I love this take on the brilliance of the last shot. I hadn’t heard it, hadn’t thought of it that way, but it makes all the sense in the world.
I think Poole should return, but there are things he does that the pro evaluators love. Starting with his spectacularly quick first step and his ability to create separation.
That is definitely what he was thinking but I think you need to make sure it gets called before throwing that up.
You might add that no one is looking for a scapegoat in Poole or harping miserably on his poor play if this happens.
[quote=“umhoops, post:184, topic:4536, full:true”]That is definitely what he was thinking but I think you need to make sure it gets called before throwing that up.
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True. But, it is such a fundamental late game defensive strategy to give pre-bonus fouls, officials generally know in advance that teams are going to foul, and Poole had to have recognized that Winston was set to rake with two hands. I don’t fault Poole at all for that play. I would love to have been in the officials locker room post-game to hear the discussion of that play.
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Yeah, you can’t wait until the foul is called, you will never get the FTs that way. What he maybe could have done is try to square his feet really quickly and go up into a shot as Winston is reaching out. That way even if the call isn’t made – which was a terrible noncall – you get a better shot up. Or you wait for the whistle and forego the chance to get the 3 FTs that way.
Down two, perhaps, but down three you have to take some chances.
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Given Bo Borosky & Co.’s penchant for calling fouls “on the floor,” you can certainly understand Poole’s desire to get the shot up. Everyone (except the Refs, I guess) were well aware what Winston was doing. Balance that non-call with the 3-shot foul called against Poole following McQuaid’s terrific fake, shoulder dip, and (not really) a shot attempt.
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Sorry, but Poole is not a “terrific shooter” by any stretch of the imagination. Matthews and Teske shot better on 3 pointers in Big Ten games than he did this year. Nuf sed. He needs to do a lot of work on his shot and his shot selection.
I stand by my earlier belief that if we see either Poole or Iggy leave after this year it’ll be fine because for that to happen it means we probably made another Final Four run. I think they could both be consensus late first round picks in the 2020 draft.
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How many Draft mocks have Iggy being picked at all right now?
Mock drafts before people declare are kind of worthless, right? What if someone just isn’t including him in the mock because they think he’ll return, for example.
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IMO Poole has the NBA athleticism that Iggy does not, and a sure-fire NBA position at 2. Iggy could struggle staying in front of NBA 3s and struggle with the length of NBA 4s. Given his shot and ability to finish with either hand I think there’s definitely a role for Iggy in the league and he’ll get second and third contracts. But without that athleticism, he’s not going to be a pick based on potential. There’s a logic to staying, in that case.
Poole, on the other hand, I’m sure has worked really hard just like everyone else on the team, and maybe there’s something else that can be done to help with the defensive lapses, but his particular brand of brilliance doesn’t seem to include the attention to detail that helps a team like MSU play 40 minutes of patient, mistake-free basketball. The great counterfactual for me this season is what if Brooks had scaled up on offense and given Beilein another option at the spot. I think Poole would have been better for that.
Of the three wings, the one I’d like back the most is Iggy.
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Difficult to think that’s the narrative behind Iggys exclusion IMO.
He certainly would be included if evaluators thought he had talent to be selected. Especially in this weak draft. Iggys not been shy about wanting to get there as quick as possible.
Besides projected lottery picks who for sure knows who is staying/leaving?
Mocks are based on projected abilities to play in NBA at this time.
Poole has very good body control, but is not an explosive athlete by any means. Crafty with the jab step and shot fake, but he’s not straight up blowing by guys at all. Average verticality (did you see his finish v McQuaid?). I honestly don’t see the NBA athleticism at all, not even close.
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My point wasn’t really meant to be about Iggy, just mock drafts in general at this point. A mock draft at this point is just a way to get page views in a format that people like to consume. The idea of doing a mock draft without knowing who is in it is just a bit silly. That’s all I’m trying to say.
Well Sam Vecenie specifically states in the write up that there are some players who appear in his top 100 but do not appear in the mock which means the intel he’s received is that the player is leaning more toward staying in school as opposed to turning pro. All subject to change of course.
I don’t think he’s ever been particularly high on Iggy as a prospect but he may be hearing intel (for whatever it’s worth) that he’s leaning toward staying while the opposite may be true for Poole.
He’s got Ayo from Illinois as his 34th rated prospect and Smith from Maryland at 40 but neither are in his mock.
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That play isn’t even the one that got me angry. The mcquaid foul and teske strip got me going.
I think you hit the nail on the head at the start on Jordan though. Also to the poster who said he’s been scapegoated, I do think he has hurt them at crucial points. I think part of the frustration for the fan base maybe that everyone realizes how good he can be and how important he is to the team maximizing its potential, so frustration boils over. The kid could be really really good . I hope he stays and fulfills that potential here.
If there is any connection between the two at all, it is a very tenuous one. We could lose in the first round, and one or both of them could still leave.