Without Fab, this SU team is...

[Fairlylegal]

I don't think we're a better team "on paper" without him but at this point any more talk of Fab on this team is just a distraction and will certainly make them worse.

 

[RF2044]

pre 1st ineligible I agree with. After no way. Him being out rejuvenated this team. This is a blessing in disguise. James Southerland is our ace in the hole. He's our Rashard Anderson, but bigger and better. Said this back in Oct, and was laughed at.

Well, in fairness, we played a lot of "easier" conference games before the first suspension.

Like the optimism, thought!

 

[HakAttack]

Rak's not as bad as people think. It's not like we're replacing Fab with Dash Riley here. Hell, even Keita's better than Dash was.

 

[KingOtis]

Rak's not as bad as people think. It's not like we're replacing Fab with Dash Riley here. Hell, even Keita's better than Dash was.

The point is that Rak's not as Fab as people think.

 

[jncuse]

I don't agree with this--at all. Defense triggered offense for us all year long, and Fab was a big part of that. Indirectly and directly, FAb was a big part of why we got all of those easy transition scoring opportunities, and were able to avoid having to rely upon our half court execution to get points in many games.

Agreed. In the half court offence Fab might be no better then Rak. But his presence allows us to be more aggressive in the zone looking for TO's. It also created more misses on chippies around the baskets. Those are two situations that trigger transition which is key to our offence.

 

[TinyManInside]

So far we've played one good half out of four in this tourney. Granted, it was the best basketball that we've played since the UConn game on Feb 10th, but I think your analysis is a little off.

Fab was a HUGE part of the 31-2 start. Fab made massive improvements in every aspect of his game and at times offered a dominant defensive presence down low. Southerland's recent play has been very impressive, but let's remember that this is a kid who has been about as inconsistent as any player on the team. He had a few great games earlier in the year when Fab was on the court. I wouldn't state that Fab's absence is a direct cause of his strong play thus far. Sometimes coincidence it just coincidence and not causality.

 

[KingOtis]

Southerland's recent play has been very impressive, but let's remember that this is a kid who has been about as inconsistent as any player on the team. He had a few great games earlier in the year when Fab was on the court. I wouldn't state that Fab's absence is a direct cause of his strong play thus far. Sometimes coincidence it just coincidence and not causality.

You're exactly right. JB has been giving Southerland a chance all year. When he's shooting well, he stays in longer. Whatever's going on with Fair has more to do with Southerland's increased role than the absence of Fab.