Wont take much from AD to impact this team (be warned - long post) | The Boneyard

Wont take much from AD to impact this team (be warned - long post)

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There seems to be many haters on the national forums who don’t think AD will have much of an impact, but IMO they are missing the big picture.

UConn doesn’t need AD to play like the best center in college and/or an NBA ready Big. All we need from AD is a slight upgrade from Chuck, (though I think we’ll get a big upgrade), along with an improved Alex, Roscoe and Tyler. AD is a very good passer. If he can learn to stay out of foul trouble, give us between 20 to 30 minutes, 8 to 10 points in the paint (probably will do better than that once he gets up to speed sometime around mid-season or sooner), double digit rebounds, a few blocked shots, many altered shots, and play sound help defense, his net impact will be huge.

If Bradley and/or Wolf develop enough to give us some minutes in the post, then this team will have far more than enough big bodies to man the 4 & 5. Even if Bradley and/or Wolf are little used, the level of play at those two positions will remain high throughout most of the 40 minutes, something that looked like a possible weakness before AD committed.

UConn proved last season that they could win an NC without a great deal of offensive production from our post players. Now granted the lack of efficiency in the post did impact the team last season, especially during that bad stretch at the end of BE conference play. I'll be shocked if our front-court isn't efficient enough offensively by the middle of conference play where teams will not be able to extend their perimeter defense.

Maybe I'm being overly optimistic...wouldn't be the first time...but I see this team being more balanced offensively than last season due to the addition of AD and the overall improvement by the returning players.

The combination of Alex and Andre will not only improve the scoring opportunities for the other 3 on the floor, they should also benefit from the quickness, ball handling and passing from the other three players JC throws out on the floor with them.

Lamb, Roscoe, Giffey, Daniels, Olander, Bazz and Boatright are all capable of knocking down Js and many of them are very good at driving it to the basket. I doubt we'll see UConn firing away from 3 like UK does. JC likes his team to create and take good percentage shots. He uses the 3-ball threat to open things up more so that a weapon in and of itself. In fact, teams that rely on the 3-ball rarely win championships. In close games under great pressure and tired legs, those 3s don't go down as easy, while a team that have been successfully executing good percentage shots throughout the game can continue that offensive attack and score more efficiently when it counts most. The NC game against Butler, case in point!

IMO the key to this upcoming season lies with the bolded names listed above. The more these players develop well rounded offensive games (hitting lighty to uncontested intermediate Js, at least keep-you-honest 3pt shooting, ability to put it on the floor and finish lay-ups, dunks and mid-range contested shots, dishing off the dribble or kicking it out to open teammates, etc.) the more dangerous this team will be.

With Alex and Andre on the floor at the same time, teams will have a lot of trouble stopping either without double teaming them. As long as they force teams to play them straight up, this team will be a nightmare to stop. Unfortunately, we will likely see tons of zone defense, so perfecting that pass to the foul line to one or more players capable of doing something with it there will be critical to get teams out of zone defenses. If Alex and Andre or whatever combination of bigs can't do damage inside if guarded straight-up, then our perimeter players would be left lightly or unguarded.

The more I think about this, the more I think teams are going to find it hard to stop this team once they learn to adjust to any type of D that faces them. Think about it! Even if teams play them straight up, players like Lamb, Boatright, Daniels and Bazz, should be able to blow right by most defenders. If help comes over, they'll either pass to an open Big who can finish in traffic or kick it out to some other perimeter player who can attack the basket if there is an open path to it. Oh, and if that's not tough enough to defend, they'll be able to kick it out to Roscoe or one of the other teammates that can hit 3 or the intermediate J. Last season's team wasn't great from 3, but part of the reason for that we they worked harder to create better shots at the expense of letting it fly from 3 like some teams would do. This team doesn't need to be prolific from 3, just good enough to keep teams from packing it in, and I'd be shocked if we don't end up with line-ups that have at least 2 to 3 players who can hurt you if left wide open or lightly defended.

Note that I haven't even talked about the defense. Once AD and the other bigs learn to play sound help-D, this team won't need to score all that much to win games. They proved that last season and most of our best defenders are returning. I don't take this part of the game lightly, since all it takes is one of the 5 defenders executing poorly to blow up the D. I don't know how JC got last years group clicking on D like they did during the post season, but they rarely encountered defensive breakdowns, like we saw earlier. The new bigs need to learn when to come over and double if needed or when to stay where they are and not give up the weakside offensive rebound which absolutely killed them two years ago. They will need to learn when to come out and hedge on the high screen and re-engage back into the post once the perimeter player clears the scene and re-engages with the handler.

And of course the new perimeter players need to learn to create good angles when being funneled toward screens and go over them instead of under them, which Bazz too often did and got caught out of position. Lamb learned that quicker than Bazz. Part of the problem with Napier is his size and strength. Hopefully he's worked hard in the weight room and will be able to use his body to funnel the handler further from the on coming screen and not get forced under it. The technique requires anticipation, quickness and strength not to get caught at the wrong angle when being driven toward the high screen. These 3 bolded factors make it much harder for teams to drive the defender into the screen. By simply giving yourself a few more inches of push back so that you can slip above the screen even if you're trailing the handler at an angle, allows you to be in position to get back in front of the handler as the big disengages from his hedge back toward the basket or back to the screener if that player is a pick-and-pop type scorer. For whatever reason, these techniques take a while to learn. The less physically and mentally a player is prepared for this, the longer it takes to learn. For example, there was no way Bazz was going to put on 10 to 15 pounds during last season, so he had to rely on anticipating more, cheat less at critical times during the game and at certain places on the floor (i.e. cheating with a wrap-around when the handler is at the elbow and the big is moving up for a screen is not a good idea) and getting to the proper angle before the handler drives him into the screen. UL's guards absolutely killed our guards with this the first two games, but our guys fixed it the third time, though part of the success might have been with Siva and/or Knowles a bit banged up and not as capable of exploiting the high screen as they did before. I think it was a combination of both since UConn proved they could handle the high screen throughout the NCAA tournament.

So much for my vow to leave shorter posts, though I hope some folks like this type of Xs & Os breakdown from time to time. To sum this up, the addition of AD gives this team the right number and types of pieces to be highly successful. I have no doubt that they have the physical tools to execute at a high level on both ends of the floor. The only possible area of physical vulnerability is they're small at the 1 and a tad thin at the 2 & 3. In all cases, I think the personnel has the athleticism and/or length to make up for the lack of muscle and/or height. If they were able to overcome this last season, I think they'll be even better equipped to do so this upcoming season. JC and his staff must be champing at the bit. I don't think they've ever had a more talented team 1 through 11. More experienced, more talented starting 5 maybe, but never the depth of balanced talent like this group. Once they get about 8 players deep who have learned to execute at a high level, this team will be one scary team to face. It might take longer than I think, but by the mid-point of the BE season, this team will hit its stride and not look back. I don't think we'll see a late season swoon like last year. There's far too many experienced returning players and far too much overall talent for this team to hit that kind of wall. But if that happens, I would not be shocked to see them put together a similar type of run as we just witness this past spring. It might not end with a back-to-back NC, but a return to -4 would not shock me in the least.
 

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Holy moly Dog! Your first long post on this forum and it is a duzy.

They are thin at the two, not the three.
 
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The bar has been set on the new site, how many posts til DM breaks his own Word Count Record?
 
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Holy moly Dog! Your first long post on this forum and it is a duzy.

They are thin at the two, not the three.

Thin at the wing as in girth and strength, not numbers. I realize they 4 players who have the right game and height to play the 3 in Lamb (2/3), Smith (3/4) , Daniels (3/4) & Giffey (3/2), and can also go with a 3-G Set with Bazz, Boat and Lamb.
 
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The bar has been set on the new site, how many posts til DM breaks his own Word Count Record?

That's never my goal, but my guess it will be a while before I eclipse that one. I think I can hold out for a few weeks to a month. ;)
 

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Thin at the wing as in girth and strength, not numbers. I realize they 4 players who have the right game and height to play the 3 in Lamb (2/3), Smith (3/4) , Daniels (3/4) & Giffey (3/2), and can also go with a 3-G Set with Bazz, Boat and Lamb.
Language is funny. It looked like Roscoe had gotten stronger towards the end of last season and the pictures of Niels in Germany looked like he gained muscle as well. Of course he loves German food and hates American food so that might change when he gets on campus.
 

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With Alex and Andre on the floor at the same time, teams will have a lot of trouble stopping either without double teaming them. As long as they force teams to play them straight up, this team will be a nightmare to stop. Unfortunately, we will likely see tons of zone defense, so perfecting that pass to the foul line to one or more players capable of doing something with it there will be critical to get teams out of zone defenses. If Alex and Andre or whatever combination of bigs can't do damage inside if guarded straight-up, then our perimeter players would be left lightly or unguarded.

Nice analysis. My only complaint is that it came too soon, as it may want to see some games!

Andre’s presence is going result in Alex getting better looks. Look for his production to increase, especially since he’s beefed up a bit more looks like he’s been working hard on his game over the summer. Regarding 2-3 zone, yes we’ll be taking that foul line jumper but Andre gives us the option of passing over it. Look for a lot of ally oops this year. Andre’s combination of size, good hands and finishing ability are going to push Napier’s assist numbers through the roof.

Dog I couldn’t agree more that Andre’s going to make everyone around him look better. He’s a great pick up for us.
 
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Good post. If this site counted posts like the last one yours should count for 10!
 

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Do you all think AD starts from day 1? Shabazz, Jeremy, Roscoe, Alex and Andre? when you consider the talent we have coming off the bench, that's still pretty sick.

Okwandu mostly started last year, or at least in a good number of games, or else he starter Tyler and Alex. i hope people don't expect AD to average 18 and 10. i know from your post you don't. but it's hard not to have high expectations...
 

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Nice to have you up to full speed on the new site DM! Great analysis.
 
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There seems to be many haters on the national forums who don’t think AD will have much of an impact, but IMO they are missing the big picture.

UConn doesn’t need AD to play like the best center in college and/or an NBA ready Big. All we need from AD is a slight upgrade from Chuck, (though I think we’ll get a big upgrade), along with an improved Alex, Roscoe and Tyler. AD is a very good passer. If he can learn to stay out of foul trouble, give us between 20 to 30 minutes, 8 to 10 points in the paint (probably will do better than that once he gets up to speed sometime around mid-season or sooner), double digit rebounds, a few blocked shots, many altered shots, and play sound help defense, his net impact will be huge.

If Bradley and/or Wolf develop enough to give us some minutes in the post, then this team will have far more than enough big bodies to man the 4 & 5. Even if Bradley and/or Wolf are little used, the level of play at those two positions will remain high throughout most of the 40 minutes, something that looked like a possible weakness before AD committed.

UConn proved last season that they could win an NC without a great deal of offensive production from our post players. Now granted the lack of efficiency in the post did impact the team last season, especially during that bad stretch at the end of BE conference play. I'll be shocked if our front-court isn't efficient enough offensively by the middle of conference play where teams will not be able to extend their perimeter defense.

Maybe I'm being overly optimistic...wouldn't be the first time...but I see this team being more balanced offensively than last season due to the addition of AD and the overall improvement by the returning players.

The combination of Alex and Andre will not only improve the scoring opportunities for the other 3 on the floor, they should also benefit from the quickness, ball handling and passing from the other three players JC throws out on the floor with them.

Lamb, Roscoe, Giffey, Daniels, Olander, Bazz and Boatright are all capable of knocking down Js and many of them are very good at driving it to the basket. I doubt we'll see UConn firing away from 3 like UK does. JC likes his team to create and take good percentage shots. He uses the 3-ball threat to open things up more so that a weapon in and of itself. In fact, teams that rely on the 3-ball rarely win championships. In close games under great pressure and tired legs, those 3s don't go down as easy, while a team that have been successfully executing good percentage shots throughout the game can continue that offensive attack and score more efficiently when it counts most. The NC game against Butler, case in point!

IMO the key to this upcoming season lies with the bolded names listed above. The more these players develop well rounded offensive games (hitting lighty to uncontested intermediate Js, at least keep-you-honest 3pt shooting, ability to put it on the floor and finish lay-ups, dunks and mid-range contested shots, dishing off the dribble or kicking it out to open teammates, etc.) the more dangerous this team will be.

With Alex and Andre on the floor at the same time, teams will have a lot of trouble stopping either without double teaming them. As long as they force teams to play them straight up, this team will be a nightmare to stop. Unfortunately, we will likely see tons of zone defense, so perfecting that pass to the foul line to one or more players capable of doing something with it there will be critical to get teams out of zone defenses. If Alex and Andre or whatever combination of bigs can't do damage inside if guarded straight-up, then our perimeter players would be left lightly or unguarded.

The more I think about this, the more I think teams are going to find it hard to stop this team once they learn to adjust to any type of D that faces them. Think about it! Even if teams play them straight up, players like Lamb, Boatright, Daniels and Bazz, should be able to blow right by most defenders. If help comes over, they'll either pass to an open Big who can finish in traffic or kick it out to some other perimeter player who can attack the basket if there is an open path to it. Oh, and if that's not tough enough to defend, they'll be able to kick it out to Roscoe or one of the other teammates that can hit 3 or the intermediate J. Last season's team wasn't great from 3, but part of the reason for that we they worked harder to create better shots at the expense of letting it fly from 3 like some teams would do. This team doesn't need to be prolific from 3, just good enough to keep teams from packing it in, and I'd be shocked if we don't end up with line-ups that have at least 2 to 3 players who can hurt you if left wide open or lightly defended.

Note that I haven't even talked about the defense. Once AD and the other bigs learn to play sound help-D, this team won't need to score all that much to win games. They proved that last season and most of our best defenders are returning. I don't take this part of the game lightly, since all it takes is one of the 5 defenders executing poorly to blow up the D. I don't know how JC got last years group clicking on D like they did during the post season, but they rarely encountered defensive breakdowns, like we saw earlier. The new bigs need to learn when to come over and double if needed or when to stay where they are and not give up the weakside offensive rebound which absolutely killed them two years ago. They will need to learn when to come out and hedge on the high screen and re-engage back into the post once the perimeter player clears the scene and re-engages with the handler.

And of course the new perimeter players need to learn to create good angles when being funneled toward screens and go over them instead of under them, which Bazz too often did and got caught out of position. Lamb learned that quicker than Bazz. Part of the problem with Napier is his size and strength. Hopefully he's worked hard in the weight room and will be able to use his body to funnel the handler further from the on coming screen and not get forced under it. The technique requires anticipation, quickness and strength not to get caught at the wrong angle when being driven toward the high screen. These 3 bolded factors make it much harder for teams to drive the defender into the screen. By simply giving yourself a few more inches of push back so that you can slip above the screen even if you're trailing the handler at an angle, allows you to be in position to get back in front of the handler as the big disengages from his hedge back toward the basket or back to the screener if that player is a pick-and-pop type scorer. For whatever reason, these techniques take a while to learn. The less physically and mentally a player is prepared for this, the longer it takes to learn. For example, there was no way Bazz was going to put on 10 to 15 pounds during last season, so he had to rely on anticipating more, cheat less at critical times during the game and at certain places on the floor (i.e. cheating with a wrap-around when the handler is at the elbow and the big is moving up for a screen is not a good idea) and getting to the proper angle before the handler drives him into the screen. UL's guards absolutely killed our guards with this the first two games, but our guys fixed it the third time, though part of the success might have been with Siva and/or Knowles a bit banged up and not as capable of exploiting the high screen as they did before. I think it was a combination of both since UConn proved they could handle the high screen throughout the NCAA tournament.

So much for my vow to leave shorter posts, though I hope some folks like this type of Xs & Os breakdown from time to time. To sum this up, the addition of AD gives this team the right number and types of pieces to be highly successful. I have no doubt that they have the physical tools to execute at a high level on both ends of the floor. The only possible area of physical vulnerability is they're small at the 1 and a tad thin at the 2 & 3. In all cases, I think the personnel has the athleticism and/or length to make up for the lack of muscle and/or height. If they were able to overcome this last season, I think they'll be even better equipped to do so this upcoming season. JC and his staff must be champing at the bit. I don't think they've ever had a more talented team 1 through 11. More experienced, more talented starting 5 maybe, but never the depth of balanced talent like this group. Once they get about 8 players deep who have learned to execute at a high level, this team will be one scary team to face. It might take longer than I think, but by the mid-point of the BE season, this team will hit its stride and not look back. I don't think we'll see a late season swoon like last year. There's far too many experienced returning players and far too much overall talent for this team to hit that kind of wall. But if that happens, I would not be shocked to see them put together a similar type of run as we just witness this past spring. It might not end with a back-to-back NC, but a return to -4 would not shock me in the least.
I only read part of this so will comment later. This a diamond post with great effort! I'm LOVING this analysis...I'll check back later when I can digest everything!
 
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So much for my vow to leave shorter posts, though I hope some folks like this type of Xs & Os breakdown from time to time

I loved your post. I enjoy reading posts with this much depth. I hope you will keep them up through the season.
 
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AD is a very good passer. If he can learn to stay out of foul trouble, give us between 20 to 30 minutes, 8 to 10 points in the paint (probably will do better than that once he gets up to speed sometime around mid-season or sooner), double digit rebounds, a few blocked shots, many altered shots, and play sound help defense, his net impact will be huge.

I had asked this in another thread.. But does anyone know if he has battled foul trouble much in highschool? Highlight blocks are great but how many times does he go for blocks and fouled? Or his defensive positioning leading to bad fouls? If anyone has anythign on him that can let us know just what were getting on defense would be great.
 
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Language is funny. It looked like Roscoe had gotten stronger towards the end of last season and the pictures of Niels in Germany looked like he gained muscle as well. Of course he loves German food and hates American food so that might change when he gets on campus.

I've read that those who saw Roscoe this summer said he looked a lot bigger. He's body structure is not the type that will remind us of Shaq any time soon, but at the high major D1 level, he's probably going to hold his own against most 4s and just about any 3. What little he has to make up for in brawn he does so with his length and athleticism. He and Alex were absolute eraser-beasts against Butler. That rim must have looked like it was a mile away to their bigs. The simply couldn't find the rim even with radar lock.

Neils did look bigger, and will also likely be fine matching up on either end of the floor against most 3s. Thinking about this more, they're probably fine at the wing. Daniels from what I've heard needs time in the weight room and nature to kick in and thicking him up some. He's going to be pushed around on D, but will have a lot of good moments do to his length and athleticism. Maybe by the end of the season, he'll be fine just as Roscoe was last year.
 
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AD is a very good passer. If he can learn to stay out of foul trouble, give us between 20 to 30 minutes, 8 to 10 points in the paint (probably will do better than that once he gets up to speed sometime around mid-season or sooner), double digit rebounds, a few blocked shots, many altered shots, and play sound help defense, his net impact will be huge.

I had asked this in another thread.. But does anyone know if he has battled foul trouble much in highschool? Highlight blocks are great but how many times does he go for blocks and fouled? Or his defensive positioning leading to bad fouls? If anyone has anythign on him that can let us know just what were getting on defense would be great.

I've only seen him play in that Adidas event and he did commit a few lazy fouls in that game. I recall reading that his numbers were moderate at STM for someone as heralded as he is. I suspect part of that is due to his idle motor and foul trouble. Just about all young bigs go through an adjustment period. I just hope he's on the Emeka-Boone type path which picks things up quickly, compared to the Hasheem-Okwandu highway that goes straight to the bench in a hurry. :) Experience players know how to get young bigs off their feet and/or leaning the wrong way. I didn't see enough of him to say he's got good instincts. For example Noel who's part of the 2013 class, was extremely advanced defensively. He wouldn't commit till the last moment, then explode to erase or alter the shot. He's special in that regard and I hope we land him. In fact, he's the one I've wanted most, though because of timing (i.e. team is clearly ready to win this year), it's hard not to see AD as a equally important if not more important pick-up.

Is there anyone out there who's seen him play against legit competition and has been able to stay out of early foul trouble? I seem to remember reading that he had some poor first halves against some of the top competition but then dominated in the 2nd half, which makes me believe he is prone to early foul trouble, but maybe that's a bad assumption on my part.
 

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I've read that those who saw Roscoe this summer said he looked a lot bigger. He's body structure is not the type that will remind us of Shaq any time soon, but at the high major D1 level, he's probably going to hold his own against most 4s and just about any 3. What little he has to make up for in brawn he does so with his length and athleticism. He and Alex were absolute eraser-beasts against Butler. That rim must have looked like it was a mile away to their bigs. The simply couldn't find the rim even with radar lock.

Neils did look bigger, and will also likely be fine matching up on either end of the floor against most 3s. Thinking about this more, they're probably fine at the wing. Daniels from what I've heard needs time in the weight room and nature to kick in and thicking him up some. He's going to be pushed around on D, but will have a lot of good moments do to his length and athleticism. Maybe by the end of the season, he'll be fine just as Roscoe was last year.

If DD has a decent handle he might be groomed to play some two this season. I've all but eliminated Roscoe from this option. Niels A/T ratio is not very good and was similar in the German league over the summer, so I'm not sure he could be Jeremy's backup. But certainly Niels is a better option than Roscoe. So that leaves DD and his weight will be less a factor for the two than the three.
 
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Great post. I think that AD will average around 10 a game, but will fill that stat sheet in many other categories, such as assists, steals, blocks, etc. that will display his importance and high impact to team. He will make everyone better...
 
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I seem to remember that dogmania is the one who wrote the prediction last time at the BE tournament that UConn might just win it all. I loved that prediction so I am sticking with the dog this time also. We will repeat even if AD doesn't play like an NBA center. If AD bought into the Calhoun system and worked hard, and if Shabazz and Boatright are as good as we expected, we can be a real contender!!!
 

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I've only seen him play in that Adidas event and he did commit a few lazy fouls in that game. I recall reading that his numbers were moderate at STM for someone as heralded as he is. I suspect part of that is due to his idle motor and foul trouble. Just about all young bigs go through an adjustment period. I just hope he's on the Emeka-Boone type path which picks things up quickly, compared to the Hasheem-Okwandu highway that goes straight to the bench in a hurry. :) Experience players know how to get young bigs off their feet and/or leaning the wrong way. I didn't see enough of him to say he's got good instincts. For example Noel who's part of the 2013 class, was extremely advanced defensively. He wouldn't commit till the last moment, then explode to erase or alter the shot. He's special in that regard and I hope we land him. In fact, he's the one I've wanted most, though because of timing (i.e. team is clearly ready to win this year), it's hard not to see AD as a equally important if not more important pick-up.

Is there anyone out there who's seen him play against legit competition and has been able to stay out of early foul trouble? I seem to remember reading that he had some poor first halves against some of the top competition but then dominated in the 2nd half, which makes me believe he is prone to early foul trouble, but maybe that's a bad assumption on my part.

Personally I think there was a big difference between EO and Boone when it came to the rapidity of development. But Emeka was in a class by himself because of his maturation and discipline. AD comes in with much more athleticism and skill than Emeka, but from what I'm reading he is young emotionally. He isn't a disciplinary problem, but he probably will need help in getting motivated. So people who are comparing AD to Emeka, might want to be cautious about comparing the two in just their skill and athleticism.
 
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I loved your post. I enjoy reading posts with this much depth. I hope you will keep them up through the season.

Thanks iam & drewdog. Since more often I get the jokes and sometimes not so joking comments about my posts being ridiculously long, I usually assume most don't like it. I'm trying to leave shorter replies more frequently and will be more selective as far as the long ones are concerned.

Like many, I find myself impatient reading someone's long reply and would rather get through a bunch of replies, so I understand where many are coming from. With that said, I enjoy breaking things down. I try to be a student of the game and learn from those who know the game well such as commentators, writers, past and current coaches and even fellow Boneyarders. I'm sure some of my insights, analysis and opinions are not right. I sometimes see one thing but fail to take into account something else.

Some fans simply enjoy watching the game like looking at a masterpiece from afar. Others like me, like to get up close and try to understand the brush strokes. I find it very interesting seeing a player make adjustments over time learning to go above the screen instead of behind it. When you start being aware of what players are supposed to do in certain situations it makes the game more interesting for some.

For example, I remember many criticizing Tony Robertson (I think it was him..apparently the memory is not so good) for losing the ball trying to dribble-force it through a double team and costing us the game. But many failed to realize that the wing who was set up wide on the side he was driving toward, took a couple steps toward TR (or whoever the driver was) and drew the double team over. He had the step or half-step on the defender and probably would have been able to turn the corner and get the ball up on the glass, but instead his teammate drew the double over.

In contrast, Kemba waved Lamb away so that he wouldn't draw the double over. That way he had the option of taking McGee off the dribble which is what took place or kick it to Lamb if the double tried to come over from such a long distance. If Lamb had proceeded over his man would have likely jumped into the play, making Kemba have to give it up and not likely get it back.

Now not everyone enjoys this level of detail and sees it as white noise or maybe sees it as self-promoting, but that's not my intent. If people enjoy this level of obsession, then I'll keep it up, but I'm trying to show restraint...hum...not so successful with this reply though. :confused:
 
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I seem to remember that dogmania is the one who wrote the prediction last time at the BE tournament that UConn might just win it all. I loved that prediction so I am sticking with the dog this time also. We will repeat even if AD doesn't play like an NBA center. If AD bought into the Calhoun system and worked hard, and if Shabazz and Boatright are as good as we expected, we can be a real contender!!!

I didn't really predict it. I pretty much said, why not! I thought they had the talent where such a feat was within the realm of not-completely-crazy. I guess the old adage came to pass, sometimes even a blind nut finds a squirrel. Yeah, I know it's ass-backwards, but think about it. :)
 

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We are UConn!! 4>1 But 5>>>>1 is even better!
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There are certainly some fans who examine the game a snapshot at a time. And those fans observe the type of thing you point out in the TR example. I prefer this type of discussion, because the game is five on five and not isolated to the one players someone chooses to focus on.
 
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I've only seen him play in that Adidas event and he did commit a few lazy fouls in that game. I recall reading that his numbers were moderate at STM for someone as heralded as he is. I suspect part of that is due to his idle motor and foul trouble. Just about all young bigs go through an adjustment period. I just hope he's on the Emeka-Boone type path which picks things up quickly, compared to the Hasheem-Okwandu highway that goes straight to the bench in a hurry. :) Experience players know how to get young bigs off their feet and/or leaning the wrong way. I didn't see enough of him to say he's got good instincts. For example Noel who's part of the 2013 class, was extremely advanced defensively. He wouldn't commit till the last moment, then explode to erase or alter the shot. He's special in that regard and I hope we land him. In fact, he's the one I've wanted most, though because of timing (i.e. team is clearly ready to win this year), it's hard not to see AD as a equally important if not more important pick-up.

Is there anyone out there who's seen him play against legit competition and has been able to stay out of early foul trouble? I seem to remember reading that he had some poor first halves against some of the top competition but then dominated in the 2nd half, which makes me believe he is prone to early foul trouble, but maybe that's a bad assumption on my part.

I've seen him play around 50 times in the last two years and yes he commits a lot of dumb fouls .....I've seen him dominate at times the best of the prep school league when he decided to put his mind to it. I'll give you my expectations of what he will contribute and where he'll have problems in the next few days.
 
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I agree with a lot of what has been posted, and specifically in the OP. He doesn't need to be our Kemba so to speak (although its not out of the question that he could have a similar impact) to make a huge difference on this team. What I mean by that is that we don't need him to score twenty plus points a game for us to be successful. I think this team, while young, is fairly well-rounded with the addition of AD. In my opinion I think that AO will benefit the most from AD. I thought well before we got AD that it was time for AO to have a break out year (consistently) for us. Now I think that he could have a potentially spectacular season with AD by his side. That is the key of this get. He should make everyone better on this team. This pick up in my mind has set us apart from having a chance to repeat to being one of the top picks for the final four and ultimately the title.
I don't want to compare AD to past greats until we get a chance to see him play a few games, but his potential is through the roof. (cross your fingers for the NBA to adopt the new rule for two years of college if you attend college instead of declare for the NBA draft) After all is said, this is currently just chatter and means nothing until the ball is tossed in the air in the season opener. I do love to speculate though, and if all is what it seems we could be in for another magical ride.
 
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