Paulius Murauskas 6'8 2023 F has committed to Arizona!

[arxpert]

I might be missing someone typing off the top of my head, but I don't see where Tommy is going with this roster at all. And don't go Captain Insano - these are not the starting lineups I would use. Pelle will ALWAYS be a 6th man at 25-30mpg to me coming in off the bench to lead the 2nd unit.

Good thing you wouldn't use them coaching from your couch.

For starters, I am not 100% sure where PL is better at; off the bench, or as a starter.
The problem you are going to have as I type this is that there is no one that is going to be able to man that 3 spot in the starting lineup.
PL is the best option, and it isn't even close.

G - JB
G - KB
F -
F -
C - OM

I am not going to assume AT is coming back.
If he does, he mans one of those F spots.
As for the other one, FB is the only other option on the roster right now.
If Johnson does commit, I believe he is going to be that F that AT is leaving vacated.
You still need someone for that other spot and FB is not it at this point.
#BearDown

Keshad will start SF over Pelle. We have no backup Guards. So unless KJ Lewis outplays someone to a major extent, Pelle is needed on the 2nd Unit. Remember, we have extreme size that has to be utilized as Tommy doesn't have much more in his playbook besides moonball lobs. But I am hoping Boswell and Bradley defy Tommy and force him to add Pick and Roll, Pick and Pop with our Bigs.

Alright, let's play this out Coach Pert.
You plug in KJ at SF, and you leave PL off the bench?
That's fine, but now we have to figure out what we are going to do about the other F spot.

AT is gone, or are you hoping he comes back?
Because right now, we have a glaring hole at F and no one on this roster (in my opinion) is good enough to fill it.
We also have no Gs coming off the bench, one coming in, and we aren't hitting on any other prospects right now.
You are the head coach though, so how do you want us to play this?
#BearDown

Couple things here. These are just starting lineups. There's no law that a starting lineup has to stay on the court for more than 1 second. Anything can be adjusted on the fly. Pelle is the guy that comes in and targets an opponent defensively and he is the guy who comes in and makes some cuts to the rim and hits an occasional 3. At least that is who he *was* with Kerr around. We don't know what he is now. I believe he is the 6th man. The reliable veteran Guard off the bench that can play 25+ minutes per game in relief. Bradley may be the 6th man for all we know in the end, but he was the 5* if I'm not mistaken. There are some expectations there from us as fans, Tommy as a coach, and Bradley as a player who committed to come here to Play not sit.

If you are concerned with the PF slot, or "F", then it stands to reason you believe Tommy has done nothing to develop Henri or Dylan Anderson. To which I may say I agree with you. But for me to have to put those words into your mouth so to speak, it doesn't sit right with me. I'd prefer to see you say it yourself. "Tommy did no one any favors in their development last season outside of the 6.5 players who got minutes" --- However, I happen to be one person on this forum that thinks both of them are good players. Especially Dylan. So if Tommy wants to continue to sit them while paying them, then that's on him.

I also think it stands to reason that Krivas and Paulius are not on your radar to be contributors at all if I am reading your comment correctly. That is probably true to some extent. Many people felt Zoo Tubelis had no chance to contribute when he first arrived. I think that one of them should be able to contribute. If they are or were on the Draft radar, they obviously can play the game. So it's up to Tommy to decide if he can manage a deep roster. Especially if Borovician is incapable of growing his game. Is Borovician just a Goerner? We don't really know. Tommy doesn't know how to coach past 6.5 players so far.

----

There is also no logic available that says Ballo, at 6'9" can't step into the PF role and one of the 2 players Henri 6'11", Dylan 7'0" can play Center. Yes, I said 6'9". Maybe he is 6'10" with his hair. It's possible. Tubelis was only 6'8" (confirmed at the combine). Would Ballo not be the most overpowering PF in the entire country if Tommy deployed him there? So get Henri or Dylan on that court. Or maybe Krivas is further along in development than anyone thinks and he could be out there as the true Center.

Tommy's playbook is all Moonball Lobs anyway. People got mad that Miller played Ayton and Ristic, but will be gushing to see Ballo running the court with Henri/Dylan/Krivas if it happens.

We also don't know anything about KJ Lewis. Every year there are players that arrive onto the scene and outperform any fathomable expectation. Maybe he comes in there and makes Pelle look like a complete scrub. Derrick Williams was on no radar to be dominant like he was when he showed up.

I believe Tommy has no excuses to not win the Pac12 Conference and Conference Tournament as well as earn a 1 or 2 seed. The roster is very deep now.

There is some food for thought for you.

[mvpreed2]

If you are concerned with the PF slot, or "F", then it stands to reason you believe Tommy has done nothing to develop Henri or Dylan Anderson. To which I may say I agree with you. But for me to have to put those words into your mouth so to speak, it doesn't sit right with me. I'd prefer to see you say it yourself. "Tommy did no one any favors in their development last season outside of the 6.5 players who got minutes" --- However, I happen to be one person on this forum that thinks both of them are good players. Especially Dylan. So if Tommy wants to continue to sit them while paying them, then that's on him.

I also think it stands to reason that Krivas and Paulius are not on your radar to be contributors at all if I am reading your comment correctly. That is probably true to some extent. Many people felt Zoo Tubelis had no chance to contribute when he first arrived. I think that one of them should be able to contribute. If they are or were on the Draft radar, they obviously can play the game. So it's up to Tommy to decide if he can manage a deep roster. Especially if Borovician is incapable of growing his game. Is Borovician just a Goerner? We don't really know. Tommy doesn't know how to coach past 6.5 players so far.

----

There is also no logic available that says Ballo, at 6'9" can't step into the PF role and one of the 2 players Henri 6'11", Dylan 7'0" can play Center. Yes, I said 6'9". Maybe he is 6'10" with his hair. It's possible. Tubelis was only 6'8" (confirmed at the combine). Would Ballo not be the most overpowering PF in the entire country if Tommy deployed him there? So get Henri or Dylan on that court. Or maybe Krivas is further along in development than anyone thinks and he could be out there as the true Center.

We also don't know anything about KJ Lewis. Every year there are players that arrive onto the scene and outperform any fathomable expectation. Maybe he comes in there and makes Pelle look like a complete scrub. Derrick Williams was on no radar to be dominant like he was when he showed up.

I believe Tommy has no excuses to not win the Pac12 Conference and Conference Tournament as well as earn a 1 or 2 seed. The roster is very deep now.

There is some food for thought for you.

I won't say "done nothing" but to go from >10mins/gm to now being an impactful starter?
There is normally a progression that needs to come with that, and no I do not believe DA/HV has got enough reps to make that jump solely.
I do believe we could see a position by committee with DA/HV simply because they have not progressed enough to man the position individually.
Not a knock on talent, but a lack on missed opportunities to gain quality reps during the 2022-23 season.

I am not sure what to make of the 2023 prospects because of how the 2022 prospects were treated.
They started out getting quality reps, and then Lloyd tightened the leash and we only seen KB/PL get in every game.
If they are good enough, then Lloyd has found some diamond(s) that are able to step in immediately.
I am not going to say that until I see it with my own eyes though.

The way the offense is ran, it doesn't matter who is at PF/C because whoever gets down the court first gets that post up action off the secondary break in transition.
I am not sure who gets the nod at the other big spot, but I do remember a few on this site saying that HV was going to be a good one.
For him to be the next best big on the roster, and the amount of minutes he got?
My eyes tell me that those two are not equal, and he should have got a lot more quality minutes last season; so I have no idea what MK is going to do walking in as the...4th best big (classifying KJ as a wing) until proven otherwise?

Excellent point on KJL and beautiful callback to DW.
Everyone thought that SH and MJ were going to be the guys, and then DW shines as a freshman, and turns into an All-American his sophomore year.
I just like trying to project what it what going into the off-season before workouts start and the info is able to come out about how has (and has not) taken huge jumps in their game.

As far as where Arizona stands in 2023?
I do not believe this roster I am looking at (on paper) is good enough to win the PAC-12 next season.
USC/Oregon/Colorado all add 5* prospects to their rosters next season.
I do not want to go too deep and try to look at portal departures, but I expect Colorado/Oregon/USC to be in the top 5 next season, and all of them have more established talent on their rosters as I type this.
#BearDown

[KansasCityCats]

Henri and Dylan were both raw freshmen that had all-conference big men playing ahead of them on the roster. It's not that our staff didn't develop them...they just need to patiently wait for an opportunity to step in and contribute.

Pelle will likely play as many minutes as he can, which is likely the amount of game-time that he isn't in foul trouble.

There's a good chance that we have two 7-footers on the floor together for 15 minutes per game...and plenty of minutes where we have 4 long guards and one big man.

This roster has a lot of versatility and the staff will not just play 6-7 players because we have players that understand the system...and a point guard that doesn't shoot sub-30% from 3.

[arxpert]

If you are concerned with the PF slot, or "F", then it stands to reason you believe Tommy has done nothing to develop Henri or Dylan Anderson. To which I may say I agree with you. But for me to have to put those words into your mouth so to speak, it doesn't sit right with me. I'd prefer to see you say it yourself. "Tommy did no one any favors in their development last season outside of the 6.5 players who got minutes" --- However, I happen to be one person on this forum that thinks both of them are good players. Especially Dylan. So if Tommy wants to continue to sit them while paying them, then that's on him.

I also think it stands to reason that Krivas and Paulius are not on your radar to be contributors at all if I am reading your comment correctly. That is probably true to some extent. Many people felt Zoo Tubelis had no chance to contribute when he first arrived. I think that one of them should be able to contribute. If they are or were on the Draft radar, they obviously can play the game. So it's up to Tommy to decide if he can manage a deep roster. Especially if Borovician is incapable of growing his game. Is Borovician just a Goerner? We don't really know. Tommy doesn't know how to coach past 6.5 players so far.

----

There is also no logic available that says Ballo, at 6'9" can't step into the PF role and one of the 2 players Henri 6'11", Dylan 7'0" can play Center. Yes, I said 6'9". Maybe he is 6'10" with his hair. It's possible. Tubelis was only 6'8" (confirmed at the combine). Would Ballo not be the most overpowering PF in the entire country if Tommy deployed him there? So get Henri or Dylan on that court. Or maybe Krivas is further along in development than anyone thinks and he could be out there as the true Center.

We also don't know anything about KJ Lewis. Every year there are players that arrive onto the scene and outperform any fathomable expectation. Maybe he comes in there and makes Pelle look like a complete scrub. Derrick Williams was on no radar to be dominant like he was when he showed up.

I believe Tommy has no excuses to not win the Pac12 Conference and Conference Tournament as well as earn a 1 or 2 seed. The roster is very deep now.

There is some food for thought for you.

I won't say "done nothing" but to go from >10mins/gm to now being an impactful starter?
There is normally a progression that needs to come with that, and no I do not believe DA/HV has got enough reps to make that jump solely.
I do believe we could see a position by committee with DA/HV simply because they have not progressed enough to man the position individually.
Not a knock on talent, but a lack on missed opportunities to gain quality reps during the 2022-23 season.

I am not sure what to make of the 2023 prospects because of how the 2022 prospects were treated.
They started out getting quality reps, and then Lloyd tightened the leash and we only seen KB/PL get in every game.
If they are good enough, then Lloyd has found some diamond(s) that are able to step in immediately.
I am not going to say that until I see it with my own eyes though.

The way the offense is ran, it doesn't matter who is at PF/C because whoever gets down the court first gets that post up action off the secondary break in transition.
I am not sure who gets the nod at the other big spot, but I do remember a few on this site saying that HV was going to be a good one.
For him to be the next best big on the roster, and the amount of minutes he got?
My eyes tell me that those two are not equal, and he should have got a lot more quality minutes last season; so I have no idea what MK is going to do walking in as the...4th best big (classifying KJ as a wing) until proven otherwise?

Excellent point on KJL and beautiful callback to DW.
Everyone thought that SH and MJ were going to be the guys, and then DW shines as a freshman, and turns into an All-American his sophomore year.
I just like trying to project what it what going into the off-season before workouts start and the info is able to come out about how has (and has not) taken huge jumps in their game.

As far as where Arizona stands in 2023?
I do not believe this roster I am looking at (on paper) is good enough to win the PAC-12 next season.
USC/Oregon/Colorado all add 5* prospects to their rosters next season.
I do not want to go too deep and try to look at portal departures, but I expect Colorado/Oregon/USC to be in the top 5 next season, and all of them have more established talent on their rosters as I type this.
#BearDown

I see no reason why USC, Colorado, or Oregon beat us straight up. Mr. KC doesn't believe in 5* players overall so why should any 1 5* like Cody Williams or Collier be the end all be all to defeating an army of 10-11 players like we have if they are coached properly? Put Keshod on Williams or Collier. Put Bradley on Bronny James. Bradley was a 5* was he not? I think almost everyone is going to want to give Bronny the business this year. No one is happy with that nepotism.

Overall we won't know what the chemistry looks like and we don't know what the new players bring until they get out there on the court. If Tommy doesn't play 9 players deep this season all the way up until Tournament play then there is something wrong with his coaching.

It is not hard to understand Mark Few's system especially on offense. I don't believe Tommy is an X's and O's guy. Sean Miller used to call great plays out of timeouts and in half court sets. As boring as people said he was he was a Coach's Coach. Tommy is just relying on 3 Ball and Pace overall. It's not that different than watching the Warriors jack up 50 3's on 100 possessions. Just within the College minutes, rules and foul allowances. I don't see Tommy going to multiple zones, matchup zones, or different types of presses until we are down like 10-20pts. He doesn't mix up defense enough for my liking. This could be because Kerr got the team flopping around too much and stuck them playing 4 on 5 a lot.

Ultimately there is no excuse for Henri or Dylan to not be playing unless Krivas is some sort of Monster that will take the College world by storm instantly. Big's don't have to bang. Henri and Dylan showed they can face up and also shoot outside. I wouldn't do it often for Dylan, but I would with Henri. Paulius could be way better than expected. He may be able to log minutes if Tommy gives him a chance. And again, what is Borovician? Is he a basketball player? He is supposed to progress too, not just sit there with speedo shorts on.

No one has an excuse to not be playing overall except for when they go on the court and play like shit. That's the moral of the story. Pelle went out there as a starter and played like hot cabbage (he stunk). He played his way back to the bench. I don't believe Bal played his way back to the bench. There had to be some problem undisclosed between Bal and another player or Tommy for Tommy to play favorites at the detriment of the roster. People used to scream Miller did this, but no one has done it more blatantly than Tommy.

Onto the pressing matter at hand -

Ballo has a responsibility to come up to 70-75% FT shooting this year. If he doesn't, that's a failure from Tommy. Ballo could be a PF easily taking over Tubelis's lobs considering the size that will be sitting on that bench doing nothing if Ballo is the 5 man this season. Wasting 3 players taller than Ballo would be criminal.

Tommy needs to coach inside out passing. Think about Channing Frye and Salim Stoudamire way back in the days. Channing became a phenomenal 3pt shooter in the NBA, but in College around 2005 he was pretty unstoppable down low with Salim shooting outside.

This team needs to be able to work the ball in and out, not just in - Ballo gets mugged - then make 50% of FTs.

A lot of these issues can be put to rest if Tommy landed Arthur Kaluma.

[KansasCityCats]

5* players can win individual games but they rarely allow you to win significant titles as a team.

Miller understood fundamentals and recruiting better than almost any D-1 coach but he was not a X's and O's guy. Archie was the brains behind the dead ball plays. After he left for Dayton, Arizona struggled to draw up anything besides a lob from under the basket, hence the multiple losses at the buzzers where point guards ran in circles and threw up prayers from the top of the key.

[arxpert]

Still have to be able to coach games to those "last plays". Plenty of X's and O's that go unnoticed all around with Miller's teams. If you think Archie was the brains and Sean didn't absorb any of it then that's too outlandish for me. We had plenty of years of different types of teams under Sean Miller. Top Defensive Teams. Top Offensive Teams.

Tommy needs to progress (grow) more than anyone overall. The players will improve as they do, but Tommy as a ton of room to grow and improve and he needs to do it at a far more rapid pace. No one wants to see Arizona lose the Pac12, regress by not winning the Pac12 Tournament, then get bounced out early again in March and then hear a player saying "their hearts / minds weren't in it" and Tommy saying "I'm not happy, but I have a lot to learn".

[KansasCityCats]

Sean Miller has a brilliant basketball mind but Archie deserves a sign I sent amount of credit for the behind-the-scene play designs. After leaving Tucson, the Cats severely struggled to score on in-bounds plays and couldn't break the zone to save our lives. It wasn't just a struggle within the final possession.

[arxpert]

Sean Miller has a brilliant basketball mind but Archie deserves a sign I sent amount of credit for the behind-the-scene play designs. After leaving Tucson, the Cats severely struggled to score on in-bounds plays and couldn't break the zone to save our lives. It wasn't just a struggle within the final possession.

I don't even remember what year Archibald left, but 1 thing with Miller teams is he rides cores. He rode the Derrick Williams/Solomon/Momo core til it expired. He rode the Zews, Bash, RHJ Core with TJ McConnell and adding Stanley/Gordo in consecutive years. Then he rode the Zo Trier, Rawle, PJC, Ristic core with Lauri/Ayton inserted.

In between all 3 of those cores we typically had 1 year of a reset where we had too much turn over of talent and not enough coming in at the same time. This was before the FBI and also applies to the Nico/Green/Zeke core that was supposed to have Terry Armstrong and then the International Core thrown together.

The years with a Mark Lyons, Ryan Luther, Ryan Anderson, Justin Coleman, Dylan Smith as the "guy" for the team were rough to deal with, but part of the process.

One thing I do like about Tommy is he is trying to make it so there aren't any years like that in between cores. He is trying to build this roster for some plug and play, but long term development. The only concern is this strategy is not meant for Power 5 top tier programs and it's not meant for the NIL Era unless part of the NIL deals is signing the kids the way pros are where they won't bail for better money elsewhere. But we know that is not "legal" and any kid can rugpull at any point.

My hope is Tommy builds enough social capital with some of these guys where they will actually stay. Kerr and Bal bolted. I think Kerr's pride was hurt more than anything and I think Bal had a legit problem with a current player on the roster or Tommy himself. Just my own opinion about that. There's no reason Bal wouldn't be playing good minutes this year if Tommy took the time to develop him over the last 2 years or if the relationship was good between them.

So ultimately Tommy owes us a "Gordon, Ayton, Lauri, Stanley" type of Plug in 5* to the core. I just hope he can keep the core together in this era.

[KansasCityCats]

Bal was this year's Barcello. He has a ton of talent but it never translated to in-game success while in Tucson. It's hard to justify playing a kid that just can't perform. Hopefully, a change of scenery prompts success for Adama. It worked for Alex.

Agreed regarding the core of the program. I personally believe that it's harder to develop a core in this era of college basketball because the NIL combined with the freedom to transfer prevents coaches from developing consistency.

College basketball is permanently damaged. Every offseason will forever be full of kids that needed an additional year to learn...who bolt for the "next best opportunity" because they were impatient and were offered more money to play elsewhere.

Lloyd is doing s great job of retaining the players that will provide stability in Tucson.

[Jdmarti]

I will say from watching the footage of paulius, recruiting  him makes alot of cents.

He has a nice shot from 3, runs the court well.

I am happy with this pickup.

Arizona  bringing  in krivas didn't  make cents to be since you already have ballo an anderson at center.