Gardner VS Otule

[MUHoopsfan6]

I understand that Gardner can't play all 40 minutes, but how can you keep this guy off the floor?  Look what he did in just 14 minutes.  We lose this game without OX!  Look at his box score, super productive at every level.  If OX isn't starting he should be getting at least as many minutes as Otule.  We cannot play a guy at the 5 who gets 2 rebounds in 25 minutes.

[wojosdojo]

He really played great.! That was a huge tip near the end!

[brewcity77]

Jared Berggren scored 2 points inside the arc today. Gardner's a nice change of pace, but he's going to shine more in a slower-paced game like this one. Otule is better conditioned, a better defender, and deserves his 25 minutes. Honestly, we'll see Otule at his best in 20-25 minutes and Gardner at his best in 10-15 minutes. Play to their strengths, limit DG's minutes (because we won't always play a 60 possession game) and we'll be fine.

Bottom line: we need both of them to be successful.

[turk17]

Bottom line: we need both of them to be successful.

Excellent assessment, I agree 100%.  They are both important in different scenarios.  Gardner will develop even more over the next 2 years, but as of now they are a great tandem unit.

[AZWarrior]

Excellent assessment, I agree 100%.  They are both important in different scenarios.  Gardner will develop even more over the next 2 years, but as of now they are a great tandem unit.

I noted a fair amount of situational subbing of Gardner (offense) / Otule (defense) today.

[tower912]

Buzz has a very good read on them.   He subs in for offense and defense and rarely leaves DG out there for long stretches unless there is foul trouble.   He still doesn't seem ready to go hard for more than 3-4 minutes at a time, like between TV timeouts.   No complaints.   To DG's credit, he did a better job guarding near the 3 pt line than I thought he would.  

[turk17]

Buzz has a very good read on them.   He subs in for offense and defense and rarely leaves DG out there for long stretches unless there is foul trouble.   He still doesn't seem ready to go hard for more than 3-4 minutes at a time, like between TV timeouts.   No complaints.   To DG's credit, he did a better job guarding near the 3 pt line than I thought he would.  

Now my question is, does this frequent subbing help us to maintain a high tempo (i.e. fresh set of legs, etc.) or does it slow us down somewhat due to players having to go into and out of gear?  I'm not insinuating it's not the right move (or certainly not that we're a slow team), I'm just wondering from a coaching perspective what that does to tempo.

[tower912]

IMO, he is doing it for fresh legs.   He is doing it for offensive/defensive switches, even 5-6 minutes into the game, instead of just at the end.   IMO he is running his freshman out there, telling them to bust a gut for 90 seconds, and then getting someone else in there.  IMO, He is doing it to keep a high energy level and to keep the young guys from making a mistake.   You're only going to be out there, play hard.  If you mess up, someone else is coming in, but you will be back in in a couple of minutes.   IMO, he has his dream of an entire roster of high major talent, and he is using it.   If you have 11 guys who can play, who understand the offense and the defense, who can fly around out there, use them all.    He said after we lost to Mizzou, that that was the type of team he wanted.   We have it.    Not the length, but the athleticism and depth.    And now he is using it.

[turk17]

I love it.

[lab_warrior]

Bottom line: we need both of them to be successful.

Excellent assessment, I agree 100%.  They are both important in different scenarios.  Gardner will develop even more over the next 2 years, but as of now they are a great tandem unit.

There will be upcoming games--where threads will be about how much we need OTule on the floor vs. Gardner.  It's nice to have the luxury of two skilled big men, just different skill sets.  

[WellsstreetWanderer]

Chris is really active down in the paint causing defender to work hard. DG comes in and gives a different look ,takes up space and is a load to move out from basket. Together they are very effective.

[tower912]

There will be upcoming games--where threads will be about how much we need OTule on the floor vs. Gardner.  It's nice to have the luxury of two skilled big men, just different skill sets.  

Sure, the first time we lose, someone is going to blame it on DG playing enough minutes.   Again, I think Buzz has a really good feel for it. 

[PGsHeroes32]

Davante Gardner is a better player at the game of basketball than Chris Otule is. I have said this since last year. Yes, at times Otule is great on D and alters shots like Davante could only dream of. But, he is 6-11 and I honestly can not think of a game against a good team(BE or good non conference where he had more than 5 rebounds). Free throw shooting, agility and all around offensive moves are not debatealbe at all. If OX doesnt get more Pt it is absolutley ludacris.......but for now we are 7-0 so i wont bitch

[ATL MU Warrior]

Davante Gardner is a better player at the game of basketball than Chris Otule is. I have said this since last year. Yes, at times Otule is great on D and alters shots like Davante could only dream of. But, he is 6-11 and I honestly can not think of a game against a good team(BE or good non conference where he had more than 5 rebounds). Free throw shooting, agility and all around offensive moves are not debatealbe at all. If OX doesnt get more Pt it is absolutley ludacris.......but for now we are 7-0 so i wont bitch

Absolute reactionary BS as usual for you.  Below are games against good competition from last year that meet the 5 rebounds criteria you so eloquently laid out above:

Villanova (#12)
Georgetown (#11)
St. Johns
Seton Hall
Uconn (#15)
Providence (x2)
Cincinnati
Louisville (#14)
UNC (#2)

So there's 10 games for you. 

Do yourself a favor and watch both of them on the defensive end instead of just focussing on offense.  That will help you understand why Chris plays more than Davante.  They are both good players that excel at different things and we are lucky to have both of them.

[GGGG]

Davante Gardner is a better player at the game of basketball than Chris Otule is. I have said this since last year. Yes, at times Otule is great on D and alters shots like Davante could only dream of. But, he is 6-11 and I honestly can not think of a game against a good team(BE or good non conference where he had more than 5 rebounds). Free throw shooting, agility and all around offensive moves are not debatealbe at all. If OX doesnt get more Pt it is absolutley ludacris.......but for now we are 7-0 so i wont bitch

Otule's role becomes much more important against teams that attack the basket as a last line of defense.  UW doesn't do that.

[MU82]

Quite possible that Gardner was effective because he only played 14 minutes, no?

[THEultimateWARRIOR]

Davante Gardner is a better player at the game of basketball than Chris Otule is. I have said this since last year. Yes, at times Otule is great on D and alters shots like Davante could only dream of. But, he is 6-11 and I honestly can not think of a game against a good team(BE or good non conference where he had more than 5 rebounds). Free throw shooting, agility and all around offensive moves are not debatealbe at all. If OX doesnt get more Pt it is absolutley ludacris.......but for now we are 7-0 so i wont bitch

Otule is a great shot blocker down low we need him to bolster are defense. DG just isnt ready yet on the defensive end the substitution between the to works great.

[Markusquette]

Davante Gardner is a better player at the game of basketball than Chris Otule is. I have said this since last year. Yes, at times Otule is great on D and alters shots like Davante could only dream of. But, he is 6-11 and I honestly can not think of a game against a good team(BE or good non conference where he had more than 5 rebounds). Free throw shooting, agility and all around offensive moves are not debatealbe at all. If OX doesnt get more Pt it is absolutley ludacris.......but for now we are 7-0 so i wont bitch

I always like when I see a rapper's alias replacing an actual word, lol.

All jokes aside, I do agree with the previous posters that Otule is a lot more of a factor on defense (obviously).  Gardner is in much better shape this year and playing much improved defense, so that only bodes well for the future.  I like Buzz's philosophy on subbing guys in and out based on strengths, but I don't want it done all the time.  I think he has a good balance so players can still improve on their weaknesses in-game.

For example, Derrick Wilson still gets plenty of time to get more comfortable running the offense even though he is our defensive point guard. 

[PGsHeroes32]

Absolute reactionary BS as usual for you.  Below are games against good competition from last year that meet the 5 rebounds criteria you so eloquently laid out above:

Villanova (#12)
Georgetown (#11)
St. Johns
Seton Hall
Uconn (#15)
Providence (x2)
Cincinnati
Louisville (#14)
UNC (#2)

So there's 10 games for you. 

Do yourself a favor and watch both of them on the defensive end instead of just focussing on offense.  That will help you understand why Chris plays more than Davante.  They are both good players that excel at different things and we are lucky to have both of them.

ya thats my point. You don't remember 5 rebound games for a 6'11 man. The fact he didnt even do it in 33% tells you something. Like i said davante is better at the game than chris.

[brewcity77]

ya thats my point. You don't remember 5 rebound games for a 6'11 man. The fact he didnt even do it in 33% tells you something. Like i said davante is better at the game than chris.

Wrong. CO only did it twice in the non-con because he was averaging 12.1 mpg. As his minutes went up, so did his boards. He nabbed 5 boards in 2/14 non-con, then 10/23 in the real season.

This year, he's had 5+ boards in 4/7 games. In 2 of the games he didn't get 5 boards, he only played 13 minutes. We killed Wisco at points in the paint. If you don't realize how much CO affects that simply by being in there, if you can't grasp that despite not getting them himself our 16-8 offensive rebounding edge was largely him keeping their guys off the glass, I'm not sure there's much anyone can do to explain CO's value.

CO is our most important player. The reason we're so good is because of our defense, not because of our 6th leading scorer. We have guys that put the ball in the hole. Yes, DG provides a nice change-of-pace and has a different skillset than Otule, but it's not as simple as the Neanderthal "Aaaaarrrgh, points GOOD!" argument you're trying to make.

[ATL MU Warrior]

ya thats my point. You don't remember 5 rebound games for a 6'11 man. The fact he didnt even do it in 33% tells you something. Like i said davante is better at the game than chris.

you are hopeless

[deep vacuum]

Wrong. CO only did it twice in the non-con because he was averaging 12.1 mpg. As his minutes went up, so did his boards. He nabbed 5 boards in 2/14 non-con, then 10/23 in the real season.

This year, he's had 5+ boards in 4/7 games. In 2 of the games he didn't get 5 boards, he only played 13 minutes. We killed Wisco at points in the paint. If you don't realize how much CO affects that simply by being in there, if you can't grasp that despite not getting them himself our 16-8 offensive rebounding edge was largely him keeping their guys off the glass, I'm not sure there's much anyone can do to explain CO's value.

CO is our most important player. The reason we're so good is because of our defense, not because of our 6th leading scorer. We have guys that put the ball in the hole. Yes, DG provides a nice change-of-pace and has a different skillset than Otule, but it's not as simple as the Neanderthal "Aaaaarrrgh, points GOOD!" argument you're trying to make.

+1

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

To this point in Buzz's career, I haven't always loved his rotations and substitutions.

With this said, Buzz was brilliant on Sat. His use of Gardner/CO/Wilson/Jae was fantastic. He was able to use them each at different times in order to maximize what he wanted to do on the floor.

Gardner looks so good in limited minutes because Buzz uses him selectively when he is needed. Garnder's a tough match-up in the right spots. He's like a great left-handed reliever. He looks dominate against lefties, so you don't even bother putting him in against a righty.

Buzz has a great feel for his rotations right now. Very impressed.

[ringout]

ya thats my point. You don't remember 5 rebound games for a 6'11 man. The fact he didnt even do it in 33% tells you something. Like i said davante is better at the game than chris.

He also blocks his man off the boards very well, allowing easier rebounds for others.  17 offensive boards....Sweet.