2015 needs

Michigan Basketball
1

Unlike others, I don’t see adding a Big as the #1 need for the 2015 class. Our front court will not be undersized. Less size than this year? Yes, nearly every team in the country has less size than our front court this year. We will have more size than our no-McGary team, though.

6’9 250lb Ricky Doyle, sophomore. (compared to 6’10 250lb Horford)
6’9 245lb Mark Donnal, RS sophomore. (compared to 6’8 250lb Morgan)
6’8 235lb D.J. Wilson, sophomore.
6’7 245lb Max Bielfeldt, RS sophomore. (compared to 6’7 245lb Bielfeldt)
6’7 220lb Kameron Chatman, sophomore. (compared to 6’6 220lb GRIII)

Going into 2015, our roster looks like:
PG: Walton (Jr.) / Albrecht (Sr.)
SG/SF: LeVert (Sr.), Stauskas (Sr.), Irvin (Jr.), Chatman (So.)
PF/C: Doyle (So.), Donnal (So.), Wilson (So.), Bielfeldt (Sr.), Chatman (So.)

Looking at this, I think the biggest need for 2015 is Wing- followed by PG and then by a Big. Stauskas and Irvin are both realistic candidates to go pro after next season. They both have NBA size and NBA skills. That would leave us with absolutely no depth in 2015. Missing out on Blackmon and Booker really hurt. Chatman’s versatility can mask that, but I really feel that we need to land an elite SG (Jalen Coleman or Luke Kennard) and another good SG/SF.

I don’t know how many elite PGs would like to come in and sit behind a Junior (Walton) and a Senior (Albrecht). I realize the talent difference, but having that much experience at PG is nice so Albrecht would still get his 8-12mpg. That is why I think Coleman is the best target, because he can play SG while Walton/Abrecht are here, and then transition to PG.

All of our Bigs are going to be low-ceiling, 4 year players. I’m fine with this as long we can keep re-stocking our back court with elite guards and wings.

2

It’s not about size but style of play. Doyle/Donnal/Wilson/Chatman are high post, perimeter bigmen.

Irvin is a possibility to go pro? In what world? I’ve seen mocks with Caris and Nik borderline 1st in 2015 and I expect Caris to make a huge leap into the late lotto next year, but we have enough wings.

We do need a PG. Dozier, Coleman,Kennard are combos so they can all play the 2. I think Dozier has the best vision and more length than the other two being 6’6’’.

Combo/Stretch 4/ True Bigman if McGary leaves next year

If Caris or Nik or Zak look like they will leave then we replace them but not anytime before.

3

The key here is what Donnal develops into… First off, is he a major contributor? Second off, is he a five or a four?

I always projected him as a stretch-five but he needs to add that good weight this year. If you have Donnal/Doyle you have two guys at the five. With Wilson and Chatman on the roster, I think the minutes for Donnal are obviously at the five not the four.

Doyle is not a ‘perimeter big man’ by any stretch of the phrase. He might not be a great rebounder but he’s a back to the basket scorer and he’s never going to play any position other than the five.

4

I was under the impression Donnal is a 5, as well.

You don’t see Doyle been utilized in the high post?

Either way we need a hard nosed big and a combo. I think Chatman is a stretch 4 his freshmen year but hopefully we can get another quality stretch 4 to move Chatman to the wing.

Anyone else leaving for the NBA gets replaced.

Someone explain why we would need a combo AND a wing given that McGary is the only surefire early exit person and the other holes are at the bigmen spots (Max/Horford)?

Walton isn’t exactly a threat to leave early and put us in a bad spot like Morris or Burke.

I know people think I’d be crazy to suggest but Dante Exum is mid lottery at the moment and could drop due to lack of exposure, lack of quality competition while others rise (Zach Lavine, Vonleh, Smart, Selden, Gordon) and he’d be at the end of the top 10. In that scenario, does it become more worth it to go to college and face good competition and enter in a weak 2015 draft as the frontrunner 1st round pick? If he goes the NCAA route, do we take him if he wants to come here?

5

Doyle is a 5 in my eyes, has the most potential to be a back to the basket scorer over any of our current players or incoming recruits, although I could see Chatman effective at the elbow/pinch post but I don’t foresee JB utilizing him in that manner. Donnal can be a 4 in my opinion, has more range on his shot than Doyle, but I don’t know if you can play him and Doyle together, that would be a really slow/in athletic lineup.

I agree that we need a rim protecting big more than a perimeter oriented big moving forward. We have Donnal, Wilson, and Chatman as perimeter type bigs. Doyle is a post big on O, but I don’t necessarily know if he has the lateral mobility or athleticism to be a defensive anchor considering our lack of perimeter defense. We need balance to complete the roster for 2015 in my opinion.

6

Comparing height and weight (or even style of play) doesn’t really tell you much. Talent tells the story. Inside scoring, rebounding and defense. Donnal and Beilfeldt are redshirts, and are not likely to be consistent contributors at a top 10 level. Chatman will be used as a wing, and will not be an inside presence. Doyle is about the only player in 2015 right now who has a chance to make an impact inside, and his talent level in the college game is still very much in question, as is Wilson’s. We really do need a high impact big man coming in for 2015, and even then, it’s by no means certain when we will have a talented and experienced front court.

7

Irvin is a possibility to go pro? In what world? I’ve seen mocks with Caris and Nik borderline 1st in 2015 and I expect Caris to make a huge leap into the late lotto next year, but we have enough wings.

We do need a PG. Dozier, Coleman,Kennard are combos so they can all play the 2. I think Dozier has the best vision and more length than the other two being 6’6’'.

Combo/Stretch 4/ True Bigman if McGary leaves next year

If Caris or Nik or Zak look like they will leave then we replace them but not anytime before.

I never said we didn’t need a PG, but if that PG is not a combo guard, we would have an very poorly constructed lineup. If they went your route, they would have all of these players…
Doyle, Bielfeldt, Donnal, Wilson, [True Big], [Stretch 4]
…tying up 6 of the 13 scholarships.

Those are 6 players that cannot play anything but the 4 or 5. There is no way Beilein is dumb enough to tie up 6 scholarships on two positions. On top of that, you have Chatman who I’m sure will see minutes at the 4 due to his versatility and size.

Combo, Wing, and a Big.

8

Someone explain why we would need a combo AND a wing given that McGary is the only surefire early exit person and the other holes are at the bigmen spots (Max/Horford)?

I am not predicting that Irvin, Stauskas, or LeVert leave after the 2014 season. They all have NBA size and potential, so I play it safe and assume that one of them leaves after the 2014 season.

-Our 2014 class has 3(4) commits 5 months before 2014 NBA draft entrance deadline.
-At this point last year, we didn’t know if GRIII, McGary, or THJ were declaring, yet we already had our 2013 class set.
-At this point next year, most of the 2015 class will be committed but we won’t know if LeVert, Stauskas, or Irvin are entering the draft. If we don’t sign a wing and one of them do end up declaring, we are going to find ourselves scrambling for a wing.

9

Disagree, if 2 of them stay, you still have Walton in addition to the 2 that are staying, as well as Chatman who can certainly play on the perimeter and Spike. That’s a quality 5 with 2 PGs, 2 Wings and Chatman that is pretty diverse. And let’s face it, Wilson is strictly a perimeter player if we’re being honest about it.

10
Comparing height and weight (or even style of play) doesn't really tell you much. Talent tells the story. Inside scoring, rebounding and defense. Donnal and Beilfeldt are redshirts, and are not likely to be consistent contributors at a top 10 level. Chatman will be used as a wing, and will not be an inside presence. Doyle is about the only player in 2015 right now who has a chance to make an impact inside, and his talent level in the college game is still very much in question, as is Wilson's. We really do need a high impact big man coming in for 2015, and even then, it's by no means certain when we will have a talented and experienced front court.

Chatman can be used as a 4 just like GRIII is and Novak was. You put your best players on the court. Who rides the bench so Chatman can play the wing? Stauskas? LeVert? Irvin? GRIII could play the wing, but playing him at the 3 would make the lineup worse. Likewise, playing Chatman at the 3 will make the lineup worse.

Donnal is a redshirt, but I don’t think Donnal is any worse than Morgan and Horford were as freshmen. The difference is Morgan and Horford had to play as freshman by necessity, where as we had the luxury of redshirting Donnal this year. Morgan and Horford are average post players and I think we can get Morgan/Horford level play out of Doyle/Donnal.

11

Caris, Nik, Zak, combo, Chatman, Hatch. Pick your poison. 6 scholarships on 2 positions. Funny thing is the talent level is higher in the backcourt so obviously you’d want to have MORE in the frontcourt to offset it. I just checked and we only have 2 scholarships, assuming Mitch leaves.

15-16 Season roster

PG- Walton, Spike
Wing- Caris, Nik, Irvin, Chatman, Hatch (not really in the rotation)
Stretch- Wilson, Doyle
Big- Donnal, Max (not really in the rotation)

Can you really say we need a guard or even a combo if no one but McGary leaves? Our frontcourt clearly looks less impressive and unproven. I guess you could keep Chatman as a Stretch 4 and sign a combo but the guards in the 2016 class look WAY better so why not wait?

In no way shape or form can we sign both a PG and a Wing. We don’t have the minutes to do it and our frontcourt is less talented. Makes zero sense. Now if Nik, Caris, Zak or Derrick start trending in mock drafts then things change…

X factor- Dante Exum

Irvin is a possibility to go pro? In what world? I’ve seen mocks with Caris and Nik borderline 1st in 2015 and I expect Caris to make a huge leap into the late lotto next year, but we have enough wings.

We do need a PG. Dozier, Coleman,Kennard are combos so they can all play the 2. I think Dozier has the best vision and more length than the other two being 6’6’'.

Combo/Stretch 4/ True Bigman if McGary leaves next year

If Caris or Nik or Zak look like they will leave then we replace them but not anytime before.

I never said we didn’t need a PG, but if that PG is not a combo guard, we would have an very poorly constructed lineup. If they went your route, they would have all of these players…
Doyle, Bielfeldt, Donnal, Wilson, [True Big], [Stretch 4]
…tying up 6 of the 13 scholarships.

Those are 6 players that cannot play anything but the 4 or 5. There is no way Beilein is dumb enough to tie up 6 scholarships on two positions. On top of that, you have Chatman who I’m sure will see minutes at the 4 due to his versatility and size.

Combo, Wing, and a Big.

12
Comparing height and weight (or even style of play) doesn't really tell you much. Talent tells the story. Inside scoring, rebounding and defense. Donnal and Beilfeldt are redshirts, and are not likely to be consistent contributors at a top 10 level. Chatman will be used as a wing, and will not be an inside presence. Doyle is about the only player in 2015 right now who has a chance to make an impact inside, and his talent level in the college game is still very much in question, as is Wilson's. We really do need a high impact big man coming in for 2015, and even then, it's by no means certain when we will have a talented and experienced front court.

Actually, didn’t Morgan redshirt too? Donnal can’t be as productive as Morgan because Donnal is a redshirt, though Morgan redshirted too? How does that make sense?

13

It’s going to be an interesting class, think we might end up with a big class. I wonder who our top targets really are. I think Chase Jeter might be high and ahead of Zimmerman cause of reality in getting him

14
Caris, Nik, Zak, combo, Chatman, Hatch. Pick your poison. 6 scholarships on 2 positions. Funny thing is the talent level is higher in the backcourt so obviously you'd want to have MORE in the frontcourt to offset it. I just checked and we only have 2 scholarships, assuming Mitch leaves.

15-16 Season roster

PG- Walton, Spike
Wing- Caris, Nik, Irvin, Chatman, Hatch (not really in the rotation)
Stretch- Wilson, Doyle
Big- Donnal, Max (not really in the rotation)

I’m putting a lot of time into this discussion, so if you are going to contribute can you at lease please be objective?

Do you really expect Hatch to take up one of the 13 scholarships two years from now? I don’t and I thought that was the consensus thought. I thought everyone believed Hatch would be given a special scholarship, but never actually see the court. Using him to make your point is not very objective, unless you actually project him to be a scholarship player in 2 years. You leave Doyle out of your “Big” group, when the general idea is that he is a Big/Stretch 4. You leave Chatman out of your “Stretch” group, even though you earlier said he would be a stretch 4 as a freshman and is much of a stretch 4 as GRIII and Novak are (your words).

Even if you want to use Hatch, that would be 6 scholarship players designated as “Wings”, but LeVert can play PG… Chatman can play stretch 4, Combo can play PG. Those 6 (5 without Hatch) scholarships aren’t HANDCUFFED to the 2 and 3 spots. On the contrary, Doyle/Donnal/Bielfeldt/Wilson/Stretch 4/True Big, like you said, would be 6 roster spots that can ONLY play the 4 and 5.

15

Why would Hatch not be on scholarship? I haven’t heard anything about the medical scholarship and from my understanding it’s a one year deal.

I actually meant to put Donnal and Doyle in the opposite spots.

No, Chatman is a wing. If we sign any kind of wing or combo then we have to move him to a stretch 4. not hard to comprehend.

You play Levert as a PG (not really capable yet) and we sign a combo then you have 4 players at that position. SO yes it is 6 players at 2 spots because the minutes and rotations won’t be able to show off everyones “versatility.”

Max isn’t a rotation player.

We need a big and at this point another stretch. UNLESS. you think we can grab a wing/combo in 2015 that would be better suited at that spot than Chatman who could slide down? I personally do not.

16

Guestavo, if you can’t even follow yourself then how do you expect me to follow you? Your words:
“I was under the impression tha Donnal is a 5.” Yet in your roster breakdown, you have him as a 4.

You say “Chatman is a wing.”, yet in other threads stress that he can play the 4. Honest question… how is chatman not the perfect stretch 4? He has the length, quickness, and strength to guard 4s. He has the shot to play the perimeter. He has has the ability to play around the rim. He is a better “stretch 4” prospect than Novak or GRIII were, so why would you not utilize him there?

I’d rather sign an elite combo/wing and play Chatman at stretch 4 than sign a decent “stretch 4” and play chatman at wing. Our best 4 players are likely going to be Stauskas, LeVert, Irvin, and Chatman. Why run an offense that has two of them on the bench at all times?

17

I never said we couldn’t sing a combo but there is no way we can also sign a true PG, dude.

18

I didn’t say PG + Combo. I said Combo + Wing + True Big.

19

The same issue arrises. We don’t have room for a combo and a wing, especially when our frontcourt is weak.

20

sigh.

6 roster spots on guys that can only play the 4 and 5. Sweet.