Colton Crowdis committed.

[Pakuni]

Your comparison of what a P4 college football team pays for a solid starter at QB (the most important position on the field) to what a backup center (not remotely close to the most important player on a roster) costs is pointless.

Only if you want to ignore the reality of the market. Which, apparently you do.

Hypothetically, paying a backup big more than what Stevens or Parham is making would be incredibly stupid.

Might I suggest the options were not limited to:
1. Do Nothing/Caedin Hamilton
2. Paying a backup big more than Stevens or Parham.

[Jay Bee]

MU has a tree headed center position and I have every confidence that this team in and imagined configuration, will win 20 plus games and go dancing.

Yes. Tree headed. Except for Sunny, it's all bark and no bite aina. If we win 20 plus games and go dancing I'll be elated.

You realize you can move a guy like Royce to the 5 right? Just because he's our starting 4 doesn't mean he can't move to the 5 if Fru is injured.

Yes. Or you can have Royce sit on the bench while you start 18. We've seen it before, as crazy as it sounds.

[Jay Bee]

Give me a break. Sheek had an agreement to stay even with Fru coming on board. SLU unexpectedly lost a transfer to Duke, panicked and dropped a bag.

Nothing the staff could have done.

#FakeNews #Lies

[wadesworld]

Already discussed this.
Yeah, you can move anyone to the 5. Doesn't mean it's a good idea.
Or it's what Shaka will do.
Royce's interior defense against fours was ... er ... lacking. Not sure Shaka is going to put him at the 5 when he has Caedin, who he believes is a good defender.

Royce was moving the 5 when Gold would go to the bench last year unless we were playing Zuby or Reed, despite having Caedin on the roster.

[Jay Bee]

Royce was moving the 5 when Gold would go to the bench last year unless we were playing Zuby or Reed, despite having Caedin on the roster.

WTF. Stop with the lies. It's absurd.

Last game of the year we're playing to survive.. against Xavier.. so no Zuby or Reed.

15:30 of the first half.. Stevens and Gold go out.. in comes Damarius and... 18.

That was very normal. You're just lying. 18 was a normal part of the planned early rotation to the very last game of the year. Buckle up.

#LastYear

[Pakuni]

Royce was moving the 5 when Gold would go to the bench last year unless we were playing Zuby or Reed, despite having Caedin on the roster.

Again, already discussed this.

[1SE]

I can't believe im agreeing with Tower and MU82 - it must be one of the horsemen - but

1) like Tower says - in this era getting competent backups is going to be hard. You have coin and minutes for the starting 5 - after that, unless youre willing to pay starting coin, you're gonna see a big drop off. Keeping/finding "proven" reserves will be almost impossible- maybe coin and minutes for a proven 6 man, MAAAYBE 7 deep, but a "full" 10 man roster- forgettaboutit. Who knows the Sheek specifics, but in a world without coin, if the deal was "back up Fru this year and the youre the starting C on a BE team for 2 years" is there anyway he trades that for a few more minutes at SLU? Seems a lot less likely. But in the world with coin, even sheek (and certainly any proven reserve) is going to go to "aspirational" mid majors to start and get coin (or to P4 which can pay starter coin to a "full" roster).

2) like MU says, the roster is what it is now - all that's left is to see how it plays out. I'm confident that our starting 5 is enough to get us to the tourney. If we suffer injuries we're pretty f*cked, but that's always the case and especially because of 1 above.

To me next season is a binary- get to the tourney, Shaka proves he can play the portal.game, we're back on track and all smiles. Miss the tourney and it's time to move on.

[JakeBarnes]

Already discussed this.
Yeah, you can move anyone to the 5. Doesn't mean it's a good idea.
Or it's what Shaka will do.
Royce's interior defense against fours was ... er ... lacking. Not sure Shaka is going to put him at the 5 when he has Caedin, who he believes is a good defender.

Anyone can move to the five. But only a few can slap a proper five.

[Pakuni]

Anyone can move to the five. But only a few can slap a proper five.

[DoctorV]

Imagine a day and age where we would give anything to have a 250lb big fella aircraft carrier, AND a 7'2 pogo stick big as our two backups at the 5...

Now, we have it and are completely bummed about it.

[Jay Bee]

Miss the tourney and it's time to move on.

#LastYear ?
#ThankfulForExpansion

[#UnleashThePortal]

Your comparison of what a P4 college football team pays for a solid starter at QB (the most important position on the field) to what a backup center (not remotely close to the most important player on a roster) costs is pointless.

Where not paying for a starting QB is not reasonable, choosing not to overpay in desperation for a backup 5 could certainly be considered a reasonable decision when budgets are not unlimited and the pay structure of your roster needs to be considered. 

Shaka and staff had their backup big and got hosed. Nothing they could do about that. Hypothetically, paying a backup big more than what Stevens or Parham is making would be incredibly stupid.

Those decisions are not made in a vacuum, which should be blatantly obvious. And yeah, compensation decisions absolutely should be made based on the pay structure of your roster. It's common sense.

I was told we had so much money to spend though.

[wadesworld]

I was told we had so much money to spend though.

Which we did.

[#UnleashThePortal]

Which we did.

But is it enough?

[muwarrior69]

Imagine a day and age where we would give anything to have a 250lb big fella aircraft carrier, AND a 7'2 pogo stick big as our two backups at the 5...

Now, we have it and are completely bummed about it.

...and maybe a player or two from the incoming class will surprise us like NJ. Alex may not have the height, but he is built like a tank. Should be an interesting season.

[Shooter McGavin]

...and maybe a player or two from the incoming class will surprise us like NJ. Alex may not have the height, but he is built like a tank. Should be an interesting season.

Agreed,  we are all HOPING things work out despite not hedging our bets at a couple positions.  Health will be key.

As has been said before, no one has to twist their brain into a pretzel or over rationalize a good starting five this year.  The starting five is legit.  Top 25 legit.  NJ, RP and AS are potential Al-Big East players.  We all saw it with our own two eyes.  Not some coaching staff preseason hype. Fru and NM are hopefully in a similar position as well based on real performance from their respective leagues.

Then there is a drop off.

Cautiously optimistic about AE, (was excited to see Sheek in the cautiously optimistic category as well), MP2 and DO.  Notice no guards or backup bigs in this category.

Then another drop off.

NW, IM. (Notice no big in this category and an unknown playmaking guard, and two unknowns).

Then another drop off.

CH and JC

Then another drop off.

CC

Pray for health! This could be a legit team if everything goes right.   HOPE continues to be a strategy. 

[JakeBarnes]

Agreed,  we are all HOPING things work out despite not hedging our bets at a couple positions.  Health will be key.

As has been said before, no one has to twist their brain into a pretzel or over rationalize a good starting five this year.  The starting five is legit.  Top 25 legit.  NJ, RP and AS are potential Al-Big East players.  We all saw it with our own two eyes.  Not some coaching staff preseason hype. Fru and NM are hopefully in a similar position as well based on real performance from their respective leagues.

Then there is a drop off.

Cautiously optimistic about AE, (was excited to see Sheek in the cautiously optimistic category as well), and DO.  Notice no guards or backup bigs in this category.

Then another drop off.

NW, IM. (Notice no big in this category and an unknown playmaking guard, and two unknowns).

Then another drop off.

CH and JC

Then another drop off.

CC

Pray for health! This could be a legit team if everything goes right.   HOPE continues to be a strategy. 

No MP2?

[Shooter McGavin]

Ah, a big miss.  Put him in the cautiously optimistic category

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Only if you want to ignore the reality of the market. Which, apparently you do.


Might I suggest the options were not limited to:
1. Do Nothing/Caedin Hamilton
2. Paying a backup big more than Stevens or Parham.

I'm not remotely ignoring how the market works.  It's a bad comparison.

As I said, the scenario described above was a hypothetical but likely a realistic one.

If there was a back-up big available that was better than Hamilton/Clark and whose compensation fit with what Sheek or what a guy like DO is making and Shaka didn't add the player, that's a mistake. 

[Vander Blue Man Group]

This is going to be the third year in a row where you'll be proven incorrect. People are upset because Shaka keeps making the same mistake, and a few of you guys keep moving the goalpost to defend it.

"Well embedded sources tell Rothstein..."
Turns out he's not good.

"He's the backup"
Starts in the nonconference.

"We got Sheek as the backup, he won't play"
Sheek leaves.

"They'll replace Sheek"
Sheek doesn't get replaced.

"Why do people think he'll play 10 minutes a game?"
Because that's how many he played at the end of last season as the backup.

If it bothers you and Wades so much then wave the white flag and ignore everyone else's justifiable gripes.

Remind me how I was proven incorrect the previous two seasons? Would love to see it.

You have no capability to see context or nuance.

I've consistently said Hamilton should not be in the rotation.  I said after Sheek was poached that I wanted Shaka to add a back-up big.

However, unlike you and other people, I'm not going to pee my pants and think the season might be ruined based on the prospect of Hamilton playing limited minutes this upcoming season.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

I was told we had so much money to spend though.

That doesn't mean paying a backup big that may get 10-12 minutes a game more than some starters makes sense, does it?

[#UnleashThePortal]

That doesn't mean paying a backup big that may get 10-12 minutes a game more than some starters makes sense, does it?

I guess its more of having to pay market value for what you need right? The old way didnt work, why advocate to bring it back?

[MU82]

I guess its more of having to pay market value for what you need right?

Even trillion-dollar companies have budgets they stick to.

[#UnleashThePortal]

Even trillion-dollar companies have budgets they stick to.

Even trillion-dollar companies have budgets they stick to.

Sure, but thats not really the argument is it?

Blues argument is not paying a back up center more then a starter.... because optics? Idk.

[The Sultan]

No, Blue's argument has nothing to do with "optics." His argument is that you don't overpay for a player, especially a back up who isn't likely going to see meaningful minutes, if it knocks your entire compensation structure out of whack.