Walker's Role

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BOUNDOUTPASSDUNK

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I hope Mo Walker can pick up some more playing time before the B10 season, perhaps in the games against North Florida and North Dakota, as he really needs to gain more confidence with his offensive game. I also hope that he can be more active on the boards and while defending. Is it just me, or does he look immobile (he's not jumping or moving laterally much) and is that the unfortunate result of his knee maladies?

Mo could potentially be a major factor when the Gopher go up against various burly bigs in the B10, but it seems he still must overcome some considerable rust.
 

He shouldn't be getting any playing time until he gets in shape. His defense, movement, and effort over the weekend was embarassing. The rotation needs to be cut. First on the chopping block are Mav, Oto, and Walker.
 

I hope he gets a lot more playing time in those games as well. Give him a chance to work off the rust and gain more confidence. We could use him going forward.
 


BOUNDOUTPASSDUNK said:
I hope Mo Walker can pick up some more playing time before the B10 season, perhaps in the games against North Florida and North Dakota, as he really needs to gain more confidence with his offensive game. I also hope that he can be more active on the boards and while defending. Is it just me, or does he look immobile (he's not jumping or moving laterally much) and is that the unfortunate result of his knee maladies?

Mo could potentially be a major factor when the Gopher go up against various burly bigs in the B10, but it seems he still must overcome some considerable rust.
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He's totally immobile. At first I just chalked it up to us playing small teams that he didn't math up well against, but it's starting to look like the dude's just slow. I'm not really sure we can blame the knee or him being "out of shape", because I'm starting to think this IS Mo's basketball shape? I don't remember him being any slimmer or quicker prior to the injury. I can see why Tubby's been concerned about his weight though! That forward for Stanford just abused Mo today. Every time Mo was on him they'd bring him out to the 3 point line, get him the ball & he'd blow right past Mo to the basket. Mo had to come off the court it was so bad.
 


Mo is nice on the floor if you play zone, otherwise he is a risk, he needs to lose weight and work on his conditioning, until then, I understand why tubby doesn't play him as much
 

WILLBGOPHER said:
He shouldn't be getting any playing time until he gets in shape. His defense, movement, and effort over the weekend was embarassing. The rotation needs to be cut. First on the chopping block are Mav, Oto, and Walker.
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I disagree. Well, partly. I agree about oto, but Mav and Mo both deserve the playing time they are getting.
Before his injuries, Mo was a force to be reckoned with inside, and he deserves the chance to get his feet under him. He is still an elite passer (as big men go) and I think he needs a spot in our rotation.
As for Mav, this year he has been a solid backup for Dre. A year, or even 3 weeks, ago, I would've said differently, but now I would not hesitate picking him over Welch.
 





Better enjoy this year with Rodney, Mbakwe, and even Ingram. Our front court will be looking pretty thin unless we being in another 4.
 

7 games in coming off an entire missed season and a blown out knee is not the time to be questioning whether Mo should be playing. Give it time, people. Jesus.
 

WILLBGOPHER said:
The rotation needs to be cut. First on the chopping block are Mav, Oto, and Walker.
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Mav- I don't get the Mav thing, he is getting way to many minutes. Possibly because Welch is playing awful. What happened to this kid? He slimmed down, but still playing poorly & has a horsesh*t attitude.

Oto- Complete bust at this point, I was expecting a player not as good as, but similar to what Jon Diebler.

Walker- Hard to judge what he is capable of until he gets in better shape. Somewhat disappointing.

EE- Watching him makes me wish we had Colt45 to muscle with these bigs we have seen in the tourney (I know that would have required a red-shirt at some point). I thought EE had some touch and could even shoot the 15'er, but he is scared to shoot from 2' at this point.

AI- I keep finding myself calling Ingram, Dawson by mistake. It makes since tho, neither resemble a basketball player.

Joe- Has to eliminate some of these turnovers. Otherwise I'm impressed with his improved shooting and dribbling. Guy is strong and athletic, I have no problem with the minutes he is seeing.

Austin- My favorite player, can do it all & guard 1-3 (well 3.5). Shot looks great, needs to use his athleticism and attack more.

Rodney- Stud, most improved player. Could be punching his ticket to a late first round pick.

Trevor- If he is not completely 'back' he will be soon. Top 15 draft pick and key player for the gophers.

Andre- 41pts the other night, sky is the limit.
 

Mav has had a great tournament as a back up PG. much improved in my opinion even from early in this season, he is playing within his limits and making some smart plays. 5-10 minutes spelling the 1 is just fine if he keeps managing the game like this.
 



Gold Vision said:
Mav has had a great tournament as a back up PG. much improved in my opinion even from early in this season, he is playing within his limits and making some smart plays. 5-10 minutes spelling the 1 is just fine if he keeps managing the game like this.
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Plus next year, with Welch gone he'll be the ONLY ball handler except Dre. Let's get him up to speed as much as we can cause we're gonna really need him to play quality minutes next year.
 

HOOP DREAMS said:
Mav- I don't get the Mav thing, he is getting way to many minutes. Possibly because Welch is playing awful. What happened to this kid? He slimmed down, but still playing poorly & has a horsesh*t attitude.

Oto- Complete bust at this point, I was expecting a player not as good as, but similar to what Jon Diebler.

Walker- Hard to judge what he is capable of until he gets in better shape. Somewhat disappointing.

EE- Watching him makes me wish we had Colt45 to muscle with these big we have seen in the tourney (I know that would have required a red-shirt at some point). I thought EE had some touch and could even shoot the 15'er, but he is scared to shoot from 2' at this point.

AI- I keep finding myself calling Ingram; Dawson by mistake. It makes since tho, neither resemble a basketball player.

Joe- Has to eliminate some of these turnovers. Otherwise I'm impressed with his improved shooting and dribbling. Guy is strong and athletic, I have no problem with the minutes he is seeing.

Austin- My favorite player, can do it all & guard 1-3 (well 3.5). Shot looks great, needs to use his athleticism and attack more.

Rodney- Stud, most improved player. Could be punching his ticket to a late first round pick.

Trevor- If he is not completely 'back' he will be soon. Top 15 draft pick and key player for the gophers.

Andre- 41pts the other night, sky is the limit.
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I like your post, but disagree on Trevor & Rodney. Rodney's the better NBA prospect & will be drafted higher imo. What's Trevor's upside? Hasn't be already peaked? He'll be a 24 yo rookie (very old by NBA standards), undersized PF with 2 knee surgeries under his belt. I love Trevor, but a Gary Trent/Mark Madsen type role is a best case scenario for him. Rodney on the other hand is just scratching the surface of his ability & has the athleticism that NBA scouts drool over. As his shot continues to improve (and it is) he'll become very hard to defend, even in the pros.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
I like your post, but disagree on Trevor & Rodney. Rodney's the better NBA prospect & will be drafted higher imo. What's Trevor's upside? Hasn't be already peaked? He'll be a 24 yo rookie (very old by NBA standards), undersized PF with 2 knee surgeries under his belt. I love Trevor, but a Gary Trent/Mark Madsen type role is a best case scenario for him. Rodney on the other hand is just scratching the surface of his ability & has the athleticism that NBA scouts drool over. As his shot continues to improve (and it is) he'll become very hard to defend, even in the pros.
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It's not like Rodney is a sophomore or junior, kid has some years under his belt too. He has gotten better every year - big jump in the NIT - big jump so far this season. From his early years he was so raw (still a little raw) I never expected him to be this good. I agree, we see where Trevor is at and there probably is little room for improvement. That being said he has worked on his free-throw and refined the 15'er and can still get better despite his age.

Costa Rican Gopher said:
Plus next year, with Welch gone he'll be the ONLY ball handler except Dre. Let's get him up to speed as much as we can cause we're gonna really need him to play quality minutes next year.
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Mav was terrible his freshman year, looked like he would come of the bench at St. Thomas. He was in the mix for most improved player last year. But it's hard to forget about his freshman season when Tubby threw Hoff to the wolves instead of playing Maverick - the only remaining PG. You are correct; we will need him next year, despite his improvement, that is still disappointing.
 

HOOP DREAMS said:
It's not like Rodney is a sophomore or junior, kid has some years under his belt too. He has gotten better every year - big jump in the NIT - big jump so far this season. From his early years he was so raw (still a little raw) I never expected him to be this good. I agree, we see where Trevor is at and there probably is little room for improvement. That being said he has worked on his free-throw and refined the 15'er and can still get better despite his age.



Mav was terrible his freshman year, looked like he would come of the bench at St. Thomas. He was in the mix for most improved player last year. But it's hard to forget about his freshman season when Tubby threw Hoff to the wolves instead of playing Maverick - the only remaining PG. You are correct; we will need him next year, despite his improvement, that is still disappointing.
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Mav was never recruited to, or intended to play as a Freshman. We had 3 upper-classmen guards with Nolen, Devoe & Blake. Mav was a spring signing, a last minute addition because Cobbs left. The whole fiasco of losing Cobbs & Devoe, with only Mav on the bench was hands down the biggest set back we've had under Tubby.
 

HOOP DREAMS said:
Mav- I don't get the Mav thing, he is getting way to many minutes. Possibly because Welch is playing awful. What happened to this kid? He slimmed down, but still playing poorly & has a horsesh*t attitude.

Oto- Complete bust at this point, I was expecting a player not as good as, but similar to what Jon Diebler.

Walker- Hard to judge what he is capable of until he gets in better shape. Somewhat disappointing.

EE- Watching him makes me wish we had Colt45 to muscle with these bigs we have seen in the tourney (I know that would have required a red-shirt at some point). I thought EE had some touch and could even shoot the 15'er, but he is scared to shoot from 2' at this point.

AI- I keep finding myself calling Ingram, Dawson by mistake. It makes since tho, neither resemble a basketball player.

Joe- Has to eliminate some of these turnovers. Otherwise I'm impressed with his improved shooting and dribbling. Guy is strong and athletic, I have no problem with the minutes he is seeing.

Austin- My favorite player, can do it all & guard 1-3 (well 3.5). Shot looks great, needs to use his athleticism and attack more.

Rodney- Stud, most improved player. Could be punching his ticket to a late first round pick.

Trevor- If he is not completely 'back' he will be soon. Top 15 draft pick and key player for the gophers.

Andre- 41pts the other night, sky is the limit.
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A little harsh at the top of this post. Give it time, pretty early in the season to write anyone off.
 

Yes. I know. A program at this level should never recruit a player that they don't think has a chance to compete his freshman year. It was a messed up year.
 

XMan said:
A little harsh at the top of this post. Give it time, pretty early in the season to write anyone off.
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Reading it back and my intent was not to write players off. I am happy with where there program is at & possibly a little to optimistic about what some of the guys could bring. They could step it up yet. To this point, a few guys are behind schedule - IMO.
 

HOOP DREAMS said:
Reading it back and my intent was not to write players off. I am happy with where there program is at & possibly a little to optimistic about what some of the guys could bring. They could step it up yet. To this point, a few guys are behind schedule - IMO.
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Fair enough. Better hope Mo gets his feet under him soon, we will need him and Ingram to add some muscle once the big ten season starts.

I have been surprised a bit by Ingram so far. He does what is asked of him....rebounds defends hustles and provides some needed minutes to spell Trevor. Tubby has to be pleased with him so far.
 


Gold Vision said:
Mav has had a great tournament as a back up PG. much improved in my opinion even from early in this season, he is playing within his limits and making some smart plays. 5-10 minutes spelling the 1 is just fine if he keeps managing the game like this.
Click to expand...

Did you watch the last 2 games. Mav was beyond bad, and had several terrible unforced TO's. He did have a good first game, but you shouldn't just look at his points. He is a below average dribbler, and has extreme difficulty getting the team into offensive sets.
 

I just did a search for Free Agent College Basketball Point Guards hoping to find a good one.

There are none available, so I guess we have what we have, and have to make the best of it.
 

Dr.Don said:
I just did a search for Free Agent College Basketball Point Guards hoping to find a good one.

There are none available, so I guess we have what we have, and have to make the best of it.
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If the gophers don't do anything before the trade deadline I am going to be so pissed....
 

Same point at so Mo and EE; they have to be developed with minutes among the crunch time minutes occupied by Trevor. A college bench is like the D league.
 

BOUNDOUTPASSDUNK said:
Same point at so Mo and EE; they have to be developed with minutes among the crunch time minutes occupied by Trevor. A college bench is like the D league.
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While i do like getting everyone playing time against inferior teams, just not in resume games in this tournament. EE can at least move his feet and play defense, but was very disappointed with his rebounding. Mo couldn't guard anyone over the weekend, and was a complete liability on the defensive end.
 


Meeting or Exceeding expectations:
Rodney..going from the most apprehensive and fustrating player to the most aggressive forward around.
Andre... Really improving as a pg. 4 apg versus 2.4 turnovers. Playing great defense.
Meeting:
Mav 5.4 pts 1asist 1 turnover a game. 56% from 2, 55% from 3, 885 fthrows. he cannot be what he is not but im not sure he could play a ton better.
Trevor is just getting his legs back.
Austin... Started of the season on fire, then can get lost when teams get physical.
coleman.. Can attack smaller teams and in the open court, improving jumper, lots of steals, horrible ball handler.
Moe... I didnt have high expectations. I saw he wasnt an athlete. Great skills but figured his weight would always be an issue.
Ingram... energy, defense, rebounding. Should be getting more of Oto's minutes.

Below expectations:
EE is so hesitant, weak,and mentally out of it this year!
Horrific:
Welch.. 26% on 2's, 14% on 3's, this is beyond a shooting slump.
Oto ... 25% on 2's, 50% on ft, 0 for 11 on 3's. Is he shooting the 3 this bad in practice. Why doesnt tubby have him stop taking them while his shot is so bad. There are times when he rebounds well inside, and even passes ok.
 

I still think that EE has looked the worst this year. He has the worst hands on the team and is always out of position on defense, and if hes guarding a big man with any athletic ability he is toast. The thing I love about him though is he plays really hard. I think he will bounce back and be an asset later in the year. Oto has been bad on offense but has played pretty solid defense. Mav has played damn good and people are holding their feelings from his previous years playing time. Coleman needs to quit making stupid passes and when that happens look out, we will be really hard to beat!
 

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