Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="MikeSU02, post: 1006473, member: 60"] Great post Francis. Always appreciated. My few takes are: Cooney - My concern with him is this: If he improves his shooting consistency and ability to read screens, I think he would be best utilized as a heat check guy / super sixth man. If he wants to expand his game and improve his dribbling and ability to get into the lane, look more to rebound or be a facilitator (I know a lot of this is dependent on what JB is calling for), then I think he should still start. I just don't see him improving EVERYTHING during the off season. And to be fair, I don't think anyone outside of a very few can make that type of single off season improvement. His 3pt FG% was a very solid 38%, but that doesn't convey the impact of his streakiness and the volume of shots he would continue to take. And the larger problem, if he is to stay a starter, is that his overall FG% was at 41% (I believe). I hate knocking the kid because it's such a fire starter for this board, but he played WAY too many minutes for what he was asked to do (in a perfect world, I mean). You can't expect a kid like him to basically be Ray Allen for 30+ minutes a game. With all that said, G did himself no favors with his production this year, albeit in limited time. Rak/Chino - if DC2 does not come back, I don't think people are giving this its rightful concern. Unless I'm totally off base, if we are depending on Chino for more than 5-8 minutes a game, we are in big trouble. That is a lot of pressure on Rak to stay in the game. Ennis/Grant and the NBA - I think I see things differently than some. I don't know what these two will do, but I think Jerami should go to the NBA and I think Tyler should at least consider coming back, even though I think Ennis will be the better NBA player. Even if Jerami develops at a solid level, consistent mid-range game, more in control going to the rim and scoring while getting bumped, maybe even a true back to the basket fade away or baby hook, etc... I don't think he is ever cracking anything but the late lottery. He's a tweener at the NBA level and unless he adds a lot of weight to his frame or develops a serious 3 pt shot, he is who he is. Ennis, on the other hand, can contend to be the #1 PG overall next year and that means possibly a top five pick. That gives him more clout within the org that picks him, more endorsements, etc. Making the Jump - I really hope it's Roberson. I know Bees was high on him and I can see why. I hope he starts getting the system (or whatever it is that is holding him off the court) so that he can give us that dynamic scorer and rebounder we need. Future Recruits - I really want Bryant and Battle. Would love to get Franklin Howard as well. I want dynamic offensive players and fierce competitors. JB and Coaching Overall - I know this won't change and I know I'm pissing into the wind, but he needs to extend his bench at least by a single player and most likely, 1.5 players. You can't ask TC to run around consistently for the amount of minutes in the amount of games we play. You can't have G be the only backup guard we have. And once DJC went down, we absolutely needed another warm body in the rotation even if meant losses during the regular season. I know these are kids with TV TOs every four minutes, but that is such a meat head response that doesn't take into consideration the wear and tear over a season. Also, as others have stated, I think we need to re-calibrate to have more ball movement overall. Reduce the dependency on one or two guys and make it a priority to board and get out in transition. Overall, I feel like we end up with teams that are built for regular season success and not post-season success. It's tough to say that with our recent run, but that is how this team felt in retrospect. No dynamic scoring, limited ball movement, no bench and a defense that was good, but not elite. I'll always remember the Pitt game, the 25-0 start, the Duke game and the culmination of the career of one of my favorite players in CJ Fair, even though I never thought he fit the bill of the #1 man on offense (and his inability to make a pass once he started an offensive move drove me insane). 95% of college basketball fans out there would love to have our problems, but so goes it for fans of elite teams. You expect Final Fours, lots of wins and not to be upset by the Daytons of the world. But the best part is that there is always next year. 40-0. But I'm not putting that on a t-shirt. [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?