Who needs 3?

MNH, I love the way Mitch guard ands pushes the ball, but, against the zone you gotta have Plavich and Brown out there for their shooting. If not, the zone just collapses on the big guys. I know they take some bad shots, but Baldwin just isn't much of a threat from outside.

 

I like the Kidney stone line. I posted earlier in the year that someone needs to teach Plavich how to make a pass. Then the next game he gave up an open 3 pointer to dish inside to a Wide Open Clemmons who then proceeded to miss the 5 footer.

It is not really hard to pass up a 25 footer when you are falling back with someone in your face - is it???

 

mnh, I was about to say the same thing about vandy. Undefeated. We've got one guy who can shoot 40% from the 3-pt line, but at least he gets 5-6 assists a game.

I think Mitch can make up the 7 point difference between him and plav defensively and with assists. You have to count on at least half of PLavs missed threes being equal to a TO.

I know Mitch can't shoot as well at Brendan, but he can D up, run the court and hustle. Plav hustling looks like mitch would if he's been taken to the limit.

I don't think we can take Iti, Eddie or Curtis out of the game unless they are worn out. Butter can be a decent reserve, which is what I have said all along. CJ, Cal and Sager should only get minutes when they perform on the court and only for that game. Butter should split up Eddie and Curtis' minutes on the bench. I'd rather see us play small with Withers at center, than Cal when his game is off worse than usual.

I am a big fan of Demon's and will miss him when he is gone, but aside from one game, I would feel more comfortable without Plavich. That is, of course, unless he learns to play within a team and pass, drive and do the other things that make a team win.

Oh well. We're in a better place than we could be. I am happy with the team overall right now. I wish we would play D, shoot about 10-15 threes as a team a game, and shorten the bench, but the wins at SIU and Depaul satisfy me for the time being. If we get it done at Memphis, i will be really excited about this team.

 

Lets review the facts...

fg% ft% 3pt%

Plavich 40.5 81.2 39.8

Brown 43.3 72.4 33.0

Baldwin 50.9 73.5 30.0


I am not saying that Baldwin is a big threat from the outside but he has shown this season that he can hit ouside shots. I like the fact that he only takes good shots in the half court set. He took and missed two 3 pointers at Depaul but they were both good shots. Squared up and open and both just rimmed out. That is a good shot for any of our guards. A fall away 30 footer early in the shot clock with a guy all over you, on the other hand, is called a turnover.

Baldwins defense and ability to score in transition make him much more of a rounded player than any of our guards. The problem is that Bobby's boys will play no matter what and you need look no further than last year and the Curtis Nash mess to see that. Nash was one of Bobby's guys and, like Plav, he gets a ton of slack for no other good reason.

Coach , however, shows his hand late in close games. He always has Baldwin on the floor in the final five minutes of close games and not just in an offense-for-defense situation. He knows he will beat pressure, play good defense and hit free throws.

 

How is hitting 3 of only 10 3 pt shots showing he can hit the outside shot? Especially given I don't think any of the 10 he's taken have been contested. Plav made as many at Syracuse as Baldwin has attempted all year. Plav's got a better % and he's probably taken 5 times more shots than Baldwin has.

I do agree Plav should be reigned in a touch. He takes ill advised shots. I'd love him to get a Jobey mentality. But he poses too great a threat not to have in on the court over Baldwin.

Coach wants to win first and foremost. He's going to put the best team on the court that can enable us to do that. Mitch is not, in any way, a scoring threat. I've seen him, and many on this team, miss his share of layups and open jumpers. He has not prove he can be a consistent scorer for us, and until that happens he doesn't deserve to start over Plav in my opinion.

Baldwin is a defensive machine no doubt, but very seldom, if ever, do we get kids here that can do both. I think Demarco was the last one we had that could do it all.

Mitch is a solid contributer and next year will be our starting PG. But Plav is a better option right now. We're 9-3 and have been in every game we've played. I'm confident coach knows what he's doing.

 

I still don't think of Mitchell as a viable scoring option. Breaking the press, defense, running a press, absolutely. But Plav is a scorer and one can't deny that teams have to pay him and Demon tons of attention which would opens up the middle for Withers and Clemmons (on occassion).

Plav gives us a better chance to win, but that's just my opinion.

 

Plavich needs to be out there because he can score, there is a reason other teams leave Mitchell open to shoot jumpers, because they want him to take him. There is no doubt we'd all like to see Plavich be a little more selective, but when a shooter is hot, and he has proven he can get hot, then he is a problem for the defense. Ask any coach in America and I promise you they would rather play us with Mitchell on the floor rather than Plavich. They'd take their chances.

And pi, did you not say in a recent post in talking about turnovers and Mitchell that it wasn't a turnover if it wasn't on the stat sheet, regardless of whether he was saved by a teammate... if so, you can't consider Plavich missing ill-advised 3's as a turnover for the same reason, it's not on the stat sheet, it's just a missed FG. If that wasn't you, I apologize in advance.

 

No, that was him, and that's a damn fine point.

Harking as much as he does about his coaching knowledge, he also knows damn well that a backcourt of Demon & Plav enables us to extend defenses, especially a 2-3 zone. Baldwin does not give us that ability, they simply sag back off of him & pack it in. Makes even feeding Iti in the high post difficult cause the two guards can cheat and try to interecpt that pass or one coming out of there to a runner or or a screen or a triangle/motion offense.

Pi's playing favorites in ignroance of things he knows, which is worse than being ignorant.

And while I think Mitch's speed and occasional tencaity make him a good defender, he got juked hard several times in the Depaul game. I just sat there and shook my head in amazement cause that doesnt happen often. But it did. Coach kept him in anyway, so maybe it's a moot point.

Also, why in the wolrd does Plav need to ride the syracuse game? He's had several other good performances. Mitch has had one decent offensive game (SIU). I know he doesnt get as many minutes, but he's been unproductive several times in the ones he does get. Dont confuse the cause and effect here.

 

What are you a trouble maker? My point was intended in a humorous manner. When a guy takes an off balance, fade away 3 pointer from 30' it is as good as a turnover. I didnt ask to have the official box score changed. I think everyone on the board agrees that Plavich's shot selection was poor his last 2 games, and that was my point.

Dumbfuck NA/Hardharry/whoever else he is this week, wanted to credit Baldwin for a turnover that he felt he HEARD on the radio. I hammered him on that because it is the single stupidest thing he has ever posted and that is not an easy title to win coming from an arrogant, basketball-ignorant guy like him.

If you cant tell the difference between the two scenarios you are either stupid or just looking to start shit. I have met you Grad and you seemed bright enough so I will assume that you are just looking for trouble here.