I know folks will say it doesn't matter. Of course it matters. Give him the respect he has earned and put him in the starting 5. That's all
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It's time for Reed to start..
- Thread starter SouthernINcat
- Start date
I disagree, Not that Reeds not capable or deserving, but what we are doing right now just works to good to mess with. Reeds perfectly happy as the sixth man
I love him and Rob coming in at the first TO and giving us a spark. Doesn’t matter who starts.
Agreed. Man, you’re about to get absolutely leveled ITT! 
It really doesn't matter.
What's more important is that he's in there in crunch time.
What's more important is that he's in there in crunch time.
We have almost an entire team full of big dogs…it doesn’t matter which one starts. But I will agree with some that what we are doing now is working perfect. He’s fine coming off the bench
Maybe he's comfortable coming off the bench after seeing and feeling the flow of the game from the sidelines.
Why mess with a good thing. DJ is getting comfortable and the more confidence he gets the higher our ceiling goes.
Why mess with a good thing. DJ is getting comfortable and the more confidence he gets the higher our ceiling goes.
What matters is who’s in the game at crunch time.
Why rock the boat? He is showing he is comfortable in his role. The other team is not ready for Reed and Dilly and it shows, they up the tempo as soon as they hit the floor. I want him to excel and he is doing it, I think he starts if DJ can't go. Other than that leave it like it is. jmo
Wait wait!
Wagners not out for the rest of the year right?
Sorry I think I’ve been Cal hypnotized.
I see he will probably start Reed or Rob but I’d start them both.
Wagners not out for the rest of the year right?
Sorry I think I’ve been Cal hypnotized.
I see he will probably start Reed or Rob but I’d start them both.
I think Cal leaves it alone and brings in Bradshaw to play with Shepard and Dilly in the second group. Better flow when they come in the game. Plus Dilly can get around his man anytime he wants, so look for the dunks!
R&R best 6-7 guys in cbb. Plenty of PT and recognition! Don't rock the boat.
I think Cal leaves it alone, both Rob and Reed doing what they are doing not starting is even more impressive. when something is working don't change it, otherwise you might not get it back.
Devil's advocate here BUT also stating the obvious: You have a player performing GREAT, like nationally great and historically great, as he's coming off the bench. AND your team is winning games.
Why would you change anything?
My devil's advocate is Reed DID start the second half against Miami. Were you paying attention to what happened? Did it mess up some kind of magic juju that he didn't come off the bench in the second half? Or did we put our foot on their throat and go up nearly 30 in a matter of minutes? I understand both sides but thought it was worth bringing up
I’d like to see him starting, too. Or, playing 25+ minutes & closing games, if he continues coming off the bench. He has had a major impact on both ends, so far, & is still leading the nation in +/-. We are, undeniably, a better team when he’s on the floor.Agreed. Man, you’re about to get absolutely leveled ITT!
But, Idk the psychology of it. Maybe he does prefer to come off the bench. But, personally, I’d want a guy who is this efficient & impactful to be on the court as much as possible, including to begin games & helping to avoid slow starts. Sometimes, a bad start can’t be overcome.
I wouldn’t start him. You don’t want to create animosity or a potential of that. Team culture is more important than who plays the first 3 minutes of the game.
Something that is overlooked is DJ. He is coming along and we can all agree we need him to grow. What does a demotion do to his development? Last thing we need is for DJs confidence to be shaken.
Also reed was a little gassed at the end of the game the other night, hence the missed threes. We need him to get breaks. Cal has been known to leave kids in for too many minutes. But that was when he didn’t trust his bench at all.
Also reed was a little gassed at the end of the game the other night, hence the missed threes. We need him to get breaks. Cal has been known to leave kids in for too many minutes. But that was when he didn’t trust his bench at all.
This a good point people should think about. Reed is going to play the way he plays no matter if he is starting or coming off the bench. I think its funny to see people try and attribute our success to Reed coming off the bench. You could make a much easier argument for our one loss being because he didn't start and/or get starter minuted vs Kansas. If Reed starts that game and plays 25 min(which he should play more) we win. A lot of folks on here are so scared of the truth. Reed should start because he has played at an ELITE level and earned it.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I like the spark off the bench better.
And, starting is the most overrated thing in basketball.
And, starting is the most overrated thing in basketball.
Some would rather cater to other players lmao can’t make this **** up!
Let’s just agree to disagree here. Granted he has the talent and drive coaches look for in deciding a starting lineup….but….there is something electrical when Reed (and Dilly) come off the bench. It’s and instant boost of energy and a noticeable change in offense and defense.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Last, if you look at total minutes played, Reed is getting the court time he deserves.
Have never understood the obsession UK fans have with who starts. Minutes played and who is playing when it matters should be the metrics people look at.
This. It doesn't matter. Only time starting really matters is in professional sports where there's usually a monetary bump.
Reed is perfectly happy with his spot. And this mini-platooning is working. 5 minutes when our guys and theirs start to get a little winded, we sub in Reed and Dilly when they have NOTHING to counter it. It makes logistical and competitive sense.
I would love Reed to start to see if we can get off to a great start with him.
I also love Reed coming off the bench because he gets a chance to, and this is because I think his BB IQ is so high, he gets a chance to see what's going on in the game and pick the opposing team apart when he does come in.
Also, he and Dillingham seem to feed off each other. If you separate the 2 it could take away from their chemistry. Antonio Reeves is not coming off the bench nor should anyone expect him to.
I also love Reed coming off the bench because he gets a chance to, and this is because I think his BB IQ is so high, he gets a chance to see what's going on in the game and pick the opposing team apart when he does come in.
Also, he and Dillingham seem to feed off each other. If you separate the 2 it could take away from their chemistry. Antonio Reeves is not coming off the bench nor should anyone expect him to.
Reed probably started because DJ was unavailable. Either way, what we are doing is working. Don't "tweak" it.
It's like in football. If they can't stop the run, KEEP RUNNING IT DOWN THEIR THROAT. At least until they show you they can stop it.
I would say it's more about chemistry than respect. There isn't one person on that team or coaching staff that doesn't respect Sheppard. Sheppard is big enough to set aside the idea of starting to allow Wags to start as he works through his struggles. Wagner hitting on all cylinders only makes the team stronger down the stretch. I understand what you say but I just don't think it's important enough to potentially disrupt team chemistry to satisfy some pride issue, that, I'm sure, doesn't concern Sheppard. JMO.
If we get a team in the tourney that jumps on us in the first five minutes and sets the tone, we will revisit this I suppose.
I do think there are situations where a player - in a vacuum one of the best five players - coming off the bench works better for whatever reason. And often I would guess only the coach really fully understands the reason(s). Also, if your team is playing well, I would think anybody would question whether you want to mess with that formula.
But I don't agree with the claim that it doesn't matter who starts. The idiom that "it doesn't matter who starts, it matters who finishes" is one of those phrases I believe people have heard so much they spout it without even thinking about whether it really makes sense. I think you always want your best unit (and maybe that's not strictly the five best individual players) starting, playing the most minutes, and finishing the game. Of course, the five starters are not enough. They need help, they need rest, and they need someone to step in for them when they're not playing well. For a good team you need good players off the bench for many reasons. But why would you unnecessarily give away any time with a 2nd best unit? Why increase the probability that you start out in the hole?
For the same reasons, I also think the idea of divvying up minutes so this player or that player gets "starters minutes" is an artificially contrived fan concept theoretically intended to keep everybody happy. But we all know basketball is not played on paper. For the most part, minutes should be determined by which group of players give the team the best chance to win by the most points possible.
Last year I thought the team was clearly (to me anyway) hurt by not starting and mostly playing the "Benny lineup." This year, however, I just don't have the same strong felt opinion. Would the team be better with Sheppard starting? I just don't know. But I also think it's hard to really believe that this team could be playing much better than it is currently.
But I don't agree with the claim that it doesn't matter who starts. The idiom that "it doesn't matter who starts, it matters who finishes" is one of those phrases I believe people have heard so much they spout it without even thinking about whether it really makes sense. I think you always want your best unit (and maybe that's not strictly the five best individual players) starting, playing the most minutes, and finishing the game. Of course, the five starters are not enough. They need help, they need rest, and they need someone to step in for them when they're not playing well. For a good team you need good players off the bench for many reasons. But why would you unnecessarily give away any time with a 2nd best unit? Why increase the probability that you start out in the hole?
For the same reasons, I also think the idea of divvying up minutes so this player or that player gets "starters minutes" is an artificially contrived fan concept theoretically intended to keep everybody happy. But we all know basketball is not played on paper. For the most part, minutes should be determined by which group of players give the team the best chance to win by the most points possible.
Last year I thought the team was clearly (to me anyway) hurt by not starting and mostly playing the "Benny lineup." This year, however, I just don't have the same strong felt opinion. Would the team be better with Sheppard starting? I just don't know. But I also think it's hard to really believe that this team could be playing much better than it is currently.
I'm aware of why he started the second half but I fear you totally missed the point..
As much as most of us understand it doesn’t matter who starts, and don’t care really…
I bet Reed cares even less. He and Dilly play starter min and I think they actually like coming in together around the 16 min mark and unleashing fury on the opponent together.
I love the current rotations.
I bet Reed cares even less. He and Dilly play starter min and I think they actually like coming in together around the 16 min mark and unleashing fury on the opponent together.
I love the current rotations.
I suppose I am in the minority here, but I believe it absolutely matters who starts. Would rather have a fringe POY candidate setting the tone at tipoff in a win or go home game. If DJ can’t handle a demotion then he isn’t who we need him to be.
We need to leave this alone, Let Cal decide who starts.
I am fine with not starting him to avoid chemistry issues. However, he has absolutely earned more mins than DJ at this point. If DJ continues to play well like he has in the last couple games and earns more minutes, then great.
I don't think I have. Reed doesn't seem to care he isn't starting. Why mess with what is working? I personally don't care either way but Cal is sadly infamous for messing with lineups and screwing up chemistry.
It's working. Don't screw with it. Team over individual for once.
No need to fix what isn’t broken. Typical for BBN to find something to start controversy where there is no controversy.