Should Austin Wiley return?

[doverstutts 1,643]

3 minutes ago, AU64 said:

Seems that way but wonder if pounding up and down the floor contributes to those lower leg injuries?       I took a quick look at his stats and while at AU he's mostly been a role player I guess....only a few games with as many as 20 minutes...either year.   I guess some kind of half court offense would fit him...but his shooting is still sub-par.  

yeah, a lot of big guys suffer from this affliction....most never overcome it,either

[AU64 10,122]

1 minute ago, doverstutts said:

yeah, a lot of big guys suffer from this affliction....most never overcome it,either

That was my recollection about Sam Bowie many years ago....wonderful potential...but could not get over the leg problems...

[KolchakAU85 430]

Greg Oden comes to mind. If he could've stayed healthy...

[doverstutts 1,643]

9 minutes ago, KolchakAU85 said:

Greg Oden comes to mind. If he could've stayed healthy...

i think that i read that the fractures occur because they grew so fast when they were young and the bones did not develope properly.....i wonder if he dropped 20 lbs would it help ease some of the pressure.....it really affected him more mentally than physically after he came back

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,662]

2 hours ago, ellitor said:

You don't understand a kid potentially wanting a fresh start & to be closer to his girlfriend & child? Well...

I think a move could be for the best for him, he needs an offense that works better within the 3 pt line. the intangibles you mentioned will be the closer for him. Hes obviously not as talented but I could see him having a Mustapha type year where he does improve, even if the stats dont say so (the stats cant possibly be worse in his case though) 

[alexava 6,973]

I don’t think there’s any need to wonder about it. I don’t think he has another option. 

[ellitor 33,091]

11 hours ago, alexava said:

I don’t think there’s any need to wonder about it. I don’t think he has another option. 

He definitely has other options. He could decide to go to Europe and make whatever he can before his legs are completely shot.

[cole256 17,050]

Foot injuries with big men certainly isn't good, I don't know what teams you guys have been watching but as far as big men goes that play with their back to the basket Wiley is pretty good. Especially with the limited touches he gets. He changed his body and was in great shape and it's not talked about but he's a good shot blocker and was banging pretty good as well. I know he was a 5 star so he's going to get some hate but he's already showed against NBA prospects that he can play so yes he may actually play in the NBA

[JwgreDeux 1,279]

3 minutes ago, cole256 said:

Foot injuries with big men certainly isn't good, I don't know what teams you guys have been watching but as far as big men goes that play with their back to the basket Wiley is pretty good. Especially with the limited touches he gets. He changed his body and was in great shape and it's not talked about but he's a good shot blocker and was banging pretty good as well. I know he was a 5 star so he's going to get some hate but he's already showed against NBA prospects that he can play so yes he may actually play in the NBA

I agree completely, which is why I wonder if he may go ahead and go and leave all that has happened in college behind. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a healthy Wiley for a full season next year. 

[cole256 17,050]

2 minutes ago, JwgreDeux said:

I agree completely, which is why I wonder if he may go ahead and go and leave all that has happened in college behind. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a healthy Wiley for a full season next year. 

I think it's the same as chumma if you know you are getting drafted in the first round go. Second round I think you come back and start slapping people if they don't start passing the ball to the post try to average a double double and then go

[JwgreDeux 1,279]

1 minute ago, cole256 said:

I think it's the same as chumma if you know you are getting drafted in the first round go. Second round I think you come back and start slapping people if they don't start passing the ball to the post try to average a double double and then go

I just don't think CBP teams are going to feed a guy like Wiley enough in the post. I think CBP is going to continue to trend towards the Golden State model of uptempo offense and shooting the 3 ball. Wiley could be a great asset in the offense with his defense, rebounding and outlet passing, but that doesn't help his draft stock much. 

[AU64 10,122]

Problem AW has now is that few teams play using a big man with his back to the basket and our shooters mostly ignore him anyway.   Look around now and most guys his size are used like power forwards and the big European guys come over here knowing how to shoot pretty well.  

JMO but he would be better off skipping this year, getting some top flight medical assistance, therapy and see what can be done about the foot and lower leg problems.     I can't see that playing 8 or 10 ...or even 15 minutes per game in BP's style is not gonna do much for his NBA future. 

[cole256 17,050]

10 minutes ago, JwgreDeux said:

I just don't think CBP teams are going to feed a guy like Wiley enough in the post. I think CBP is going to continue to trend towards the Golden State model of uptempo offense and shooting the 3 ball. Wiley could be a great asset in the offense with his defense, rebounding and outlet passing, but that doesn't help his draft stock much. 

I agree with the Golden State model, I told everybody this when Bowers played, but Golden State do throw it to the post. The high post as well, their scorers are at other positions so eventually they end up scoring but you have to throw the ball to the post if for nothing else to move the defense if you want to be a good team. That's where we just don't get. Every game I watched Wiley play he has had at least one time, great position and either Harper or Brown didn't throw it down. I blame Pearl for that. I understand he may not get 17 attempts but he should at least get 10. That's why it's so easy to guard us right now

[BHDAU1 240]

My answer would have to be yes he will return. He hardly has any good tape from this year for NBA scouts. I think he almost has to come back unless he goes overseas. There are plenty of 7 footers in the world but only a tiny percentage of them have the coordination, footwork, and skills to be effective at the NBA level. I dont think he has proven to be one of that tiny percentage yet.  On the flip side i hope he does not play again this year. To be honest the team plays better without him on the court. Horace and Mac can take care of the paint.  They did great last year until Mac got hurt and the team went downhill from there. It seems to me that this team is in sync and playing well right now. Putting him back on the court hurts more than it helps. I mean for crying out loud he is almost 7 feet tall and cannot dunk right now even when standing right next to the rim. Defensively when Wiley is in the game the team seems to not crash the boards as hard nor do they roll in to help defend. 

[Beaker 2,457]

Rhythm.....Auburn struggled to figure out how to play when AW was on the court IMO.   Our tempo changed so much.   Maybe in Bruce's wisdom, that was good.   

IMO - we have "addition by subtraction".   AW needs to go to Europe and make some bank before more injuries pile on.

Auburn then wouldn't have to play two styles:  'slow' with a quasi-healthy Wiley and 'run/gun' when he was injured. 

But we have to get some size that is mobile and can rebound on the offensive glass!  I just pray we get out of round 1.

[tigerbrotha12 2,362]

On 3/6/2019 at 6:00 PM, ellitor said:

@tigerbrotha12 not sure if you saw my posts in the Purifoy thread but he's not returning barring a major shift. Also you forgot Jamal Johnson on your roster.

I did not, i'll check it out. Thanks for the pointing out of JJ

[mustache eagle 2,398]

10 hours ago, Beaker said:

Rhythm.....Auburn struggled to figure out how to play when AW was on the court IMO.   Our tempo changed so much.   Maybe in Bruce's wisdom, that was good.   

IMO - we have "addition by subtraction".   AW needs to go to Europe and make some bank before more injuries pile on.

Auburn then wouldn't have to play two styles:  'slow' with a quasi-healthy Wiley and 'run/gun' when he was injured. 

But we have to get some size that is mobile and can rebound on the offensive glass!  I just pray we get out of round 1.

I hope AW does whatever is in his best interest.  I'd assume he'd be better off leaving, but I don't know pro ball.  The problem at Auburn isn't entirely about AW ... its the guards wont pass the ball down low.  AW runs his butt off up and down the court.  The guards have been horrible about passing the ball down low.   Either they dont do it, or they do it poorly.  We miss back door cuts constantly.  Particularly no passes from our 2 and 3 guards.  The number of times I've seen dunbar/samir make a backdoor cut and BB doesn't see/anticipate them wide open for the layup is sad.

There was one game earlier this season where AW really shined.  It was readily apparent the guards were getting him the ball.  AW made the other team pay.  Then that was really kind of it.

Now AW has things to work on.  He loses the ball out of his hands surprisingly often for someone with his strength (hand size?).  I wish he'd go up more aggressively when he has the ball.  He has fumbled some passes more often than I think we'd like.  He seems tenative with the ball at times ... But to his credit, he is probably shocked when he gets the ball the few times he does and yips a little bit with shock and surprise!  Bottom line is we are a better team with him on it.  Wish we used him more when he was healthy.

[cole256 17,050]

4 minutes ago, mustache eagle said:

I hope AW does whatever is in his best interest.  I'd assume he'd be better off leaving, but I don't know pro ball.  The problem at Auburn isn't entirely about AW ... its the guards wont pass the ball down low.  AW runs his butt off up and down the court.  The guards have been horrible about passing the ball down low.   Either they dont do it, or they do it poorly.  We miss back door cuts constantly.  Particularly no passes from our 2 and 3 guards.  The number of times I've seen dunbar/samir make a backdoor cut and BB doesn't see/anticipate them wide open for the layup is sad.

There was one game earlier this season where AW really shined.  It was readily apparent the guards were getting him the ball.  AW made the other team pay.  Then that was really kind of it.

Now AW has things to work on.  He loses the ball out of his hands surprisingly often for someone with his strength (hand size?).  I wish he'd go up more aggressively when he has the ball.  He has fumbled some passes more often than I think we'd like.  He seems tenative with the ball at times ... But to his credit, he is probably shocked when he gets the ball the few times he does and yips a little bit with shock and surprise!  Bottom line is we are a better team with him on it.  Wish we used him more when he was healthy.

👍 it's really ridiculous that we started this season with literally 4 starters that can handle the ball and the assist numbers we tally up during a game

[alexava 6,973]

1 minute ago, cole256 said:

👍 it's really ridiculous that we started this season with literally 4 starters that can handle the ball and the assist numbers we tally up during a game

Exactly. Our point guard had 16 points and  just one assist against bammer Tuesday night. We don’t create any offense. 

[JwgreDeux 1,279]

5 minutes ago, alexava said:

Exactly. Our point guard had 16 points and  just one assist against bammer Tuesday night. We don’t create any offense. 

Harper is at the top of the league in assists, it isn't him IMO that is the issue. Brown nor our 3s look much for entry passes, Harper could improve in that area as well, but I'd put the lack of assists more on other ball handlers. In their defense though, they have played in a system that doesn't focus on low post offense. They probably didn't do it much in high school either (assuming) so it is a skill that is under-developed.  You don't just insert a guy into the lineup and expect a complete transformation of style of play and expect these guys to have this skill .

[gravejd 3,270]

From AUs perspective i hope he comes back. We are a better team with him available. Though i think at this point in the season he should definitely be an off the bench player and should play around 10-15 minutes per game. We are in a nice stride right now with Mac and Spencer getting most of the minutes at 5 and i think we should keep things as they are. We are winning and you are asking for trouble when you change a winning formula. He will be huge though if we come up against some bigs with gerth....Spencer and Mac can handle taller players no problem but they get in trouble when i guy has height and width on their side. Plus, while we will be taller overall next season we are still going to be thin in height under the basket so we can certainly use him. 

For Wiley i think he may be better suited to try his luck in the G league. Mainly because his injuries have me worried he has a short bball life span available to him. So he needs to get paid while he can. The other reason is i just don't know that he will ever be the focus of our offense enough to raise his draft stock very high. He may have better luck catching on with a team in the lower levels and working his way up to NBA that way. 

[ellitor 33,091]

19 minutes ago, alexava said:

Exactly. Our point guard had 16 points and  just one assist against bammer Tuesday night. We don’t create any offense. 

To be fair to Harper his ankle seems to have finally  gotten healthy as he is now more explosive & quicker to the hole than he had been most of, if not all season. Also a big reason he had only 1 assist is Bama was not collapsing on him when he drove the lane so he took it to the hole & finished it himself a few key times in the game. If Bama had collapsed on his drives he would have had more assists like the 9 he had versus Miss St just 1 game earlier.

[ellitor 33,091]

On 3/6/2019 at 7:15 PM, ellitor said:

There's a juco big man I'd love to get. Khadim Sy...

 

So LSU is a major factor with this guy. Hope the WW suspension helps us with Sy.

[Tiger 8,822]

Shooooooot if we lost EJ Montgomery and Ashton Hagans because of Chuck Person then these dang wiretaps better have Sy cool off on LSU!