Rotational Changes

[LouieGTheThird]

Here's the thing with starting Love still. I see a lot of valid points on everyone's thoughts & opinions. But, with Love from an optics standpoint from a player's & recruit's pov is that you don't give up on your star player. Whether Love is playing like a star player or not, he is still our star player. From outside looking in, which is us, it makes sense to have Love come in and be a 6th man & do what he's best at & score with no regard. But then again these recruits come here to be a star especially a 5 star & some 4 stars they want a coach that will be there for them when they struggle. It's optics & trust that's in it for Lloyd. I really love this thread, I'm glad it was made.

[mvpreed2]

Bryant needs to get more minutes at the SF spot.
Scratch that, Bryant needs to start!
The problem is who are you going to bench between Bradley/Love/Lewis for that to happen?
I know who I would pick, but I also know why those three are starters and play heavy minutes.

I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to lineups.
I do not want a 6'3/6'5/6'5 starting backcourt.
It would look a lot better, and be a much more easier way to matchup on defense with a lineup of:

Bradley - 6'3
Love - 6'5
Bryant - 6'8
Townsend - 6'7
Krivas - 7'1

Lewis be the first guard off the bench at 2/3 spot for Bryant.
Awaka is the first big off the bench at 4/5 spot for Krivas.
You sub Veesaar in for Townsend (if needed).
You sub Dell'Orso in for Love (if needed).
If Veesaar and/or Dell'Orso or not needed, then you sub Bryant back in for Love.

The problem with this roster (to me) is that it is only 7 deep, but Lloyd has to put in another G off the bench because of how small we are in the opening lineup. 
Bradley is the prospect I would be leaning on to play +30mins after what my eyes saw against Duke.
#BearDown

[arxpert]

Here's the thing with starting Love still. I see a lot of valid points on everyone's thoughts & opinions. But, with Love from an optics standpoint from a player's & recruit's pov is that you don't give up on your star player. Whether Love is playing like a star player or not, he is still our star player. From outside looking in, which is us, it makes sense to have Love come in and be a 6th man & do what he's best at & score with no regard. But then again these recruits come here to be a star especially a 5 star & some 4 stars they want a coach that will be there for them when they struggle. It's optics & trust that's in it for Lloyd. I really love this thread, I'm glad it was made.

I agree with you overall, but I also don't know how this then doesn't look horrible to a token Carter Bryant who chose to stay committed even when Tommy brought in multiple Bigs/Forwards that are currently ahead of him on the depth chart.

Why would Carter even stay here next season if he doesn't declare when Tommy has another year of Awaka, probably still Krivas, Henri, then also Emmanuel Stephen...

At some point a recruit needs to look at what Tommy's track record is and that is continuous onboarding of redundant older transfers. Also at the moment he has basically turned Townsend into something completely ineffective too --- probably was over-confident in Dell'Orso's ability. That likely turned away both young Guards we had in place too Phillips and Sanon. They knew they would get very little opportunity here with Love or without Love.

So while trying hard to stick with Love for optics, Tommy is also hurting the team too and not giving other players a chance.

Townsend currently is wasting his time at UofA. He will have to go to the Combine and just "show out" unless Tommy limits Love's role a bit. The NBA already knows what Love is and what Love isn't - he would have stayed in the draft if he were going to be drafted. Pelle Larsson and Keshad got great contracts overall.

If you recall, Tommy brought Keshad in and basically caused a litany of players to want to transfer out as they sat all season only to see Tommy recruit Awaka, Townsend as transfers on top of Carter Bryant..

So at this point Love might as well "Win" and try to improve his stock as a teammate.

[arxpert]

Bryant needs to get more minutes at the SF spot.
Scratch that, Bryant needs to start!
The problem is who are you going to bench between Bradley/Love/Lewis for that to happen?
I know who I would pick, but I also know why those three are starters and play heavy minutes.

I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to lineups.
I do not want a 6'3/6'5/6'5 starting backcourt.
It would look a lot better, and be a much more easier way to matchup on defense with a lineup of:

Bradley - 6'3
Love - 6'5
Bryant - 6'8
Townsend - 6'7
Krivas - 7'1

Lewis be the first guard off the bench at 2/3 spot for Bryant.
Awaka is the first big off the bench at 4/5 spot for Krivas.
You sub Veesaar in for Townsend (if needed).
You sub Dell'Orso in for Love (if needed).
If Veesaar and/or Dell'Orso or not needed, then you sub Bryant back in for Love.

The problem with this roster (to me) is that it is only 7 deep, but Lloyd has to put in another G off the bench because of how small we are in the opening lineup. 
Bradley is the prospect I would be leaning on to play +30mins after what my eyes saw against Duke.
#BearDown

This is a good way of looking at it. I think that KJ is just forced into a 6th Man role in your scenario. We all know Love won't do it. Bradley COULD do it, but the way he is playing, he shouldn't have to bite that bullet. KJ Lewis isn't a true "3". He is overmatched vs most true SFs. Carter would be better off starting and overall make it a "4 Horseman" approach where Bradley, Love, Carter can start, but KJ comes in and rotate those 4 names around often enough to be fresh, but also get everyone enough shots. KJ doesn't need the shots to be effective how he plays. He still needs to play though. Great heart, grit and determination is important. Carter can slide up to the 4 at times. He is versatile. Townsend and Awaka are a great handcuff tandem and I would like to see them able to play together. The only way to do that and not be overpowered defensively is to play both with Carter or Henri/Krivas. That's a super sized lineup and would only be "slow" if Krivas were in, but any other combination would be fast enough up and down.

Lot's of possibilities to feed the hot hand on a nightly basis if there wasn't a pre-set vision by Tommy that Love needs his "15 chucks" per game. Maybe the shot selection should start pretty much spreading it around, leaning in on who is making it, passing away from who isn't, but staying on the floor not "yanking" players and squashing confidence.

[mvpreed2]

Bryant needs to get more minutes at the SF spot.
Scratch that, Bryant needs to start!
The problem is who are you going to bench between Bradley/Love/Lewis for that to happen?
I know who I would pick, but I also know why those three are starters and play heavy minutes.

I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to lineups.
I do not want a 6'3/6'5/6'5 starting backcourt.
It would look a lot better, and be a much more easier way to matchup on defense with a lineup of:

Bradley - 6'3
Love - 6'5
Bryant - 6'8
Townsend - 6'7
Krivas - 7'1

Lewis be the first guard off the bench at 2/3 spot for Bryant.
Awaka is the first big off the bench at 4/5 spot for Krivas.
You sub Veesaar in for Townsend (if needed).
You sub Dell'Orso in for Love (if needed).
If Veesaar and/or Dell'Orso or not needed, then you sub Bryant back in for Love.

The problem with this roster (to me) is that it is only 7 deep, but Lloyd has to put in another G off the bench because of how small we are in the opening lineup. 
Bradley is the prospect I would be leaning on to play +30mins after what my eyes saw against Duke.
#BearDown

This is a good way of looking at it. I think that KJ is just forced into a 6th Man role in your scenario. We all know Love won't do it. Bradley COULD do it, but the way he is playing, he shouldn't have to bite that bullet. KJ Lewis isn't a true "3". He is overmatched vs most true SFs. Carter would be better off starting and overall make it a "4 Horseman" approach where Bradley, Love, Carter can start, but KJ comes in and rotate those 4 names around often enough to be fresh, but also get everyone enough shots. KJ doesn't need the shots to be effective how he plays. He still needs to play though. Great heart, grit and determination is important. Carter can slide up to the 4 at times. He is versatile. Townsend and Awaka are a great handcuff tandem and I would like to see them able to play together. The only way to do that and not be overpowered defensively is to play both with Carter or Henri/Krivas. That's a super sized lineup and would only be "slow" if Krivas were in, but any other combination would be fast enough up and down.

Lot's of possibilities to feed the hot hand on a nightly basis if there wasn't a pre-set vision by Tommy that Love needs his "15 chucks" per game. Maybe the shot selection should start pretty much spreading it around, leaning in on who is making it, passing away from who isn't, but staying on the floor not "yanking" players and squashing confidence.

I mentioned this point in another thread regarding how much better this offense could be without Love on it.
Lewis would slide into his more natural position (SG).
Bryant would slide into his more natural position (SF).
The problem with that scenario is that you would not a very good wing coming off the bench the way this roster would be constructed, BUT that is where Sanon could have come in and done his thing.

Lloyd is too loyal to his "stars" and allows them too much freedom to play their way in (and out) of a funk.
The issue with Love is that he is not able to produce on the offensive end if he is not scoring.
He does not attack the basket with any intent on kicking out for an open three, or dumping it off to a big for an easy dunk.
I call it the "Kobe syndrome" minus the killer instinct to ACTUALLY get buckets.
#BearDown

[arxpert]

The problem with that scenario is that you would not a very good wing coming off the bench the way this roster would be constructed, BUT that is where Sanon could have come in and done his thing.

We do have Townsend. People are sort of forgetting about him. He is only 6'7" at best maybe 6'6". He is a SF. He is an awkward SF. The good kind of awkward. The type that can play inside the paint or outside. His game is virtually erased the way Tommy is playing it at the moment. I think Carter can start, but maybe the loyalty to upperclassmen gets in the way. Either way, we do have the perfect depth piece whether Townsend started and Carter played 25 min off the bench or vice versa. It is all about the opportunities to get shots and right now the balance of shot selection is not optimal.

[mvpreed2]

The problem with that scenario is that you would not a very good wing coming off the bench the way this roster would be constructed, BUT that is where Sanon could have come in and done his thing.

We do have Townsend. People are sort of forgetting about him. He is only 6'7" at best maybe 6'6". He is a SF. He is an awkward SF. The good kind of awkward. The type that can play inside the paint or outside. His game is virtually erased the way Tommy is playing it at the moment. I think Carter can start, but maybe the loyalty to upperclassmen gets in the way. Either way, we do have the perfect depth piece whether Townsend started and Carter played 25 min off the bench or vice versa. It is all about the opportunities to get shots and right now the balance of shot selection is not optimal.

From the way I have seen Townsend play this season?
Nothing about his game says he would be able to hold his own at SF.
He seems like an undersized PF; like a Draymond type with a better offensive package.
I like Bryant at that spot, but Lloyd is not going to bench Lewis so we are beating a dead horse.
The best we could hope for at this point would be Bryant taking all of Dell'Orso minutes.
#BearDown

[arxpert]

The problem with that scenario is that you would not a very good wing coming off the bench the way this roster would be constructed, BUT that is where Sanon could have come in and done his thing.

We do have Townsend. People are sort of forgetting about him. He is only 6'7" at best maybe 6'6". He is a SF. He is an awkward SF. The good kind of awkward. The type that can play inside the paint or outside. His game is virtually erased the way Tommy is playing it at the moment. I think Carter can start, but maybe the loyalty to upperclassmen gets in the way. Either way, we do have the perfect depth piece whether Townsend started and Carter played 25 min off the bench or vice versa. It is all about the opportunities to get shots and right now the balance of shot selection is not optimal.

From the way I have seen Townsend play this season?
Nothing about his game says he would be able to hold his own at SF.
He seems like an undersized PF; like a Draymond type with a better offensive package.
I like Bryant at that spot, but Lloyd is not going to bench Lewis so we are beating a dead horse.
The best we could hope for at this point would be Bryant taking all of Dell'Orso minutes.
#BearDown

This is College, not the NBA. Townsend was able to dominate last year at his prior level. He is much thicker than Tony Delly. I think he is going underrated at the moment. It is a mentality issue. If he is unable to get his fair share of shots, then what is he or we supposed to expect from this experience? Awaka came in and has become one of the top Rebounders in the Nation... all about being given a chance to do what you do best.

[KansasCityCats]

Townsend is the experienced (and slightly less athletic) version of Bryant. I think those two guys should be earning more time together.

[arxpert]

Townsend is the experienced (and slightly less athletic) version of Bryant. I think those two guys should be earning more time together.

That has been what I have been saying. I think it can happen and I also don't think it would cost us as much on the defensive end as some may think. There are ways to at least Try the lineup at minimum. Especially mid-game when matchups in dynamic.