Bigs and defense.....

[Ghost of Gar Heard]

Spangler could absolutely spread the floor. He was bombing 3s at a good percentage by his senior year.

Spangler also was a better rebounder and defender. Bookout was an undersized post player. Bookout would have no position in today's game. Spangler would have a position.

 

[sperry]

Spangler also was a better rebounder and defender. Bookout was an undersized post player. Bookout would have no position in today's game. Spangler would have a position.

Agreed.

 

[AdaSooner]

You said you liked Thomas because of his defense inside. Thomas was a poor defensive player. He scored, yes, but was awful defensively and completely refuted the point you were trying to make. Both Lattin and McNeace were/are MUCH better defensively.

You said he didn’t play inside. I proved you wrong by posting his rebounding stats showing he averaged 7 boards per game. Besides, there’s more to a post player’s game than defending the paint. I would take one all-around basketball player like TaShawn Thomas over a Lattin or a McNeace and not think twice about it. Shot blockers not only get in early foul trouble. They give up too many easy rebounds, put backs and dunks by being caught out of position.

Jamuni may make me eat those words next season, and to be honest I hope he does. He’s got tons of potential. He’s just too nice and too soft to show the aggression he’ll need going forward if he wants to take his talent to the next level.

 

[Ghost of Gar Heard]

You said he didn’t play inside. I proved you wrong by posting his rebounding stats showing he averaged 7 boards per game. Besides, there’s more to a post player’s game than defending the paint. I would take one all-around basketball player like TaShawn Thomas over a Lattin or a McNeace and not think twice about it. Shot blockers not only get in early foul trouble. They give up too many easy rebounds, put backs and dunks by being caught out of position.

Jamuni may make me eat those words next season, and to be honest I hope he does. He’s got tons of potential. He’s just too nice and too soft to show the aggression he’ll need going forward if he wants to take his talent to the next level.

No I didn't say that. I obviously wasn't clear. I said he never defended the interior. You took that to mean I said he was on the perimeter. I was saying that he wasn't playing any defense. He never defended the interior (or anywhere else). He was definitely an interior player on both ends but he offered no defense which is what you were initially talking about ("you can't defend the interior with tall, skinny players").

Again, I'll say that Thomas was in no way a good all-around player. He could score in the low-post but that's it. He was awful defensively and was limited on offense.

 

[AdaSooner]

No I didn't say that. I obviously wasn't clear. I said he never defended the interior. You took that to mean I said he was on the perimeter. I was saying that he wasn't playing any defense. He never defended the interior (or anywhere else). He was definitely an interior player on both ends but he offered no defense which is what you were initially talking about ("you can't defend the interior with tall, skinny players").

Again, I'll say that Thomas was in no way a good all-around player. He could score in the low-post but that's it. He was awful defensively and was limited on offense.

Guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree about Thomas. A 12 and 7 post player would have been a welcome addition on this year’s team. He also blocked 50 shots, so he must have done something right on defense.

Thomas and Spangler are the kind of bigs I want to see in the four position. I’m fine with a long, athletic guy like Jamuni at the five, as long as our PF has the size and bulk to compete with the bigs on other teams who seemed to hurt us the most on the boards and in scoring down low.

It’s obvious by the offers our coaching staff is handlng out (Kauth and the 7’ 1” center), they have no intentions of bringing in a post player with some meat on his bones. I think that’s a mistake, one of many I could point to lately.