This team now has to change its identity...and Waiters must become Dwayne Wade

[orangenirvana]

With Melo, we had one of the best defenses in the nation, if not the best. That's why Melo was our most valuable player.

Without him, Syracuse is going to have to outscore teams. No longer can we "win ugly." Shutting opposing offenses down and doing just enough on offense to squeak by. This half-court offense needs to wake the once and for all...and I think they are capable of doing so.

For the offense to truly come alive, everyone has to step it up a notch. Each of our four guards are capable of scoring the basketball and/or creating offense.

Scoop - Has to be the team's true leader on and off the court. He cannot be the main scoring option, but create the offense, make his teammates better by setting them up. Be a TRUE point guard, and take and hit shots when (and only when) they are available.

Triche - Time for him to consistently be the player we have seen glimpses of over the last three years. Limit turnovers and don't force things. We need to him to shoot 40% from 3. We also need help from him on the boards - 4 rpg would be nice. That means slightly less run-outs, but it is what it is.

Waiters - He doesn't quite have to be Dwayne Wade in order for us to win the regional championship, but at least comparable. I say that because I truly think he can be that player. 20 ppg is not out of the realm of possibility for him. We need it.

Carterwilliams - Whatever minutes he receives have to be valuable. No reason he shouldn't come off the bench now for 5 mpg. He can help out as the team's 9th man.

Joseph - Needs to be the "lottery pick" Rob Murphy hyped him to be entering last season. He needs to get into the mindset that he is the man, while at the same time understand his limitations as a penetrator/dribbler. I want to see more posting up from him. He's shown he has an efficient back-to-the-basket game against players his size or smaller. And like Brandon, a 40% clip from 3-point range. We also need him to CRASH THOSE BOARDS. No less than 6 rpg from him. No more screwing around, Kris!! Your time is now!!

Fair - Needs to own the glass (7-8 rpg) and hit those mid-range jump shots. More aggresiveness would be nice - I've never seen him on the floor.

Southerland - More Dirty from the BET uconn game. He needs to hit the open threes, but also rebound and play good defense. He's capable of nailing those threes for a 45% clip - time for him to do it.

Christmas - We've seen flashes, we really have. He can't get down on himself. Just let the game come to him, do the dirty work. On defense, play strong and aggressive underneath. Don't let anyone inside. Block shots, but no needless fouls. Own the glass. On offense, set picks and keep the ball alive. No need to do anything more than that.

Keita - Oh boy. He played very well at Cinci. We need to see that Keita in every game. Come off the bench and just be aggressive, give the team some energy. Play as strong as possible on defense and please just catch the ball.

I still think we can get to the Final Four, which would be a great accomplishment. That's all I've ever wanted all season - JB's fourth regional championship. The players just have to believe in themselves and eachother and play with their heads on fire.

it - I'm still pumped. Let's do this.

 

[RF2044]

I'm not sure about changing our identity. Despite some flashy scoring, we're a team that has been built around defense all year long. Defense has helped us overcome our rebounding short comings. Defense has helped us compensate for not having a "great" half court offense or balanced inside scoring.

Here's hoping that Christmas / Keita rise to the occasion, and provide us with some toughness on the interior. The stats aren't what I'm worried about; replacing 7 and 5.5 isn't out of the realm of possibility. But I agree with you that Fab was the team's MIP. Now, they need to find a way to get it done without him.

I don't know if our two remaining bigs are up to the task, but both guys have played--this isn't a Dashonte Riley / unprepared situation. And I completely agree--some were clamoring for Southerland to play more--well, now he's going to as a key frontcourt reserve. Ditto MCW, as I envision us playing more uptempo defense to make use of our depth.

 

[orangenirvana]

I'm not sure about changing our identity. Despite some flashy scoring, we're a team that has been built around defense all year long. Defense has helped us overcome our rebounding short comings. Defense has helped us compensate for not having a "great" half court offense or balanced inside scoring.

Here's hoping that Christmas / Keita rise to the occasion, and provide us with some toughness on the interior. The stats aren't what I'm worried about; replacing 7 and 5.5 isn't out of the realm of possibility. But I agree with you that Fab was the team's MIP. Now, they need to find a way to get it done without him.

I don't know if our two remaining bigs are up to the task, but both guys have played--this isn't a Dashonte Riley / unprepared situation. And I completely agree--some were clamoring for Southerland to play more--well, now he's going to as a key frontcourt reserve. Ditto MCW, as I envision us playing more uptempo defense to make use of our depth.

Good point on the uptempo defense, but even then the defense will not be nearly as good. Which means our offense must be drastically improved.

With Melo's size, teams could barely even get the ball into the paint...and when they did, Melo would block it. Having that type of presence at the 5 makes every single player that much better on defense. Keita and Christmas cannot make up for that because they are just too small. Which means each position in the zone will have to adjust and our D as a whole just won't be nearly as proficient.

 

[longislandcuse]

I do believe that in the tourney we will score more. Teams wont be able to clutch and grab and grind the game to a halt like they did in the Big East and im most looking forward to that.

IF Scoop and KJo pick it up we will go to the Final 4. I dont know if we can beat UNC/UK without Fab but at least by that point Rak/Keita would have 4 tourney games under their belt.

With a good Scoop/KJo we have more talent than anyone in the East and can beat OSU or FSU.

 

[cusetown1]

Good point on the uptempo defense, but even then the defense will not be nearly as good. Which means our offense must be drastically improved.

With Melo's size, teams could barely even get the ball into the paint...and when they did, Melo would block it. Having that type of presence at the 5 makes every single player that much better on defense. Keita and Christmas cannot make up for that because they are just too small. Which means each position in the zone will have to adjust and our D as a whole just won't be nearly as proficient.

Melo was averaging 3 blocks a game. He was trying to block everything that went up. He was a intimidating presence but hurt our chances at rebounding by being out of position.

 

[longislandcuse]

Melo was averaging 3 blocks a game. He was trying to block everything that went up. He was a intimidating presence but hurt our chances at rebounding by being out of position.

Agreed, Rak is a better rebounder. Noone is saying this isnt a blow to us but its not like we lost Anthony Davis here, imo we still go as far as Scoop and KJo take us. Dion is still one of the best players in the tourney and Fair/Southerland can be impact players. Just have to hope against hope that the Rak vs uconn shows up this tourney.

 

[themorey]

I agree with Melo being out of position for rebounds but he did much more than just block shots. He provided intimidation. People would avoid the lane altogether or would be tentative to go to the hoop. And don't forget the charges he would draw, which were more important than his blocks because they always changed possession.

 

[cusetown1]

I do believe that in the tourney we will score more.

Teams wont be able to clutch and grab and grind the game to a halt like they did in the Big East and im most looking forward to that.


IF Scoop and KJo pick it up we will go to the Final 4. I dont know if we can beat UNC/UK without Fab but at least by that point Rak/Keita would have 4 tourney games under their belt.

With a good Scoop/KJo we have more talent than anyone in the East and can beat OSU or FSU.

Teams wont be able to clutch and grab and grind the game to a halt like they did in the Big East and im most looking forward to that.

That's another reason why this team will be better.

 

[orangenirvana]

I agree with Melo being out of position for rebounds but he did much more than just block shots. He provided intimidation. People would avoid the lane altogether or would be tentative to go to the hoop. And don't forget the charges he would draw, which were more important than his blocks because they always changed possession.

Exactly. deMelo's value cannot be measured with statistics.

 

[pfister1]

I'm not sure about changing our identity. Despite some flashy scoring, we're a team that has been built around defense all year long. Defense has helped us overcome our rebounding short comings. Defense has helped us compensate for not having a "great" half court offense or balanced inside scoring.

Here's hoping that Christmas / Keita rise to the occasion, and provide us with some toughness on the interior. The stats aren't what I'm worried about; replacing 7 and 5.5 isn't out of the realm of possibility. But I agree with you that Fab was the team's MIP. Now, they need to find a way to get it done without him.

I don't know if our two remaining bigs are up to the task, but both guys have played--this isn't a Dashonte Riley / unprepared situation. And I completely agree--some were clamoring for Southerland to play more--well, now he's going to as a key frontcourt reserve. Ditto MCW, as I envision us playing more uptempo defense to make use of our depth.

The impact of Melo's loss isn't about the the 7 pts. and 5.5 rebounds - which I think you acknowedge. If we can't replace that, we don't deserve to win.

It's about replacing his defensive presence that will be next to impossible. Without his interior presence it changes the entire complexion of this team. Yes, we've been built around defense all year long, but I don't think we can sit back and hope to continue winning off of our defense when the pieces are no longer in place to play defense at the same level that we have all season. I think we're going to need to do something else or we will see a Notre Dame or Cincy type game where an opponent comes out, runs away from us and we can't muster defensive stops to prevent it nor the offense to counter it.

Baye will not be the answer. Is it possible that Rak could give us that presence? His recruiting rankings would suggest it is a possibility, unfortunately I don't think it is a likelihood at this point in the season.

 

[EastCoast2]

Bottom line is Fab wasn't going to win or lose games for us. He hasn't done either all season long. We will win or lose games based on KJ, Scoop, and Triche.

 

[EastCoast2]

FWIW Wade shot 31.8% from 3 in 02-03

 

[EastCoast2]

SeasonGPMPGPPGFG%3FG%FT%APGRPGBPGSPG
2002-03 33 32.1 21.5 50.1 31.8 77.9 4.4 6.3 1.3 2.2
2001-02 32 29.2 17.8 48.7 34.6 69.0 3.4 6.6 1.1 2.5
Career 65 30.7 19.7 49.4 33.3 74.5 3.9 6.5 1.2 2.3
Dwyane Wade college stats... Compare if Dion played 32 mpg

edit: this formatting got screwed up, sorry

 

[JrodCuse]

Guys Rak is getting thrown into the fire. He is going to be getting 15+ minutes per game, and I really think he will be the key for us. If he can play smart, confident basketball, we can still reach the Final 4 and once you're there, who knows!

 

[ClamOtto]

Is the 5 also the leader of the defense in the zone? I've never been able to pick up on it at games or on TV, but I've read about Melo being very vocal, letting the other guys know what's happening on the floor. Rak doesn't strike me as the type to do that, so I wonder how much this affects the zone too.

 

[Millhouse]

their half court defense isn't good enough to make it very far with their half court offense. limit half courts on both sides. they need to turn it into a track meet. put southerland, christmas and keita under the basket, and hope that opponents turn into oklahoma state in 2003 that can't resist taking it to the basket. one thing keita can do is run and get in the way.

letting teams play slow with offensive rebounds slowing it down even more will just lead to bad scoop losing his mind and panicking.

 

[orangenirvana]

their half court defense isn't good enough to make it very far with their half court offense. limit half courts on both sides. they need to turn it into a track meet. put southerland, christmas and keita under the basket, and hope that opponents turn into oklahoma state in 2003 that can't resist taking it to the basket. one thing keita can do is run and get in the way.

letting teams play slow with offensive rebounds slowing it down even more will just lead to bad scoop losing his mind and panicking.

The problem is, McNeil was the key to that full-court press in 03. We don't have a shot-blocking weapon like that this season. Maybe Rak has the potential, but he hasn't done it. Keita doesn't understand his role in the press is to stay back and defend the basket. Seems like whenever we press with Keita in, it gets burned and the opposing team dunks it while Keita sprints back with his weird running style and Boeheim looking at him disgustedly.

 

[albanycuse]

http://syracusefan.com/threads/duane-waiters.21437/

 

[RF2044]

One thing I WOULD like to see Waiters do is be more of a disruptive factor defensively. Earlier in the year, he was a defensive terror--often resulting in transition scoring opportunities for himself. Would like to see more of that down the home stretch.

 

[Upstate]

http://syracusefan.com/threads/duane-waiters.21437/

I was literally about to say, "I think you mean Duane Waiters"

 

[BlueCurtain]

their half court defense isn't good enough to make it very far with their half court offense. limit half courts on both sides. they need to turn it into a track meet. put southerland, christmas and keita under the basket, and hope that opponents turn into oklahoma state in 2003 that can't resist taking it to the basket. one thing keita can do is run and get in the way.

letting teams play slow with offensive rebounds slowing it down even more will just lead to bad scoop losing his mind and panicking.

Everyone and their dog seems to recognize this, and sadly everyone is resigned to accepting that nothing is going to change.

 

[cusetown1]

The impact of Melo's loss isn't about the the 7 pts. and 5.5 rebounds - which I think you acknowedge. If we can't replace that, we don't deserve to win.

It's about replacing his defensive presence that will be next to impossible. Without his interior presence it changes the entire complexion of this team. Yes, we've been built around defense all year long, but I don't think we can sit back and hope to continue winning off of our defense when the pieces are no longer in place to play defense at the same level that we have all season. I think we're going to need to do something else or we will see a Notre Dame or Cincy type game where an opponent comes out, runs away from us and we can't muster defensive stops to prevent it nor the offense to counter it.

Baye will not be the answer. Is it possible that Rak could give us that presence? His recruiting rankings would suggest it is a possibility, unfortunately I don't think it is a likelihood at this point in the season.

Actually it's about 5pts a game. 7 minus 1 goal tend. And -1 rebounds a game. My mathematical skills came up with 6.5 missed rebounds a game from being out of position while trying to swat a shot that is already close to coming down. By these calculations we have a total of: 5 ppg, -1 rebound a game, 3 blocks and 1 charge. We can make that up.

 

[moqui]

the last thing the team needs to do is to change its identity. all it needs is for everyone to be completely focused and to play their best each and every game.

Trust the system, trust the coaches, trust each other, play with focus, do your best, that is all. The talent is good enough and the draw is favorable enough to get at least 3 victories.

 

[Millhouse]

the last thing the team needs to do is to change its identity. all it needs is for everyone to be completely focused and to play their best each and every game.

Trust the system, trust the coaches, trust each other, play with focus, do your best, that is all. The talent is good enough and the draw is favorable enough to get at least 3 victories.

their identity already changed. we don't have one of the best defensive centers in the country any more.

trust focus and keita playing half court defense doesn't get you far.

 

[orangenirvana]

the last thing the team needs to do is to change its identity. all it needs is for everyone to be completely focused and to play their best each and every game.

Trust the system, trust the coaches, trust each other, play with focus, do your best, that is all. The talent is good enough and the draw is favorable enough to get at least 3 victories.

Bottom line - the offense has to be better. Whether one calls that a change in identity or not doesn't matter. This team can no longer fart around on offense with the security blanket of knowing they can just shut teams down on the defensive end. That will not work anymore.