This is a big issue. For myself, I'd eliminate the quotation marks around Carolina's talent, although I acknowledge that as 3 of their most talented players are frosh, it's unproven and unlikely to be consistent for awhile. So even if one were to acknowledge Carolina's talent, we'd still have to say that talent has to overcome chemistry and inexperience.
An intriguing aspect of the chemistry issue is the coach. There's been a fair amount of evidence cited on these boards re "throwing the players under the bus," so no need for me to rehash that. But I must say, it doesn't seem helpful for Roy to have said, after the Minn loss, "I can't control my own team, how can I control SportsCenter?" [http://www.startribune.com/sports/go...aPc:i_kchO7DU]
Whereas the Minn Tribune writer was unhappy with Roy's "blame the media" [e.g., SportsCenter] explanation for some of HB's early troubles, the real wowzer here was the "I can't control my own team" remark. For it (1) bespeaks more than a hint of his "woe is me" obsession, (2) is a foolish thing to say publicly about a team that obviously must be nurtured if it is to jell into a cohesive group, and (3) suggests an unbecoming, off-putting panic at the very beginning of what is universally understood to be a delicate task.
I think Carolina is talented [rather than "talented"] enough to become a very good team. Of course I thought that last year, almost to the hilarious end. I was virtually the last to see the light, I guess because I assumed that Roy Williams was a very good coach. I don't assume that these days, by which I mean I just don't know what to make of his decisions and behavior. How he handles the several delicate issues on his team will be a test of his coaching acumen. I have no idea just how much his "I can't control my own team" revealed, about his team or himself. But the soap opera seems to have been renewed for its second season.