The starting 5 is cooked

[Jasoncuse]

I agree 100 percent. 2 games was a small sample, 3 games seems like 100 now and I’ve seen all I’ve needed to seen.

Agreed - if we're going to have a bad defensive backcourt (which we will regardless of who is playing), we might as well go with the kid that can get buckets, shoot from 3 and has a future here, not too mention has a size advantage. I'll take his mistakes over the kid that is playing a level above where he belongs. We don't run much offensively anyhow, so a "pure" PG is hardly a necessity.

 

[Orangezoo]

Agreed - if we're going to have a bad defensive backcourt (which we will regardless of who is playing), we might as well go with the kid that can get buckets, shoot from 3 and has a future here, not too mention has a size advantage. I'll take his mistakes over the kid that is playing a level above where he belongs. We don't run much offensively anyhow, so a "pure" PG is hardly a necessity.

Moore and Taylor both can defend better than Carlos at this level. Plus Moore reminds me of the type of kid that when he gets the opportunity he will take full advantage of it and really flourish. Not to mention he has no problem being unselfish as well.

You then run your offense more through the big guy. You can use Carlos as a backup with less heat on him and he might give you some really strong games and come up big in spots while he is asked to do what should have been his role day 1 as depth.

 

[Sherman20]

3 games in and the starting 5 needs an edit IMO. I see two options:

1/2 JJ
1/2 Moore
3 Bell
4 Freeman
5 Lampkin

or

1 JJ
2 Bell
3 Davis
4 Freeman
5 Lampkin

Neither option is ideal for obvious reasons. Goodness, we could really use Chance Westry right now. Do we have any other options?

I went back and watched some of the game tape of Carlos against Duke, Princeton and St John’s last season that Dean Francis put together as part of his podcast, and I have to say he’s not the same player we’re seeing so far this season. At all. I don’t know what’s going on with Carlos but he was pretty good against all three teams in the game tape. He wasn’t a star but he defended pretty well, ran the offense really well, found the open man and dished out assists, drove to the hoop and knocked down some jumpers. And hit free throws! I don’t know why he’s struggling but it’s kind of shocking how bad he’s been. hopefully our coaching staff can get him adjusted and he gets his head on straight and gets back to how he was playing last year. He should be able to at least give us 20 mpg at PG.

 

[Orangezoo]

I went back and watched some of the game tape of Carlos against Duke, Princeton and St John’s last season that Dean Francis put together as part of his podcast, and I have to say he’s not the same player we’re seeing so far this season. At all. I don’t know what’s going on with Carlos but he was pretty good against all three teams in the game tape. He wasn’t a star but he defended pretty well, ran the offense really well, found the open man and dished out assists, drove to the hoop and knocked down some jumpers. And hit free throws! I don’t know why he’s struggling but it’s kind of shocking how bad he’s been. hopefully our coaching staff can get him adjusted and he gets his head on straight and gets back to how he was playing last year. He should be able to at least give us 20 mpg at PG.

Sometimes it’s easier when the lights aren’t as bright. At Hofstra he was there 3 years and comfortable in his role. It’s a different world now with new teammates and new expectations. That is what stands out to me. He was aggressive and confident that first exhibition game controlling the game and since then he’s been very timid and acting like a guy just glad to be on the floor. Not at all the mindset you expect from a NYC guard let alone a kid who to your point has played much better in the past. This is why I have a sneaking suspicion if he comes off the bench he looks more the player we expected, albeit for fewer minutes.

 

[Sherman20]

Sometimes it’s easier when the lights aren’t as bright. At Hofstra he was there 3 years and comfortable in his role. It’s a different world now with new teammates and new expectations. That is what stands out to me. He was aggressive and confident that first exhibition game controlling the game and since then he’s been very timid and acting like a guy just glad to be on the floor. Not at all the mindset you expect from a NYC guard let alone a kid who to your point has played much better in the past. This is why I have a sneaking suspicion if he comes off the bench he looks more the player we expected, albeit for fewer minutes.

I’d definitely look at the possibly of starting Moore. I don’t disagree with that idea. But we still have to hope that Carlos gets his head on straight anr improves at least to backup level. And we have to hope that Chance can return to his pre-injury form by mid season, which is a huge question mark.

 

[5OutFred]

To echo the Choppa Moore sentiment: giving him a starting role and producing a few threes, 8-9 points a game could really open things up for this offense. We know this team desperately needs one more shooter.

Most importantly, gives JJ a lane to drive when the defense has to account for Bell + Moore on the wing.

 

[Ottoman]

I went back and watched some of the game tape of Carlos against Duke, Princeton and St John’s last season that Dean Francis put together as part of his podcast, and I have to say he’s not the same player we’re seeing so far this season. At all. I don’t know what’s going on with Carlos but he was pretty good against all three teams in the game tape. He wasn’t a star but he defended pretty well, ran the offense really well, found the open man and dished out assists, drove to the hoop and knocked down some jumpers. And hit free throws! I don’t know why he’s struggling but it’s kind of shocking how bad he’s been. hopefully our coaching staff can get him adjusted and he gets his head on straight and gets back to how he was playing last year. He should be able to at least give us 20 mpg at PG.

Interesting observations. Either he is in a major funk, or more likely, he was a good system player at Hofstra and his talents don't translate elsewhere.

 

[upperdeck]

Some kids do better when not starting as well.

Coaches see the practices and know what the kids can do. We act like they are trying to not play the best lineup. The have multiple people making the decisions.

 

[Niastri]

Ehhhhhhhhh. I'm guessing next year.

Yup, Davis has proven to be more valuable right now. Majstorovic will probably okay in about half the remaining games, when necessary, for short minutes.

 

[baggerbob]

Some kids do better when not starting as well.

Coaches see the practices and know what the kids can do. We act like they are trying to not play the best lineup. The have multiple people making the decisions.

some people are great in practice and bad in games. Others don't practice well, but when the lights turn on are amazing.

 

[Sherman20]

Interesting observations. Either he is in a major funk, or more likely, he was a good system player at Hofstra and his talents don't translate elsewhere.

I just don’t know how he could play fairly well (not a world beater or anything) against Duke at Cameron (and against St John’s and Princeton), but can’t at least be a decent, steady contributor and PG distributor at Cuse against three mid-majors with way more talent around him. He must be better than he’s showing right now. Hopefully he and the staff can figure it out.

 

[kcsu]

Moore and Taylor both can defend better than Carlos at this level. Plus Moore reminds me of the type of kid that when he gets the opportunity he will take full advantage of it and really flourish. Not to mention he has no problem being unselfish as well.

You then run your offense more through the big guy. You can use Carlos as a backup with less heat on him and he might give you some really strong games and come up big in spots while he is asked to do what should have been his role day 1 as depth.

Carlos is a nice backup. He isn't a starting ACC PG.

 

[Giants1973]

I would start Moore at 2g and JJ at PG.Hope fully chance can come back play well.

 

[Hopkins16]

I would start Moore at 2g and JJ at PG.Hope fully chance can come back play well.

I agree on starting Moore at the 2 and coach should be very hard on Bell. Pull him if he doesn't step up. He is a Junior and the most experienced player on this team. He should be an unofficial leader of this team.

I expected Chance with his unique skill set to be the glue guy and the main link in the chain. If he can't give us anything this year, I would play Choppa and Petar a lot in order to prepare them for next season.

 

[Sherman20]

I agree on starting Moore at the 2 and coach should be very hard on Bell. Pull him if he doesn't step up. He is a Junior and the most experienced player on this team. He should be an unofficial leader of this team.

I expected Chance with his unique skill set to be the glue guy and the main link in the chain. If he can't give us anything this year, I would play Choppa and Petar a lot in order to prepare them for next season.

I like Choppa a lot and he has the highest upside. But I don’t think Taylor has fully shown what he can do. He’s the best defender of the guards and was a top scorer at Georgia State. I also think he’s a better shooter than he’s shown. He, Davis and Carlos have been struggling to adjust to their new roles. Hopefully at least two of them get there.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I think all of 1) Carlos probably shouldn't be starting but expect him to continue to start, 2) Moore is our highest upside player at guard and 3) expect if we do see minutes swing away from Carlos that Taylor most likely gets a lot of them because the staff seems to like his defense, and we all know defense on this team is a problem to solve.

 

[SanDiegoCuse]

I think maybe starting Starling-Taylor-Bell-Freeman-Lampkin might be best because Taylor seems like the only guard interested in defending. I also think the more in the flow he gets the better his shot will come along. Moore as a sixth man feels ideal. Davis and Petar coming in for some toughness and energy. Carlos no more than 5-10 minutes per game, maybe Cuffe takes those minutes because of defense. Who knows about Chance? Naheem doesn't seem like he'll see much time.

 

[Sbucketball]

I think all of 1) Carlos probably shouldn't be starting but expect him to continue to start, 2) Moore is our highest upside player at guard and 3) expect if we do see minutes swing away from Carlos that Taylor most likely gets a lot of them because the staff seems to like his defense, and we all know defense on this team is a problem to solve.

I think Moore in a year or probably two can be one of the best players we've had in years. We need to invest in him with playing time, in nil, etc. and keep him here and keep him improving.

 

[Giants1973]

I think he should start now . Bench carlos

 

[cuseinseattle]

Carlos should not be playing let alone starting. JJ and Choppa with Taylor as the 3rd guard.

 

[Jake]

I know I’m piling on and beating a dead horse, but Carlos has sunk to a James Thues level of play.

For those youngins that never saw James play, his best attribute as a point guard was his ability to track down loose rebounds.

JB literally at times, and this is not an exaggeration, would tell him to bring the ball over mid court, pass the ball to anyone else, and then stand as far away from the action as possible. It was comical.

Even at that, he was a better defender than what Carlos is showing at this point.

 

[SUFan44]

I know I’m piling on and beating a dead horse, but Carlos has sunk to a James Thues level of play.

For those youngins that never saw James play, his best attribute as a point guard was his ability to track down loose rebounds.

JB literally at times, and this is not an exaggeration, would tell him to bring the ball over mid court, pass the ball to anyone else, and then stand as far away from the action as possible. It was comical.

Even at that, he was a better defender than what Carlos is showing at this point.

From James Thues to Gerry/Billy in an offseason. My kingdom for that next year...

2001-02 could have been a lot different with any sort of PG... I guess Edelin was supposed to be it.

 

[Orange315]

I would like to see a lot more of JJ, Moore, Bell, Freeman and Lampkins together. They looked good in the second OT. Also, a little OT but I've watched all 3 games multiple times and part of the reason they are getting killed on defense is because they refuse to fight over the top of screens. If you watch the condensed highlights its incredible how many times this has hurt them.

 

[Eric15]

I know I’m piling on and beating a dead horse, but Carlos has sunk to a James Thues level of play.

For those youngins that never saw James play, his best attribute as a point guard was his ability to track down loose rebounds.

JB literally at times, and this is not an exaggeration, would tell him to bring the ball over mid court, pass the ball to anyone else, and then stand as far away from the action as possible. It was comical.

Even at that, he was a better defender than what Carlos is showing at this point.

In Thues' defense he did average 5 assists, almost 3 steals per game, and was third on the 2002 team in win shares. In retrospect, it's almost surreal to think that him coming into the starting lineup mid-season was an upgrade over freshman Warrick.

I would compare Carlos more to a Ron Patterson or Kaleb Joseph.

 

[rrlbees]

Shocked (not really) that sports reference has Carlos as our best defender (although negative).