What some don't understand is that DJ was a loss, but he wasn't only replaced by Mo Acker who has done a fine job------but DJ was also replaced by other players who have stepped up------burke, butler, and others have all stepped up to fill the void.
Furthermore Buzz has been valuing each possession more since DJ went down-----less running and less helter skelter BB as a result. Defensively in the first half vs SJU, we couldn't have done better if we had Thabeet.
So the combination of what I outline above has neutralized the loss of DJ.
Look for us to be more competitive vs Nova today than a few weeks ago when we got beat with DJ by 18.
Quote from: Murffieus on March 12, 2009, 06:02:17 AM
So the combination of what I outline above has neutralized the loss of DJ.
Look for us to be more competitive vs Nova today than a few weeks ago when we got beat with DJ by 18.
Disagree. James is irreplaceable.
If we are more competitive, I'm guessing it will be because NOVA won't be shooting 72% in the 2nd half.
more competitive vs. Nova without DJ than with?
hmmm.
addition by subtraction.
I don't know.
less playable bodies.
shorter bench.
Acker having to guard one of nova's quick guards.
I agree everyone has stepped up- they had to.
but now they are forced to do things that they didn't have to before- and how will that play out?
Acker has to play better D... but can he realistically? and will that take too much out of his tank to play controlled O?
cube has to play- period! and contribute on O and D... can he? he has in years past, but this year had been invisible til now.
when someone blows by our slower than DJ guards, who is going to step in to cover, and what does that do for the man they were guarding?
too much talent now left in the be tourny to slough off your wing to have to continually switch to cover for a less talent MU point (on D)...
would still like PG penetration to allow for collapse and kick.
Acker has not shown that ability yet.
good luck MU today!!
he qualified his comments by stating the point differential last time, just setting himself up for when he pats himself on the back.
Have McNeal and Matthews really stepped up? I seem to see a lot lower shooting percentages and turnover rates from the two. Butler has stepped up big. So has Acker and Cooby has made a showing but come on, we are better with DJ than without.
who is to say that the aforementioed players wouldn't have stepped up with DJ still around?
sure are a lot of seers on this board lately.
Maybe we should bash in McNeal and Matthew's knees and really get our team going.
Quote from: Stone Cold on March 12, 2009, 11:10:45 AM
Maybe we should bash in McNeal and Matthew's knees and really get our team going.
I LOLed.
Burke has stepped up in DJ's absence? Am I missing something?
Murff: Have you noticed how Wes and Jerel have seen their shooting percentages plummet since DJ went out? Have you noticed how teams routinely beat us off the dribble?
murf....you watching this? ::)
Ahem...
We miss DJ. With him we are competitive. Without him...Done.
For all of Murff's knowledge about basketball, he looks at stats and thinks they tell a story. Sometimes they don't. Jerel and Wes have been mediocre et best since DJ's injury, and our defense is atrocious. But in Murff's eyes Burke has stepped up because he's shooting 57 percent (4 of 7) the last four games.
How much of this has to do with DJ and the extent to which McNeal is reacting to being without DJ. With DJ out, its as though McNeal believes the game is all about him. He forces everything, misses everything and turns the ball over without prejudice. We miss DJ, but McNeal's reaction to him being out is the real cause of our poor play.
Acker is just plain awful. Reynolds and Fischer are scoring at will. He can't defend, he isn't a threat of offense and he commits too many stupid turnovers. He is the reason Marquette's defense can't stop anyone recently.
That's why I cringe with posters like Murf. They go about 2 or 3 months with good to great commentary than they pull out a crap thread from their a$$ and you start questioning if they forgot their valium that day.