I don't think anyone is trying to downplay Big Dog's importance to the team last year. The point that is trying to be made is Big Dog was the best player on a team that LARGELY underachieved (due to the coaching/style of play) in a conference that was down, a conference in which we didn't win the MAC Tournament, and struggled to win the regular season title. If Dambrot were still here, yes, he would be a huge loss. But with Groce, Big Dog's production can easily be replicated due to a different style of play.
With Big Dog/Kwan, we didn't make the NCAA Tournament once, and struggled in the MAC Tournament. Whether that's due to coaching, surrounding talent, etc., who knows.