I never said they are at the same level. I am saying every team has holes. Every team needs players to develop. MSU will not be a top 5 team if other players on their team don’t develop from last year. It is as simple as that.
I am very optimistic about Michigan basketball this year. For Michigan, we have 3 upper classmen with a ton of experience and skill. I think Johns and Castleton have as much upside as any of these “other” players on MSU. I also believe we will see more out of Nunez than many expect. Players rave about Nunez and his shot making. Can it translate? We know the sophomores on this team worked their tail off this summer. If Camp Sanderson is as good as I know it is…I think we will have skill and depth at every position except 1 (Shooting Guard). I am just not sure if Franz was going to play there against teams with smaller and quicker SG’s. If Franz can play the 2, then it helps a lot. If he is a 5 star caliber player, then I like our team a lot and our chances in the bigten.
A lot of unknowns for all teams right now. I see a path forward for Michigan to make this a very exciting team.
Juwan’s update before the Creighton game was basically that there’s no update. He trusts the medical staff and they are controlling the process.
Back to the original timeframe… Four weeks would be Nov. 18 and six weeks is Dec. 2nd. That’s a big gap where he’s back before the Bahamas or back potentially at or after Louisville.
And just being back doesn’t mean he’s going to play much or at all right away, or be very effective instantaneously. Again, I say, as much as we want to see him in that Michigan uniform doing what we all believe he can do, what we certainly hope he can do to help this team, we will need to be a bit patient. And believe me, this comment comes from a guy who, in a lot of ways, isn’t normally very patient!
Correct. He has had his hand in a cast so obviously not playing. Would think he’s been able to do cardio/etc but all different than actually being on the court.
Right. My hope was maybe if he were at least back to practice by the Bahamas, maybe play a few minutes sparingly, that would be a good sign for him to be near full go for Louisville.
Man, that would be one helluva introduction to college basketball, stepping on the court for the first time in front of a frenzied KFC Yum! Center™ crowd against what may potentially be the #1 team in the country on that date (UL plays nobody of consequence between now and then - sorry Hilltoppers). I will be on hand, so hoping Franz will be available for that one to give the team a full arsenal of weapons to my UL-alum father and his cronies quiet.
IMO, the best (reasonable) return would be for the middle game of the Battle4Atlantis. 3 games in 3 days is a lot to ask of the legs. If Franz is able to take the Nunez minutes in the middle game of the tournament it would provide a lot of team benefit and not expose Wagner to back-to-back game days while first returning from injury.
Plus, rotation could stay similar with Wagner just sliding into Nunez’s role … and Nunez hopefully would have his “legs” for the 3rd game (important for a shooter) when others are feeling the impact of a compressed schedule.
But that’s all predicated on Wagner being cleared to return by then.
4 weeks have now elapsed since Franz broke his wrist. I wonder whether he received an x-ray and if so whether his wrist was determined to be adequately healed.
If so, then wouldn’t he have been at practice today without his wrist being wrapped up? Anybody see him at practice today or on the street without a wrist wrap?
Just curious why are you giving up on nunez? It’s obvious juwan see’s potential in him. I’m rooting for nunez because nobody would’ve predicted him playing let alone starting. I might be the weird guy for rooting for a player and not giving up on them . Sometimes that’s the norm around these parts. I think nunez can be a good player. Beilein didnt sign him for no reason. He is definitely getting more confident. If Franz is good enough to take his spot when he get back - so be it , but I would like to see him part of the rotation. I don’t like when we go to the 3 small guard line up. People once gave on DJ wilson, Eli ect…players develop. He might not be flashy but nunez has a high ceiling. Just me however…my opinion.
I think most are under the assumption that Nunez is starting - not because he’s one of the five best players - but because playing him allows the other bench players - DDJ, Johns and Castleton - to start in their probable role right away. Once healthy, you slide Wagner in for Nunez’ minutes without disrupting the rotations and roles of others. Makes it a more seamless transition. This is what NBA teams do. Lou Williams isn’t going to start if one the regular starting guards is out for a game or two. They’ll slide in another guard to ease the loss for everybody else.
