Starting lineup

[AJay11]

With all due respect, IMO, what you and so many others on this board miss is that your best team very often is not your best five players, it is how do you use your roster to put the BEST TEAM possible on the court. It makes absolutely no difference whether Bueckers is a better point guard than Muhl if the team is better with Bueckers off the ball as a primary shooter. And playing with a point guard that will make sure she gets the ball when she is open. Ever notice how many times when Muhl is pushing the ball she searched out Fudd when she was playing and Senechal all season long as they fan out to the 3 point line?
I am pretty sure that had Muhl been playing Bueckers would have gotten more than 13 shots in the games against SC and Arizona, games in which, oh by the way, she not only averaged only a hair over 3 shots a qtr but had a grand total of 6 assists and 4 TOs. Bueckers is a terrific player, there is no question, but she doesn’t walk on water and I have always asserted that Uconn would be a much stronger, tougher team with Bueckers off the ball and Muhl on it. And it has nothing to do with who is a “better point guard”.

I've been focused on this year's team, but the idea of Nika continuing to play pg, is probably one of the most interesting, exciting scenarios for next season. I abosutely love Beuckers, but last year's team (at times) seemed to lack fluidity and then it would come down for a battle to score the winning pts in the last couple minutes of few games (like the ugly UCF game). Clearly there were other factors in last year's champion lost. Nevertheless, I would love to see Paige share some of her pg role with Nika. I wouldn't mind watching 20+ wins almost every game.

 

[cgshuskie]

I'll have to join those who think Azzi should come off the bench. Too easily injured to take on full time duty. Aubrey should start for defensive purposes and transition. Azzi is too vulnerable!

 

[Skeets]

I just love people who leave a dislike but don't express any reasons.

I guess they believe Nika is better than Paige at the point. They can't believe that she is a better shooting guard than Azzi or Lou. But they somehow believe that a fourth guard, Nika, will be more valuable than a 6'5" forward averaging a double double!

On what basis? They don't say so I guess we'll never know...

Forget the Nika vs. Paige idea. I don't believe anyone is saying Nika is better than Paige. If we were choosing up sides for a pickup game, who would you pick first, Nika or Paige? That simply is not the discussion.

What I am saying, and I think others as well, is that Paige is better off the ball than Paige playing the point. If you subscribe to that then it makes a heck of a lot more sense for Nike to be your PG. Next year, if we are so blessed, I think we will see a 3 guard lineup of Nika, Paige and Azzi for about 20 or 25 minutes a game. Nika will facilitate the scoring for Paige, Azzi and whoever the other two players who happen to be on the court. When Nika needs a rest maybe (and I said maybe) Paige stills plays off the ball with KK or someone else playing point. Playing off the ball maximizes Paige.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Have a feeling if Fudd comes back they are gonna keep her in a plastic bubble and not run her into the ground by playing her a ton of minutes. Replacing Aubrey with Fudd means you lose the transition game and defense and rebounding that Aubrey brings just to have another shooter on the floor.

Fudd won’t come back until she can take everything that Geno and his staff can throw at her in practice. Same for Caroline.

 

[PvP]

Even Paige has stated that the team is better with Nika at Point, just like Geno has stated. The team is more intense with her in and she contributes on both offense by hitting the players that are open and is a lock down defensive player.

They were speaking of this year when Paige was out. No one can honestly say that Nika is a better point guard than Paige when she is fully healthy. When she was fully healthy she was National POY.

 

[PvP]

Forget the Nika vs. Paige idea. I don't believe anyone is saying Nika is better than Paige. If we were choosing up sides for a pickup game, who would you pick first, Nika or Paige? That simply is not the discussion.

What I am saying, and I think others as well, is that Paige is better off the ball than Paige playing the point. If you subscribe to that then it makes a heck of a lot more sense for Nike to be your PG. Next year, if we are so blessed, I think we will see a 3 guard lineup of Nika, Paige and Azzi for about 20 or 25 minutes a game. Nika will facilitate the scoring for Paige, Azzi and whoever the other two players who happen to be on the court. When Nika needs a rest maybe (and I said maybe) Paige stills plays off the ball with KK or someone else playing point. Playing off the ball maximizes Paige.

That wasn't the premise as originally stated which was the best line up if everyone was healthy THIS year so as to include Lou in the discussion.
The originator of the thread argued for a starting lineup of 4 guards and no Dorka which only made sense if Nika was the point over Paige which as you state is not the proper choice particularly when it means we would be effectively be choosing Nika over a forward averaging a double double.

 

[martyn]

That wasn't the premise as originally stated which was the best line up if everyone was healthy THIS year so as to include Lou in the discussion.
The originator of the thread argued for a starting lineup of 4 guards and no Dorka which only made sense if Nika was the point over Paige which as you state is not the proper choice particularly when it means we would be effectively be choosing Nika over a forward averaging a double double.

The argument is for mainaining the current lineup this year, not a four guard lineup.

 

[oldhusky]

Forget the Nika vs. Paige idea. I don't believe anyone is saying Nika is better than Paige. If we were choosing up sides for a pickup game, who would you pick first, Nika or Paige? That simply is not the discussion.

What I am saying, and I think others as well, is that Paige is better off the ball than Paige playing the point. If you subscribe to that then it makes a heck of a lot more sense for Nike to be your PG. Next year, if we are so blessed, I think we will see a 3 guard lineup of Nika, Paige and Azzi for about 20 or 25 minutes a game. Nika will facilitate the scoring for Paige, Azzi and whoever the other two players who happen to be on the court. When Nika needs a rest maybe (and I said maybe) Paige stills plays off the ball with KK or someone else playing point. Playing off the ball maximizes Paige.

I agree with this but, perhaps don't take it quite as far regarding where Paige is best. I'm not sure what is Paige's best position. I feel she could be an All American at the 1 or 2, and maybe the 3. The decision of who plays the point when Nika and Paige are in the game together though is an easy one IMO because Nika is not similarly versatile. Nika cannot be a good shooting guard and can be a good PG.

PG Nika and SG Paige is much better than the other way around, and we could see that last year. When Nika plays off the ball she doesn't score or pass much. As a full-time PG that doesn't have to share ballhandling responsibilities she has excelled. Having two great scoring options on the perimeter next year (Azzi & Paige) compliments her best ability (passing) and negates her biggest weakness (scoring) because there are 4 other players who can shoot and create scoring opportunities, so Nika's lack of point production doesn't hurt much.

The sum of the parts that compliment each other is greater than just stacking the lineup with another shooter that has to wait their turn for their shot, and in the meantime doesn't make everyone else better like Nika does.

 

[PvP]

The argument is for mainaining the current lineup this year, not a four guard lineup.

Plainly you haven't read the beginning of this thread.

 

[MSGRET]

They were speaking of this year when Paige was out. No one can honestly say that Nika is a better point guard than Paige when she is fully healthy. When she was fully healthy she was National POY.

No she wasn't, she had said it before the injury and has said it after it. Just like most people are saying here that UConn is a better team with Nika at the point and Azzi and Paige at the wings. They have more choices with the offense.

 

[Gordo]

All this bickering back and forth regarding who will start, who will play PG, who is a better PG, etc., etc., is totally meaningless. Not a single one of us will have a say in it. Geno will make those decisions! And, of course, some of us will think we know better than him (the greatest WCBB coach ever). We will express our opinions over and over again, stating stats, scoring abilities, defensive prowess, assists, rebounds, steals, and oh yes ... turnovers. But in the end, our opinions will not play a part.

 

[martyn]

Plainly you haven't read the beginning of this thread.

I wrote the beginning of this thread. Speaking of which if there was ever an argument for keeping Griffin in the lineup, it is today's game.

 

[uconnfan68]

Great shooter she is, but the larger point is the fluidity and effectiveness of the team. The current five is in a zone. Stanford in a home game for them beat Tenn by seven. Our starters almost entirely by themselves doubled it at their place.

Her bbiq allows her to fit right in with whoever is out there with her. There isn’t any dropoff.

 

[uconnfan68]

I'll have to join those who think Azzi should come off the bench. Too easily injured to take on full time duty. Aubrey should start for defensive purposes and transition. Azzi is too vulnerable!

She’ll be off the bench for a few games, maybe more. She’ll get a lot of minutes just reducing minutes for Nika, Lou, and Aubrey. She might be too vulnerable, but she’s also too valuable!

 

[cgshuskie]

IMO there is no way you can keep Paige out of starting at point. Add Azzi and Caroline, AE and Jana/Ice. Nika, whom I love, will have to come off the bench along with Aubrey. Paige is an all time Husky. No way she gives up the point.

 

[fomalhaut]

Maria Conlon was a solid starting point guard for back-to-back national champions on a team with Diana Taurasi. Muhl is far more talented than Conlon.

 

[PvP]

I wrote the beginning of this thread. Speaking of which if there was ever an argument for keeping Griffin in the lineup, it is today's game.

My apologies, I confused your thread with another.

 

[Skeets]

IMO there is no way you can keep Paige out of starting at point. Add Azzi and Caroline, AE and Jana/Ice. Nika, whom I love, will have to come off the bench along with Aubrey. Paige is an all time Husky. No way she gives up the point.

Not giving you a thumbs down but I do want to say I respectfully disagree. You want to put the national assist leader on the bench and instead take Paige from playing SG which (arguably) optimizes her impact and play her at PG?

It doesn't matter that I disagree with you, Geno disagrees with you.

 

[npignatjr]

They were speaking of this year when Paige was out. No one can honestly say that Nika is a better point guard than Paige when she is fully healthy. When she was fully healthy she was National POY.

And that year the team was better when Nika was starting as the point. Then she got injured and they lost to Arizona.