Let's start out with this argument.
Let's analyze the Los Angeles Lakers:
Kobe Bryant - Ball hog, takes bad shots, bad attitude towards teammates on occassion, or won a playoff round without Shaq.
Pau Gasol - Udnerachiever. A little soft, his game has fallen from the heights in Memphis. Never won a playoff series.
Lamar Odom -Does a little bit of everything pretty good, but still does some of the dumbest things you will.
Andrew Bynum - Coming back from an ACL. His career might be over. How can he ever play strong in the psot again.
Phil Jackson is a greaet coach, but look at all the negatives of his core bunch of players. Let's only look at the negatives and call this team useless now. These guys have absolutely no chance. It's time the Lakers stop getting players with any negatives onm there team.
Oh wait... your telling me there are some positives. What? but I hate the Lakers, and my hate blinds me of recognizing those positives.
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Originally Posted by Gtown07
Syracuse is bad. They're not making the tournament this year. And I wouldn't be so happy that this team returns all of its players:
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Let's look team has the following starting lineup:
A freshmen point guard (Flynn)
A sophomore shooting guard (Harris), who should not be playing shooting guard, and will not be next year (Devendorf).
At small forward is an underalded JUCO (Onangenet) who must play because of lack of options. He can't contribute to an offence as a acorer or facilitator. He will be replaced by Harris next year
At power forward a freshmen who is extremely talented, but lazy and needs to go inside more.
At center, a redshirt sophomore, who showed tremendous improvement of his freshmen year (and what do you know he came off a knee injury)
The bench is:
Scoop Jardine - an overwhelmed freshmen guard who was sometimes forced to play 25-35 minutes a game because the team only had one healthy guard.
Rick Jackson - A nice freshment post player, with lots of scoring touch
But that's it. That's your team this year. Add in the fact that Jardine had personal issues and missed some Big East games, you were playing six guys some games, and had to start one guy who would not crack some Northeast Conference starting lineups.
After the departure of Wright, and the injuries to Rautins and Devendorf, there was no reason to have high expectations for this team. They had no depth, and Boeheim wanted to play more man to man with this team, but simply couldn't.
I pretty much expected a .500 season and that's what they deliverd. They didn't underachieve, they did what is expected from a rotation of 4 freshmen, 2 sophomres, and I useless JUCO... there were only seven healthy scholarship players since game 10 of the season.
Please reference my discussion with HB earlier in the year. I was very honest about what this team could do.
That all being said, this is a team that still went .500 in conference. What did UNC do in 2003 with Felton, McCants and May. What did Georgetown do in 2005? Why would these teams develop and Syracuse not.
Why can't Syracuse improve? And if a .500 team in the Big East improves... then all of a sudden your baskically right on the threshold of top 25 status, and if it improves alot your getting close to top 10 status. That is very common for young teams to take that development path in college. So why won't this team improve? Is this team an exception because a few players are "Stupid". I think the only reason you don't think this team won't improve is because your extremely biased.
Hell why use great teams. I would almost guarantee that 95% of teams that have 85% of there rotations as underclassmen and 85% of the minutes played by underclassment improve substantially over the next year or two. But I guess that;s just a "ridiculous" assertion. It easier to say that a team of freshment failed because they were dumb and stupid, and even though every the development curve for all freshment is to improve signifiantly in performance and decision making, this one team won't. Because there dumb... because I'm biased which me think they are even dumber.
Why did UNC improve alot? Why did Georgetown alot? Huh?
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Donte Green: Homeless man's Kevin Durant. He camps out on the perimeter, hates contact and needs 20 shots to score 20 points. After watching him play I am so happy he didn't come to G'town. He's just so hatable. He's definitely leaving and will be a pick in the teens by some dumb GM.
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So he's nowhere near as good as Durant. Oh no, he sucks!!!
No doubt Greene is a chucker and takes bad shots. But those are the type of things that improve if someone stays at college. But he is still a pretty good college player, and any program in the country would love to have him for the next three years. Yes his numbers overrate his real contributions.. but he is still a nice piece to have, knowing that he will likely improve. Just because he is hatable does not mean he is an awful, or untalented player. But if someone picks him in the first round, a "scout", someone that analyzes basketball picks him, its them that is dumb right? Just want to make sure. Your saying you are a better scout then an NBA GM? Just want to know what I am up agaisnt.
Paul Harris: Is he not the dumbest player who gets significant minutes for a BCS conference team? Find me another player with a lower basketball IQ. What a bust he's been. He's playing the wrong sport in my opinion.
Paul Harris does some dumb and frustrating plays no doubt. I agree. That last play against Pitt was frustrating... and he is a man to man defender that struggles with the zone because he is overaggressive. But this team will use its atleticism more next year, as it wall have more depth.
And you say he's bust because he did not get drafted. Well what the **** is your point exactly?
How many busts are first team all Big East?
How many busts would step into the starting luneup of any team in America?
Gerat interior passer.
Great rebounder.
Great at getting easy points.
Great defender (at times)
So he's not top 10 draft picks. Who cares? Last time I checked there are about 800 players in March Madness. And by my count only a maximum of 10 of them can get drafted in the first round. Are the 790 other players all busts?
Just because he has not met the high expectations does not mean he is not a great ball player. I don't know how the hell you can call an all Big East Player a bust.
I'm very happy to have him to stay next year.
And I can tell you right now that if Harris declares for the draft, he will be drafted in the first round outside of the lottery or early second. That's my opinion.
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Eric Devendorf: Coming off a torn ACL. Sure he improved but how can you be excited about this guy? Lets see how he comes off the injury
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The guy was all Big East last year. How can I not be excited to see him return?
Its not like most people don't recover fairly well from ACL injuries nowadays. We are in the 2000's right, not the 1980's.
Devendorf also got by on the fact that he was an above average shooter, who was not afriad to go inside, and has some guile and craftiness. That will not be affected by his injury. (or shouldn't be... there is always some risk, but you make it sound more likely then not that he has lost it)
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Jonny Flynn: Ok he is pretty good but I can't get over his dumb shots in close games. The guy has confidence and is a great facilitator but come on. Lets execute better in important games late.
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Yep, he takes some bad shots. Who would have thunk that a freshment point guard who has been asked to take on more of a scoring role after Devendorf and Rautins left, would take some bad shots.
How many teams in America would not have Johnyy Flynn as there starting point guard next year? Five? At the max 10.
There are several positives, and he will improve alot simply because he is a freshmen.
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Also - if memory serves me correct - wasn't this the rallying cry of last year's Orange fans? "Wait until next year." Lets face it boys,
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Calliug us "boys".. how respectful.
And by the way I don't know who the hell said wait until next year for us to dominate. It certainlly wasn't me. But you can continue to make things up.
Boeheim needs to recruit smarter players and then try to make the tournament .
Boeheim needs to get players who aren't freshmen. Oh wait, silly me that is not possible.
Freshmen make mistakess.
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This team's collective basketball IQ is scary low.
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So we have Paul Harris who does some stupid plays, and A couple of freshment who take bad shots. What freshment don't take bad shots when they are given the keys as freshmen?
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The fact that two years in a row you're probably going to miss the tournament makes me happy, I'm not going to lie. If you guys get good players you beat Georgetown by 20 each time.
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Six underclassmen managing to go basically .500 in the Big East suck?
Your right: Harris and Devendorf have been / will be all Big East, but there not good players.
We have perhaps the best freshmen in the conference in Flynn, but sure he's not a good player.
We have a post player in Onauku who has played his first serious minutes in three years, and as a sophomore is averaging 13pts,8 rebs, and is shooting 65% from the floor. He could well be a on a preseason all Big-East team next year (maybe not first). But sure he's no good.
Donte Greene, if he comes back, despite all his deficiencies, is still a good NCAA player.
Even if Greene does not come back we have a great core moving forward, and since you say he hurts the team, then its even better for us Syracuse fans.
That's five players that if they come back will be candidates for preseason Big East. What an absolute ****ty Core of a basketball team. Woe is being a Syracuse fan.
Explain to me again why I should not be optomostic about this team going forward? But first explain to me against the entire history of what has happened in NCAA basketball, that these guys won't improve. (and saying they are underachievers is totally independent of saying they won't improvg... and to associate the two is completely irrational... just telling you in advance so you don't bother going there)
Take Care.
Better or Worse ('09): Syracuse Orange
