quote:
Very excited to see Martin play like that. It's as though they need someone other than a coach to tell them to stay aggressive prior to each game. I just think if Martin is an NBA player, those type of games should be expected in sec play. Darcy played alright and CJJ clearly likes his upside, but our starting center has now had 2 sec games where he's played 13 minutes and 17 minutes, and has 1 total rebound...that's terrifying. And lastly, Gray played a very good first 5 minutes, very bad last 10. But I'll never..never understand why we have to just shite on a kid who is crucial to long term success. Gray has a unique skill set that no one else has. I also think he runs on confidence, and his confidence cannot be lower than it is right now. So congrats tiger "fans" on hating on a kid so much that every turnover he has now, is the worst in the history of basketball.

Martin was aggressive last night (though he still has too much trouble finishing at the rim at times for guy that big and athletic). I don't know if 22 points should be expected from him night in and night out, but it should definitely be expected that he be an aggressive scorer each night.

Like you said, LSU is getting virtually nothing from the 5 spot but fouls. Malone is a bad defender, but he doesn't screw things up offensively. Odo is more athletic, but he can't catch. You literally just can't throw him the ball. Robinson seems like a transfer candidate. It's obvious that the staff has no confidence in him whatsoever, and he seems pretty disengaged on the bench.

Finally, you've been beating the drum for Gray all season long. He might have great ability, but that doesn't matter if it doesn't translate to good or at least solid play on the court. Sorry, but right now with the way Quarterman and Patterson are playing he is a liability for this team until he learns how to play sound basketball. IMO the criticism is warranted. Fans aren't just "shitting" on him just because. He routinely makes poor decisions with the basketball. A&M and UF are both teams that place defense at a premium. You CAN'T be sloppy with the basketball against them. He was. Did you notice that when Gray came out LSU became much more effective at beating the press? That wasn't an accident. Quarterman and Patterson/Hornsby were able to work together to beat the pressure rather than trying to beat the trap on their own.

Everyone who follows the team wants him to succeed because it makes the whole team better. However, right now he is the third best option at the point. Quarterman has been LSU's most consistent player and Patterson has EARNED every minute he's gotten this year. Gray is still an important piece for this team. LSU is going to need him as the season continues. But right now it's hard to trust that he'll make the sound play when necessary.

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Posted by LSUButt

Lowcountry

Member since Jan 2006

14930 posts

Posted on 1/21/15 at 10:14 am to Alt26

quote:
Martin was aggressive last night (though he still has too much trouble finishing at the rim at times for guy that big and athletic). I don't know if 22 points should be expected from him night in and night out, but it should definitely be expected that he be an aggressive scorer each night.

No, you're right, I'm not expecting 22. I'm expecting efficiency and to get 16 a game. If Martin scores 16 and is aggressive each game, we are almost impossible to beat. Mickey is a garbage player who thrives when Martin drives and he can get an offensive rebound.

And unlike some people, I can admit when I'm wrong at times. Gray was not good last night. He was fine for a little bit, then started to move to fast and get too quick and break the press by himself and got owned. However, this is my problem with the criticism. Going into the game, his ast/to ratio was 1.7 whereas TQ's was 1.2. TQ was shooting 44% and Gray 42%. Gray also averages more steals. The point I'm making is that Gray has not been as abysmal as people think. Yea, he has LOTS of turnovers, never a good thing, but he averages 1 more per game than TQ. 1...There is also a reason CJJ wants the ball in his hands late in the game. Gray is the best player we have at beating someone off the dribble. We have guys like Martin who have length and strength, TQ uses length and swag, Hornsby uses a shot fake. But straight up 1 on 1, Gray can break a defense down better than anyone we have and that's a premium in basketball. With that type of guard you will have lots of turnovers. Now, last night was bad because he was turning it over on their side of the floor and allowing them to score, but I've already said he played poorly.

I say he gets criticism because every turnover he makes is magnified because of this board. He is on a fast break and makes a no look pass that goes out of bounds, the place goes crazy. We have other players that make those mistakes too, but people tend to let it slide. Hornsby had 4 turnovers as well, 3 of which were breaking the press. I do not see one thread about Hornsby's ball security. I just don't think many people on this board realize how important he is to the team. When he plays well, we win...it's as simple as that. I love Patterson, he's so calm and collected and brings a veteran presence out there. But if we need a player to make a play and our option is Gray or Patterson, I want Gray.

Lastly, I don't care what people say, but there are many on the board actively rooting against Gray. I don't understand why LSU fans do this. It's the same with football (if not worse). I don't know how a guy who averages nearly 10 points and 5 assists a game is a liability. He's normally a 5 assist, 3 turnover kind of guy. I'll take 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals from my point guard all day long as long as he has more assists than turnovers...which he normally does.

tl;dr: Gray played poorly, criticism still too strong, he takes all the blame, brings unique skill set, Martin plays aggressive we are unstoppable.

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