Vote for your Lineup Preference

[cyatheart]

You can;t start Nixon, Mike and Solo. They are just all 3 role players, 6th man type of guys on quality big 12 team. They're serviceable so you can get by with starting one or two of them but there is too much redundancy with what they bring offensively to have all 3 on the floor as much as we do. Ideally, Conditt and Solo would make up the frontcourt but neither can guard a wing when teams play small, we haven't seen them on the floor at all this year (or very little, I can't recall it happening) so I doubt it happens.

We are kind of stuck with the roster we have, Prohm is just trying to get by with playing the best 5/6 players, not necessarily guys who's skill set compliment one another. I don't think major adjustments are needed in mpg but a mixing things up needs to happen.

Yes. People think you can't have Solomon and George on the floor at the same time, yet we are to think that Solomon and MJ are a better combo?

You have to get George on the floor for as long as possible. MJ has to be dialed back to like 5 minutes a half. This will never happen though. Prohm is never going to sit MJ.

This concept that it is a good idea to have guys like Wiggington and George come off the bench and play less minutes is madness and over the course of the year really hurts the team. But I see no reason why Prohm would make any change, although the effort was so poor last night, maybe it forces his hand.

If you play George and Solo, you just have to dominate the boards and the lane.
You have to play slower at times, feed the post on occasion. And try to play big and punish 4 guard teams for going small. Prohm has shown no willingness at any point here to play inside out. He offense consists of ball screen over and over again. So I can't see this happening either. There are disadvantages to playing Solo and George at the same time, but this is what we have. Solo isn't perfect but he doesnt do anything stupid and doesn't absolutely kill you while he is in the game.

The third and 4th guys, I am not sure it matters much. I would probably go with Jackson and Bolton assuming the awful performance by Bolton last night is a one off, but again, Prohm is going to play Nixon 30 minutes a game, so you might as well get used to it.

My hope is we can wean MJ down to 10 minutes a half somehow, get George up to 30 minutes or so, and see what happens. But I just can't see it happening. I think this is what it is really.

 

[isufbcurt]

I understand the frustration with Nixon and Jacobson shooting but last night everyone else was being way to passive early in the game (looking at you Hali and Bolton) so it was nice to see someone actually want to do something.

Enough of this "feeling out" the game crap from Hali and Bolton, they need to start the game with the attack mentality, especially Bolton. Get going down hill and get fouled, that's how Bolton gets in a rhythm.

 

[isufbcurt]

I like Jacobson over Young because of rebounding. Also Conditt needs to adjust his mentality to not block every shot. Rebounding and playing solid position defense are sometimes the better choice.

I don't believe a lineup change is the fix. It's intensity, taking better shots, on-ball and rebounding fundamentals.

Also think the coaches need to adjust offensive system to get guys better shots. Relying on ball movement around perimeter and dribble drive isn't solution for this team

I agree with what you are saying except the dribble drive part. Bolton and Hali can get into the lane with ease, they just need to look to attack it more.

 

[BWRhasnoAC]

I could also support this for the next game.

I'm no basketball guru but drive the lane and crash the boards with our best rebounders at the 4 and 5. Grill adds spacing and a kick out option. Defense just needs work all around. We should be playing like a big east team this year.

 

[VeloClone]

IMO it doesn't really matter. There is a gaping hole at the 3 and 4 spot, and right now there isn't anyone on the roster that can fill it. Griffin either hasn't developed or needs to accept the Ejim/Hogue role and to quit thinking he's Tyrus McGee. Jacobson is a nightmare. And, Lewis made a three last night but clearly he's just chucking as soon as he gets in the game and completely lost on D.

I would kill to even have Zoran Talley back at this point.

We have an 8 man rotation of 4 shooting guards who can't shoot, it's not a recipe for success.

Where does that come from? He has averaged about a shot for every 3 minutes he has played on the season and he has hit 5 of the 9 shots taken. He came in last night when the team needed offense and he did exactly what was asked of him and put up an early shot and made it. He also put up 4 good shots in the 10 minutes he was on the floor and made 3 of them - again when the team needed quick offense.

Beyond last night he has played 15 minutes of garbage time and taken 5 shots in that 15 minutes. That is 3 minutes per shot which is in line with most of the rest of the players on the team.

I don't see what he has done this year as chucking by any means.

 

[Cyfern]

What lineup do you guys want to see as our starting lineup going forward? I tried to throw all kinds of variety out there.

Carter Booth, Nate Schuster, Terrence Lewis, Erick Steyer and Nate Jenkins. Couldn't be much worse!!

 

[JimDogRock]

Hali, Nixon, Grill, Young, Condit.

I want to see this lineup too. Hopefully it improves spacing with Grill out there and puts Bolton in to what might be a more natural fit for him - bench scorer. Come in, get to the rim, and draw fouls on the other team's tired players.

 

[VeloClone]

Whar Jenkins, Steyer, Schuster, Boothe and Lewis option?

Carter Booth, Nate Schuster, Terrence Lewis, Erick Steyer and Nate Jenkins. Couldn't be much worse!!

See, I'm not the only one!

 

[isucy86]

I agree with what you are saying except the dribble drive part. Bolton and Hali can get into the lane with ease, they just need to look to attack it more.

I agree to a degree, but both would be much more effective with motion toward the bucket and solid screens.

It is crazy how sticky our opponent screens are on Cyclone defenders- we basically run into the screener and stop. Conversely, when our guys go to screen defenders, we're ghosts.

 

[DurangoCy]

I didn't see a "None of the above" option.

Seriously, how can a D1 team not have at least 2-3 guys who can make 40% from 3?
WTF were they doing all summer? The fact that Jackson, Nixon, and Bolton are all under 30% is unacceptable from a player standpoint.

 

[CTTB78]

Hali, Nixon, Grill, Young, Condit.

I had Bolton instead of Grill, but in the remaining preseason games we need to see major minutes for Jackson and Grill, and Lewis to a lesser extent. We'll need one of these guys to show up in the conference games and CSP has to let them play to see what they can do. Two-three minutes spurts doesn't cut it.

 

[EarthIsMan]

I don't see new lineup changes or minutes redistribution making a great difference at this point. The 4 guard lineup with Conditt would get eviscerated defensively and would give up so many points from offensive rebounds. If it had 4 proven 3 pt. shooters....maybe that lineup would make some sense. But it does not.

The problem vs. Iowa was scheme and execution. Defensively, ISU was slow on help rotations and not very connected. Offensively, it was very stagnant and indecisive. This team still does not have a consistent identity or who it can trust in tough spots. Some players need to simplify their roles and focus on what makes them great. Many ISU players did not seem ready for the moment.

This team will improve, the question is if it can improve quickly enough to have any hopes for a postseason.

 

[VeloClone]

I agree to a degree, but both would be much more effective with motion toward the bucket and solid screens.

It is crazy how sticky our opponent screens are on Cyclone defenders- we basically run into the screener and stop. Conversely, when our guys go to screen defenders, we're ghosts.

Part of it is learning how to screen and learning how to use a screen. Often Cyclone players will make several mistakes in the screen game:

• Start driving by the screener before he is set or set the screen too close to a moving teammate so screener gets called for a moving screen.
• Leave too much space when you use a screen. We were always taught that you should brush shoulders and hips with your teammate when you use a screen. If your man gets through the screen you left too much space. If you get called for the foul your man beat you through the screen.
• Roll too early off of the screen. There is value in setting a screen and rolling off of it before the other defender gets there if your defender is hedging early, but when you aren't doing this you need to make sure you are maintaining long enough to create separation between your teammate and his defender.
• Hesitation. Often a player slows down as he comes through the screen rather than exploding off of it. You need to be seeing your next course before you hit the screen rather than deciding after you get through it. The screener's defender will telegraph the hedge if that is his intent (or he will be late like some of our hedges) and your defender will have to decide if he is going over the top or around the bottom of the screen early or he will be stuck to the screen as you suggest our players are.

Finally, officials are notoriously inconsistent in calling moving screens. Many teams take moving screen fouls as a price to pay for a good screen game and set borderline moving screens pretty much every time they screen. Some KU teams have lived on moving screens.

 

[Clonefan32]

I, fore one, am excited for another season of our second best player checking in 7 minutes into the game.

 

[quasistellar]

The problem vs. Iowa was scheme and execution.

So. . . the problem was. . . everything?

 

[GrindingAway]

Our issue is shooting. Without shooting spacing is terrible and offensive is a struggle. I like both Solo and Conditt a lot, but putting them out there together it just going to worsen shooting problems. Having Solo, Conditt, and at least one of Nixon/Bolton would be a horrendous shooting lineup.

People are down on Jacobson, but the guy is at least hitting a decent percent from 3. Yes he's not the guy he was last year. He's not playing in the post.

Unless one of the following happen it doesn't really matter what line up you throw out there we are going to have struggles.

1) Lewis figures it out on the defensive end
2) Nixon and or Bolton get back to their historical mid thirties percent from 3
3) Grill/Jackson have the game slow down enough they can defend and get into the mid 30s from 3

I'd either keep the same 5 or go with the Fitzy lineup. Then adjust if one of the three things above happen.

Not sure why we are spending this much time on the subject I don't see Prohm changing the starting line up. That just isn't him.

 

[danielyp29]

I wonder how well Zion/Terrence can play zone/press. if we have Tyrese, Zion, Terrence, Solo/Jacobson, and Conditt, that gives us a really big/long athletic lineup with all the guards at 6'6". Obviously not for a starting lineup but it would be an interesting combination to see on the floor.

 

[VeloClone]

I didn't see a "None of the above" option.

Seriously, how can a D1 team not have at least 2-3 guys who can make 40% from 3?
WTF were they doing all summer? The fact that Jackson, Nixon, and Bolton are all under 30% is unacceptable from a player standpoint.

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Bolton hitting .361 last year with over 50 makes indicates that this isn't all the shooter he is. I would expect him to come out of this funk. Hopefully it is sooner rather than later. I also hope he doesn't abandon attacking the basket when it does happen. It will give him more good looks if the defender is always looking for him to drive rather than assuming he will pop.

Nixon was also a .333 shooter from 3 (152 makes in 3 years) at Colorado State. I would expect that he would improve a bit as well.

Right now, I think they are pressing way too much. It would be nice to forget about the long range game and try to win "without" it. And then let it come in the flow of the game. There is no rule that says when a team hits two threes on you that you need to jack one at the other end to quickly make it up - especially in the first half.

 

[NodawayRiverClone]

Voted Other. Start Lewis over Jacobson and let him play until he shows no energy and hustle (even if it's bad) on defense or takes 2 terrible shots. Rotate 3 in the 5 spot and go longer with the one(s) doing the best.

 

[omar34]

Halliburton, Young, Griffin, Lewis, and Conditt! With no shooters we need to play in the paint!