It could definitely be bad evaluation but that’s a lot of wasted scholarships – next year, barring attrition, there will be 6 guys playing the least emphasized spot in the Beilein system. (Plus Chatman who unfortunately seems to have no real role at any position.) Maybe we need to seriously reconsider the idea of this staff as great evaluators of talent and ability, especially at the four and five spots.
It might be a lot simpler if they just recruited fives based on athleticism/toughness/size and gave up on trying to find 6-9 unicorns who can stretch the floor (and who hold no blue-blood offers).
Also, I do share your hope re Wagner. I don’t ever see him becoming a shooting threat due to his weird mechanics, but at least his great motor and wild enthusiasm show potential. He seems like the kind of guy who needs a longer leash to develop – like Mitch during the tournament – but JB on the other hand doesn’t really seem like a long-leash kind of guy.
Exactly why I go crazy seeing Caris on the bench. He is our offense and we have been missing him terribly in games like OSU MSU and Indiana where our offense was just atrocious. And I do believe he will play vs Maryland. He assumed the soreness would be gone for OSU and it was not. If the soreness isn’t gone given another 4 days rest plus the 3 days prior to today, the kid needs major help.
In reality is all that really matters. Every coach has a vision and sometimes other things get in the way and doesn’t go as planned. From that group I mentioned I probably only see 1 4 guy in the group so the theory is hard to understand.
Team has talent they just are not mentally tough. That’s why they can make them in practice but not games. Their not gamers. I was the same way in high school. No one wAtching or it doesn’t matter and I can’t miss. Lights go on and I’m throwing bricks. It’s all above the ears with these guys.
Walton andvirvin sre to erratic as well. I also lay blame on coach b. Duncan needs to come off bench and only play or run plays for him if he shows you he’s hitting. Aubrey is much more consistent shooter. Run these sets for him. Give him touches and the keys like last year and he will start to score. Same with maar. They need to be given the reigns on offense like last year. Before you rag on aubreys d realize no one gets stops, do we must out score. Even when Aubrey missed its close. Let him and rahknan get the touches and confidence. Those two with Irvin and Walton should score.
I also think mo needed more time. He at least plays aggressive and with confidrnce. He and donnall will work out. Also I think chatman deserves some burn. He plays hard and his shot looks to be getting better. He also adds elements in d boards passing. Try something new. Find out who’s hot and go with them game by game
But he is the only one with a consistent shot. I can see him averaging 16 a game easy with just a little focus to him. We should be running him off the screens away not Robinson (until Robinson heats up).
What’s sad is if levert is healthy we would be fine. Sadly coach b wouldn’t bench Robinson. I’d play Walton rahkmsn levert Irvin donnall. That would be a nice lineup with the ability to drive and shoot. It would be a well rounded offense.
Also how nice would it be just to have spike even. All these games when we’re cold we desperately needs spikes steady shooting hand. Not to mention he could get in the lane at will and make good smart kick outs/ dishes to the big men. With how bad our offense struggles we have to keep in mind havng levert and spike would change everything. Imagine how good the offense would be with spike patrolling the perimeter. Might be most consistent shooter out there. Add his leadership, hustle and overall intangibles and we’d be a different team. No way we lose to Ohio st with spike out there.
I forget the often when I get upset. Two of our best four players are out. Smh
We just have two totally different views on what a difference maker is.
You’ll never convince me that Spike would have made a big enough difference vs OSU Tuesday. Thad would have picked on Spike if he was out there defending.
You’re also forgetting that we were getting ran off the floor vs any team with a pulse when we had Caris and when Duncan was playing the best basketball of his life.
There’s nothing wrong with wishful thinking if it keeps your sanity. More power to you.
Teams also develop as the season goes on. To say the way we played ranked teams with Caris early on would be the same if we had him now is absolute stupidity.
The “What if” is a great way for fans to explain their teams troubles. It’s a built in excuse. Its like me saying this is the team if Caris went pro last yer.
And the typical Michigan fan mindset strikes again.
“Only Michigan gets better as the season goes on”
News flash, most of those teams that ran us off the floor, also develop. Given the limited athleticism this roster has, our ceiling is low with or without levert.
I don’t but I’ve noticed more and more Michigan fans clinging to this notion that only JB’s teams get better as the season goes on when early season struggles happen.
This is a good point out of all the teams Michigan has lost to this year are there any games where the result would be different now? Xavier is a top 5 team Michigan wouldn’t beat them this time around. Maybe Michigan would beat UConn now, they’re not a great team certainly beatable. Michigan wouldn’t beat SMU if they were to play again. They wouldn’t go into Purdue or Iowa and beat those teams.
On the other hand there’s a chance Michigan wouldn’t beat Texas again, that’s a team that has improved more as the season has gone on as compared to Michigan.
I am confused, I am not saying what if about anything. I am just stating to say we would lose games now with Caris because we did earlier is not a fair statement. If we did have caris it would be different but we simply do not. I am not saying what if to anything.
I have never seen anyone even remotely imply that only Michigan improves as seasons wear on. This is just squabbling.
I don’t quite understand the bitterness. Explain a little, if you care to. Because I don’t think that too many people are going to just break down and join you in the relentless negativity–smart people look for the silver linings, the reasons. So much of your argument is with Beilein and the paradigm itself. And that just ain’t changing for a little bit.
Buncha bad breaks after some very good times. Agree next season has to really improve. Beyond that. . .