I saw this article and it kind of confirmed what I had thought when Horford transferred and his camp claimed he wanted to play somewhere that would utilize him in the post more. I don’t think he is very comfortable inside or with his back to the basket and it looks like Donovan sees that as well. He left Michigan to essentially play in another guard-centric system. I wish him well, but it is still a head scratcher for me.
I didn’t understand that move either. It seemed like Horford and/or his handlers were bitter, delusional or both about his role. He played the exact number of minutes at Michigan that his play warranted. And those minutes were likely to only go up. So why leave?
I actually go to UF and went to their exhibition game against Barry University a few days ago. I’m busy at the moment so I can’t really elaborate on what I saw right now (I keyed in on Horford whenever he was on the court), but I can give some insight when I’m free if anybody is interested. Just let me know if so.
Burke - when you get a second, do share. I would definitely like to hear what you saw. I’ll be interested to see him play on tv as well. I expect him to be used as he was at Michigan, because there are limits to what he can do. Sounds like he will probably grab more rebounds I suppose. Like I said before, his transfer just didn’t make sense in reference to his statements upon departing. But I’m sure there’s a lot more to the picture.
I actually go to UF and went to their exhibition game against Barry University a few days ago. I'm busy at the moment so I can't really elaborate on what I saw right now (I keyed in on Horford whenever he was on the court), but I can give some insight when I'm free if anybody is interested. Just let me know if so.
Weird situation all around. I recall him saying he was coming back for his 5th year. Not sure what happened behind closed doors. I do appreciate his efforts here. Wish him luck at Florida.
Horford’s decision to leave for Florida was totally rational.
First, he knew that McGary was coming back.
Two, he knew that the competition in Florida is wide open.
Third, he wants to a change that might give him better chance to improve his game.
Again, I think most people here measure a person’s decision based on their own perception of what is logical or reasonable. As i I said with Dozier, different variables are given various weight according to the individual weighing such variables. Generally speaking, I think people here tend to interpret reasonable/logical as what is best for UM, on the basis that UM presents the best opportunity for players. Not everyone thinks in such a manner as evidenced by the Dozier/Horford decisions.
Horford's decision to leave for Florida was totally rational.
First, he knew that McGary was coming back.
Two, he knew that the competition in Florida is wide open.
Third, he wants to a change that might give him better chance to improve his game.
He didn't know McGary was coming back for sure. Mitch basically admitted that he may have gone pro even if the NCAA hadn't suspended him.
Florida will use him the same way he was used here.
Even if UF uses Jon the same way, it’s still his choice. It’s quite possible he simply didn’t like Beilein as a coach. quite frankly, that probably is the true reason.
Again, I think most people here measure a person's decision based on their own perception of what is logical or reasonable. As i I said with Dozier, different variables are given various weight according to the individual weighing such variables. Generally speaking, I think people here tend to interpret reasonable/logical as what is best for UM, on the basis that UM presents the best opportunity for players. Not everyone thinks in such a manner as evidenced by the Dozier/Horford decisions.
So people evaluate criteria unique to them, and make decisions that are best for them. Wow - thanks for clearing that up Matt.
I’m not sure why you have to turn everything into a rip on people being homers on this board.
I never viewed it in terms that UofM was better than Florida for Jon. It’s more so that it’s pretty much a very similar situation. His destination just didn’t match up with his criticism of Michigan’s under-utilization of bigs. It’s a head scratcher for me mostly because I would have thought he would have went somewhere that used bigs in a much different way. If I had to guess a lot of the reason he ended up there was because of Donovan’s past relationship with his brother.
Not knowing almost anything about it, the only thing that we can reasonably surmise is that Jon thought he would have a better chance to shine/develop at UF this year than he had if he stayed at UM. Whether he was right about this will not be clear for a while yet.
Even if UF uses Jon the same way, it's still his choice. It's quite possible he simply didn't like Beilein as a coach. quite frankly, that probably is the true reason.
That very well may be true, and there is nothing wrong with that. And you’re right - it is his choice. If that’s the case then why go on and on about how the system didn’t use him correctly if he was going to go to a very similar system? That’s what doesn’t compute for me.
I’ll leave it at that because I don’t have the time or inclination to debate with you on this.
Even if UF uses Jon the same way, it's still his choice. It's quite possible he simply didn't like Beilein as a coach. quite frankly, that probably is the true reason.
That very well may be true, and there is nothing wrong with that. And you’re right - it is his choice. If that’s the case then why go on and on about how the system didn’t use him correctly if he was going to go to a very similar system? That’s what doesn’t compute for me.
I’ll leave it at that because I don’t have the time or inclination to debate with you on this.
I certainly understand where you are coming from, and from a basketball standpoint, I agree with you. Initially, in my first response above, I was just trying to state in a diplomatic way that Jon and/or his family simply doesn’t care for Beilein. The second response, I stated so explicitly. I guess my point is this - the reason Jon used the “I don’t like system” logic is the same reason all coaches tell their players to be humble and give credit to the opposition in pre-game interviews…it’s politically correct. I mean, really, what was he supposed to do…:come out and say “Beilein is a dick, that’s why I’m leaving”? Reading between the lines, it seems that Jon simply doesn’t care for JB, but he did the classy thing by keeping it civil and using “basketball reasons”. Not everyone thinks JB is a God or take a liking to him personally.
Important to remember that Horford really struggled down the stretch… especially in the Big Ten Tournament. I think there may have been some frustration from both parties by the end of the year.
Okay sorry for the delay, I was extremely busy yesterday. But in regards to what I saw during the game: it’s more of the same for Jon Horford. I think one of the reasons he wanted to transfer is because he wanted more chances to demonstrate his “improved” post game. He didn’t make one post move or take one post shot the entire night. During warm ups he was shooting 3s and probably made 2/10 of them. He took one during the game and missed it, although he did hit a nice 15 foot shot along the baseline. I don’t really understand why he transferred based on what I saw. He essentially moved from one guard-centric team to another. UF was jacking up 3s right and left and showed no effort to get the ball into him or other players in the post. Jon started the game at the 5, but I’m not sure how long he will stay there, especially if UF uses Chris Walker at the position. Some constants for Horford: he set tons of picks but never got hit on the roll, he was passed the ball on the perimeter but quickly handed it off, he got double teamed in the post and had to pass away, oh and I’m sure we all already knew this but he has some of the worst hands in basketball. In one instance, Jon tried to drive the ball to the rack and hesitated and the guy guarding him just ripped the ball right from his hands. He did have a decent number of offensive rebounds, but he never really high points rebounds which annoys me. Other than that, I can’t really say I saw anything new, it was really was more of the same.
Even if UF uses Jon the same way, it's still his choice. It's quite possible he simply didn't like Beilein as a coach. quite frankly, that probably is the true reason.
That very well may be true, and there is nothing wrong with that. And you’re right - it is his choice. If that’s the case then why go on and on about how the system didn’t use him correctly if he was going to go to a very similar system? That’s what doesn’t compute for me.
I’ll leave it at that because I don’t have the time or inclination to debate with you on this.
I certainly understand where you are coming from, and from a basketball standpoint, I agree with you. Initially, in my first response above, I was just trying to state in a diplomatic way that Jon and/or his family simply doesn’t care for Beilein. The second response, I stated so explicitly. I guess my point is this - the reason Jon used the “I don’t like system” logic is the same reason all coaches tell their players to be humble and give credit to the opposition in pre-game interviews…it’s politically correct. I mean, really, what was he supposed to do…:come out and say “Beilein is a dick, that’s why I’m leaving”? Reading between the lines, it seems that Jon simply doesn’t care for JB, but he did the classy thing by keeping it civil and using “basketball reasons”. Not everyone thinks JB is a God or take a liking to him personally.
Horford and his dad/brother may not have liked his role, but there’s no reason to suggest that it was personal between Jon and Beilein. His brother was a big man who played for Donovan and thrived. Donovan needed a big. Not that complicated. His family has been trying to get him to transfer since he was a freshman. If he detested Beilein, he would have been gone long ago. There might be a "dick’ involved here, but it ain’t Beilein.