Wrong. Sure, I'm a fan of Hoffarber, and have been since I started watching him play him back in his junior year of high school, but I call it like I see it. I talked about his need to better his defense even before his freshman season started last year, as well as doing more than just spotting up on the perimeter. I do the same to every player, both positive and negative.
I've been a Gopher fan with season tickets way before Hoffarber came here, and will be after he leaves. More recently, the past 4 years I've been a member of GopherHole I've loved talking about players, the team, and our program. Nadine does a great job running this site, and I look forward to many more years of conversations with other Gopher fans.
When someone berates nearly every player on our team except for Nolen (when he didn't even play well), I'm going to call them on it. Period.
And you're the one that said "Minnesota had...Nolen," not me. Using your own words to prove your point doesn't make much sense.
Either way, time to move on. It doesn't really matter. We have a huge game coming up tomorrow, and that's what matters. Go Gophs!
My original post was in response to Bayfield's criticism of Nolen's defensive ability which I found offensive.
My "diatribe" edited for content is this: "Minnesota had ... Nolen" and if he "flat out didn't play well" (your words), what does that say about the rest of the team? I rest my case. I added a comma, does that make it more clear for you?
Using my own words to re-emphasize my point was a lot nicer and more concise that the 7 paragraph diatribe I had intended to post. But since that obviously missed the mark...
You are right, that wasn't Nolen's best game:
14 pts including 4 - 4 FT (both team highs)
2-4 from 3 pt line (4-8 total FGS)
7 asts (also team high)
4 rebounds (tied for 2nd with Hoff)
1 block
1 steal
3 TOs
3 fouls
However, on Wednesday the only stat line (player) that was better on the floor was Lucas. But the only stat that Nolen cares about is "70 - 58" unlike some other Gopher teammates (yes, I'm talking about Westbrook).
Let's talk about "team ball" for a second:
Nolen got 7 assists, Hoffarber got 1 assist, the rest of the team 0. Hmmm.
Rebounding: Iverson 7, Nolen 4, Hoffarber 4, Johnson 2, five other Gophers (including "Mr. Hustle") one each for team total 22 rebounds. Guess they were all too busy playing "defense" to crash the boards--offensive and defensive.
The Gopher team stat sheet was filled with "zeros" which is ironic considering the only "zero" Nolen had was the one on his jersey. We can all agree that it wasn't one of the Gophers best games, nor was it one of Nolen's best games. This is actually a good thing--it means the Gophers could/should beat MSU on their court next month if they play well.
BTW: SGL you give yourself too much credit. You have NEVER made a negative observation about Hoffarber. About other Gophers, both positive and negative, but Hoffarber, never a harsh word only flowery, glowing praise to the point of hero worship. Proving my point, your mind read "nearly every player on the team except Nolen," my post listed the names Hoffarber, Westbrook and Busch. For example, I didn't criticism Iverson--for his first Big Ten game, I thought he held his own. He'll have to do better as the season progresses, and his play to date would indicate he will do just that.
In case you haven't noticed, I'm not a Hoff Hater but he is not immune from criticism (nor is Nolen).
Yeah, the Gophers should put this game behind them, but let's hope that "out-manned, out-muscled, out-rebounded" doesn't become a Gopher team theme for the Big Ten season. All this talk of "wait until next year" is rubbish--get it done THIS YEAR.
That has to be the attitude of the Gopher players and their fans. JMHO
