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Message: [QUOTE="mikekan14, post: 260585, member: 1619"] An excerpt from [SIZE=6][B][SIZE=32px]Upset-proofing the 'Cuse[/SIZE][/B][/SIZE] [SIZE=4][B][COLOR=#a1a17f]Can't hit free throws. Can't board. The Orange have heard it all.[/COLOR][/B][/SIZE] [SIZE=10px][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=#999999]March 12, 2012[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE] [SIZE=10px][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=#999999][url]http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7648671/2012-ncaa-tournament-upset-proofing-syracuse-orange-espn-magazine[/url][/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE] [COLOR=#333333][SIZE=12px][B][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=12px]The Orange don't have enough pro talent.[/SIZE][/COLOR][/B][/SIZE][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][SIZE=12px]Would you believe that only five former Syracuse players are in the NBA? And of that quintet, only Anthony averages more than 22 minutes per game. Compare that with Duke (16 NBA players), Kentucky (15), UCLA (15), UNC (13), Kansas (12), UConn (10) -- you get the point -- and it's clear there's been a talent gap between Syracuse and its hardwood peers.[/SIZE][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][SIZE=12px]Recruiting is part of the problem. Syracuse has landed only 16 McDonald's All-Americans during Boeheim's tenure, and the challenges range from icy winters to that pesky zone again. Rockets point guard Jonny Flynn, who played two seasons at Syracuse, confirms that schools negatively recruited against Syracuse by telling him he wouldn't develop pro defensive skills in the 2-3. But, Flynn says with a laugh, "Who actually plays defense in the NBA anyway?"[/SIZE][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][SIZE=12px]Boeheim acknowledges some truth behind the axiom that championship teams need at least two or three NBA-caliber players but says that's no longer the case. Recent champs like Duke and UConn support his point. But more talent is always a good thing, and on that front, this Syracuse squad is several steps ahead of its predecessors. The Orange have three McDonald's All-Americans in Melo and freshmen [URL='http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/56995/michael-carter-williams'][COLOR=#225fb2][SIZE=12px]Michael Carter-Williams[/SIZE][/COLOR][/URL] and [URL='http://sports.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/56996/rakeem-christmas'][COLOR=#225fb2][SIZE=12px]Rakeem Christmas[/SIZE][/COLOR][/URL]. ESPN draft expert Chad Ford thinks as many as five of Boeheim's players could be first-rounders, and at least two others -- Joseph and Triche -- could find their way into the league. One NBA executive is a bit more guarded, saying, "There's nobody who's no-brainer good." Which leads to a final weakness -- one that might point to the biggest difference between this team and any Boeheim has coached before.[/SIZE][/COLOR] [COLOR=#333333][SIZE=12px]-------------------------------------------------[/SIZE][/COLOR] [SIZE=12px][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=#333333]Boeheim's done a lot with fewer elite recruits than most other schools with which we compare ourselves. As Flynn stated, some schools use our zone to negatively recruit against us but t[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][SIZE=12px][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=#333333]he article is saying that Boeheim's recruiting has improved recently in spite of it. It lags historically but is improving. I do think that the zone will ultimately hold us back from getting the elite recruits that are consumed with getting to the NBA. I personally think that's fine so long as we develop/mature our guys like Nichols, RJ, Rautins, etc. and I think Boeheim and his staff have shown they can do that, though I think Kris Joseph didn't develop much between Sophomore and Senior years. Does that limit our ceiling? ...Perhaps. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE] [SIZE=12px][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=#333333]Boeheim's a good coach. It shouldn't be blasphemy to say that he's not the best coach. It's like admitting your wife isn't as hot as Scarlett Johansson. I'm not going to compare him to other coaches, it's a no-win proposition here. He's a good coach. I think the "olympics" analogy is a good one. We should celebrate a good season. As someone posted in elsewhere, we conquered a lot of demons this year (Pitt, L'ville, Sweet 16). [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE] [SIZE=12px][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=#333333]I hope Fair bulks up for next season. On to 2012-13. [/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE] [/QUOTE]

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