It's Official - We Have No Depth

[Kedsy]

No, I'm not. Mason is frequently touching the ball near the 3 line because he is up there mostly to screen. That's clearly the game plan.

I disagree with this. Z and Lance and Miles are also up at the three-point line screening, but they don't touch the ball up there. Mason gets it there because he is a credible threat to do something.

Someone who gets a lot of touches is by definition involved in the offense, whether he ends up shooting or not. Assuming Mason is getting a lot of touches as the other poster states, the key to evaluating his performance is whether those touches lead to a productive possession for the team, not whether he ends up shooting the ball.

Frankly, in my opinion he doesn't even have to touch the ball to be involved in the offense. He just has to be threat enough to keep a defender close by. If our bigs never take a shot but do keep their defenders occupied, I like our chances to score with all three S's being guarded one-on-one.

[jgehtland]

Why some people assume that a big has to be standing still in order to make an effective catch in the paint escapes me. Everything one sees in well conceived offenses says that it is the opposite--that the most effective play comes off catches on the move.

Why some people thin that anyone on Duke is good at getting the ball inside ignores history. Even when McRob was here, and was getting position and they wanted to get him the ball, the ball always came late and rarely in places that helped a big create advantage.

How anyone can imagine that Mason does not post up with the best of them and does not have a range of moves off a back to the basket catch defies common sense. The guy has been playing organized ball for how long? Going to super duper camps run by top coaches every summer. Playing top AAU ball, probably going to clinics since he was six. How difficult do any of you think it is to develop a traditional down-low game repetoire?

Mason and his brother can both handle themselves down low exceptionally well. Once they are given a full hand to play, they will. Until now that has not happened.

Hee hee. I love it. Explain that it is impossible to believe that our bigs might have difficulty in the post by claiming that all of our guard since mcbob's time are incapable of feeding the post. Doesn't your argument about coaching and organized play apply to that skill as well?

Our post offense is less than efficient. This is true. There are many possible reasons for it. You are the only person in this thread who is sure of the answer. Really really sure.

[bluesin]

I thought I had covered my views on most of those issues earlier in this thread with this post:

http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/...&postcount=158

I've been saying I think we need to get Mason more involved with the offense because I think he has substantial offensive talent. Most reponded that Mason does not have good post moves at this time. I responded that's not the only way to get him involved in the offense. I think we should work the offensive strengths he has already shown.

Ok, so you say you want to get Mason more involved with the offense. He's already involved. I gave you the statistics for his involvement. If you mean you want him to score more, I also would like for him to score more, so we agree on that. You say his face up game is good, and you think we should use some of his other offensive talents. I agree with that too. You say in that post you linked " I think some of the made baskets [CDu] referenced illustrate a way he could become more involved in our offensive game. IMO, we're running even more motion than earlier in the season." Just for reference some of the baskets mentioned were 2 dunks in transition (one off a turnover), a driving dunk (the defender fell down), a 3 pointer, and a dunk off a Jon assist (which if memory serves was a one on one reaction play not a post move). So you'd like for Mason to dunk more (I agree, who doesn't like a dunk). But 2 of those plays also came from catching it at or around the 3 point line, the obvious one was the 3 the other being the drive. So the places he's getting the ball and the kinds of shots you seem to want him to have in the (half-court) offense line up, it appears to me. So really it seems like he's being put in a position to succeed with where he touches the ball on offense. I guess I just don't know what else you want to do to "work the offensive strengths he has already shown." I think a lot of it is on Mason now to apply the offensive strengths he's already shown, to step it up so to speak.

Maybe we just don't understand one another, but you seem to be asking for more ways to involve Mason in the offense and I'm pointing out he's already involved quite a bit and wondering what you think should be done to involve him even more and how that will be more effective than what's being done now (also why you think what's being done now isn't as effective as you think it should be and why, beyond Mason not putting up a lot of shots in a few games).

[jv001]

Actually I'm waiting for Mason to use his left hand around the basket. Maybe he could go to the Carlos Boozer training school. Go Duke!