The "What If" Question

Ray Morgan

Well-known member
It makes no sense-or does it? With a much deeper, bigger and more talented roster last year, the team, based on the results so far, underachieved. The 2014 version is playing much better basketball with a lot more grit, effort and heart. They move the ball better and look to be defending better. So it makes sense to ask-If Sampson stayed, would this be a top 10 or 15 team? Or would the chemistry be out of whack like last season? Some have already said that it's simple: Add a man who made a NBA roster, and you could only imagine how much better the team would be. You could say the improvement isn't addition by subtraction, but the natural maturation process of a senior filled team. They certainly look a heck of a lot better without Sampson and Sanchez, who was gone anyway. Would Dom have been lost in the shuffle again if Sampson stayed? Would the me first attitude on offense prevail if Jakaar stayed? Would love to hear some opinions.
 
It makes no sense-or does it? With a much deeper, bigger and more talented roster last year, the team, based on the results so far, underachieved. The 2014 version is playing much better basketball with a lot more grit, effort and heart. They move the ball better and look to be defending better. So it makes sense to ask-If Sampson stayed, would this be a top 10 or 15 team? Or would the chemistry be out of whack like last season? Some have already said that it's simple: Add a man who made a NBA roster, and you could only imagine how much better the team would be. You could say the improvement isn't addition by subtraction, but the natural maturation process of a senior filled team. They certainly look a heck of a lot better without Sampson and Sanchez, who was gone anyway. Would Dom have been lost in the shuffle again if Sampson stayed? Would the me first attitude on offense prevail if Jakaar stayed? Would love to hear some opinions.

Great post Ray. My sense is that last year we played at the level of spacing the floor to give our best players room (a poor man's version of NBA isoball with Sampson and Sanchez). This year we seem to be at the level of spacing the floor to have each of our players make the plays they make best (PGIV stepping in on his jumper, Dom slashing to the ball, and everyone playing defense and looking for D'Lo opportunistically). We are better conditioned, smarter, more confident, and constantly testing trying to impose our will on the game. It is a pleasure to see and suggests that coaching and maturation have occurred.
 
It makes no sense-or does it? With a much deeper, bigger and more talented roster last year, the team, based on the results so far, underachieved. The 2014 version is playing much better basketball with a lot more grit, effort and heart. They move the ball better and look to be defending better. So it makes sense to ask-If Sampson stayed, would this be a top 10 or 15 team? Or would the chemistry be out of whack like last season? Some have already said that it's simple: Add a man who made a NBA roster, and you could only imagine how much better the team would be. You could say the improvement isn't addition by subtraction, but the natural maturation process of a senior filled team. They certainly look a heck of a lot better without Sampson and Sanchez, who was gone anyway. Would Dom have been lost in the shuffle again if Sampson stayed? Would the me first attitude on offense prevail if Jakaar stayed? Would love to hear some opinions.

Great post Ray. My sense is that last year we played at the level of spacing the floor to give our best players room (a poor man's version of NBA isoball with Sampson and Sanchez). This year we seem to be at the level of spacing the floor to have each of our players make the plays they make best (PGIV stepping in on his jumper, Dom slashing to the ball, and everyone playing defense and looking for D'Lo opportunistically). We are better conditioned, smarter, more confident, and constantly testing trying to impose our will on the game. It is a pleasure to see and suggests that coaching and maturation have occurred.

Amen.
 
I honestly think it's as simple as this: against a zone, we had Sampson at the FT line. He either shot the mid range jumper or passed out to his options of Sanchez, DLo, or Dom. Not much 3 point shooting there from them other than DLo. Now with Dom at the FT line, he can either drive to the hoop, move around to scramble the defense, or pass out to the 3 point shooters. Not having Dom on the perimeter is the difference.
 
First off as talented as Sampson and Sanchez were they played for them selves and not for the team. Dom is the exact opposite , he plays to win and like Dlo is the ultimate warrior and will do whatever is required to win as shown by the stat sheet. Secondly Dom is finally playing where his talent can be used 10 feet and less from the basket. He is useless 30 feet away from the basket on offence.
Rysheed has improved as has Obekpa.
Lastly there is next to no depth on this team and there are few decisions for the coaching staff to make. No more Hooper or Marco to try to place in spot situations. Everyone has a defined role and knows what they have to do. Clearly addition by subtraction.
 
These guys are a year older, a year more mature and a year more experienced

When you have upperclassmen that have some ability and are hungry to play, you can be successful at this level

It's that simple
 
I'm thoroughly convinced that we wouldn't have anywhere near this kind of chemistry if Samson had stayed. He was auditioning for the NBA last year, and he would have been doing the same thing this year. I was always impressed with his athleticism, but never impressed with his game..in spite of his flashes of brilliance.
 
Losing Sampson and Sanchez helped this team become what it is. At the very least, it is what forced Pointer off the perimeter and into a role that he was made for.

Chemistry is a very delicate thing. This team has it. It is most noticeable on defense. The key to this whole thing is Dom Pointer.

I don't want Jordan, Sanchez, or Sampson shooting a long two when we haven't scored in four minutes. I want to get something going towards the basket...draw some contact. Last year there were too many guys competing for jumpshots. This year they know they can be more patient and wait for better shots and still have a chance to see the ball again later in the possession.
 
Losing Sampson and Sanchez helped this team become what it is. At the very least, it is what forced Pointer off the perimeter and into a role that he was made for.

Chemistry is a very delicate thing. This team has it. It is most noticeable on defense. The key to this whole thing is Dom Pointer.

I don't want Jordan, Sanchez, or Sampson shooting a long two when we haven't scored in four minutes. I want to get something going towards the basket...draw some contact. Last year there were too many guys competing for jumpshots. This year they know they can be more patient and wait for better shots and still have a chance to see the ball again later in the possession.

We may be a much better team so far this year, but I do not buy your premise. I don't see for a second how Sanchez (who liked to lurk in the corners) and Sampson (who liked to begin from the wings to the foul line) clogged the middle and forced Dom to a wing. Now I do believe in the concept of chemistry, and I do believe that both Sampson and Sanchez had many on court minutes that were way too non-productive, BUT I do believe that last year there was no one who seized the last five minutes of the game and more often than not we were disorganized and flat. Harrison has upped the ante. Greene has upped the ante. Pointer is having his best season by far. You can't pin their crummy 2013-14 in big moments on the back of Sanchez and Sampson. They deserve credit for this turnaround, and were each as much a reason for last season's failure as the guys you accuse.
 
Losing Sampson and Sanchez helped this team become what it is. At the very least, it is what forced Pointer off the perimeter and into a role that he was made for.

Chemistry is a very delicate thing. This team has it. It is most noticeable on defense. The key to this whole thing is Dom Pointer.

I don't want Jordan, Sanchez, or Sampson shooting a long two when we haven't scored in four minutes. I want to get something going towards the basket...draw some contact. Last year there were too many guys competing for jumpshots. This year they know they can be more patient and wait for better shots and still have a chance to see the ball again later in the possession.

Everyone was worried about how we would replace Sanchez and Sampson's scoring (and rightfully so). We've done so with better ball movement and Dom's emergence. We've also played better overall team defense with Chris and Dom on the court instead of Sanchez and Sampson who were lazy defenders most of last year. While I would have liked to see how good we could have been with Jakkar this year, it's hard to argue that's we've benefited by the subtraction of selfish play and better team chemistry.
 
As I see it, unless Lavin got Sampson to buy into what this team is doing, we are better off without him. He didn't buy in last year, but then neither did some other players. Funny thing is that his best chance to stick around in the NBA will be with his defense. The kind he played against McDermott last season. His offense is just too shaky for the NBA.
 
As I see it, unless Lavin got Sampson to buy into what this team is doing, we are better off without him. He didn't buy in last year, but then neither did some other players. Funny thing is that his best chance to stick around in the NBA will be with his defense. The kind he played against McDermott last season. His offense is just too shaky for the NBA.

He would have been perfect for what they are doing this year. He is long and athletic. He would have had Dom's role.
 
As I see it, unless Lavin got Sampson to buy into what this team is doing, we are better off without him. He didn't buy in last year, but then neither did some other players. Funny thing is that his best chance to stick around in the NBA will be with his defense. The kind he played against McDermott last season. His offense is just too shaky for the NBA.

He would have been perfect for what they are doing this year. He is long and athletic. He would have had Dom's role.

Its not a question of athleticism, but rather a question of commitment to a team first mentality. In addition to everything else, not sure he would have been OK with D'Lo being the team leader, as all these kids are.
 
As I see it, unless Lavin got Sampson to buy into what this team is doing, we are better off without him. He didn't buy in last year, but then neither did some other players. Funny thing is that his best chance to stick around in the NBA will be with his defense. The kind he played against McDermott last season. His offense is just too shaky for the NBA.

He would have been perfect for what they are doing this year. He is long and athletic. He would have had Dom's role.

Its not a question of athleticism, but rather a question of commitment to a team first mentality. In addition to everything else, not sure he would have been OK with D'Lo being the team leader, as all these kids are.

Also seeing the floor and not always looking for your shot first.
 
This doesn't quite answer the question, but another glaring difference this year compared to years past is that Greene has a defined role for once. In years past he'd be dribbling the ball around the perimeter aimlessly for 25 seconds taking the air out of the ball. Thank goodness that stopped.
 
As I see it, unless Lavin got Sampson to buy into what this team is doing, we are better off without him. He didn't buy in last year, but then neither did some other players. Funny thing is that his best chance to stick around in the NBA will be with his defense. The kind he played against McDermott last season. His offense is just too shaky for the NBA.

He would have been perfect for what they are doing this year. He is long and athletic. He would have had Dom's role.

He had Dom's role last year and "what they are doing this year" is exactly the same as what they did last year except for the fact that there are two less shot-hogs to compete for looks.

If you want to see what Dom would be like...watch Rysheed last night. They are very similar players. All the talent in the world, no concept of when/how to get their offense, and mistake prone to end games. "Hey, we haven't scored in six minutes...now would be a perfect time for me to take three deep jump shots in a row." Rysheed alone puts this team at its mistake threshold...Sampson and Sanchez would have just been overkill. Of course, the thing that Rysheed has over Sampson is that he will always bring it on defense and the glass. Sampson was just not a smart basketball player. We are better this year because we are not settling for as many deep jumpers...we are getting it to the basket more often and drawing more fouls--Sampson only got to the line for 3 attempts per game.

Sanchez just couldn't stop anyone...ever...on defense. He wouldn't fit in at all on this squad.
 
Losing Sampson and Sanchez helped this team become what it is. At the very least, it is what forced Pointer off the perimeter and into a role that he was made for.

Chemistry is a very delicate thing. This team has it. It is most noticeable on defense. The key to this whole thing is Dom Pointer.

I don't want Jordan, Sanchez, or Sampson shooting a long two when we haven't scored in four minutes. I want to get something going towards the basket...draw some contact. Last year there were too many guys competing for jumpshots. This year they know they can be more patient and wait for better shots and still have a chance to see the ball again later in the possession.

We may be a much better team so far this year, but I do not buy your premise. I don't see for a second how Sanchez (who liked to lurk in the corners) and Sampson (who liked to begin from the wings to the foul line) clogged the middle and forced Dom to a wing. Now I do believe in the concept of chemistry, and I do believe that both Sampson and Sanchez had many on court minutes that were way too non-productive, BUT I do believe that last year there was no one who seized the last five minutes of the game and more often than not we were disorganized and flat. Harrison has upped the ante. Greene has upped the ante. Pointer is having his best season by far. You can't pin their crummy 2013-14 in big moments on the back of Sanchez and Sampson. They deserve credit for this turnaround, and were each as much a reason for last season's failure as the guys you accuse.

I think you are both right.

Adding Sampson, Sanchez and Hooper to this group resulted in a dysfunctional team - and it was not the fault of any of those players. On the other hand, Greene, Harrison, Pointer and CO are playing better. Perhaps it is a result of the extra minutes. Perhaps it is a commitment to playing tougher and team ball. We all see the cohesion and the effort on D and on the boards. It was not there last year. Last year was a revolving door of good players fighting for time on the court.

I'll take an effective team with a thin bench over a deep and talented team that can't play as a unit.
 
As I see it, unless Lavin got Sampson to buy into what this team is doing, we are better off without him. He didn't buy in last year, but then neither did some other players. Funny thing is that his best chance to stick around in the NBA will be with his defense. The kind he played against McDermott last season. His offense is just too shaky for the NBA.

He would have been perfect for what they are doing this year. He is long and athletic. He would have had Dom's role.

He had Dom's role last year and "what they are doing this year" is exactly the same as what they did last year except for the fact that there are two less shot-hogs to compete for looks.

If you want to see what Dom would be like...watch Rysheed last night. They are very similar players. All the talent in the world, no concept of when/how to get their offense, and mistake prone to end games. "Hey, we haven't scored in six minutes...now would be a perfect time for me to take three deep jump shots in a row." Rysheed alone puts this team at its mistake threshold...Sampson and Sanchez would have just been overkill. Of course, the thing that Rysheed has over Sampson is that he will always bring it on defense and the glass. Sampson was just not a smart basketball player. We are better this year because we are not settling for as many deep jumpers...we are getting it to the basket more often and drawing more fouls--Sampson only got to the line for 3 attempts per game.

Sanchez just couldn't stop anyone...ever...on defense. He wouldn't fit in at all on this squad.

As you have stated before. Dom crashes the boards when we shoot some ill advised three pointers. Actually, the whole team usually does. There was a key sequence in the second half against St. Mary's that Jordan and I think. Branch missed three pointers and we got the offensive rebounds. Not sure that would have happened last year.
 
So if Sampson and Sanchez were the key roadblocks to a successful season last year, why were they given so many minutes to wreak their havoc?
 
So if Sampson and Sanchez were the key roadblocks to a successful season last year, why were they given so many minutes to wreak their havoc?

What other options did Lavin have. Besides, he was thinking that the team would gel by "February". With Sampson and Sanchez having limited court IQs, and an eye on the next level, the team never evolved. Believe it or not, I think this team will still get better.
 
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