Leaderboard

We don't even know if he has an offer. And CAM doesn't just throw out offers, so I think that we need to slow down on the Crean-like offer talk.

I think it's roster mismanagement if you don't have two big bigs to cycle in. At least 6'10". It has very little to do with offense, but everything to do with defense. You can still score if you have 5 guards. But if the other team has a big, you have to have the guys to defend him. By its nature the defenders in the lane pick up fouls, and so you really need two of them. I've mentioned before that Archie really got hamstrung this year by playing Juwan at the 5, and then having his best player on the bench for huge periods of time. Positionless as a term gets tossed around far more than as a true strategy. I think a better way of saying it is that you want versatile players. Of course everyone wants the 6'9" players that can pass, drive, shoot the 3, and defend 1-5. Duh? There just aren't many of them. Rob Phinisee wouldn't excel on a "positionless" team, but if Rob Phinisee wants to commit to you and take on the traditional PG role, then by golly you let him. You scheme around the talents of your players. For the advanced analytics guys, the NBA has prioritized running data to see which players complement each other, and then basing lineups on that. I think it's called the Net Rating. This is the origin of the GSW "death lineup." Also, you guys may remember a couple years back, Yogi teamed up with Dirk to form the unlikely most efficient (although seldom used) lineup in the NBA. Archie has made glancing comments in the past about seeing how guys play with each other to determine lineups, and so it's possible that he's keeping this data himself. The "PG/SG/SF/PF/C" terminology is hokey and dated, but I think we all know what it means. Just as easy to use the 1-5 designation and get your point across. It's just a quick way of communicating a player's attributes. Another interesting take is the guy that used his company's mapping algorithms and determined there are 13 positions. The article itself hasn't gained much traction, but it's just another way of saying that what you really want are good basketball players, rather than pigeon-holed traditional roles. https://www.wired.com/2012/04/analytics-basketball/

Vonleh was one of the most impressive rebounders I’ve ever seen. He was a Roomba out there.

http://www.footballfoundation.org/News/NewsDetail/tabid/567/Article/55864/2018-college-football-hall-of-fame-ballot-released.aspx Antwaan Randle El, Indiana-Quarterback-2001 consensus First Team All-American…First player in FBS history to pass for 6,000 yards and rush for 3,000 yards in career…Rushed for more yards than any QB in FBS history upon conclusion of career.

Pretty interesting read on Mike Davis and his son. ... I always liked Davis, but I thought it was a mistake to hand him the keys to the IU empire after he really hadn't accomplished anything. After that interim season, the administration should've simply said: "We really appreciate you stepping in and getting us through a difficult situation, but we're going in a different direction." ... Initially, the optics wouldn't have been good, but if you bring in the right person, that is soon forgotten. (How many people remember that the Cubs fired Ricky Renteria as manager just because Joe Maddon became available? It was harsh and looked awful, but after four straight playoff appearances, including a World Series title, nobody even remembers that). ... Anyway, here's the Mike and Antoine Davis piece ... https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2019/06/03/antoine-davis-detroit-mercy-mike-davis-nba?xid=socialflow_twitter_si&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=sinow&fbclid=IwAR2RS0KqWbbJCLl_0VPIKcnf1iSFNqxeUo8DA4yY8HXPbOLoRylZtsotuIQ

Strom is so, so on point. Need players to rebound and defend against size - not 'positionless' in that respect. But on offense, there are plenty of skillsets that can work with so many different size players filling them. For instance, I grew up a Chicago Bulls fan. In the 70's they had a 'true' point (Van Lier) at 6'1", a true sg (Sloan) at 6'4", two true forwards (Love & Walker), and true 5 (Boerwinkle) at 7'0"" Each of those players skills fit the conventional definition of what their size and position should encompass, and they were perenniel contenders. In the 90's the Bulls had either Kerr, Paxson, or BJ Armstrong at 6'1" at the guard spot opposite Jordan for a large amount of time. On defense each of these small players guarded the other team's conventional point, but on offense they were pure wings, with Jordan, Pippen, or Kukoc playing the point.

Any decent player is focused on getting to the NBA. He doesn't look like he's going to be a 1 and done, but if he's good enough to be that, then yes we absolutely want him. A playmaking point guard is probably the most valuable position in college basketball. Rob could handle being the 1A/1B if it came to that. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Davide Moretti? Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

I agree. I'm predicting he is the Big Ten FOY and All-Big Ten/All-American good his sophomore year. Exactly the kind of kid Archie needs. Those who are all-in and want to get better. I get having NBA dreams, but you have to put in work to get there.

Position less doesn’t mean they can play all 5 positions. Position less mean they can float and play multiple roles for them. There literally is no team anywhere where everybody can play every role.

A good majority of NBA players fall under his description for a positionless player. You picked the two best players on the planet at it. You don’t have to be the best at it to make it true. Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

I'm struggling with why we're potentially interested. Is he really an asset to the team or just taking up a scholly? I really hate, hate, hate that I'm saying this, but this seems like a Crean move to me.

Vonleh was awesome on the boards. However, seemed limited on offense. Hope that's not the case with TJD. I think he can score 12 a game in year one. Offense has to come from someone right?

Must be about 20 years old. We have a three person class, all in-state. Getting a foreign exchange student in the mix won't affect the very strong in-state flavor of the last two classes.

Interesting? Yes. But, IMO not a player for our program at this time. The kid is focused on the NBA, so he's going to expect starters minutes where ever he goes - do we want a very possible 1 and done taking the ball out of Rob P's hands only to bail on the team? We're still trying to establish a "culture" & "get older", pursuing players like this seems at odds with those goals.

lol. Yep I agree. I know he hasn’t been great in the NBA but imagine him as a 4th year guy. His rebounding numbers would have been wild. Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

Agree that TJD has handled everything perfectly. Hoping for the best for TJD! Excited to see an athletic big guy. Seems like he could be like Vonleh as a freshman. Maybe not quite the rebounder that Vonleh was. Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

Positionless basketball doesn’t mean you don’t have bigs, it means those bigs are skilled guys that can handle, pass, shoot and defend the perimeter. For example, I just watched Boogie Cousins, who is a big dude, grab a board and take it up in transition and the kick it out to Iggoudala for a 3.

Unpopular opinion, but the more I look at last season, and now what we’ve learned about Langford’s injury since the season ended, I’m chalking last season up to injuries. If even 1/3 of the injuries don’t happen, IU makes the tournament and Brooks probably even commits. But, the reality is that those injuries happened and we are where we are. So, now Archie has to try and overcome it. I really hope he can get this team to gel and overachieve, because I think he was really close to getting the momentum going if the injuries hadn’t been so bad. If he can find a way to get this team in the tourney, then I think he can get all this back on track and get IU back to contending regularly

This moral high horse conundrum is always interesting to me. Many of these kids are able to make money playing basketball but the NBA/NCAA have created this financial giant. If we really want to be upset about something. Maybe we should aim the moral judgement to the University and NCAA that make millions and billions of dollars while not compensating the kids something outside of a scholarship many of them don’t want. Track the dollars and find out who is really stuffing their pockets before we stand tall on our moral high horses. Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

Ha, I am far from it. I lucked into the outcome that came from that decision. MySpace was around when I was in college, and Facebook had started when I was getting my MBA. Honestly during my internship a couple of my buddies were going through interviews same time as me and posted things on Facebook that Eli Lilly saw where they wouldn’t hire them. From that point on I figured it was best to not potentially get caught up in things like that, because I probably would post insensitive things for some and have to deal with the drama. I have had a cell phone with the same number since my sophomore year in high school in ‘98. The people I want to talk to know how to get at me when they want. Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

Honestly there inability to play as a team is worse in my eyes if there wasn’t some kind of rift between them on.a personal level

‘Sky is falling’ vs the reality that we are spinning our wheels in mediocrity? Sky isn’t falling, that’s for sure. But have we shown any tangible evidence we are advancing towards being a top 10 basketball program? Hence the angst from the fanbase that wants to be a top 10 program. Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

Kelley undergrad is 10th in the country in US News and 4th undergrad in Bloomberg, both of which hold more clout and gravitas than money magazine. The MBA program tends to hover around #20, which is still great considering many top MBA programs do not offer undergrad business majors. The business school is doing fine and still ranked amongst the best of them. IU’s biggest problem with these rankings has little to do with the quality of the education and more to do with having more lax admissions standards than peer institutions, allowing weaker students to both get a chance and run a higher risk of not finishing, at all or within four years, both of which hurt overall rankings.