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Post by nbdlion22 on Feb 3, 2019 12:00:35 GMT -5
Dameane is by far our most skilled player and he is getting TOTALLY underutilized
Petr and Ivan should be playing more too. Instead dunlap is over here trying to micromanage hisbplayers
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Post by LIONS90045 on Feb 3, 2019 12:31:27 GMT -5
Agree
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Post by pumpfake on Feb 3, 2019 13:09:07 GMT -5
The Lions played an excellent first half and really stymied the Cougars. There was definitely a plan early to have McClendon take the ball aggressively to the hoop. It was clearly a great strategy because McClendon got to the rim 3 X. Unfortunately, he couldn't finish and only ended up with 2 free throws. The second half was a sh$@ show. The biggest issue for me was the turnovers which allowed to get the Cougars go off. Petr and Ivan did, indeed, play well but they will only see more time if their half court defense improves. Petr has shown a propensity to be a step late on the weakside and Ivan is a step slow guarding his man on the perimeter.IMO. Hope they can get there. Nice to have additional weapons. Douglas is going to be FUN to watch for another 3 years.
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Post by nbdlion22 on Feb 3, 2019 14:02:58 GMT -5
The Lions played an excellent first half and really stymied the Cougars. There was definitely a plan early to have McClendon take the ball aggressively to the hoop. It was clearly a great strategy because McClendon got to the rim 3 X. Unfortunately, he couldn't finish and only ended up with 2 free throws. The second half was a sh$@ show. The biggest issue for me was the turnovers which allowed to get the Cougars go off. Petr and Ivan did, indeed, play well but they will only see more time if their half court defense improves. Petr has shown a propensity to be a step late on the weakside and Ivan is a step slow guarding his man on the perimeter.IMO. Hope they can get there. Nice to have additional weapons. Douglas is going to be FUN to watch for another 3 years. That’s IF Douglas stays
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Post by thx4leavinjimlynam on Feb 3, 2019 15:35:14 GMT -5
In the games that Douglas has played at least 30 minutes we are 5-0.
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Post by lmuseniorfan on Feb 3, 2019 18:35:01 GMT -5
I have usually been a Dunlap defender, and I have contended since I started posting that he needs a lot of time to fix a very broken basketball culture at LMU. I also have never bought into the arguments that he is doesn't know what he's doing , or that he's a jerk, or that all his players hate him, etc. After all, many real experts like Pete Newell, Lute Olson, George Karl, etc claim he is is an exceptionally knowledgable BB guy; his records as a head coach at Cal Lutheran, Metropolitan State, and Arizona before arriving at LMU are outstanding; and his players have to appreciate how dedicated he is to their academic success. Also, I was never troubled by the departures of Payne, Siame, Manuel, and a few others as they couldn't seem to handle discipline at LMU or anywhere else.
However, the game last night was some type of epiphany for me. Something is very wrong with the program. No team should look as inept and confused as LMU did last night in the second half. By half way through the second half, I was not mad, but instead completely embarrassed to think that I had earlier thought the program was headed upward. No Division1 BB team should look that bad offensively against a very bad BYU defensive team. We made BYU's defense look like one produced by Tom Izzo or Tony Bennett. There was nothing but mass confusion at the offensive end. And defensively we all of a sudden forgot that BYU can hit uncontested 3-point shots. There was no adjustment to their half-time adjustments. As the game progressed, I thought back to the beginning of the St Mary's game, where the same defensive flaws showed up. They had a 20-point lead almost before the time keeper ever sounded the horn.
Besides the play of the team, the problems with the treatment of players all of a sudden came into focus for me. I thought that Hermann's knee was so bad that he was done and I assumed that Alipiev was being red-shirted, since both of these men have been languishing at the end of the bench for much of the season. But I was wrong. Hermann played and displayed his rather exceptional athleticism for a big man, and Alipiev scored 7 points in just a few minutes of play. Given our inability to score and defend at the rim, why aren't these guys on the floor more? I am beginning to suspect that Dunlap likes to toy with his players emotions excessively. Cameron Allen is another example. From everything I have heard and seen, Cameron Allen is an outstanding young man. He is an excellent student, behaves like a true gentleman and has big-time basketball talent. Somehow, the problems between him and Dunlap should have been resolved amicably. Mike Dunlap was the adult in that relationship. He is the one who should have taken the initiative to resolve their issues amicably. I am guessing that Dunlap's "my way or the highway" attitude ruined their relationship.
My bottom line is that something is badly broken. I hope it can be fixed immediately, but I doubt it. I am not a close friend of Mike Dunlap, but I do know him. He is a good man, and I would like to see him succeed. But right now, it looks like "it ain't gonna happen".
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Post by LIONS90045 on Feb 3, 2019 23:57:05 GMT -5
Thank you LMU for your candid opinions. I know you have tried to stay positive all season and I fully understand that. But I too am sadly concluding that some things are not right with the “Dunlap way,” and it is Dunlap himself. When he was hired, Winter observed that the roadblock to Dunlap’s success would be Dunlap himself (or words to that effect). How true those thoughts ring today. I want the best for the players and the program and want to see a coach who can flourish at LMU.
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Post by slblions08 on Feb 4, 2019 1:14:09 GMT -5
Lions have gone 8-7 since starting the season 8-0. UCLA "showed" everyone how to beat us by eliminating James "the best player at LMU since Hank and Bo" Batemon and it has been a total season changer. In games that we lose, our score-first PG has been shooting the rock in the mid 30%s. In games that we win he fares better around 40%. I don't know how to access that fancy shot chart data. But I'd imagine that against teams with decent defenders and coaching, Batemon can't get easy layups to free up open looks for himself. Against teams without a good defender or scheme to keep him contained, he can succeed and the offense opens up for himself and everyone else.
This is probably the reflection of the very basic offense that Dunlap runs, that as we've said here many times, lacks consistent 3-point shooters to stretch the defense.
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Post by ALioninWinter on Feb 4, 2019 1:45:18 GMT -5
90045 - yes, that’s basically what I said. CMD has the experience, knowledge, and love of the game to be successful. What I said at the time was that while I hoped he would be successful, I wondered if he could keep his arrogance in check enough to allow that experience and knowledge to bear fruit.
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a person allow his arrogance to consume all aspects of his professional life to the extent I’ve seen with CMD. He spends hours on defensive and offensive strategies, and I think to the point that he’s convinced he knows what other teams and players will do in given situations. When they respond in unpredictable ways, he can’t react. He can’t admit to himself that he was wrong.
He can’t handle players thinking for themselves because he knows best. Recruiting is a challenge because he talks about what he believes is most important—him! He doesn’t need assistants who think for themselves because he has the superior knowledge.
Practices are like classroom lectures because what he has to say trumps the players actually playing. He has tons of good things to say, but he doesn’t know when to stop saying it. In games, his presence is what counts and the players are merely interchangeable and substitutable parts. I’ve attended LMU games in away venues and listened to the other teams’ fans question CMD’s prancing on the court. It’s that noticeable.
It’s a shame he can’t rein in that arrogance so that his attributes and dedication have opportunities to come forth. I do firmly believe he is sincere and hard working and wants the best for his players. .
Unfortunately, five years in and I see no hope of that happening. This year’s team is no better than the team we had when he started. It might be worse. I really don’t like disparaging the players because they play their hearts out. But they simply aren’t very good and I see little chance of future improvement. He doesn’t seem to have a good eye for talent and really struggles with finding players who have the attributes that he wants his teams to have. Five years in and a coach should have ample evidence of improvement. Every coach is subject to having good ideas that don’t work for some reason. That’s life. The smart ones say, “Hmmm, that didn’t work as planned. Guess I should try something different.” Not CMD. He keeps on doing the same thing over and over. That arrogance keeps him from learning and changing.
Making matters worse, I see little effort in this year’s recruiting effort. I don’t know what is going thru CMD’s mind right now, but I wonder if he realizes his time is about up so why bother putting much effort into recruiting.
He also doesn’t realize that college basketball is an entertainment venue. You have to do things that attract fans. His approach has destroyed fan enthusiasm. Game attendance is bad, even with an 11-1 record to start the season. This fan board has been nearly crickets before each game when it should be chirping with enthusiasm.
When he took over the program he opined that he needed to destroy the old to build a new order. He certainly was successful in that destruction, but he’s done virtually nothing to rebuild. It’s really sad.
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Post by lionlife on Feb 4, 2019 16:17:52 GMT -5
Lions have gone 8-7 since starting the season 8-0. UCLA "showed" everyone how to beat us by eliminating James "the best player at LMU since Hank and Bo" Batemon and it has been a total season changer. In games that we lose, our score-first PG has been shooting the rock in the mid 30%s. In games that we win he fares better around 40%. I don't know how to access that fancy shot chart data. But I'd imagine that against teams with decent defenders and coaching, Batemon can't get easy layups to free up open looks for himself. Against teams without a good defender or scheme to keep him contained, he can succeed and the offense opens up for himself and everyone else. This is probably the reflection of the very basic offense that Dunlap runs, that as we've said here many times, lacks consistent 3-point shooters to stretch the defense. I'm not sure if I'm the person you're referencing with the whole "best player since" thing, since I'm pretty sure I posted something along those lines, but I actually agree with your analysis, and I'll sadly admit I was wrong about Batemon's level. He's still damn good player when he's on his day, but it's been too inconsistent recently. I doubt anyone believes at this point that Batemon is the best player since Hank and Bo, and I certainly don't, so why keep bringing it up?
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Post by nbdlion22 on Feb 4, 2019 17:55:59 GMT -5
Lions have gone 8-7 since starting the season 8-0. UCLA "showed" everyone how to beat us by eliminating James "the best player at LMU since Hank and Bo" Batemon and it has been a total season changer. In games that we lose, our score-first PG has been shooting the rock in the mid 30%s. In games that we win he fares better around 40%. I don't know how to access that fancy shot chart data. But I'd imagine that against teams with decent defenders and coaching, Batemon can't get easy layups to free up open looks for himself. Against teams without a good defender or scheme to keep him contained, he can succeed and the offense opens up for himself and everyone else. This is probably the reflection of the very basic offense that Dunlap runs, that as we've said here many times, lacks consistent 3-point shooters to stretch the defense. I'm not sure if I'm the person you're referencing with the whole "best player since" thing, since I'm pretty sure I posted something along those lines, but I actually agree with your analysis, and I'll sadly admit I was wrong about Batemon's level. He's still damn good player when he's on his day, but it's been too inconsistent recently. I doubt anyone believes at this point that Batemon is the best player since Hank and Bo, and I certainly don't, so why keep bringing it up? You know what's really frustrating? I think most people often forget that basketball is a team game. So I actually don't think youre statement regarding Batemon being the best since Hank and Bo isn't that far fetched. I think hes an absolute stud who should have been recruited more and could have been a starter at a high level D1 program. It's unfortunate for him because his coach has 0 game plan for him except setting high screens and hoping for the best. Batemon needs to work on his shot but I don't blame him for being inconsistent when we have 0 other offensive options that allows for him to drive and kick or drive and finish at the rim. Our opponents just clog the lane and cut off out ONE offensive scheme that we do repeatedly. It is absolutely atrocious. Imagine if Batemon had a shooter like Viney that was utilized properly. It would open up the floor SO much for him to drive to the basket, which we know he likes to do and is good at.
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Post by lmuseniorfan on Feb 4, 2019 17:56:23 GMT -5
While I can nit pick about details of what ALioninWinter says, I generally agree with his analysis. Obviously, I cannot get inside Mike Dunlap's head, but I suspect that he has read too many of his press clippings. He is considered almost a basketball genius, and maybe he is. But he, or nobody, can mold a situation to the ideal. You have to make the best of the hand you are dealt. LMU cannot recruit 3* and 4* players. We have to find high school and JC kids who can develop and contribute particular skills on the basketball floor. For example, we might have three players who are terrific 3-point shooters and two players who can't shoot but can rebound like Rodman, and a couple of guys who can direct an offense with their vision and passing. The coach then has to tailor the offense to these players' particular skills. That's how St Mary's has been successful for a decade and how USF is now building a successful program. When you have Anthony Davis and Chris Paul, a pick and roll will usually work; when you have Lebron James, an isolation play is probably best; etc. But we don't have players at that level --- and never will. We need a system tailored to players who can execute it.
I am not a basketball expert, but I have followed and played the game for a long time. I can recognize when trapping defenses can't recover fast enough to affect the 3-point shooter in the corner or when the scorers on a team are not capable of breaking down their defenders (Watch this year's St. Mary's or UCLA games). That is what I often see with our players. They are just not skilled enough to play in the offenses and defenses they are trying to execute, especially against the good teams. Now Mike Dunlap did seem to recognize how his team could handle mediocre Santa Clara and Pacific teams. In the second half of the Santa Clara game, the team played a terrific tight man-to-man or match up defense, and their spacing and passing on offense was terrific. As a result, they looked like an upper tier WCC team. The same was true in the Pacific game, especially on defense. But then came the second half of the BYU game --- just ugly.
There is also the problem with players who sit at the end of the bench and maybe shouldn't be. Earlier posts and have said enough about that, including mine.
I hope I see a winning streak (except for Gonzaga, because I am not stupid enough to think we can defeat them) leading up to the tourney. If so, I will shut up. But the BYU game concerns me. Our team was just awful in the second half.
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