Duquesne's coach on Wheeler

[YankeeCpt_rivals378522]

Wheeler Against All Y’all

 

[dc513]

Yep, 2 bad plays, 11 good plays. But here is the real question, and I've asked myself this many times. If you try to handcuff a guy like Wheeler and tell him to stop driving in so deep, do you lose the 11 good plays? Part of what makes Wheeler so dynamic is what also makes him frustrating at times. But you almost have to live with the mistakes in order to get those great plays. I'll take 11 and 2 every game. I have heard Calipari address it multiple times- play fast but don't hurry.

Totally correct. Cal knows that too.

 

[kl40504_rivals]

I’m confident we’d be just fine without him by the end of the year.

Won't happen unless he is injured. Get used to it.

 

[qwesley]

Yep, 2 bad plays, 11 good plays. But here is the real question, and I've asked myself this many times. If you try to handcuff a guy like Wheeler and tell him to stop driving in so deep, do you lose the 11 good plays? Part of what makes Wheeler so dynamic is what also makes him frustrating at times. But you almost have to live with the mistakes in order to get those great plays. I'll take 11 and 2 every game. I have heard Calipari address it multiple times- play fast but don't hurry.

Too simplistic. Having a ball-dominant pg can generate assist numbers but can also cause stagnation off the ball. I mean Tyty broke the FR assist record and Grady had great games with Wheelet out last year.

This team has a lot of talent and the primary mindset should be what is best around the reigning NPOY. A lot of basketball to be played and OT is not in there yet. With him back , I just think a lot of us think Wallace (who has too much overall skill) and the two shooters make the most sense with Wheeler off the bench for tempo.

 

[Rockfly78]

I don't have it backwards. I'm not just talking about assist to turnover ratio.
I expect this out of KL, but not you. You're smarter than this.
Just because it's a bad play, or a mistake, doesn’t mean it was a turnover.

You can’t measure everything on a stat sheet. I said on here last night that a player like wheeler is a major problem for a defense. He’s unorthodox and unpredictable. He can get anywhere on the floor he wants to go and that causes the defense to stray and breakdown. No to mention the physical ramifications of having to chase his little *** around and his motor is incredible. He will turn it over from time to time but he’s a net positive in a big way. I don’t understand why this kid is criticized so hard. We have had way worse players get a lot more rope.

 

[nickhorvathsuxazz]

Jesus man, you need friends.

Maybe just a mom w/ stricter internet usage guidelines and message board oversight?

 

[nickhorvathsuxazz]

Too simplistic. Having a ball-dominant pg can generate assist numbers but can also cause stagnation off the ball. I mean Tyty broke the FR assist record and Grady had great games with Wheelet out last year.

This team has a lot of talent and the primary mindset should be what is best around the reigning NPOY. A lot of basketball to be played and OT is not in there yet. With him back , I just think a lot of us think Wallace (who has too much overall skill) and the two shooters make the most sense with Wheeler off the bench for tempo.

You beat me to it. Was going to post the same. Our offense has a tendency to stand around and wait for a pass vs. working to get open when wheeler's in the game. Still has value to the team, but should be utilized in measured doses.

 

[Wunky]

No one denies Wheeler can be great on some random Friday night against Duquesne. But he will be a liability in a big game with his complete inability to shoot and idiotic turnovers. A good coach will use Wheeler against us. That is reality.

If Wheeler can hit from deep consistently (say, 35%+) then he becomes a very, very dangerous player. Yes , he sometimes has head scratching turnovers, but I’m not as concerned about them as I am about his shooting. Nothing against Duquesne’s coach, but the book on Wheeler is to dare him to shoot instead of being all up in his shorts, allowing him to drive by you. Hell, when they did that (first 9 mins of second half) our offense ground to a halt. It’s mind blowing Duquesne went back to M2M. Better teams and coaches will not. That’s why it is absolutely vital that Wheeler makes teams respect his shot. That’s all I’ve ever really been trying to say about him, yet a lot of people get their panties in a wad.

 

[kybassfan]

IL, you gotta calm down on Wheeler. We get it.

Yes there a couple people here who maybe don’t think he should play at all. Most of us really like him, we just don’t all agree on how we should utilize him.

No, he doesn’t have to calm down. Some on the board have dogged Wheeler without mercy. It’s embarrassing. The guy is a hard nosed, quick, good passing, veteran point guard. He gets treated like dirt by some on this board. Our agreement on how to use Wheeler is absolutely irrelevant. Coaches make that call. Not the PlayStation Jocks that that think shooting is the only attribute a point guard can have.

 

[Rupp'sRunt]

At this point I’m pretty sure @IL Wildcat has a wheeler fetish.

 

[CincyUKFan]

OP got that good company in this thread: kybass, kl504whatever, rockyfly. Ed30202 in here yet?

 

[Rupp'sRunt]

Not the PlayStation Jocks that that think shooting is the only attribute a point guard can have.

Shooting is a pretty important attribute to have as a guard.

 

[BBNinSC_rivals62411]

I’m confident we’d be just fine without him by the end of the year.

This is a bad take. Wheeler is as important for our success as any player on this team

 

[CincyUKFan]

This is a bad take. Wheeler is as important for our success as any player on this team

Did you say that last year as well? And what happened?

 

[TortElvisII]

Just so some of you know, the guy that some of us think should get more time than Wheeler also plays for the University of Kentucky.

 

[Rupp'sRunt]

On Difficulty of containing Sahvir…
“Well, you know, we knew that if we didn’t guard, we were going to have problems. We did a poor job of guarding the ball, but that’s tribute to him. He’s a strong, tough, little guy that gets to where he wants to get and then shares the ball. That was probably the key to the game. We just didn’t guard the ball well. And then, when you don’t guard the ball well, with all that shooting they have and then the size inside, you’re scrambling.”

I don't think he got the memo from this message board on Wheeler. This nut job thinks Wheeler's play was the key to the game. He should just hang up his whistle, guy can't even see how crappy that kid is. Doesn't he know Wheeler hasn't won an NCAA tournament game? If he knew that, they would have been able to guard him for sure.

Kinda reads like what my dad would say after my middle school basketball games lol

 

[TortElvisII]

Another thing, sometimes Wallace will be more effective because of the opponent and sometimes Wheeler. It's nice to have multiple weapons. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

It's a real simple equation.

Bring Wheeler in off the bench. He totally changes the pace of the game right around the time the opponent is settling into the game pace.

Wheeler was great last night in that role of being our 6th man.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

By the way, if Cal sticks with this rotation and obviously adds Oscar over Ware, will we have the top bench in the nation?

Wheeler
Reeves
Thiero
Collins
Ugonna/Ware

That bench features at least two future first round picks.

 

[Rupp'sRunt]

It's a real simple equation.

Bring Wheeler in off the bench. He totally changes the pace of the game right around the time the opponent is settling into the game pace.

Wheeler was great last night in that role of being our 6th man.

Livingston is our 6th man fwiw

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Livingston is our 6th man fwiw

Not yet. Cal keeps starting him over Reeves.

 

[Rupp'sRunt]

Another thing, sometimes Wallace will be more effective because of the opponent and sometimes Wheeler. It's nice to have multiple weapons. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Wallace will always be more effective than wheeler bc of size and defense alone. The kid had a nasty swat after a bad turnover. That’s an automatic 2 points vs wheeler.

 

[westerncat]

If I remember correctly UK had 15 turnovers last night and Wheeler only had 2 of those so why aren't the other players getting called out ? I have often wondered why some coach has not taught Wheeler how to have a good shooting form ?
He is a pesky player on defense and love to watch him guarding other players.

 

[Wunky]

Our agreement on how to use Wheeler is absolutely irrelevant. Coaches make that call. Not the PlayStation Jocks that that think shooting is the only attribute a point guard can have.

As usual your hyperbole knows no bounds. Show me one person who has said that shooting is the only attribute a PG can have. But if you don’t think Wheeler needs to develop a more consistent jumper, you’re naive. He doesn’t need to be Doron Lamb, just shoot it at a respectable clip to keep defenses (and no, I’m not talking about mid-major defenses) honest.

 

[kybassfan]

Shooting is a pretty important attribute to have as a guard.

Not even in the top three skills for a point guard.

 

[Popquiz81]

Every Final Four team under Cal has had at the very least a PG who was serviceable from three.

 

[kybassfan]

As usual your hyperbole knows no bounds. Show me one person who has said that shooting is the only attribute a PG can have. But if you don’t think Wheeler needs to develop a more consistent jumper, you’re naive. He doesn’t need to be Doron Lamb, just shoot it at a respectable clip to keep defenses (and no, I’m not talking about mid-major defenses) honest.

Just read the histrionics regarding Wheeler, assuming you can. he gets maligned constantly. The only possible reason for such lunacy is his shooting. His treatment is pathetic.

He gets the playing time he deserves. Sure, would be nice if he shot better from three. I wish every single one of our players shot better, run faster, stronger, played defense better, quicker, jump higher, had more experience, etc. But they don’t, so you play what you got. Bottom line, he’s one of the best point guards in the league.

 

[Popquiz81]

Wheeler is a liability from a shooting perspective when we get into a grind it out, half court game. He’s just not as effective.

And the issue is going to always be that in the end Cal always seems to let the other team dictate the tempo and turn it into a rock fight.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by what I’ve seen so far so maybe he is changing a little bit but history tells me it doesn’t last.

 

[kyjeff1]

You can’t measure everything on a stat sheet. I said on here last night that a player like wheeler is a major problem for a defense. He’s unorthodox and unpredictable. He can get anywhere on the floor he wants to go and that causes the defense to stray and breakdown. No to mention the physical ramifications of having to chase his little *** around and his motor is incredible. He will turn it over from time to time but he’s a net positive in a big way. I don’t understand why this kid is criticized so hard. We have had way worse players get a lot more rope.

Oh yeah I agree. SW is a big problem for every team we play, I just think he gets himself in trouble more often than a 4 year player should, that's it.

I still think he's a bit of a liability in a half court, low possession game, but in a full court, high octane game, he's probably the best pg in the country.

 

[Lempface]

Well, he's right, Wheeler can kill you if you don't cage him in, the problem with Wheeler is he'll make a great play, then follow it up with two plays where he overpenetrates, jumps in the air and throws the ball away.
At this point in his career, he should know when to force the action and when to back out and run offense from the top.
I love seeing him in there, he just needs to play smarter.

The Duquesne coach isn't going to critique our guys the way we would, so it's really not fair to call out "the Wheeler haters", whoever they are.

He shot over 50%, had 11 assists to 2 turnovers. Judge what you see not what you're worried he is going to do. Guy was +35 in a game we won by 25.

 

[Rupp'sRunt]

He shot over 50%, had 11 assists to 2 turnovers. Judge what you see not what you're worried he is going to do. Guy was +35 in a game we won by 25.

I’ve seen him throw up enough bricks against St. Peter’s to build a house. Kids unreliable as a scorer.

 

[Popquiz81]

I’ve seen him throw up enough bricks against St. Peter’s to build a house. Kids unreliable as a scorer.

It’s like people don’t realize good coaches and good teams will take away what you do best and expose your liabilities.

And then you either adjust or fail.

 

[kyjeff1]

He shot over 50%, had 11 assists to 2 turnovers. Judge what you see not what you're worried he is going to do. Guy was +35 in a game we won by 25.

Shallow observation

 

[Cawood86_rivals]

Yep, 2 bad plays, 11 good plays. But here is the real question, and I've asked myself this many times. If you try to handcuff a guy like Wheeler and tell him to stop driving in so deep, do you lose the 11 good plays? Part of what makes Wheeler so dynamic is what also makes him frustrating at times. But you almost have to live with the mistakes in order to get those great plays. I'll take 11 and 2 every game. I have heard Calipari address it multiple times- play fast but don't hurry.

Depends when the bad plays happen imo. Has to understand game situation.

Tight game late second half, don't do it. Early in the game, maybe take that chance. At this point, he should know the difference.

 

[Cats_2010]

You brought up he made two bad plays for every good play. Just another proof you know very little about what you are talking about.

No dog in this fight as I like wheeler for the most part but not all good or bad plays show up in the box score. I remember watching the Duke game last year and couldn’t stand him. He played better over the course of the year and liked his game for the most part. Needs to shoot less threes and stop forcing drives that aren’t there. Let the game come to him and he is a huge asset. When he starts forcing things he is a huge liability.

 

[revcort]

Another thing, sometimes Wallace will be more effective because of the opponent and sometimes Wheeler. It's nice to have multiple weapons. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

I totally agree with this. We need BOTH players and it's a luxury to have both.

 

[Popquiz81]

Again. 20 minutes a game. Energy/Bench role. Perfect for Wheeler and will maximize this team’s potential.

 

[Cawood86_rivals]

OP got that good company in this thread: kybass, kl504whatever, rockyfly. Ed30202 in here yet?

All the same poster probably

 

[kyjeff1]

No dog in this fight as I like wheeler for the most part but not all good or bad plays show up in the box score. I remember watching the Duke game last year and couldn’t stand him. He played better over the course of the year and liked his game for the most part. Needs to shoot less threes and stop forcing drives that aren’t there. Let the game come to him and he is a huge asset. When he starts forcing things he is a huge liability.

Trust me when I tell you, you lost him after the first sentence. He will have no idea what you said after that.
He's just a troll that is allowed to antagonize every day on here.

 

[revcort]

We know what we’re going to get out of Wheeler at this point. Bring him off the bench for 20 minutes in an energy role.

Cason has the higher ceiling. The team has a higher ceiling with him. That jumper off the inbounds last night for three was a thing of beauty and showcases the things wheeler just can’t do.

You do know who got the assist on that shot, right?