I think it is fairly telling that CTJ comes in here and moves Garrett Temple to 3 on his first day... just saying.
Well, I think you (and others) are more concerned about personnel. It's not an Xs and Os question. If we assume CTJ is an upgrade, good coaching can overcome certain personnel deficiencies. Will the Tigers be better from a team d and rebounding standpoint as a result of new coaching and attitude? Just look at Davidson last year (i.e., it is possible to win with little post presence). But also don't underestimate certain players on this team. Garrett Green will be key this year. At 6'10" and 230-235, the kid's put on about 20 pounds. And, he was a decent athlete last year, just a raw freshman. Johnson said so himself... http://blog.nola.com/lsusports/2008/10/lsus_mitchell_need_wait_no_mor.html Unfortunately, Garrett's had some back problems recently. But consider the irregularity of our post players being available last year. QT started late, CJ was hurt, Tas' was out, Randolph was a freshman. This year, I believe the rotation of CJ, Tas', QT and GGreen, with potentially a Storm Warren playing some back up PF (he was known in high school for his hustle and d) will be adequate against the match ups the Tigers are likely to face. That assumes folks stay healthy. As for the other stuff, I also think you underestimate the flow of the offense without Temple at point. At three, he can probably score a little easier slashing to the basket or spotting up for an open three than having to penetrate. From a d standpoint, he's also better at 3 with help defense (GT gets a good number of steals and blocks) on Tas', Garrett Green's man, with CJ on weakside blocks. These are the subtle things that will lead to a more effective defense. As for offense, having Tas' and CJ on the blocks will create some open looks for Marcus, Garrett and hopefully a more committed Terry Martin. If Chris B is a pleasant surprise we can finally have a PG who can penetrate and dish or lead a fast break. I actually think the keys to the season are: Is Tas really his old self or better after sitting out a year? Can CJ continue his improvement and play healthy? How much better is Garrett Green? How good are Chris Bass and Bo Spencer adjusting at point "full-time"? Those are going to be some interesting subtexts to the year... :geauxtige
im concerned about personnel for two reasons. 1. im addressing, often sarcastically, concerned often voiced in criticism of cjb. 2. thats all there is to talk about unless someone wants to provide me with film of Nevada and Stanford games from the recent past. your right that coaching can overcome certain personnel deficiencies, but im not comfortable believing ctj will do this just because lsu hired him. we'll see. unfortunately, i wont put much stock in negative results for a few years. my concerns about moving gt to 3--- diminishes height/length advantage. creates weight/strength disadvantage. with a non-scoring point which the tigers will certainly have, gt is another non-scoring player. not sure the tigers can afford that. the plus is obviously that lateral quickness wont be as much of a problem. but overall id think this is a good move if the replacement point is sufficient--and this was not the case with spencer last year (granted he was a noob).
Coaches Poll out today. May not be that big of a sleeper. http://sports-ak.espn.go.com/ncb/rankings Others Receiving Votes UNLV 60, Saint Mary's 59, Ohio State 54, Baylor 47, Xavier 27, Syracuse 23, Texas A&M 19, LSU 19 Arizona 18, Virginia Tech 15, Brigham Young 13, West Virginia 10, Washington 8, Siena 8, Kentucky 7, Vanderbilt 7, Oklahoma State 4, Clemson 2, Washington State 1.
All I can say is I picked up a couple of those $100 dollar season tickets. So just don't show up around mid court and I'll take your seats, thank you very much. I'm kind of excited to see how Johnson is going to do. Seems like the players have bought into his game so we will see how it translates on the floor.
O.k., I KNOW this is a male dominated board, but PLEASE don't assume that LSU hoops means LSU MALE hoops to everyone. I'm a huge LSU WOMEN'S hoops fan and would love a little clearer of a title. THank you.
