Who are the best

[BillikenROAR]

Thanks, brah. Nowhere did I ever say that I think DE is going to be one of the best players on our team this year. But tempering expectations and saying he will get his ass handed to him this year are two very different things. Personally, I see no reason to rip into a freshman just so you can prove how much you live in the real world. Especially when said freshman has done nothing to warrant it except to show some true promise early on. There are ways to get your point across without making flammatory comments.

Meanwhile, I will just go back to my fantasy land, hombre, where Billiken fans actually support their players and hope that they do well.

all i said is he will get his ass handed to him... its not that "flammatory".. its being blunt.

being a billiken fan is supporting players and hoping they do well? sounds like every mother in the country should be a billiken fan..but if you were looking for that type of thing, im sure the saintsations would love to start a message board..

isnt part of being a knowledgeable fan knowing limitations and strengths of the team/players?

[jbizzle09]

all i said is he will get his ass handed to him... its not that "flammatory".. its being blunt.

being a billiken fan is supporting players and hoping they do well? sounds like every mother in the country should be a billiken fan..but if you were looking for that type of thing, im sure the saintsations would love to start a message board..

isnt part of being a knowledgeable fan knowing limitations and strengths of the team/players?

I believe you should be able to offer criticism and feedback regarding the players on the team. That is completely fair game. You shouldn't feel a need to just say nice things about each player and completely avoid providing well thought and constructive criticism. I would venture to say that each player has areas that need to be addressed and it should be open to discussion on this board.

However, your tone and comments suggest that you just want to say things to be flammatory and reactionary. It is as if you are hoping for DE to fail to be proven right for some reason. I also hate it when people state they are just being 'blunt' or 'honest'. It is a way of justifying being mean-spirited and jerkish, all while hiding behind the veil of bluntness and honesty.

Do I get frustrated with the play of some players? Of course I do! I wouldn't be a fan if I didn't. Do I sometimes wish other players received less playing time? Once again, that is a yes. But, I do not see what is accomplished by coming on this board and pointing out that a certain player is going to get his ass handed to him this season. Instead, I would have stated that I think DE will most likely have struggles this season against better competition and that his contributions may not be as much as some of us expect.

Final point...do we go to SLU games hoping to see the kids do poorly and lose? No, of course we do not. I, for one, go to see them do as best as they can and hopefully win every night. I root for every kid out on the court, even if I think they are not as talented as someone else that could/should be out there. I go to games and tune in hoping and wishing that they will win and that the players will play well. Perhaps, though, I should be more of a realist and watch games to justify my preset expectations of failure.

[HusakAttack]

I believe you should be able to offer criticism and feedback regarding the players on the team. That is completely fair game. You shouldn't feel a need to just say nice things about each player and completely avoid providing well thought and constructive criticism. I would venture to say that each player has areas that need to be addressed and it should be open to discussion on this board.

However, your tone and comments suggest that you just want to say things to be flammatory and reactionary. It is as if you are hoping for DE to fail to be proven right for some reason. I also hate it when people state they are just being 'blunt' or 'honest'. It is a way of justifying being mean-spirited and jerkish, all while hiding behind the veil of bluntness and honesty.

Do I get frustrated with the play of some players? Of course I do! I wouldn't be a fan if I didn't. Do I sometimes wish other players received less playing time? Once again, that is a yes. But, I do not see what is accomplished by coming on this board and pointing out that a certain player is going to get his ass handed to him this season. Instead, I would have stated that I think DE will most likely have struggles this season against better competition and that his contributions may not be as much as some of us expect.

Final point...do we go to SLU games hoping to see the kids do poorly and lose? No, of course we do not. I, for one, go to see them do as best as they can and hopefully win every night. I root for every kid out on the court, even if I think they are not as talented as someone else that could/should be out there. I go to games and tune in hoping and wishing that they will win and that the players will play well. Perhaps, though, I should be more of a realist and watch games to justify my preset expectations of failure.

Jbizzle: great points! Go Bills, and God Bless America!

ROAR: where is the Saintsations board, I am interested!

[jjray]

Instead of trying to decide who are the best 5 or starting 5, how about distributions of minutes? Coach always says starting is for HS and minutes is really the bottom line. It's a hard call at this point. Maybe less minutes from the freshmen for the first few games.

MM 20

JJ 20

KC 25

PE 10

CS 20

DE 20

CE 25

RL 20

CR 20

BC 20

This distribution has Evans playing all his minutes at 3 but one would think coach goes small at times and plays Evans at the 4. One of Conk, Cory, or Loe gets squeezed when and if DE plays 4. Against opponents from lesser conferences (with small agile PFs) coach may be playing DE a lot at 4.

[Tonka]

There can be some middle road here. It doesn't have to be DE will be a great player or DE will suck and get owned. There can also be DE is a good, solid recruit. He has some great athleticism and has shown so far to have a knack for getting to the ball. It's great to have him as he has lots of upside.

[SpencerFilibuster]

Instead of trying to decide who are the best 5 or starting 5, how about distributions of minutes? Coach always says starting is for HS and minutes is really the bottom line. It's a hard call at this point. Maybe less minutes from the freshmen for the first few games.

MM 20

JJ 20

KC 25

PE 10

CS 20

DE 20

CE 25

RL 20

CR 20

BC 20

This distribution has Evans playing all his minutes at 3 but one would think coach goes small at times and plays Evans at the 4. One of Conk, Cory, or Loe gets squeezed when and if DE plays 4. Against opponents from lesser conferences (with small agile PFs) coach may be playing DE a lot at 4.

Or even likely configurations of the 5 on the floor at any given time. RM was really mixing it up with different lineups in the exhibition games. I'm interested to see how he will distribute our height throughout the 40 minutes of the game (depending on the height of our opponents, of course).

Minutes-wise, I think Conklin is going to get a LOT of minutes,probably around 30, no matter who we are playing. He has a great motor, experience and strength.

I also wonder if RM will take into consideration how dog-tired our guys were last year by the end of the season, and spread out the preseason minutes more this year.

[slufanskip]

There can be some middle road here. It doesn't have to be DE will be a great player or DE will suck and get owned. There can also be DE is a good, solid recruit. He has some great athleticism and has shown so far to have a knack for getting to the ball. It's great to have him as he has lots of upside.

stop that

[willie]

Or even likely configurations of the 5 on the floor at any given time. RM was really mixing it up with different lineups in the exhibition games. I'm interested to see how he will distribute our height throughout the 40 minutes of the game (depending on the height of our opponents, of course).

Minutes-wise, I think Conklin is going to get a LOT of minutes,probably around 30, no matter who we are playing. He has a great motor, experience and strength.

I also wonder if RM will take into consideration how dog-tired our guys were last year by the end of the season, and spread out the preseason minutes more this year.

Conklin,Loe and Corey are going to have to stay out of foul trouble to get high minutes.

[SpencerFilibuster]

Conklin,Loe and Corey are going to have to stay out of foul trouble to get high minutes.

Good point. That's scary to think about.

[kmbilliken]

My recollection of Dr. B's initial opinion of what a diamond in the rough we have in DE was met with derision by many who replied to it. I, for one, think he has a tremendous upside. I'm old enough to remember when Douglas was the most heralded recruit in a generation, and, quietly, Gray became the gem of that class. When I watched Sat. night, that was the thought running through my mind.

I thought of Roland Gray too. I think Roland was heavier and had better power moves at this point, but Dwayne seems just as athletic. Gray improved every year and was an excellent 3 point shooter by his senior year. Lets hope Dwayne can follow the same course.

[SLUDrew]

Conklin is tough as nails but he needs to learn how to finish around the basket. He misses a ton of easy put-backs.

[milwaukeebill]

stop that

+1. We only deal with extremes here on the billiken board.

[jjray]

Minutes-wise, I think Conklin is going to get a LOT of minutes,probably around 30, no matter who we are playing. He has a great motor, experience and strength.

I don't see it unless Cory just collapses. Conk is undersized but makes up for with a lack of quickness and hops. True, he brings tenacity to a core of bigs that really needs it but he'll be overmatched once we get past the cupcake part of the schedule. If Conk had the quicks to defend the 3, then he would be very useful to the team but he can't. He's a 6'6" post player who doesn't jump. We're in trouble if he plays big minutes. I love Conk as does the Fetz crowd but he's an important role player, not a 30 minute per game guy.

[SLUDrew]

I don't see it unless Cory just collapses. Conk is undersized but makes up for with a lack of quickness and hops. True, he brings tenacity to a core of bigs that really needs it but he'll be overmatched once we get past the cupcake part of the schedule. If Conk had the quicks to defend the 3, then he would be very useful to the team but he can't. He's a 6'6" post player who doesn't jump. We're in trouble if he plays big minutes. I love Conk as does the Fetz crowd but he's an important role player, not a 30 minute per game guy.

Couldn't agree more. In fact, I would say that the amount of minutes played by Conk, Salecich and Eckerle will be very telling about the upcoming season. If they wind up playing 10-20 minutes or so (less for Eckerle) than that means the freshmen, who we can all agree are more talented, have jumped up and seized those minutes. If these three are playing 20 -30 minutes we are in trouble.

[Bizziken]

Couldn't agree more. In fact, I would say that the amount of minutes played by Conk, Salecich and Eckerle will be very telling about the upcoming season. If they wind up playing 10-20 minutes or so (less for Eckerle) than that means the freshmen, who we can all agree are more talented, have jumped up and seized those minutes. If these three are playing 20 -30 minutes we are in trouble.

I don't think we are necessarily in trouble...

Salecich played 28 minutes last year with Kwamain and Jordan...Since Majerus often plays 3 guards, and we essentially only have 4 guards (5 if Paul), then all 4 are going to have to play a significant amount of minutes...

Same principle applies to Conk...He averaged 21 minutes last year with Willie- there is no way he is going to play less than that this year, especially if Cory doesn't live up to expectations...

If we had retained Kwamain and Willie I would 100% agree with you...but without them I think Salecich and Conk are going to experience an increased responsibility, even if the freshman contribute mightily...

[JohnnyJumpUp]

Instead of trying to decide who are the best 5 or starting 5, how about distributions of minutes? Coach always says starting is for HS and minutes is really the bottom line. It's a hard call at this point. Maybe less minutes from the freshmen for the first few games.

MM 20

JJ 20

KC 25

PE 10

CS 20

DE 20

CE 25

RL 20

CR 20

BC 20

This distribution has Evans playing all his minutes at 3 but one would think coach goes small at times and plays Evans at the 4. One of Conk, Cory, or Loe gets squeezed when and if DE plays 4. Against opponents from lesser conferences (with small agile PFs) coach may be playing DE a lot at 4.

MM 20

JJ 24

KC 27

PE 3

CS 20

DE 20

CE 25

RL 20

CR 23

BC 18

[doowop]

Hey DocB. You called. I answer.

DE looks great! I mean, you are soooo right! He's got freshman of the year in the A-10 written all over him!

WRONG!

you cant base crap off these first few games. congrats. he tried harder and learned the offense the quickest (no surprise there, smart kid) .. by the end of the year he will still be the 4th best freshman in this class... He will get his ass owned when we play real teams while the others will step up and get better..

next time you want to pat yourself on the back, wait a little longer. we have literally played 2 community college teams for the blind. did you see us get lit up by the ginger from Cardinal State University College Stritch?

Then this must mean the team is going to be very weak because the other players did not show much against two community college teams for the blind. How do you know how the freshmen will end up by the end of the year? DE and MM were two of the best players in the Chicago area last season. You can bet on them being big factors THIS season. RL will probably be the 4th best freshman by year's end despite being a BIG contributor, at least offensively. That is how talented this class is.

[Bizziken]

I hate Duke...just throwing that out there...