No dept at LSU??? What do you mean no dept? We have the Athletic Dept, the Music Dept, the...what? Depth? He said Depth? Never mind. - Emily Litella
The problem with this team right now is that the Freshmen and others have had the opportunity to rely on Jaime. I don't think any of those players, like Bass, knew their role would be augmented. Granted, a good team will get by their injuries, this team is different because A) It is a young, young team B) No one really anticipated that they would have to switch into higher gears C) There is naturally going to be a drop off in something when your leading scorer AND rebounder goes down. Personally, I think it is a combination of the above three. I think it is mainly the fact that some of these guys weren't really ready to step up and take Jaime's place. Is that Brady's fault? Maybe. Does that scare the shit out of me in regards to next seasons? Yes....
Also, image Jaime plays today and against Vanderbilt. Today, I think we win with Jaime. Against Vanderbilt, our chances of beating them get better. Not only does he contribute an almost automatic 18/10 stat night, but he also allows the other players to play in their comfortable modes....
I don't necessarily agree with point A, the season is almost over and if those freshman who played the most are still young we're in serious trouble, they should be seasoned by now. I totally agree with the rest of your post.
I have the opposite opinion. Neltner played his best game of the season. He proved to be a good passer, he played with poise, and he seems to know how to get open under the basket. Koundjai played one of his best games. He is learning to play within his limitations. He had a reputation in HS for having a good outside shot. Once he starts hitting outside he can be a force. Bass has been solid all year. He will get better once he develops some moves around the basket. He will probably be the premier power forward in the conference next year. Minor is till streaky but has periods when he is very good. Unfortunately he makes dumb plays sometimes. Lazarre is fundamentally solid but he is not real quick and dosn't seem to jump real well. He was recruited as a role player and does a good job in his role. After watching todays game I think we have a lot to look forward to.
quote B) No one really anticipated that they would have to switch into higher gears C) There is naturally going to be a drop off in something when your leading scorer AND rebounder goes down. Personally, I think it is a combination of the above three. I think it is mainly the fact that some of these guys weren't really ready to step up and take Jaime's place. Is that Brady's fault? Maybe. ____________________________________________________ This is the part I agree with, I don't see how you could dispute this before todays game. Neltner, I agree with you about him, I said in my posts that no one should criticize him because he wasn't getting the minutes to be productive up until a game or two ago. I also think the team wasn't looking for him offensively or couldn't get him the ball like they couldn't get Brandon the ball in the 2nd half. I think today this team has finally stepped up and played their best game of the season even though it was a loss. I haven't looked at the stats but it sure seemed like they dominated in rebounding and inside. If they would've played this well the last 3 games we would've won at least 1 if not 2 of them. I can't figure out this team they are inconsistantly bad or good? I've never seen a team so up and down that I can recall. Theres no in between, they seem really good at times or really bad. Brandon Bass hasn't played a game like this all year, he was everywhere, Credit goes to the team for hustling and not packing it in but you gotta wonder which team will show up for the remainder of the season. Maybe they'll be better without Jaime, who knows, If they don't have him to rely on they will all have to learn to play as a team and pick up the slack
As bad as it may look right now, this team will be very good next year. These freshman will come back as very confident sophomores, and I think Jaime's injury will end up being a blessing in disguise as Neltner is getting thrown into the fire and will be able to contribute a lot more next year.
Well look at what the cat dragged in. Haven't heard from you in a while, which is strange, because it's been a virtual Bash Brady fest since the Auburn game. It's good that you are taking your medication regularly.
After 25 games, you would think these freshmen would be better ... but just look at the stats, they really aren't much better than the beginning of the year. Bass is good, but has he improved since day one? His numbers suggest he is playing at the same level. He needs to score more, but doesn't get the ball enough. Has Koundjia, Lazare or Minor improved since the beginning of the year? Well, Koundjia still can't shoot, but at least he's taking it to the hole more instead of shooting 3s. Minor is still out of control after 25 games. Very slight improvements here. Lazare is about the same. Neltner? Well, he hasn't really played much till yesterday ... so it's hard to tell if he has improved. Guess we'll have to wait till next year to see the improvement? I sure don't see how this class was rated Top 5 ... Bass is the only who could play anywhere.
