Bud, I agree with what you say. I am only wondering aloud if AK will return. He has not looked like a first rounder. I think it is worth contemplating that our starting 4 next year may, could, might be be AK. I am hoping that he has a crazy February and March and he puts this to bed. But if this funk continues, I dont think its crazy that he returns. I think we definitely need a transfer PG. No doubt.
You had me at “beat Duke in the 2nd round.”
Yeah preferably one who can penetrate who is athletic and plays great D. Bigger would be a plus.
Too bad he is not playing and just coaching. All this shows is how much we miss him because he has next level talent but he supplements average athleticism into great player by having such a high BBIQ. He is a bigger version of Cam Spencer. Imagine how good Liam would be as a fifth year senior. He would be unstoppable and make everyone around him better.
Alex wasnt a first rounder last year, this year or next year I suspect. He came back this year to expand his game which I actually think he has but the injury to Liam and his own /slump have pushed him back into the second round at best. Nothing wrong with that.
Last year was considered one of the weakest drafts in a long time. Couple that with his stock being at an all time high coming off B2B, if he had any chance of going round 1 he would have gone. Yes NIL and a 3peat are motivating, but not if you’re going round 1. I know there are still mocks out there flagging him as first round, in an epically strong draft class, but logic tells me it ain’t happening. Unless there is one team out there late who happens to like him and is ok taking a kid with limited upside, he’s round 2.
There is a massive negative trickle down effect on how teams defend you when your best player is not out there. Listen to Dauster's pod, he goes through it in detail. Liam coming back will be a significant boost in that it will soften defenses for other players and allow others to play roles more aligned with their strengths. Issue remains that he's not fixing the defense all that much. For any kind of potential run, the offense needs to start humming and for it to get hot at the right time. It's no different than a team like UK, even an Alabama to a lesser extent. These are teams who use analytics, space, put points up in bushels so much as to negate defensive issues. They focus on outscoring. It's hard to rely on for 6 straight games, but yeah never know. Bama made it to the F4 that way last year.
Consistent with how Dan has handled previous NBA prospects at UConn. Some lottery some not. Liam has a strong support system around him who are looking out for his long-term future goals-best interests. Dan sees the big picture for Liam.
Agreed which is why the injury was catastrophic for the team. I knew this at the time. He is either not coming back or is coming back when it’s all but too late.
I think this is the correct thing, too. It sucks for this season, though. If Liam doesn't get hurt, I think UConn would be undefeated in the Big East right now with their first loss coming at Marquette. Before Liam got hurt, UConn really hit their stride and was humming like a well oiled machine. This is why I felt so down after the win at DePaul because I knew, I think we all knew, Liam was going to miss at least month of the season.
I remember when you stated that Liam's injury could derail the season and a few posters here got offended and got all over you and on your case about it as if what you stated was so outrageous.