wow, what a crappy half

[Lennys Tap]

Sorry again, Chicos, but to suggest that Cubillan or Acker "more than held their own" is simply not accurate. You could argue that Acker  was a net neutral but there's no fair analysis that rates Cubillan anything other than a significant negative. TC kept giving him minutes in hopes he'd regain his stroke. Buzz continued that early but had to eventually sit him because he was hurting the team.

Like you, I hope our thin bench doesn't hurt us in the future. But unfortunately there is a HUGE dropoff on this team after the starting 5 + Butler. To give away games (and hurt our seed) by GIVING minutes to people who haven't earned them strikes me as the height of foolishness.

[CTWarrior]

I think we're looking at Acker last year with rose-colored glasses.  There was a significant drop-off when he came in the games last year, too.  It is definitely more pronounced this year. 

Look at last night.  Acker comes in late first half and boom, 9-0 run and we;re down at the half.  I know it was garbage time and it didn't really matter, but we were outscored by 12 after the last TV timeout when we had mostly bench players in.  12 points in less than 4 minutes! 

Our bench would probably be better if they played more, but the drop-off is so precipitous that it probably isn't worth it if you do the cost/benefit analysis.

In the end, there are only three scenarios where it becomes a factor.

1.  Big East tournament.  I can't see this team winning 3 games in 3 days or 4 games in 4 days playing 6 guys.
2.  If any of the 3 amigos, Hayward or Butler get hurt.
3.  Major foul trouble for 2 of the main 6.

The only guy I would argue that should see more time (based strictly on what he does while in the game) is Hazel.  It seems to me we should be able to find him 5-8 minutes a game.

[Lennys Tap]

Agree with your post CT. The people who say the bench improves if they play more are probably right. When those same people point out our big 4 would be fresher with more rest they are probably right again. But the gap between the big 4 and the Acker/Cubillan combo is soooo wide that these two factors are insignificant in comparison.  To throw away games in the hope that our bench experiences some sort of epiphany is foolish. I'm aware that some have a stake in seeing Buzz fail and will criticize any choice he makes. But this is a no brainer. Buzz is playing the hand he was dealt, choosing the vastly better of two imperfect solutions.