Dead Horse, But...

[karavotsos]

Isn't that what Randy Moss had when he was in Minnesota?  None of the QB's he played with were any good.  And he was unbelievable. That, to me, is the very definition of the word all-world.  The first name that came to mind when I read all-world was David Robinson.  Couldn't name one other player on his Navy team.  Yet, they made it to the tourney.  When else has Navy made it to the tourney?  I have no idea.  That's what all-world means to me.

I understand the bigger point.  I just don't think UNC is a very good way to prove it.  I have never been impressed with Davis when I watched him.  I know he's a top recruit, but that doesn't make him a good college player.  I'm sure at least some of their guards are top recruits as well -- they're at UNC.  That doesn't make their guards good players.

And there is no way that Davis or Zeller should be considered great 'bigs.'  I understand they are tall, but they play weak.  So weak.

[MarquetteDano]

I have said this before regarding this issue.  If a team had fantastic bigs left and right (lets say 6) and crap guards do they play G-F-F-C-C?

Answer:  NO


If a team had fantastic guards left and right (lets say 6) and crap bigs do they play  G-G-G-G-F

Answer:  YES.  We have seen it over and over again


I will not believe it is a bigs game until I see four of them on a court at one time.

[ChicosBailBonds]

The first name that came to mind when I read all-world was David Robinson.  Couldn't name one other player on his Navy team.  Yet, they made it to the tourney.  When else has Navy made it to the tourney?  I have no idea.  That's what all-world means to me.

I could....Brian Gregory (Dayton head coach), Doug Wojick (Tulsa head coach) and Cliff Rees were on that Navy team.  They had solid players around him....SMART solid players (you can see that two of them ended up as college coaches). 

[LON]

Isn't that what Randy Moss had when he was in Minnesota?  None of the QB's he played with were any good.  And he was unbelievable. That, to me, is the very definition of the word all-world.  The first name that came to mind when I read all-world was David Robinson.  Couldn't name one other player on his Navy team.  Yet, they made it to the tourney.  When else has Navy made it to the tourney?  I have no idea.  That's what all-world means to me.

I understand the bigger point.  I just don't think UNC is a very good way to prove it.  I have never been impressed with Davis when I watched him.  I know he's a top recruit, but that doesn't make him a good college player.  I'm sure at least some of their guards are top recruits as well -- they're at UNC.  That doesn't make their guards good players.

And there is no way that Davis or Zeller should be considered great 'bigs.'  I understand they are tall, but they play weak.  So weak.

I'd say the game has evolved just a tad since the Admiral was in college...

[karavotsos]

All I was saying is that UNC's bigs are not all-world.  Not even close.  I was trying to put a definition on who an all-world big man would be.  That's all.  If I said that Greg Oden was all-world with Ohio State, people would say that they also had Mike Conley and Dequan Cook, so he had to have good guards to be any good.  Yet, Oden was about 90% of the reason that OSU was even able to stay in the finals game against Florida. OSU was not close to a Final Four team without him.

And those Navy players could be Randall Cunningham at 38, and Dante Culpepper.  So you have guards who were probably average to above-average guards for Navy who were smart enough to pass the ball into one of the 50 greatest players of all time.  Whoop-de-doo.  What percentage of responsibility/credit goes to Robinson v. teammates for going to the elite 8, and where would you rank Navy's guards against other guards in the tournament.  That's more the point.  And consider you're probably over-rating Navy's guards because playing with Robinson made their lives easier, just like throwing to Randy Moss made Dante Culpepper's life easier. 

I understand the importance of guards; saying the game is a guard's game disrespects the importance of all the other guys on the floor.  Even if Coach K says it.  I would have liked him to hear him say it after Duke got whooped by Tracy Smith.

Al Horford's response to the contention that the game is a guard's game is at about 2:40 left in the 2007 Sweet 16 game against Butler.  I was looking for the clip on YouTube, but can't find it.

[77ncaachamps]

It most certainly is a GUARD game.

A 6'6" - 6'10" guard game.

[Badgerhater]

It is a guard's game.   Our guards got schooled on both ends of the floor.  If our guards do their job then the ball doesn't get inside to a position where GU wants it.

GU's guards denied the three point line and put a guy in DJOs pocket.

GU is a very balanced team that has finally playing to its potential.  No shame in losing to them.  MU simply ran out of gas with about 12 minutes left.

[nycwarrior]

Since D Wade stepped on campus, we've had a string of All-League level guards.

Wade - Diener - James - McNeal - Matthews

The two times we made some noise in March (94 Sweet 16, 03 Final Four) we were able to match guards with at least two competent to almost-all-league level bigs (Mac, Damon, Curry; Jackson, Merritt).

Based on the past teams and current recruiting classes, MU will not be without good guards in the near future.

The question is whether we'll be able to be a consistent threat in March without a couple big bodies who can do what Robert Jackson did:

>> Credibly play behind opposing bigs for some of the game
>> Consistent end defensive possessions with rebounds
>> Give us a scoring threat that prevents doubling down from the wing

I'm glad we're a guard program. The odds are simply better that we can consistently get guys who can create shots for themselves and others.

I, like all of us, just wish that once a year we could close the deal with a guy who could put up half of Jackson's production for 2-3 years.