I don’t want to get into this. It’s just not the kind of speculation I want to get involved with, and I really like both players. I truly believe CC will get better and better. He was actually a somewhat slow developer in high school. I think he’s got a nice upside. I LOVE Austin Davis, too. Frankly, he could be on my bench, in my locker room, on the floor playing for me. He is the kind of kid (young man) I want on my team, especially as a senior leader. But irregardless of all that, here’s my proposal. Juwan Howard has another year of eligibility left, let’s just make him player/coach! 
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Irregardless isn’t a word!
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Also not a bad option. I just worry that with Todd already unsure on whether or not he’ll be here, having him come in and play the 5 might not exactly make him too happy. I’m not sure he is a very natural fit there although his size is more than enough. Also, I dont think Johns at the 5 was much of a success and I’m really starting to like him in this role at the 4, he is thriving lately and getting so so much better. Having one true big on the roster can always be risky.
** Anyways though, this is all a hypothetical scenario I created so I guess its all a bit irrelevant now hahaha, that’s the fun of a speculation thread though
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The issue is that time at the 4 for Johns could be scarce if Todd is around. I’d like to find a way to get Johns more than 15 mins a game if he’s around next year and either Todd or Johns at the 5 would have to happen for that
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I’m just so thrilled with Johns development lately. Was EXACTLY what we needed to see with Livers out. This was Johns time to shine and he is getting better with just about every game.
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I know!!! Who do you think you’re talking to!?! But you know what I meant!
EDIT: And you can’t put !?! together, either, not in MY class, you can’t…and paragraphs…Oh MY! 
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THIS!!!
EDIT: I used all those exclamation points just to get enough characters!
AND then, I got a message saying, and I kid you not, “Body seems unclear. Are you sure you have a complete sentence?” NOOOO, of course I’m not sure I have a complete sentence! I"m sure I DON’T have a complete sentence!
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I believe it’s been said in so many words, but I do think CC was better suited to Beilein’s style and his game does not necessarily lend itself to what Juwan prefers on the blocks (nor the direction the league is trending this year from an interior play standpoint). OTOH, Davis was brought in as the “break glass/emergency” style big for foul trouble/specific matchup contingencies and has stumbled into a nice situation where Juwan can better coach up/find utility in his interior grinder approach. He now looks confident with his low post footwork and in getting off shots against the league’s deep collection of bigs. Awesome to see this kid come of age a bit.
That said, I do hope CC evaluates the adjustments he needs to make and decides to stay and put in work. His best days are ahead, regardless of which jersey he dons.
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That may be true about other positions, but not point guard. Point guards win championships. And Howard’s love for X suggests he believes so too.
We may play be forced to play 2 combo/off guards next year, but only because we’ll have no other choice.
not if there are better options though
Yea I’m on that Colin bandwagon still. Just needs anot more time. I hope he’s back next year.
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More than bulking up, I’d like to see CC work on explosiveness (particularly his first step). And skill-wise, becoming a reliable shooter.
His ceiling is having the ability to take bigger C’s outside and beat up smaller C’s inside.
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As a former coach, if I have thirteen players on my team this is a guy I would want to be one of those thirteen.
In addition to that I guess I just happen to value commitment and loyalty,character traits that seem to be in rather short supply these days. Austin Davis came to Michigan because he loves Michigan. He has done everything Coach B asked him to do and everything Coach Howard has asked him to do. When he didn’t play, he didn’t pout and hang his head, he just worked harder. I am guessing if you asked guys like John Teske they would tell you that AD has made them better by how hard he has worked in practice. I believe he epitomizes the concept of “team player.” I believe he is the definition of “Michigan Man.”
Perhaps there will not be a spot on next year’s roster for Austin. Perhaps Austin will want to go elsewhere for his fifth year, maybe somewhere where he can start and play 25-30 minutes. I don’t know. I am pretty sure he will be in grad school somewhere, and Michigan has a nationally ranked Kinesiology program, which I believe is his major. And I also know this, he is certainly the kind of player and young man I would want on my team, if I were the coach. But, I guess that’s just me. Perhaps I shouldn’t have said “every” coach.
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I’m basing this speculation on:
-Davis grad transferring
-Nunez transferring
-Todd coming
-Christopher coming
Guards:
Christopher will probably start which would move Brooks to backup SG, starting PG, or both. I’d expect some combination of Brooks/DeJulis/Christopher to get 70-80 minutes with spot time from Jackson or Bajema.
Outlook: I love Simpson and you don’t replace what he brings to this team at PG. However with natural progression from any of DeJulius/Brooks/Bajema and the addition of lottery pick talent in Christopher, I think our back court would be just as good next year. Grade… B
Forwards:
If our roster really has Livers, Wagner, Johns, and Todd then I don’t see a path to minutes for Williams. Livers would be a lock to start and then you can make a case for any of the other three to start with him. Those 4 guys would get all 80 minutes at the 3 and 4.
Outlook: We would be deeper and more talented than any team in the country at the 3 and 4. It would be the best group of Michigan forwards I’ve seen since following the sport and I say that knowing the talent that we’ve had. The two guys starting right now (Wagner/Johns) could both realistically come off the bench next season if we manage to retain Livers and land Todd. Grade… A+
Center:
Castleton and a freshman Dickinson being our two true centers makes the position a big question mark. I think either one COULD step in/step up and play solid for 20-25 minutes a game. That still leaves a lot of minutes for whoever the backup is. If Todd comes that would free up minutes for either him or Johns at the forward position to play as a small ball center. If he doesn’t, maybe we bring in O’Neal as another body.
Outlook: This group has a lot of question marks. Castleton hasn’t shown he can be a starting Big Ten center. Dickinson is a high rated recruit that is playing the best competition one could play in HS, but him coming in and starting day 1 is still a lot to ask. Todd is pretty thin for minutes at the 5. Johns has excelled at the 4 lately and putting him back out of position may not be ideal. O’Neal was a top 50 recruit himself but so far he’s a lot closer to Jon than Al when comparing him to Horfords. Grade… D.
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I think that’s a decently realistic take on what could happen. However, it’s possible coach might want to prioritize having an extra C (Davis) than an additional SG (Bajema) based on what we have coming next season.
Also, wouldn’t O’Neal have to sit out a year due to transfer rules? I don’t think we can count on him bolstering the frontcourt.
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That’s a tough grade for center. Dickinson is no project. He’s physically ready and plays with good technique. I’d give the group a D if he wasn’t coming in. I know if he was on another Big Ten team, I’d be worried about matching up with him, even as a freshman.
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Also wouldn’t be surprised if we saw some Todd at the 5 ala DJ Wilson
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I’m hopeful the Dickinson can come in and be an impact player year 1, too. Even he does that I don’t think we should expect more than 20-25mpg out of a 7’2 260 pound freshman. That still lives 15-20 mpg for a backup big. Maybe that’s Castleton. Maybe that’s one of our forwards.
But the uncertainty at the position has me cautious with the grade.
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I hope that’s not the case
Agree to disagree, I guess.
Recent NCAA history is littered with great teams that ran the offense through non-point guards…like UVa last season. Gonzaga in many years runs its offense through players who wouldn’t be considered the “point guard” if you’re assigning guys on the court traditional positions. Kansas fluctuates, some years they have a lead point guard, other years they run their offense through a 2-guard or Small Forward.
Shoot, we’ve seen it first hand in Ann Arbor with the Stauskas/Levert/GRIII team among others. And it wasn’t until Walton’s SR season that PG was a high usage/ball dominant position…SG & SF were more integral in ball handling during Walton’s first 3 seasons.
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