Brimah back in a week?

[Silk31]

Ok to me it's absolutely foolish if you think he is a good help defender, what do yo guys watch. Is he blocking every shot that comes form the weak side? How many does he miss because he's late on the help? A LOT. Help also means keeping your hands out and not allowing passes to the guy you left go by your head - it happens to him more than anyone, except maybe Facey. Sorry but he's good just not close to what many of you think. I'm done, I just want them to win really could care less how.

Wasn't expecting to strike a nerve with you Mau on my initial post. Brimah isn't Thabeet out there but he also didn't get much help from his teammates this year leading up to his injury. Our perimeter defense was atrocious and it was open season down the lane and he had to rotate to help consistently. When he doesn't get there in time or block a shot this reflects poorly on him to some but I saw it as our guards playing downright matador D.

Last year Brimah would pick up ridiculously stupid fouls away from the action. He wasn't having that issue this year at all. Maybe now that our team has learned to defend the perimeter and the dribble without the luxury of having a shot eraser lurking behind them we can become a well rounded D with him back in the mix.

Even with his flaws he is still the biggest defensive game changer in the country and I'm happy he's on our side

 

[CTBasketball]

Don't throw rotten fruit and veggies at me please, but shouldn't Facey and Enoch deserve some consideration in this thread ?

Ollie has neglected to use Enoch in the beginning of the season to play him now - he's way too far behind. He gets in during foul trouble. Facey needs to play, he's our best rebounder outside of Hamilton.

And for those saying Brimah is/isn't a good help defender, just know that he gets a large majority of his blocks from the weakside. He isn't a great defender by any means, he's long and jumps.

 

[krinklecut]

I'm just gonna say it: Phil Nolan is not a good basketball player. His entire time at UConn I've sighed whenever I saw him checking in at the scorers table. Dude is walking disaster with more TOs and PFs in the box score than anything else most games. He had A good game and now there are people acting like he's a savior and 10x better the Brimah. Phil Nolan is not better than Brimah, it's no contest.

 

[joober jones]

No one fears driving the lane when Nolan is in, no one. So the charge was great, but Amida brings the fear of the block to opponents and keeps them out of the lane more. There is a reason Brimah was the defensive player of the year for the conference last year.

Nolan also has the highest TO rate per possesion on the team, and Brimah bring a lot more offensively as well.

No one wants to bench Nolan but Amida should be getting majority of the mins

The TO rate has a fairly small sample size when it comes to PN.

 

[joober jones]

I'm just gonna say it: Phil Nolan is not a good basketball player. His entire time at UConn I've sighed whenever I saw him checking in at the scorers table. Dude is walking disaster with more TOs and PFs in the box score than anything else most games. He had A good game and now there are people acting like he's a savior and 10x better the Brimah. Phil Nolan is not better than Brimah, it's no contest.

I'm not claiming Phil is a star, but if you think he only had one good game and are cringing every time he comes in, you must have missed quite a few games this month.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

I'm just gonna say it: Phil Nolan is not a good basketball player. His entire time at UConn I've sighed whenever I saw him checking in at the scorers table. Dude is walking disaster with more TOs and PFs in the box score than anything else most games. He had A good game and now there are people acting like he's a savior and 10x better the Brimah. Phil Nolan is not better than Brimah, it's no contest.

He's strung together a few good games, he is a good player in the sense of he is good at what he needs to do. We aren't asking him to acore 10+ get 8rebs, etc. We ask him to play good defense, rebound well, and hit the occasional hook shot, which he does.

 

[krinklecut]

I'm not claiming Phil is a star, but if you think he only had one good game and are cringing every time he comes in, you must have missed quite a few games this month.

You know, you're right and you have a point. Half the games this month have been on CBS sports and I have no way to watch online, even with a cable login. He's a descent player and he does what is asked of him most of the time, but the people in this thread claiming he should be the go-to 5 on this team seem crazy to me. In no universe would I take PN over Brimah.

 

[CAHUSKY]

We are a better team with depth at the 5. A healthy AB gives us more depth at the 5. Having PN and AB is a good thing. This thread is tiresome.

 

[mauconnfan]

I'm just gonna say it: Phil Nolan is not a good basketball player. His entire time at UConn I've sighed whenever I saw him checking in at the scorers table. Dude is walking disaster with more TOs and PFs in the box score than anything else most games. He had A good game and now there are people acting like he's a savior and 10x better the Brimah. Phil Nolan is not better than Brimah, it's no contest.

Clueless

 

[mauconnfan]

You know, you're right and you have a point. Half the ing games this month have been on CBS sports and I have no way to watch online, even with a cable login. He's a descent player and he does what is asked of him most of the time, but the people in this thread claiming he should be the go-to 5 on this team seem crazy to me. In no universe would I take PN over Brimah.

No one claimed that, please try to read again krinkle guy. The both are what they are, he and Brimah. Both have major weaknesses (unfortunately offense s one for each)and both do some good things it really is that simple. Having Phil playing better and bringing AB back can only be good for the substitution pattern depending on the opponent. That was the point and it started with people saying Nolan will find his way back to the bench where he belongs.

 

[August_West]

You know, you're right and you have a point. Half the ing games this month have been on CBS sports and I have no way to watch online, even with a cable login. He's a descent player and he does what is asked of him most of the time, but the people in this thread claiming he should be the go-to 5 on this team seem crazy to me. In no universe would I take PN over Brimah.

Nolan over Brimah was a contributing factor in our last title. Thank god Ollie didn't think like you.

Brimah has gotten better since then. He deserves minutes. I'm not a Brimah hater. It's going to be interesting to see how the improved team defense responds with an back.

 

[Edward Sargent]

Wow you that blind? There's a lot more to the game than a blocked shot. Ever hear of hedging or help defense? And we don't win vs GTown without Phil, and if Amida was there and played 25 we lose - really that simple. Not saying AB doesn't deserve to play and start, just saying anyone convinced Phil should be back on the bench has very little knowledge of the game period.

I have to agree with you I would like Phil to start and play starters minutes. I think the team finally learned to play defense without the shot blocker they had come to expect backing them up. Everyone moves there feet and stays in front comes through screens better than they did with Amida in there. I also think Amida can be an energy guy.

 

[willie99]

I was wrong about AB. Even though he brings very little to the table with respect to an offensive skill set, we miss him big time.

He brings enough to open up the paint, although we seemingly have learned to pound the paint in the last three games

He's always been a force a defense

 

[Ricker]

I think most of the comments re Brimah/Nolan are fair with the conclusion just a matter of personal taste rather than provable fact. This is an attempt to add a comment without becoming part of the argument. I just wanted to add that I rewatched the Georgetown game yesterday before I was aware of this thread. I was watching Nolan and thought he was moving for rebounds and seeking position and trying to block out better than in the past. Drawing charges a given. Hedging aggressively, but I thought too long. I noticed his hedges that occurred later in offensive sets often, or at least at times, directly lead to required defensive rotations that Georgetown exploited and got good shots. Hedging early in the first few seconds of a possession weren't exploited, but I wondered if an offense then runs a set to specifically exploit the next hedge. I didn't come away sold whether Nolan's extended hedging was on net helping or hurting.

 

[Justin M]

Amida gets his blocks because he tries to block everything not because he's a good help defender because he is not.

Couldn't be more spot on and couldn't agree more. Yeah to the casual basketball fan Amida is a "better defender" because he has tremendous blocks and is a rim protector, however, he has very little discipline. Phil may not block the ball into the 3rd row every other time down the floor, but you cannot argue the fact that he is often in the right place and plays a very fundamental defensive game. Being in the right place, and being in the right spot is more than half the battle. Both will play important roles down the stretch.

 

[donyell34]

You could all say what you will and valid assessment 's of Amida's skills and all I can think about right now is St.Joe's with a smile.

 

[tcf15]

Personally, the one thing that would be nice to see is more credit to both Brimah and DHam for their alley-oops. Beginning of the season, I remember people dismissing Brimah's FG% because it was nothing but dunks and alley-oops, and IIRC people were saying anyone could do that. It doesn't appear as easy with Brimah out.

 

[Leebo]

In the past people have scoffed at Brimah's role as alley-oop recipient, but it seems clear to me that the lack of Brimah in that position has had a major impact on Hamilton's performance and confidence. Part of the responsibility lies on his shoulders to adjust to the new situation, but you can see it's been a struggle for him. He continues to twist and wind his way into the lane, but now he usually only has the option of kicking it out or taking a tough shot. He no longer has Brimah's presence to bail him out with a lob. I really look forward to Brimah giving us that option again.

 

[OkaForPrez]

Personally, the one thing that would be nice to see is more credit to both Brimah and DHam for their alley-oops. Beginning of the season, I remember people dismissing Brimah's FG% because it was nothing but dunks and alley-oops, and IIRC people were saying anyone could do that. It doesn't appear as easy with Brimah out.

http://the-boneyard.com/threads/i-t...-down-to-two-things.77138/page-2#post-1330421

 

[tcf15]

http://the-boneyard.com/threads/i-t...-down-to-two-things.77138/page-2#post-1330421

 

[Leebo]

Personally, the one thing that would be nice to see is more credit to both Brimah and DHam for their alley-oops. Beginning of the season, I remember people dismissing Brimah's FG% because it was nothing but dunks and alley-oops, and IIRC people were saying anyone could do that. It doesn't appear as easy with Brimah out.

Ha, you said it way before I posted... guess I should read the whole topic

 

[OkaForPrez]

@mauconnfan I get why you have to take an aggressive anti Brimah-Blinders, not to be confused with anti Brimah, position. I think you often oversell your point though and drift too far then come back to center (no pun intended) and say we all want to see him succeed. The truth is somewhere between Brimah as an NBA Caliber talent and where you put him on the sliding scale. We can argue about how far between the two until the cows come home (Oh home on the range!) but let's just all agree you're wrong.

 

[tcf15]

Ha, you said it way before I posted... guess I should read the whole topic

It's such an important, yet underrated, part of the offense, and a reason why I think we'll probably see more of an improvement on offense once Brimah returns.

 

[David 76]

Here is how I see our bigs:
Best rim protector and energy guy: AB
Best 1-on-1 defender: Phil (by the way this is feint praise).
Best rebounder: Facey
Best offensive potential: Enoch
Best overall: AB
If we had a player with AB's rim protection, Facey's rebounding, Enoch's offensive potential, and some of the charge drawing, 1:1 defending. We would have quite a center.

 

[David 76]

Oh!
AB traditionally has covered up for a lot of mistakes from our perimeter players. If that is not help defense, I don't know what is. It may not look the same as Shonn's help defense. But it is defense that helps. A lot.

 

[tjc1888]

Couldn't be more spot on and couldn't agree more. Yeah to the casual basketball fan Amida is a "better defender" because he has tremendous blocks and is a rim protector, however, he has very little discipline. Phil may not block the ball into the 3rd row every other time down the floor, but you cannot argue the fact that he is often in the right place and plays a very fundamental defensive game. Being in the right place, and being in the right spot is more than half the battle. Both will play important roles down the stretch.

He tries to block everything.....because that is what he is told to do. If a guard came down the lane and he tried taking a charge he would be pulled by Ollie and 99% of this board would have a stroke.

 

[Justin M]

He tries to block everything.....because that is what he is told to do. If a guard came down the lane and he tried taking a charge he would be pulled by Ollie and 99% of this board would have a stroke.

Well obviously he isn't going to take a charge, but the best shot blockers have a sense of what they can get to and what they can't. And when they can't get to it, they get into rebound position or slide into a better defensive position.

 

[MexicoHusky]

Step 1: With Brimah out the rest of the team needs to step up defensively. Other bigs need some PT
Step 2: Brimah get healthy
Step 3: Brimah comes back and solidifies our defense
Step 4: Championship

At least that's how it's supposed to happen in my head. So far Step 1 appears to be happening which is all we can ask for at this point. Step 2 shouldn't be that big of a deal. Step 3 and 4 are significantly harder, but my fingers are crossed.

 

[James]

Well obviously he isn't going to take a charge, but the best shot blockers have a sense of what they can get to and what they can't. And when they can't get to it, they get into rebound position or slide into a better defensive position.

The only reason ab is "going for these blocks" is because the perimeter defender let his man penetrate . You make it sound like brimah goes out there hunting blocks like he's whiteside which is just false , half the time he was guarding two players because a uconn player was plastered on a screen.

As far as Nolan , don't mistake activity for achievement . He is good at stringing out the offensive player or hard hedging but as @Ricker noted many times his overzealous pnr defense led to jumbled rotations. People love Nolan's hard hedging , brimah hedges and gets back to block shots . That's the difference .

Also ab isn't perfect either and I hate how threads like these pin one player vs the other. Brimah is foul prone, doesn't have great strength, and is wildly inconsistent... But it would be irresponsible to sit here and say Nolan at his peak is more impactful.

 

[Justin M]

The only reason ab is "going for these blocks" is because the perimeter defender let his man penetrate . You make it sound like brimah goes out there hunting blocks like he's whiteside which is just false , half the time he was guarding two players because a uconn player was plastered on a screen.

As far as Nolan , don't mistake activity for achievement . He is good at stringing out the offensive player or hard hedging but as @Ricker noted many times his overzealous pnr defense led to jumbled rotations. People love Nolan's hard hedging , brimah hedges and gets back to block shots . That's the difference .

Also ab isn't perfect either and I hate how threads like these pin one player vs the other. Brimah is foul prone, doesn't have great strength, and is wildly inconsistent... But it would be irresponsible to sit here and say Nolan at his peak is more impactful.

I'm not saying Brimah isn't a better weapon and more valuable, but the value that Phil can't be undervalued as well. Having Brimah in the game allows our Guards to be much more aggressive and take more chances. At one point this year, Ollie was having every player jumpswitch every single screen because of how poorly we were defending them. Phil defends them pretty well. Both are completely different players, and I can agree that Brimah is more impactful and will be an upgrade defensively seeing as no player wants their shot blocked. But Brimah by no means is our lord savior , as some people are making him out to be.

As someone said earlier, neither are spectacular