The Talent Issue

[SWC75]

We are off to our worst start in decades and the schedule seems unforgiving and people are searching for reasons for our plight. Fran Fraschilla and Seth Greenberg have said that this is the least talented Syracuse team in decades and many commentators and fans have jumped on that bandwagon. Even Jim Boeheim has agreed to some extent: in his show last night he said: “We aren’t as talented as we have been in many years.” (I believe me meant in many of the years in which he’s coached, not that it’s been many years since we had this relatively low level of talent.) “But we’ve had teams this talented that at least made it to the NIT.”

I realize that I’m swimming against the current here but I don’t really agree. Firstly let’s define the term: “Talent” is not a measurable. If the other team has a 6-11 250 center and we have a 6-9 206 center, that’s a disadvantage but it’s not a gap in talent. Talent is your natural ability to play the game. “Skill” is a developed talent that enables you to help your team win games. Quincy Guerrier has talent but he’s an unskilled player as yet. If you have talent you have the potential, with hard work and experience, to improve and you may be able to use your talent to out-play a bigger or even a faster player. But early in your career, that will be difficult. Players with great talent may be able to be stars from the moment they show up. But a team of players who have had to develop their talents and learn to play together can still win games at this level. Duke, with Williamson and Barrett last year lost to Syracuse and didn’t make the Final Four while Texas Tech played for the national championship.

CENTERS- Bourama Sidibie is clearly a more talented player that Paschal Chukwu ever was. When he first showed up, he was widely expected to win the positon from Paschal Chukwu. His knee problems prevented him from doing that. Paschal couldn’t even catch the ball. He could use his 7-2 size to block a lot of shots and could rebound when he put his mind to it but in every game this year we’ve seen Bourama do things that Paschal could never do. JB says he’s been held back by a cold these last three games. His lack of physical stature was probably a bigger issue but I thInk Bourama will have a clearly more productive season than Paschal had last year.

Jesse Edwards is bigger than Bourama, (in terms of height and reach), and may be even more talented. Jim says that he’s not ready yet but I think we’ll see more and more of him as the season progresses and I think we’ll be impressed. He’s already shown some deft moves around the basket and is clearly a better shot blocker than Bourama. He needs to continue to learn and fill out physically but I think he’ll have quite a career here.

Marek Dolezaj is clearly a talented player. The only problem is that he’s not really a center and should be a full-time forward. I still think that part of the reason Jim plays him at center is to get him on the court and allow him to play Quincy with Elijah more. He also needs to aggressively use his talents more but he’s certainly trying to do that.

I’ll take this year’s Bourama + Jesse + Marek over Paschal + last year’s Bourama + Marek.

FORWARDS – Marek has multiple skills he can use better at forward. Elijah Hughes is an NBA player and will be there next year for sure. He’s showing that he’s not just a shooter. He’s handling and passing the ball very well and his exciting dunks and blocks bring the crowd to its feet. He’s also got the best shooting range we’ve ever had here. He could probably get a little better at driving to the basket

Quincy is the one player we’ve got who can bang inside. He’s very athletic and JB says he can hit from outside, too, although we have yet to see that. But he was a perimeter player in AAU ball and didn’t play last year. I made a reference to Joe Frazier in the pool at the Superstars. That was a joke but Q does look like a great athlete learning to swim. He’s strong, athletic and talented and capable of being productive even now but he’s not a skilled player yet. When he is, watch out!

If you could combine Quincy’s body with Robert Braswell’s skills, you’d have quite a player. Braswell is stuck behind Hughes, Guerrier and Dolezaj and the fact that Jim is determined to keep his rotation at 8-9 players at the most. But no one would accuse him of not having talent. He’s a fine shooter and does everything very smoothly. I could see him emerging as a star player later in his career. He just needs a chance.

GUARDS- Buddy Boeheim proved last year he can play. He was pressing and missing early in the year, just like he is now. But when he relaxed and started making shots, he went on to a fine season. He doesn’t take it to the hole but I’ve seen him use the dribble to set up an open shot. He may not make a track team but he knows how to positon himself and play the passing lanes on defense.

No one can question that Joe Girard can shoot. He was not a point guard in high school but he’s doing a pretty good job at it at this level. He has a good assist-turnover ratio and a good handle. His big problem is getting his shot off against a big, aggressive guard. But he doesn’t let the rest of his game suffer when he isn’t scoring. In time, he’ll get better at out-maneuvering bigger defenders.

I’ve always been a Howard Washington fan his high school tapes showed an unspectacular but solid true point guard. (I’ll take solid over spectacular if that’s the choice). I was most impressed with his interviews which always used the term “we” rather than “I” and broke down his team’s games like a coach. All he needed was a blackboard. He’s clearly a steadying influence, a “coach on the floor” type and I hope he gets Goodine’s minutes going forward.

Brycen Goodine has been a huge disappointment. He has no handle and no shot and looks like the guy who gets sand kicked in his face in those old Charles Atlas ads. (At least Joe has a football player’s body).

He’s really shown me nothing so far. He has to have been better than this to have the reputation he had as a recruit. I guess I’ll have to have belief without evidence for now. Jalen Carey has been another huge disappointment. His career here may be over. But these guys were higher rated than just about all of their teammates. Nobody accused us of settling for mediocrity when they were recruited.


I believe there are players on this team who will someday play on a strong team, maybe a great one. The issue is what happens this year. They are young and thin and learning how to play the game and play with each other. The 20 game ACC schedule put together with the NIT, the ACC Big Ten Challenge and the desire to play old rivals has produced an unforgiving schedule and our streak of winning season and NCAA or even NIT hopes are looking dim. We can improve and maybe be pretty good by the end of the season but it may come too late to remember this year with any affection. But I don’t see talent as the issue.

 

[GooseMutt]

As much as I want to, I can’t drink the kool aid this year. I can’t even watch a complete game.

 

[Gotothehole]

We are off to our worst start in decades and the schedule seems unforgiving and people are searching for reasons for our plight. Fran Fraschilla and Seth Greenberg have said that this is the least talented Syracuse team in decades and many commentators and fans have jumped on that bandwagon. Even Jim Boeheim has agreed to some extent: in his show last night he said: “We aren’t as talented as we have been in many years.” (I believe me meant in many of the years in which he’s coached, not that it’s been many years since we had this relatively low level of talent.) “But we’ve had teams this talented that at least made it to the NIT.”

I realize that I’m swimming against the current here but I don’t really agree. Firstly let’s define the term: “Talent” is not a measurable. If the other team has a 6-11 250 center and we have a 6-9 206 center, that’s a disadvantage but it’s not a gap in talent. Talent is your natural ability to play the game. “Skill” is a developed talent that enables you to help your team win games. Quincy Guerrier has talent but he’s an unskilled player as yet. If you have talent you have the potential, with hard work and experience, to improve and you may be able to use your talent to out-play a bigger or even a faster player. But early in your career, that will be difficult. Players with great talent may be able to be stars from the moment they show up. But a team of players who have had to develop their talents and learn to play together can still win games at this level. Duke, with Williamson and Barrett last year lost to Syracuse and didn’t make the Final Four while Texas Tech played for the national championship.

CENTERS- Bourama Sidibie is clearly a more talented player that Paschal Chukwu ever was. When he first showed up, he was widely expected to win the positon from Paschal Chukwu. His knee problems prevented him from doing that. Paschal couldn’t even catch the ball. He could use his 7-2 size to block a lot of shots and could rebound when he put his mind to it but in every game this year we’ve seen Bourama do things that Paschal could never do. JB says he’s been held back by a cold these last three games. His lack of physical stature was probably a bigger issue but I thInk Bourama will have a clearly more productive season than Paschal had last year.

Jesse Edwards is bigger than Bourama, (in terms of height and reach), and may be even more talented. Jim says that he’s not ready yet but I think we’ll see more and more of him as the season progresses and I think we’ll be impressed. He’s already shown some deft moves around the basket and is clearly a better shot blocker than Bourama. He needs to continue to learn and fill out physically but I think he’ll have quite a career here.

Marek Dolezaj is clearly a talented player. The only problem is that he’s not really a center and should be a full-time forward. I still think that part of the reason Jim plays him at center is to get him on the court and allow him to play Quincy with Elijah more. He also needs to aggressively use his talents more but he’s certainly trying to do that.

I’ll take this year’s Bourama + Jesse + Marek over Paschal + last year’s Bourama + Marek.

FORWARDS – Marek has multiple skills he can use better at forward. Elijah Hughes is an NBA player and will be there next year for sure. He’s showing that he’s not just a shooter. He’s handling and passing the ball very well and his exciting dunks and blocks bring the crowd to its feet. He’s also got the best shooting range we’ve ever had here. He could probably get a little better at driving to the basket

Quincy is the one player we’ve got who can bang inside. He’s very athletic and JB says he can hit from outside, too, although we have yet to see that. But he was a perimeter player in AAU ball and didn’t play last year. I made a reference to Joe Frazier in the pool at the Superstars. That was a joke but Q does look like a great athlete learning to swim. He’s strong, athletic and talented and capable of being productive even now but he’s not a skilled player yet. When he is, watch out!

If you could combine Quincy’s body with Robert Braswell’s skills, you’d have quite a player. Braswell is stuck behind Hughes, Guerrier and Dolezaj and the fact that Jim is determined to keep his rotation at 8-9 players at the most. But no one would accuse him of not having talent. He’s a fine shooter and does everything very smoothly. I could see him emerging as a star player later in his career. He just needs a chance.

GUARDS- Buddy Boeheim proved last year he can play. He was pressing and missing early in the year, just like he is now. But when he relaxed and started making shots, he went on to a fine season. He doesn’t take it to the hole but I’ve seen him use the dribble to set up an open shot. He may not make a track team but he knows how to positon himself and play the passing lanes on defense.

No one can question that Joe Girard can shoot. He was not a point guard in high school but he’s doing a pretty good job at it at this level. He has a good assist-turnover ratio and a good handle. His big problem is getting his shot off against a big, aggressive guard. But he doesn’t let the rest of his game suffer when he isn’t scoring. In time, he’ll get better at out-maneuvering bigger defenders.

I’ve always been a Howard Washington fan his high school tapes showed an unspectacular but solid true point guard. (I’ll take solid over spectacular if that’s the choice). I was most impressed with his interviews which always used the term “we” rather than “I” and broke down his team’s games like a coach. All he needed was a blackboard. He’s clearly a steadying influence, a “coach on the floor” type and I hope he gets Goodine’s minutes going forward.

Brycen Goodine has been a huge disappointment. He has no handle and no shot and looks like the guy who gets sand kicked in his face in those old Charles Atlas ads. (At least Joe has a football player’s body).
View attachment 173830
He’s really shown me nothing so far. He has to have been better than this to have the reputation he had as a recruit. I guess I’ll have to have belief without evidence for now. Jalen Carey has been another huge disappointment. His career here may be over. But these guys were higher rated than just about all of their teammates. Nobody accused us of settling for mediocrity when they were recruited.


I believe there are players on this team who will someday play on a strong team, maybe a great one. The issue is what happens this year. They are young and thin and learning how to play the game and play with each other. The 20 game ACC schedule put together with the NIT, the ACC Big Ten Challenge and the desire to play old rivals has produced an unforgiving schedule and our streak of winning season and NCAA or even NIT hopes are looking dim. We can improve and maybe be pretty good by the end of the season but it may come too late to remember this year with any affection. But I don’t see talent as the issue.

The talent on this team is a huge issue. The roster that is now located at the west coast division should be here, but that was depending on someone keeping their word. With an average revenue stream close to $28,000,000 we are not getting our money’s worth. He needs to go no more excuses

 

[007]

Regardless of how you choose to define talent, or differentiate natural "ability" from "skill" development, many of us know "talent" when we see it. And this team is lacking. I think the last 5-6 teams have lacked real talent (relative to SU's historical standards, and relative to the top 5-6 teams in the ACC), with a few exceptions.

 

[SWC75]

Anyone care to make a player-by-player review as I did, comparing the talent level of the players to their recent predecessors?

 

[Ghost]

Anyone care to make a player-by-player review as I did, comparing the talent level of the players to their recent predecessors?

I will soon!

 

[Brooky03]

I miss Frank Howard

 

[newmexicuse]

You cannot look at talent in total isolation. Personally, I am not nearly as sold on Sid's talent as you are, but that is neither here nor there. Point is that he is an undersized center and weather or not you want to attribute the end result simply lack of size or lack of skill, etc, the net result is that in ACC terms he is unquestionably a below average player. You say Marek should play at forward, but though he has a lot of skills, he lacks the biggest skills that a forward should have, ie, the ability to finish in traffic and the ability to shoot consistently. You talk about the guards. Yes, they have shooting skills (so far only on paper and on the practice court). Joe can also handle and see the floor, but in the end you are putting two non-athletic guards on the floor at the same time. Each might thrive in a different scenario, but together it adds up to lack of chemistry and very poor roster construction. Quincy is a work in progress who I happen to be high on, but nonetheless he is work in progress. You mention Bras, I used to be very high on him, but what I see now is a lack of motor and an unwillingness to mix it up and do some dirty work. You laud Howard, who deserves plaudits on many levels, but unfortunately none of those levels is having D1 athleticism. Lastly, you absolutely trash Goodine. If you want to talk raw undeveloped talent he may have as much as anybody else on the roster. He badly needs strength and he badly needs confidence.

Bottom line, this is not only a sub-talented group, but it is also comprised of weak undersized players who do not particularly compliment each other. As hard as it is to imagine, the sum is much less than the parts.

 

[orangemass]

I miss Frank Howard

Assuming forgot sarcasm font...

 

[orangecuse]

I don't think many fans had to wait for Fraschilla and Greenberg to utter those comments relative to acknowledging our lack of talent. Syracuse fans are quite knowledgeable in general about hoops, and with double digit losses that will now be 6 consecutive years in a row, along with middle of pack .500 type conference regular season records is simply consistent with our new normal of a wash, rinse, and repeat cycle that isn't changing any time soon. So, I think many fans were already on that "bandwagon" and the last three games have just been the cherry on top.

At least you'll have company "swimming against the current" along with our hoop team.

 

[Ghost]

CENTERS- Bourama Sidibe is a back-up...I guess he'd be fine in that role.

Jesse Edwards is tall and skinny. I guess he could end up being good. Will be interesting to see how he develops.

FORWARDS – Marek has multiple skills he can use. None are really all that standout, but would be a fine backup, utility player.

Elijah Hughes is great! Glad we have one guy we recruited and developed....oh, nm, transferred in.

Quincy is fine. He's young, serviceable, and provides a live body at this point and seems to put in good effort. Good enough for me - intriguing enough, and sort of excited to see where he ends up, although I remain unclear on his ceiling.

Braswell seems just spazzy enough to make a difference if he could shoot consistently. Long. Not sure how to assess yet.

GUARDS- Buddy Boeheim proved he could be a role player last year. He can shoot. I wouldn't equate that to being much a player. It's a role we should always have filled, and often haven't, but it's no more than that. Slow, slow, too slow and lame on defense.

Joe Girard can shoot. Eh, complimentary piece, who, like Buddy has the game to play right away as most of the fundamentals are there, and will likely always dominate some mid-majors, but that doesn't' mean he should be starting at this point in his career. How did that happen?

Howard Washington is fine, a super-amazing walk-on type talent, or maybe just a four year guy taking up the last scholarship. Slow, unspectacular, but fundamentally sound I suppose. I guess could eat up minutes, but offers up little, perhaps he could offer a bit more than I think, but not really seeing it.

Brycen Goodine is tough. I can't get a good read.

Jalen Carey should have gotten "the Buddy" treatment at some point last season when the point guard duties became too much, but his defense, and athleticism are likely needed on this squad. Should have made Buddy try to play PG all last year, and Jalen have one task to do well to earn minutes...we'd be better off now, and last year it likely would have made no difference.

We could likely survive with any 2 of these guys starting now, and Eli, if the other two guys were actually ACC starter level quality...alas, we don't. We have a whole bunch of, "they seem okay," type players, who, when pieced together as starters, cannot be okay as they lack A LOT in LOTS of areas.

We stacked the deck with back-up quality guys! Could be a great strategy if we get starter quality guys at some point...…...

 

[Wrinkle]

I don't think Sidibe is more talented than anyone. He's quite possibly the worst center we've ever had to play major minutes. Chukwu, for all his horrific offense, was at least capable of dominant defensive sequences.

 

[FireballPhil]

I have been contemplating a similar post, but you did it far more eloquently than I could have. I would like to add on something everyone knows but twists around. The team took a trip to Italy because in JB's words-this team is going to need all the experience it can get because it is going to take some time for them to this good. The teams in Italy were supposed to be among the best in the country but they were no competition for us at all. This may have been great for their confidence and team building, but without any pressure, they really didn't get any better. Add in the fact a couple of the guys couldn't even play there makes the trip more of a waste of time than productive, but still fun for them and glad they got to go.

So we entered the season with high hopes, even though everyone knew it was going to be a very young team. But didn't 2003 show it was okay for a team to be young? At the same time, the last few years have taken a grind on all of us, as we have watched our team slog through the season. Even in the wins, although we were happy, there not the fluid game we all wanted to see, and now the performance so far this year has exasperated it. We have beaten the teams we should have this year, and lost to those we all knew were going to be hard for this young group of kids going up against the more experienced teams. Sure we all wanted the "W", or at least to look a lot more competitive than we were-for me especially the Iowa game since I live 90 minutes from their campus and my triplets were born in the hospital there. Yet through it all it isn't quite asa bad as we perceive it to be.

Our defense over all has kept us in games. We have kept opponents scoring low enough-most with opponents scoring in the 70's or under. That makes games very winnable provided we have even decent scoring.

Yet offense continues to be a struggle. Over the past few years it has always been the offense that drags us down. ISO offense rarely works, especially at this level, and the good teams we have faced this year have been good enough to disrupt our learning curve and probably even set us back. Not being able to run the plays we want because of a higher caliber defense is no way to gel as a team and get everyone on the same page. But we have lost faith because of the struggles of the last few years offensive style. This year we actually have some shooters at multiple positions, how long before everything finally comes together?

There are definitely some players that are better than others, but if we are truly looking we would understand there are thousands of kids who want to play college ball then on to the NBA. Every team has those players not 5 star rated who are awesome, and we have had a few of them ourselves. Indeed even this year, Girard has the looks of being one of those players. Overall the talent level per team is pretty equal, and has been trending this way for many years. Mid major programs have become so successful for this fact-they take the good kids that aren't five stars and turn them into solid players-the way college is supposed to be designed for. But the one and done era has diminished this and the Kentucky and Duke programs show that 5 star guys can win-yet they also show how because of their youth it is extremely difficult to win championships with.

So what do we look forward to? Hopefully the team improves,gels, gets a cohesive offense that frees our shooters up to do what they do best-put the ball in the hoop. Although I think the NCAA is a huge long shot, I would be okay if we can get it together enough to get in the NIT and even more important to me-continue the winning streak. Don't give up on the kids, support them. They are playing for us, trying every day to improve and win. Don't let your frustration over the way JB has handled the program the last few years detract from your support for these kids. Debate JB all you want but please don't take it out on the players. They are doing all they can to ensure your ego doesn't get to bruised.

 

[FireballPhil]

I don't think Sidibe is more talented than anyone. He's quite possibly the worst center we've ever had to play major minutes. Chukwu, for all his horrific offense, was at least capable of dominant defensive sequences.

This same quote has been used through out the years over various centers. I remember the same comments being made against Forth and Chukwu specifically, and others as well. Many centers were disparaged in their first few years but gave great senior year performances-there are many examples of this. Sidibe is a good but undersized player. He will improve if we can get a better offensive flow.

 

[Wrinkle]

This same quote has been used through out the years over various centers. I remember the same comments being made against Forth and Chukwu specifically, and others as well. Many centers were disparaged in their first few years but gave great senior year performances-there are many examples of this. Sidibe is a good but undersized player. He will improve if we can get a better offensive flow.

That may well be the case. But we're talking talent, here.

 

[kuethstheman]

I don't think Sidibe is more talented than anyone. He's quite possibly the worst center we've ever had to play major minutes. Chukwu, for all his horrific offense, was at least capable of dominant defensive sequences.

Methinks this will age badly.

 

[orangecuse]

CENTERS- Bourama Sidibe is a back-up...I guess he'd be fine in that role.

Jesse Edwards is tall and skinny. I guess he could end up being good. Will be interesting to see how he develops.

FORWARDS – Marek has multiple skills he can use. None are really all that standout, but would be a fine backup, utility player.

Elijah Hughes is great! Glad we have one guy we recruited and developed...oh, nm, transferred in.

Quincy is fine. He's young, serviceable, and provides a live body at this point and seems to put in good effort. Good enough for me - intriguing enough, and sort of excited to see where he ends up, although I remain unclear on his ceiling.

Braswell seems just spazzy enough to make a difference if he could shoot consistently. Long. Not sure how to assess yet.

GUARDS- Buddy Boeheim proved he could be a role player last year. He can shoot. I wouldn't equate that to being much a player. It's a role we should always have filled, and often haven't, but it's no more than that. Slow, slow, too slow and lame on defense.

Joe Girard can shoot. Eh, complimentary piece, who, like Buddy has the game to play right away as most of the fundamentals are there, and will likely always dominate some mid-majors, but that doesn't' mean he should be starting at this point in his career. How did that happen?

Howard Washington is fine, a super-amazing walk-on type talent, or maybe just a four year guy taking up the last scholarship. Slow, unspectacular, but fundamentally sound I suppose. I guess could eat up minutes, but offers up little, perhaps he could offer a bit more than I think, but not really seeing it.

Brycen Goodine is tough. I can't get a good read.

Jalen Carey should have gotten "the Buddy" treatment at some point last season when the point guard duties became too much, but his defense, and athleticism are likely needed on this squad. Should have made Buddy try to play PG all last year, and Jalen have one task to do well to earn minutes...we'd be better off now, and last year it likely would have made no difference.

We could likely survive with any 2 of these guys starting now, and Eli, if the other two guys were actually ACC starter level quality...alas, we don't. We have a whole bunch of, "they seem okay," type players, who, when pieced together as starters, cannot be okay as they lack A LOT in LOTS of areas.

We stacked the deck with back-up quality guys! Could be a great strategy if we get starter quality guys at some point...…...

Nice!

Your post got me thinking further...about JB and stating that his guys are young and just not "ready" yet. He's been saying this for several years now. However, the only difference is when we actually had "talent" (with are 'younger' guys) in the not too distant past, his tune was that they weren't ready yet for the NBA, versus now singing a different tune of just not being ready yet against our fellow P5 opponents who are in the top 40-50-ish.

 

[tbonezone]

how many frosh contributing on the championship team ? frosh not ready ? lame excuse.

 

[SWC75]

It will be interesting to revisit this thread as the season progresses.

13 days ago we blew out a solid mid-major in Bucknell, 97-46. I think there will be nights when our shooting and passing gets going when we will look like that team. But there will be other nights when we don't. I really think this is a replay of the football season, where we finally get better but fall short of our desires. And I continue to think that there are players on this roster who will be an important part of our next really good team. But this one isn't it.

 

[Ghost]

It will be interesting to revisit this thread as the season progresses.

13 days ago we blew out a solid mid-major in Bucknell, 97-46. I think there will be nights when our shooting and passing gets going when we will look like that team. But there will be other nights when we don't. I really think this is a replay of the football season, where we finally get better but fall short of our desires. And I continue to think that there are players on this roster who will be an important part of our next really good team. But this one isn't it.

I don't know - I kinda figure we will destroy those teams. We're built to destroy them. We are them - just picking from better versions of what they get typically (with Hughes being the exception - plus some unknown upside guys). Not a formula to excel against P5 teams, but does allow us to likely throw in an upset if we get really hot from the field. Like a bad version of Iowa or Notre Dame - but lacking some of the strength they usually have inside and some of the experience they can usually throw on the court.

At least that's how I see us as comprised at the moment, and before the season, and likely down the road as well. The x-factor was always going to be if Carey could make a HUGE jump this year. Anddddd, that didn't happen.
Maybe next year it changes!

 

[UelSU]

We recruit for our defense and play guys out of position for our defense. That's my biggest grip with JB. I want a true point guard and a center with some weight. Other teams have them all over the place. It's not like we are giving up weight for scoring at the center spot.

 

[two3zone]

Anyone care to make a player-by-player review as I did, comparing the talent level of the players to their recent predecessors?

I miss Frank Howard

This is enough to show me how little talent we have.

 

[bozophobe]

A different perspective-

A few weeks ago, after a loss, both WAER commentators on the post-game show opined that even 5-star recruits would flounder or underachieve in the current system. That's the harshest statement I'd heard in decades from the media; especially from S.U. people. But they reminded me that S.U. / S.U. sports culture and the current Boeheim system are 2 different things.

Did they have a point? Maybe. Sample size is still too small. Battle didn't improve much between years 1 and 3. Seemingly. But recent non-5 star players, as many here have pointed out, haven't grown, either (figuratively and literally).

 

[miamicuse]

The x-factor was always going to be if Carey could make a HUGE jump this year. Anddddd, that didn't happen.

He did jump - off the boat!

Is he gone for good? Any word as to what is on his mind other than needing time to heal after the thumb surgery?

 

[SoBristol]

Talent is as talent does. And you have to consider both ends of the court. Chukwu did not have offensive skill, but he protected the rim and rebounded in traffic as we fought our way into the sweet 16. We don’t have anything similar this season, so we get killed inside. Just one example.