Bears vs Bulldogs Unofficial Game Thread

8,902 Views | 107 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by sluggo
BeachedBear
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R90 said:

BeachedBear said:

Nice to get the win. I thought this was a must win game, but it really demonstrates this teams limitations.
The core of this team is very young. I suppose that could be seen a limitation, but for me I see more of the potential.

Bradley and Kelly are sophomores, and have already polished important parts of their offensive games.
Paris and South are seniors, and are about as good as they'll get for us.

The rest have some great room for growth, especially the freshman.
Thiemann is looking very discouraged now by his performance. He'll put in the work to get it right and take advantage of his big, big body.
Thorpe's time will come. He's big, strong and athletic, with more potential than Lars, IMO.
Kuany is the most athletic player we've had since Jaylen Brown.
Brown's an athletic distributor and defender who will learn how to score at the college level.
Klonaras has crazy range on his 3 and he's tall for a shooting guard. He'll stretch defenses when his all-around game is good enough to earn him minutes.


Not only is youth a limitation, but also newness (coach, system, other players). Maybe limitation was a poor choice. Perhaps ceiling for this year would have been more fitting. Bottom line is that other P12 teams are ahead of us and probably advancing quicker. so applying L'Hopital principles . . .

Bradley is just fine. Kelly has some physical limitations against 4/5 competition he will see in college, but he has lots of improvement ahead of him (which is good). I agree on South and Austin as well.

Antecivich will probably not change his game or body much in the next year and a half, but if he can reduce some of his mistakes and improve consistency, he will be a very nice piece. He has good skills and IQ - and he's figuring out how to maximize it against stiffer competition.

I think Brown is closer to being a contributor than many give him credit for. As he plays more real minutes with the core rotation, he should improve how he can assist with the flow of the offense (which honestly, I don't Austin ever will).

JHD is what he is and can be used to dramatic effect. I've seen it more than a few times this season. He won't be a scoring asset and we'll need to live with his unforced TOs, but his defense, energy and disruptive presence is just fun to watch.

Thiemann is going to take some time both physically, skill and IQ/speed wise. I think we'll see some lights go on towards the end of this season and into next. We've all probably seen too much of his minutes so far. Thorpe, Kuany and the rest, however, just haven't had enough minutes to adapt or demonstrate what they will contribute. That's not a knock, but all the athleticism in the world doesn't do a lick of good sitting on the bench.
bearister
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With regard to the comment that Bradley is no Crabbe yet, if we can have one other player other than Matt give our opponents a cause for concern, I think Matt has a fair chance of surpassing Crabbe's Cal career stars.
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TheSouseFamily
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if you look at the rosters around the conference and the rest of the country, it's pretty hard to make the argument that we're a young team. Sure: we have a bunch of freshman but none get huge minutes. Our starting five goes: Senior/Senior/Junior/Soph/Soph. That doesn't strike me as a young team.
AunBear89
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The issue of "newness " is important. As stated further up thread, EVERYTHING is new. New coaches, teaching new offense and defense schemes to new (to the coaches) players.

Under these conditions, the new players have to first unlearn the old schemes while learning the new ones. I think we are at the end of that stage - the team has a pretty decent idea most games what they are supposed to do. They just aren't very good at it yet, and that gets exposed against better teams. But against the Fresnos and PVAMs of the world, they can get enough things right to win.

The proof of the staff's coaching will be the progression of the learning curve.
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." -- (maybe) Benjamin Disraeli, popularized by Mark Twain
TheSouseFamily
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AunBear89 said:

The issue of "newness " is important. As stated further up thread, EVERYTHING is new. New coaches, teaching new offense and defense schemes to new (to the coaches) players.

Under these conditions, the new players have to first unlearn the old schemes while learning the new ones. I think we are at the end of that stage - the team has a pretty decent idea most games what they are supposed to do. They just aren't very good at it yet, and that gets exposed against better teams. But against the Fresnos and PVAMs of the world, they can get enough things right to win.

The proof of the staff's coaching will be the progression of the learning curve.


Yes: newness is definitely a factor. Age? Not so much.
south bender
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My impression of this year's team is that we have a point guard problem.

Austin prefers to have the ball than to pass it. He takes his time getting the ball into the forecourt, so that the team has about 20 seconds to do something. Is there any good reason for so deliberately/slowly bringing the ball across the 10 second line?

If he were more than a mediocre shooter, it might make sense for him to have ball in his hands so much of the time.

As it is, Brown is a better distributor, but inexperienced and without a consistent shot. He will certainly be a better defender than Austin if he earns more playing time.

Not having an above average point guard will be limiting for our team indefinitely.
TheSouseFamily
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south bender said:

My impression of this year's team is that we have a point guard problem.

Austin prefers to have the ball than to pass it. He takes his time getting the ball into the forecourt, so that the team has about 20 seconds to do something. Is there any good reason for so deliberately/slowly bringing the ball across the 10 second line?

If he were more than a mediocre shooter, it might make sense for him to have ball in his hands so much of the time.

As it is, Brown is a better distributor, but inexperienced and without a consistent shot. He will certainly be a better defender than Austin if he earns more playing time.

Not having an above average point guard will be limiting for our team indefinitely.


That's certainly true. But we also have issues in the post which are going to be magnified when we get into conference play against some big, athletic and skilled post players. That's gonna be our biggest issue going orward, I suspect. We've got a guy that's skilled (Kelly), a guy that's big (Thiemann) and a guy that's athletic (Kuany) but none of them have everything you want in a post (at least for now). The non-conf schedule against a lot of mid-majors doesn't offer a ton of tough post matchups but they're coming.
Civil Bear
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TheSouseFamily said:

south bender said:

My impression of this year's team is that we have a point guard problem.

Austin prefers to have the ball than to pass it. He takes his time getting the ball into the forecourt, so that the team has about 20 seconds to do something. Is there any good reason for so deliberately/slowly bringing the ball across the 10 second line?

If he were more than a mediocre shooter, it might make sense for him to have ball in his hands so much of the time.

As it is, Brown is a better distributor, but inexperienced and without a consistent shot. He will certainly be a better defender than Austin if he earns more playing time.

Not having an above average point guard will be limiting for our team indefinitely.


That's certainly true. But we also have issues in the post which are going to be magnified when we get into conference play against some big, athletic and skilled post players. That's gonna be our biggest issue going orward, I suspect. We've got a guy that's skilled (Kelly), a guy that's big (Thiemann) and a guy that's athletic (Kuany) but none of them have everything you want in a post (at least for now). The non-conf schedule against a lot of mid-majors doesn't offer a ton of tough post matchups but they're coming.
Not sure you can include Kuany when he didn't even sniff the floor in a competitive game.
Civil Bear
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TheSouseFamily said:

if you look at the rosters around the conference and the rest of the country, it's pretty hard to make the argument that we're a young team. Sure: we have a bunch of freshman but none get huge minutes. Our starting five goes: Senior/Senior/Junior/Soph/Soph. That doesn't strike me as a young team.
We don't have a young team problem so much as a lack of talent problem; and, the talent we do have is young and apparently so inexperienced that they can't even share minutes with mediocre upperclassmen.
R90
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Civil Bear said:

TheSouseFamily said:

south bender said:

My impression of this year's team is that we have a point guard problem.

Austin prefers to have the ball than to pass it. He takes his time getting the ball into the forecourt, so that the team has about 20 seconds to do something. Is there any good reason for so deliberately/slowly bringing the ball across the 10 second line?

If he were more than a mediocre shooter, it might make sense for him to have ball in his hands so much of the time.

As it is, Brown is a better distributor, but inexperienced and without a consistent shot. He will certainly be a better defender than Austin if he earns more playing time.

Not having an above average point guard will be limiting for our team indefinitely.


That's certainly true. But we also have issues in the post which are going to be magnified when we get into conference play against some big, athletic and skilled post players. That's gonna be our biggest issue going orward, I suspect. We've got a guy that's skilled (Kelly), a guy that's big (Thiemann) and a guy that's athletic (Kuany) but none of them have everything you want in a post (at least for now). The non-conf schedule against a lot of mid-majors doesn't offer a ton of tough post matchups but they're coming.
Not sure you can include Kuany when he didn't even sniff the floor in a competitive game.
Just watch the guy during warmups and you'll see he's very, very athletic.
Do you go to the games?
It's all just entertainment, so find a way to enjoy it.
The refs are there to feed your hatred addiction and keep the games close.
bearmanpg
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concordtom said:

When Trump is dead, I'll be back full time.
Long live Donald.....
Civil Bear
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R90 said:

Civil Bear said:

TheSouseFamily said:

south bender said:

My impression of this year's team is that we have a point guard problem.

Austin prefers to have the ball than to pass it. He takes his time getting the ball into the forecourt, so that the team has about 20 seconds to do something. Is there any good reason for so deliberately/slowly bringing the ball across the 10 second line?

If he were more than a mediocre shooter, it might make sense for him to have ball in his hands so much of the time.

As it is, Brown is a better distributor, but inexperienced and without a consistent shot. He will certainly be a better defender than Austin if he earns more playing time.

Not having an above average point guard will be limiting for our team indefinitely.


That's certainly true. But we also have issues in the post which are going to be magnified when we get into conference play against some big, athletic and skilled post players. That's gonna be our biggest issue going orward, I suspect. We've got a guy that's skilled (Kelly), a guy that's big (Thiemann) and a guy that's athletic (Kuany) but none of them have everything you want in a post (at least for now). The non-conf schedule against a lot of mid-majors doesn't offer a ton of tough post matchups but they're coming.
Not sure you can include Kuany when he didn't even sniff the floor in a competitive game.
Just watch the guy during warmups and you'll see he's very, very athletic.
Do you go to the games?
I never questioned his athleticism. I just don't think you can include a player that doesn't play in a team assessment.

And nope, I discontinued my season tix after 28 years.
TheSouseFamily
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Civil Bear said:

R90 said:

Civil Bear said:

TheSouseFamily said:

south bender said:

My impression of this year's team is that we have a point guard problem.

Austin prefers to have the ball than to pass it. He takes his time getting the ball into the forecourt, so that the team has about 20 seconds to do something. Is there any good reason for so deliberately/slowly bringing the ball across the 10 second line?

If he were more than a mediocre shooter, it might make sense for him to have ball in his hands so much of the time.

As it is, Brown is a better distributor, but inexperienced and without a consistent shot. He will certainly be a better defender than Austin if he earns more playing time.

Not having an above average point guard will be limiting for our team indefinitely.


That's certainly true. But we also have issues in the post which are going to be magnified when we get into conference play against some big, athletic and skilled post players. That's gonna be our biggest issue going orward, I suspect. We've got a guy that's skilled (Kelly), a guy that's big (Thiemann) and a guy that's athletic (Kuany) but none of them have everything you want in a post (at least for now). The non-conf schedule against a lot of mid-majors doesn't offer a ton of tough post matchups but they're coming.
Not sure you can include Kuany when he didn't even sniff the floor in a competitive game.
Just watch the guy during warmups and you'll see he's very, very athletic.
Do you go to the games?
I never questioned his athleticism. I just don't think you can include a player that doesn't play in a team assessment.

And nope, I discontinued my season tix after 28 years.


CivilBear - I wouldn't over-think it. The point was simply that none of the guys on the roster have all/most of the attributes you want ideally in the post, regardless of whether they're getting PT or not.
helltopay1
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"Although it's been said many times many ways", if Fox doesn't recruit a quality PG for next year ( a PG who can really shoot) Cal will flirt with the bottom of the conference next year as well as this year. Let's not overthink this..You need a PG ( preferably two) who can shoot from the perimeter and penetrate. The end. Time for breakfast.
Civil Bear
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TheSouseFamily said:





CivilBear - I wouldn't over-think it. The point was simply that none of the guys on the roster have all/most of the attributes you want ideally in the post, regardless of whether they're getting PT or not.
I understand your point, and I wouldn't have mentioned mine twice if someone clearly didn't understand it. You might want to switch Thorpe with K2 though, as I believe the latter will be utilized more on the perimeter... if and when they ever crack the rotation.
BearlyCareAnymore
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helltopay1 said:

"Although it's been said many times many ways", if Fox doesn't recruit a quality PG for next year ( a PG who can really shoot) Cal will flirt with the bottom of the conference next year as well as this year. Let's not overthink this..You need a PG ( preferably two) who can shoot from the perimeter and penetrate. The end. Time for breakfast.
Cal doesn't have any more schollies to give unless someone leaves
Big C
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Civil Bear said:

TheSouseFamily said:

if you look at the rosters around the conference and the rest of the country, it's pretty hard to make the argument that we're a young team. Sure: we have a bunch of freshman but none get huge minutes. Our starting five goes: Senior/Senior/Junior/Soph/Soph. That doesn't strike me as a young team.
We don't have a young team problem so much as a lack of talent problem; and, the talent we do have is young and apparently so inexperienced that they can't even share minutes with mediocre upperclassmen.
Yeah and the two seniors are 5th year seniors, plus one of the first guys off the bench is a junior (JHD).
UrsaMajor
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bearister said:

Three points:

1. Loved seeing Bradley helping that opposing player up. You don't see enough of that;

2. Wyking Jones and Cuonzo Martin lose that game; and

3. Gosh I like it when we win. Any win will do.




Now you've done it. CalStrong is going to call you (and Bradley) out as weak.
NathanAllen
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Staff
OaktownBear said:

helltopay1 said:

"Although it's been said many times many ways", if Fox doesn't recruit a quality PG for next year ( a PG who can really shoot) Cal will flirt with the bottom of the conference next year as well as this year. Let's not overthink this..You need a PG ( preferably two) who can shoot from the perimeter and penetrate. The end. Time for breakfast.
Cal doesn't have any more schollies to give unless someone leaves
Technically, they still have one open since they held one this year and have only two commits so far.

Also, expect some roster turnover. My prediction is Fox has two or three scholarships to use for spring and I can't imagine him not using them on a PG and post player. Those are already the two significant needs on this roster and losing Austin and South means Brown is basically the only primary ball-handler returning. Maybe Kelly or Thorpe or Thiemann make significant improvements with a full year in Fox's training and system, but I'd think they still want a grad transfer or JUCO post player.
BearlyCareAnymore
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NathanAllen said:

OaktownBear said:

helltopay1 said:

"Although it's been said many times many ways", if Fox doesn't recruit a quality PG for next year ( a PG who can really shoot) Cal will flirt with the bottom of the conference next year as well as this year. Let's not overthink this..You need a PG ( preferably two) who can shoot from the perimeter and penetrate. The end. Time for breakfast.
Cal doesn't have any more schollies to give unless someone leaves
Technically, they still have one open since they held one this year and have only two commits so far.

Also, expect some roster turnover. My prediction is Fox has two or three scholarships to use for spring and I can't imagine him not using them on a PG and post player. Those are already the two significant needs on this roster and losing Austin and South means Brown is basically the only primary ball-handler returning. Maybe Kelly or Thorpe or Thiemann make significant improvements with a full year in Fox's training and system, but I'd think they still want a grad transfer or JUCO post player.


You are right. I miscounted the grad transfer in my head
R90
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NathanAllen said:

OaktownBear said:

Cal doesn't have any more schollies to give unless someone leaves
Technically, they still have one open since they held one this year and have only two commits so far.
Fox is probably giving someone the last scholarship this year, just because it's available, but he'd give it to a good guard transfer next year if he can find one.

Jules Ervin walked on his freshman year. I don't know if he's on scholarship now, but he and dad would understand it being used on a transfer.

He technically can take away scholarships, like (I think) Wyking did for a couple guys when he came in.

10 secure with schollies:
1. Brown
2. Bradley
3. Klonaras
4. Harris-Dyson
5. Gordon
6. Kuany
7. Anticevich
8. Kelly
9. Thorpe
10. Thiemann

2 incoming freshmen:
1. Celestine
2. Bowser

1 more available
Biggest need for next year: Graduate transfer guard (Kareem South clone)
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The refs are there to feed your hatred addiction and keep the games close.
bearister
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UrsaMajor said:

bearister said:

Three points:

1. Loved seeing Bradley helping that opposing player up. You don't see enough of that;

2. Wyking Jones and Cuonzo Martin lose that game; and

3. Gosh I like it when we win. Any win will do.




Now you've done it. CalStrong is going to call you (and Bradley) out as weak.


If it would make CalStrong proud of me, I would be happy to extend my hand to Cal Strong and then Corky Taylor him:

1972 hoops brawl made for one nasty night in U's sports history | Star Tribune


http://www.startribune.com/hoops-brawl-made-for-one-nasty-night-in-u-s-sports-history/411419775/
http://m.startribune.com/hoops-brawl-made-for-one-nasty-night-in-u-s-sports-history/411419775/
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R90
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bearister said:

With regard to the comment that Bradley is no Crabbe yet, if we can have one other player other than Matt give our opponents a cause for concern, I think Matt has a fair chance of surpassing Crabbe's Cal career stars.
Allen Crabbe at Cal:
2010-11: 33.8 mpg, 13.4 ppg, 40.0 3p%, 44.6 FG%, 80.4 FT%
2011-12: 34.1 mpg, 15.2 ppg, 39.9 3p%, 43.1 FG%, 84.3 FT%
2012-13: 36.2 mpg, 18.4 ppg, 34.8 3p%, 45.9 FG%, 81.3 FT%
(went pro after junior season)

Matt Bradley at Cal:
2018-2019: 28.4 mpg, 10.8 ppg, 47.2 3p%, 41.1 FG%, 79.1 FT%
2019-2020: 31.6 mpg, 17.7 ppg, 43.5 3p%, 47.3 FG%, 89.8 FT%

Crabbe was a shooter.
Bradley's game is much more complete.

Crabbe complemented other scorers.
Bradley is our go-to guy, already.

Crabbe has more of an NBA body and left early.
Bradley is a bit undersized and a potential defensive liability in the NBA. He could stick with us four years and far surpass Crabbe's totals.

That step-back 3 last night was sweet. He's a little bit like a James Harden for the college game.
It's all just entertainment, so find a way to enjoy it.
The refs are there to feed your hatred addiction and keep the games close.
bearister
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Well, R90, I was too sheepish to state the case as bullishly as you, but I was thinking it. At the college level Matt is a man playing with boys and it is only going to get worse for his opponents. He is basically Tony Gonzalez except with actual offensive skills. I agree he will play 4 years. Probably a long shot to ever play in the NBA, as you imply.
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R90
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bearister said:

Well, R90, I was too sheepish to state the case as bullishly as you, but I was thinking it. At the college level Matt is a man playing with boys and it is only going to get worse for his opponents. He is basically Tony Gonzalez except with actual offensive skills. I agree he will play 4 years. Probably a long shot to ever play in the NBA, as you imply.
The bar isn't too high for becoming Cal's all-time leading scorer if he stays 4 years. Jerome Randle had a much better supporting cast and didn't have to score as much as Bradley does/will.

Jerome Randle:
2006-07: 18.4 mpg, 6.5 ppg.
2007-08: 32.3 mpg, 11.8 ppg.
2008-09: 35.3 mpg, 18.3 ppg.
2009-10: 35.0 mpg, 18.6 ppg.

Matt Bradley:
2018-2019: 28.4 mpg, 10.8 ppg.
2019-2020: 31.6 mpg, 17.7 ppg.

Of course many things could happen to prevent this from happening, including injury, transfer or an early exit to start a professional career. Most of our big scores as freshmen left early. Bradley's body type may keep him around like Randle. Enjoy watching Matt while he's here.


"Matt had a tough week but give him credit," Golden Bears coach Mark Fox said. "He had a great approach and a great response. He grew up tonight and I'm proud of him."
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401170621

I think what Fox saw in Bradley last night is what I saw and view as him becoming THE team leader.
It's all just entertainment, so find a way to enjoy it.
The refs are there to feed your hatred addiction and keep the games close.
TheSouseFamily
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bearister said:

Well, R90, I was too sheepish to state the case as bullishly as you, but I was thinking it. At the college level Matt is a man playing with boys and it is only going to get worse for his opponents. He is basically Tony Gonzalez except with actual offensive skills. I agree he will play 4 years. Probably a long shot to ever play in the NBA, as you imply.


First of all, I'm not sure what to make of this new "sheepish" Bearister. Is he ok?

And second, I wouldn't totally rule out Bradley as a potential pro. He reminds me of Talen Horton-Tucker from Iowa State who at 6'4 235 has a similar physical build and overall profile, yet got drafted by the Lakers in the 2nd round and just recently played his first nba game. If you can shoot 40%+ from 3 (and Horton-Tucker wasn't even close to that), you'll get some looks. Maybe not likely, but certainly possible.
socaltownie
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bearister said:

UrsaMajor said:

bearister said:

Three points:

1. Loved seeing Bradley helping that opposing player up. You don't see enough of that;

2. Wyking Jones and Cuonzo Martin lose that game; and

3. Gosh I like it when we win. Any win will do.




Now you've done it. CalStrong is going to call you (and Bradley) out as weak.


If it would make CalStrong proud of me, I would be happy to extend my hand to Cal Strong and then Corky Taylor him:

1972 hoops brawl made for one nasty night in U's sports history | Star Tribune


http://www.startribune.com/hoops-brawl-made-for-one-nasty-night-in-u-s-sports-history/411419775/
http://m.startribune.com/hoops-brawl-made-for-one-nasty-night-in-u-s-sports-history/411419775/
I should not be laughing....but I am. I never had heard about that.
Take care of your Chicken
bearister
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TheSouseFamily said:

bearister said:

Well, R90, I was too sheepish to state the case as bullishly as you, but I was thinking it. At the college level Matt is a man playing with boys and it is only going to get worse for his opponents. He is basically Tony Gonzalez except with actual offensive skills. I agree he will play 4 years. Probably a long shot to ever play in the NBA, as you imply.


First of all, I'm not sure what to make of this new "sheepish" Bearister. Is he ok?

And second, I wouldn't totally rule out Bradley as a potential pro. He reminds me of Talen Horton-Tucker from Iowa State who at 6'4 235 has a similar physical build and overall profile, yet got drafted by the Lakers in the 2nd round and just recently played his first nba game. If you can shoot 40%+ from 3 (and Horton-Tucker wasn't even close to that), you'll get some looks. Maybe not likely, but certainly possible.

BTW, Allen Crabbe made bank, but his stock seems to be slipping.
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Pigskin Pete
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bearister said:

TheSouseFamily said:

bearister said:

Well, R90, I was too sheepish to state the case as bullishly as you, but I was thinking it. At the college level Matt is a man playing with boys and it is only going to get worse for his opponents. He is basically Tony Gonzalez except with actual offensive skills. I agree he will play 4 years. Probably a long shot to ever play in the NBA, as you imply.


First of all, I'm not sure what to make of this new "sheepish" Bearister. Is he ok?

And second, I wouldn't totally rule out Bradley as a potential pro. He reminds me of Talen Horton-Tucker from Iowa State who at 6'4 235 has a similar physical build and overall profile, yet got drafted by the Lakers in the 2nd round and just recently played his first nba game. If you can shoot 40%+ from 3 (and Horton-Tucker wasn't even close to that), you'll get some looks. Maybe not likely, but certainly possible.

BTW, Allen Crabbe made bank, but his stock seems to be slipping.
It only takes one
SFCityBear
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south bender said:

My impression of this year's team is that we have a point guard problem.

Austin prefers to have the ball than to pass it. He takes his time getting the ball into the forecourt, so that the team has about 20 seconds to do something. Is there any good reason for so deliberately/slowly bringing the ball across the 10 second line?

If he were more than a mediocre shooter, it might make sense for him to have ball in his hands so much of the time.

As it is, Brown is a better distributor, but inexperienced and without a consistent shot. He will certainly be a better defender than Austin if he earns more playing time.

Not having an above average point guard will be limiting for our team indefinitely.
I've been mulling this over: Since both point guards are struggling, what would you think of Bradley playing some point guard? He is the team's best player, possibly the leader, shoots well, penetrates well, and passes well when he thinks about doing it. Someone such as Gordon or Kuany would have to step up and play the SF position, and so far we have seen only a few minutes per game for each player. Kuany did not play against FSU. I suspect Kuany, Thorpe, Klonaris and Gordon, some or all may still be recovering from injuries, or perhaps they really are not advanced enough to be able to play this early in their first season. Bradley is not a better ball handler than Paris or Brown, and he may not be quick enough on defense to stop the ball at point of attack.
stu
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SFCityBear said:

I've been mulling this over: Since both point guards are struggling, what would you think of Bradley playing some point guard? He is the team's best player, possibly the leader, shoots well, penetrates well, and passes well when he thinks about doing it. Someone such as Gordon or Kuany would have to step up and play the SF position, and so far we have seen only a few minutes per game for each player. Kuany did not play against FSU. I suspect Kuany, Thorpe, Klonaris and Gordon, some or all may still be recovering from injuries, or perhaps they really are not advanced enough to be able to play this early in their first season. Bradley is not a better ball handler than Paris or Brown, and he may not be quick enough on defense to stop the ball at point of attack.
I agree Bradley is our best player, and I think by a large margin. However I'm afraid we're already asking him to do a lot without adding the responsibilities of PG. I'd rather we take our lumps this year with Brown getting all the minutes he can if that might make us better next year. And next year Bradley might be our only option at SG. That's why my top 2020 recruiting priority is another PG.
HoopDreams
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SFCityBear said:

south bender said:

My impression of this year's team is that we have a point guard problem.

Austin prefers to have the ball than to pass it. He takes his time getting the ball into the forecourt, so that the team has about 20 seconds to do something. Is there any good reason for so deliberately/slowly bringing the ball across the 10 second line?

If he were more than a mediocre shooter, it might make sense for him to have ball in his hands so much of the time.

As it is, Brown is a better distributor, but inexperienced and without a consistent shot. He will certainly be a better defender than Austin if he earns more playing time.

Not having an above average point guard will be limiting for our team indefinitely.
I've been mulling this over: Since both point guards are struggling, what would you think of Bradley playing some point guard? He is the team's best player, possibly the leader, shoots well, penetrates well, and passes well when he thinks about doing it. Someone such as Gordon or Kuany would have to step up and play the SF position, and so far we have seen only a few minutes per game for each player. Kuany did not play against FSU. I suspect Kuany, Thorpe, Klonaris and Gordon, some or all may still be recovering from injuries, or perhaps they really are not advanced enough to be able to play this early in their first season. Bradley is not a better ball handler than Paris or Brown, and he may not be quick enough on defense to stop the ball at point of attack.
doubt bradley plays much 1 this year with Paris/Brown, but if we don't sign another 1 next year, I'd expect him to play some backup (they will probably need a combo guard to play primary PG backup)

bradley played a lot of PG in HS, and did pretty well in spot duty last year

but on this team, I think you want him on the wing
bearister
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R90 said:

..That step-back 3 last night was sweet. He's a little bit like a James Harden for the college game.


This gives me the chance to slip this in:

James Harden (HOU): He's averaging 38.7 points per game, which is absurd. But this might be even crazier: Harden has missed more three-pointers (228) than all but three players have attempted. Axios
Cancel my subscription to the Resurrection
Send my credentials to the House of Detention
I got some friends inside
Civil Bear
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R90 said:

NathanAllen said:

OaktownBear said:

Cal doesn't have any more schollies to give unless someone leaves
Technically, they still have one open since they held one this year and have only two commits so far.
Fox is probably giving someone the last scholarship this year, just because it's available, but he'd give it to a good guard transfer next year if he can find one.

Jules Ervin walked on his freshman year. I don't know if he's on scholarship now, but he and dad would understand it being used on a transfer.

He technically can take away scholarships, like (I think) Wyking did for a couple guys when he came in.

10 secure with schollies:
1. Brown
2. Bradley
3. Klonaras
4. Harris-Dyson
5. Gordon
6. Kuany
7. Anticevich
8. Kelly
9. Thorpe
10. Thiemann

2 incoming freshmen:
1. Celestine
2. Bowser

1 more available
Biggest need for next year: Graduate transfer guard (Kareem South clone)

Fox hasn't given anyone the open scholly.

Jones thought he could take schollies away but found he couldn't. The rules now are schollies are for 4 years for students in good standing. Even if you kick the player off the team he keeps the scholly while enrolled at Cal.

Lot's of big needs for next year, but I would put a grad transfer post and a point guard ahead of a wing.
RedlessWardrobe
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Agreed. Cal needs to get the best point guard available.
 
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