Postgame observations

[RM86]

Obekpa with 6 blocks - influences the game heavily without any offense.
I was happy that Obekpa seemed to put away his jump shot.

Garrett - only 2 shots. His mid-range jump shot is better than that. They have to get him a few more looks.
Pointer took about 3 shoot too many crazy shots (shooting 1 for 5). His shots should go to Garret.

I like Sampson bringing up the ball on the intermediate break. The team is afraid that he is going to drive down the middle and flush it down the hoop, so he draws a lot of defenders. I a couple of plays he just drive to the free throw line, stopped - turned around and dumped it off to either a wide open Harrison or Greene. that' a smart play.

Guys need to get to their spots in secondary transition. Too many times our guys ignored the #'s and pulled it back for a halfcourt set. I'd like to see the team try to convert more there because they have the #'s, the defense will be out of positin for the rebounds, and they D is far more prone to commit a foul.

Completely agree. Idk how many times I saw us in transition with numbers, only for one of our players to stop, turn around and dribble it out a bit as the defenders caught up. The aggression was lacking for much of the game IMO. You may not get a clean shot, but damn at least drive hard in the paint and draw a foul or something...maybe you get the and 1. I feel like we just gave up trying to create our own lanes at times and settled for perimeter shots. We had the size advantage on most of the guys...use it. Still can't believe Garret missed 2 easy dunks and Greene missed a layup. All those stupid mistakes add up by the end of the game and can cost you 10 pts if not more.

Not sure if you guys were at the game but Lavin put the brakes at almost every opportunity almost like he wanted to run a set every time down the court. Problem is we never try and post anyone it's always the guards pounding the dribble and then going one on one.

 

[mjmaherjr]

off topic but I think I just saw Johnnythunderbird on tv in the Macys Thanksgiving parade

 

[Section3]

maybe it's me, but through all the games thus far I've noticed that we don't have as many break away dunks/lay ups as i was expecting...i thought with our athleticism and pressure that we'd have a bunch of easy baskets

Need a true PG for that

Absolutely! Branch should help immensely and actually make Harrison and Greene even more effective - as well as the rest of the cast.

 

[ras]

Why Lavin redshirted Gift w this much uncertainty w Sanchez is beyond me.

 

[Moose]

Why Lavin redshirted Gift w this much uncertainty w Sanchez is beyond me.

For the umpteenth time because maybe he knows what options exist for 2013 and there isn't much he's confident in so stashing a 5th yr forward is the right move.

 

[ras]

The more we win this year the better our recruiting will be for next year. There is always the JC route. I like Sa mpson and CO. And although Jones is better than expected. He is an unheralded recruit who will be a nice 4 year player, but I am not comfortable w him playing a lot of minutes now. Althogh I dont think Gift is a world beater , he is a Sr and can help inside. Maybe Lavin knows Sanchez will be cleared soon and then my point is moot. IMO I wouldnt have redshirted Gift w Sanchez not being eligible.

 

[dee]

After watching them play I think they need to tighten defense and stop walking with the ball. The refs were lenient in the calls (I think they wanted to get home to cook for thanksgiving) and some of our guys took steps that were never called.

 

[Moose]

After watching them play I think they need to tighten defense and stop walking with the ball. The refs were lenient in the calls (I think they wanted to get home to cook for thanksgiving) and some of our guys took steps that were never called.

Yeah the walking last night was rampant.............

I wish the archives were still around. My post over 5 years ago about how our fans will never stop complaining continues to ring true.

 

[tom in salem]

Why Lavin redshirted Gift w this much uncertainty w Sanchez is beyond me.

For the umpteenth time because maybe he knows what options exist for 2013 and there isn't much he's confident in so stashing a 5th yr forward is the right move.

At the expense of this season?

 

[Moose]

Why Lavin redshirted Gift w this much uncertainty w Sanchez is beyond me.

For the umpteenth time because maybe he knows what options exist for 2013 and there isn't much he's confident in so stashing a 5th yr forward is the right move.

At the expense of this season?

How many wins do you think Gift will change for us? Honestly. And lets wait to see what happens if Sanchez is cleared or not

 

[redmannorth]

My comment in the form of a question is not meant as a criticism, but can anyone provide insight on what we are missing (if anything) with the absence of Dunlap?

A brilliant basketball mind that is fantastic at in game preparation.
Other than that nothing really.
I think Charlotte has already won as many games as they did last season. The man is a brilliant coach.

 

[Della9250]

Charlotte is 6-4. They won seven games last year. I also saw a stat that they were 5-0 in games decided by like six points or less.

 

[redmannorth]

Charlotte is 6-4. They won seven games last year. I also saw a stat that they were 5-0 in games decided by like six points or less.

Thanks Della, so in other words last season they probably had a .125 winning percentage whereas this season it is .60.
I repeat Coach Dunlap is a great basketball mind.

 

[bobre45]

maybe it's me, but through all the games thus far I've noticed that we don't have as many break away dunks/lay ups as i was expecting...i thought with our athleticism and pressure that we'd have a bunch of easy baskets

Except we are not generating much pressure; our guard D is extremely weak; why Pointer had to play Burrell in the 2nd half. That and Balumou's (sp?) hustle turned the game around.

Right you are Logen. I don't care if Dom necer scores another point as long as he can change games on defense like that. After a while HC was getting disorganized anticipating his presence all over. Balamou looks like a carbon copy of him and that's a good thing. He was sticking guys DLo was losing and can get up with forwards. DLo is decent off the ball but doesn't apply pressure much.

 

[usguard]

maybe it's me, but through all the games thus far I've noticed that we don't have as many break away dunks/lay ups as i was expecting...i thought with our athleticism and pressure that we'd have a bunch of easy baskets

Except we are not generating much pressure; our guard D is extremely weak; why Pointer had to play Burrell in the 2nd half. That and Balumou's (sp?) hustle turned the game around.

Right you are Logen. I don't care if Dom necer scores another point as long as he can change games on defense like that. After a while HC was getting disorganized anticipating his presence all over. Balamou looks like a carbon copy of him and that's a good thing. He was sticking guys DLo was losing and can get up with forwards. DLo is decent off the ball but doesn't apply pressure much.

He gets beat off the dribble a lot puiting pressure on the front line

 

[MCNPA]

L

maybe it's me, but through all the games thus far I've noticed that we don't have as many break away dunks/lay ups as i was expecting...i thought with our athleticism and pressure that we'd have a bunch of easy baskets

Except we are not generating much pressure; our guard D is extremely weak; why Pointer had to play Burrell in the 2nd half. That and Balumou's (sp?) hustle turned the game around.

Right you are Logen. I don't care if Dom necer scores another point as long as he can change games on defense like that. After a while HC was getting disorganized anticipating his presence all over. Balamou looks like a carbon copy of him and that's a good thing. He was sticking guys DLo was losing and can get up with forwards. DLo is decent off the ball but doesn't apply pressure much.

I think there are times when we will see a defensive backcourt with Branch and Balamou there. Branch has a good reputation of being a good defensive player and Balamou has impressed the heck out of me at both ends of the court.

 

[Joe]

I've seen very little of Balamou, but from what I have seen he looks to be as quick as anyone on the team and he plays hard and fast. I think he can be a major force defensively-this year. I do hope Branch is as good as advertised defensively. Once Branch is available to play and once/if Sanchez gets to play we should be able to increase the intensity of the defense for the entire game. The season is young, as are our players, as the season goes on the players should improve in their understanding of the defensive and offensive sets, as well as learning more about the new players they are playing with. Having a deeper bench will allow them to carry out their assignments, with energy, all game long.

 

[bobre45]

L

maybe it's me, but through all the games thus far I've noticed that we don't have as many break away dunks/lay ups as i was expecting...i thought with our athleticism and pressure that we'd have a bunch of easy baskets

Except we are not generating much pressure; our guard D is extremely weak; why Pointer had to play Burrell in the 2nd half. That and Balumou's (sp?) hustle turned the game around.

Right you are Logen. I don't care if Dom necer scores another point as long as he can change games on defense like that. After a while HC was getting disorganized anticipating his presence all over. Balamou looks like a carbon copy of him and that's a good thing. He was sticking guys DLo was losing and can get up with forwards. DLo is decent off the ball but doesn't apply pressure much.

I think there are times when we will see a defensive backcourt with Branch and Balamou there. Branch has a good reputation of being a good defensive player and Balamou has impressed the heck out of me at both ends of the court.

I agree. Balamou looks terrific. Don't lose faith in Dom though he is a crunch time force. Don't see Branch seating Greene yet so I look for a three guard thing going forward. I wish our bigs could handle the middle a bit better though.

 

[MCNPA]

L

maybe it's me, but through all the games thus far I've noticed that we don't have as many break away dunks/lay ups as i was expecting...i thought with our athleticism and pressure that we'd have a bunch of easy baskets

Except we are not generating much pressure; our guard D is extremely weak; why Pointer had to play Burrell in the 2nd half. That and Balumou's (sp?) hustle turned the game around.

Right you are Logen. I don't care if Dom necer scores another point as long as he can change games on defense like that. After a while HC was getting disorganized anticipating his presence all over. Balamou looks like a carbon copy of him and that's a good thing. He was sticking guys DLo was losing and can get up with forwards. DLo is decent off the ball but doesn't apply pressure much.

I think there are times when we will see a defensive backcourt with Branch and Balamou there. Branch has a good reputation of being a good defensive player and Balamou has impressed the heck out of me at both ends of the court.

I agree. Balamou looks terrific. Don't lose faith in Dom though he is a crunch time force. Don't see Branch seating Greene yet so I look for a three guard thing going forward. I wish our bigs could handle the middle a bit better though.

I still think Greene and Harrison are where our bread is at the the backcourt. Difference is that we have two VERY viable options in Branch and Balamou who provide entirely different skills to our backcourt. Like I said before. If we get Sanchez who undoubtedly will be our starting PF back, and get Branch in December, we will be an absolute force this season and in the post-season. Really hoping for Sanchez soon.

 

[JackofVirginia]

Why Lavin redshirted Gift w this much uncertainty w Sanchez is beyond me.

For the umpteenth time because maybe he knows what options exist for 2013 and there isn't much he's confident in so stashing a 5th yr forward is the right move.

At the expense of this season?

How many wins do you think Gift will change for us? Honestly. And lets wait to see what happens if Sanchez is cleared or not

I would have to think Lavin has some clue to Sanchez' return, otherwise I agree with Tom's post. Just don't see enough height upfront without Sanchez or God's Gift.