Mayo and Blue

[jesmu84]

I would rather see more of Steve Taylor.

#freestevetaylor

[TJ]

I don't see how it would have hurt.

I'm not one who thinks a Mayo/Blue combo solves all the problems. And it might have fared horribly against Nova. But I don't see why it wouldn't have been worth a try for a couple minutes. I mean, Buzz did finally try Gardner/Otule after 2+ years of pooh-poohing it. That hasn't been great guns, either, but, again, it was worth a try.

I'm not saying don't try it.  I'm saying that I thought Mayo played poorly on Saturday, so more minutes of him out there with Blue wouldn't have helped.  Obviously I could be wrong.  I did think there were long stretches of puzzling lineups on the floor - Otule, Wilson, and Taylor at the same time during a scoring drought for one.

[LAZER]

I'm as frustrated as anyone with Junior at point guard, but honestly I can't see how Blue would be a good option right now.  He doesn't have the greatest handle either.  And I don't think Mayo nor Blue have the mentality for the position.  Maybe try it out for a bit to see how it goes, but I would be surprised if it works any better.

I think this is ultimately the question: Do you try it out?  You've done pretty well so far and it's risky to try something new, but at the same time is it right to accept the the questionable play by your starting PG?

I think screwing with Blue right now is a bad idea, I'd rather give it a shot with Mayo and at the same time, give a few more minutes to D. Wilson.

[Goose]

Vander with the ball in open court makes things happen.. I would say even if you do not want him full time PG we are better in transition with the ball in his hands. He can speed up the game. Worst case is I would use him as outlet pass off D rebound when possible. Always can go more traditional in half court if nothing materializes.

[GGGG]

And I would stop the DG/CO bit too.  Nothing like slowing down even more a team that lacks foot-speed.  And DG at the high post isn't doing anything for me on offense.  I would rather see more of Steve Taylor.

I don't think I have ever been proven more wrong, with more force, than in this post!!

[ChicosBailBonds]

We can now officially stop the Vander to the NBA stuff...reality is reality.  The good news is that we will have him for his senior year, where he belongs.

[muarmy81]

I don't think I have ever been proven more wrong, with more force, than in this post!!

Well Sultan...at least you can admit it...time to enjoy this win before we lay a beat down on ND...

[MU82]

I don't think I have ever been proven more wrong, with more force, than in this post!!

Aw come on, Sultan. You've been more wrong plenty of times!!

(That's a joke, son.)

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

We can now officially stop the Vander to the NBA stuff...reality is reality.  The good news is that we will have him for his senior year, where he belongs.

If you go back and read closely, nobody other than Goose and his source actually think Vander is leaving.

A lot of people commented on his prospect status, but nobody really said "he is going".

[Silkk the Shaka]

He has faults but who do you want playing point for 25+ minutes a game?  Blue?  Then that takes away from his offense.  D Wilson... teams will not respect his shooting.  Cadougan is still our best, if imperfect, option.

My thoughts exactly

[ChicosBailBonds]

If you go back and read closely, nobody other than Goose and his source actually think Vander is leaving.

A lot of people commented on his prospect status, but nobody really said "he is going".

It's not so much about whether they think he is going, it's the number of people who think he is ready to go.  He isn't.

[MURFC]

We can now officially stop the Vander to the NBA stuff...reality is reality.  The good news is that we will have him for his senior year, where he belongs.

IMO, the talk of VB to the NBA was a joke and nothing more than blue and gold kool aid.  Here is to hoping Vander finishes strong this year, works hard on his three over the summer, and comes back and to dominate the BE his senior year.  He is a stud and has been having a great year, but he is nowhere near the NBA. 

[MerrittsMustache]

It's not so much about whether they think he is going, it's the number of people who think he is ready to go.  He isn't.

I'd like to join Chicos out on his limb and predict that Juan Anderson will not bolt for the NBA after this season.

[brewcity77]

It's not so much about whether they think he is going, it's the number of people who think he is ready to go.  He isn't.

It isn't whether he's ready to play nightly in the NBA, it's whether he's ready to start learning at that level. If a team thinks he has NBA upside, he would have a shot, especially if someone believed he could play the point. Whether we see it or not, Vander has the size and athleticism to play the point in the NBA. He doesn't have the handle yet but considering how he improved his shot there's no reason to believe his game couldn't further improve. Blue's age also plays in his favor. He's still only 20 years old and will be 10 days past his 21st birthday on draft night. That's the age of the average sophomore, it's possible someone would take a shot.

I'm not saying he should go, but with a weak draft class this year and a strong one next year, it wouldn't be crazy to see him going, even if he had a couple off nights.

[MU82]

But brew, you do realize that no NBA team is going to draft him unless he goes wild in the BE and NCAA tourneys, right? I'm not saying mock drafts are gospel, but when not a single one even has him as a late second-rounder, it means something.

The only way he leaves is if he gets some godawful advice.

[ChicosBailBonds]

IMO, the talk of VB to the NBA was a joke and nothing more than blue and gold kool aid.  Here is to hoping Vander finishes strong this year, works hard on his three over the summer, and comes back and to dominate the BE his senior year.  He is a stud and has been having a great year, but he is nowhere near the NBA. 

I don't think some of these folks were joking, they just view things through a lens very narrow without realizing there is a continent called Europe with NBA prospects, or many other kids here in the states that are just as good or better. Just my opinion.  Fans tend to overvalue their guys too much.

[Silkk the Shaka]

I don't think some of these folks were joking, they just view things through a lens very narrow without realizing there is a continent called Europe with NBA prospects, or many other kids here in the states that are just as good or better. Just my opinion.  Fans tend to overvalue their guys too much.

Nobody said he WOULD DEFINITELY leave, besides maybe Goose.  That's your problem in arguments.  You take polar positions yourself (ex. there is NO WAY Vander is leaving), then paint "the other side" as your polar opposite.  Now every time he has an off game you can't wait to come on here and say VANDER IS DEFINITELY NOT AN NBA PLAYER.  Annoying.

For the most part people gave reasons why he COULD potentially leave (ex. demonstrated continued shooting improvement from midrange, demonstrated ability to finish in traffic, elite athleticism, being young for his grade which the NBA does value) and you act like they said he's for sure gone.  Right now, for reasons stated above I think it's a 20% likelihood he leaves.  Which means the odds are overwhelming that he comes back, but it's not definite.  I think for him to leave he would have to be a guaranteed 1st round pick or guaranteed by a GM that he would be picked in the 2nd round (like Boobie Gibson).  The odds of that happening increase to about 40-50% in my opinion the further we go in the tournament on the back of him having big games.  Anything past the S16 with him as a major impact player, and we sweat it out as he goes through the draft process waiting for him to remove his name.  Anything short of that, and we're relatively safe that he comes back even better for a ridiculous run next year.  Either scenario I'm happy with and the latter is far more likely though not guaranteed.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I keep seeing the Subject title of this thread and think it's some special Marquette sandwich topping.