Jimmy C making moves

[Dogdeacon]

No one's mentioned the fact that Calhoun announced this move 24hrs before the game. If it was purely about tempo or who is best he'd have simply trotted out the 5 players at 7PM tonight and saved the drama.

So there is definitely a message/motivation element. I think some of that as a commitment to running (Boatright gets somewhat more rope to run and make an occasional mistake) and Napier is on notice that if he doesn't push the ball he is coming out.

As others have smartly pointed out, they definitely need more shots for Lamb, Drummond and Boatright, so I think that's a bonus with this lineup. And Giffey does move the ball better than other options at SF.

Oriakhi is a tougher one. Sure it'd be a bonus to get Roscoe going, but seems like he is just in a sophomore slump and no one is looking at Scoe as a key to the season. On Oriakhi I wonder if the kid is simply a little too smart for his own good and plays harder in tournament games. He was a different guy in all the tourneys last year and struggled at times during the regular season (for example Oriakhi had 5pts and 2 boards in regular season finale home loss to ND, then magically has 13pts and a school record 19 boards in 1st round of BET).

 

[HuskyBballFan]

No one's mentioned the fact that Calhoun announced this move 24hrs before the game. If it was purely about tempo or who is best he'd have simply trotted out the 5 players at 7PM tonight and saved the drama.

We always find out who starts the day before the game once Calhoun meets with the media. It's a standard question that he gets asked.

 

[FeedTheDove]

He did struggle at times last year during the season, but he has struggled in nearly every game this season. He was still able to put up more than good enough numbers during most of the season last year. He is definitely a key to us succeeding. I hope to god that he realized this and realizes that he can be a dominant big man and starts playing like it. Confidence is key. (please catch the ball though)

 

[DogMania]

I like the move, but it's really not who starts, but who plays and contributes the most and who's on the floor during winning time that matters.

Before I even found out about this, I was talking to a buddy of mine about the following:

If they can't exploit some sort of advantage of playing AD and AO together on the floor, especially on offense why bother. I thought a change where they go with the long and more athletic Roscoe who is more capable of extending his D than either of those two was in order. AD or AO on the floor with Scoe IMO is the way to go with teams that play 4 or more mobile players, like ND, Cinci and Marquette.

As for who plays the point, it just seems Bazz is either banged up (foot) and/or mentally struggling to run the offense. He seems to have hit a wall, struggling when he should take the deep 3, when he should try to create and drive and when he should be looking for open teammates. The team simply need more decisive and energetic play from our PG. Just not sure if Boat is ready to do the heavy lifting at that position, but something needed to be done.

Keep in mind that for this team to win in March they will need both Alex and Bazz playing with their heads screwed on right. I thought Alex was starting to put it together, but he's still wildly inconsistent. As for Bazz he just needs to get healthy and learn how to run the team more quickly and decisively. He did it last year, so I don't know why he's struggling so much this year. When he came in to play last season, he was often the floor general who set the table for his teammates. The one huge missing ingredient is he and his teammates no longer have Kemba Walker there to bail them out with 10 seconds or less on the clock. I usually liked our chances with the ball in Kemba's hands with the clock running down. At this point in the season, I don't feel that way no matter who has the ball, though Lamb would be my primary choice at the moment with Boatright #2 with the hope he can dish to an open Lamb for a good shot.

 

[Chelo]

I hope Bazz understands that when Coach tells him to run and push the ball, he doesn't mean go coast to coast with blinders on.

 

[Pudge]

Shabazz Shabazz Shabazz ...

My view entering this year was that he was the key. And, we are in a slog on offense because he has given us little flow & made poor decisions. Our turnovers are way up & they are far more costly. Jeremy Lamb has far fewer chances than he should have. And, this UConn team doesn't run. I am interested to see Boatright. He has a spark that could push us forward ... and I do like Shabazz off the bench.

 

[willie99]

doesn't matter at all who's starting, he's just pushing buttons

 

[jibsey]

This isn't about PT because Bazz will play 30 plus, but Boatright can get in the seams maybe, can't wait to see.

 

[M_Funkhauser43!]

This change has to be at least as much about sending a message as it is about tactics, if not more. These are the two captains that just got benched. Has that ever happened on a Calhoun team this late in the season?

This whole "searching for an identity" thing in February really sucks. This team is like a metaphor for my junior year in high school: it has potential, but just can't seem to keep its head straight and get its together.

 

[joober jones]

I don't get why people think Giffey is such a good defender. He lacks the speed to get around screens effectively and guys get off easy shots from outside against him on a frequent basis.

 

[UChusky916]

I don't get why people think Giffey is such a good defender. He lacks the speed to get around screens effectively and guys get off easy shots from outside against him on a frequent basis.

Can you name a better perimeter player from the 1-3 on our team right now? Sadly, I can't.

 

[huskymagic]

This team will win tonight as these were the right changes for the team to make and which Calhoun knew he had to make and he did. I expect us to win tonight by 6-10 points. Look for Roscoe to have a good game today.

 

[Rico444]

I don't get why people think Giffey is such a good defender. He lacks the speed to get around screens effectively and guys get off easy shots from outside against him on a frequent basis.

He is a 3. He's serviceable defensively against 1s and 2s, but I don't think anybody expects him to play lockdown defense on guards. He's 6'7".

 

[yankeewc]

This team will win tonight as these were the right changes for the team to make and which Calhoun knew he had to make and he did. I expect us to win tonight by 6-10 points. Look for Roscoe to have a good game today.

Wow, talk about dreaming the big dream!!