Was this team better off without Thompson and Thorpe?

[Millhouse]

I think it might've been.

Thompson would've brought scoring but he's flaky to say the least and a liability on defense. Same for Thorpe. Would we have wasted too much time trying to figure out how to manage those guys, pick up an extra loss and miss out entirely? I think so

 

[longislandcuse]

Regular season, no - TT would've added 2-3 wins.

Do we make the Sweet 16 with them, maybe not.

Our defense carried us and, in the tourney, Dolezaj was better than Thompson anyway.

 

[GooseMutt]

I think it might've been.

Thompson would've brought scoring but he's flaky to say the least and a liability on defense. Same for Thorpe. Would we have wasted too much time trying to figure out how to manage those guys, pick up an extra loss and miss out entirely? I think so

Yes. They may have thrown our defense, our saving grace, off kilter. I’m happy the way it worked out especially all the experience our young returners got. They now know they can compete and achieve. Confidence at anything is so powerful. Sorry for getting up on Cuse soap box

 

[Eric15]

I would have absolutely loved to have had four years of Taurean Thompson on this team. I think he could have been our next great big man.

 

[RF2044]

Impossible to say for sure. Improved depth / shooting / scoring -- those things would have helped for sure. How much of that benefit might have been offset by what we'd lose defensively? Who knows.

Teams evolve, maybe those two would have bolstered the nucleus instead of detracting from what they became.

 

[kuethstheman]

If we got 10 MPG out of Geno, we're a better team.

As for TT, it depends on if he was motivated to get better on defense. If he made a sophomore jump on D, the D would have been fine. No guarantee though.

 

[Col. Bleep]

You're always better off without people who aren't 100% committed...regardless of talent or roles they might fill.
That goes for sports and pretty much everything else.

 

[HOFCeluck]

We vastly exceeded the expectations I had BEFORE they bolted.

So yeah I’m good.

 

[Alsacs]

We scored 49 points against Notre Dame.
We scored 57 points against St. Bonaventure in OT.
We scored 51 points at Georgia Tech.

Those 3 games if we had Thompson we likely have 3 more wins and aren't in Dayton.
The season turned out great though. We weren't winning the NC this year.
Sweet 16 is great momentum.

 

[GooseMutt]

I would have absolutely loved to have had four years of Taurean Thompson on this team. I think he could have been our next great big man.

He wouldn’t be good till his mom told him to play D

 

[GooseMutt]

T

You're always better off without people who aren't 100% committed...regardless of talent or roles they might fill.
That goes for sports and pretty much everything else.

this

 

[SWC75]

Geno would have given us much needed depth in the back court. maybe his attitude wouldn't have been worth it. it would have been nice to have Washington the whole year. I really thought maybe the season was done when he went down.

Thompson was amazing on offense last year. he was terrible on defense and as such was in constant foul trouble as fouls tend to come when defensive players are beaten. But towards the end of the season he was committing fewer fouls and staying in games longer, which allowed him to sue his offensive skills to compile a lot of points. I'll always remember an exchange after the Mississippi loss in the NIT in which Taurean had 5 steals. Somebody said "I think that was more a case of being in the right place at the right time." I responded "You just defined defense." I think he could become one our finest big men and helped us win several more games this year. But again, you have to question the attitude of a guy who obviously didn't want to be here.

 

[Brooky03]

Thompson's scoring and impact on offense for the rest of the guys would have counteracted his marginal defense. It's undoubtable, imo. idk about Thorpe. A backup guard with his experience and ability wouldn't have hurt. But who knows how he was in the locker room.

 

[AZOrange]

Thompson would’ve been an incredible lift.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Even though TT was a good shooter, he wasn't good in Boeheims offense. He frequently shot too early in the clock and often with no one else underneath the basket. He was also the king of long 2-pointers. And his defense was atrocious. No thanks.

 

[Knicks411]

I think we would have benefited at least from having the depth, after seeing Marek improve as the year went on, maybe Thorpe would have been more of a benefit than TT. But you can't convince me we wouldn't have been better off with Frank and Tyus at closer to 35 MPG than 40.

 

[Shark58]

depth is bad

 

[All4SU]

Obviously yes. They didn’t want to be here. And players who don’t want to be where they are, ultimately are bad for their teams.

 

[Millhouse]

I would have absolutely loved to have had four years of Taurean Thompson on this team. I think he could have been our next great big man.

i don't want to rag on him too much but he just appeared so off to me that I wouldn't have ever felt like i could depend on him and given that i was glad he just ripped off the bandaid

 

[MSOrange]

i don't want to rag on him too much but he just appeared so off to me that I wouldn't have ever felt like i could depend on him and given that i was glad he just ripped off the bandaid

Yeah that crazed look in the celebration after Tyus shot at Clemson was something else. But his defense just flat out disgusted me. I know the zone can be difficult, but I just saw too many times when it didn't look like he was even trying on that end.

 

[NYCorange]

We can't say what Thompson would have done at Syracuse, but after last year, would you have thought that Frank or TT would have been better from a chemistry and on-court perspective? It's TT, hands down, right? But Frank improved dramatically in both respects. I think TT could/would have as well. That's especially true given that based on everything I've read, the real issue wasn't TT, it was his mom. If TT's mom wasn't in the picture, I think we would have had TT for the next 4 years and he has all the talent necessary to be a top-notch college big man: Perry Ellis, but a higher ceiling.

 

[Eric15]

i don't want to rag on him too much but he just appeared so off to me that I wouldn't have ever felt like i could depend on him and given that i was glad he just ripped off the bandaid

I agree that TT is a weird dude, but I can’t think of any other freshman centers for us in the past 30 years who were as refined offensively as him.

 

[shu 49]

Im gonna put in my 2 cents here,YES YES YES YES YES YES dont want anyone here that dont truly wanna be here. Thompson was elergic to defense and i dont care what offense he brings if he letshis guys score more. He would have been cancer on tis defensive team Jim built. Geno could have helped but he quit and i have no need forsomeone That cant finish what they started.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

Tis better to have and not need than to need and not have

-Who know how much more effective Battle and Howard would have been had they just had even a little more rest each game? perhaps a few short rimmed shots go in?

-Regarding TT, since he left and we dont like him, we've just decided, for him only, that he would not possibly have improved on D in year 2 of the zone. Do we do this to any other player? Just assume that's it...WYSIWYG going forward? He also would have likely spent alot of time , if not most of the time, playing on the wing, not in the middle, where he was not good last year.

I find it hard to believe TT could not have done more for us than a one legged Sidibe or spastic "play when I wanna play" Moyer.

 

[shu 49]

Tis better to have and not need than to need and not have

-Who know how much more effective Battle and Howard would have been had they just had even a little more rest each game? perhaps a few short rimmed shots go in?

-Regarding TT, since he left and we dont like him, we've just decided, for him only, that he would not possibly have improved on D in year 2 of the zone. Do we do this to any other player? Just assume that's it...WYSIWYG going forward? He also would have likely spent alot of time , if not most of the time, playing on the wing, not in the middle, where he was not good last year.

I find it hard to believe TT could not have done more for us than a one legged Sidibe or spastic "play when I wanna play" Moyer.

Its not that he couldnt play d. He chose not too. He had a great buld for d being tall and long. Just had no want to and that would have been bad for this team in my eyes.