Of course he's making mistakes. Every player is making mistakes. And many are making the same ones over and over. OC gets the ball and starts to the basket without dribbling. Almost every game he gets a traveling call. He's the same age, has more college experience, and his off season surgery was earlier than Rodneys'. He wasn't a burger boy but he was highly ranked. Why are you giving him a pass? How many times did Thabeet bring the ball down to a spot he could be stripped? How many times does TSam drive too far and get blocked or get a turnover? And on and on. Some players develop and some don't. Some correct their mistakes and some don't.
How many times do people in this forum get upset by something, vocalize it every time, knowing it probably won't change anything? What's more frustrating? A player who makes repeated mistakes or any fan that continues to obsess in a futile endeavor. Not singling you out by any stretch. I admire your insight to the game tremendously which is why I'm replying to you directly. Furthermore I'm well aware there are a slew of people who share your sentiment. But is expressing this frustration with Rodney, or any frustration we have over anything every time we see it appear, different than the repeated mistaken action taken by a player? Does this repeated expression accomplish anything positive? If it there is a chance than I recommend we continue the endeavor. If it is unlikely, then I suggest we do something else such as come to terms with the situation or ignore it. Or better yet figure out why it bothers us so much.
We often dwell on something and very rarely introspect why that problem means so much to us. I share with all of you the desire that every UConn player fixes their mistakes and develops to their maximum potential, hoping like others, that doing so accomplishes team success. If that happens I get a vicarious pleasure from that accomplishment. I can strut with the best of you. However there isn't really anything I can do regarding players. I have no contact with them. I do have contact with members in this forum. If I can help one person find peace during troubling times by expressing something, than I get the same satisfaction I would get if I could help Rodney. If not I know I gave it my best effort.
Peace champs!
I think we may be closer to the same page on this topic than you realize. This roster is deeply flawed - which isn't overly surprising considering their relative youth - and any of the frustrating tendencies Purvis exhibits certainly are not unique to him. Calhoun is as bad, if not worse as you alluded to.
It seems we agree that Purvis may prove to be a polarizing player on this board for years to come, even if through no fault of his own. It will happen though, because of his physical ability; he's your prototypical two guard in terms of height, build, and athleticism. He will also demonstrate a soft shooting touch, even if his release is slow and he's inconsistent. These are characteristics that, IMO, differentiate him from Samuel and post-hip surgery Omar Calhoun.
Daniel Hamilton is the perfect counter point. He is a freshman who is plagued by all of the troubling tendencies freshman are usually plagued by, yet, you will find little resistance to the notion that he is on his way to stardom. Purvis, meanwhile, continues to enrage people long into his sophomore year with his apparent deficient instincts for the game. I use the word instinct because it does not carry a negative connotation as it relates to his character. He plays hard, I'm sure he works/trains hard. Some are simply less equipped than others at interpreting the shifting complexions of a basketball court, and to some extent, it's something you either have or don't. Purvis does not appear to, and thus, despite his physical measurables, will never fulfill his pre-college hype.
I hope I'm wrong, of course, and I have been many times. I would argue that in taking this position, I am better suited to embrace his flaws while also appreciating his strengths than say, somebody penciling him into the lottery. To me, Purvis is the perfect example of a kid who the board would be better off re-calibrating their expectations for moving forward. He is still a potential success story viewed in certain terms.
