Having watched the NCAA tournament this year, you are correct that quality big men are what separated the best teams from the tier below. Big strong front court players who can block shots while also being nimble and able to shoot are pretty rare, so we have our work cut out for us to find one (or two).barsad said:
Seems like their guards, Ja'Kobi Gillespie and sophomore guard Rodney Rice, are the best options, but don't we already have a large bullpen of guards? Teams don't win on guards anymore, it's size and three-point shooting, and so far not seeing any of it coming to Cal in 8 months.
Yes those bigs are rare. And usually very expensive. And those that do not take significant NIL packages at big boy programs often declare for the draft. I do not expect Cal to be able to attract any player like that. But there are a ton of guards.And a good amount of taller 4's that are perhaps not the greatest rebounders, on ball defenders or shot blockers but can space the floor and shoot.75bear said:Having watched the NCAA tournament this year, you are correct that quality big men are what separated the best teams from the tier below. Big strong front court players who can block shots while also being nimble and able to shoot are pretty rare, so we have our work cut out for us to find one (or two).barsad said:
Seems like their guards, Ja'Kobi Gillespie and sophomore guard Rodney Rice, are the best options, but don't we already have a large bullpen of guards? Teams don't win on guards anymore, it's size and three-point shooting, and so far not seeing any of it coming to Cal in 8 months.
Addicted-to-TopDog said:
Oh boy, we signed Dai Dai Ames. What a huge downgrade from JW.
I can appreciate the disappointment regarding this addition. But he is more likely a replacement for Blacksher. And I believe likely an improvement there. Now I do believe they will find replacing Wilkinson difficult but IMO they are likely looking for more combo guard than a true PG for his open slot.Addicted-to-TopDog said:
Oh boy, we signed Dai Dai Ames. What a huge downgrade from JW. Seriously one of the worst (and most selfish) guards I saw in the ACC this year. The staff must see something in him that I don't.
Well a much better FG % compared to Jovan:6956bear said:I can appreciate the disappointment regarding this addition. But he is more likely a replacement for Blacksher. And I believe likely an improvement there. Now I do believe they will find replacing Wilkinson difficult but IMO they are likely looking for more combo guard than a true PG for his open slot.Addicted-to-TopDog said:
Oh boy, we signed Dai Dai Ames. What a huge downgrade from JW. Seriously one of the worst (and most selfish) guards I saw in the ACC this year. The staff must see something in him that I don't.
Right now the PG looks to be Ames and the incoming frosh Carr.
BearSD said:
The key for Madsen, like most coaches bringing in players from the portal, is to get solid chemistry and teamwork out of guys arriving from different places and who might only be here for a year or two. With that, the Bears might have their best season since Cuonzo Martin's departure. Without that, the whole is less than the sum of the parts, and the W-L record is not likely to be what we want to see.
Not saying I think Ames is better than Wilkinson, but Ames had much better shooting percentages than Wilkinson (a very respectable 46% from the field and 40% from 3)...and averaged more assists than Wilkinson in 2 fewer minutes/game.Addicted-to-TopDog said:
Oh boy, we signed Dai Dai Ames. What a huge downgrade from JW. Seriously one of the worst (and most selfish) guards I saw in the ACC this year. The staff must see something in him that I don't.
Johnfox said:
I don't think I've ever heard good words from you. That's fine but Ames is the opposite of what you're saying. In fact this is better than having wilk
Odd hot-take for a kid that had pretty good shooting percentages, particularly in ACC play.Addicted-to-TopDog said:
Oh boy, we signed Dai Dai Ames. What a huge downgrade from JW. Seriously one of the worst (and most selfish) guards I saw in the ACC this year. The staff must see something in him that I don't.
The only players we seems to sign are either bench warmers on top teams, decent players on tier 2 rosters who don't have the skills to make the jump, or formerly injured players we hope will be able to rebound. How about we just focus on the best high schoolers we can get and sign them to 3 year deals?Johnfox said:
He had an injury that really messed him up but him finishing strong in the end is the true Ames
bearsandgiants said:The only players we seems to sign are either bench warmers on top teams, decent players on tier 2 rosters who don't have the skills to make the jump, or formerly injured players we hope will be able to rebound. How about we just focus on the best high schoolers we can get and sign them to 3 year deals?Johnfox said:
He had an injury that really messed him up but him finishing strong in the end is the true Ames
Fair enough. No problem with criticism on any player. But the term "selfish " implies that the player is playing beyond the framework the coach has layed out for the team. Unless you're privy to that info there's no way to know for sure, regardless of what any of us sees.Addicted-to-TopDog said:
I base my opinion on watching him play in games this past season. You can disagree. We need better players if we want to win more than 6 games in the ACC.
Absolutely. And really much better players if the hope is to get to the NCAA tournament. Who else they can get in the portal will really matter.Addicted-to-TopDog said:
I base my opinion on watching him play in games this past season. You can disagree. We need better players if we want to win more than 6 games in the ACC.
With the changes of the last couple of years, I really don't think scholarship number is as meaningful as it used to be. Much more important is how much $$$ you can budget for top 5 and next 5. After that is pretty much similar to what a walk on was in the past.MiZery said:
How many scholies we got left now?
Agree. You need a working group of 10. Teams no longer truly develop players any longer, they go out and buy their rosters. The back end of the roster now has to be used for practice players and players that really want a Cal degree.BeachedBear said:With the changes of the last couple of years, I really don't think scholarship number is as meaningful as it used to be. Much more important is how much $$$ you can budget for top 5 and next 5. After that is pretty much similar to what a walk on was in the past.MiZery said:
How many scholies we got left now?
Its not dead - just doesn't seem as important.
I'm hoping the 3 portal adds of Dorsey, Ames and Ilic are stabilizing, depth pieces and that Madsen and Staff have some homeruns coming up. We need studs.6956bear said:Absolutely. And really much better players if the hope is to get to the NCAA tournament. Who else they can get in the portal will really matter.Addicted-to-TopDog said:
I base my opinion on watching him play in games this past season. You can disagree. We need better players if we want to win more than 6 games in the ACC.
