Otule/Gardner

[real chili 83]

Isn't it great that we can have a debate about our two quality bigs!!!!

[esotericmindguy]

Gardner should be playing 28 minutes a game....Buzz's notion that his efficiency goes down after 20-22 minutes confuses me. He's played more than 22 minutes 3 times this season, the last being Tuesday Night. He's averaging 13 pts. 6.5 Rebs and is 12-21 from the field (16-18 from the line) in those games. UCONN 1/1/12: 28 Minutes ORat of 167; UW 12/8/12: 26 minutes ORat 84; USC 11/21/12: 24 minutes ORat 132. He looked great in overtime Tuesday and the offensive side is completely different with him on the floor. He looks to me to be in good shape, hasn't been the liability on defense he was last year at times. In the GB game, where MU struggled to score, DG played only 22 minutes and had a ORating of 140! He never touched the ball and took 4 shots. I don't get it, he needs to receive more minutes or have plays designed around him while he's in there.

If you look at last year he had some average games when logging a lot of minutes but also had some monster ones. KenPom doesn't have the ORatings for those games but check out his numbers. <http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/gamelog/_/id/51395/year/2012/davante-gardner> . I know O'Tule was hurt but get the big guy in the game!

[Markusquette]

Gardner is a "difference maker."  Otule is not period.

Okay let's be a little more fair.  While Chris doesn't bring nearly as much to the table as Davante he does make some important plays.  It depends how you're going to define difference maker, but his block vs. UCONN at the end was pretty critical.  Chris is efficient and has played solid defense in his rather limited time.  I've always liked how we can sub some offense in for defense, and it's only getting better now that Davante is slimmer and also much improved on D.

[MU86NC]

I agree - Chris brings a lot to the table.  It was nice to see that sweet little hook shoot early go in for him + the two handed dunk really is the 1st offense we have really seen this year!  I think he can get back to where he was last year before the injury very soon and if he gets that hook rolling watch out.   

[MU82]

Twice during the UConn game, both times with MU on defense, I turned to my buddy and said I was glad Otule, not Gardner, was in the game at that moment. The second, obviously, was that awesome block late.

They both have value, and the nice thing is that Otule occasionally contributes on offense and Gardner occasionally contributes on defense. It's got to be one of the best center rotations in the nation, and I give great credit to Buzz for making it work well.

[spartan3186]

One place Gardner is clearly superior to Otule is in the inside/out game. Otule is a black hole. When he gets the ball on the post, its not coming back out.

Otule has 7 assists in his CAREER. Yes, I said career. For a guy that has played in 69 games in an MU uniform (averaging nearly 16 min/game), that is a shockingly low number.

On the flip side, Gardner has 13 assists this SEASON and 42 in his career over 72 games (15 min/game).

PS Is anyone else surprised that Gardner has played in more games than Otule? Chris seems to have been here forever

[esotericmindguy]

One place Gardner is clearly superior to Otule is in the inside/out game. Otule is a black hole. When he gets the ball on the post, its not coming back out.

Otule has 7 assists in his CAREER. Yes, I said career. For a guy that has played in 69 games in an MU uniform (averaging nearly 16 min/game), that is a shockingly low number.

On the flip side, Gardner has 13 assists this SEASON and 42 in his career over 72 games (15 min/game).

PS Is anyone else surprised that Gardner has played in more games than Otule? Chris seems to have been here forever

That and he's 65th in the nation in Drawing fouls per 40 minutes and shoots 85% from the line.

[MU82]

One place Gardner is clearly superior to Otule is in the inside/out game. Otule is a black hole. When he gets the ball on the post, its not coming back out.

Otule has 7 assists in his CAREER. Yes, I said career. For a guy that has played in 69 games in an MU uniform (averaging nearly 16 min/game), that is a shockingly low number.

On the flip side, Gardner has 13 assists this SEASON and 42 in his career over 72 games (15 min/game).

PS Is anyone else surprised that Gardner has played in more games than Otule? Chris seems to have been here forever

That is a great stat, sparty. I could try to explain it by saying Gardner is much more likely to get double-teamed than Otule is, but 7 assists in a career is 7 assists in a career. Wowsers.

[tower912]

Curse that lack of peripheral vision.

[karavotsos]

Otule is a black hole. When he gets the ball on the post, its not coming back out.

Otule has 7 assists in his CAREER. Yes, I said career. For a guy that has played in 69 games in an MU uniform (averaging nearly 16 min/game), that is a shockingly low number.

This is just silly.  This is like saying Dennis Rodman was a black hole on the Bulls because he didn't have any assists.  A black hole has to have a high rate of touches.  He has to attract the ball.  Otule's main role on offense is to set on-ball and off-ball screens.  He doesn't pass the ball out of the post because he only gets the ball when he is deep in the lane and teams don't double him.  He can use one of his hook shots or dunk the ball and score.  If Otule is a black hole, he is a black hole with the gravitational pull of a dust mite. 

[Lennys Tap]

This is just silly.  This is like saying Dennis Rodman was a black hole on the Bulls because he didn't have any assists. 

Rodman had 1600 assists in his NBA career, including a year for the Bulls in which he had 230.