Little break from football

[msstate7]

Basketball tipping off Friday afternoon. Anyone know what we plan on doing with sword? I hope he's gonna be pg.

Starting 5 predictions?

[CadaverDawg]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7t1P_1pPjuQ/S9bitu14OLI/AAAAAAAAALA/QTpJ9aJOiIk/s1600/Bball+1951-52+Starting+5.jpg


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***

[thf24]

I don't think there's been any word except that he's supposed to go.

My guess on the starting 5 is:

Bloodman
Sword
Thomas
Daniels
Ware

Ideally, Bloodman won't have to play much by mid season. If Ready can't get and stay healthy, I'm hoping that Sword can play point and Dunlap is far enough along to start at the 2.

[chef dixon]

I do not understand where the Sword for PG thing is coming from. It just seems illogical and would be a disaster of an experiment. Its not really his game at all.

[msstate7]

I do not understand where the Sword for PG thing is coming from. It just seems illogical and would be a disaster of an experiment. Its not really his game at all.

http://mississippistate.247sports.com/Article/MSU-junior-guard-Craig-Sword-talks-basketball-offseason-29360574

I don't think it would be a disaster at all. He drives well and has better size than our other points

[Coach34]

I do not understand where the Sword for PG thing is coming from. It just seems illogical and would be a disaster of an experiment. Its not really his game at all.

Sword played point half his Freshman year- he is a slasher and penetrator. Doing that and dishing to others would probably be the best thing we could do

[msstate7]

delete

[Coach34]

Sword played point half his Freshman year- he is a slasher and penetrator. Doing that and dishing to others would probably be the best thing we could do

[HoopsDawg]

I do not understand where the Sword for PG thing is coming from. It just seems illogical and would be a disaster of an experiment. Its not really his game at all.

Because Sword is the only shooting guard in the SEC that can't shoot. If we want to play our best 5 together then Sword has to play the Point. Also, Ready can't match up against any PG's with any size at all, e.g. Harrison from UK.

Best 5:

PG: Sword
SG: Thomas
3 Man: Houston
4: Daniels
5. Ware

Bring Roq off the bench for energy. Play the other guys sparingly.

[trob115]

Best 5:

PG: Sword
SG: Thomas
3 Man: Houston
4: Daniels
5. Ware

Bring Roq off the bench for energy. Play the other guys sparingly.

I like that lineup. That would be my starting 5 too. You have Dunlap, Johnson, Ready, and Black who could come off the bench to spare the starters.

[Intramural All-American]

Didn't Sword have about a 4:1 TO:Assist ration that year also? Sword is definitely not a PG.

[engie]

Didn't Sword have about a 4:1 TO:Assist ration that year also?

No

[Intramural All-American]

No

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/61637/craig-sword

Excuse my hyperbole, 127 TOs to 75 Assists is horrible for a point guard.

[msstate7]

I wouldn't hold what he did on that team against him. Sword running point gives us a better chance to win than bloodman imo

[thf24]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/61637/craig-sword

Excuse my hyperbole, 127 TOs to 75 Assists is horrible for a point guard.

Yeah, and it's ludicrous to think that he might have gotten any better in that aspect of the game in two years. **

[Coach34]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/61637/craig-sword

Excuse my hyperbole, 127 TOs to 75 Assists is horrible for a point guard.


He was playing some PG as a true freshman on a team that was so depleted, Tyson Cunningham made some starts. Good grief

[Intramural All-American]

Sword has been a TO machine the past two years. Excuse me for not buying into him being our PG. Sword is very good at attacking the basket, cut in the same mold as D Wade, but the guy is not a PG. Who knows, maybe he will play some and surprise me, but I'm very skeptical at this point.

Fact is, Sword is the best scorer on our team, and that's not what you want out of your PG.

[engie]

Sword has been a TO machine the past two years.
If you want to use the last 2 years, you have to use the improvement made to go with it. Go ahead and punch that number for us and extrapolate it into this year... Nevermind the amount he was playing tired and having to put the team on his back at times, while being one-dimensional and attacking guys that had backed off of him for much of the year. He started shooting it a bit at the end of the year too, and anything we get from him out there is a bonus...


Excuse me for not buying into him being our PG. Sword is very good at attacking the basket, cut in the same mold as D Wade, but the guy is not a PG.
That's exactly what you want to attack zone D's. Sword at the 1 addresses the offensive failure that actually cost us the season last year(inability to attack zone). It's not about putting SWORD in his best position -- it's about putting our team in the best position. Ready @ 2 > Sword @ 2. Sword defending 1 > Ready defending 1. By taking the ball and primary defensive reps away from Ready, you also ideally keep him fresher and healthier. Ready, Daniels, and Houston can shoot it. Sword's slashing gets them open looks against a zone. I suspect Thomas will surprise people this year as well.

Sword to the 1 is not a full-time assignment. It's a matchup assignment.


Fact is, Sword is the best scorer on our team, and that's not what you want out of your PG.
He isn't anymore, and if he is, the difference is miniscule...

[chef dixon]

Sword is not a PG. Yes he can drive and his best ability is finishing at the rim, which is not what you want your PG doing. He is not a pass-first, get others involved type player. He just isn't. We can't come up with fantasy experiments in year 3 in which the guy that should be catching back-door cuts from the 2 PG's already on our team, is switched to PG.

[HoopsDawg]

Sword is not a PG. Yes he can drive and his best ability is finishing at the rim, which is not what you want your PG doing. He is not a pass-first, get others involved type player. He just isn't. We can't come up with fantasy experiments in year 3 in which the guy that should be catching back-door cuts from the 2 PG's already on our team, is switched to PG.

Do you want Bloodman in the game instead of Fred Thomas or Houston? Do you want IJ Ready at 5'9 guarding Harrison at 6'5? The truth is, all of our PG's have flaws Sword included. So why not at least get your best 5 on the court.

[engie]

Sword is not a PG. Yes he can drive and his best ability is finishing at the rim, which is not what you want your PG doing.
What is the traditional role of a 2 guard? That's supposed to be your best shooter. Sword isn't, Ready or Houston is. Sword's skillset lends itself to no traditional position. He's a tweener. He's not a 2 guard shooting wise and he's undersized and too good of a deep perimeter defender for the 3.

Ray has explicitly said -- and it's true -- Point is the position that gives him a chance at the next level. The only position that gives him that chance unless he makes an absolutely tremendous shooting/range improvement in his final 2 years. We don't need Ready and Bloodman to "create" for the guy that's already our best offensive creator... We need them to have the ability to reap the benefits of Sword's creativity.


He is not a pass-first, get others involved type player. He just isn't.
He's never had that opportunity with a decent supporting cast. Distributing is something that can be taught. The amount of "arrival = finished product" is perplexing. We expect guys to get way better in baseball and football -- but they show up and that's all they will ever be in basketball?


We can't come up with fantasy experiments in year 3 in which the guy that should be catching back-door cuts from the 2 PG's already on our team, is switched to PG.
Keep doing the same thing we've failed at -- and expect a different result?

Again -- Sword at point isn't a full-time assignment. It's a match up assignment to get open looks for our best shooters against a zone.