team in minutes, contribute in a ton of ways and, in all likelihood, score 15 a game (he scored 8.5 despite dion and kj taking the bulk of the shots). [B]2) Triche[/B] -- I'd love to see him be a more consistent spot up shooter and be more consistent overall, but I agree he's a nice player and key piece of the puzzle. I just don't think we'll see more than 12-13 a game. The key will be how efficiently he does that. People keep talking about how his minutes will go up but tend not to mention that he was losing minutes b/c Scoop was a significantly better lead guard and Dion was a much more dangerous/dynamic threat on both ends. Triche is very solid but he is what he is and if he's looked to to score 17 a game, we are in trouble, IMO. [B]3) BMK[/B] -- I'd love to see him get some minutes at the 4 if DC can provide some minutes at the 5 b/c I think he'd be a nightmare defensively for teams. But ultimately he's a big guy with below-average hands, average arm-length and not a lot of heft. Really nice player for stretches but unlikely to be a 30+ mpg breakout guy. [B]4) Southerland[/B] -- I'm tempted to throw dirty into the x factor pile since he clearly has athleticism, but I think it's fine to predict improvement and a solid contribution from him and it's unlikely that he'll have a major breakout year. What might be interesting is if he can handle a few minutes here and there at the two and/or shoot more consistently. [B]5) Grant --[/B] Grant should be in the x factor role since we don't know anything about him, but I'm going to put him here b/c I think it's pretty unlikely he jumps Fair/Southerland/Xmas for a huge number of minutes in meaningful games as a true frosh. I admit I could be way off. [B]X Factors (ranked in order of most important/highest upside)[/B] [B]1) MCW --[/B] Questions about MCW handling the PG spot are unnecessary, IMO, in that he was a good player this year as a frosh and is only likely to get better. To me the question is how much better. I really see him as a guy who could be a nightmare on both ends of the floor and dynamic in the open floor/unsettled situations. Does he get there? I don't know but I think he has huge potential. [B]2) Xmas --[/B] The forgotten man, IMO, in this whole discussion. I really think he showed way more on the offensive end than anyone here expected. He uses his body well, has terrific athleticism, and even has a move or two up his sleeve. I really think he could be a guy that could potentially do one of two things -- take a giant leap forward and be a 27 mpg guy who provides some offense down low, real good rebounding and nice size in general or a guy who ends up losing minutes in key games to Southerland/Fair/DC/Keita. I'm not sure which guy we end up seeing. [B]3) Cooney --[/B] Cooney will get minutes, obviously, and the reports are certainly pretty good on him. We know nothing really about him but if he's a consistent shooter with a quick release and at least adequate on the defensive end, is there any reason to suggest he couldn't cut into triche's minutes? [B]4) DC --[/B] Needs to be in shape but I would love to have a post scoring option even if it's for 10-12 mpg. Can he do that? [/QUOTE]

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