Kerb Hohl wrote:DingleJerry wrote:Kerb Hohl wrote:
I know our posts are both long, but I think you’ve missed my point here:
This is the best thing that can happen if we want to match the teams that are consistently good in the transfer era like Illinois for example.
If 5 bench players and Steven Crowl enter the portal next year, we’re doing something right. It’s too late now because Gard isn’t up on the new way of doing things, but he can gamble on 4 more recruits and 2 transfers then. One or two of those transfers can be offered a starting center role at a Big Ten school and hopefully some decent money.
This is how teams consistently have good teams and/or get better now.
Except I wasn't talking about bench player. I mean the actual players, the core that in theory is making them good next year thus making them 'not good'. Bench guys, sure swap them out and get better, you'd want that like you said if you know they're not gonna hack it. I've said that in other posts as his area to show more improvement on that front (like he did last offseason). This scenario was, like half or 3/4 of the core/rotation team bails on him. Storr, Chucky, Crowl, Essegian and/or more all leave. Well, if they all don't wanna be here its a red flag on him. It also makes the "hey lets run it back with the good/vet team next year see how it goes" logic go away. It would create the same kind of 'window' that is coming next offseason happen now instead. If this season collapses, the core of the team quits on him, well I certainly get pulling the plug right now then. Might as well let the new guy do that big overhaul than him.
Sure...I agree at this point we've come this far gradually trying to build to a top 20 team, let the final year run. Though I will say that unless Essegian has some tangible reason that he's a below average shooter now, send him packing to Indiana State or whatever.
That said, there are lots of other good teams now that lose guys to greener pastures or the NBA and are willing to adapt right away. A great example is when Gard lost Johnny Davis + Brad Davison and basically just replaced Brad Davison with Klesmit, we see how bad that got. He probably learned from this when he realized he had to go big and replace Davis the following offseason.
Alabama lost some key players to the portal on top of the guys that just went pro and yet here they are, better than Wisconsin.
Yes we all know transfers happen now. But that's kind of the point on if he is good at it or can do it well, if a year needing that big adaption happens this offseason might as well let the new guy do it. If that does not happen and the vet team flounders again next year, might as well let the new guy do it next offseason, since in general we're all pretty skeptical (especially if we have another year of blah) on Gards ability in it. I'm skeptical of UWs overall ability to operate in this world (thus the lets not be so hasty to push out being solid mid level) but that's a different discussion.
But if he gets the PF needed to be a legit good team next year. And the other transfers/recruits have promise/athleticism rather than more Isaac Lindseys it kind of shows he is adapting/improving to the new world and doing what's needed and deserves a couple more years chance.
Yea I fully expect Essegian gone, that's fine. What has happened to him in 18 months under their coaching pretty much exemplifies my biggest beef with this staff though. If we can get his spot and say two other bench guys leaving and replace them with a legit good PF in the Storr type level along with some actual athleticism then its a pretty pretty good offseason. If he strikes out on that he's probably effed.
Resident Lillard truther since 2015.
