Okay, I'll say it. Samson > Clingan?

[Deepster]

Right now, are we better with Samson in there?

a) There were times last season I said the same when Donovan outplayed Adama.
b) I think Donovan is not where he needs to be conditioning-wise yet.
c) Could Samson pull a Hilton Armstrong type jump in his development?

 

[caw]

Right now, are we better with Samson in there?

a) There were times last season I said the same when Donovan outplayed Adama.
b) I think Donovan is not where he needs to be conditioning-wise yet.
c) Could Samson pull a Hilton Armstrong type jump in his development?

No. There may be games or stretches where that is true though. Clingan still scares most shots in the paint a crazy amount. He also boxes out better which helps our guards rebound. Johnson is a live wire though and I’m super happy he’s healthy and playing well.

 

[3rdbass]

Right now, are we better with Samson in there?

a) There were times last season I said the same when Donovan outplayed Adama.
b) I think Donovan is not where he needs to be conditioning-wise yet.
c) Could Samson pull a Hilton Armstrong type jump in his development?

So far it looks that way. He is way more athletic and has the long arms too. I can definitely seeing him having more success at the next level if he keeps this up. Hopefully Clingan which looks slower than last year is just not 100% and that is the reason for him looking worst.

 

[PNolanFan]

I am gonna say that last year sanogo did a lot more than clingan when in the game and this year clingan does alot more than Johnson, it is easier to play center when your job is to block and dunk compared to running offense

 

[Austin316]

Their games are so different dude.

 

[MexicoHusky]

Hopefully tonight puts a fire under Clingan. Gets him running more or whatever he does to keep his cardio up. He looked like a more traditional out of shape goon that gets up and down the floor poorly. Not the relatively quick 7'2" guy we watched last year.

 

[Chin Diesel]

For the next 3-5 games, it's a legit question.

But there's only one way for DC to get in game shape and that's by playing in games.

Next two games DC needs a lot of run. Come Kansas reasses who is playing best and go with that.

 

[Icehawk]

Clingan was gassed from the prior game. Samson showed out. I still think Clingan is the overall better player.

 

[TheHorde]

Offensively right now this might not be too crazy. Defensively I’d say no. But DC really needs to get wiser about not picking up cheap fouls or he will not average 26-28 minutes a game. However, it’s comforting to see what Samson offers in the event he needs to play 20-25 minutes in a big spot.

 

[AtlantaHusky]

Match up by Match up basis. If the Texas Big is in would need Clingan so much more.

Let's just enjoy our embarassment of riches. Slamson was more than worth the wait. Clingan will get stronger as the year goes on. We all win.

 

[auror]

This game tonight was against a very athletic Texas team that wanted to play very uptempo. Both teams were crashing the glass and giving fastbreaks to the other on defensive rebounds.

It was much more of a "Samson game" than a "Clingan game", and last night was the opposite.

Clingan is still getting his conditioning back up and clearly was not ready for a back to back night after playing his most minutes of the season last game. He'll likely get in better shape (and maybe hopefully lose a few lbs) as the season goes on. These kinds of games should be less challenging by then. Hopefully by the UNC game.

 

[UofCT]

Felt like last year Clingan was catching lobs non stop. Haven’t seen it this year, yet.

 

[TheHorde]

Felt like last year Clingan was catching lobs non stop. Haven’t seen it this year, yet.

The further removed he gets from the foot strain, the more frequently we should see it.

 

[Rico444]

Please don't be a wimp and delete this thread.

 

[CTBasketball]

Samson was better tonight yes.

 

[JMick]

Right now we are better with Johnson. Everything runs smoother and his athleticism is electric.

But when clingan can put it together he's the better player and the team will be better for it.

Last year he was beating guards down the court and the last two games he hasn't even made it down there on some possessions.

 

[Huskyforlife]

It’s not a crazy question. But I think it’s too early to say definitively. Our rebounding usually suffers a bit when Don exits the game. Once Don has had plenty of time to get back in shape, we’ll know for sure. But this matchup really favored Samson with how fast both teams were playing.

 

[Verne]

A foot injury for a big is as bad as it gets. DC lost a ton of valuable strength and conditioning time. Assuming the foot is healthy and stays healthy he'll be fine by big east play.

Can't we just be happy to have both? Depth and rotating cast of weapons won us a natty last year... Why would it be a bad thing that it seems like we have that again?

 

[TheHorde]

It’s not a crazy question. But I think it’s too early to say definitively. Our rebounding usually suffers a bit when Don exits the game. Once Don has had plenty of time to get back in shape, we’ll know for sure. But this matchup really favored Samson with how fast both teams were playing.

Samson held his own on the boards and was blocking and contesting/altering plenty of shots tonight too. Let’s just appreciate that we have two talented bigs.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Right now, are we better with Samson in there?

a) There were times last season I said the same when Donovan outplayed Adama.
b) I think Donovan is not where he needs to be conditioning-wise yet.
c) Could Samson pull a Hilton Armstrong type jump in his development?

Tonight we certainly were. I never thought I’d say this but I was relieved when Hurley went back to Samson down the stretch. Kid was a monster tonight. Great block too where he pinned it and took it off the glass.

 

[Shamon30]

It depends on the situation. I will say Johnson has the quickest reflexes of any big I've seen

 

[WeAreUCONN]

Right now Sampson is better, it’s not debatable. Clingan needs to be the player we saw last year and have yet to see this year.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

This may be the 2nd year in a row where the backup big is a better rim runner and defender than the starter.

But not better overall. It’s incredible that our perimeter guys are so talented and if you fall asleep for a second, you’ll see Samson going up for a dunk.

 

[WeAreUCONN]

Tonight we certainly were. I never thought I’d say this but I was relieved when Hurley went back to Samson down the stretch. Kid was a monster tonight. Great block too where he pinned it and took it off the glass.

Me too. I was screaming at my tv to put Sampson back in. Clingan missed an easy layup and then either allowed a layup or fouled the guy. He’s moving slow this year and hesitating around the rim.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

15 points 7 rebounds and 2 blocks from Samson tonight. Wow man.