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WriterGoph said:
I guess he could come back, but if he wins NPOY as expected, it would be crazy not to leave.
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He isn't going to become "more suited" for the NBA. I think he leaves and he'll find a niche in the NBA.
 

PhiloVance said:
Ala Luke Garza
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I think he serves more of a purpose than Luka Garza. They aren't as important as they used to be, but big guys who can take up space and rebound still have a place in the NBA, but the key is that they need to be legitimate big guys.
 

golfing18now said:
This was always going to be a terrible match-up for the Gophers. But I think they played their best game of the year thus far? That's a positive but also a harsh reality of how far this team is from the top of the conference. Keep plugging away.
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Young team with young talent. Love how hard they play through the end every game. Actually a pretty fun team to watch for a team that has little chance of making the NCAAT.
 

WriterGoph said:
I guess he could come back, but if he wins NPOY as expected, it would be crazy not to leave.
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Tell that to Luka Garza…he can’t even make the twolves roster (on the g-league roster). Being national player of the year means nothing for future NBA success.
WriterGoph said:
Edey will be on an NBA roster.
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hasn’t worked out for Luka garza
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I think he serves more of a purpose than Luka Garza. They aren't as important as they used to be, but big guys who can take up space and rebound still have a place in the NBA, but the key is that they need to be legitimate big guys.
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Name some who just take up space…
 


Wet_Blanket_Guy said:
Name some who just take up space…
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Big men in the NBA who are traditional 5's?

Some of these guys are more or less skilled than Edey, but:

Steven Adams
Jonas Valanciunas
Nikola Vucevic
Andre Drummond
Biyombo
Alex Len

Lots of other guys too.


I tried to pick guys who aren't really good in space and defensively their only purpose is really to patrol the lane and defend inside.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Big men in the NBA who are traditional 5's?

Some of these guys are more or less skilled than Edey, but:

Steven Adams
Jonas Valanciunas
Nikola Vucevic
Andre Drummond
Biyombo
Alex Len

Lots of other guys too.


I tried to pick guys who aren't really good in space and defensively their only purpose is really to patrol the lane and defend inside.
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-Vucevic is quicker and can strech the floor (he is a terrible defender)
-Jonas is much better offensively
-Steven Adam’s is also much better offensively and also quicker
Biyombo and Drummond are much quicker
Len is garbage
 

I saw “green shoots” tonight.

Opportunity for growth.

I’m all in on BJ and the future for this team.
 

Wet_Blanket_Guy said:
-Vucevic is quicker and can strech the floor (he is a terrible defender)
-Jonas is much better offensively
-Steven Adam’s is also much better offensively and also quicker
Biyombo and Drummond are much quicker
Len is garbage
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Yeah, they aren't the exact same human beings, but there is a place in the NBA for a legit 7 foot C.
 



Again, I see a different game if the effort impressed people. Crazy stat: Cooper shooting well over 55% from 3 on the season (52.6% coming in and then 3/4 today). Unfortunately his defense continues to be a problem because you can't ask for more than 15 points on 66.7% shooting, 8 assists and only 2 turnovers. The flipside to that fantastic statline is that we were not even remotely competitive in this game with our PG putting up those numbers.

Garcia- I am hoping it's the flu here, but like others I expected to see him play much better. I did look up his last year at UNC and found a rather concerning trend. His last 6 games for the Tarheels he made 6 of his 32 shots and never shot above 33% in a game. It's well documented that Dawson had a family illness so it's likely he could have been distracted for some/all of this stretch. Again all of this could be filed under "context matters" but he hasn't been impacting games for awhile now.

Battle- He's a more talented offensive player than many teams have who are winning games. Part of me thinks they should win some games if Garcia gets going behind the offense of Battle/Cooper/Garcia.

I really hate Ben doing the pressing thing in garbage time. That's just a recipe for an injury or a fight.

On the path to doing something well: Minnesota is now 182nd on offense and 135th on defense and are 151st overall per KenPom. The next closest team in the Big Ten is 78th (Nebraska). Obviously this is still a small sample size, but it is tough to find Power 5 schools ranked below Minnesota though I see Georgetown, South Carolina, Louisville and Oregon State further down the list. A couple wins can change this from horrible to merely just bad. Washington was down by Minnesota a week or two ago and had a win over Colorado and is up to 95 in Ken Pom.
 

EG#9 said:
Again, I see a different game if the effort impressed people. Crazy stat: Cooper shooting well over 55% from 3 on the season (52.6% coming in and then 3/4 today). Unfortunately his defense continues to be a problem because you can't ask for more than 15 points on 66.7% shooting, 8 assists and only 2 turnovers. The flipside to that fantastic statline is that we were not even remotely competitive in this game with our PG putting up those numbers.

Garcia- I am hoping it's the flu here, but like others I expected to see him play much better. I did look up his last year at UNC and found a rather concerning trend. His last 6 games for the Tarheels he made 6 of his 32 shots and never shot above 33% in a game. It's well documented that Dawson had a family illness so it's likely he could have been distracted for some/all of this stretch. Again all of this could be filed under "context matters" but he hasn't been impacting games for awhile now.

Battle- He's a more talented offensive player than many teams have who are winning games. Part of me thinks they should win some games if Garcia gets going behind the offense of Battle/Cooper/Garcia.

I really hate Ben doing the pressing thing in garbage time. That's just a recipe for an injury or a fight.

On the path to doing something well: Minnesota is now 182nd on offense and 135th on defense and are 151st overall per KenPom. The next closest team in the Big Ten is 78th (Nebraska). Obviously this is still a small sample size, but it is tough to find Power 5 schools ranked below Minnesota though I see Georgetown, South Carolina, Louisville and Oregon State further down the list. A couple wins can change this from horrible to merely just bad. Washington was down by Minnesota a week or two ago and had a win over Colorado and is up to 95 in Ken Pom.
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Thanks Debbie.
 

WriterGoph said:
I guess he could come back, but if he wins NPOY as expected, it would be crazy not to leave.
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Luka Garza dominated the Big 10 and all of college basketball. He was barely drafted. He lasted until the 52 pick.

This guy is even slower than Garza.
 

kg21 said:
Luka Garza dominated the Big 10 and all of college basketball. He was barely drafted. He lasted until the 52 pick.

This guy is even slower than Garza.
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Reminds me of a plow horse the farmer entered in the Kebtucky Derby.
 




While we have a few, maybe more than a few, upset with Ben it's nothing like Louisville fans. Their team is now winless in 8 games. Here are some of the "fans" comments. I don't think we treated Pitino the way they do Payne.

"This current coaching staff has me sooo uninterested that I don't even turn the game on, I just follow it casually on my phone. Sad times," one fan wrote.

"Fire Payne Now Please. Don’t let him coach the second half," another fan added.

"FIRE KENNY PAYNE," one fan added.

"FIRE KENNY PAYNE YOU KNOW WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE THIS IS RIDICULOUS," another fan wrote.

"Not knowing the buyout situation, etc. Can someone please paint the picture of the quickest way of getting rid of Payne? Thx," one fan added.
 

MennoSota said:
Thanks Debbie.
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"Debbie?" That was a pretty even handed report, in my view, and one would have to be "Pollyanna" to see it much differently than he did there. Right now- just right now- this team is playing like a cellar club in the Big Ten. Let's see how they improve. There is enough talent here to win 6-8 games in the Big Ten but they will have to look far better than they have to do it. That's the coaches' job.

I continue to like all of our freshman, I thought it was pretty odd, the benching of Payne in the second half, but otherwise no big quarrel with the coaching in this game other than letting Ola Joseph get dwarfed repeatedly by Edy in a horrid size matchup.

Garcia is a big disappointment so far. He adds little if he isn't scoring and right now he isn't scoring much. Battle had a nice game but he continues to force shots - he took two or three really bad ones in the first half and cleaned up his act in the second. I like Cooper better when he lets it loose as he did in the second half. In the first half he was backing it up the court like an old man. In the second half he was slashing and dishing- much better.
 

MennoSota said:
Thanks Debbie.
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Your schtick is wearing thin....

Some of us are upset we keep losing. It doesnt mean we hate the program or Ben, its just a fact. Most bring concrete stats, if they don't fit your narrative sorry bout it. You can like the team and think in a few years it will work, fine, but some of us are showing you that right now....we suck. Give it up.
 


bga1 said:
Garcia is a big disappointment so far. He adds little if he isn't scoring and right now he isn't scoring much. Battle had a nice game but he continues to force shots - he took two or three really bad ones in the first half and cleaned up his act in the second. I like Cooper better when he lets it loose as he did in the second half. In the first half he was backing it up the court like an old man. In the second half he was slashing and dishing- much better.
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Cooper definitely needs to look to score more. I like him. He has shortcomings like all our players do, but the Gophers have a lot bigger issues than our only PG.

We have no chance to compete in the Big Ten if Battle and Garcia don't play at a high level. It's way too early to give up on either or both. And ditto for Ben, and I say that as someone who was skeptical of the hire.
 
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bga1 said:
"Debbie?" That was a pretty even handed report, in my view, and one would have to be "Pollyanna" to see it much differently than he did there. Right now- just right now- this team is playing like a cellar club in the Big Ten. Let's see how they improve. There is enough talent here to win 6-8 games in the Big Ten but they will have to look far better than they have to do it. That's the coaches' job.

I continue to like all of our freshman, I thought it was pretty odd, the benching of Payne in the second half, but otherwise no big quarrel with the coaching in this game other than letting Ola Joseph get dwarfed repeatedly by Edy in a horrid size matchup.

Garcia is a big disappointment so far. He adds little if he isn't scoring and right now he isn't scoring much. Battle had a nice game but he continues to force shots - he took two or three really bad ones in the first half and cleaned up his act in the second. I like Cooper better when he lets it loose as he did in the second half. In the first half he was backing it up the court like an old man. In the second half he was slashing and dishing- much better.
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Of course we are the cellar team. We should be as we are easily the youngest team in the B1G.

As to Payne not playing, we see that the flu is making it's way through the team. It is possible Pharrell was playing while ill. No need to overthink on this one.

Garcia was still recovering from the flu.

Yes, Cooper will need to start taking more shots and being a bit more selfish. It's not what he's done in the past, but here he's going to have to start taking some shots as he is the most consistent player on the court.
 

leib0039 said:
Your schtick is wearing thin....

Some of us are upset we keep losing. It doesnt mean we hate the program or Ben, its just a fact. Most bring concrete stats, if they don't fit your narrative sorry bout it. You can like the team and think in a few years it will work, fine, but some of us are showing you that right now....we suck. Give it up.
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Of course you're upset. You can't see past your nose.
 


On Payne -

He seemed like he got benched after he had a defensive rebound and proceeded to throw the ball out of bounds. Leading up to that, he had a terrible pass in the first half that was a turnover. I also saw a disgusted look on CBJ's face after he goaltended.

Maybe CBJ knew the game was out of hand and thought this was a teachable moment. Personally, I would have liked to see PP get more run, but ultimately, if this helps PP mature, I'm all for it.

I noticed CBJ pulled Cooper immediately after a turnover in the first half and also pulled Battle after fumbling away the ball. For the longest time (especially late in the Pitino years), the best players could play horrid basketball without consequence. I'm all for using the pine as a motivator, as long as it's applied equally to everyone (even Battle).

I saw some very promising developments tonight:

Overall Effort: We played Purdue on the road just as tough as Gonzaga and Duke did on a neutral court. Edey played unit the last couple of minutes because MN continued to hang around.

JOJ: Fearless, athletic, high-motor, surprisingly crafty in the post - there is always a role for a guy like this at any level of basketball. He will be a problem for opponents as he gains more experience. To set the tone, he needs to be the starter, even with a healthy TT.

Carrington: He's playing more minutes (a good chunk of Henley's). I knew he'd primarily be a shooter, but I've been delighted by his rebounding prowess. He had a few rebounds that pleasantly shocked me (one over Edey for a near "and-1"). His on-the-ball defense has also improved as of late. Perhaps the ankle is fully healed now.

Payne Defensively: I thought he did an outstanding job against Edey. There won't be a tougher matchup for him than ZE, and I imagine this built a lot of confidence as we approach the full-time BIG schedule.

Samuels: I was thrilled to see TS look serviceable. The offense flowed much better with him out there. He earned more minutes in the future and should be inserted immediately when Cooper plays as he did in the first half.

Cooper @ SG: Cooper is our best three-point shooter, and he looked much more comfortable not being the primary ball-handler. I hope playing Cooper off the ball becomes the "norm."
 
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SelectionSunday said:
Cooper definitely needs to look to score more. I like him. He has shortcomings like all our players do, but the Gophers have a lot bigger issues than our only PG.

We have no chance to compete in the Big Ten if Battle and Garcia don't play at a high level. It's way too early to give up on either or both. And ditto for Ben, and I say that as someone who was skeptical of the hire.
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Cooper appears to be a better two guard than pg, at least to me.
 


MennoSota said:
Of course we are the cellar team. We should be as we are easily the youngest team in the B1G.

As to Payne not playing, we see that the flu is making it's way through the team. It is possible Pharrell was playing while ill. No need to overthink on this one.

Garcia was still recovering from the flu.

Yes, Cooper will need to start taking more shots and being a bit more selfish. It's not what he's done in the past, but here he's going to have to start taking some shots as he is the most consistent player on the court.
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Did you see all the Purdue freshmen playing yesterday? Not sure on the youngest excuse.
 

MennoSota said:
Of course we are the cellar team. We should be as we are easily the youngest team in the B1G.

As to Payne not playing, we see that the flu is making it's way through the team. It is possible Pharrell was playing while ill. No need to overthink on this one.

Garcia was still recovering from the flu.

Yes, Cooper will need to start taking more shots and being a bit more selfish. It's not what he's done in the past, but here he's going to have to start taking some shots as he is the most consistent player on the court.
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I watched an extended highlight replay of the game after watching it live, Payne did not play well last night. He was the only one with the mass to keep Edey out of the paint, but aside from being physical there he made a lot of mental errors. First game playing in Mackey with an electric crowd, not surprising for a freshman. He might have been ill, but if he's active for game time it's too late for any excuses. He can only learn from last night as there probably won't be a tougher matchup/venue all season.
 



topos said:
On Payne -

He seemed like he got benched after he had a defensive rebound and proceeded to throw the ball out of bounds. Leading up to that, he had a terrible pass in the first half that was a turnover. I also saw a disgusted look on CBJ's face after he goaltended.

Maybe CBJ knew the game was out of hand and thought this was a teachable moment. Personally, I would have liked to see PP get more run, but ultimately, if this helps PP mature, I'm all for it.

I noticed CBJ pulled Cooper immediately after a turnover in the first half and also pulled Battle after fumbling away the ball. For the longest time (especially late in the Pitino years), the best players could play horrid basketball without consequence. I'm all for using the pine as a motivator, as long as it's applied equally to everyone (even Battle).

I saw some very promising developments tonight:

Overall Effort: We played Purdue on the road just as tough as Gonzaga and Duke did on a neutral court. Edey played unit the last couple of minutes because MN continued to hang around.

JOJ: Fearless, athletic, high-motor, surprisingly crafty in the post - there is always a role for a guy like this at any level of basketball. He will be a problem for opponents as he gains more experience. To set the tone, he needs to be the starter, even with a healthy TT.
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TT should be nowhere near starting on any Big Ten team including ours. I have no idea what Ben is doing with that.
topos said:
Carrington: He's playing more minutes (a good chunk of Henley's). I knew he'd primarily be a shooter, but I've been delighted by his rebounding prowess. He had a few rebounds that pleasantly shocked me (one over Edey for a near "and-1"). His on-the-ball defense has also improved as of late. Perhaps the ankle is fully healed now.

Payne Defensively: I thought he did an outstanding job against Edey. There won't be a tougher matchup for him than ZE, and I imagine this built a lot of confidence as we approach the full-time BIG schedule.

Samuels: I was thrilled to see TS look serviceable. The offense flowed much better with him out there. He earned more minutes in the future and should be inserted immediately when Cooper plays as he did in the first half.

Cooper @ SG: Cooper is our best three-point shooter, and he looked much more comfortable not being the primary ball-handler. I hope playing Cooper off the ball becomes the "norm."
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I agree, I'd like to see Carrington man the point and Cooper play the 2 for a stretch. It's too bad we don't have a PG on the team with some quickness.
 

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