It's Official: Mbakwe returning to Gophers for 12-13 Season #UnfinishedBusiness

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MinneStoa said:
I am curious to see his play as well. I was just about completely sold on him before he went down, and I am really hoping that he can come back just as strong. As much as I like EE and how much he has progressed, I can definitely see Big Mo taking a big chunk of minutes at the 5, and I'm very ok with that.
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I was too. Never seen a Gopher take up that much space. Good passer, good rebounder, soft touch, I thought pretty good footwork, and game on defense. Believe natural position is a 4, but will backup EE and the Beast next year IMO. He could be the ace!
 

Gold Vision said:
Rodney did not play the prototypical 4 position with that 3 guard lineup. I think he can still thrive on the wing.
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I think Rodney could thrive at the 3 on another team, but with our team, I like him at the 4. It isn't so much what he can't do as much as it is what he can do.

I think part of Rodney's success came because we spread it out (3 guards and Rodney at the 3/4), and then let our guards penetrate and find Rodney. There was simply more room for Rodney and Dre to operate without another big body clogging the lane.

So for me, I like the lineup of Hollins - Coleman - Hollins - Williams - Mbakwe. There is simply more room for Hollins and Williams to operate.

My 2 cents.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I think Rodney could thrive at the 3 on another team, but with our team, I like him at the 4. It isn't so much what he can't do as much as it is what he can do.

I think part of Rodney's success came because we spread it out (3 guards and Rodney at the 3/4), and then let our guards penetrate and find Rodney. There was simply more room for Rodney and Dre to operate without another big body clogging the lane.

So for me, I like the lineup of Hollins - Coleman - Hollins - Williams - Mbakwe. There is simply more room for Hollins and Williams to operate.

My 2 cents.
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Obviously there is no right or wrong answer at this point in time. Let me add this. Tubby will build a starting lineup to contend for the BIG. The Beast will have problems with a true center on defense, which the BIG is full of, just like Rodney had problems with the more physical 4's last year. Also, the Beast will have just over 10 months of rehab when the season starts. Can't see asking him to play a new position.
 

ethomasp31 said:
If Andre, Austin and Williams each play 28 minutes, there is 36 minutes left for Coleman and Welsh. The games are 40 minutes long so there will be 12 more minutes at each position, and 12 times 3 is 36. Also, some of Rodney's minutes might be at the 4 which will allow even more minutes to become available.
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Yeah, my math was a little off there. Don't know what I was thinking. Either way, Coleman and Welch's minutes would still be cut significantly. Andre Hollins and Rodney Williams will get 30 minutes a game, with Austin Hollins pretty close to that.

In a sense, it kinda comes down to who you'd rather be playing more minutes between Coleman, Welch, EE, and Walker.
 

NurumbiCongo said:
My man GW also likes to imply that TM was found guilty, so you never know with Trev.

I'd give Trev a .00000000000002% chance of being 'actually' guilty of what he pleaded no-contest too.
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No, I don't like to imply it. It's simply fact that Mbakwe was found guilty in the Florida assault matter. I understand that's not a pleasing fact to acknowledge, but the the finding of guilt came from the court - it's not something I am implying. Court records are probably updated by now. Not sure why you even care to bring it up again, though... you, like many fans and the University, don't mind that the court says he's guilty. Let's move on and play basketball, bud.
 


I had to go back and remind myself what Walker looked like on the court. Man, I forgot how many good things he did as a freshman, he is truly an all around skilled big man. I have to assume he'll be even more polished having sat out a year and a half and having plenty of time to work on his game since recovering from his injury. With his jumper, he could easily play with any one of our other bigs. He is truly a perfect fit for Tubby's high-low offense.

I also love that Andre, Joe, Oto, EE, and Mo will all be seniors together. That will be a very talented senior class and there is a good chance that not all of them will be starters.

 

I didn't realize he had that much range. He actually has really good shooting form too, a nice follow through. Really hope he can compete at a high level next year.
 

MadtownGopher said:
I had to go back and remind myself what Walker looked like on the court. Man, I forgot how many good things he did as a freshman, he is truly an all around skilled big man. I have to assume he'll be even more polished having sat out a year and a half and having plenty of time to work on his game since recovering from his injury. With his jumper, he could easily play with any one of our other bigs. He is truly a perfect fit for Tubby's high-low offense.

I also love that Andre, Joe, Oto, EE, and Mo will all be seniors together. That will be a very talented senior class and there is a good chance that not all of them will be starters.

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That's exactly the point! I don't believe next season will be our best team. I think we're looking at a 3 year run. That's why next year's recruiting class is so important. We have 2 good and versatile recruits coming in, but next's years 4 tenders could be the next wave.

Can you imagine how frustrating it must have been for Tubby to have 2 talents like the Beast and Huge Mo on campus, Dre with a bad wheel for almost 2 months and even fairly knowlegeable fans screaming for his head?
 

Gopher Warrior said:
No, I don't like to imply it. It's simply fact that Mbakwe was found guilty in the Florida assault matter. I understand that's not a pleasing fact to acknowledge, but the the finding of guilt came from the court - it's not something I am implying. Court records are probably updated by now. Not sure why you even care to bring it up again, though... you, like many fans and the University, don't mind that the court says he's guilty. Let's move on and play basketball, bud.
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It was a plea agreement. The courts did not prove he was "guilty" of the assault and 95%+ of the people don't believe he was physically guilty or involved in the crime (apparently you do). Yes, let's move on. Quit taking shots at him then and we can focus on hoops, pal.
 



MinneStoa said:
I am curious to see his play as well. I was just about completely sold on him before he went down, and I am really hoping that he can come back just as strong. As much as I like EE and how much he has progressed, I can definitely see Big Mo taking a big chunk of minutes at the 5, and I'm very ok with that.
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Tubby loves his high low set. I can't wait to see Big Mo elbow extended feeding TM. Mark my words, Big Mo is one of the better shooters on this team. The threes he made his first year were no joke, and there was a reason why Tubby even let him shoot them. This will help free up TM. EE i believe will clog up the lane for TM and make things a bit more difficult.
 

WILLBGOPHER said:
Tubby loves his high low set. I can't wait to see Big Mo elbow extended feeding TM. Mark my words, Big Mo is one of the better shooters on this team. The threes he made his first year were no joke, and there was a reason why Tubby even let him shoot them. This will help free up TM. EE i believe will clog up the lane for TM and make things a bit more difficult.
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IMO Big Mo is Ralph with more drive and strength.

The issue with Mo is, and will continue to be, is what kind of shape can he keep himself in? Can he be able to stay on the court for 30+ minutes and play hard on both ends? He is one of the most talented post players we have (as far as a true post game), and if he can stay on the court and in good shape he will be huge for us. I know the injury is always a question, but I think he is a lot better than many give him credit for.
 

NurumbiCongo said:
It was a plea agreement. The courts did not prove he was "guilty" of the assault and 95%+ of the people don't believe he was physically guilty or involved in the crime (apparently you do). Yes, let's move on. Quit taking shots at him then and we can focus on hoops, pal.
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Can we please just drop the Mbakwe court case please? All the GW references just egging him on are sooo sophomoric as well.... Sick of reading them... (i know i dont have to if I dont want to, but seriously? give it a rest).


I really appreciate the Mo video, I for the life of me could not remember what his game was like. Gets me much more excited. The point about extending the defence because of his outside shot will be a major plus to give our leapers (Mbakwe and Williams) more room to go get a lob over the top. How many lobs from Sampson did we see sail into the stands last year?
 

I like the smaller lineup, but if the Gophers are going to maximize the use of their roster, they can't sit Elliott and Mo for the year. I think you will see the line-up vary depending on the opponent. I also think Rodney will play both the 3 and the 4 depending on the match-ups. Playing the 3 will be valuable for Rodney's development if he plans to play pro basketball. As someone mentioned above, the experience of this roster will also be very valuable next season.
 




Tubby will go with the big line up. Mo can play the 4 or the 5 but his skill set is better for the 4. He's like Draymond Green and could even end up being as good. I think Walker starts at the 5 at some point because it get the 2 best bigs on the floor. Rodney will play the 3 since there are 4 capable bigs on the team. there's no need to play him at the 4. He just can't defend the PF's in the paint, he tries but he just isn't big or strong enough. Welch will be the back up pg and Coleman will play the 2 and 3. I predict you won't see a 3 guard starting line up all year unless Rodney gets hurt. They just need to work on Turnovers, they'll have plenty of skills on the court.
 

WILLBGOPHER said:
Tubby loves his high low set. I can't wait to see Big Mo elbow extended feeding TM. Mark my words, Big Mo is one of the better shooters on this team. The threes he made his first year were no joke, and there was a reason why Tubby even let him shoot them. This will help free up TM. EE i believe will clog up the lane for TM and make things a bit more difficult.
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The opportunities for this and for the low player to make the extra pass across the lane is what has my mouth watering. I see a lot of easy baskets considering how well TM and Mo share the ball. The issue will continue to be Williams' ability to shoot the jumper, which a small forward absolutely has to be able to do. Willie Burton's development of his jump shot is what sprung Minnesota to the rounds of 16 and 8.
 

scher215 said:
IMO Big Mo is Ralph with more drive and strength.

The issue with Mo is, and will continue to be, is what kind of shape can he keep himself in? Can he be able to stay on the court for 30+ minutes and play hard on both ends? He is one of the most talented post players we have (as far as a true post game), and if he can stay on the court and in good shape he will be huge for us. I know the injury is always a question, but I think he is a lot better than many give him credit for.
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I remember really loving Mo's game, and thinking it was very well-rounded. But my concern, and it's related to yours, is whether he had the foot-speed to get up and down the court. That concern is accentuated by my perception that the Gophs were most successful in the post-season when they were running. Running plays into Rodney's and Dre's games; not sure if that's true of TM or Mo. OF course maybe the running game won't be as key when we have guys like TM and Mo.
 

Jim V2 said:
I remember really loving Mo's game, and thinking it was very well-rounded. But my concern, and it's related to yours, is whether he had the foot-speed to get up and down the court. That concern is accentuated by my perception that the Gophs were most successful in the post-season when they were running. Running plays into Rodney's and Dre's games; not sure if that's true of TM or Mo. OF course maybe the running game won't be as key when we have guys like TM and Mo.
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Wouldn't worry about that. Doubt we'll have the second line to run. We talk about depth but at guard we basically have 2 guys that can handle the ball that will likely be in the rotation in Dre and Welch. Add Hollins and Coleman and those aren't guards that scream run as it's not super athletic. I do think that with Dre, Joe and Austin we can run selectively and the best part is that with Rodney and Mbakwe we have decided advantages in athleticism (if Rodney plays the 4). Plus you can push the tempo with the first group and then bring in Welch, EE, Mo and maybe Oto and slow the tempo down with 2 post guys and decent shooters with the 2nd group
 

You need rebounders if you want to run. We can run with Mo in the game. He's a good passer and would be an asset in transition because of his ability to outlet pass after he grabs the rebound.
 

MadtownGopher said:
You need rebounders if you want to run. We can run with Mo in the game. He's a good passer and would be an asset in transition because of his ability to outlet pass after he grabs the rebound.
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+1
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I think Rodney could thrive at the 3 on another team, but with our team, I like him at the 4. It isn't so much what he can't do as much as it is what he can do.

I think part of Rodney's success came because we spread it out (3 guards and Rodney at the 3/4), and then let our guards penetrate and find Rodney. There was simply more room for Rodney and Dre to operate without another big body clogging the lane.

So for me, I like the lineup of Hollins - Coleman - Hollins - Williams - Mbakwe. There is simply more room for Hollins and Williams to operate.

My 2 cents.
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Completely disagree. We are not deep enough at the guard position to start 3 of them. Rodney at the 3 will be the ticket. The hollins' boys are the 2 starting guards. Welch will be fine as a backup point, along with mav. But Joe Coleman is still at 6'2" power forward, and has yet to show he can play on the perimeter. Hopefully Joe will learn how to shoot, but as of now we don't have the talent and depth to start 3 guards.

Also, the small lineup worked in the NIT against smaller competition, but we need to plan and prepare for the big boys of the BIG 10. We got killed in the conference this year giving up offensive rebounds
 

WILLBGOPHER said:
We are not deep enough at the guard position to start 3 of them. Rodney at the 3 will be the ticket. The hollins' boys are the 2 starting guards. Welch will be fine as a backup point. Joe Coleman has yet to show he can play on the perimeter. Hopefully Joe will learn how to shoot, but as of now we don't have the talent and depth to start 3 guards. Also, the small lineup worked in the NIT against smaller competition, but we need to plan and prepare for the big boys of the BIG 10.
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This is more my line of thinking, too. I think our bigger lineup will serve us better in the Big Ten than the smaller lineup. We'll be able to go big and small, certainly, but we'll still be plenty athletic with our big lineup.

It's nice that we can have this debate. ... the Gophers having enough good players to (potentially) be effective playing either big or small.
 

NurumbiCongo said:
Isn't that what I said.
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After you took a shot at him...

Thats like punching a guy in the face and then asking for a hug....

On a unrelated to your topic note, but back on topic.

Isn't it nice having the discussion about which great lineup option to use rather than "WHAT THE HELL ARE WE GOING TO DO?!?!? WE DONT HAVE A POINT GUARD!!!"

I like this muuuuuch better.
 


Holy shi* just STFU. I don't care who started it - just stop talking about it and stop talking about talking about it.
 

MadtownGopher said:
You need rebounders if you want to run. We can run with Mo in the game. He's a good passer and would be an asset in transition because of his ability to outlet pass after he grabs the rebound.
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Really excited about Mo this year, want to see him at a decent weight to help keep his knees healthy. Good passer, nice stroke, physical player that knows how to use his body. Gotta add that EE ran the floor very well for a 7'er too.
 

WILLBGOPHER said:
Completely disagree. We are not deep enough at the guard position to start 3 of them. Rodney at the 3 will be the ticket. The hollins' boys are the 2 starting guards. Welch will be fine as a backup point, along with mav. But Joe Coleman is still at 6'2" power forward, and has yet to show he can play on the perimeter. Hopefully Joe will learn how to shoot, but as of now we don't have the talent and depth to start 3 guards.

Also, the small lineup worked in the NIT against smaller competition, but we need to plan and prepare for the big boys of the BIG 10. We got killed in the conference this year giving up offensive rebounds
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Agree that we may have to go big in some of the Big Ten games but disagree that we are not deep enough to start 3 guards. We essentially have 8 guys who can play in the back court. Obviously if there is an injury or someone gets into foul trouble, then you have to adapt.
 

I would give it a 2% chance we ever start the Beast at 5 and Rodney at 4.
 

Rodney can't play the 3 more than sparingly
 

Should be no excuses for not winning a lot next season. Deep NCAA run as well - minimum 8.
 

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