Quick stuff (LaSalle game)...

[dtodd4475]

Non-competitive blow out games are glorified practices and a great opportunity to give the younger players real game experience together which we need. I would have given Cadeau 35 minutes on the court so he could get game experience with everyone not named RJ. jmo

Ok, I agree with the glorified practice, game experience opportunity. I think that is what he used it as. Cadeau and RJ are 2 of the 3 who get 30 minutes and above nightly on game days, and are going to continue to. He gave the game practice minutes to those in need of game experience, confidence boost.

 

[NathanFielder]

Nate, yeah, I know, I have gone at you hard for your opinions but it is just that you and I have 2 polar opposite views on how this game should be played. IN my view big men are the real difference makers in this game, in your view from my perspective big men are fine as long as they shoot treys, I will NEVER agree with that. I don't care at all what they are doing in the NBA, I watch college not the NBA. You seem to me to believe that it works in the NBA so it must work for the college game, you can not understand how much that is nails on a chalk board for me. For example, there at one time were a LOT of college football games won running the wish bone offense, I don't recall EVER watching a wishbone attack in the NFL.

How any sport is played with the best athletes on the planet Earth for that sport is very different than how it is played with we mere mortals, the HUGE majority of college athletes will NEVER play in the NFL, NBA, or Major League baseball. The vast vast majority of college athletes NEED their college degree to earn a living after their playing days are over. I STRONGLY prefer the college game so what they do in the NBA matters not one thing to me. For example, Jalen in my view should be putting up no less than 5 mid range jumpers in EVERY single game we play this season, I don't have to ask your feeling on the mid range jump shot, you hate it, I think it is vital to the college game. Tyson to me is 3rd at most on the depth chart at either of the 2 position he could be considered to play so why would I be all that concerned with Tyson, I wasn't really concerned for Paxon last season either? I very much see a guy like Jalen as a guy that can add another dimension for this team that is unique, that I very strongly feel we need.

Purely depends on what skills your big guys have. I don’t think the big absolutely needs to shoot 3s but I certainly believe it adds a weapon that’s difficult to defend if you have a true stretch 4. I dont think Ive said I want a Center who can shoot 3s. In fact, I didn’t care for it seeing Bacot’s 3PT shooting highlights from the offseason last year.

What I do is look at each team individually and make my opinions on how that team should play to get the most out of its season. And it will vary team to team. And this team individually IMO needs to play like the 2004/05 Illinois team and the Baylor team that won the title. Those teams played small and played a specific offensive style that UNC doesn’t.

I think my main disagreement is that I don’t think every UNC team should play the way every UNC fan basically wants UNC to play.

And I think Cade Tyson is an important piece to this team’s potential success. I never said that I think Cade is a good or a really good player though.

Also, I’ll trust myself as someone that watches the NBA when I say that UNC doesn’t run an NBA offense unless Hubert only follows NBA coaches that get fired. Again, UNC isn’t shooting that many 3s. It seems like they’re shooting a lot because they’re missing a lot.

 

[big_deez]

I know everyone will talk about the bigs for days here. I guess I'm moving past them. None of the bigs have shown in their careers that they're anything special. They're more specialists and hopefully they can consistently be asked to do the specific things they're good at but I don't think there's a simple solution to quite frankly pretty mediocre big guys. Eventually the hope is one guy emerges to at least play really consistent.

I do think Cade Tyson is really important in this equation. I'd imagine going into the season, the coaching staff expected Tyson to give them consistently 2-3 3PM per game on 40%+ shooting and maybe 9-12 PPG. He obviously didn't provide anything against the good teams on the schedule. So where are you going to get 10 PPG and a few 3s per game from? You're then needing Cadeau and Seth to shoot with more volume because you're not getting it out of the bigs on a consistent basis. And while I think Seth and Cadeau are improved shooters, they are not willing shooters.

Then obviously RJ's major struggles adds an additional layer of issues for this team. Who on this team can step up and replace RJ's inefficiency and Cade's ineffectiveness against good teams? That's why going forward, for me the 2 keys to this team are RJ's efficiency and Cade's productiveness. RJ was never going to have as efficient of a season as he had last year minus the Alabama game. Without Bacot and Ingram, RJ is going to basically be the only option in late clock situations and he's a much less efficient option in those situations than Bacot and Ingram. But you have to assume that RJ will eventually find his reasonable level and maybe he gets to like 40% FG and 31% 3PT by the end of the season. From there, Cade needs to be a threat in every game.

Up to now, UNC is 5th in the country in tempo. UNC is 260th in assist rate (48.5% assisted FG). UNC is 242nd in 3PT rate (3PTA/FGA). So this theory that UNC is just passing it around the perimeter and shooting 3s all the time is a myth. UNC has been an isolation team this year and have been a high volume 2PT shooting team that's been dependent on getting to the FT line. That is not the recipe for this team to be the best version of itself. I know few will agree, but they certainly can't be in the 200s in 3PT rate. They need Cade Tyson to be a threat every game and give them some high volume 3s at an efficient percentage. It is essential for this team going forward.

There's so much talk about the bigs and they're a collection of bigs that have never proven to be game changers and true impact players at this level throughout their careers. What they need is for Cade and RJ to shoot relatively similarly to how they've shot throughout their careers. Now does that mean playing more through their bigs to end up getting better looks in their offense? That's certainly a discussion. But the production needs to come from RJ being more efficient and Cade actually belonging against good teams. That's how this team is built.

In my opinion, some great points here Nathan. So far this season has been a bit of disappointment. Many didn't expect RJ to bang so many 3s(a lot of bad looks), Tyson to be a non factor, guard play to be this sloppy and JWash to not meet expectations. Those unexpected results, maybe everyone took the mentioned expectations for granted, have been the difference each of the loses. Guard play really is surprising tho, especially the turnovers and the inability to hit 3s... Per the losses, imagine 3 or 4 more 3s made, JWash contributing a little more (being used correctly?), and limiting turnovers. Would this season up to this point look a lot different? Certainly, defensively, this team will struggle, but they should make shots at a higher clip and outscore everyone. I don't think it would take much to turn this season around. Is the poor result so far really a coaching problem? I'm not a basketball mind here obviously but there are bigger problems with this year's team, not just missing shots and turning the ball over...Yes I have read NIL woes but are the problems with this team coaching? In game, strategy AND development? Starting to look that way.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

JWash's problems start and end inside his own head! He is asked to shoot both mid-range and 3pt shots; he has plays run to get them; he gets to the spot and is open; and then........hesitates and either throws a nonchalant pass or simply sends the ball back around the perimeter. Nobody can speculate on how he is used until he actually executes the coach's plan! Zone O is designed to get a freethrow line extended mid-range square up leading to a shot, drive and finish or drop off/kick out-If JWash never even looks at the basket a smart coach puts someone in with the cajones to take a shot or make a play! I would love to see JWash at 4 with either Lubin or JWit at 5, but he still needs to stop hesitating and man up to take shots! I like how aggressive he was coming off the bench and this release of starter pressure might be what he needs to uncork his game!

 

[Point2Passer]

Purely depends on what skills your big guys have. I don’t think the big absolutely needs to shoot 3s but I certainly believe it adds a weapon that’s difficult to defend if you have a true stretch 4. I dont think Ive said I want a Center who can shoot 3s. In fact, I didn’t care for it seeing Bacot’s 3PT shooting highlights from the offseason last year.

What I do is look at each team individually and make my opinions on how that team should play to get the most out of its season. And it will vary team to team. And this team individually IMO needs to play like the 2004/05 Illinois team and the Baylor team that won the title. Those teams played small and played a specific offensive style that UNC doesn’t.

I think my main disagreement is that I don’t think every UNC team should play the way every UNC fan basically wants UNC to play.

And I think Cade Tyson is an important piece to this team’s potential success. I never said that I think Cade is a good or a really good player though.

Also, I’ll trust myself as someone that watches the NBA when I say that UNC doesn’t run an NBA offense unless Hubert only follows NBA coaches that get fired. Again, UNC isn’t shooting that many 3s. It seems like they’re shooting a lot because they’re missing a lot.

Spot on post!

You have to scheme based on your talent. It appears the coaching staff has done a poor job in this regard, which has contributed significantly to inconsistent and poor play.

 

[DSouthr]

In my opinion, some great points here Nathan. So far this season has been a bit of disappointment. Many didn't expect RJ to bang so many 3s(a lot of bad looks), Tyson to be a non factor, guard play to be this sloppy and JWash to not meet expectations. Those unexpected results, maybe everyone took the mentioned expectations for granted, have been the difference each of the loses. Guard play really is surprising tho, especially the turnovers and the inability to hit 3s... Per the losses, imagine 3 or 4 more 3s made, JWash contributing a little more (being used correctly?), and limiting turnovers. Would this season up to this point look a lot different? Certainly, defensively, this team will struggle, but they should make shots at a higher clip and outscore everyone. I don't think it would take much to turn this season around. Is the poor result so far really a coaching problem? I'm not a basketball mind here obviously but there are bigger problems with this year's team, not just missing shots and turning the ball over...Yes I have read NIL woes but are the problems with this team coaching? In game, strategy AND development? Starting to look that way.

I listened VERY CLOSELY to the Bill Belichick intro PC, highly recommend all Tar Heel fans do that. While he was talking about football much of what he shared in that PC applies to basketball as well. Hey, if the greatest coach in any sport is going to share his thinking, I am going to listen. Many believe Belichick is the GOAT of football coaches and even if you don't, you would admit there are very few better.

Most everyone that speaks of BB shares his greatest asset is his ability to evaluate talent, to realize what a players individual strengths and weakness are and to develop them with that in the fore front. At times that required a guy to play a different position than he had played prior.

Next, you must have a solid plan, a plan that works, going in to a season. If you fail to plan you plan to fail. BB has always been a master planner, I assume everyone knows how prepared he was going in to that initial meeting with UNC, he took a room full of folks that were in no way sold on the idea to blowing them away with how detailed and completely thought out his plan was.

You must have the very best in the business in position to teach, beginning with the absolute basic fundamentals, in precise detail. You must crawl before you walk, you must walk before you run. You do not move to the next step until the step you are on is completely absorbed.

Athletes must take a professional approach to strength and conditioning and they must have world class coaching in that aspect.

And finally, the mind set of the player is as important in the evaluation stage as the physical tools, is this an aggressive guy (Willie Lampkins for example), does he meet challenge head on and not back down, does he take the blow or deliver it. Are your players intelligent enough to actually implement what they are being taught. Your development can only take you so far, great players perfect what they are taught by hard work and if a player is not willing to put in that work as much as his opponent is then the transfer portal is for you to use. The best you can do should always be your starting point because only then do you discover that you are capable of even more than you ever realized.

Now of course it is interesting to apply all that to this season's football team but I think it applies directly to the basketball team as well.