UGH Thoughts.....

[newmexicuse]

The game started ominously when G got to the line twice on our first two possessions and only converted 1 of 4 FTs. Bad FT shooting has a way of being contagious and so it was for us in the first half. We were battered & bruised on the glass and couldn't make a FT & yet when I looked at the clock at halftime somehow it was 30 - 30, cause for reasonable optimism.

The second half started out strong, but deteriorated rapidly as our guys wore down.

As to specifics - Roberson came to play and Cooney has one of his best rebounding games, and otherwise we were very out muscled and out hustled by Pitt who deserved this victory.

G had an off night, as mentioned above it started bad for him at the line & he never really got it together.

Cooney and Malachai both played within themselves on the O end, though Malachi had trouble finding a rebound.

DC2 was a presence, but did not come close to the 10 & 7 game that we need from him statistically if we are to compete against the big boys. He was hampered by foul trouble throughout & never got it going.

Lydon is just a straw in the wind in the middle, I have seen enough of him there to not want to see more until he comes up with 20 pounds of additional muscle. Regardless, he is not a natural 5 & is playing out of position. I do not know why he is playing so hesitantly on O. Early in the game, he had what appeared to be a semi-open layup/jam & instead got blocked, that seemed to kill his confidence along with a missed three. We need him to be mentally stronger. When he made moves he did get to the line, so why not play with more confidence ?

Howard didn't show much today, but then again all he really needs to be to some extent is a spaceholder so G & Cooney could each get a few minutes blow so just maybe we have some end of game energy. Problem is that when he comes in neither Cooney or G sits.

Obokoh sighting - I just don't get it. I saw a 30 second cameo and what I saw was a big strong body with athleticism, exactly what we need in the middle. So what if he doesn't have "skills", it can't be worse than watching Lydon get bruised and abused at the 5 spot. Can an insider please tell me what is going on here ? Does he not practice hard, does he not grasp the Zone mentally, I just do not get why this kid can't get on the court considering the current composition of this team.

Hop - he coached well early finding the big lineup and making solid rotations. Many criticized him for not calling a late TO, but his real huge mistake was bringing DC2 back in at the 8 minute mark w 4 fouls. We were still in the game at that point, there was no way to believe he could play 8 minutes wo fouling out, had to save him until about the 4 minute mark & then hope he could play as needed to the end. Other than that he suffers from jimmyitis in terms of short rotations. As mentioned a zillion times on this forum you just can't put kids out there for forty minutes and expect them to play well at the end. Especially in a game like this when we were up 8 into the 2nd half, perfect time to give G & Cooney some rest, though I am for resting them each for a couple of minutes per half. Both played all 40 - uncalled for.

So much for my rantings. This was a game that maybe we shouldn't have been in for as long as we were, but once you are in that situation then you want the W & we didn't get it.

 

[kuethstheman]

Good post. Agree on almost everything but on Chino, I'm guessing his flaws would be exposed if he played more. Against teams like Pitt though, I'd take a chance.

 

[newmexicuse]

Good post. Agree on almost everything but on Chino, I'm guessing his flaws would be exposed if he played more. Against teams like Pitt though, I'd take a chance.

My point is that can Chino's flaws really be that much worse than having Lydon in the middle, especially in games when we are being hammered inside ?

 

[Ghost]

My point is that can Chino's flaws really be that much worse than having Lydon in the middle, especially in games when we are being hammered inside ?

You do have to wonder a bit when Lydon is giving us nothing on offense - I mean, throwing him in for a minute isn't going to make the offense fall apart. They're still going to guard him in the paint. The pick and roll isn't working as it ends up functioning on the ball-handler more often than not, and Lydon won't take that shot even if he gets it with some space to work.

I think it ends up with Chino getting into foul trouble quickly - probably not doing much, but I wouldn't be against giving it a go here and there if we're going to be that bad on the boards.

 

[Cuse House]

You do have to wonder a bit when Lydon is giving us nothing on offense - I mean, throwing him in for a minute isn't going to make the offense fall apart. They're still going to guard him in the paint. The pick and roll isn't working as it ends up functioning on the ball-handler more often than not, and Lydon won't take that shot even if he gets it with some space to work.

I think it ends up with Chino getting into foul trouble quickly - probably not doing much, but I wouldn't be against giving it a go here and there if we're going to be that bad on the boards.

He only got one possession on defense yesterday but we got a stop and he looked like he was in the right place. That is really all we need from him. I think we could get him 5 mins a game without it killing us.

 

[Briancuse]

You do have to wonder a bit when Lydon is giving us nothing on offense - I mean, throwing him in for a minute isn't going to make the offense fall apart. They're still going to guard him in the paint. The pick and roll isn't working as it ends up functioning on the ball-handler more often than not, and Lydon won't take that shot even if he gets it with some space to work.

I think it ends up with Chino getting into foul trouble quickly - probably not doing much, but I wouldn't be against giving it a go here and there if we're going to be that bad on the boards.

He needs to start taking more shots, I am getting tired of seeing him have a good look, only to pass the ball.

 

[cuseguy]

He needs to start taking more shots, I am getting tired of seeing him have a good look, only to pass the ball.

This isn't something new with Lydon. When I saw him play last year, struck me how unselfish he was. Needs to change.

 

[hoopsupstate]

What Lyndon gives us is that teams have to guard him even if he's relunctant to shoot. He helps to space the floor, where Chino doesn't.

 

[two3zone]

He only got one possession on defense yesterday but we got a stop and he looked like he was in the right place.

Wow, he was in the right spot for a stop. At least our standards are high.

 

[cuseattle]

I like your new profile pic!

 

[Ghost]

What Lyndon gives us is that teams have to guard him even if he's relunctant to shoot. He helps to space the floor, where Chino doesn't.

Eh, what about when you have a traditional center on the floor? They still guard the post guy in the post. It's not like he'll be sitting around alone while the opposing 5 runs around for double-teams. He's not the key to our spacing.