Hypothetical- If you could add any one Former Uconn Player to this Teams Roster who would you Pick? | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Hypothetical- If you could add any one Former Uconn Player to this Teams Roster who would you Pick?

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Taking Ray over Shabazz would be tough. Ray was good and he's a personal favorite but Shabazz has onions and a will to win stronger than any player we've ever had.

I loved Bazz, Kemba and Caron because they were warriors that could carry a team not just most of the game, but at the very end of the game as well. I think Boat can be like that but it will tougher for him because he isn't quite the long range shooter that Bazz was and he he isn't quite the player Kemba was. The nice thing is that I didn't think Kemba or Shabazz were so great at this point in their final seasons. Lots of games to play for Boat, he may surprise us like those guys did.
 
Ray or Bazz. Need another outside 3-pt threat and ball-handler.
 
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I think if you add Shabazz (or Kemba) you minus something from Boat, so I'm improving our outside shooting with Ray,
But I'd love to see Nadav be the glue that pulls this team together. He would add range, passing and become that glue guy.
 
Come on guys, Ben Gordon should not be forgotten. Opens the floor for the team, hits the big shot, inside/outside game and can take any game over.
 
I don't get how anybody can watch these last two games and not conclude that three point shooting is this teams biggest weakness right now. With that in mind, I need to take somebody who can shoot the three at a 40%+ clip. I'd also like this player to be able to pass and defend at a high level. Adding another strong perimeter defender to the fold alongside Boatright would probably vault this defense from really good to incredible, and if we could supplement Boatright's quickness with an additional shooter and creator, it would obviously make us very difficult to guard.

To me, this narrows it down to four choices:

Caron Butler - 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 40% from three (but only on two attempts per game)

Ben Gordon - 19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 43% from three

Ray Allen - 23 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 47% from three

Shabazz Napier - 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 41% from three

When you adjust for pace (last years UConn team played at a far slower tempo than the '96 team, for instance, leading to inflated statistics), the choice becomes obvious to me. Butler is a very appealing option due to his versatility and pure scoring ability, but perimeter shooting wasn't his forte, and we're still searching for somebody to fill the void left by Daniels and Giffey on the wing. Allen and Gordon are relatively obvious choices. Allen was superior in virtually every category aside from assists, which I value a lot on a team that struggles to pass the basketball. Neither of them were more than break-even defenders, though, and this program has always started and ended with defense.

Napier's 41% mark from three is probably slightly lower than it would have been on prior UConn teams. Last season he was obviously forced to chuck a lot of threes late in the shot cluck (which he converted in stunning efficiency), whereas Ray was predominantly a catch-and-shoot guy (though he could shoot off the dribble). Napier was a gifted floor general who rarely turned it over relative to his high usage rate.

But what makes the decision easy for me is what Napier could do defensively. Not only was he an occasionally dominant on-ball defender, he played help defense as well as I've ever seen from a UConn guard. Between him and Boatright, it was basically like playing 5 on 6 on offense for opposing teams. Go re-watch some of those games from March and tell me you don't want to see a Napier/Boatright reunion.
 
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champs99and04 said:
I don't get how anybody can watch these last two games and not conclude that three point shooting is this teams biggest weakness right now. With that in mind, I need to take somebody who can shoot the three at a 40%+ clip. I'd also like this player to be able to pass and defend at a high level. Adding another strong perimeter defender to the fold alongside Boatright would probably vault this defense from really good to incredible, and if we could supplement Boatright's quickness with an additional shooter and creator, it would obviously make us very difficult to guard.

To me, this narrows it down to four choices:

Caron Butler - 20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 40% from three (but only on two attempts per game)

Ben Gordon - 19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 43% from three

Ray Allen - 23 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 47% from three

Shabazz Napier - 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 41% from three

When you adjust for pace (last years UConn team played at a far slower tempo than the '96 team, for instance, leading to inflated statistics), the choice becomes obvious to me. Butler is a very appealing option due to his versatility and pure scoring ability, but perimeter shooting wasn't his forte, and we're still searching for somebody to fill the void left by Daniels and Giffey on the wing. Allen and Gordon are relatively obvious choices. Allen was superior in virtually every category aside from assists, which I value a lot on a team that struggles to pass the basketball. Neither of them were more than break-even defenders, though, and this program has always started and ended with defense.

Napier's 41% mark from three is probably slightly lower than it would have been on prior UConn teams. Last season he was obviously forced to chuck a lot of threes late in the shot cluck (which he converted in stunning efficiency), whereas Ray was predominantly a catch-and-shoot guy (though he could shoot off the dribble). Napier was a gifted floor general who rarely turned it over relative to his high usage rate.

But what makes the decision easy for me is what Napier could do defensively. Not only was he an occasionally dominant on-ball defender, he played help defense as well as I've ever seen from a UConn guard. Between him and Boatright, it was basically like playing 5 on 6 on offense for opposing teams. Go re-watch some of those games from March and tell me you don't want to see a Napier/Boatright reunion.
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1, you have to include kemba walker in this comparison. 2, we just had Napier and Boatright. I think Boat needs his chance to lead. You can't go home again and you can't repeat what they had in 2014. Have to mix up the players a bit. Kemba or Ray, unless you think Purvis becomes an elite scorer, in which case you can go for interior help with Donyell, Cliff Robinson, Okafor, or Andre Drummond.
 
champs99and04 said:
I don't get how anybody can watch these last two games and not conclude that three point shooting is this teams biggest weakness right now.
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That's true. But we have much more talent on the perimeter than we do on the inside, and we have ball handlers/dominators. An ideal would be a stretch 4, which is why Daniels, Donyell, or Charvlie V are the only correct answers.
 
Make it more interesting -- which non-all-American former player would you add. No Okafor, no Ray or Kemba.
Then you really might take a specialist, a Rashad or Giffey.
 
auror said:
That's true. But we have much more talent on the perimeter than we do on the inside, and we have ball handlers/dominators. An ideal would be a stretch 4, which is why Daniels, Donyell, or Charvlie V are the only correct answers.
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We probably do have more talent on the perimeter than on the interior, but it isn't a zero sum game. And as far as depth is concerned, it remains to be seen how much of it we have in the back court. As of now, the players that the addition of Napier would have the largest impact on would be Samuel and Cassell, and although I think those two can be good players later in the year, reducing their minutes isn't the worst of things. Purvis and Hamilton are capable of logging enough minutes at the three and four, respectively, to contribute meaningfully either way - essentially, you're just downsizing and sliding Facey out of the starting lineup. Hamilton can function as a stretch four on offense and hold his own defensively with some help.
 
Inyatkin said:
Make it more interesting -- which non-all-American former player would you add. No Okafor, no Ray or Kemba.
Then you really might take a specialist, a Rashad or Giffey.
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Gordon wasn't an All-American, but I don't think that's what you meant.
 
Kitaman said:
Come on guys, Ben Gordon should not be forgotten. Opens the floor for the team, hits the big shot, inside/outside game and can take any game over.
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Agreed, there is no "cold blooded" killer right now, why I like Ben. Also like Rashad Anderson. I know both have lower 3 pt percentages vs Ray, but those guys were cut throat in 2004. Also, what about a guy like John Gwynn coming off the bench. Has there been anyone on that second team providing a competent lift? I appreciate Samuels energy and I expect him to be under control by the end of the year but just looking like a fledgling out there. Of course 5 games is not much of a sample size.....
 
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I can't decide. Okafor or Donyell Marshall. Both would be a huge help.
 
Thabeet.....

You play a 3-2 zone with Thabeet and Brimah on each block. Impossible to score.
 
Never mind hypothetical fantasy rosters.

How about olliewood get off the stick to get some real players on the floor.

So far, without JC recruits, only one newrip has been added to the fold with a massive collection of projects.

This trend projects UCONN to the bottom of the heap shortly and singing "Yankee Conference is hear again."
 
CallMeBruce said:
Wouldn't adding one of the many players who are staggeringly better than Donny Marshall improve the offense more?
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Again, didn't say he would be my choice, I just threw it out there for discussion. It's not like I said Kirk King or Jeff King. Marshall had a good career and a cup of coffee in the NBA so he's no slouch.
Most of the offensive suggestions put forth address the half court offense. I'm suggesting that Marshall, one of the best we've ever had at getting out on the break and getting easy baskets, would address a different element of our offense. Ollie did say that he wants to run and get easy baskets. Who better to show the way.
Again, just tossing it out there for discussion. Ray Allen was the best offensive player I've seen at UConn (fan since around '77) so he'd be my choice with Rip a close 2nd. I just thought Marshall brought a different element and deserved to be in the discussion.
 
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Fairfield_1st said:
Again, didn't say he would be my choice, I just threw it out there for discussion. It's not like I said Kirk King or Jeff King. Marshall had a good career and a cup of coffee in the NBA so he's no slouch.
Most of the offensive suggestions put forth address the half court offense. I'm suggesting that Marshall, one of the best we've ever had at getting out on the break and getting easy baskets, would address a different element of our offense. Ollie did say that he wants to run and get easy baskets. Who better to show the way.
Again, just tossing it out there for discussion. Ray Allen was the best offensive player I've seen at UConn (fan since around '77) so he'd be my choice with Rip a close 2nd. I just thought Marshall brought a different element and deserved to be in the discussion.
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I don't think that there's any rational argument that Donny Marshall would improve this team anywhere as much as Allen, Hamilton, Butler, etc.
 
CallMeBruce said:
I don't think that there's any rational argument that Donny Marshall would improve this team anywhere as much as Allen, Hamilton, Butler, etc.
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Depends on whether sarcastic clapping and Pam Webber's best season are also included in the Donny Marshall package.
 
I just feel that 3 point shooting is not THE biggest weakness of this team. IMO, the main reason we are having difficulty hitting big/timely shots is due to poor spacing. When you start 3 sophs 1 frosh and 1 senior things like proper spacing and fast, efficient ball movement will take time. We all know RB, SCJ, Dan Hurley, OC can shoot the rock.

Without having a stretch four (Dan Hurley doesn't count even though he'll play there due to foul trouble issues with the bigs) you really need to take advantage of having 2 big bodies to bang down low for boards.

Granted, Kelis Fisher has shown tremendous growth. But when our second leading rebounder this year could very well be RB, this is clearly our #1 area of concern. Bigs open up fast breaks on defensive boards and force collapses from the D when we are on offense, which will lead to open 3s on a proper kick out, something no big on this team is capable of.

Unless PN and AB transform into a "PhilAmindatron" I'm sticking with Jeff Adriennnnnnnn as my choice.


I can't believe I just spent so much time on a "hypothetical post." :confused:


Stupid Finals Procrastination
 
Okafor, a solid inside presence would open everything up on offense, he would take away the paint on defense and he would rebound too

not even squid's platoon would stand a chance on any day, there's nothing they would have over us (except maybe more bodies)
 
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