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Originally posted by PaulCat:
This game makes me wonder what the heck Cal is doing. He's got a sharp-shooter on the bench that has played 20 minutes in the first seven games while we lose three games by 3 points or less. BJ Boston can go ahead and transfer as far as I'm concerned. He's terrible. If it ain't a layup, he ain't making the shot. Heck, he even shot one layup tonight that didn't hit the rim. Well said, I agree 100%

One of Cal's problems is he doesn't design the offense for guys without the ball. His offense is designed for the guy who just happens to have the ball. Dribble, dribble, dribble and hope you somehow score. Allen worked his tail off to get open and then did what most people knew he could do. This lost season is 100% on Cal.

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[ 01-02-2021, 09:04 PM: Message edited by: rlt4uk ]
 

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Posted by rlt4uk (Member # 3194) on 01-02-2021, 09:04 PM:
 
Agree 100%, paulcat
 

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Posted by ukman (Member # 3032) on 01-02-2021, 09:34 PM:
 
Now I know what you mean from your other post Paulcat. I guess great minds think alike:) And yes, we could easily be 5-3 right now if Cal had played the best TEAM each night. I don't expect Allen to go get 23 points every night, but his shooting would open up other things for guys. He could easily get 10-14 points a night. We have guys that can slash and then hopefully kick it out to him for open looks. We still have alot of work to do on the offensive end, but I hope we can build off this win. Hope Cal finds some new offense to run.
 

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Posted by Trey Ball (Member # 332) on 01-02-2021, 10:35 PM:
 
Allen will not hit 7 of 11 threes every game, but he will space the floor to allow for better offense for everyone. It will be up for the team to execute to get the proper look.
 

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Posted by PaulCat (Member # 513) on 01-02-2021, 11:14 PM:
 
True. We shouldn't expect Allen to do this every night. But now Cal has some soul-searching to do with this team. I think Allen definitely earned his place on this team - he deserves the same long leash as the burger boys, and definitely a lot more minutes. And now Cal has to figure out how to get us some inside game. He should be able to get more out of Sarr, Ware and Jackson. Someone mentioned this before, but I think this is where we miss Kenny Payne. This team still has a ways to go, and i still think the only way we get in the NCAA Tourney is to win the SEC tourney.
 

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Posted by PaulCat (Member # 513) on 01-02-2021, 11:19 PM:
 
And another thing - if we do miss the tourney then it's 100% on Cal. I'm not saying our record would be any different, but imagine if Allen had got some playing time in some of our losses. We lost three games by 3, 3 and 1 points. Knowing that we had a 47% 3-point shooter on the bench and he didn't even play...
 

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Posted by Trey Ball (Member # 332) on 01-03-2021, 12:15 AM:
 
I still don't think UK looked "good", but they did look "better". It was really a display of two bad teams on the court.

Allen can help with spacing and maybe that will help the other guys improve, but I still don't see more than 8 or 9 wins total.
 

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Posted by Trey Ball (Member # 332) on 01-03-2021, 12:16 AM:
 
PC,

Agree with both of your statements though as well. I think the inside would have to come from Ware or Jackson. Sarr is a big, but he is not a back to the basket big. He is a face up, jump shooting big. I actually think Cal should bring him out high as a pick and pop guy or have him spot on on the opposite wing. He has a nice stroke when he has time to shoot.

I would actually like to Cal invert the offense and have Clarke post up the guard for buckets. I don't see him doing it, but Clarke is probably the best post up option in my opinion.

The other thing I noticed with Allen was he was very composed. Even after hitting the big shots and coming to the bench during timeouts and his teammates jumping up and down you could see him almost say to them "the game is not over, we need to finish".

[ 01-03-2021, 12:28 AM: Message edited by: Trey Ball ]
 

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Posted by EnterpriseCat (Member # 2881) on 01-03-2021, 08:07 AM:
 
It’s not that Allen “will” hit his 3 pointers like this every game, but he “can.” Clarke and BJ don’t even have the possibility of hitting 7 threes in a game. Allen changes the way defenses have to play which opens up the floor for our bigs. Allen should get way more PT than Clarke or BJ. Ignore the stars Cal and play the players who give us the best chance to win. Also, Askew is playing much better too. Go Big Blue!
 

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Posted by Tiptree (Member # 844) on 01-03-2021, 12:17 PM:
 
I agree with many of the thoughts on this thread. Let me pull them together in my way of thinking:

(1) Allen provides two things: Spacing and scoring. He has a nice quick release, and he can shoot over smaller guards. No defense can afford to ignore him. And, he moves well without the ball, forcing the defense to move as well. Moving defenses are more easily exploited.

(2) Allen has become a serviceable point guard, on both ends of the floor. I am honestly more surprised by this development than Allen's breakout.

(3) Mintz plays better off the ball, but it is nice to have someone with good ball handling skills to help the point guard. Mintz can also stretch the defense as a viable 3-point shooter.

(4) I am almost ready to agree with Trey: Sarr is not going to be a traditional center. He should be able to be an effective post player, but without Payne to coach him, he will remain a stretch 4. (He is, after all, from France, and thus grew up playing 'euro-ball'). So, let Jackson and Ware split time at the 5.

(5) Boston and Clarke, like Fletcher, may need an 'attitude adjustment'. They need to take a backseat to the other players (although Clarke posting up guards is intriguing -- harkens back to Denny Crum's better Cardinal teams). But Boston has to get physically stronger, regain his shot, and improve his handle; if not, he is a net liability on the floor.

So, I like the lineup of Askew, Allen, Mintz, Sarr, and Ware/Jackson. The decision to play Jackson or Ware would be mostly situational. Jackson brings shot-blocking power, but his offense is woefully limited. Ware is more balanced, plus he brings physical toughness.

Boston, Clarke, Toppin, and Fletcher can come off the bench for now. All of them should be capable of giving the team a spark. Eventually, Boston or Clarke should improve enough to displace Mintz. Mintz is adequate, and has probably reached his ceiling. He has good ball-handling skills, and a 3-point shot that must be respected. But he is often out of place on defense, and makes some poor decisions (like driving into triple teams). Eventually, we could have a solid 9-man rotation.

[ 01-03-2021, 12:24 PM: Message edited by: Tiptree ]
 

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Posted by Trey Ball (Member # 332) on 01-03-2021, 02:13 PM:
 
I'm still not sold on Askew. He looks better, but MSU didn't really pressure him yesterday either. I think he is a shaky ball handler at best. Put a strong on-ball defensive guard on him and he will get eaten alive in my opinion.
 

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Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 01-03-2021, 04:39 PM:
 
It's amazing how us armchair QB's come out when something good happens. This is the best thread I've seen on here in a while. Together we could replace Cal at a lot less annual salary. Lets see how many of us are there and divided into 8 Million would be *&#%^$*@^&$.
 

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