Roster Balance Next Year...

[newmexicuse]

We really will have a less than ideal roster balance next season despite the fact that we will have plenty of talent.

Guards - I am very high on our three guards despite the fact the two of them are unproven. Problem is what if one of our three disappoints, has academic issues, injury issues, foul trouble in a given game, etc. There is NOBODY else available on our roster to play backcourt. Not sure there is still anybody out there worth a four year scholie, but I think we should bring in a serviceable JUCO who could hold down the fort for a few minutes a game or for a few games if necessary.

Three Spot - We really don't have a pure three on the roster w KJo gone. CJ, Dirty, and maybe even Jerami are 3-4 swing guys, but no vanilla threes in sight.

Four Spot - Same as above - no pure fours, but maybe Jerami, who will not get much PT is closest. In addition to the 3-4 swing guys, we also have a bunch of 4-5 swing guys - Rak, DC2, and hopefully the Big Kahuna Fish.

Five Spot - Only pure 5 is BMK & he may well get the least PT amongst the bigs. Ironically, I think amongst our returning 4-5 swing guys that BMK may be best suited for the 4 spot. Rak has shown he can't play at the 4 barring quantum improvement. Nobody really thinks DC2 is quick enough to play D in our system at the 4. Can't count on getting Noel until it actually happens. BMK would be horrible on O at the 4, but I think with his size & speed he might be a defensive terror at that spot. Also, his lack of strength would be less of a factor than in the middle. But nobody else seems to share that thought.

Anyways, we have plenty of overall talent, but Jimmy will have his work cut out to meld it all together.

 

[Orangezoo]

Good Points all around. I think that the closest guy we will have to the pure 3 is james. I also think to a degree roles will shift. Kris was the only forward this year who could use the bounce to attack the rim. With that said.. other than Dirty... we had no one that struck fear into the defense from 3. With James/Cooney as two guys who can light it up from outside.. you then have more spacing for a guy like CJ/MCW to get into the lane. MCW I think is all BE next year. Some think he has limitations.. but his game in HS was predicated on his ability to get to the rim and slash while keeping defenses honest with his outside jumper.

Offensively our best rotation will probably be DC2, CJ, Dirty, Cooney, MCW. If we get Noel.. we probably Start with Noel/Rak/CJ/Triche/MCW - with the rotation moving like it did this year seeing DC2/James/Cooney/Keita/Grant come off the bench in that order.

The big question marks will be .. How much does CJ/James improve handling the ball and does CJ become a more legitimate threat outside the arc to keep teams from sagging in. How close to a Sullinger like impact can DC2 have? Do we get Noel? Does Brandon become a bigtime scorer ( I think he does)?

The scary thing is that if we get Noel.. we have UK like talent coming next year. We can use DC2/Fair and maybe Rak... to attack the post.. and we have MCW - who is one of the best guys we had even this year feeding the post.

With MCW - the question will be like with Fab this year.. how long can we go without him on the court. Will Triche/Cooney be viable or will it be MCW/(triche or cooney) most of the time for us to be successful? I do have concern about not having guard depth.. really wish Reese (even though truly a walkon) was coming back as we would have a ball handler in a jam. Can Cooney run the point in a jam and put a swing forward at the 2? Scary proposition NMC I agree.. one more guy to provide insurance at G and then Noel would give this team some serious wow factor.

 

[newmexicuse]

Good Points all around. I think that the closest guy we will have to the pure 3 is james. I also think to a degree roles will shift. Kris was the only forward this year who could use the bounce to attack the rim. With that said.. other than Dirty... we had no one that struck fear into the defense from 3. With James/Cooney as two guys who can light it up from outside.. you then have more spacing for a guy like CJ/MCW to get into the lane. MCW I think is all BE next year. Some think he has limitations.. but his game in HS was predicated on his ability to get to the rim and slash while keeping defenses honest with his outside jumper.

Offensively our best rotation will probably be DC2, CJ, Dirty, Cooney, MCW. If we get Noel.. we probably Start with Noel/Rak/CJ/Triche/MCW - with the rotation moving like it did this year seeing DC2/James/Cooney/Keita/Grant come off the bench in that order.

The big question marks will be .. How much does CJ/James improve handling the ball and does CJ become a more legitimate threat outside the arc to keep teams from sagging in. How close to a Sullinger like impact can DC2 have? Do we get Noel? Does Brandon become a bigtime scorer ( I think he does)?

The scary thing is that if we get Noel.. we have UK like talent coming next year. We can use DC2/Fair and maybe Rak... to attack the post.. and we have MCW - who is one of the best guys we had even this year feeding the post.

With MCW - the question will be like with Fab this year.. how long can we go without him on the court. Will Triche/Cooney be viable or will it be MCW/(triche or cooney) most of the time for us to be successful? I do have concern about not having guard depth.. really wish Reese (even though truly a walkon) was coming back as we would have a ball handler in a jam. Can Cooney run the point in a jam and put a swing forward at the 2? Scary proposition NMC I agree.. one more guy to provide insurance at G and then Noel would give this team some serious wow factor.

Agree with most of what you say. Brandon will have to be the man in the backcourt, and he will also have to be one of our key outside threats. As much as I think of MCW and Cooney, it is hard to imagine any team getting too far without experience in the backcourt. I have always felt that Brandon with his body and skillset should be better than he is. Next year will be his time to shine.

 

[rrlbees]

Good Points all around. I think that the closest guy we will have to the pure 3 is james. I also think to a degree roles will shift. Kris was the only forward this year who could use the bounce to attack the rim. With that said.. other than Dirty... we had no one that struck fear into the defense from 3. With James/Cooney as two guys who can light it up from outside.. you then have more spacing for a guy like CJ/MCW to get into the lane. MCW I think is all BE next year. Some think he has limitations.. but his game in HS was predicated on his ability to get to the rim and slash while keeping defenses honest with his outside jumper.

Offensively our best rotation will probably be DC2, CJ, Dirty, Cooney, MCW. If we get Noel.. we probably Start with Noel/Rak/CJ/Triche/MCW - with the rotation moving like it did this year seeing DC2/James/Cooney/Keita/Grant come off the bench in that order.

The big question marks will be .. How much does CJ/James improve handling the ball and does CJ become a more legitimate threat outside the arc to keep teams from sagging in. How close to a Sullinger like impact can DC2 have? Do we get Noel? Does Brandon become a bigtime scorer ( I think he does)?

The scary thing is that if we get Noel.. we have UK like talent coming next year. We can use DC2/Fair and maybe Rak... to attack the post.. and we have MCW - who is one of the best guys we had even this year feeding the post.

With MCW - the question will be like with Fab this year.. how long can we go without him on the court. Will Triche/Cooney be viable or will it be MCW/(triche or cooney) most of the time for us to be successful? I do have concern about not having guard depth.. really wish Reese (even though truly a walkon) was coming back as we would have a ball handler in a jam. Can Cooney run the point in a jam and put a swing forward at the 2? Scary proposition NMC I agree.. one more guy to provide insurance at G and then Noel would give this team some serious wow factor.

You discount the MPG that Triche will get. He will lead the team in MPG and PPG. You'll also see him play mostly at PG (which doesn't mean MCW won't handle the ball. This year all the guards handled it in the motion offense, didn't matter who was the "PG").

 

[orangenirvana]

Fair and Dirty are both "pure 3's."

They had to play the 4 out of necessity this season because we had no one else.

Which is another reason I like the potential of next season's team so much.

BTW - you're forgetting about Mookie, who will be our insurance at guard.

 

[RF2044]

Fair and Dirty are both "pure 3's."

They had to play the 4 out of necessity this season because we had no one else.

Which is another reason I like the potential of next season's team so much.

BTW - you're forgetting about Mookie, who will be our insurance at guard.

Agreed.

 

[bnoro]

We really will have a less than ideal roster balance next season despite the fact that we will have plenty of talent.

Guards - I am very high on our three guards despite the fact the two of them are unproven. Problem is what if one of our three disappoints, has academic issues, injury issues, foul trouble in a given game, etc. There is NOBODY else available on our roster to play backcourt. Not sure there is still anybody out there worth a four year scholie, but I think we should bring in a serviceable JUCO who could hold down the fort for a few minutes a game or for a few games if necessary.

Three Spot - We really don't have a pure three on the roster w KJo gone. CJ, Dirty, and maybe even Jerami are 3-4 swing guys, but no vanilla threes in sight.

Four Spot - Same as above - no pure fours, but maybe Jerami, who will not get much PT is closest. In addition to the 3-4 swing guys, we also have a bunch of 4-5 swing guys - Rak, DC2, and hopefully the Big Kahuna Fish.

Five Spot - Only pure 5 is BMK & he may well get the least PT amongst the bigs. Ironically, I think amongst our returning 4-5 swing guys that BMK may be best suited for the 4 spot. Rak has shown he can't play at the 4 barring quantum improvement. Nobody really thinks DC2 is quick enough to play D in our system at the 4. Can't count on getting Noel until it actually happens. BMK would be horrible on O at the 4, but I think with his size & speed he might be a defensive terror at that spot. Also, his lack of strength would be less of a factor than in the middle. But nobody else seems to share that thought.

Anyways, we have plenty of overall talent, but Jimmy will have his work cut out to meld it all together.

I love when people say "let's bring in a serviceable JUCO." Don't think there are many players that are playing JUCO basketball that can play at Syracuse.

CJ will start at the 3. South will back him up. Rak will start at the 4 (unless Noel comes here). DC will start at the 5.

 

[orangenirvana]

You discount the MPG that Triche will get. He will lead the team in MPG and PPG. You'll also see him play mostly at PG (which doesn't mean MCW won't handle the ball. This year all the guards handled it in the motion offense, didn't matter who was the "PG").

Gotta think Triche is the scoring guard, with MCW handling the point.

 

[Orangezoo]

I agree that Brandon does have to be the guy.. he also brings the pull up jumper dimension which is key. He has the ability to hit tough shots and shoot well from the outside. With the ball in his hands he should get better looks off of ball movement, when at the 2g position the question is can he make himself a factor off the ball. At times this year he floated without a purpose. He needs to be able to learn to put himself in scoring position using screens and body control. I think he can become a Go to guard and a bigtime scorer.. but is he still going to disappear at times? The OSU game was one of the most promising games I have ever seen from BT. Without it being at the start of a game or a half he just got on the attack to make an impact. I have never seen him jump in without really having had a chance to get into the flow of the game and takeover. If he can harness that .. lookout. The length of MCW/Triche at the top is really imposing. I think Triche was one of the few guys all year who consistently caused turnovers just by being long at the top and getting steals from attempted over the top entry passes.

 

[rrlbees]

Fair and Dirty are both "pure 3's."

They had to play the 4 out of necessity this season because we had no one else.

Which is another reason I like the potential of next season's team so much.

BTW - you're forgetting about Mookie, who will be our insurance at guard.

My only real concern about next year is that neither CJ nor Dirty are pure "SU 3's". I know KJo could get sloppy with his ball handling but both CJ and most particularly Dirty, have a LOT of work to do to get to even average ball handlers.

 

[rrlbees]

I agree that Brandon does have to be the guy.. he also brings the pull up jumper dimension which is key. He has the ability to hit tough shots and shoot well from the outside. With the ball in his hands he should get better looks off of ball movement, when at the 2g position the question is can he make himself a factor off the ball. At times this year he floated without a purpose. He needs to be able to learn to put himself in scoring position using screens and body control. I think he can become a Go to guard and a bigtime scorer.. but is he still going to disappear at times? The OSU game was one of the most promising games I have ever seen from BT. Without it being at the start of a game or a half he just got on the attack to make an impact. I have never seen him jump in without really having had a chance to get into the flow of the game and takeover. If he can harness that .. lookout. The length of MCW/Triche at the top is really imposing. I think Triche was one of the few guys all year who consistently caused turnovers just by being long at the top and getting steals from attempted over the top entry passes.

What you saw vs. OSU is what BT is best at, with the ball in his hands. He is not good at standing on the wing waiting for a pass that may never come. He also isn't a Rautins come around a screen type shooter, which we didn't run much of anyways.

 

[sandman525]

My only real concern about next year is that neither CJ nor Dirty are pure "SU 3's". I know KJo could get sloppy with his ball handling but both CJ and most particularly Dirty, have a LOT of work to do to get to even average ball handlers.

I agree, which is why I think the offense will rely heavily on Triche and MCW to get into the lane to make plays, and also much more of a post game than we saw this year (which was basically nonexistent).

 

[pfister1]

I think we will be more susceptible to pressure and probably not do as good a job avoiding turnovers as we did this year, but I am really looking forward to next year's team. I think it will be a big change of pace from this season and could be similarly good (probably not record wise as that will be difficult to match - but end result wise).

I really like

MCW - PG
Triche - SG these two will be somewhat interchangeable and be spelled by Cooney

Fair / Dirty - SF not sure who will start based on the way James came on at the end of the year there could be a nice battle shaping up for minutes here.

Christmas/[Noel] - PF

DC2 / Christmas - C


Without Noel I think we start DC2 at center, with Noel I think DC2 backs up Christmas at the C position and we lead the country in blocked shots.

 

[orangenirvana]

My only real concern about next year is that neither CJ nor Dirty are pure "SU 3's".

I guess that depends on what you consider a pure SU 3. Melo of course would be the prototype, but he was a freak. There haven't been many 3's under Boeheim with very good handle.

Moten - Kind of small and didn't create for himself all that much

Burgan - Good handle

Janulis - No handle

Brown - Little handle

Shumpert - No handle

Pace - Too small, more of a 2

Nichols - No handle

Harris - Had a little, thought he had a lot

WJohnson - No handle

Joseph - Eh...

Fair and Southerland certainly need to improve on their handle. But I wouldn't say they aren't pure SU 3's, simply based on history.

 

[Rocco]

In an emergency scenario, CJ or South would have to slide over to the 2. Think about the length of that zone if MCW was the PG. Smallest player would be 6'5" with long arms. Not too worried about it.

 

[armory]

I vehemently disagree.

Guards:
- We have a talented PG with spectacular vision who can penetrate, dish and score.
- The tough veteran role player.
- A gritty but fundamental lights-out shooter with a very high bball IQ

Forwards:
- A long & athletic leaper who can hit from long range, block shots & rebound.
- A more solid yet still long inside player who can block any shots near him and dunk with authority.
- A cagey lefty with an unbeatable mid-range game that can extend to the arc, and does everything well while seemingly always in the right place.
- A freshman slasher with long range that can also ignite the crowd above the rim in transition.

Centers:
- A tall lanky veteran role player with solid blocking & rebounding ability who will dive for loose balls.
- A young beastly big-bodied center with polished offensive skills and an exceptional knack for rebounds.



... unbalanced? What is missing?

 

[PhatOrange]

We really will have a less than ideal roster balance next season despite the fact that we will have plenty of talent.

Guards - I am very high on our three guards despite the fact the two of them are unproven. Problem is what if one of our three disappoints, has academic issues, injury issues, foul trouble in a given game, etc. There is NOBODY else available on our roster to play backcourt. Not sure there is still anybody out there worth a four year scholie, but I think we should bring in a serviceable JUCO who could hold down the fort for a few minutes a game or for a few games if necessary.

Three Spot - We really don't have a pure three on the roster w KJo gone. CJ, Dirty, and maybe even Jerami are 3-4 swing guys, but no vanilla threes in sight.

Four Spot - Same as above - no pure fours, but maybe Jerami, who will not get much PT is closest. In addition to the 3-4 swing guys, we also have a bunch of 4-5 swing guys - Rak, DC2, and hopefully the Big Kahuna Fish.

Five Spot - Only pure 5 is BMK & he may well get the least PT amongst the bigs. Ironically, I think amongst our returning 4-5 swing guys that BMK may be best suited for the 4 spot. Rak has shown he can't play at the 4 barring quantum improvement. Nobody really thinks DC2 is quick enough to play D in our system at the 4. Can't count on getting Noel until it actually happens. BMK would be horrible on O at the 4, but I think with his size & speed he might be a defensive terror at that spot. Also, his lack of strength would be less of a factor than in the middle. But nobody else seems to share that thought.

Anyways, we have plenty of overall talent, but Jimmy will have his work cut out to meld it all together.

4 guards is too many and 3 is not enough ? :noidea:

Why can't Coleman play the 4 on offense and the 5 on defense?

 

[rrlbees]

I guess that depends on what you consider a pure SU 3. Melo of course would be the prototype, but he was a freak. There haven't been many 3's under Boeheim with very good handle.

Moten - Kind of small and didn't create for himself all that much

Burgan - Good handle

Janulis - No handle

Brown - Little handle

Shumpert - No handle

Pace - Too small, more of a 2

Nichols - No handle

Harris - Had a little, thought he had a lot

WJohnson - No handle

Joseph - Eh...

Fair and Southerland certainly need to improve on their handle. But I wouldn't say they aren't pure SU 3's, simply based on history.

Let me put it this way, their handle is even worse than Wes or KJo. I guess what I am saying is that getting into the lane will be fully dependent upon the guards and even any ball handling against a press or at mid court could be an issue.

 

[goodroc]

I think cj is a 3 - and he has a very good handle -- what am i missing

 

[rrlbees]

I vehemently disagree.

Guards:
- We have a talented PG with spectacular vision who can penetrate, dish and score.
- The tough veteran role player.
- A gritty but fundamental lights-out shooter with a very high bball IQ

Forwards:
- A long & athletic leaper who can hit from long range, block shots & rebound.
- A more solid yet still long inside player who can block any shots near him and dunk with authority.
- A cagey lefty with an unbeatable mid-range game that can extend to the arc, and does everything well while seemingly always in the right place.
- A freshman slasher with long range that can also ignite the crowd above the rim in transition.

Centers:
- A tall lanky veteran role player with solid blocking & rebounding ability who will dive for loose balls.
- A young beastly big-bodied center with polished offensive skills and an exceptional knack for rebounds.



... unbalanced? What is missing?

your guard assessments are messed up or at the least unproven. we are pretty sure what we have in mcw, but we will only know for sure when we see him go through the grind playing 30 mpg. we think we have a great shooter in cooney, but until he does it in a game under the lights we aren't sure. and of course triche as a role player is wrong because he will be the focus of the offense next year even if you don't want him to be.

 

[djcon57]

your guard assessments are messed up or at the least unproven. we are pretty sure what we have in mcw, but we will only know for sure when we see him go through the grind playing 30 mpg. we think we have a great shooter in cooney, but until he does it in a game under the lights we aren't sure. and of course triche as a role player is wrong because he will be the focus of the offense next year even if you don't want him to be.

Agreed. I love love love MCW, but until he does it...it's all speculation.

 

[Orangezoo]

What you saw vs. OSU is what BT is best at, with the ball in his hands. He is not good at standing on the wing waiting for a pass that may never come. He also isn't a Rautins come around a screen type shooter, which we didn't run much of anyways.

This is where my concern comes in in maximizing what we have next year.. do we need MCW on the court to facilitate that balance? Or will Triche/Cooney be a combination that works. In the motion offense - we have seen things "slow" at times due to a lack of movement. Triche as you pointed out is not a curl screen kinda guy nor is he a spot up for a jumper on the wing kinda guy. I think the ability of MCW to play different roles in every game to serve the needs of the team and accompany the type of player Triche is will be key. With Cooney being still raw.. I just have concerns over Triche's ballhandling and decision making ability as the lead guard.. hence my comments about MCW being a big minute guy from a success standpoint.

On another note - Im with you Bees on the CJ/James. You could put the ball in K-Jo's hands from time to time to ease the pressure on the guards. Other than being on the wing for a jumper for James or spotting up; as well as getting CJ the ball at the foul line.. neither is a guy comfortable resetting the offense to give the guards a break. I am hopeful one of them develops a stronger handle. As good as we can be.. its maybe the first team since DNIC where we did not have SF with a decent handle.

 

[rrlbees]

I think cj is a 3 - and he has a very good handle -- what am i missing

i think cj can get to having a good handle, but when did you see him display a very good handle? when he played the 3 for kjo, he wasn't asked to handle it at all. he never started at the 3 pt line and drove to the basket like kjo did nor was he asked to handle the ball in a press. he was good at receiving a pass in the paint or at the foul line and making 1 or 2 dribbles for a shot, but that's not the same thing. a very good ball handler can create their own shot.

 

[PauliePeppas]

Cj can have a good handle but at the moment he cant even go right

 

[bnoro]

- A gritty but fundamental lights-out shooter with a very high bball IQ

Sigh... just because a player is white does not mean he's gritty. Cooney can dunk and drive. He's very athletic. He's not a 5'6'' guard that wouldn't be on the court if he didn't spend every waking hour in the gym.