RC and MC-W

[AirForceOrange]

Is it me or do they seem to have two completely different attitudes on the court?

MCW seems like he tries to make every minute that he is in count and plays his heart out when he is in. I see him getting involved in the celebrations and really cheering/supporting his teammates.

Rakeem Christmas almost seems like he is unhappy when in as he knows it won't be for long. I know every player wants to play, but he had to have known that as freshman on this team, he was not going to get a lot of playing time. Almost, kind of similiar attitude that Dion had last year? Even one of the commentators on ESPN 3 mentioned this last night.

 

[Knicks411]

I was thinking, that if Fab and Dion are gone next year, you MCW and Rakeem may be the Fab and Dion of next year. Highly touted freshmen, didn't get a lot of run as freshmen, who then are much better players the next year.

 

[armory]

@ Rak. This dates back to HS and all throughout his recruitment ... his #1 weakness has always been his effort.

 

[AirForceOrange]

@ Rak. This dates back to HS and all throughout his recruitment ... his #1 weakness has always been his effort.

Which is probably why even though Rak starts, MCW typically ends up with more playing time. That steal from the inbounds pass that MCW had last night is a perfect example of him putting max effort whenever he is in. Rak, to me, just seems to go through the motions, with not much emotion. Not trying to talk bad about him, just some observations from the games.

 

[jordoo]

Sometimes guys just have a look about them that makes you think that. I have yet to see Rak actually loafing it or not trying out there. Sure he makes plenty of mistakes but he is always running up and down the court, going after rebounds and contesting shots. He runs very smoothly for a big guy with long limbs which almost makes it look like he is jogging. I'm not sold that he isn't putting forth effert when he is out their. I do feel that he needs to be much more physical and aproach his play with a much more consistantly tough demienor but a vast majority of college players experiance that as freshman.

 

[dasher]

Rak honestly thought he was a one and done.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

This is why JB starts RAK. It would kill this kid's ego not to start. I'm not sure the quick hooks help either, but...I guess JB has to pick his poison. Rak's upside looks to me to be a more athletic Rick Jackson.

 

[AirForceOrange]

Sometimes guys just have a look about them that makes you think that. I have yet to see Rak actually loafing it or not trying out there. Sure he makes plenty of mistakes but he is always running up and down the court, going after rebounds and contesting shots. He runs very smoothly for a big guy with long limbs which almost makes it look like he is jogging. I'm not sold that he isn't putting forth effert when he is out their. I do feel that he needs to be much more physical and aproach his play with a much more consistantly tough demienor but a vast majority of college players experiance that as freshman.

It's not necessarily his effort I am referring to, as much it is his expressions and body language. He just doesn't seem like he is enjoying his time when out there, unlike MCW who does. Not saying he should have a smile on his face all the time, but he just seems to give off this perception that he is not having fun and not completly happy. Could be me, and I made this thread wondering if anyone agreed or disagreed.

 

[Dick_in_MI]

Is it me or do they seem to have two completely different attitudes on the court?

MCW seems like he tries to make every minute that he is in count and plays his heart out when he is in. I see him getting involved in the celebrations and really cheering/supporting his teammates.

Rakeem Christmas almost seems like he is unhappy when in as he knows it won't be for long. I know every player wants to play, but he had to have known that as freshman on this team, he was not going to get a lot of playing time. Almost, kind of similiar attitude that Dion had last year? Even one of the commentators on ESPN 3 mentioned this last night.

I thought I read something awhile back that Rak felt he needed to keep his game face on all the time. He is starting because perhaps JB knows that in order to win it all, we need Rak to make some strides. He has made some progress albeit small.

As for MCW, he is clearly very popular with his teammates and the upperclassmen go nuts when he makes a big play

 

[jordoo]

It's not necessarily his effort I am referring to, as much it is his expressions and body language. He just doesn't seem like he is enjoying his time when out there, unlike MCW who does. Not saying he should have a smile on his face all the time, but he just seems to give off this perception that he is not having fun and not completly happy. Could be me, and I made this thread wondering if anyone agreed or disagreed.

I agree 100% that that is the perception he gives off. I don't know if that is the case however. I'm sure he would like to be pl;aying more minutes and being a bigger contributor but I also feel like he is just one of those Dude's that kind of has a sullen face as a default setting and perhaps doesn't show much emotion when he plays so it makes him look much more unhappy than he perhaps is. I don't see him ever being a happy go lucky guy on the court but i do feel he can be that mean streak bad ass kind of player for us. Not a dirty player but a guy who's tough and unfriendly with the competition. I'd personally love to see that.

 

[ImperialOrange]

It's not necessarily his effort I am referring to, as much it is his expressions and body language. He just doesn't seem like he is enjoying his time when out there, unlike MCW who does. Not saying he should have a smile on his face all the time, but he just seems to give off this perception that he is not having fun and not completly happy. Could be me, and I made this thread wondering if anyone agreed or disagreed.

Kind of hard to judge without knowing his demeanor off the court. Not saying you're wrong, just sayin. Maybe he's just a serious type of guy.

 

[jimsonjunction]

I agree 100% that that is the perception he gives off. I don't know if that is the case however. I'm sure he would like to be pl;aying more minutes and being a bigger contributor but I also feel like he is just one of those Dude's that kind of has a sullen face as a default setting and perhaps doesn't show much emotion when he plays so it makes him look much more unhappy than he perhaps is. I don't see him ever being a happy go lucky guy on the court but i do feel he can be that mean streak bad ass kind of player for us. Not a dirty player but a guy who's tough and unfriendly with the competition. I'd personally love to see that.

The one example that comes to mind is Rondo. I can't root for him mostly because I'm a Knicks fan, but also because he never smiles, barely talks, etc. He looks like he's not enjoying himself out there. That is probably not the case and it certainly doesn't affect his play. It's just his demeanor. Could be the same with Rak. I don't anticipate any problems.

 

[HouseOfCuse]

I don't think he is unhappy. He may be more like Triche or rick Jackson. Quiet types that don't show as much emotion.

I liked what I saw from Christmas tonight and thought he showed a lot of effort. Guy looked good early and JB even kept him in longer than usual. When fair came in early in the game JB actual took out Joseph and not Christmas which shocked me. So JB liked what he saw which tells me something.

Liked that dunk he had at the end of the 2nd half. He let out a big scream and showed some emotion.

 

[AirForceOrange]

Kind of hard to judge without knowing his demeanor off the court. Not saying you're wrong, just sayin. Maybe he's just a serious type of guy.

True. I am not trying to say anything against his character and/or personality overall. Just perception from observations of games. This is why I made this thread to get inputs/observations from other people. Also, my perceptions are based on his games with SU, have not seen any of his high school games, so this could be his normal demeanor on the court.

 

[ImperialOrange]

I don't see him ever being a happy go lucky guy on the court but i do feel he can be that mean streak bad ass kind of player for us. Not a dirty player but a guy who's tough and unfriendly with the competition. I'd personally love to see that.

Exactly my thoughts. You want a guy that intimidates other people when they come into the lane. A guy that takes it personally when someone attacks his basket, and someone you really don't want to mix it up with for a rebound. Rak can be that player.

 

[orangenauburn]

Rakeem Christmas 14 12.8 3.9 3.1 0.1 0.4 0.7 0.9 .636 .650 .000
Baye Moussa Keita 14 11.9 3.2 2.7 0.1 0.2 1.1 0.2 .739 .688 .000
Michael Carter-Williams 13 13.5 3.0 1.9 2.8 1.1 0.5 0.8 .350 .529 .200

balanced minutes and scoring

Rak averaging 4 and 3
MCW averaging 3 pts, 2 boards, 3 assists, and a steal

nice contributions in limited minutes -- good to see they are both averaging 13 minutes a game
BMK with nice support off the bench when he spells FAB

 

[armory]

This is why JB starts RAK. It would kill this kid's ego not to start. I'm not sure the quick hooks help either, but...I guess JB has to pick his poison. Rak's upside looks to me to be a more athletic Rick Jackson.

Seemed to work out OK with Melo :noidea:

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Personally, I like when we have some big guys that look pissed off.

 

[stuckinbig11]

Is it me or do they seem to have two completely different attitudes on the court?

MCW seems like he tries to make every minute that he is in count and plays his heart out when he is in. I see him getting involved in the celebrations and really cheering/supporting his teammates.

Rakeem Christmas almost seems like he is unhappy when in as he knows it won't be for long. I know every player wants to play, but he had to have known that as freshman on this team, he was not going to get a lot of playing time. Almost, kind of similiar attitude that Dion had last year? Even one of the commentators on ESPN 3 mentioned this last night.

So you think you can judge someone's happiness or desire by the look on their face?

 

[AirForceOrange]

So you think you can judge someone's happiness or desire by the look on their face?

Don't think anywhere in posts did I say judge...I did say perception. Also, since I am in Vegas, the only time I see the team is during games, so that is all I have to base my perceptions of all the players. Also, I believe I have stated in posts above that I started this thread to get other people's opnions/perceptions as I know that the times I have to oberve the team are much more limited than people who live in Syracuse. Also, I have stated that I am not trying to knock the guy, just stating what I observe and perceive. A judgement of someone is much different than a perception of them. Finally, apparently my percpetion is not too off as one of the commentators from last night mentioned this.

Again, as I have stated, this may be his normal demeanor during games. Have not seen any videos from high school days so this could be his normal demeanor on the court. In th future you may want to read all the posts in a thread before commenting in the thread, so you have all the information from all the posts.

 

[JoeSU]

I seem to recall a JB quote not long ago that Rak is too nice of a guy and needs to develop an on-court meanness to compete with the big boys in the BE.

 

[Ghost]

Rak honestly thought he was a one and done.

Didn't JB say in his interview that SWC posts on Wednesday that he thought 3 people might leave after this year - and Rak was one of them (or maybe that scouts thought he might be ready)??

 

[rstone7727]

Didn't JB say in his interview that SWC posts on Wednesday that he thought 3 people might leave after this year - and Rak was one of them (or maybe that scouts thought he might be ready)??

If Rak does leave, it won't be for the NBA, Imo, it would be to transfer. But I don't think even that would happen. Like someone else has mentioned, I think Rak seriously thought he was a one and done guy.

 

['72 Orange]

I seem to recall a JB quote not long ago that Rak is too nice of a guy and needs to develop an on-court meanness to compete with the big boys in the BE.

^^^^^This^^^^^
JB made this comment at one of his reccent pressers. Ever since I made a point to check out RAK's demeanor. With the mohawk cut and the goatee - he does a mean Mr. T imitation

 

[moqui]

I was thinking, that if Fab and Dion are gone next year, you MCW and Rakeem may be the Fab and Dion of next year. Highly touted freshmen, didn't get a lot of run as freshmen, who then are much better players the next year.

I like what I see from Rak in limited minutes, and I think he looks like the kind of guy who makes the huge sophomore year leap. I think he is going to be a stud next season.