Tempo examination

[MuggsyB]

I have beaten this drum most of the year.  I think there's a distinction between playing fast and playing too fast.   More specifically wanting to play fast vs a team with better speed, rebounding, and athleticism is pretty much a death sentence.  Missed jump shots and never getting to the line means your opponents can get into transition.  They aren't as bad as live ball turns but they're essentially the same thing.

So, when you talk about allowing 100, or that our defense went to Hell, the main reason imo is that we have allowed teams to play in the open floor with turnovers and quick jump shots.  Franky, I never saw us adjust our tempo vs different opponents/personnel. 

Of course when you're making threes like we did vs Prov and Nova at Home the offensive tempo looks great and everyone is happy.  The problem is we never had a plan B or could consistently find ways to score in our half-court offense.  I think the bottom line is our overall tempo is the primary reason for our defensive issues down the stretch which Shaka alluded to in his press conference.

[CTWarrior]

I have beaten this drum most of the year.  I think there's a distinction between playing fast and playing too fast.   More specifically wanting to play fast vs a team with better speed, rebounding, and athleticism is pretty much a death sentence.  Missed jump shots and never getting to the line means your opponents can get into transition.  They aren't as bad as live ball turns but they're essentially the same thing.

So, when you talk about allowing 100, or that our defense went to Hell, the main reason imo is that we have allowed teams to play in the open floor with turnovers and quick jump shots.  Franky, I never saw us adjust our tempo vs different opponents/personnel. 

Of course when you're making threes like we did vs Prov and Nova at Home the offensive tempo looks great and everyone is happy.  The problem is we never had a plan B or could consistently find ways to score in our half-court offense.  I think the bottom line is our overall tempo is the primary reason for our defensive issues down the stretch which Shaka alluded to in his press conference.

Agree 100%.  The reason we competed so well against Villanova is because they forced us to play slow, which we're much better at. 

I keep thinking back to the Shaka mindset of culture building for the first two years.  He has a way he wants to play and he's going to play that way regardless of the roster.  So that gives me hope in a way.  He's got a plan, and hopefully he will recruit to that plan and we'll get there.  I just wish his culture included grabbing the odd rebound here and there.

[Goose]

I'm all in on the tempo Shaka wants to play. Now is the time to get the right guys to fit the style. I remain a firm believer that it has to be an easy system to recruit players. I have refrained all season for criticizing players, with exception of saying I do not believe Elliott is a three point shooter, and next year the gloves are off. I appreciate the effort of every guy this year and next year I expect effort and better performance from the team and coaching staff.