The Problem is D......

[newmexicuse]

No question that this season is beyond repair with just a lineup change, but just for jollies what would be our best Zone D lineup ?

C - Coleman - no free layups - foul em hard if they come to the rack

F - Roberson - Best athlete on the team & best energy guy when he turns it on

F - White, Lydon, Thompson - no answers from this group. Maybe Lydon since he is the best rebounder & shot blocker even though he can't get out to the trey line.

Gs - Again, not much in the way of answers here from amongst Gillon, Howard, and Battle. I would probably go with Gillon and Battle. At least Gillon is sometimes able to use his speed to get into passing lanes (not often enough) & he showed he could play DB with his breakup of that long BC pass. Battle v Howard, I go with Battle only because he might have more upside as he develops & all things being equal on D he is the better O player.

Just for even more jollies, what would be our best man D lineup ?

Gotta opt for speed and athleticism, so I would go with:

C - Lydon - he would be our best off ball shotblocker on the frequent occasions when the other four get taken off the dribble.

F - Roberson

F - Battle - more athletic than Thompson or White

G - Gillon

G - Howard

So, big problem is that either of those lineups leaves two of our three best o players (White & Thompson) on the bench. Now, I am not pretending that either of these d oriented lineups is the answer, as I am of the opinion that we do not have an answer this season.

Both of these lineups would be offensively challenged, and neither represents a magic elixir on D. There would not be enough O to go around with either of these lineups, but maybe these D oriented lineups could be used for a few minutes here and there, just as a try to stop the bleeding approach, because I fear that there will be a lot of bleeding still to come.

 

[Forloveoforange]

Like you point out, too many that are good at one, and bad at the other. I guess its still the same problem we've had for a while. Like centers that couldn't score... As much as we were excited about this team, I think Chukwu was a fairly large part of our hopes, and that of course didn't turn out like we dreamed either, right from the start.

 

[FireballPhil]

I don't believe the problem is all D. Not even close. If our O was good, we could at least stay with teams by trading baskets but that isn't happening. Our D is bad because people are simply running to spots and then staying there...not reacting. Not closing out. Not extending the zone when the other team is on fire from deep. They are setting up a couple feet inside the 3 pt line and staying there unless someone looks like they are going to shoot the ball then they try to close but it is always to late. Never any chance to intercept the pass for a steal and layup. The zone is based on man to man principles but they simply forget that part of it. Will they ever wake up? I don't know, but all we can do is hope for it, while doubting so you don't get even more disappointed if they don't.

 

[Ghost]

I don't believe the problem is all D. Not even close. If our O was good, we could at least stay with teams by trading baskets but that isn't happening. Our D is bad because people are simply running to spots and then staying there...not reacting. Not closing out. Not extending the zone when the other team is on fire from deep. They are setting up a couple feet inside the 3 pt line and staying there unless someone looks like they are going to shoot the ball then they try to close but it is always to late. Never any chance to intercept the pass for a steal and layup. The zone is based on man to man principles but they simply forget that part of it. Will they ever wake up? I don't know, but all we can do is hope for it, while doubting so you don't get even more disappointed if they don't.

lol...this line describes our D perfectly.

"people are simply running to spots and then staying there..." It's amazing how often I see people way out of position just standing there until the guy gets the ball where they're supposed to be and then they start to react. Well, sometimes they don't react at all - they just point.

 

[SaltLakeOrange]

I don't believe the problem is all D. Not even close. If our O was good, we could at least stay with teams by trading baskets but that isn't happening. Our D is bad because people are simply running to spots and then staying there...not reacting. Not closing out. Not extending the zone when the other team is on fire from deep. They are setting up a couple feet inside the 3 pt line and staying there unless someone looks like they are going to shoot the ball then they try to close but it is always to late. Never any chance to intercept the pass for a steal and layup. The zone is based on man to man principles but they simply forget that part of it. Will they ever wake up? I don't know, but all we can do is hope for it, while doubting so you don't get even more disappointed if they don't.

D isn't the problem??? We just gave up 94 points to Boston College. I'd say defense is definitely the problem...these kids can't play it. We're doomed and I don't think we'll win one conference game...