Lubin and Cassell Keeping Us in this Game

[CallMeBruce]

Yeah, I'm not sure who the Lubin supporters are expecting him to guard against good teams.

He's a flawed player, to be sure. But pointing out that Lubin is going to have limitations doesn't negate the fact that Nolan has been putrid this season. His PER is 0.4. I've never seen one that low before in my life. It's nothing personal, and Phil seems like a great dude, but he's absolutely not getting it done. Wanting to see if Lubin can eat some minutes while being less of a massive liability doesn't mean that we don't recognize that Lubin also needs some work.

 

[The Funster]

I thought Calhoun was the key to UConn getting out of the game-starting funk. He certainly brought some energy and hit some nice shots. I liked the Lubin jumper and two or three possessions later he got the ball in the same spot. I think he should have taken the shot instead of trying to drive. He's a wide body, he just needs to learn how to use it under the basket. Nolan is a disappointment. Cassell needs to go straight up with his jumper. He always seems to be leaning back. Purvis started off trying to do too much, IMO. He backed off a bit and let the game come to him a little more...he made better decisions because he wasn't a step or two ahead of himself. A good win. The team showed some character storming back, played some good D and over all played smarter.

 

[Excalibur]

that last basket from lubin should be the only type he ever attempts this season.. Even though he made the jumper....please dont and the drive was adorable.

There isn't a player on the squad who shouldn't take a wide open 12 footer. He's a little lost in terms of what to do when he's guarded, but that shot is fine.

 

[pnow15]

Not a good game.
Nolan tried two shots instead of moving ball. Same as turnovers and was properly bench. He can't play stupid or he won't play at all. .He can help if he does not neutralize himself.
Purvis still playing dumb with misguided out of control drives to basket when there is no clear path. Clanged a careless free throw attempt. I believe he will never play smart winning basketball and this will lead to losses in close games.
Omar played well. He should start. I trust his judgement more than Purvis' judgement.
DHam back to back rimming free throws. Ollie has to stay on his butt to concentrate and get this stroke down.
Facey disappearing again.
Brimah and Boat played well and smart.
Ollie will not be able to set rotation due to crazy Purvis play, Facey disappearing play and DHam killer free throw shooting.
USF is not a even a mediocre club.
Lubin made a nice little jumper.

 

[nyhusky89]

I have been saying Lubin should be playing more. He is playing well, good intangibles, vocal, a leader and mature. Rakim thankfully has relegated Nolan to fourth string to big man rotation. We need to play inside out because our bigs have more potential and are playing better than our back court. The Rakim has been unleashed on south florida. Cassell is benefiting from some "garbage" plays and the fact that Hamilton is very off and KO is giving him the bench treatment.

was this a joke?

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Rakim is 100% better than Nolan and should be first big man off the bench. Rakim has basketball IQ and looks like a player: Nolan has neither.

Has a basketball IQ? Based on what, exactly? Not to knock the kid, I liked that he knocked down that 9 footer and the put back layup was appreciated but what has he shown you to indicate that he has some basketball IQ that Nolan doesn't?

 

[mauconnfan]

Rakim is 100% better than Nolan and should be first big man off the bench. Rakim has basketball IQ and looks like a player: Nolan has neither.

You are trying to prove how clueless you are and close to succeeding. But you're damn persistent and I like that.

 

[jibsey]

One positive though and that is Omar providing some quality time. It's going to be big for us.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I have been saying Lubin should be playing more. He is playing well, good intangibles, vocal, a leader and mature. Rakim thankfully has relegated Nolan to fourth string to big man rotation. We need to play inside out because our bigs have more potential and are playing better than our back court. The Rakim has been unleashed on south florida. Cassell is benefiting from some "garbage" plays and the fact that Hamilton is very off and KO is giving him the bench treatment.

Oh, never mind, I hadn't seen this. You're clearly insane.

 

[AstarIsBorn31]

There isn't a player on the squad who shouldn't take a wide open 12 footer. He's a little lost in terms of what to do when he's guarded, but that shot is fine.

I shall stick to him not shooting it until he proves me otherwise.. Too be fair I havent seen enough of him to totally "boneyard" him on that shot but he just doesnt seem to have a great shot...I shall not talk about lubin any more tonight... My player of the game is probably Brimah. Still think he couldve dominated even more but honestly we dont look for him on the offensive end (besides hamilton paint passes) ..

 

[huskymagic]

Has a basketball IQ? Based on what, exactly? Not to knock the kid, I liked that he knocked down that 9 footer and the put back layup was appreciated but what has he shown you to indicate that he has some basketball IQ that Nolan doesn't?

Every game that Rakim has played shows he has very good basketball IQ. His overall demeanor, his seriousness during game time, setting solid screens, fighting for rebounds, has a good looking jump shot. In 10 minutes he got 4 points and 3 rebounds against an American conference opponent. Now compare all of that to how Nolan whose highest scoring game this year has been 2 points despite playing an average of 12 minutes a game. Nolan's PER someone mentioned is 0.4 this year that is impossibly bad. Rakim brings a seriousness and intensity that only high IQ basketball players bring to the game; Nolan is the same clown on the court as off the court which is why he is so abysmal out there.

 

[johnhuskies95]

He's a flawed player, to be sure. But pointing out that Lubin is going to have limitations doesn't negate the fact that Nolan has been putrid this season. His PER is 0.4. I've never seen one that low before in my life. It's nothing personal, and Phil seems like a great dude, but he's absolutely not getting it done. Wanting to see if Lubin can eat some minutes while being less of a massive liability doesn't mean that we don't recognize that Lubin also needs some work.

They're both going to be 5th options out there, so production in terms of stats isn't going to happen. But Phil can bang with legit D-1 bigs and hold his own a bit. He's proven it. That's good enough for a third big getting 10-15 minutes a game.

Put it this way, I think there's a reason why Ollie will trust Nolan more than Lubin against guys like Octavius Ellis and Stefan Nastic.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Has a basketball IQ? Based on what, exactly? Not to knock the kid, I liked that he knocked down that 9 footer and the put back layup was appreciated but what has he shown you to indicate that he has some basketball IQ that Nolan doesn't?

Do you ever make a post that is not an attack on another poster?

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Do you ever make a post that is not an attack on another poster?

If you want to talk about a post that's an "attack" that's a pretty bad example - you should have gone with the one where I said he was insane. But to answer your question, yeah, of course. I think there's a way for you to see for yourself if you're interested.

I do have to say, though, I really enjoy your posts. The stridency of your predictions combined with the fact that you are virtually always wrong is fantastic. And coming out tonight with the "Cassell is quick and athletic" after your famous "Stanley is not a Big East caliber athlete" is a total game-changer.

 

[selles]

Nolan is the same clown on the court as off the court which is why he is so abysmal out there.

Your posts would be a much better read if you'd stop gratuitously insulting our players like this.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

If you want to talk about a post that's an "attack" that's a pretty bad example - you should have gone with the one where I said he was insane. But to answer your question, yeah, of course. I think there's a way for you to see for yourself if you're interested.

I do have to say, though, I really enjoy your posts. The stridency of your predictions combined with the fact that you are virtually always wrong is fantastic. And coming out tonight with the "Cassell is quick and athletic" after your famous "Stanley is not a Big East caliber athlete" is a total game-changer.

I will put my prediction W/L record up against just about anyone's on this board, and certainly against yours.

 

[Stainmaster]

His overall demeanor, his seriousness during game time

As opposed to the guys cheesing and goofing off during the games? Oh wait.

Nolan is the same clown on the court as off the court which is why he is so abysmal out there.

I'd love to hear your story about meeting Nolan in person and determining this.

 

[CL82]

This is how I've felt the entire time. I want to see more Lubin just because he can't possibly be less effective than Nolan has been.

Yeah well when our charges taken stats drop, who'll be laughing then huh?

 

[CallMeBruce]

Yeah well when our charges taken stats drop, who'll be laughing then huh?

This is pretty funny.

 

[PAHusky]

The stupidity of some of these arguments would put a room full of drunk lawyers to shame. Both Lubin and Nolan are less than ideal options to back up Brimah. Nolan has experience, a Duke level knack for taking charges and height. Lubin has weight, the occasional flash of competency and a lack of playing time (this is a positive on this board - it means the boneyard doesn't have a lot of evidence to pick his play apart and we love nothing more than hyping someone based solely on their biceps/youtube clips/etc). If you're looking to win games this season, Nolan might be your best option - he's not productive at all but he doesn't look totally overwhelmed against better opponents. Lubin may eventually develop into a nice rotation player, so it makes sense to get him some run against teams like USF. Either way, let's stop acting like this is a meaningful debate. They're about equal in terms of production, I'm sure Ollie will play the hot hand, let's go back to fighting over pizza or tweaking out over recruits

 

[Kitaman]

Lubin's Gainsville family was at the game. Good move by Ollie for sticking with him for 10 minutes.

Always nice for long distance fam to see son on the court and producing.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Rakim is 100% better than Nolan and should be first big man off the bench. Rakim has basketball IQ and looks like a player: Nolan has neither.

Against an even slightly athletic big, Rakim just isn't quick enough. Against some of the more plodding guys, he's a much better matchup. His big thing before next offseason has to be getting into much better shape. That baby fat has to go for him to be able to defend better.

 

[SixRings]

Three Rakim negatives: He is too slow, not aggressive enough for his size and lacks experience.

Three Rakim positives: He has time to gain experience, dude has girth and he has a beautiful soft touch (which reminds me of):

Jackie Moon: "I mean, I was out there grabbin' balls. I think I grabbed some of your guys' balls."
Scootise Double Day: "That was you on my nuts?"
Jackie Moon: "Yeah."
Scootise Double Day: "You got the softest hands in the world."

 

[jibsey]

Three Rakim negatives: He is too slow, not aggressive enough for his size and lacks experience.

Three Rakim positives: He has time to gain experience, dude has girth and he has a beautiful soft touch (which reminds me of):

Jackie Moon: "I mean, I was out there grabbin' balls. I think I grabbed some of your guys' balls."
Scootise Double Day: "That was you on my nuts?"
Jackie Moon: "Yeah."
Scootise Double Day: "You got the softest hands in the world."

Wow that's pretty funny.

 

[SixRings]

Wow that's pretty funny.

Not as good as the S my C clip.

 

[nyhusky89]

Every game that Rakim has played shows he has very good basketball IQ. His overall demeanor, his seriousness during game time, setting solid screens, fighting for rebounds, has a good looking jump shot. In 10 minutes he got 4 points and 3 rebounds against an American conference opponent. Now compare all of that to how Nolan whose highest scoring game this year has been 2 points despite playing an average of 12 minutes a game. Nolan's PER someone mentioned is 0.4 this year that is impossibly bad. Rakim brings a seriousness and intensity that only high IQ basketball players bring to the game; Nolan is the same clown on the court as off the court which is why he is so abysmal out there.

The difference is that against good teams they both look terrible, but Nolan has PROVEN that he can play adequate defense in those games. Neither one of them is getting on the floor for the offense and if that ever is the case we have a much bigger issue than which of them plays 8 minutes. Nolan is the 3rd big on a team that only has 2 bigs, who Ollie knows can defend the post and not slow everyone else down. He certainly makes some head scratching plays, but his 6'10" 225 with experience and knowledge of how to play D is going to get minutes over RL. Lubin got extended minutes because everyone else was asleep and his family was at the game, but as a freshman is too short/inexperienced to make an impact on the glass vs good teams and isn't quick enough to guard guys his height. Lubin may be able to stay on the court next year (won't see a minute if stone comes) or as an upperclassmen, but this season, if you need to give a big man off the bench minutes, it will be Phil Nolan. If you don't understand why that is, you have a much bigger problem. Then again, your judging them based on Lubin scoring 4 points against USF and being a more serious person.


Now I see that our good friend from pennsylvania has already said everything I did. Thank you PAHusky. I am going to post this because i already typed it, sorry if it is redundant.