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Time will tell if he becomes a trendsetter or another lost cause. Taking on the NBA and the NCAA is pretty ballsy proposition so good luck to him. And speaking of risk-taking, following the advice of Sonny Vaccaro over Lute Olson?
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Addressing the Core by Rod Graves:
1. Re-sign Calvin Pace (Miss)
2. Negotiate Extension with Dansby (Miss #2)
3. Re-structure Fitzgerald (TBD)
I'm glad it's over. Nic will run the show now. It will be interesting now to see how much playing time Lavender will see because Lute told him he is going to play this year. My starting five looks like this:
Wise
Chase
Horne
Hill
Whithey
I think if Fendi is healthy he will be a big contributer off the bench and Johnson should be the outside specialist. I saw Jacobson play a week ago and the guy does not deserve to have a scholarship. He is slow and not strong at all.
Jacobsen is terrible, he's Kirk Walters II. Like too many guys over the past few years that he was offered a scholarship (purely to get the overrated Wear Twins) is embarrassment to UA Basketball. That starting five sounds about right, good enough for #25 in a row but we won't win any championships. About on par with ASU, Washington, and USC clearly behind UCLA.
I'd also expect Lute and Dunlap to get at least one international player to come in between now and August or at the semester. If that player(s) can make an impact I'd knock us up a couple seeds.
__________________
Addressing the Core by Rod Graves:
1. Re-sign Calvin Pace (Miss)
2. Negotiate Extension with Dansby (Miss #2)
3. Re-structure Fitzgerald (TBD)
Did Lute really want a kid who was only in it for the money?
I'm VERY interested to hear what happened with the whole Larry Drew/Brandon Jennings situation.
It also should be interesting what fallout there is with future players. There's a lot of players out there with ties to Sonny Vaccaro so if Jennings is successful I'd expect this to become somewhat of a trend starting with Renardo Sidney next year if not Demar Derozan this summer.
__________________
Addressing the Core by Rod Graves:
1. Re-sign Calvin Pace (Miss)
2. Negotiate Extension with Dansby (Miss #2)
3. Re-structure Fitzgerald (TBD)
When eating or drinking in a restaurant while Sonny Vaccaro is there, it is wise to select a seat where one can put one's back against a wall and keep Vaccaro in view at all times.
The ironic thing about this whole situation is that had Jim Livengood foresaw the 2008 class inevitably coming apart he would've canned Lute in April and his boy the trainwreck Kevin O'Neill would be directing the team straight to the bottom of the Pac-10. So for once, old Jimbo's stupidity is actually paying off for the 'Cats. Thankfully he's gone with Stoops this December before the transition.
__________________
Addressing the Core by Rod Graves:
1. Re-sign Calvin Pace (Miss)
2. Negotiate Extension with Dansby (Miss #2)
3. Re-structure Fitzgerald (TBD)
The ironic thing about this whole situation is that had Jim Livengood foresaw the 2008 class inevitably coming apart he would've canned Lute in April and his boy the trainwreck Kevin O'Neill would be directing the team straight to the bottom of the Pac-10. So for once, old Jimbo's stupidity is actually paying off for the 'Cats. Thankfully he's gone with Stoops this December before the transition.
Chase saved this season. He actually benefits from Jennings not coming because he will get more looks, as will Hill and Horne. I don't see any mal-contents or egos on this team, which will be a big plus. Team chemistry is one of the most important things. The 2003 Cats team was not the most athletic but they played as a team.
I am very happy with the coaching staff this year and the players that have already committed for next year. I really believe Gaddy will be coming and Bradley very well could also.
Chase saved this season. He actually benefits from Jennings not coming because he will get more looks, as will Hill and Horne. I don't see any mal-contents or egos on this team, which will be a big plus. Team chemistry is one of the most important things. The 2003 Cats team was not the most athletic but they played as a team.
Chase was going NBA if KO was hired in favor of Lute no matter where he got a guarantee. So too probably was Jordan Hill. Wise and Horne in all likelihood transfer as well in that scenario. Arizona would've looked like Indiana except with Kevin O'Neill at the helm instead of Tom Crean. We'll get #25 just because Lute came back, what the coaches do the rest of the summer will tell us if they'll make it to #26.
And comparing this team to 2003 is quite a stretch. That team had Igoudala and Hassan Adams coming off the bench and started three current NBA players.
__________________
Addressing the Core by Rod Graves:
1. Re-sign Calvin Pace (Miss)
2. Negotiate Extension with Dansby (Miss #2)
3. Re-structure Fitzgerald (TBD)
Come on. After all the raves about how this kid would help UofA be in the hunt for the Final Four this year, am I to believe there is NO disappointment over losing him (or, the kid turning out to be a turd, if you want to spin it that way)? In fact, even a little spin that now the team will be BETTER? If ASU had a recruit touted this highly, in football or basketball, and they washed out, I'd say, "Well, that sucks."
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We live in a world which is full of misery and ignorance, and the plain duty of each and all of us is to try to make the little corner he can influence somewhat less miserable and somewhat less ignorant than it was before he entered it.
Chase was going NBA if KO was hired in favor of Lute no matter where he got a guarantee. So too probably was Jordan Hill. Wise and Horne in all likelihood transfer as well in that scenario. Arizona would've looked like Indiana except with Kevin O'Neill at the helm instead of Tom Crean. We'll get #25 just because Lute came back, what the coaches do the rest of the summer will tell us if they'll make it to #26.
And comparing this team to 2003 is quite a stretch. That team had Igoudala and Hassan Adams coming off the bench and started three current NBA players.
I know for a fact Hill was coming back. I have a few friends in the athletic department and they told me no way he was leaving even though the rumors were out there after the season ended. I never worried about Jordan but more on Chase. You are correct in Lute was gone but O'Neill was a nightmare and Lute had to come back.
The 2003 team had some athletes but so does this team with Horne & Hill. I was actually comparing the chemistry of both teams. I have seen some of the guys playing not only at McKale but also playing pickup games at the Rec Center. They seem to be a pretty close group and no egos are getting in the way. The group of Chase, Hill and Nic reminds me of Gardner, Walton and Anderson in terms of chemistry. I have talked to Jordan on more than a few occasions and he is a down to earth guy. He is definitely looking forward to this season and if he can stay out of foul trouble, he will put up monster numbers in the Pac-10.
I attended the UofA from '86 to '90 and the '88 team showed you can have talent but chemistry is very important. That team was talented but not the most athletic team Lute has had, but they knew how to play together. Elliott was a superstar but he cared more about wins than stats. I look at the 2004 team, which had some very talented players in Iggy, Hassan, Frye and Mustafa but the chemistry was horrible. Iggy and Rodgers actually threw punches at each other in a practice and Iggy was more interested in the NBA. It did not surprise me when they lost to a less talented Seton Hall team in the first round of the tournament.
Sorry this was so long but when talking about the program, my passion just comes out and sometimes I don't know when to stop.
Come on. After all the raves about how this kid would help UofA be in the hunt for the Final Four this year, am I to believe there is NO disappointment over losing him (or, the kid turning out to be a turd, if you want to spin it that way)? In fact, even a little spin that now the team will be BETTER? If ASU had a recruit touted this highly, in football or basketball, and they washed out, I'd say, "Well, that sucks."
Would I prefer having him here? Of course. He might be an egomaniac but his talent could mean championship and I'm willing to gamble watching an NBA audition derail the team to an #8 seed in hopes it could mean they hold up a trophy at some point during the season.
However that doesn't mean I think UA will suck without him because they won't. It's not like Jennings is the difference between missing the NIT and making the Final Four. So yeah, I'm disappointed but it's not the end of the world.
__________________
Addressing the Core by Rod Graves:
1. Re-sign Calvin Pace (Miss)
2. Negotiate Extension with Dansby (Miss #2)
3. Re-structure Fitzgerald (TBD)
Last edited by MaoTosiFanClub; July 8th, 2008 at 10:28 PM.
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