Musketeer Madness

I love this team and the leadership of the seniors. My only question mark is a serious concern with the lack of any consistent straight-up man defense from cj and derrick brown. I found myself screaming their names too many times in recent games. Can they improve enough, soon enough, to help this team run deep in the tourney?(I understand that made shots make their errors shine)still, I have concerns.

DB and CJ are in a slight slump in terms of their production. Brown's 3-game total of 13 rebounds is his lowest 3-game total of the season. His 26 points in the last 3 games is one of his least-productive stretches this season. Anderson 3-game "streak" of single-digit scoring is his first such stretch of the season.

Neither guy has played as prominent a role recently as they were earlier in the season. CJ's never going to be a defensive whiz; he doesn't have the footspeed.

does cj have the heart and/or desire to be better on that end of the floor, regargless of footspeed?

I agree about the concern of CJ and Derrick on both ends of the floor. We need them to break out of their slump - NOW!

Derrick just doesn't take enough shots in my opinion.

<"he doesn't have the footspeed.">

My Lord in heaven ... when did you stark clocking players. If, just a suggestion, you watch tapes, you will see CJ take a pass and with EXCELLENT "foot speed" slice to the basket ... he is, has been, and will be our slasher.

Ditto on D ... watch the tapes and tell me that people are beating him MTM because he "lacks foot speed."

Holy Moses!!! This ranks up there with Millersdad declaration about where one points his toes at the free throw line!

Wise, I don't expect you to agree with this (or anything I post), but CJ scores inside because of his savvy and strength, not because he's blowing by anyone.

Defensively, he's good for an occasional steal, but I'd be hard-pressed to say that, based on what we've seen so far, CJ is anything resembling a lock-down defender at this point in his career.

whatever stanley began drinking to make him play on the defensive end of the floor, please give some to derrick and cj.

i'm more concerned about the lack of a dominant big man. what's going to happen come tourney time when we're matched up against a team that has the like of a Tyler Hansbrough or a dominant, true post player? teams will slow it down against us in the tourney and concentrate on the half court game? how will we answer that? i know duncan's been playing out of his mind lately, but i'm worried.....

cheeba wrote:i'm more concerned about the lack of a dominant big man. what's going to happen come tourney time when we're matched up against a team that has the like of a Tyler Hansbrough or a dominant, true post player? teams will slow it down against us in the tourney and concentrate on the half court game? how will we answer that? i know duncan's been playing out of his mind lately, but i'm worried.....

Thank God you're worrying. Now I don't have too. Miller knows what he's doing. As for Hansbrough...he's the exception....no one in the country can guard him...except maybe Burrell.

XU84 wrote:Derrick just doesn't take enough shots in my opinion.

Agree. I think it's more a matter of making sure we get Derrick the ball more. I don't think he gets enough touches.

thywillbedone wrote:does cj have the heart and/or desire to be better on that end of the floor, regargless of footspeed?

That's just an ingnorant comment. No one on this team has more heart than CJ. However footspeed does not dictate great defense alone. Every year he's with Miller, he will get better.

Derrick simply gets himself out of position...this is more a combination of his first year of getting big minutes and the mental aspect. He gets out of position because he's being too aggressive looking for a rebound coming from the other side of the court. He gets out of position when the ball gets swung real fast from one side of the court to the other. But then that's why you swing the ball real fast, to catch the other team out of position.