MICHIGAN MEN'S BASKETBALL- '23 -'24 Season.

[Whitley]

I would not be surprised if Jett stays another year. Playing for his father is something that just can't be replicated and I doubt this is the type of year he wants to remember.

I think Kobe comes back as well. If he can have one more year of growth like this year then we are talking lottery for him.

Does Hunter come back? I am not sure on that either way. He didn't help his draft stock much this year though he really tried to put the team on his back the last few games.

[hack]

I think the only way Hunter's not back is if some other school offers more guaranteed NIL upfront than he got this year. Hunter is not on an NBA path and is going to be focused on making the money he can make now before he's off to Europe to play for less.

[Hannibal]

That was also fun, sure. About on par. But, again, ekeing out victories at home against teams that aren't good.

The good thing is that Dug is seasoned going into Year 2. Stability at PG won't mean being behind the 8 ball after a meh non-conference performance. And there is a decent chance both Hunter and Kobe come back. I'd rather not have Jett back and worry that the chemistry between him and Hunter is a negative, but if we get Hunter and Kobe back you're looking to the portal for very specific and gettable needs and you have a contender. I don't think that's very likely, but it's possible.

But, overall, either Juwan, the AD and admissions are going to figure out the transfer portal or the program is going to suffer quite a bit. If admissions kneecaps Juwan again he may be off to the NBA, which I'll always be convinced is a better fit for him.

I'd really like to see Saddi Washington take an HC job and nail it. Prove himself a worthy successor.

The transfer portal is an important area, but even more important than that IMHO is recruiting the right kids for the program and finding that sweet spot between guys who are talented and guys who aren't quite good enough to go to the NBA after their first year. It took Beilein an eternity, but he finally managed to do it (right before he quit JFC).

The '21 class was an unqualified disaster for the program -- the type that hopefully Juwan will learn from.

[froot loops]

Hunter Dickinson might be coming back, but I don't think it's good for him. He would be wasting a year, nothing more to learn.

[lineygoblue]

Hunter is not on an NBA path and is going to be focused on making the money he can make now before he's off to Europe to play for less.

He's not going to make any NBA roster if he leaves this year. The best he can hope for is the G league. Otherwise, its off to another country, as you mentioned. It might actually be more to his advantage to stay at Michigan in the long run. He'll definitely get more playing time in college. Even in the G league, he's going to come off the bench.

[froot loops]

Dickinson is better than.Luka Garza, he will play in the NBA. He won't be a star but he can be a contributor.

[hack]

It's a business decision for HD. He's got nowhere near the footwork Garza had; I disagree he's better than Garza. I'm OK if he moves on, frankly, because I'm not a fan of running your offense through the low post and lowering your defensive ceiling in the process. And Reed has so much promise as a defensive 5 and he just needs reps on offense to become a competent roll man and make short jumpers. You can see it in the FTs -- shoot enough of them and the percentage went way up. Ten out of time times I pick 2 more years of Reed over 2 more years of Dickinson. But I think Hunter's back because this is where he can make the most money. Heck, he has a COVID year if he wants one. If your analysis starts with following the money, Hunter's here for 2 more years.

[hack]

The transfer portal is an important area, but even more important than that IMHO is recruiting the right kids for the program and finding that sweet spot between guys who are talented and guys who aren't quite good enough to go to the NBA after their first year. It took Beilein an eternity, but he finally managed to do it (right before he quit JFC).

The '21 class was an unqualified disaster for the program -- the type that hopefully Juwan will learn from.

Time to give up on that; it is a sweet spot that is very tiny and frankly unpredictable. Beilein never managed to do it. Iggy and Poole left a year earlier than he had wanted them to and he made a rash decision that he now regrets. If you can't master the portal you're not gonna have a good team.

[Hannibal]

Time to give up on that; it is a sweet spot that is very tiny and frankly unpredictable. Beilein never managed to do it.

Moe, Teske, Livers and Franz? Or even Hunter -- a guy dominant enough to contribute in year 1 (recruited by JB, retained by JH if I recall). As opposed to "upside" guys like Diabete and Houstan -- one-and-dones based on measurables and potential, but not performance. Even Iggy -- left earlier than we had hoped, but was at least an important contributor on a really good team on Day 1. Whether by design or by accident, Beilein's recruiting in his final three or four classes was optimal for the program. Maybe by accident because he was never a great recruiter, so getting overly ambitious wasn't an option. Howard's recruiting is better on paper and would be perfect for 20 years ago.

[hack]

You know, OK -- you're righter than I thought. I don't agree that it was Beilein that mastered it but I do agree that both he and Howard have found some guys. Dug's next on the list. That's encouraging, actually. Maybe you don't need the portal as much as I've been thinking. Dunno.

For Juwan, I think the move this offseason is to replace one assistant with an assistant that can develop wings. Their recruiting is not great but it's good enough. Juwan brings along the bigs, Eisley brings along the guards. Problems are on the wing. The 3 and 4 slots are where guys aren't developing, aren't quite athletic enough, and have incomplete skillsets. Phil's been fun to have around and the rare coach you want to listen to in a media setting, but maybe time to move on. Or let Saddi go prove himself and maybe be an heir apparent. I think it's down to the wings being the problem, mostly in terms of talent idenfitication but also in terms of development. They don't improve at the rate the centers and guards do.

[Hannibal]

What about just overall team chemistry? Hunter seems to have regressed and he doesn't look like he is having a lot of fun. Jett seems to be subtraction by addition. I think that Juwan maybe has some lessons to learn there too. I love his ability to recruit -- but there are some signs that he's not great at knowing who to recruit.

I'm playing Feelingsball here, of course.

[hack]

I'll play along. Barnes, Williams and Cheddar were bad choices. Glenn could be one too. All of them are wings. No bad choices so far at center or in the backcourt.

Hunter is not the guy you want as a leader. He sure did love yelling at Jett this year. He took veiled shots at Devante early last year. I would be ready to move on, and fine to roll with Reed the next two years or if we're lucky three. But also I don't think HD's exactly a lost cause there. Surround him with the right guys. Jett is 100% the wrong guy. Dug may be the right guy. Dug is a bit magical, and the sooner it becomes his team the better. He also has to learn to hit the roll man on P/R, but that should come. Simpson didn't either at this age.

Juwan does tend to treat them like men, which they are not. Juwan is always going to be a better fit in the NBA. But if he happens to find the right mix here, like in '21, he'll contend. I think in terms of who to recruit, well, you hire an NBA guy you have to let him learn from those mistakes too. And really it's just on the wings. He's got the right feel for bigs and guards. Take Kobe's fellow Michigan recruits in that year, for example. Izzo wanted Pierre Brooks and Jaden Akins, and Brooks is doing nothing and Akins has yet to really make a difference. Juwan wanted Akins too, but really valued Kobe, and he's the one differencemaker of the trio. Izzo may have wanted Kobe too, I don't know.

I think early on Juwan just needed to collect some talent and prove himself as a recruiter, and figured he could make the pieces fit. He may be learning to consider fit more strongly. I sure hope so.

[Fraquar]

I thought what was strange about that game yesterday (I don't watch much basketball until tournament time) is that I lost count on how many times Hunter was telling the point guard where to go.
It struck me as odd because I can't ever remember seeing that before. Point Guards usually are the ones running the show and directing traffic.

[Whitley]

Dug was not supposed to get aton of minutes this year. JL and Frankie Collins were going to compete for the starting job, but as soon as he transferred here Collins bolted.


Then JL went down right before the Big Ten season started. Dug had to be the guy running the show. A lot to ask a frosh guard to step in and not miss a beat.

I wonder if Michigan will go after a legit big or two in portal so you could have a Dug/Kobe/Jett/Reed/HD starting lineup in theory.

Is there a limit on assistant coaches UM can have?

Who would be a good coach for wings?

[lineygoblue]

Is it appropriate for me to laugh about MSU losing to OSU?

Its just that I have an uncontrollable urge ...