Man I hope Zeb Jackson is good to go.
Would it really have been that detrimental to give some of Nunezās minutes last year to Cole? Iāll always wonder what Nunez was doing in practice vs Bajema to warrant those minutes. Probably still transfers but would have been nice to see him in some non garbage minutes. Some people are just gamers and some are practice players. Could be a world where he was a gamer and a heat check guy hitting 40% off the bench in all of Nunezs minutes.
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FWIW it was said by some insiders that beyond the physical limitations he had that Bajema shot absolutely horrendous in practice and the coaches were trying to fix a hitch they found in his shooting motion.
I see this argument over and over again. Do people just think that Juwan Howard was happy with how Nunez played? That he didnāt watch Bajema in practice every day? That he just didnāt want to play him? Didnāt see a need?
Occamās razor is that Bajema just hadnāt shown enough in practice to gain the trust of the coaches to play.
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This hurts.
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I agree. Bajema has a great deal of potential and we whiffed here.
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I hope Cole finds a good fit and has a great experience, I wish it could have been at Michigan where I could have watched it develop.
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Trying to catch up on the discussion. What seems to be the understanding among fans for why Bajema did not play more?
I think it was the haircut
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I could run with that much more than some of the other explanations that have come my way.
I think Dylan mentioned this already, but I really feel like a transfer with more than 1 year of eligibility is vital. Bienemy is a good example of a guy who could play 20-30 minutes if heās immediately eligible and help with roster continuity for 2021-22.
I would have liked to see Bajema stick, and maybe thatās still possible. I believe reports that he struggled in practice, but then, maybe heās just a guy who performs better in game than in practice. Wasnāt MAAR reportedly like that his freshman year? I would have liked to see if he could break into the rotation this year.
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i guess devilās advocate, did we ever see nunez do anything in a game that warranted not thinking about giving cole more than garbage time?
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And the reason that NuƱez got more minutes is because?
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so if you ālookā better in practice but not great in games you canāt experiment more against lesser teams or even trial out two minute windows against better ones?
i know its not scientific but āsome play better when the lights come onā
edit: i get what dylan/dot/others saying, im probably falling for the āback up QB is always betterā mental game and hoping cole was better. just how i felt watching it in live time.
And the reason Howard didnāt test the possibility that he might be one of those plays better in games than in practice is because?
BTW you have any other instance where a guy got hardly any minutes, during a season where bodies were badly needed, who eventually was productive in college?
I donāt think itās right to say Bajema deserved more of Nunezā minutes - as others have mentioned he likely didnāt play well in practice. I do think itās fair to wonder if the fact that he was literally passed on the depth chart by CJ Baird may have played an impact on the decision to transfer, and if you thought there was any chance Bajema would play a role in the rotation in future years, I donāt know why you make that decision as a coach.
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nope youre probably right
but i think cole will be productive somewhere else, a double digits type of guy before he graduates
Fuuuug. I really liked Coleās potential. I also canāt stand watching Nunez play. This one hurts.
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One message that is sent by every coach that I have known is āplaying time is earned.ā That message is clearly sent to everybody, otherwise the coach is going to have a problem.
Is the belief that Howard committed coaching malpractice by not playing Bajema?
What other UM player met a similar fate; obviously had the ability to play, and obviously there was a need for bodies, but the coach dropped the ball?
Who said Howard committed malpractice? Man, some people cannot take any level of crtitique against our head coaches.
Look, I love Juwan and think he will be a very good head coach at Michigan, but Nunez is the worst player I have seen on the court for Michigan in the last decade. Meanwhile Cole showed promise every time he hit the floor.
Obviously Juwan and his staff had reasons for their decisions. But It seems more than fair to me to wonder whether Cole should have received more minutes at Adrienās expense. Having that thought is not an attack on Juwanās coaching abilities.
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