Considering the sentiment that to succeed in the NBA Jerel will need to play point, and that Dominic probably heads to some pro league....would Crean be wise to tell Jerel he will play him at point (probably not a problem through the first ten cupcakes).
You could also then play Lazar and Wes at 2/3 and Burke Trevor at 4/5.
This would entice Jerel to stay and help him improve his position in the draft (a good recruiting tool). Also would give the opposing point fits with our best defender.
Put me down as one who thinks this is a bad idea. First off, I don't think Jerel is going anywhere. Second, he doesn''t have the handle or the court vision or the outside shot to play PG.
I know you have to have bigs and balance and all that, but PG is the most important position on a college basketball team to be manned capably. As all-world fantastic as Dwyane Wade is, our offense sputtered in 2003 more when Diener sat than when Wade did.
I know Crean wants to prepare these guys for their basketball futures, but his primary concern should be winning games at MU and McNeal at the point would be counter-productive to that end.
I second the "no point" for Jerel comments. A point guard should at least have a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. He doesn't take care of the ball well enough to play point guard.
He is a great 2G... let's keep him there.
Since Jerel was not the point his focus was less on the assist than the drive. If he was the point his assist ratio would be higher because of the change in focus. Plus I think it would be interesting what the ratio was the first half vs. second half as it seemed that his turnovers were down in the second half
cmon now. as good as he was late in the season, jerel is probably one of the worst decision makers with the ball in his hands that this team has. He makes many foolish decisions and turns the ball over too much, he also doesnt have very good ball handling skills. besides that, we will again have an outrageous # of guards ever if DJ leaves- you still have Mo, david, taylor, matthews, who are better fit for the point. Also, you cant really play lazar at the 3 because we become too thin up front body wise, unless hazel or otule can give serious minutes which im not counting on yet
it will be interesting to see who starts at the point next year if DJ leaves though... my guess is that itll be an interesting offseason between cubillan and acker to see who gets top position in the pecking order
also, if one of the bigs develops unexpectedly then my guess would actually be that wes would take over the point before jerel... a lineup of wes at the 1, jerel at the 2, lazar at the 3, trevor at 4, burke at the 5 would not be bad
come on DJ give us another shot
Quote from: mudimitri on March 27, 2008, 11:54:25 PM
cmon now. as good as he was late in the season, jerel is probably one of the worst decision makers with the ball in his hands that this team has. He makes many foolish decisions and turns the ball over too much, he also doesnt have very good ball handling skills.
Jerel does take risks, but so does DJ. Jerel's a much better shooter than DJ. And DJ has made his share of foolish decisions (see UK game trying to pick off a pass or multiple times this season driving to the baseline with no one to pass to).
Quote from: mudimitri on March 27, 2008, 11:54:25 PM
it will be interesting to see who starts at the point next year if DJ leaves though...
come on DJ give us another shot
DJ is NOT going anywhere. He hasn't elevated his game enough to warrant a mid to high second round pick. As it stands, he's an above average D-I player with freakish abilities but lacks NBA numbers in key PG categories.
DJ has better or just as good vision and passing ability as any pg in college basketball, and many in the NBA- thats what the position is mostly about
DJ is a much better defender than most pg's in college, despite his size
DJ is quicker and can get by most defenders in college with ease, and should be able to at the next level
i think he is misused by crean, but ive discussed that already.
he wont be picked high in the draft, because in the NBA now everyone, including pg's, has to be able to shoot and he cant. however, he will get a good offer to play somewhere in europe, or make a team as a 2nd round pick in the NBA if he chooses to go
that said, im 50/50 on if he goes because hes a competitor and i think he wants another shot next year- and if MU has a good season he gets more notoriety than playing in europe
Pure Crazy talk