Season w/Thorpe and Thompson

[l'orange]

I know it's all speculation but I'm curious what everyone thinks, how different would this season have been if Thorpe and Thompson stayed?

 

[l'orange]

Interesting timing, I just discovered this article:
What could have been with Taurean Thompson this year?

 

[Trueblue25]

Maybe the difference of a win or two. Maybe less.

Marek, Moyer, Bourama gained valuable experience this year. Trial by fire. We will be better for it.

I didnt like Taurean’s defense or approach on offense. Long term we’re better off. I didnt see enough of Thorpe to be able to touch on that. We certainly could’ve used a backup pg.

 

[Alsacs]

Thompson makes us a tournament no doubt.

He could slide between the 4 and 5.

We would have 4 offensive threats and not lost all those crap games.

 

[Bayside44]

A scoring big forward really would've made it easier for everyone else. If he was spitting the bit on D he could've sat.

3 wins at least.

 

[CusefanATL]

Frank and Tyus wouldnt have average 39.9 minutes per game if we had Geno
Oshae wouldnt have avg'd 39.9 minutes per game if we had Thompson

probably be sitting closer to 25-8

 

[rrlbees]

Probably 33-0.

 

[chugg21]

Thorpe may or may not have have swung a single game. But I think Thompson really, really changes the dynamic at the 4 where we got absolutely nothing offensively and wasn't like his defense was that unlike what we got there any way. I think you can immediately move Bona, ND and FSU over to wins and go from there.

 

[Jasoncuse]

If TT committed to playing defense, we would have been better because of the added threat on offense. We could've really used his scoring ability.

 

[RF2044]

Who knows -- but what I DO know is that both of these players really screwed the program over, as a function of how their departures occurred. We could have used both of these this year, regardless of their limitations.

That the team got to 20 wins without them speaks to what a good coaching job overall JB has done, overcoming lots of obstacles to get there.

 

[CusefanATL]

Thorpe may or may not have have swung a single game. But I think Thompson really, really changes the dynamic at the 4 where we got absolutely nothing offensively and wasn't like his defense was that unlike what we got there any way. I think you can immediately move Bona, ND and FSU over to wins and go from there.

Thorpe to me is a big game changer. He is an offensive threat and we dont have enough of them.

 

[CusefanATL]

Who knows -- but what I DO know is that both of these players really screwed the program over, as a function of how their departures occurred. We could have used both of these this year, regardless of their limitations.

That the team got to 20 wins without them speaks to what a good coaching job overall JB has done, overcoming lots of obstacles to get there.

Standing Ovation.

 

[Ajflood12]

There were so many TT threads that states he sucks on D, is a turnstyle in the middle of the zone and isn't a winner. Most here hated his game...and now he would have changed the dynamic of the team? I personally liked him but this seems to be some revisionist history.

Thompson's future

 

[djorange1989]

Who knows -- but what I DO know is that both of these players really screwed the program over, as a function of how their departures occurred. We could have used both of these this year, regardless of their limitations.

That the team got to 20 wins without them speaks to what a good coaching job overall JB has done, overcoming lots of obstacles to get there.

Are you sure JB did a good job? According to some posters coaching is our problem. Because, we have such a deep and talented roster..

 

[djorange1989]

Thorpe to me is a big game changer. He is an offensive threat and we dont have enough of them.

Yeah, we don’t know how Thorpe would have panned out but we do know there isn’t a single player on our roster who scares the opposition from the perimeter.

 

[RF2044]

Yeah, we don’t know how Thorpe would have panned out but we do know there isn’t a single player on our roster who scares the opposition from the perimeter.

Even if it was merely providing experienced backcourt depth, of which we had none after Washington's mid-season injury.

 

[cuseinseattle]

I know it's all speculation but I'm curious what everyone thinks, how different would this season have been if Thorpe and Thompson stayed?

I think Thorpe would have made more of a difference. I would have given us more flexibility and we could have gone with him and FH in the back court with TB at the 3. Then we would have had 4 guys that can score out there. I think TT was so bad defensively it would have been close to a wash.

 

[Spock344]

Let's be honest, having seen Thorpe play against lesser teams, he wouldve added little-to-no value to the ACC win total. He never really wowed me. His play wasn't demanding mins on the floor. His quick cameo v MD (the first real opp.) is a telling sign of what his ACC mins woulda been. He'd be giving the guards a few min rest. He wasn't gonna spread out the defense and open lanes for easy scores. Thompson was the unknown. Maybe a game like ND or one of the WF/GT games wouldve swung our way w/ TT in there... but for any offensive boost we'd gain, we'd lose it with his defense.

 

[Oakland]

Lydon +5 the prefect fit for what we needed, including backup center
TT +3
GT +0.5

I know it's all speculation but I'm curious what everyone thinks, how different would this season have been if Thorpe and Thompson stayed?

 

[Brian Orange]

There were so many TT threads that states he sucks on D, is a turnstyle in the middle of the zone and isn't a winner. Most here hated his game...and now he would have changed the dynamic of the team? I personally liked him but this seems to be some revisionist history.

Thompson's future

Man I love this board but you are right. There is so much revisionist history. A few months ago most people were also saying the sanctions didn't have a big impact on us. Now it's mostly the opposite.

 

[orangefog]

Beyond what these guys would have provided in games, it has to help to have enough scholarship players to go against each other in practice.

 

[cuseinseattle]

Let's be honest, having seen Thorpe play against lesser teams, he wouldve added little-to-no value to the ACC win total. He never really wowed me. His play wasn't demanding mins on the floor. His quick cameo v MD (the first real opp.) is a telling sign of what his ACC mins woulda been. He'd be giving the guards a few min rest. He wasn't gonna spread out the defense and open lanes for easy scores. Thompson was the unknown. Maybe a game like ND or one of the WF/GT games wouldve swung our way w/ TT in there... but for any offensive boost we'd gain, we'd lose it with his defense.

He had a bad ankle for the MD game. He not got totally healthy. He would have helped when he got right.

 

[supp]

We seem to be drawn to headcases or headcases are drawn to us. I'm not certain those two make us better. And besides team chemistry issues, maybe the guys that stayed don't step up in the same way if Thorpe and Thompson are around.

 

[Orangefan1]

And why doesn’t that factor into our resume? I see about at least five more wins with those guys in he lineup?

 

[CaptainJ]

People are drawing on the butterfly effect concept I mentioned in another thread that folks cant seem to fathom there. Sure chemistry could be effected, but I'm honestly not sure how much worse the passing(or lack thereof) could have been. I see a lot of mentions of the future also, but for this season it's hard to see the team not doing better with them available. Boeheim could have still Boeheimed them if needed.