BGleas

Yeah, they can't trade a first rounder until 2027.

Love the rotation/minutes allocation there. On another note, 17 guys played in that game and I'm pretty sure at least 11 had at least an NBA appearance.

Generally agree. I mean, I'll take the title, but otherwise agree. I think IU's issue recruiting-wise has been not stacking enough of the fringe NBA guys. The issue hasn't been not getting enough 1 and dones. Give me all of the TJD's, Watford's, Yogi's, Troy Williams', OG's, Juwan Morgan's, Bryant's, etc., that we can get. We need to stack classes with guys ranked between 20ish-70ish. These NBA prospects that are missing one thing (Yogi with his height as an example) that causes them to stay 3-4 years. UNC does this. Villanova does this. Baylor generally does this. Gonzaga does this. Maybe even Michigan under Beilein. I'd even say Kansas does this to an extent, though they're probably in between this and the UK/Duke model. We dont need one and dones, but we need guys that after 2-4 years of college are NBA radar guys. But you need more then one at a time.

Basically the 15-16 team with Yogi, JBJ, Rojo, Ziesloft, etc.

I'm a Trey Galloway fan! I think he's perfect for 20-25mpg off the bench, and I kind of view him as a 6th starter. There is a reason some of IU's best lineups and best performances came with TG on the court this season. I also don't think he needs to slow down at all. His speed and aggressiveness are his greatest asset. I do think he'll improve even more as the game continues to of down for him, but I don't think he really needs to slow down. IMO he's a huge part of where this program is going. With that said, he's not the star, he's a role guy, but a role guy that just gets better and better as the talent around him is better.

Not saying Howard definitely ends up in LA, and the writer didn't say that either. But, this isn't a 'writer getting bored' either. Bulpett has been around the NBA for 30+ years. He goes back to the 80's with the Boston Herald and isn't a guy that just throws crap out there for clicks. I worked with him closely for 4-5 years, he's a good, respected reporter. But again, that doesn't mean Howard is leaving for the Lakers.

I don’t think NBA people really care about his record at Michigan or whether he arguably hasn't met expectations in 2 of 3 seasons.

Yeah, Spoelstra is considered one of the top coaches in the NBA for a long time. I guess Howard is no more a risk then anyone else they could get? Unless they can lure somebody like a Nick Nurse out of Toronto simply 'because it's LA.' You either try a retread or a respected assistant getting their first head coaching shot.

He's highly regarded in the NBA. He was basically next up, as far as first-time head coaches, for an NBA head coaching job. He only went to Michigan because of the alma mater piece. He was a longtime assistant on one of the most highly regarded staffs (Miami Heat) in the NBA.

I don’t know that he has something to prove, he's already highly regarded at the NBA level. I just more think he has the luxury to be picky at this point. Obviously it's 'the Lakers', but at the same time where are they going to be a year from now? If they can't reload around the core (James & Davis), then you could be looking at a complete rebuild.

Completely fine with a ton of running and XJ still being our point guard next season. One of those im good with whatever the coach decides things. Woodson has a ton more info than we do.

I'm sure all of these scenarios were part of the negotiations and that the Cooks or whoever was in charge is comfortable with the deals and players they signed.

Agree to disagree. Kopp is better defensively on the perimeter, he turns it over at a much lower rate, he spaces the floor better (despite his percentage, part of it is perception to the defense) and he fouls less. Again, I fully agree we need an upgrade at that 2nd wing spot, but just completely disagree that JG is that upgrade.

I will never understand this desire we always have to move these athletic 4's that we get to the wing. We did the same thing with Justin Smith who was clearly an athletic 4, not a wing. I don’t want Kopp starting either, but he was the much better option. He's way ahead of JG as a perimeter defender (JG was awful on the perimeter defensively), he takes care of the ball incredibly better. He fouls less and while he needed to be much better, he spaces the floor better. JG is an athletic, rebounding, weak-side shot-blocking 4, who is developing as a stretch 4. Without an incredible amount of development, he is not a wing.

Getting excited for the playoffs!

I mean, he just got fired as an assistant coach. I doubt too many Power 6 conference schools are looking at Fife as a head coach candidate.

Yeah, it's really kind of an irrelevant concern anyways. XJ is a physical guard and we'd still have Galloway, Bates and Kopp to provide size on the wing.

But, if you lose a game 61-50 then defense wasn't really your problem.

I hear what you're saying. I think the difference there is that Hulls was just a bad defender due to several factors (not effort) regardless of his height. Yogi as a freshmen wasn't a good defender regardless of his height. I don't know what kind of defender Pack is, but XJ is a solid defender. If Pack is solid on that end, then I'm not too concerned. Plus, assuming in this scenario TJD back then he helps alleviate a lot of that with his shot blocking. I just watched St. Peter's beat Purdue and Kentucky with basically a 3-guard lineup. Ultimately, I'd love to have a backcourt of 6'4" guys that can shoot, create and defend, but at the end of the day I'm tired of not having multiple playmakers, shot makers and creators.

I agree he's most likely not coming to IU. With that said, he wouldn't be a "shooting guard" at IU. I don’t even think that position really exists anymore. He'd be a guard in a 2-3 guard lineup. He'd have plenty of opportunities to have the ball in his hands. It's also kind of bad advice. He's not going to be a point guard in the NBA. Much like Carson Edward's. Edwards doesn't really play point guard. When he does get to play, he's off the ball and expected to hit open 3's. No NBA team is making Pack their point guard. He's a combo guard.

I don’t think he’s coming to IU, but I do think if you're Woodson you have to sell this different. Sure, Purdue has the clearly open spot with most of their guards leaving. But, I'd sell him on the idea that he's already been in that situation and it didn't get him to the NBA. It didn't get him to the tournament. It got him to 14-17. What he needs to do now is play like he has but do it in a winning environment. Compete for a Big 10 title, make a deep march run, etc. Yes, we have a returning point guard and a top 20 combo guard coming so what! Davis and Love share a backcourt at UNC and they're playing this weekend. Guy, Jerome and the pg from UVA shared a backcourt and they won a National Title. Baylor had a loaded backcourt last season. Come do it different. Come be on the big stage. Yes, you might share ball handling duties, but you're going to do it for a winner where you'll shine on the big stage in an NBA environment. We're going to play an NBA style from my days coaching NBA All-Stars.

Hawks and Knicks film? That's his goal, right, the NBA?

Brace yourselves HSN...I was in 3rd grade and rooting for...Syracuse! I was an East Coast kid and was literally about a month or two away from finding out my family was moving to Indiana. We made the move that August. I loved Derrick Coleman, Stevie Thompson and Sherman Douglas.

Great post! I get it's the nature of the beast, but geez sometimes it gets exhausting obsessing over every little thing.