Ok… enough about fouls called and whose refs are refs…
If there had been 10 less fouls called ( 5 not called on each team ) …
and some fouls that were called …. weren’t…
and some fouls that were NOT called … were whistled…
NOTHING would have changed…
Wake would have still played better than expected… which is all on Danny…
The Pack would have still had a horrendous start to the game…
Anya would have still fouled out… albeit in 13 minutes instead of 11…
DEZ’s 4 minutes on the court would still have been ‘wasted’…
Lacy would have still waited 10 minutes before taking his first shot…
Let’s Look at these four … up close … and ask some questions the radio guys… Gary and Tony won’t ask…
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1. Our Traditional “Slow Start”….
Hey Basketball Wizards… your Team was either ‘not ready’ or ‘too hyped up’ to play this game…
Which is the case?…
More important, since getting that exactly right is definitely an ‘Art’ and only happens 5-7 times a season…
Let’s cut to chase…
What’s the first thing you look for when the game starts? If is not, is your Team too high or too low and is the other Team too high or too low… stop.
What is the primary purpose of the first Media Timeout?
What’s your “Go To” adjustment / substitution when your Team is too ‘low’?
What’s your “Go To” adjustment /substitution when your Team is too ‘high’?
When that does not work…
What’s your Plan B at the eight minute Media Timeout?
Five guys Named Moe?
Bottom Line is this waiting until halftime to get some answers / make some adjustments / ‘motivate’ your Team is BS and is worth 3-4 games a season… especially with rosters changing the way they do every season these days…
It doesn’t show much against so much against teams like WF but in the Dome and in Cameron, you’d would have gone down TWENTY at the half… if the same had been the case…
And it’s really ok to call timeout in the first ten minutes and get all redfaced, call them unflattering names of animals, and yell at them courtside… if that what it takes…
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2. Anya…
11 minutes played… 5 blocks, 4 rebounds, and a bunch of important stuff for which there is no statistic, 2 points, 5 fouls…
Kids just GOTT to practice ‘pacing himself’ and controlling his ‘enthusiasm’…
Take this to Bank, Wizards, … this is something he has heard every day in practice since he lost those 60 pounds…
The fact is, I’m sure he’s pretty tired of hearing about this… just needs to do it… and do it… and do it… and then do it… and do it… and do it… until he ain’t hearing or thinking about this again…
Obviously that didn’t work … so let’s try this…
If Coach told him I want you to make five fouls in twenty minutes… now practice looking at the clock and making a foul on purpose every 4 minutes, I bet he could do that…
So… let’s just get 20 strong minutes out of Anya for a couple of games, and then add five minute increments until he gets up to 35… by cutting out one stupid foul each time.
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3. Dez Lee…
Whatever it is … it’s top secret… and nobody’s saying a word about it…
The Bottom Line is after 5 fouls, 1 TO and no points in 4 minutes…
Dez is done for the season… unless Coach decides to use him to trade fouls with an opponent to get their guys to the bench early… again…
as in shades of Dan Wells…
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4. Lacy …
Tevor Lacy is arguably the kid with the most potential to change the outcome of games on our Team.
Trevor played 34 minutes and Anthony played 36 minutes last night… the difference was Trevor waiting 10 minutes before taking a shot even though he was told to shoot… and Anthony took 10 free throws and Trevor took only TWO… (free throws are an direct indicator of offensive aggressiveness )…
The statement was made again by Gary and Tony… in the post-postgame…
“Trevor wants to play Point Guard but that Coach has been ‘encouraging’ Trevor to be more selfish in looking for and taking his shot…” ( Lacy said the same on the radio a couple games back… and added he wants to be an NBA assistant coach one day )
So here’s where we are …
Trevor left Alabama because Coach would not let him play point guard.
Trevor comes to Raleigh and Coach still won’t let Trevor play point guard.
Anthony is struggling to play point guard and will continue to struggle for the forseeable future.
By most all appearances, Trevor and Anthony play nicely together most all the time…
In other words…
Lacy and Anthony want to play together.
Anthony does not want to play point guard.
Lacy wants to play point guard .
Why are some answers so simple?
Let’s just give Lacy the ‘title’ of point guard and let him bring the ball up the court more and give Anthony the ‘title’ of ‘scoring guard’ and put them both back out on the court and let them do exactly what they have been doing all season… except better…
Problem solved.
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We GOTT two games in the next twelve games …
somebody named Charleston Southern ?? and Wofford…
so we GOTT plenty of practice time to work all this into the system…
As they I have said… this TEAM could win 25 games this season and play a lot of ball in March… IF….
