Thread Title...

[dlegend44]

I am really happy that Southerland is back. The only good that came out of Dirty's absence was that Grant got a lot of PT and played very well. There has to be some way to get Grant in the game and I think it is at the 5.

Grant is long enough and athletic enough to play the back-end of the zone. He seems to have the basketball IQ to position himself appropriately and he rebounds well. On the offensive side of the ball, Grant is far more advanced than Xmas and Keita.

Southerland is critical to our team because he spaces the floor for MCW and Triche to get driving lanes. I think Grant's PT should come at the expense of our offensively challenged bigs. Once the game was in hand, I was rooting for both Keita and Xmas pick-up their 5th fouls so that JB would be forced to play Grant at the 5.

 

[WilmingtonCuse]

He would be eaten alive by a true center. Granted his IQ is high he doesn't have the physical ability IMO to be effective against a true big.

 

[thebigeast44]

If he was still playing high school ball yes. But he needs 15-25 lbs of muscle before he can compete inside at the highest level. And while he would do in a pinch if both Rak and Baye fouled out, no way in hell do I want him there more than in emergency circumstances. So many people today are clamoring for any way to get him more minutes. From this to Dirty playing at the 2 so Grant can play more 3 or 4. I love the progress he has made this year and his future potential. But let's stop making him more than he is at this point in his career.

 

[CU44SE]

Granted I was at the game so maybe it appeared differently to me but Grant was abused down low in the Pitt game. There has been a couple games this year when he wasn't strong enough or experienced enough to rotate down low when the center steps up to take the free throw line. Whenever I saw that happen, I immediately wished we had Dirty, he doesn't usually allow that to happen.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

I think the best use of Grant will be as a supersub for James and CJ. I'd love to see CJ get a few more minutes of rest and their games are complimentary.

 

[Marsh01]

Grant cannot play at the 5. I do not want to see him there just to have the 5 people have mentioned on the floor at the same time. We have 2 reliable centers and they should be (SHOULD BE) doing what is needed for us to be successful.

I really expect Rak to bounce back and have a good game against on Wednesday.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Grant cannot play at the 5. I do not want to see him there just to have the 5 people have mentioned on the floor at the same time. We have 2 reliable centers and they should be (SHOULD BE) doing what is needed for us to be successful.

I really expect Rak to bounce back and have a good game against on Wednesday.

What would you prefer given two terrible options - Grant at the 5 or that 3 guard set we had with BT playing the front line as well? I think I'll give Grant a try. He's got comparable length to BMK and they have to weigh around the same. And Grant is far more athletic. And better hands.

All that being said, I still want Rak to step it up and actually play to his talent level and BMK to play above his like he did yesterday.

 

[tee1222]

Not sure if this was mentioned yet, but as per Grant from JB: "he'll start, he'll continue to start the rest of the year".
Around 6:38

 

[HarrisonJBounel]

I there are times when JG could play at the 5, but only against smaller teams. Even more so with JS back because he is very good at providing front line help in the zone. Our other centers have not been consistent offensive threats, so this is a very viable alternative.

A front line of CJ, JG, and JS is bigger than many D1 teams. IMO, this is an option that should be held open for the right situation.

 

[Marsh01]

What would you prefer given two terrible options - Grant at the 5 or that 3 guard set we had with BT playing the front line as well? I think I'll give Grant a try. He's got comparable length to BMK and they have to weigh around the same. And Grant is far more athletic. And better hands.

All that being said, I still want Rak to step it up and actually play to his talent level and BMK to play above his like he did yesterday.

With James back we dont have to worry about the 3 guard lineup anymore unless we get into massive foul trouble.

I dont like Grant at the 5 defensively. At that spot in the zone you cant just throw a guy out there that is a better offensive option and hope that he defends and rebounds. He isnt a 5 and doesnt practice at the 5 so I dont want to see him at the 5. As soft as Rak can be and as inconsistent as BMK is they at least know how to play that spot in the zone. I dont ever want to see Grant at the 5. Just my opinion.

 

[RF2044]

If he was still playing high school ball yes. But he needs 15-25 lbs of muscle before he can compete inside at the highest level. And while he would do in a pinch if both Rak and Baye fouled out, no way in hell do I want him there more than in emergency circumstances. So many people today are clamoring for any way to get him more minutes. From this to Dirty playing at the 2 so Grant can play more 3 or 4. I love the progress he has made this year and his future potential. But let's stop making him more than he is at this point in his career.

Completely agree with the bolded statement above. I can't envision Grant handling the zone responsibilities of the 5. If we ever see that lineup, it would be completely stop-gap / emergency measure to gut out a game.

 

[Cuse_1999]

I think the best use of Grant will be as a supersub for James and CJ. I'd love to see CJ get a few more minutes of rest and their games are complimentary.

Winner! While CJ is probably our best player, he has played all but 1 minute of our last 5 games. He needs a little bit more rest so he won't gas out in March. Here's what I'd like to see for minutes
CJ - 33
Dirty - 30
Grant 17

 

[sutomcat]

I am really happy that Southerland is back. The only good that came out of Dirty's absence was that Grant got a lot of PT and played very well. There has to be some way to get Grant in the game and I think it is at the 5.

Grant is long enough and athletic enough to play the back-end of the zone. He seems to have the basketball IQ to position himself appropriately and he rebounds well. On the offensive side of the ball, Grant is far more advanced than Xmas and Keita.

Southerland is critical to our team because he spaces the floor for MCW and Triche to get driving lanes. I think Grant's PT should come at the expense of our offensively challenged bigs. Once the game was in hand, I was rooting for both Keita and Xmas pick-up their 5th fouls so that JB would be forced to play Grant at the 5.

I think in general terms, Grant is going to be more effective against man defenses and Dirty is going to be more effective against zones. Playing time will ebb and flow based on what type of defense SU is facing and how the guys are doing.

It will be very interesting to see what defense UConn plays on Wednesday. They have of course been a man team forever, but they have so little talent and depth inside that they have been forced to play some 2-3 in some conference games.

I think against Syracuse, their best chance to win is to play zone.

If Calhoun attends the game, I half expect that if the Huskies zone Syracuse, JC will pull some old school Exorcist moves, levitate over his seat, projectile vomit on the UConn bench, etc.

Must see TV.

If you go to the game, bring a Hefty garbage bag, just in case.

 

[LetMeIn]

I think the best use of Grant will be as a supersub for James and CJ. I'd love to see CJ get a few more minutes of rest and their games are complimentary.

Winner! While CJ is probably our best player, he has played all but 1 minute of our last 5 games. He needs a little bit more rest so he won't gas out in March. Here's what I'd like to see for minutes
CJ - 33
Dirty - 30
Grant 17

Spot on! I love Grant and would love to see him play 15-20 minutes a game, but putting him at the 5 would be a disservice to him. As others have pointed out he is not physically ready to handle the pounding he would take on defense, and I actually think he wouldn't be as good there offensively as people think. I think the bigger interior players would frustrate him. When he gets shots blocked it is not because he is playing below the rim but because he isn't strong enough yet to power through the larger defenders.

 

[moten21]

I love CJ. My favorite player in a while here.

But isn't the obvious answer for getting a few more minutes giving CJ a short rest a couple of times each game and get Grant in then?

You figure he gets 8 minutes or so starting instead of James, if you could get him 6-8 more resting CJ he'd get a few more situationally (fouls, James not effective, etc.) and he'd be getting a good chunk of minutes for a freshman.

I realize that with all the tv timeouts and such a guy CAN go 40 minutes, but I think ideally CJ would be equally effective at 32-34 per.

 

[Sgt Cuse]

Completely agree with the bolded statement above. I can't envision Grant handling the zone responsibilities of the 5. If we ever see that lineup, it would be completely stop-gap / emergency measure to gut out a game.

I agree with the two of you, in that you would only want to do it in emergency situations.

However, I disagree with what is being discussed as emergency situation. If you wait until Rak and BMK have fouled out, JB may have waited too long. You still want your best out at the end, and JG is not your best center. I thought JB may have pushed it against St Johns, Rak and BMK were in a bit of foul trouble there.

 

[RF2044]

I agree with the two of you, in that you would only want to do it in emergency situations.

However, I disagree with what is being discussed as emergency situation. If you wait until Rak and BMK have fouled out, JB may have waited too long. You still want your best out at the end, and JG is not your best center. I thought JB may have pushed it against St Johns, Rak and BMK were in a bit of foul trouble there.

Having two centers foul out is highly unlikely [although Villanova / St. John's game sure pushed it...].

Ultimately, when we get Coleman back we'll have some more flexibility in the pivot.

 

[SU in Hershey]

I, too, would hope we wouldn't need that lineup but it would be very exciting to see. But I think it only works with CJ at the center position in that situation. Reasons for that are that he is smarter (as far as the zone goes), stronger (to match other bigs), and he is showing himself to be a better blocker and help defender than I had seen before this year. This could work in short stretches and I think it would work well if we wanted to press, without leaving just a solitary defender in the backcourt.

 

[dlegend44]

I there are times when JG could play at the 5, but only against smaller teams. Even more so with JS back because he is very good at providing front line help in the zone. Our other centers have not been consistent offensive threats, so this is a very viable alternative.

A front line of CJ, JG, and JS is bigger than many D1 teams. IMO, this is an option that should be held open for the right situation.

My feeling is CJ, JG and JS would be bigger than most teams we would play against. I know we give up rebounding and shot blocking with JG...however the offensive skill set from those 3 playing together would be amazing!

 

[RF2044]

My feeling is CJ, JG and JS would be bigger than most teams we would play against. I know we give up rebounding and shot blocking with JG...however the offensive skill set from those 3 playing together would be amazing!

Grant falls down a lot. He just needs to get a little bit stronger, which he undoubtedly will. Wouldn't remotely surprise me to see him play at 220-225 next year--kid's got broad shoulders and a good frame to add "good" weight. Down the road, he's going to be a monster--our best 4 since Hakim.

But I think he'd give up a lot in the pivot. I agree--it would be a tough defensive matchup for other teams, but I don't think having JG play in the post this year defensively is ideal in any way, shape, or form.

 

[dlegend44]

Grant falls down a lot. He just needs to get a little bit stronger, which he undoubtedly will. Wouldn't remotely surprise me to see him play at 220-225 next year--kid's got broad shoulders and a good frame to add "good" weight. Down the road, he's going to be a monster--our best 4 since Hakim.

But I think he'd give up a lot in the pivot. I agree--it would be a tough defensive matchup for other teams, but I don't think having JG play in the post this year defensively is ideal in any way, shape, or form.

Grant has shown better post moves than Coleman, Keita and Christmas. He also has the ability to drill the midrange shot and even extend from 3-point range. I like the Warrick comparison, but I think JG is more advanced than Hak was as a Freshman. This team suffers from offensive lulls in the half-court offense. MCW, BT, JG, CF and JS would be an incredible offensive line-up. All five of those guys can shoot and put the ball on the floor. I am not suggesting that we play Grant so he can develop for next year, I think we play Grant because he is clearly one of the 5 best players on this year's team.

 

[newmexicuse]

Jerami should get more minutes. How to do so is the question ??

1. Rest CJ 5 to 8 MPG.

2. Get 10 to 13 minutes from James

3. Cooney is giving us very little - can CJ play some 2G w James & Jerami up front ???? I say - yes. I can't see CJ giving us less @ 2G than we are getting from Trevor. Cooney got 7 minutes last time out - if CJ can take those minutes that is 7 more for Jerami (we are now up to a minimum of 22 minutes).

4. As for the 5 spot - yeah there might be some matchups where that would work & also we won't know for sure what the result would be unless we give it a try. But, that being said - can anybody envision us playing in the Dance w Jerami in the middle ??? The only reason I would even try it now would be if there is any meaningful chance that we would not have DC2 back before the tourney because there will be games when we need those 5 xtra fouls. Speaking of DC2 - once he comes back & gets in reasonable shape I hope he will get at least 10 MPG to get him ready. Enough of the three & done garbage.