I am not getting Williams' rotation.
Seven guys--and two of them are 5'6" and 5' 10".
The minutes are obviously getting to James. He cannot shoot and cannot make a FT. And then to make matters worse, many times James and Acker are in there at the same time. That really is ridiculous, considering their lack of 3 point prowess--25% and 22%
Williams absolutely must get some other players in there for a couple minutes. Hazel, Fulce, Otule.
I would be using Butler at 2 guard. Hell, let him shoot the 3's--he must be better than James and Acker--probably even left handed.
Acker and James should be instructed to never shoot a 3, and Acker should only play a few minutes to spell James--not be on the floor at the same time. The D can just pack it in and double on others when those two are in there.
well, the 5' 10" guy is one of the top point guards in the nation and a finalist for the cousy award. should we sit him because of his height?
I think nearly everyone here anticipated more bench participation than we have gotten, let alone production. But, because of injuries, we don't have a game-changer coming off of the bench. Play the cards you're dealt.
The thing that concerns me about small ball is that with DJ and Acker not being a threat from outside that leaves two bad jump shooting options on the floor. With no inside presence with small ball, no paint touches like last night and a team like South Florida almost daring DJ and Acker to shoot threes by leaving them wide open ( 1-12 for the two of them)the downside of small ball becomes obvious. Small ball has worked great when they aren't relying on jump shots as part of the offense and are penetrating and getting paint touches.
Quote from: willie warrior on February 07, 2009, 06:49:42 AM
The minutes are obviously getting to James. He cannot shoot and cannot make a FT.
Funny, that is not obvious to me at all. Unless you have not seen him play the last 3+ years, you would notice that he has the same fall away jump shot and FT stroke that he has had since he arrived on campus. For whatever reason, two separate coaching staffs have not been able to improve it. There is nothing to indicate that the minutes are getting to him. Last night was a function of poor decision making, not fatigue.
Quote from: NavinRJohnson on February 07, 2009, 10:29:53 AM
Last night was a function of poor decision making, not fatigue.
Poor decision making is probably the most common result of fatigue in sports. Also, for the last three games James has been noticeably less effective guarding his man, and also less inclined to take the ball into traffic, both signs of fatigue.
Fact is, I don't know what you do about it because a tired James is still better than a fresh Acker and none of our other guys are capable point guards. A bench isn't going to magically appear. Butler is the only useful guy off the bench, but I agree with others who can't understand why Hazel isn't getting more minutes.
I think Buzz has to play Burke and Hazel for 30 minutes in the pivot and take the pressure off Lazar trying to play the middle. Then rotate in Butler. Problem is, if you're playing either Burke or Hazel, you can't play either Acker or Cubes at all. You'd have only two offensive options.
Quote from: ecompt on February 07, 2009, 02:37:23 PM
I think Buzz has to play Burke and Hazel for 30 minutes in the pivot and take the pressure off Lazar trying to play the middle. Then rotate in Butler. Problem is, if you're playing either Burke or Hazel, you can't play either Acker or Cubes at all. You'd have only two offensive options.
In nearly all cases, I'd rather have Burke or Hazel on the floor instead of Acker or Cubillan. None of the four are offensive options; I'd actually argue that Burke and Hazel are better offensive options since the chance of them getting an offensive rebound and putting it in are better than Acker or Cubillan actually making an outside shot.
I also think you're right that Hayward's poor performance can be at least partially attributed to having a 6'6" player playing so many minutes at the 5. It's sometimes effective when Buzz works in the small lineup as a change of pace to catch teams off guard, but making it the norm is disastrous. Put Burke or Hazel (who?) on Cunningham Tuesday, and maybe Lazar won't have to use everything he has just to grab rebounds and have nothing left offensively.