BGleas

Those things are correctable, but as we work on correcting them against Ft. Wayne, Butler, Louisville and Nebraska, our potential seeding is dropping like a rock. Meaning that we'll probably once again be regulated to a 5th-7th seed and a Sweet Sixteen would be a nice accomplishment, keeping IU locked into this Crean cycle of doing just enough to not get fired.

I'm so tired of rooting for a program that literally puts zero emphasis on defense and taking care of the ball. We didn't lose because of Louisville's defense, IU lost because they made unforced turnover after unforced turnover, missed wide open shots, and once again (probably the 4th-5th time this year) let a below average offense destroy them. Our ball screen/hedging defense is embarrassingly bad, we let people get to the rim at will , and consistently let bad 3-pt shooting teams go off because we play with our hands down. This is is pretty basic stuff that keeps happening year after year. IU seems so focused on player development and turning people into positionless players for the NBA that we no longer focus on what actually wins basketball games. I recently heard a college football coach asked about college offenses (mainly the spread/read option) not preparing QB's for the NFL and he replied "my job isn't to prepare QB's for the NFL, it's to win games". I feel like Crean needs a reminder on that.

Thanks for clarifying, I get your point much clearer now, and completely agree. It would be Stevens getting impatient or tired of the rebuild, not the Celtics/Ainge.

I'm not crazy, Ainge loves Doc and so does the Celtics ownership. Doc didn't want to go through a rebuild, so he and Ainge mutually agreed that it would be best to move on. The reason Doc is ok with a rebuild in LA is because he's not just the coach he's also the president of bball operations. But, Ainge wanted Doc to stay, they signed him to like a 5 year contract a year or two before the rebuild started. Both Ainge and the Celtics ownership are extremely loyal to coaches they believe in (believe in is the key part) and they believe in Stevens. Believe me I know, I was in meetings with the ownership when fans and media were screaming for Doc to be fired and Wyc always assured everyone that Doc was their guy and he wasn't going anywhere, this was behind closed doors. Stevens may get pressure from the media and fans, but it won't be from Ainge and the ownership. Yes, I follow the NBA and know exactly what Ainge's plan is, I followed it up close and personal the first time. Ainge and the ownership have been extremely patient in this rebuild and are following the same model they did with the previous one. They'll stick by the coach, and Ainge will continue to accumulate assets until they can land another big fish or two via trade. They've got Brooklyn's unprotected lottery pics the next two years and will either trade those pics for stars, or draft those slots and trade the players they pick once they establish themselves, as they did with Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Delonte West, etc.. But, they won't get impatient with Stevens while they work through that process of find the right pieces on the court. I do agree that Stevens could get antsy, and tired of waiting, and leave on his own. Thought I think he's probably too smart for that unless some incredible dream job better than the Celtics comes up (not sure what that would be), or if for some reason he tires of the long NBA season, though I think he really likes the NBA.

Aigne didn't get rid of Doc Rivers. Ainge and ownership wanted Doc to stay, but Doc didn't want to "start over" as the team was getting ready to move on from Pierce and Garnett. Doc didn't want to go back to rebuilding, so Ainge and Doc agreed on a mutal parting of the ways. Doc and Aigne are still close and have a good relationship, and Celtics ownership still loves Doc. As as far as Stevens, Aigne and ownership also really, really love him. When the ownership and Aigne really like a coach they will give him plenty of time, losing will not deter them. I was there when the Celtics were really struggling, and fans were screaming for Doc to be fired and it was never even considered by ownership or Ainge, they loved and believed in Doc and they do in Stevens too. The he reason for the Celtics slow start this year is simply health. Thomas, Horford and Crowder have all already missed considerable time. When healthy, the Celtics are something like 12-4. They've been really good when healthy. They should advance at least a round in the playoffs this year, and if matchups work out they could go to the ECF. But no, they're not a title contender year. But, the Celtics have a ton of assets and will make some deals to become a contender. Lomg story short, the Celtics love Stevens and will be extremely patient with him. My educated guess is that if Stevens leaves the Celtics anytime soon it's because he chose too, not because the Celtics fired him.

Could be, nothing is absolute, but I'd guess that most of the time it would only make it worse. Teams with poor chemistry typically aren't missing just talent, but usually leadership too. I'd guess a 5* kid enrolling early mid-season to get to the NBA quicker isn't going to add much leadership.

This is a quick way to destroy your season if you're a college coach. This might become a "thing" for the top high school players, but after a few failed experiments, I'm sure the top schools will avoid it. There's no way, regardless of how talented a guy is, that adding a guy midseason who has never practiced, played or really event spent more than a minute with your team would work out well. Seems like it would crush team chemistry.

Geez, K just keeps doubling down on his horrendous handling of all this. Really, why is he SOOOO defensive about this? It seems pretty simple, yet K keeps making it really difficult.

Granted the competition hasn't been the best, but just put the PU game down as a maybe in case Swanigan goes beast mode on us. He looks like a man among boys right now, and PU is playing really well. They're going to be tough.

Somewhere between 13-5 and 12-6. Losses @UMD, @Mich, @Wiscy, @Iowa and @Pur. Another loss mixed in could be @OSU or home to PU.

What an awful response by Coach K. I'm a big K fan overall, but he's handled this horrendously since the first trip.

That would just be doubling down on an event we should already not be playing in. We'd be trading a locked in game against Butler or ND potentially for a game against Ball State or IUPUI? No thanks!

I don't think being drafted is going to matter for JBJ. Things have changed over the years, while the NBA is certainly the goal for these guys, many of them would rather go undrafted and take their shot in the D-League or make six figures in Europe than go unpaid in college for 4 years. Troy is a perfect example, but you can find more all over college basketball. I think JBJ is gone regardless of what any mock draft is saying.

Seems like the new equivalent to the Owner/AD showing full support "kiss of death".

It will be interesting to see how the next year and a half go. I could see this group getting stronger as the year goes on, winning the Big Ten and making an Elite 8 or even Final Four run, essentially securing a CTC extension. Or, I could see us losing to Louisville, not completely gelling and then finishing something like 3rd-4th in the Big Ten with a round of 32 exit. If the latter happens, and we lose TB, OG and JBJ, then finish 5th or 6th next year and lose in the 1st round, I could see Crean getting fired. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

This year we're an above average shooting team, not great. Nowhere near as good as last year.

I thought our staff saw everyone in that role?

I can't believe I'm saying this, because I've been so vocal against the 3-guard lineup in the past, but with this years team I like it. I feel like when we have 3 of Bryant, Morgan, OG or Davis it completely bogs our movement down. With OG and Morgan they can shoot the three, but if I'm defending them I want them shooting 3's. If they make it, so be it, but I'll take that over letting them get in the paint. With tho three guards this year we just seem to have better movement and pace.

I've thought about that as well, and it's probably a variety of things. Teams aren't keying on Davis defensively like they are TB and Davis has a wider frame so to Wayne's point he does clear out and seal better than TB. I'd also be curious to see the difference in who their minutes are with in terms of the guards they're on the floor with. For example, someone like a Devonte Green is going to look to pass more than a JBJ.

I have a bit of a different perspective. I'm not saying TB has been dominant, but in his defense I think early on this season everyone is keying on stopping him. Teams aren't sold on our guards (especially without Yogi this year) and we run a guard focused offense anyways. Teams are doubling and packing in on TB, and our guards aren't good at getting him the ball. It's a little like the Vonleh year, where our guards simply aren't patient enough to let things play out. I've watched numerous times where TB is open on the block but the guard (usually Blackmon) is way to quick to swing the ball and TB is wide open a split-second late. So while he hasn't been as dominant as expected, I don't think that means he hasn't been really good and impactful. He definitely impacts games in a lot of ways beyond scoring. But yes, we do need to get him much more involved in the offense to be as good as we hope.

Would be so great if IU and ND both win, so IU, Butler and ND are all 4-2 and Purdue is 0-6!

That just further reiterates that the majority of the time these crystal ball guys are just guessing without any real info.

To me some of the big keys, not only for IU to reach it's ceiling this year but to maintain next year, are CuJo and Davis developing and making a consistent impact. Davis is on good pace, but it would really help this season and for an increased role next year if CuJo can turn into a reliable/consistent scorer off the bench this year.

The UNC game was largely a half court game, and we excelled. UNC wanted to run, and I believe we held them to just 2 transition points the entire game. Also, we were really without OG for the IPFW game, which changes things pretty significantly for this team. I'd also caution against comparing this team to Crean's previous IU teams. IMO this team is much different than any he's had since he got to IU. We finally have the size and length you'd want in a team. The 2013 team had an extremely small backcourt, and even VO while athletic was small for the 3 in some cases. Last year's team, especially by the end, was also pretty small on the perimeter, starting Yogi and Z. This team really has size and length at every position and off the bench, making it much more conducive to a half court game. It's also Crean's best defensive and rebounding team, also making it conducive to the half-court. I'm not saying getting into a slow-down, slug it out half-court battle against Louisville is the game-plan, but I think of all Crean's IU teams this one is set-up best to excel in that type of game.

Another reason we need OG back and healthy. Can't waste a home game or two early in the Big Ten.