2015 basketball

[tigersofjustice]

Better or worse than MSU? Where do they finish in the big ten? Do they make the tournament.

IMO, they are definitely worse than Wisconsin and after that it is kind of up in the air.

Could range from #2 to middle of the pack. Real problem is they lost a lot, and in particular, they lost a TON in the low post. Probably going to get bullied worse even than past seasons by any bigger team.

 

[wheels002]

Wisconsin will be as big of favorite at the start of the year as Sparty was this past year. It's really hard to say where we will finish or how good we will be. So many new players and we really have no inside players at the moment. Usually I would be worried but Beilein is genius and he has always had a knack for getting the most out of his teams.

Just look at last year after Mitch went down had I said we would win the B10 by 3 games and have a shot at 1 seed you would have said I was crazy. I really love seeing all the credit JB is getting now. He deserves it and you can tell he is as happy here as we are having him as coach. I do think the team trip to Europe they are in could be very big down the road as everyone gets used to each other and their new roles.

 

[wlvrnstlr4life]

Better or worse than MSU? Where do they finish in the big ten? Do they make the tournament.

IMO, they are definitely worse than Wisconsin and after that it is kind of up in the air.

Could range from #2 to middle of the pack. Real problem is they lost a lot, and in particular, they lost a TON in the low post. Probably going to get bullied worse even than past seasons by any bigger team.

Can't get bullied any worse than last year. The guys(Donnal/Doyle) that are already here and coming in are way more athletic.

 

[hungry]

I feel this team has a lot of potential

I'm anxious to see our low post in action. I think they will surprise some people.

 

[rumseyhouse77]

Maybe with so many new players we can hope they will catch people off guard. You know, "the unknown player" factor.

GO BLUE!

 

[Sbee]

Can't get bullied any worse than last year. The guys(Donnal/Doyle) that are already here and coming in are way more athletic.

you can get bullied worse than last year, I don't see your post play being better without Morgan and Horford. this is a case of the unknown always being undefeated.

 

[dubbsco]

I think you just threw Horford in there because he was tall. He got 4 a game, and got pushed around down there due to him being a stick. This team will miss Morgan substantially more than him. I trust that guys like Doyle and Wilson will do exactly what Horford did before half the season is over.

 

[Sbee]

I think you just threw Horford in there because he was tall. He got 4 a game, and got pushed around down there due to him being a stick. This team will miss Morgan substantially more than him. I trust that guys like Doyle and Wilson will do exactly what Horford did before half the season is over.

all the talk during the season was about the great production that you got from Morgan and Horford, which was true. they tag teamed and gave you guys solid minutes, they will be missed. I don't know if the guys that you have coming in are bangers or if they are stretch 4's but you'll need that interior presence. I think Michigan will be an upper tier big ten team next year but limited by post play, they will be great on the perimeter and get worked inside.

the one thing that nobody thinks about is that yes, Michigan will be small and get outrebouned but but bigger teams will have to handle that small lineup on the other end of the court. that will present some matchup problems for slower defenders.

 

[dubbsco]

I didn't really buy into that whole Morford thing. Two guys getting the value of what McGary would have likely done isn't really speaking too highly of them. They filled in admirably. It's all relative, if Morgan ate up more of Horford's minutes, he would have added more RPG.

Horford was a pretty average defender, slow footed, and never positioned himself well on rebounds. Michigan is always going to be behind the 8-ball with rebounding as long as John B is the coach. His teams have never rebounded well. Losing Horford and having someone younger but more athletic come in is going to basically be a wash for a little while.

 

[Sbee]

I didn't really buy into that whole Morford thing. Two guys getting the value of what McGary would have likely done isn't really speaking too highly of them. They filled in admirably. It's all relative, if Morgan ate up more of Horford's minutes, he would have added more RPG.

Horford was a pretty average defender, slow footed, and never positioned himself well on rebounds. Michigan is always going to be behind the 8-ball with rebounding as long as John B is the coach. His teams have never rebounded well. Losing Horford and having someone younger but more athletic come in is going to basically be a wash for a little while.

maybe you didn't but the majority of this board did buy in. now I'm hearing that you loose all of this great production that you got last year and it could be addition by subtraction, or that it can't be worse. it wasn't you that said that but my point is that your interior play will most likely be worse than it was last year. again, I don't know if they guys that you have coming in are defensive/rebounding specialists or guys like a smotrycz who have 2 guard skills but happen to be really tall.

 

[dubbsco]

I don't think people on here argued that it was "great production." They did what they had to do. They were always limited in their pure basketball ability, that's not a secret. I actually think Horford being off this team is one of those addition by subtraction deals. He was basically a big body who struggled with almost everything in the game.

 

[tinselwolverine]

I don't think people on here argued that it was "great production." They did what they had to do. They were always limited in their pure basketball ability, that's not a secret. I actually think Horford being off this team is one of those addition by subtraction deals. He was basically a big body who struggled with almost everything in the game.

They played pretty good D, set some picks and were enough of an inside threat to help
free up the perimeter game - they did what they had to do.

 

[Sbee]

I don't think people on here argued that it was "great production." They did what they had to do. They were always limited in their pure basketball ability, that's not a secret. I actually think Horford being off this team is one of those addition by subtraction deals. He was basically a big body who struggled with almost everything in the game.

maybe it was a pleasant surprise after McGary had surgery. either way I think losing hoford hurts next year but the minutes and development help younger players going forward. i hate to compare it all to MSU but we lost Byrd and Gauna for next year, good long term but horrible if someone gets hurt or transfers, we'd miss another scholarship player in that situation. I think it's the same with Horford

 

[dubbsco]

In the VERY short term it's going to hurt until those freshman learn how to play the game. Horford just never turned into anything. He wasn't a threat offensively, he couldn't shoot, he got pushed around a lot.

 

[deathroh]

Horford didn't really get pushed around since he was regularly in the wrong spot already. I'm sure the new group will be able to somehow someway make up for the missing 4 pts, 4 reb, and bad defensive positioning.

Morgan on the other hand was much more of a physical presence and leader. I'm sure we'll feel that loss.

Sbee, Ricky Doyle is supposed to be more of an actual post presence, although he's not huge at 6'9" 230. DJ Wilson is a stretch 4, and RS FR Mark Donnal is (hopefully) the total package.

 

[dubbsco]

Was that against Kentucky when he caught a pass in the middle of the lane, had literally no one in front of him, and pulled up for an awkward mid-range shot? When all he had to do was take one big step forward and lay it in?

 

[hailhail]

I think regardless, much more important for this teams success will be whether or not Caris, Irvin, and Walton take the next step. JB's teams have all won with minimal production at the five spot, and I expect they can again if Levert really does play like a lottery pick and Irvin can turn into somewhat of a playmaker while maintaining his stroke from downtown in a much expanded role.

The big guys just have to do enough to not get killed down there. And I disagree with you dubs that losing horford is any kind of short-term plus. The kid isn't much of a talent but I'd definitely rather have a known commodity than three young guys battling for that spot. If the young bigs were ready early I think Beilein would happily play then also.

 

[dubbsco]

Whoever plays in Horford's spot will match his productivity in a very minimal amount of time. This isn't the pro leagues where it takes guys 2-4 years to come into their own. Freshman are making huge impacts right from the get go. If a guy like DJ Wilson, Doyle, or Donnal can get around the rebounds he got, score a little bit, and show some athletic ability that Horford didn't possess, the team won't miss him. Sounds cruel, but he wasn't a very productive member of the team.

If you asked me would I rather have a senior who is an average player vs an incoming freshman with more talent and potential, I go with the latter all day.

 

[Sbee]

Horford didn't really get pushed around since he was regularly in the wrong spot already. I'm sure the new group will be able to somehow someway make up for the missing 4 pts, 4 reb, and bad defensive positioning.

Morgan on the other hand was much more of a physical presence and leader. I'm sure we'll feel that loss.

Sbee, Ricky Doyle is supposed to be more of an actual post presence, although he's not huge at 6'9" 230. DJ Wilson is a stretch 4, and RS FR Mark Donnal is (hopefully) the total package.

Michigan next year will be similar to this year, just maybe even more perimeter oriented. an interior player who gets a lot of minutes will get some points and rebounds just by virtue of being your tallest player on the court, put backs, etc.

i think you guys will be somewhere between 2nd and 4th in the big ten. 2014 Wisconsin was a bit of a fraud in my mind, a team that got by on an easy schedule and caught other teams at the right time. I still don't give them a lot of credit for next year but they have Kaminsky and all their competitors lose their best post defenders so he'll dominate.

 

[dubbsco]

Can't argue with that. It really depends on other teams around them. Things happen, injuries, playing above/below potential. Michigan will have one of the best backcourts (potentially) in the conference with Walton and LeVert, and a lethal 3 in Irvin. It all depends on how Chatman and Donnal/Doyle/Wilson develop.