Tyler Lydon better be ready

[jekelish]

Yep. And he takes the shots about him being too skinny very seriously and I think a little personally. He's going to have a chip on his shoulder when it comes to his strength, and he's going to want to prove people wrong. I'm 100% certain of that.

Specifically, this is what he told me:

"Well, in terms of being physical, I’ve put on 25 pounds since I’ve been [at New Hampton], so I’m at about 200 pounds right now and I’m trying to add a little more so I’m ready when I get to Syracuse. But I think a lot of people underestimate my strength. I really do like to be inside, banging around and getting rebounds, which I don’t think a lot of people know about me. I don’t think they recognize the fact that I could be a double-digit rebounder."

http://.com/stretching-the-floor-with-su-hoops-commit-tyler-lydon/

 

[two3zone]

THAT SAID, I certainly understand the counter arguments / skepticism:

• Joseph seemed like Josh Wright caliber inept last year...
• Cooney stinks and shoots an awful percentage...
• Gbinije is maxed out and can't improve...
• Roberson didn't do much offensively and is mechanical...
• Rak is gone, and he was the team's best player...
• Coleman is injured, and who knows whether he'll be able to play...
• Richardson stunk it up in the McDonald's all star game last night and he plays lazy...
• Freshman bigs like Diagne stuggle...
• Obokoh isn't high major D1 caliber...
• Lydon is too skinny to play...

There is a valid basis for every one of those cocners / question marks. Doesn't mean that's how things will turn out, but they are legitimate things to question.

Personally, I think Joseph will be a great PG by the time he is done here. People say they can't see it around here but I do see a little swag when he is bringing the ball up that you see from great point guards. He has a above average mid range game, and from three he looks no worse than Buss, BJ, and Cooney did last year.

If Cooney can just stop taking those shots that have zero shot to go in his percentage wouldn't be as bad. I supported Cooney through his first 2 years and half of last year, but he did something about half way through the season and that was just take more shots than he used to and just bad shots at that. I don't care if he has a green light, Kaleb Joseph has a better chance to knock down an open three than Cooney does doing a fade away three with a man in his face.

I think we're in the same spot we were last year when McCullough went down. We have the talent to possibly make a long run in the tournament, but we also have a chance to be in the NIT. I think it all comes down to how the other ACC teams look next year.

 

[Brooky03]

Does it really matter all that much if Lydon is 'ready'? Team is going to stink next year, regardless, so let the kid develop at his own pace.

Not sure if serious

 

[Jasoncuse]

THAT SAID, I certainly understand the counter arguments / skepticism:

• Joseph seemed like Josh Wright caliber inept last year...I wouldn't go that far!
• Cooney stinks and shoots an awful percentage...I wouldn't go that far!
• Gbinije is maxed out and can't improve...It's possible that his game won't improve all that much, but his consistency should. We saw a high ceiling, but was that just a hot streak?
  
• Roberson didn't do much offensively and is mechanical...I think he's a tad bit undersized for his skill set. Hopefully, he gets a jumper, but his form is just so bad right now.
• Rak is gone, and he was the team's best player...COME BACK TO US, RAK
• Coleman is injured, and who knows whether he'll be able to play...That's how I feel about him. Even if he plays, I won't expect anything much more than he provided a few years ago. I want to see him prove it first before I believe in him. I've never really cared for his ability in this system.
• Richardson stunk it up in the McDonald's all star game last night and he plays lazy...Haha
• Freshman bigs like Diagne stuggle...Truth. We're going to need him to be an outlier.
• Obokoh isn't high major D1 caliber...Sad, but I think that's the truth.
• Lydon is too skinny to play...You're joking, but people use this a lot. Being skinny is never an excuse in basketball.
• I'll add Frank Howard to this, and we have no idea if he can contribute right away. Like many of our top 100 frosh of the years, I think it'll be an uphill battle for him to play meaningful minutes.

There is a valid basis for every one of those cocners / question marks. Doesn't mean that's how things will turn out, but they are legitimate things to question.

I know you were overdoing it there on purpose, but some of those aren't too far off, IMO. Throw in a concern for the defense, which if Cooney/Joseph play a lot, could be pretty bad without a strong interior presence. Scoring will be an issue if we can't get out and run or find an inside threat. And depth again, could be tested.

 

[Jasoncuse]

Specifically, this is what he told me:

"Well, in terms of being physical, I’ve put on 25 pounds since I’ve been [at New Hampton], so I’m at about 200 pounds right now and I’m trying to add a little more so I’m ready when I get to Syracuse. But I think a lot of people underestimate my strength. I really do like to be inside, banging around and getting rebounds, which I don’t think a lot of people know about me. I don’t think they recognize the fact that I could be a double-digit rebounder."

http://.com/stretching-the-floor-with-su-hoops-commit-tyler-lydon/

Wait until he gets on the south campus beer and takeout diet!

 

[OttoMets]

I don't find it difficult to believe that Joseph will step up at all. Nor that DC will perform at a high level.

I'd also expect that Richardson and Diagne will be solid contributors as bench guys.

We're returning to key wing players and a returning starter at PF who averaged 8/7 --that's a solid nucleus.

I find that part difficult to believe.

But we'll be fine - 20+ wins, NCAA berth, great numbers from Roberson and a "where did he come from?" improvement from Joseph are all likely.