Oriakhi's Ride on the Escalator

[businesslawyer]

Although Andre did not make the impact we all thought he would he was a superior player than Alex ever could have been no matter who came in......if there was no Andre the team would not have made the tourney, AO was that bad!!

No matter how many times you say that, you are dead wrong. Go back and look at the plus minuses during the Big EAst season. There was a material difference -- with the team being better -- when AO was on the court versus when Drummond was on the court. I know the fact doesn't square with your opinion, but the thing about facts is they exist even when they don't support your opinion.

 

[businesslawyer]

I'm not Oriaki fan but I really believe Drummond was subtraction by addition. While Drummond was an incredible athlete, Uconn was going nowhere without Oriaki playing well. Instead, sitting got to him and his relationship with JC fell apart. I said at the beggining of that season that Oriaki playing well was the key to success. To say he didn't play well would be kind. Things may have been different if we didn't sign Drummond and if JC did a better job of coaching.Or things would have been the same. We'll never know.

A gazillion per cent this.

Maybe Drummond would have been better integrated into the team if he had decided on the same timetable as everyone else, or if he had ever learned how to really play basketball in prep school instead of just learning how his superior size and athleticism allowed him to do anything he wanted without skills. Or if our PG didn't go in and out of the lineup based on his family's actions and the NCAA's games. Or if our Coach didn't leave the bench twice and interfere with team building. But the fact is Drummond never did get integrated. The things that he could do on the court -- and they were many for a freshman -- never got blended with this team so that they made the team better.

It is not necessarily Drummond's fault that he never integrated into the team, but the fact was that he never did. Did AO handle it well personally? Of course not. (And his Dad is, at best, a lunatic, if not a schmuck, although why anyone on here cares about his father is totally beyond me -- do I care about Pudge's father when I praise or criticize a Pudge post?). So let him take his share of the blame along with Boatright's struggles to harness his athletic ability into basketball skills, and Drummonds, and Calhoun's inability to figure out how to use those skills without making it harder for AO and Roscoe and Daniels and Tyler and Giffey to have a useful role on the team. But there is every reason to think that the team would have been no worse, and might have been substantially better, had Drummond never shown up on campus.

 

[CL82]

(And his Dad is, at best, a lunatic, if not a schmuck, although why anyone on here cares about his father is totally beyond me -- do I care about Pudge's father when I praise or criticize a Pudge post?)..

But you might, if posted to ...say, call your wife a mumu or indicated that your firm was being mismanaged. No one cared about Mr. O. until he became a public embarassment, then they did.

 

[businesslawyer]

But you might, if posted to ...say, call your wife a mumu or indicated that your firm was being mismanaged. No one cared about Mr. O. until he became a public embarassment, then they did.

It only reflects on the Dad. The blaming AO for it is beyond unfair, bordering on the bizarre.

 

[champs99and04]

I loved that team, but let's be honest. Talent-wise, they weren't on par with the dominant teams of yore (1995, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2009), or even the teams a notch below that (1994, 1998, 2002, 2005). You could make the argument that they were closer to those third-tier teams (2000, 2003, 2008) than to any of those teams above that garnered #2 seeds or higher.

I think you are confusing talent and experience. People forget how young that team was - five freshman, two sophomores, one junior, and one senior constituted our top nine. The nine conference losses were a product of the five freshman losing their Big East virginity, plus Kemba wearing down a bit from carrying the load all season. The contiunity on the court obviously wasn't on par with the aforementioned teams either, given it was a group that had been playing together for five months.

The backcourt was composed of two lottery picks, our frontcourt had three top 50 recruits, and we brought another kid off the bench who might go down as one of the best Huskies ever if he returns for his senior season.

 

[Inyatkin]

I loved that team, but let's be honest. Talent-wise, they weren't on par with the dominant teams of yore (1995, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2009), or even the teams a notch below that (1994, 1998, 2002, 2005). You could make the argument that they were closer to those third-tier teams (2000, 2003, 2008) than to any of those teams above that garnered #2 seeds or higher.

In what sense was the talent level different on the 2003 team compared to 2004, or 98 compared to 99? And how would 94 be a notch below considering it had basically the 95 team plus Donyell?

 

[Rico444]

In what sense was the talent level different on the 2003 team compared to 2004, or 98 compared to 99? And how would 94 be a notch below considering it had basically the 95 team plus Donyell?

Do you really think Kemba from 09-10 was as good as Kemba from 10-11? Maybe it's just arguing semantics from here on out, but that's clearly what he meant.

 

[James]

+ /- is one of the most flawed statistics in basketball. Had he not got injured, dre would have been the second best rookie in the league. But he apparantly didn't know how to play basketball six monthes before that? I just looked up the those +/- between the two, AO is a whopping one point better than freshman dre.

 

[businesslawyer]

+ /- is one of the most flawed statistics in basketball. Had he not got injured, dre would have been the second best rookie in the league. But he apparantly didn't know how to play basketball six monthes before that? I just looked up the those +/- between the two, AO is a whopping one point better than freshman dre.

Now read what I actually wrote. Which was to look at the Big East season.

By the way, I just don't agree on plus and minus. Some players make teams better without piling stats and others don't. I know there are more complex statistical models to try to get at that, but plus and minus -- while not meaningful necessarily over a game -- is very meaningful over the course of a 16 game conference season. If you are usually better with player A on the floor than player B, after a few games it stops being important if you can tell why that is.

 

[mauconnfan]

No matter how many times you say that, you are dead wrong. Go back and look at the plus minuses during the Big EAst season. There was a material difference -- with the team being better -- when AO was on the court versus when Drummond was on the court. I know the fact doesn't square with your opinion, but the thing about facts is they exist even when they don't support your opinion.

I am dead wrong? You are totally oblivious bus man..........there is NO comparison here unless you just don't know squat about the game!! This is a ridiculous statement and bias at best.......sorry but you are so far off!!

 

[James]

What are these facts that shows we were better off with AO and no dre? drummond should have had nothing to do with AOs efficiency while he was on the floor, which was subpar. He was glued to the pine for a reason.

 

[Tenspro2002]

In what sense was the talent level different on the 2003 team compared to 2004, or 98 compared to 99? And how would 94 be a notch below considering it had basically the 95 team plus Donyell?

Maybe "talent" was the wrong word. I'll put it more simply.

The 2011 team wasn't as good a team as 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, or 2009.

And I would also argue that 2009 was the last truly dominant UConn team, alongside 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2004, and 2006. It's been a while since we had one of those.

 

[ctchamps]

Now read what I actually wrote. Which was to look at the Big East season.

By the way, I just don't agree on plus and minus. Some players make teams better without piling stats and others don't. I know there are more complex statistical models to try to get at that, but plus and minus -- while not meaningful necessarily over a game -- is very meaningful over the course of a 16 game conference season. If you are usually better with player A on the floor than player B, after a few games it stops being important if you can tell why that is.

Addition by subtraction applies this season. Shabazz did not get along with AO. He just hated AO's attitude last season. So it can be argued that UConn would have been substantially worse this season if AO stayed given SN's heroics. I'm glad AO went to Mizzou. The move was better for him and better for UConn.

 

[mauconnfan]

What are these facts that shows we were better off with AO and no dre? drummond should have had nothing to do with AOs efficiency while he was on the floor, which was subpar. He was glued to the pine for a reason.

THIS.....actually Alex should have been better with AD next to him!!! Anyone thinking otherwise is lost...............

 

[businesslawyer]

I am dead wrong? You are totally oblivious bus man..........there is NO comparison here unless you just don't know squat about the game!! This is a ridiculous statement and bias at best.......sorry but you are so far off!!

It may be wrong (it's not but I guess it could be). But there is no bias other than me disagreeing with you. Don't really give a crap about either Drummond or AO.

 

[Danzz]

What are these facts that shows we were better off with AO and no dre? drummond should have had nothing to do with AOs efficiency while he was on the floor, which was subpar. He was glued to the pine for a reason.

There are no facts. Oriaki was a starter on a championship team and was replaced by a freshman with more athletic ability. Drummond as a freshman was not a better contributor than Oriaki as a sophmore IMO. No question it got to Alex and he played worse and a major problem developed between he and JC.
Here is one fact for you: we won a national championship with Oriaki at the five and won nothing with Drummond starting. I'm not knocking Drummond, the kid is an incredible talent and Oriaki's attitude and play put him on the bench. WE may have been better off bringing Drummond off the bench. It was JC's job to get the most from his players and last year was one of his worst coaching jobs.

 

[7774]

No matter how many times you say that, you are dead wrong. Go back and look at the plus minuses during the Big EAst season. There was a material difference -- with the team being better -- when AO was on the court versus when Drummond was on the court. I know the fact doesn't square with your opinion, but the thing about facts is they exist even when they don't support your opinion.

You happen to have a link to these stats? I'd like to see a breakout of that stuff.

 

[Alum86]

He spent his last year in oblivion. Like trick shot Roscoe. Thank you Bazz and Tyler et al for staying. Time to take care-o-business next year.

 

[champs99and04]

There are no facts. Oriaki was a starter on a championship team and was replaced by a freshman with more athletic ability. Drummond as a freshman was not a better contributor than Oriaki as a sophmore IMO. No question it got to Alex and he played worse and a major problem developed between he and JC.
Here is one fact for you: we won a national championship with Oriaki at the five and won nothing with Drummond starting. I'm not knocking Drummond, the kid is an incredible talent and Oriaki's attitude and play put him on the bench. WE may have been better off bringing Drummond off the bench. It was JC's job to get the most from his players and last year was one of his worst coaching jobs.

Kemba might have had something to do with that.

 

[Danzz]

Kemba might have had something to do with that.

No arguement from me on that but the other players also had something to with it.

 

[CL82]

It only reflects on the Dad. The blaming AO for it is beyond unfair, bordering on the bizarre.

Well maybe not Biz. Alex had the chance to stop it privately of repudiate it publically and he did neither. Alex also made his statements about playing time, and being an automatic starter. I don't think people being offended by that is bizarre but it's fine if you do.

 

[mauconnfan]

There are no facts. Oriaki was a starter on a championship team and was replaced by a freshman with more athletic ability. Drummond as a freshman was not a better contributor than Oriaki as a sophmore IMO. No question it got to Alex and he played worse and a major problem developed between he and JC.
Here is one fact for you: we won a national championship with Oriaki at the five and won nothing with Drummond starting. I'm not knocking Drummond, the kid is an incredible talent and Oriaki's attitude and play put him on the bench. WE may have been better off bringing Drummond off the bench. It was JC's job to get the most from his players and last year was one of his worst coaching jobs.

Alex won a NC with Kemba at the 1.......that's the only statement which can be made here.......even at an underwhelming 10/7/3 his frosh year he was a better player than Alex was overall his soph year I could care less about what AO wears on his finger........Ao was lucky enough to have players who bought into the system his soph year while AD was unfortunate enough to have guys like AO next to him who QUIT!! There's the difference........sorry danzz but I have issues with anyone not recognizing the fraud this kid was!