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Am I watching a different game...?


RooYahoo

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RooYahoo, why not just have a single Zips Centers discussion thread instead of starting a new one every week or two? I tried to get some input from you in one of your previous threads here, but you never responded to my question. Why not just have one thread and stick around for the discussion you've started? I think both Pat and Big Dog have had problems with self-confidence and both need encouragement to keep raising their games. I think the Zips center position is one of the team's strong points, and was pleased to hear Coach Dambrot say that there will be more of Pat and Big Dog on the floor together in upcoming games. If they ever play effectively together, the Zips game would rise to a new level.

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You don't have to imagine Pat and Big Dog being on the floor at the same time. They already have been in several games this season, including last night's Buffalo game. As I said in the other thread, Big Dog is exclusively a low-post player with no outside game. Pat has a nice mid-range jumper and also made 1 of 2 3-pointers against OU, so Coach Dambrot apparently believes Pat could play some stretch 4. His exact quote from the interview you linked to in your first post was: "I wanted to play them both (Pat and Big Dog) together a little bit, which is coming down the line."

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They were on the floor together for about 2 minutes last night and it clogged the lane. Big Dog went to the top of the lane and tried to feed Pat. Unfortunately, when you have Big Dog at the top of the lane he is not playing to his strength which is posting up. Right now both guys are strong post up players and neither is very quick. If you take either out of the post you are not playing to their strength. Further, Pat has been foul prone. If you have both out there you are inviting a foul problem for both our guys. Both of these guys operate best when the lane is kept open. No need to have them both in there at the same time.

If them playing together is down the line it will be interesting if there will be any success. I do not believe it will be effective.

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Are we critiquing Pat's shooting form or his results? His raw shooting results show that he leads the Zips with a 56.7% field goal shooting percentage. By the way, that's #1 in the MAC -- pretty good for someone who misses a lot of shots in close. :lol: Big Dog is second for the Zips at 50% and Deji and BJ are tied for third at 45.6%. That makes sense as they are the primary inside scorers whereas most of the other players shoot a high percentage of 3s. We also know that Pat's free throw shooting is shaky at 58.8%.

What the raw stats don't show is the percentage of jump shots Pat makes vs. short shots in the paint. We know he took an unexpected pair of 3-pointers against OU and one was just off and the other swished. I would assume the team tracks the percentage of each type of shot each player makes and encourages them to play to their strengths. The fact that Pat has been green-lighted to shoot mid-range jumpers and even 3s after 2 seasons of mostly short shots in the paint suggests the coaching staff has increasing confidence in his ability to hit those shots, regardless of how some may see his shooting form as awkward.

As for Pat and Big Dog working well in tandem, they've so far only had a few minutes in each of a few games where they've had a chance to get acclimated to each other. Coach Dambrot has obviously seen some potential there or he wouldn't have said more of the Pat & Big Dog Show "is coming down the line." That's not to say it's a slam dunk it's going to work. Maybe it will and maybe it won't. No one should be too quick to embrace or dismiss it until it's been given a fair chance to develop.

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We all get it, you don't like KD's treatment of Pat and of KD's use of our bigs. We got it the first couple of times and we get it today, What is ironic is that this thread was started so close to groundhog day.

To answer your question, yes you are watching the same game. You have your opinions and we all have ours but can we move on?

SMH....... Somebody T me up, I need to break the momentum

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RooYahoo, thanks. I always try to measure my own opinions against verifiable facts and often surprise myself. :) I appreciate the enthusiasm that people like you have for individual players as well as for the entire Zips team. You've made it clear that you're a big fan of Pat, and you should feel free to express that as much as you want on any sports forum. Pat deserves a lot of credit for his performance this season. He's not only #1 in the MAC in field goal shooting percentage, he's also in the top 100 in the country (#92). Add that to a top 100 in blocks per game (#82) and it's pretty clear that he's a strong presence on both offense and defense.

Depending on his motivation and self-confidence, I believe Pat has a real shot at playing professionally. Adding stretch 4 experience to his already good post performance would only enhance his professional opportunities. Pro basketball is evolving to where big men are more and more expected to be able to step outside and hit the long shot. I think Pat is capable of doing that and Coach Dambrot is giving him the opportunity to develop that phase of his game. Ideally Pat and Big Dog will develop their games to the point that they don't just fight over who gets the biggest chunk of the 40-minute block of game time at the center position but that each can play 25-30 minutes per game with 10-20-minute overlaps where they're both on the floor together depending on the opponent and game situation.

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RooYahoo, thanks. I always try to measure my own opinions against verifiable facts and often surprise myself. :) I appreciate the enthusiasm that people like you have for individual players as well as for the entire Zips team. You've made it clear that you're a big fan of Pat, and you should feel free to express that as much as you want on any sports forum. Pat deserves a lot of credit for his performance this season. He's not only #1 in the MAC in field goal shooting percentage, he's also in the top 100 in the country (#92). Add that to a top 100 in blocks per game (#82) and it's pretty clear that he's a strong presence on both offense and defense.

Depending on his motivation and self-confidence, I believe Pat has a real shot at playing professionally. Adding stretch 4 experience to his already good post performance would only enhance his professional opportunities. Pro basketball is evolving to where big men are more and more expected to be able to step outside and hit the long shot. I think Pat is capable of doing that and Coach Dambrot is giving him the opportunity to develop that phase of his game. Ideally Pat and Big Dog will develop their games to the point that they don't just fight over who gets the biggest chunk of the 40-minute block of game time at the center position but that each can play 25-30 minutes per game with 10-20-minute overlaps where they're both on the floor together depending on the opponent and game situation.

He has the size and he is starting to have the skills. At least, no team in the MAC seems to have an answer for him. He has really emerged as our best MVP candidate. At least in my opinion. As his confidence builds, he seems almost able to score at will.

Tonight he brought the ball up court. Not a big deal, but something he could not do the first two years without a turnover.

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