Is it just me?

[WarthogRebel]

Or is the team playing MUCH better without Thomas? Loads more ball movement. Sharing the ball. Plays to break Cherry open down low. More breaks. Way better rebounding especially Offensive. Frenetic defense. Henley is free to play.

I guess it could be taking teams a while to scheme against the new UNLV. But I think it's just players being able to play basketball rather than standing there watching DTJ dribble around for twenty seconds to get free for a shot.

If this is true then what power did Thomas have over CKK for this new dynamic not to happen earlier?

 

[Buffel]

It will be interesting if we can keep it up and if we go back to standing around if D mJ comes back

 

[j. spilotro]

Or is the team playing MUCH better without Thomas? Loads more ball movement. Sharing the ball. Plays to break Cherry open down low. More breaks. Way better rebounding especially Offensive. Frenetic defense. Henley is free to play.

I guess it could be taking teams a while to scheme against the new UNLV. But I think it's just players being able to play basketball rather than standing there watching DTJ dribble around for twenty seconds to get free for a shot.

If this is true then what power did Thomas have over CKK for this new dynamic not to happen earlier?

I’ve complained all year about an unwatchable, stagnant, ineffective, unimaginative, sloggy offense that sometimes scored 20 point halves. And now you see why.

Dedan dribbles for 25 seconds or there is a series of handoffs at 35 feet away … and then we get into “our play”. Which is Dedan getting into the lane and dishing or taking a shot. During that, people watch, screens are halfhearted, cuts are slow and blunt, the post goes mostly unused. That 25 seconds of unproductive dribbling leads to complete shit, sloughed shoulders, bad body language, low points, losses.

Whose fault is it? Dedan? Kevin? Kevin letting dedan do what he wants because he’s the high NIL guy and most talented? It’s not miscommunication because it’s consistently stagnant.

Whatever the reason, whoever is to blame, the current team has less talent and less depth but they’re playing harder with more focus. Is it a huge sense of urgency by the current roster or a sigh of relief for finally getting involved?

 

[Buffel]

It seems Dedon treats every possession like the last shot of a game. Walk it up court slowly and then to get a shot off before 30 sec clock. I think it's on Kruger not Dedon. He's doing what he's practiced to do.

 

[j. spilotro]

It seems Dedon treats every possession like the last shot of a game. Walk it up court slowly and then to get a shot off before 30 sec clock. I think it's on Kruger not Dedon. He's doing what he's practiced to do.

That’s what I don’t know for sure. Ultimately, it’s the coach. But it’s not always cut and dry. Sometimes you can’t afford to keep your best off the court and you sort of “compromise” to keep the peace. Again, though, that’s a coaching decision. And sometimes it can go either way.

I NEVER thought UNLV would be “better” by booting Keon and Greedy off the team, two highly talented players, starters.

It may have been fluky, but the team came together and gave us a 5 day streak of insane emotion. They were “better” without their top two.

There have been other top players who were flawed with laziness or uncoachability or whatever else - that played because they were top, the coach chose to deal with it instead of boot. And you get mixed results.

For the record. That I know of - it happened with every single head coach I’ve watched since I started going to practices in 1998. No staff was immune to those issues. Boot or compromise. Because I’ll tell you what, when the player was kept, it’s not like the player changed. What was, still was.

 

[dcut03]

I blame Kevin 100%
Because it has been the same from the beginning. It was first Hamilton, then Harkless, then Dedan.
Single player ball dominant BS, with little to nothing else.
I do think Dedan is a bit overrated as a PG. He has shown very little to create for others. Or use his penetration to draw the defense then dish the ball. We have seen Rishwain do more this year than DJ.
But if we had a real offense I am sure Dedan would run it just fine.
But is nice to finally see some off ball movement and players willing to share the ball. Too little too late. Try this out before last season and we be looking at significantly better results

 

[art8]

I had similar thoughts about not having Dedan on the court after last nights game. The only caveat is we have only beat crap teams since losing DJ. It’ll be interesting to see if they can keep it up for these last two games against quality teams. I’m hope so. Last night was one of the more enjoyable games of the season for me.

 

[j. spilotro]

I had similar thoughts about not having Dedan on the court after last nights game. The only caveat is we have only beat crap teams since losing DJ. It’ll be interesting to see if they can keep it up for these last two games against quality teams. I’m hope so. Last night was one of the more enjoyable games of the season for me.

That’s where it’s hard to judge. We “look” better - movement, more bodies, more focus … and the results are “better”, but we are 2-1 … loss to a mediocre team (CSU), wins against scrub’s below us (UNR; SJSU).

 

[j. spilotro]

I blame Kevin 100%
Because it has been the same from the beginning. It was first Hamilton, then Harkless, then Dedan.
Single player ball dominant BS, with little to nothing else.
I do think Dedan is a bit overrated as a PG. He has shown very little to create for others. Or use his penetration to draw the defense then dish the ball. We have seen Rishwain do more this year than DJ.
But if we had a real offense I am sure Dedan would run it just fine.
But is nice to finally see some off ball movement and players willing to share the ball. Too little too late. Try this out before last season and we be looking at significantly better results

Yeah, I think I’m one of the ones that may have overrated him. That said, I still like him as a pg. and he was a bit hit and miss in crunch time as a freshman, which is ok, but he’s been poor in crunch time as a sophomore. And he’s never really defended.

I still like him, but do not like him as a number one option. 3 at best, 4 would be better, 5 option you’re winning at a high level.

 

[Rebel1986]

That’s what I don’t know for sure. Ultimately, it’s the coach. But it’s not always cut and dry. Sometimes you can’t afford to keep your best off the court and you sort of “compromise” to keep the peace. Again, though, that’s a coaching decision. And sometimes it can go either way.

I NEVER thought UNLV would be “better” by booting Keon and Greedy off the team, two highly talented players, starters.

It may have been fluky, but the team came together and gave us a 5 day streak of insane emotion. They were “better” without their top two.

There have been other top players who were flawed with laziness or uncoachability or whatever else - that played because they were top, the coach chose to deal with it instead of boot. And you get mixed results.

For the record. That I know of - it happened with every single head coach I’ve watched since I started going to practices in 1998. No staff was immune to those issues. Boot or compromise. Because I’ll tell you what, when the player was kept, it’s not like the player changed. What was, still was.

The best example of a player that could have been great (so always played), but was really lazy, and always in trouble with drug issues, was "Spiderman" Burns!

 

[Pistol Pete 1]

Dedan is a very nice player but he is not "The Man" and Kruger should never had made him "The Man". He may grow into that role when he is a junior or senior but it was unfair to him and the grown ass men that were on the team last year and this.

My hope is if he comes back that Kruger lets Hill and Hendley continue running the point and let him assume a role similar to Hicks and Bedford.

JMHO

 

[j. spilotro]

The best example of a player that could have been great (so always played), but was really lazy, and always in trouble with drug issues, was "Spiderman" Burns!

He did better than his son. That’s a bizarre story. He actually had an outside chance of playing here but he made Zaon look like Mother Theresa.