New season new team!

[cole256 17,084]

I have a bunch of thoughts but I like to watch at least 3 games before I speak matter of factly about the team.

Judging from the first game I think defensively we're going to play like the way I predicted. I'll see if I can find that post somewhere.....

I will say this though I think we should be encouraged! If stuff clicks for us defensively like I think it possibly could we will be a very very dangerous team by the end of the year!

Some things I feel this board should try but of course I'm nobody's boss and I don't expect anyone to listen to me.

1) The basketball board is dominated by a group of consistent posters that frequent this forum every year. Clearly that means you love basketball and particularly Auburn basketball, we should try doing something different than ganging up on somebody who doesn't have the faith that most may have. If somebody wants to say things that's not major praise for the team that's actually ok. We have done the same stuff for nearly 7 years as far as the fighting. If a person can articulate themselves then actually LISTEN. You may actually learn something.

2) With that being said if you don't really watch basketball, and you don't really come on this side and maybe you're just fried because the football situation has been so trash.....maybe you should be sure you really know what you are speaking about before you start challenging everybody. Take this last game for example if you can't think about it's the first game, it's against another good team, we are a brand new team, and you are already on that we suck, or we look horrible, there's nothing to look forward to while other people who have been following the team for years are articulating things opposite of what you are saying, you probably should just be quiet for a second and read. People don't want to feel the negative football doom and gloom when it's not even earned.

3) It's basketball, there won't be any perfect games, and there will be different perspectives, if you have a favorite player that in your mind can't do no wrong just understand he may not be everybody 's favorite, and vice versa, when you are killing a guy with every little mistake that he makes remember that when your favorite player make a mistake. But any way that it goes just because someone points out a particular thing doesn't mean they shouldn't be welcome here anymore. As long as a person can point out facts or examples of why they say whatever they are saying it should be fine. 

But those are just some of my thoughts moving forward. It just trips me out to watch people keep doing the same thing over and over and over....as far as the new team I think we may be missing one piece that I will talk about if indeed we are but I feel like I can say confidently that we have way more parts that you need to be a dangerous tourney team than what we lack and that's a very good thing. Look forward to talking basketball with some of you!

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,734]

Good post. In general, I think it’s good to just try watching random matchups if you don’t watch too much of one league and you want to become more familiar. I think perspective would do a lot of SEC fanbases well 

[KillenTime 127]

3 hours ago, cole256 said:

I have a bunch of thoughts but I like to watch at least 3 games before I speak matter of factly about the team.

Judging from the first game I think defensively we're going to play like the way I predicted. I'll see if I can find that post somewhere.....

I will say this though I think we should be encouraged! If stuff clicks for us defensively like I think it possibly could we will be a very very dangerous team by the end of the year!

Some things I feel this board should try but of course I'm nobody's boss and I don't expect anyone to listen to me.

1) The basketball board is dominated by a group of consistent posters that frequent this forum every year. Clearly that means you love basketball and particularly Auburn basketball, we should try doing something different than ganging up on somebody who doesn't have the faith that most may have. If somebody wants to say things that's not major praise for the team that's actually ok. We have done the same stuff for nearly 7 years as far as the fighting. If a person can articulate themselves then actually LISTEN. You may actually learn something.

2) With that being said if you don't really watch basketball, and you don't really come on this side and maybe you're just fried because the football situation has been so trash.....maybe you should be sure you really know what you are speaking about before you start challenging everybody. Take this last game for example if you can't think about it's the first game, it's against another good team, we are a brand new team, and you are already on that we suck, or we look horrible, there's nothing to look forward to while other people who have been following the team for years are articulating things opposite of what you are saying, you probably should just be quiet for a second and read. People don't want to feel the negative football doom and gloom when it's not even earned.

3) It's basketball, there won't be any perfect games, and there will be different perspectives, if you have a favorite player that in your mind can't do no wrong just understand he may not be everybody 's favorite, and vice versa, when you are killing a guy with every little mistake that he makes remember that when your favorite player make a mistake. But any way that it goes just because someone points out a particular thing doesn't mean they shouldn't be welcome here anymore. As long as a person can point out facts or examples of why they say whatever they are saying it should be fine. 

But those are just some of my thoughts moving forward. It just trips me out to watch people keep doing the same thing over and over and over....as far as the new team I think we may be missing one piece that I will talk about if indeed we are but I feel like I can say confidently that we have way more parts that you need to be a dangerous tourney team than what we lack and that's a very good thing. Look forward to talking basketball with some of you!

Possibly missing two pieces.  More like half a piece at two positions for 1 total piece.  Just my opinion.  

[WillMunny 1,383]

I have some related questions:

CBP said, and it looked to be true against Baylor, that we have 10 players who can legitimately play and contribute.  However, can that be sustainably effective over the course of an entire season?  To play 10 players most every night?  Couldn't that interfere with the development of some of the better players who would benefit from more floor time?  Can a consistent rhythm be developed with 10?  Or is it more likely that the normal rotation will eventually be trimmed to 8-9 players?  Asking for a friend...

On an aside note, although I really Lior Berman, to me he looks defensively challenged every time he's on the floor...

Can't wait to see how we respond tonight.

[KillenTime 127]

39 minutes ago, WillMunny said:

I have some related questions:

CBP said, and it looked to be true against Baylor, that we have 10 players who can legitimately play and contribute.  However, can that be sustainably effective over the course of an entire season?  To play 10 players most every night?  Couldn't that interfere with the development of some of the better players who would benefit from more floor time?  Can a consistent rhythm be developed with 10?  Or is it more likely that the normal rotation will eventually be trimmed to 8-9 players?  Asking for a friend...

On an aside note, although I really Lior Berman, to me he looks defensively challenged every time he's on the floor...

Can't wait to see how we respond tonight.

I didn't get a feel for Chaney's true skills against Baylor.  I was hoping he was capable of playing the 3 and the 4 off the bench.  We will know more in the next few weeks.  If he could step up and play both, then Moore's minutes should go to zero and play with 9.  I see all 4 guards playing and both Broome and Cardwell (6).  Williams and Chaney will both play the 4 all year (8).  Baker-Mazara has to take over the 3 for us to be successful.  Moore will look fine in pre-conference, but become the same turnover machine and liability he did last year once we start conference play.  And based on Bruce's decision to have him in the game the other night down the stretch - unfortunately it appears our coaching staff plans on playing him.  So it appears we will play 10 all year.  

The real question is what will the minute splits be for the 10 playing.  It can't be 20 minutes each.  The easiest one is Broome will get 30 to 10 with Dylan unless foul trouble dictates something different.  Baker-Mazara should be 32 to possibly 8 if sharing time with Moore.  Maybe 28 to 12 if sharing with Chaney or sharing with a 3 guard lineup where Denver slides to the 3.  At the 4, Williams should get 25 to 15 based on what we saw in game 1, but I'm hoping to see some physicality from Chaney that dictates a closer split and the coaching staff trying to get him minutes at the 3.  Didn't see it game 1 though.  If we have to play Williams 30 and he doesn't toughen up and play a little physical we won't beat strong physical teams.  I know most people are opposed to playing Cardwell and Broome at the same time, but if Broome can continue to hit a few 3's and stretch the floor we may have to play him a little at the four against big strong teams.  It's not ideal but some games are just physical and Williams shies away from the contact and may as well not be on the court.  The guard rotation will fascinating to watch.  How do you keep Aden off the court with that stroke?  Can Tre play a little 2 and move Denver to 3 for some stretches?  KD is actually very good in the clutch (uconn game last year).  I thought he deserved to be on the floor at the end of the game the other night.  Jones was playing in slow motion (bad pass, got shot blocked from behind down the lane).  But Jones can shoot it.  I don't know how you keep those guys satisfied unless we are constantly playing aggressive defense to the extent we always have a guard in foul trouble.   All four guards have strengths and deserve the opportunity to shine.  Defense and taking care of the ball may dictate who plays of the four.  No room for lazy passes and not stepping to the ball when receiving passes.  I hope we move to a 9 man rotation utilizing Chaney at the 3 or using 3 guard lineups when the match up is available.  

[KillenTime 127]

Well we played a little 3 guard lineup. Chaney looks to be pressing - doesn’t look relaxed yet.  Flashes of good but we need him to really be better than we have seen so far.  Gotta play KD with that energy versus the slow motion we are seeing out of denver. Expected waaaaay more out of him than we have seen through two games. Looking like we will see Lior and hopefully Moore out.  Tre’s minutes will drop significantly. Denver will play a little 3 and share minutes with KD. 

[Grumps 3,704]

On 11/10/2023 at 12:34 PM, KillenTime said:

I didn't get a feel for Chaney's true skills against Baylor.  I was hoping he was capable of playing the 3 and the 4 off the bench.  We will know more in the next few weeks.  If he could step up and play both, then Moore's minutes should go to zero and play with 9.  I see all 4 guards playing and both Broome and Cardwell (6).  Williams and Chaney will both play the 4 all year (8).  Baker-Mazara has to take over the 3 for us to be successful.  Moore will look fine in pre-conference, but become the same turnover machine and liability he did last year once we start conference play.  And based on Bruce's decision to have him in the game the other night down the stretch - unfortunately it appears our coaching staff plans on playing him.  So it appears we will play 10 all year.  

The real question is what will the minute splits be for the 10 playing.  It can't be 20 minutes each.  The easiest one is Broome will get 30 to 10 with Dylan unless foul trouble dictates something different.  Baker-Mazara should be 32 to possibly 8 if sharing time with Moore.  Maybe 28 to 12 if sharing with Chaney or sharing with a 3 guard lineup where Denver slides to the 3.  At the 4, Williams should get 25 to 15 based on what we saw in game 1, but I'm hoping to see some physicality from Chaney that dictates a closer split and the coaching staff trying to get him minutes at the 3.  Didn't see it game 1 though.  If we have to play Williams 30 and he doesn't toughen up and play a little physical we won't beat strong physical teams.  I know most people are opposed to playing Cardwell and Broome at the same time, but if Broome can continue to hit a few 3's and stretch the floor we may have to play him a little at the four against big strong teams.  It's not ideal but some games are just physical and Williams shies away from the contact and may as well not be on the court.  The guard rotation will fascinating to watch.  How do you keep Aden off the court with that stroke?  Can Tre play a little 2 and move Denver to 3 for some stretches?  KD is actually very good in the clutch (uconn game last year).  I thought he deserved to be on the floor at the end of the game the other night.  Jones was playing in slow motion (bad pass, got shot blocked from behind down the lane).  But Jones can shoot it.  I don't know how you keep those guys satisfied unless we are constantly playing aggressive defense to the extent we always have a guard in foul trouble.   All four guards have strengths and deserve the opportunity to shine.  Defense and taking care of the ball may dictate who plays of the four.  No room for lazy passes and not stepping to the ball when receiving passes.  I hope we move to a 9 man rotation utilizing Chaney at the 3 or using 3 guard lineups when the match up is available.  

Good post!

I agree with you about Chaney. He has not shown us much yet. I think he is supposed to be very athletic, but he has not shown it yet. CBM, on the other hand, looks like a star in the making. He seems faster and more athletic than anyone on the court. I disagree on CMo. He is very physical, and we are going to need that. KD might be MVP after two games. I have only seen him out of control once when he dribbled too much and had a turnover. He can elevate everyone's game. Aden is going to be very special. It was unfortunate, though, that he had to carry the load at the end of the Baylor game, his first ever college game. We needed Tre but his fouls kept him out for most of the second half. Jaylin is a mystery. If I remember correctly, he played like this at the beginning of last year but then came out of it and was solid late in the season. His play will have a big affect on our ceiling (unless Chaney improves drastically). If Denver and Chaney click by SEC play then we could be really good. It is going to be a fun season. I hate to go with the obvious, but Aden is my favorite player to watch.

[JwgreDeux 1,279]

On 11/10/2023 at 11:22 AM, WillMunny said:

I have some related questions:

CBP said, and it looked to be true against Baylor, that we have 10 players who can legitimately play and contribute.  However, can that be sustainably effective over the course of an entire season?  To play 10 players most every night?  Couldn't that interfere with the development of some of the better players who would benefit from more floor time?  Can a consistent rhythm be developed with 10?  Or is it more likely that the normal rotation will eventually be trimmed to 8-9 players?  Asking for a friend...

On an aside note, although I really Lior Berman, to me he looks defensively challenged every time he's on the floor...

Can't wait to see how we respond tonight.

I think we will play 10 for now and the foreseeable future. As others have said, it won't be equally split, and that is CBP's challenge with new faces. I like what I have seen from most of the new faces. Jones and Baker-Mazara seem to know who they are and will settle in quickly I think. Chaney is more uncertain and Holloway has been a little erratic. He shows much more potential to create than any guard we have had the last two seasons, which makes me optimistic about him as he settles in. May take a while though. CMo is what he is. He is a physical guy and I think we will see his minutes drop over the course of the next few games as Baker-Mazara cements himself at the 3. I think we know what we have out of the returners and the only one I think that can take a real step forward in their game is Donaldson. The issue we have right now is CMo, Chaney and Cardwell don't offer much scoring off the bench. So while we have 10 guys, we only have 7 that are really on the floor to score, that is an issue. Because of that, CBP is going to have to limit the amount of time those three, or even two of the three, are on the floor together. Cardwell has proven his worth on defense, rebounding, running the floor, and rolling to the hoop. Chaney has shown a pretty good aptitude for rebounding so far trailing only Broome in rebounds, but his shooting percentage is by far the worst at 21%. IMO we need to limit the amount of time that Chaey and Cardwell play together. Chaney needs his minutes when Broome is on the floor and Cardwell needs his when Williams is at the four.  

I think CBP has some options with our guards that we haven't had recently. If we want to go small, we could slide Baker-Mazara to the four at 6'7'' and athletic, slide Jones to the 3 at 6'4'' and play Donaldson and Holloway together. I was thinking about that lineup at the end of the Baylor game, if you add Broome in to give us maximum scoring options. 

[cole256 17,084]

I would suggest people do what I'm doing a watch a few games before coming up with analysis of a players game. Things like feeling like a guy isn't a good shooter or is an awesome shooter......I mean it's just not any conclusions you can really come to. I could point out numerous guys we have done that for in the past but I don't want to start any arguments. 

Also once again new guys so yes you should expect that guys who have been in the system may move faster or seem more fluid as opposed to a guy that's just playing here. You should more look at the decisions they are making as opposed to the actual execution.

Things like a guy wanting the ball or a guy not backing down is more what you should be watching now. 

Last thought from me so far is last year when I saw we signed Chaney and CBM I wrote and said to everyone how good these guy's are will be the most important thing to our identity defensively. I still feel that way now, actually I feel even stronger about that prediction. Those 2 guys and Holloway, so those 3 guys development will tell most of the story as far as how good this team can be.

[bigbird 60,580]

4 hours ago, cole256 said:

I would suggest people do what I'm doing a watch a few games before coming up with analysis of a players game. Things like feeling like a guy isn't a good shooter or is an awesome shooter......I mean it's just not any conclusions you can really come to. I could point out numerous guys we have done that for in the past but I don't want to start any arguments. 

Also once again new guys so yes you should expect that guys who have been in the system may move faster or seem more fluid as opposed to a guy that's just playing here. You should more look at the decisions they are making as opposed to the actual execution.

Things like a guy wanting the ball or a guy not backing down is more what you should be watching now. 

Last thought from me so far is last year when I saw we signed Chaney and CBM I wrote and said to everyone how good these guy's are will be the most important thing to our identity defensively. I still feel that way now, actually I feel even stronger about that prediction. Those 2 guys and Holloway, so those 3 guys development will tell most of the story as far as how good this team can be.

CBM is my guy!  His game is so smooth and fun. 

[ertrader 206]

On 11/14/2023 at 1:24 PM, cole256 said:

I would suggest people do what I'm doing a watch a few games before coming up with analysis of a players game. Things like feeling like a guy isn't a good shooter or is an awesome shooter......I mean it's just not any conclusions you can really come to. I could point out numerous guys we have done that for in the past but I don't want to start any arguments. 

Also once again new guys so yes you should expect that guys who have been in the system may move faster or seem more fluid as opposed to a guy that's just playing here. You should more look at the decisions they are making as opposed to the actual execution.

Things like a guy wanting the ball or a guy not backing down is more what you should be watching now. 

Last thought from me so far is last year when I saw we signed Chaney and CBM I wrote and said to everyone how good these guy's are will be the most important thing to our identity defensively. I still feel that way now, actually I feel even stronger about that prediction. Those 2 guys and Holloway, so those 3 guys development will tell most of the story as far as how good this team can be.

Hey cole curious if you have some more updated thoughts on the team at this point. If you've posted them elsewhere let me know.

[cole256 17,084]

5 hours ago, ertrader said:

Hey cole curious if you have some more updated thoughts on the team at this point. If you've posted them elsewhere let me know.

Sure thing bro. I guess in my mind I thought I had already done it. I'll write it up tomorrow night!

[AuburnNTexas 7,171]

3 hours ago, cole256 said:

Sure thing bro. I guess in my mind I thought I had already done it. I'll write it up tomorrow night!

While you are at it. Give me your update on Cardwell.  He has shown me a lot more this year defensively and on the boards. He seems more agile then in the past. He is moving his feet better on defense, seems quicker and moves much better without the ball then in the past. Still no true post moves and his offense is moving and making himself available for a pass that he can dunk. 

In the past he was high energy but played out of control. He still brings the energy but seems much more in control.

[KillenTime 127]

On 12/18/2023 at 6:43 PM, AuburnNTexas said:

While you are at it. Give me your update on Cardwell.  He has shown me a lot more this year defensively and on the boards. He seems more agile then in the past. He is moving his feet better on defense, seems quicker and moves much better without the ball then in the past. Still no true post moves and his offense is moving and making himself available for a pass that he can dunk. 

In the past he was high energy but played out of control. He still brings the energy but seems much more in control.

He showed control last year until his minutes went way down in conference play.  If he is only going to get 15 minutes a game then he will play much more reckless.  If Broome were to get injured and the team was depending on him to play 28 or more minutes a night, he would play much more in control.  To me it's all about his role on the team.  He outplayed Boome on Sunday.  He played better defense, boxed out better, played more physical and got his self open for the dunks.  If he had any kind of short game he would be tough.   I would love to see Broome utilize the backboard more - drives me crazy on those soft shots from 8 feet in.