The Fork In The Road

[ctchamps]

@James what I would ask in response to your statements, which I have no reason not to believe, is how long has this been going on? Because at halftime last night I remember thinking something was up, and there has been some buzz on the board for a while now that Ollie isn't necessarily pushing all the chips to the center of the table this year. I've been miffed all year at why Hamilton sees little to no time at the four, and the only logical answer to that question is that he is looking towards next year where Facey and Brimah will log a lot of minutes together.

When NG and DD were moved to the 4 and 5 positions last season the team played it's overall best bb. There was some loss on the defensive end with strong tall opposing players. But for the most part NG and DD held their own. KO primarily utilized this at the end of games to avoid foul trouble on those two.

Hamilton makes an excellent option on the offensive end when he plays the four, but he is a defensive disaster on the defensive end at that position. IMO he's a defensive liability at the 3 as well. He loses his player consistently, doesn't react quickly to switching players on picks and has limited ability to block shots. What he does do well at the 3 vs. the 4 position is get defensive rebounds. When he plays the four he gets muscled out of position by a stronger player which doesn't happen as frequently when he plays the 3. My guess is that when his body develops that won't be a problem. And hopefully those other defensive problems will improve as well.

 

[James]

What he is doing is fact. He certainly has changed his substitution pattern. But he's been changing line ups and substitution patterns all season. This is just the latest in a series of changes that has taken place. Quite predictable given the relative youth of this team and the requirement for the only "experienced" player to be a lead guard when his experience was as a supporting guard.

What all of this means is interpretation.

Your sources are interpreting things. Same as you and me and all the pundits that give their two cents. Interpretations are subjective and not facts. There is no proof one way or the other that he is sacrificing this season for the next. Maybe he is. Maybe he isn't.
My interpretation is he is trying to win and develop players for now and the future and they are not mutually exclusive. The problem is that too many parts of the team have glaring weaknesses and so far have been unable to develop fast enough to provide a stable team.

logically you on the right path. but as i said earlier, "games wont be won at the expense of bad basketball". And thats a quote from KO himself, no interpretation. He's installed a refreshing offensive scheme that none of our raw players can come close to grasp, minus brimah and boatright. he is making his youngsters lives difficult on the floor, hamilton can't coast ever in practice and in games KO demands him to be a perimeter feature. the more polished ham's decisions get on the perimeter and attacking with all the action KO throws his way, the more effective he will be slid to the 4 next year, or even the 1.

Look we can still win some games, but KO wont be happy the next day if it came from a terrible performance.

@champs99and04 this has been going on for some time, since some of our more glaring losses early in the year. I noted sometime ago that things were much more business like around the team, not a lot of laughing and joking in practice and stuff. Many games this season he has sit on the bench with his arms crossed not surprised by his teams performances. People pointed KO's personal issues (divorce), but its more about just a different approach to this young team.

 

[Waquoit]

As we all know, when you see a fork in the road, take it!

 

[joober jones]

A blend of the two would be the way to go in my opinion. If the development comes along more quickly than expected, make a run.

 

[champs99and04]

When NG and DD were moved to the 4 and 5 positions last season the team played it's overall best bb. There was some loss on the defensive end with strong tall opposing players. But for the most part NG and DD held their own. KO primarily utilized this at the end of games to avoid foul trouble on those two.

Hamilton makes an excellent option on the offensive end when he plays the four, but he is a defensive disaster on the defensive end at that position. IMO he's a defensive liability at the 3 as well. He loses his player consistently, doesn't react quickly to switching players on picks and has limited ability to block shots. What he does do well at the 3 vs. the 4 position is get defensive rebounds. When he plays the four he gets muscled out of position by a stronger player which doesn't happen as frequently when he plays the 3. My guess is that when his body develops that won't be a problem. And hopefully those other defensive problems will improve as well.

I think it's tough to draw too many conclusions about Hamilton's defensive ability at the four given how little time he has spent there this season. I haven't really noticed Hamilton to be a defensive liability, but much like a lot of our younger players, he does get lost at times off the ball and has the tendency to overplay the perimeter. He definitely is forfeiting muscle to pretty much everybody when he plays the four, but there aren't a lot of teams on the schedule capable of exploiting him in the post, and I don't know how much it hurts us on the glass given how many teams like to play with four perimeter players offensively. It isn't as if Facey is a page from a basketball manual on blocking out, a lot of his rebounds are a product of his athleticism and timing.

 

[BoatShow]

Are people really complaining about attendance(there was what? Roughly 9k in the house? Oh no!) for a Wednesday night game against a horrible team when the hockey team is playing the #13 team in the country in Hartford? Wow