When will Theo be back?
- Thread starter smooth as butter
- Start date
Excellent.
Just don't overdo it.
I wonder whom he will guard. Henderson? Dorn? Smith? The hottest hand?
Guarding any of those guys will show us how well he has healed, but each presents a different challenge.
I'm assuming he won't start or play starter minutes in his first game back, but will be brought in early.
It's possible that he will just be brought in to back up Justin. That would be a safe strategy while also being good for the team because it fills our biggest hole. But Justin doesn't take a lot of breaks, so I assume he'll also see action at SG. I probably wouldn't put him in at PF this soon. But maybe Roy would.
I'd put him on Dorn and let JB get Smith. I agree that he will probably not start and most likely will play limited minutes. I bet we see him at 2 and 3 also, and hopefully his time on the bench gave him a bigger picture of what the team needs from him.
What we need from Theo is energy, spark, and a versatile defender and rebounder particularly when we go small. We can get that whether he starts or not.
Theo will bring defensive intensity, and more importantly, infectious optimism, confidence and swagger to those in need, most notably the front court.
Kevin
Kevin
I am very happy we have Theo back, love the kid and love what he brings us but I have read some silly stuff on this thread. Example how Theo was a better defender last season than Kenny has been this season? Yet Theo played the 3 and small ball 4 for us last season while kenny has for the most part been at the 2 for us this season. I may think he can handle it defending at the 2 but before I claim it as fact I would kinda like to see it first happen.
Saw one try to make the case that Theo shot treys last season at the same level Kenny shoots them now? Theo shot 29% from trey last season, Kenny is at a 35% clip right now and is guarded as a shooter, Theo is given the 3pt shot and dared to take it and will until he proves he can make it consistently. I hope his shooting has improved, from what it was last season it has to but last I saw him his shooting was very JP like.
I am not down on Theo at all, I just know what we have all seen if we watched his games last season. I prefer to expect him to do great in the aspects of the game I have seen him already play well and I hope for improvement in his weaknesses. I as well know how we have seen kenny play this season, not a knock down shooter as of yet but solid enough that he has to be defended as a shooter (35% from the trey), I think he has been by far our most consistent and productive 2 guard this season so far. Fans don't tend to watch as much off the ball, fans don't tend to watch as much defense unless it is on ball defense but kenny has really impressed me both on and off ball defensively AND he seems to really play great in combination with Joel. I really loved how Theo played in combination with Justin last season and I love how Kenny plays in combination with Joel this season and the cool part is we can now see BOTH those combinations on the floor together and I can't wait to see how that plays out.
Saw one try to make the case that Theo shot treys last season at the same level Kenny shoots them now? Theo shot 29% from trey last season, Kenny is at a 35% clip right now and is guarded as a shooter, Theo is given the 3pt shot and dared to take it and will until he proves he can make it consistently. I hope his shooting has improved, from what it was last season it has to but last I saw him his shooting was very JP like.
I am not down on Theo at all, I just know what we have all seen if we watched his games last season. I prefer to expect him to do great in the aspects of the game I have seen him already play well and I hope for improvement in his weaknesses. I as well know how we have seen kenny play this season, not a knock down shooter as of yet but solid enough that he has to be defended as a shooter (35% from the trey), I think he has been by far our most consistent and productive 2 guard this season so far. Fans don't tend to watch as much off the ball, fans don't tend to watch as much defense unless it is on ball defense but kenny has really impressed me both on and off ball defensively AND he seems to really play great in combination with Joel. I really loved how Theo played in combination with Justin last season and I love how Kenny plays in combination with Joel this season and the cool part is we can now see BOTH those combinations on the floor together and I can't wait to see how that plays out.
Meeks for rebounding, passing, and rim protection. Bradley to match the athleticism. (if he is over the wall) or Hicks for raw aggression and plenty of athleticism. In other words we can't lose with those 4 on the floor! Heck, put BRob on there and run peeps to death! It would be hilarious watching other teams try to guard that last lineup! We might struggle a tad guarding the post, however, lol.
Well, watched Hicks be the one big and do really well last season, Meeks did fine but I think it was more Brice and Hicks, Tony could do well also. I would say Hicks because he would make it hard for a center to camp out in the lane, he could pull them out to at least the mid court because his jumper has to be respected and has more athleticism.
I know I'm on an island with this opinion, but it may not be a good decision for Theo to get back on the floor this soon. He has had the same injury on three separate occasions. I doubt he has changed his playing style, so the chances of him having the same injury again is probably pretty high. If he was in his senior season with an NBA career looming or coming off an outstanding sophmore season, I would advise him not to play this soon if I was in his camp. As it stands right now, he is not an NBA prospect so getting back out there to prove something to the NBA scouts may be in his best interests. In other words, he has nothing to lose because as of right now he will not be drafted by the NBA.
5 boards, 5 assists, and 4 steals. A very productive 13 minutes for Theo. Nobody played more than 23 minutes. Nice. BTW, Luke with 9 points, 8 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal in 19 minutes. Very nice.
Bradley with a nice game as well. Woods looking much better. Proud of ALL our Tar Heels.
Indeed Mike. We got contributions from everyone, a complete team effort.
Nice article, Steat. As he so amply demonstrated against NVSU, Theo doesn't have to score to impact a game. His energy and defense have been sorely missed.
As for bringing him back too soon, I don't think you could keep him off the court once the doctors cleared him to play. We all know Roy errs on the side of caution in handling injuries.
Evidently, Jefferson at d00k reinjured the same bone in the same foot as last year. So reinjuries can and do occur. I feel sorry for him. Keeping my fingers crossed that our team can avoid any more major injuries this year.
As for bringing him back too soon, I don't think you could keep him off the court once the doctors cleared him to play. We all know Roy errs on the side of caution in handling injuries.
Evidently, Jefferson at d00k reinjured the same bone in the same foot as last year. So reinjuries can and do occur. I feel sorry for him. Keeping my fingers crossed that our team can avoid any more major injuries this year.
I think what surprised me most about Theo is that he didn't seem nearly as winded as I thought he may, really seemed to step right back in without a lot of rust to shake off. Roy was being careful in managing his time but he really looked to me like he could have handled 20mins yesterday.
I thought the same thing, Dave. His jumper was MIA, but it's not one of his strengths, never has been and may never be. But his conditioning looked good. He was actually more productive than I anticipated him to be in his first game back.
Don't remember seeing the small ball lineup with him at PF. We didn't need it last night. But we have that option once again and that's a very good thing.
Don't remember seeing the small ball lineup with him at PF. We didn't need it last night. But we have that option once again and that's a very good thing.
Love Theo but not the catapult form, I can live with 5 boards,5 assists & 4 steals. The guy brings so much effort. You can tell he is an upperclassman, he didn't try to do too much, just go be Theo and help the team. I mean dang, first game back.
Arch, I differ from many when it comes to injuries like Theo's and Harry Giles. Both have had repeat type injuries and the chances of them happening again (IMO) are higher. In Theo's case, he has no chance for the NBA unless he plays and proves that he has the potential to be successful in the NBA. It's a no lose situation for Pinson. In Giles case if he would have sat out the season he was still going to be a #1 NBA draft pick and locked in that first NBA contract. If Giles goes down again before the season is over, he will be the next Greg Oden. The sad part about that is that he would not have secured that first NBA contract.
It's always a gamble, Steat. There's still 20+ games left in the season and I'm sure Theo and his family had the final say. We dotted our I's and crossed our T's, Dr. Taft cleared him, and Theo's family had the last word. Can't do any more than that.
