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Message: [QUOTE="billsin01, post: 5199756, member: 837"] This is typically the time of year I start thinking about hoops in earnest -- particularly since today is the first day it feels a bit like Fall in MD. But this group feels nearly impossible to project, at least in my scenario where I don't have any sort of 'in' with the staff. Now, the transfer portal and massive player movement every year naturally guarantees that there will be a fair collection of unknowns headed into most every season for the time being. But this almost feels like a second go-round of Red's first season. Consider: [LIST] [*][B]Last year:[/B] Red wanted to play up-tempo on offense and pressure man on defense. It also became obvious given the personnel that the idea was to put some shooters (we thought Taylor was at least a solid shooter) on the floor with guys who could create off the dribble -- JJ, Judah and Q. [B]This year:[/B] I have no idea what the system will be but it can't look like last year's on either end, right? Lampkin and McLeod aren't up-tempo guys and definitely pressure man defender types. Judah, Brown and Q are gone ... likely our best defensive play-makers (not that Q or Judah were super consistent on the defensive end) and those guys were three of our four best offensive play-makers as well (Starling was the fourth; obviously Bell put up numbers but largely as a standstill shooter, not as a creator). There's no way Red can bank on transition/drive-and-kick/individual creation offensively and I struggle understanding how we can play five players on five islands the way we played defense last year. [*][B]Last year:[/B] We didn't know in the preseason but it became clear we had five guys who could play -- Judah, JJ, Q, Brown and Bell. So we really weren't able to see how Red planned to set a rotation -- no need when it's answered for you by only having 5 players, essentially. [B]This year:[/B] In a perfect world there are maybe 12 guys who contribute. But even if Westry/McLeod are dealing with some injury issues and Moore/Majstorovic may not factor in; you're still talking about 8-ish players (JJ/Bell/Lampkin/Taylor/Carlos/Davis/Freeman/Cuffe) who figure to play some sort of role. [*][B]Last year:[/B] There was almost no frontcourt to speak of when McLeod got injured. Even in the preseason, not much was expected of Hima/Carey/Patterson and Bell/Taylor aren't actual bigs. The backcourt was considered the strength with JJ/Judah/Q and the hope that Westry/Cuffe might chip in. [B]This year:[/B] The roster is more balanced but in terms of options, but the strength is likely bigs with Lampkin and Freeman as shoe-in starters and key figures and likely significant contributions from Davis along with Bell obviously playing a bunch as a shooter/scorer. The backcourt, meanwhile, has Starling and Cuffe returning and three additions in Moore/Carlos/Taylor. But of the five guys, only Starling's minutes feel certain and even his role is a little fluid in terms of on-ball/off-ball. [*][B]Last year:[/B] There wasn't much carryover from the previous season as Carey sat out, Bell and Taylor had struggled as freshman, Edwards, Girard and Torrence, had departed, Benny was a huge question mark and Hima hadn't played much. But you at least had an all-league type talent in Judah and a guy most of us thought would be a good anchor down low in Brown. [B]This year:[/B] Similar in that there's not a ton of carryover, but with your best player, we don't know if he's our ball-handler or shooting guard (maybe both); will Cuffe factor in or get squeezed by Taylor/Carlos and, less likely, Moore; and can Bell be more than just a shooter? McLeod is another one that is more questions than answers at this point. [/LIST] Anyway, it all just leads to a series of scenarios that could all happen -- some more likely than others -- but almost no confidence in predicting much of anything. For example -- they spent a bunch of dough on Lampkin and, it appears at least, kind of prioritized him over Brown (correct me if I'm wrong). So Lampkin adds some offensive skill, plenty of size and rebounding ... but can he guard in a pressure man situation? Can McLeod play at all on the perimeter? Is he even healthy? What happens if Freeman and Davis are two of our best 4 or 5 players? Could Majstorovic surprise and become a factor? Is a healthier, in-shape cuffe more of a factor? The list goes on. I just am so fascinated to see how all of this plays out ... and I have zero clue where I actually land other than simply thinking this team will look almost nothing like last year's team. [/QUOTE]

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