A classic...

[mu03eng]

As much as Cadougan drives me nuts sometimes, Taylor would have damn near killed me. So many dumb decisions.

Taylor is DJO on the drive without any of the really good 3pt shooting.  No thanks.

[MerrittsMustache]

Why do you guys follow Tom Crean on Twitter?

[mu03eng]

Why do you guys follow Tom Crean on Twitter?

sadomasochism

[MerrittsMustache]

Taylor is DJO on the drive without any of the really good 3pt shooting.  No thanks.

Taylor is likely an NBA 1st Round pick who shot a better FG% than DJO and had basically the same 3P% this season. Yes, he turns the ball over a lot but he still would have looked good in a Marquette uniform.

Let's not pretend that just because he decommitted from MU that he sucks and we wouldn't have wanted him anyway. With all due respect to Cadougan, you don't think MU would have been better with Taylor running the point these last couple years?

[Goose]

Merritt
+1

TT would have been great addition to our program. To build a program you have always upgrade your talent and TT would have been an upgrade.

[frozena pizza]

Junior Cadougan is not in the same league as Tyshawn Taylor.  Sorry.  I'm just glad TT's career is over so I can stop thinking about what might have been.

[GGGG]

Taylor is likely an NBA 1st Round pick who shot a better FG% than DJO and had basically the same 3P% this season. Yes, he turns the ball over a lot but he still would have looked good in a Marquette uniform.

Let's not pretend that just because he decommitted from MU that he sucks and we wouldn't have wanted him anyway. With all due respect to Cadougan, you don't think MU would have been better with Taylor running the point these last couple years?

Well stated. 

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

I'm not saying he wouldn't be an upgrade from what we had...I just don't like his game. He's just not smart out there.

[Silkk the Shaka]

Except his being here isn't in a vacuum.  If Taylor is here who don't we have, most likely Gardner.  There is no way I would trade Taylor for Gardner

That doesn't make much sense to me.  Why do we most likely not have Gardner if Taylor stays at MU?  Taylor, Williams and Christopherson leaving opened the door for Jimmy Butler and Liam McMorrow, which left us with one unused scholarship in '08/'09, which would have been Taylor's freshman year.  No scholarship issue there.  The following year Hazel and McMorrow left, and we took fliers on Roseboro and Mbao while Cadougan, Buycks and DJO came in at guard.  Gardner hadn't even factored into the equation yet.  The way I see it, either A.) Cadougan never would have committed to MU while Taylor had three years of eligibility left B.) We don't gamble on Roseboro or Mbao with open scholarships late, or C.) Someone like Reggie Smith or Dwight Buycks don't come to MU since Taylor is ahead of them.  I don't see a single scenario in which Gardner doesn't end up at MU just because Taylor was here.

[Tugg Speedman]

If Crean really think this ...

Had Crean stayed then 2008 would have been

Three Amigos, Lazar, Ty Taylor, Mbakwe, Butler, Scotty C., Fluce, Burke, Nick Williams

Was that a National championship team?

[MUfan12]

If Crean really think this ...

Had Crean stayed then 2008 would have been

Three Amigos, Lazar, Ty Taylor, Mbakwe, Butler, Scotty C., Fluce, Burke, Nick Williams

Was that a National championship team?

Jimmy would not have been here. Crean wasn't on him at all. Otule was a frosh that year as well.

[Tugg Speedman]

Jimmy would not have been here. Crean wasn't on him at all. Otule was a frosh that year as well.

So where is the Crean tweet that he never knew Butler was a first round pick and would have blown that big time?  I don't recall it.

[MerrittsMustache]

Jimmy would not have been here. Crean wasn't on him at all. Otule was a frosh that year as well.

Jimmy likely would have been logging 8-10 mpg on the Kentucky team that MU beat in the 1st Round of the 2008 Tournament.

[mu03eng]

That doesn't make much sense to me.  Why do we most likely not have Gardner if Taylor stays at MU?  Taylor, Williams and Christopherson leaving opened the door for Jimmy Butler and Liam McMorrow, which left us with one unused scholarship in '08/'09, which would have been Taylor's freshman year.  No scholarship issue there.  The following year Hazel and McMorrow left, and we took fliers on Roseboro and Mbao while Cadougan, Buycks and DJO came in at guard.  Gardner hadn't even factored into the equation yet.  The way I see it, either A.) Cadougan never would have committed to MU while Taylor had three years of eligibility left B.) We don't gamble on Roseboro or Mbao with open scholarships late, or C.) Someone like Reggie Smith or Dwight Buycks don't come to MU since Taylor is ahead of them.  I don't see a single scenario in which Gardner doesn't end up at MU just because Taylor was here.

If Taylor is here, Crean is here and there is no way Crean goes after Gardner let alone Gardner coming here.  Poorly articulated point on my part.  We likely would have continued to be undersized

[GGGG]

If Taylor is here, Crean is here and there is no way Crean goes after Gardner let alone Gardner coming here.  Poorly articulated point on my part.  We likely would have continued to be undersized

I think the underlying assumption in this exercise is that Taylor would have stuck with his NLI despite the change in coaches. 

[Golden Avalanche]

Junior Cadougan is not in the same league as Tyshawn Taylor.  Sorry.  I'm just glad TT's career is over so I can stop thinking about what might have been.

Exactly.

Even with his flaws, Ty Taylor won more games in the month of March this season than Cadougan will win in his 3 1/4 years at Marquette.

Kid was a good college basketball player and Marquette would have loved to have him. Best player from that vaunted St. Anthony's squad.

[brewcity77]

Even with his flaws, Ty Taylor won more games in the month of March this season than Cadougan will win in his 3 1/4 years at Marquette.

I get hyperbole and all...but come on. If you're referring to the actual month of March, Taylor won 7 games this year, 1 regular season, 1 B12T, and 5 NCAA. Junior has already won 10 games in the calendar month.

If you're referring to all postseason games, it was 6 for Taylor, and Junior has already won 8 (4 BET, 4 NCAA).

If you're only referring to the Big Dance, Taylor won 5, Junior has 4 already with one season to go.

I get that people love playing the "what might have been" card, but I don't think we go from Sweet 16 to NC runner-up if the only change you make is Taylor for Junior. As good as Taylor is, he's a better scorer but worse ball-handler. He'll always earn more plaudits than Junior because of the points, and he's probably overall a slightly better player, but it's not like we're talking about a Magic to John Paxson type comparison. Both are good players and I can't wait to see what Junior does as a senior.

[Lighthouse 84]

Jimmy likely would have been logging 8-10 mpg on the Kentucky team that MU beat in the 1st Round of the 2008 Tournament.

Obviously, with JFB on UK instead of MU, MU would not have beaten UK in that game....

[Dreadman24]

Junior Cadougan is not in the same league as Tyshawn Taylor.  Sorry.  I'm just glad TT's career is over so I can stop thinking about what might have been.

+1 I totally agree with you on that

[MU82]

I get hyperbole and all...but come on. If you're referring to the actual month of March, Taylor won 7 games this year, 1 regular season, 1 B12T, and 5 NCAA. Junior has already won 10 games in the calendar month.

If you're referring to all postseason games, it was 6 for Taylor, and Junior has already won 8 (4 BET, 4 NCAA).

If you're only referring to the Big Dance, Taylor won 5, Junior has 4 already with one season to go.

I get that people love playing the "what might have been" card, but I don't think we go from Sweet 16 to NC runner-up if the only change you make is Taylor for Junior. As good as Taylor is, he's a better scorer but worse ball-handler. He'll always earn more plaudits than Junior because of the points, and he's probably overall a slightly better player, but it's not like we're talking about a Magic to John Paxson type comparison. Both are good players and I can't wait to see what Junior does as a senior.

Nice, brewcity. I like it when people use facts to call people on their hyperbolic statements.

Facts ... so annoying to some.

[MU82]

Taylor is and has been better than Cadougan. Only a REAL Cadougan fan/Taylor hater would claim otherwise, and would have only sketchy facts to back up such a claim.

Playing the "what-if" game also is a silly exercise: Who would we have gotten vs. who we wouldn't have gotten. I mean, maybe if Taylor came here, others would have followed and half the roster would have been different (and better ... or worse). Maybe Mbakwe would have stayed, stayed healthy and stayed out of trouble. Maybe there are too damn many maybes.

Anyway, this thread started with Crean's tweet. I love the line about Buzz actually being the one who recruited Taylor. (Of course, then Crean could tweet about how smart he was to bring Buzz here, which he'd be right about.)

My question is: If Crean was the guy was responsible for Taylor committing to MU and if Taylor loved Crean so much, why didn't Taylor follow Crean to Hoosierland?

[spartan3186]

Buzz was the main recruiter on Taylor, so thanks for the compliment Tommy!

Except he didn't come to Marquette even after Buzz was named the head coach. Apparently TC did something.

[The Lens]

Once that KU offer came, Taylor was never coming to MU, coaching change or not.  Bob Sr would have made his case to TC and TC would have been too afraid to stand up to Bob Sr.  I know he signed an NLI but something would have happened.

Buzz and TT have a great relationship, Buzz saved that recruitment in Oct / Nov.  They knew who Buzz was but it was a very fortuitous that TC left for IU and gave Taylor, and more specifically Hurley, the cover they needed to get Taylor to Kansas.

Never underestimate the power of a man who routinely turns out top 100 players.

[PVMagic]

He always thought Wes Matthews was an NBA level guard.  That's why he implemented an offensive system that maximized his talents.

[Dawson Rental]

Except his being here isn't in a vacuum.  If Taylor is here who don't we have, most likely Gardner.  There is no way I would trade Taylor for Gardner

Please tell me you meant to say: "There is no way I would trade Gardner for Taylor.