MO(RE?) WALKER Report

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BOUNDOUTPASSDUNK

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I was unimpressed with Mo's mobility and ability to run the court against Arkansas when we really needed him to defend the rim against their aggressive Bigs.

I didn't see the Cham game but observed that he posted a 10/7 line, most if not all of it in the second half against undersized Cham. Was Mo more active and a force? Is he deserving of more playing time? Can he and EE share the court against power teams with two bigs such as WI or MSU?

What can Mo offer at this stage and can he be a force?
 

BOUNDOUTPASSDUNK said:
I was unimpressed with Mo's mobility and ability to run the court against Arkansas when we really needed him to defend the rim against their aggressive Bigs.

I didn't see the Cham game but observed that he posted a 10/7 line, most if not all of it in the second half against undersized Cham. Was Mo more active and a force? Is he deserving of more playing time? Can he and EE share the court against power teams with two bigs such as WI or MSU?

What can Mo offer at this stage and can he be a force?
Click to expand...

You opened a new thread for this?
 


Why not open a new thread on the new, improved, (lean but not mean enough)Walker? I think it could be argued that since EE can't play 35-38 minutes a game, Gophers' success or lack thereof in the conference will be significantly impacted by Mo. King is a finesse forward and can't defend against bigs as shown against ARK. OO contributes but is not a 4. EE will get in foul trouble if he defends alone and I question whether he can contribute much offensively.
 

BOUNDOUTPASSDUNK said:
I was unimpressed with Mo's mobility and ability to run the court against Arkansas when we really needed him to defend the rim against their aggressive Bigs.

I didn't see the Cham game but observed that he posted a 10/7 line, most if not all of it in the second half against undersized Cham. Was Mo more active and a force? Is he deserving of more playing time? Can he and EE share the court against power teams with two bigs such as WI or MSU?

What can Mo offer at this stage and can he be a force?
Click to expand...

What bigs are you referring to? Wisconsin's starting 4 is a 6'7" wing player and MSU's is a 6'6" combo forward.
 


Mo has something you can't coach, which is size, something Chaminade had a hard time dealing with. EE wasn't taking advantage of his size advantage, so Pitino gave him the hook, and it was next man up. Mo's combination of size and nimble feet were a tough matchup for this opponent. His lack of ups make him less effective against more athletic teams. He's going to have to approach it like Joey King needs to - practice good footwork and protect the ball.
 

I didn't get to see Chaminade, but my thoughts on Mo Walker haven't changed much over the years. He's never been an above the rim guy or a power player & never will be. Every player has strengths & weaknesses so Mo has a place on this team, but he's not Elliot in terms of defense & rebounding. Mo's a 6'10" finesse guy who likes put-backs, tip-ins, hook shots, jumpers & is a very good passer. Up front we have Elliot (Team MVP so far, imo), Mo (Most skilled offensively of the 3) & Oto (more physical & better defender than Mo) in terms of physical presence so Mo has to play big minutes all season, there's just no other way.

I exclude Joey King from this conversation because he's a weird player. He's not soft exactly, in fact he's aggressive & a little out of control half the time, but he doesn't rebound or play defense, so he's not what we need him to be right now.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
Up front we have Elliot (Team MVP so far, imo), Mo (Most skilled offensively of the 3) & Oto (more physical & better defender than Mo) in terms of physical presence so Mo has to play big minutes all season, there's just no other way.
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http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/boards/showthread.php?50934-Arkansas-thoughts/page5

That is my point on Arkansas thread we need Elliot and Mo to play big minutes to have a chance, that would require those two playing over 40 minutes a game combined.

Most Mo's minutes will be at the C, but I really hope he can have some success on the court with EE at times. It's not ideal, but neither is King/Oto at the 4 all game. I hope it could work that EE gets 30mins and Mo 20mpg by the time we get later in the season... that would require Mo to really improve his conditioning and footwork. We have not had a chance to see how well he can move when in peak shape, so maybe I am being optimistic. We need his rebounding.
 

katze019 said:
http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/boards/showthread.php?50934-Arkansas-thoughts/page5

That is my point on Arkansas thread we need Elliot and Mo to play big minutes to have a chance, that would require those two playing over 40 minutes a game combined.

Most Mo's minutes will be at the C, but I really hope he can have some success on the court with EE at times. It's not ideal, but neither is King/Oto at the 4 all game. I hope it could work that EE gets 30mins and Mo 20mpg by the time we get later in the season... that would require Mo to really improve his conditioning and footwork. We have not had a chance to see how well he can move when in peak shape, so maybe I am being optimistic. We need his rebounding.
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Once again I agree with you. I'm guessing the guys will be more receptive to the idea after Maui. I've stayed away from the board at times, because I'm tired of the Coach P. can do no wrong, blame it on Orlando click. You can't run if you can't rebound. 20 minutes seems ambitious, but we will see the two play together. Not So Huge Mo was the 9th rated center coming out of high school. Orlando recruited him as a PF and we could use a break.
 



howieramone said:
Once again I agree with you. I'm guessing the guys will be more receptive to the idea after Maui. I've stayed away from the board at times, because I'm tired of the Coach P. can do no wrong, blame it on Orlando click. You can't run if you can't rebound. 20 minutes seems ambitious, but we will see the two play together. Not So Huge Mo was the 9th rated center coming out of high school. Orlando recruited him as a PF and we could use a break.
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Again, what are you basing this on? Just because we got EE in the same class? Is it against the rules to have two players of the same position in one class? Maybe Tubby publicly said he wants him to be a PF, but I don't remember that. Honestly asking.
 

GophersOnTheRise said:
Again, what are you basing this on? Just because we got EE in the same class? Is it against the rules to have two players of the same position in one class? Maybe Tubby publicly said he wants him to be a PF, but I don't remember that. Honestly asking.
Click to expand...

The dead giveaway was he played him there every minute as a freshman and he scored most of his points well away from the basket. He looked almost like a stretch forward in limited minutes. Regardless, Coach P. will be forced to try it at some point in time. I never give up on the Gophers, but wouldn't be surprised by 6-12 in the B1G.
 

howieramone said:
The dead giveaway was he played him there every minute as a freshman and he scored most of his points well away from the basket. He looked almost like a stretch forward in limited minutes. Regardless, Coach P. will be forced to try it at some point in time. I never give up on the Gophers, but wouldn't be surprised by 6-12 in the B1G.
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Freshmen year was a pretty small sample size, but it isn't important anyway. What Tubby recruited him as has nothing to do with how Pitino wants to use him. I could see him playing there at times (very rarely) if we go zone and call off the press, but can't see it in man situations like another poster does.
 

BOUNDOUTPASSDUNK said:
I was unimpressed with Mo's mobility and ability to run the court against Arkansas when we really needed him to defend the rim against their aggressive Bigs.

I didn't see the Cham game but observed that he posted a 10/7 line, most if not all of it in the second half against undersized Cham. Was Mo more active and a force? Is he deserving of more playing time? Can he and EE share the court against power teams with two bigs such as WI or MSU?

What can Mo offer at this stage and can he be a force?
Click to expand...

I saw the game twice. EE looked lost and he was a step behind on D. Mo looked dominant. I think the announcers were watching a different game than me but the one point we agreed is the Silverwhayevers had no answer for mo on offense. It was funny in that they kept saying he weighs 280 until the last few minutes when I guess they thought he gained 10 more pounds and said he was290. I actually think he is now250. He looked good out there and looks ready to play both physically and focus wise. He has a soft touch around the basket and unlike Rodney and Trevor you want him to get fouled because he can actually me his free throws
 



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