Why Dion to the NBA is a Smart Move
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| Michael Ivins, US Presswire |
Author: TJ Fazio
Dion Waiters has decided to discard his remaining two years of college eligibility to pursue his dream of becoming an NBA player. After a breakout sophomore year and a convincing NCAA tournament for NBA scouts (aside from most of the Ohio St. game) his decision has left a lot of us heartbroken. I’ve also noticed A LOT of scrutiny about his decision and I’m here to explain why that scrutiny should more or less be classified as ignorance.
It’s true – Waiters could’ve stayed and led Syracuse on another title run where it’s almost inevitable that Syracuse would be “his” team. He would’ve started and taken more shots, which in turn would’ve increased his statistics and could’ve made him more appealing to NBA scouts. But what else is there for him to show? He was a sixth man mainly because of seniority behind junior Brandon Triche and 5th year senior Scoop Jardine. He has NBA talent now, and this whole year has been his coming out party. He’s shown his ability to score, his ability to defend, his ability to lead, and his ability to be loved by a city of thousands. But what irks me about his decision are the “ignorant” comparisons of him to recent undergraduate SU basketball players and their decisions to leave early for the NBA.
Don’t get me wrong – Donte Greene and Wes Johnson were phenomenal NCAA basketball players. Greene’s ability to shoot the basketball was unmatched during his time, and Johnson’s athleticism was clearly on another level compared to the competition he faced. But they both lacked a very important part of their game transitioning from the NCAA to the NBA: the ability to create their own shots. They were both good sized compared to other college basketball guards (Greene 6’11, Johnson 6’7), but neither one was very savvy off the dribble. Neither were outstanding passers or rebounders, which really left them no place in the NBA. An NBA basketball player has to be able to create his own shot and if he can’t do that he must excel in other areas. Their downfall was that they didn’t. They both were outstanding shooters, but without the ability to go off the dribble, a poised NBA player knows that they won’t get beat, allowing them to play strong on-the-ball defense.
It’s also true that Jonny Flynn’s decision to leave early looked like the wrong one, but Flynn had promise. Flynn wasn’t even considered a lottery pick before entering the draft and worked his way all the way up to the number 6 pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He absolutely dominated the summer league, where he averaged 15 points a game, shot over 50% from 3-point range, and won a player of the month award. But Flynn was unsuccessful for two main reasons: coach Kurt Rambis’ system and ultimately injury. It blows my mind why Rambis even wanted Flynn, who clearly would not fit his system. Rambis’ triangle offense expects point guards to pass first and work throughout the offense, which totally ruins Flynn style of play. Flynn is an up-tempo transition point guard who would’ve fit perfect into D’Antoni’s run and gun offense (he was only 2 picks away from the Knicks’ 8th pick) where I believe he would’ve prospered. But what really affected Flynn was his hip injury. He had to undergo hip surgery and missed the summer league in Las Vegas and over a month of his sophomore season. People who know anything about this type of surgery knew that Flynn would never be the same. He lost his step, and there’s no saying that if he would’ve stayed at Syracuse it wouldn’t of happened there. Bottom line is he got guaranteed money that might not of been there if he stayed another year. He’s still playing with Portland after recently being traded by the Rockets, where he can hopefully rejuvenate his career behind Raymond Felton.
Ultimately, Waiters has a combination of attributes that will help him thrive in the NBA. Scouts from Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Utah have already been making phone calls about him because of his unique ability that will make him a great addition to any NBA team. First and foremost, he has good size. 6’4, 215 pounds is a good sized point guard on any NBA team, where as a few more inches would be more appealing at the shooting guard position. But where he lacks in height he makes up in explosiveness. Nobody this year could stop Waiters from getting to the hoop, nobody. There was not one guard that he went up against that could keep him in front of him ultimately because of his undeniable explosiveness, but also because he can shoot the ball. He makes defenders pick their poison; they can either be beaten off the dribble or off his jump shot. While his jump shot isn’t all the way there yet, it is the easiest part of the game to improve and you can expect he will be in the gym day after day perfecting it. We saw it in Flynn during his NBA rookie year, where he hit over 50% of his 3-point shots in the rookie summer league (where most SU fans would say Flynn’s jumper wasn’t his strong suite). And probably the most underrated part of his game that NBA scouts love is his ability to create steals and play defense. He averaged almost 2 steals a game in the zone, which will probably carry over better in a man-to-man defense that most NBA teams will play.
Dion Waiters will be a great professional basketball player. I think the buzz he has created this year about his ability to perform has made his decision a fitting time to move on to bigger and better things. I think his confidence and “I will beat you every time” attitude will be extremely important in his success next year, and I hope him the best in his journey to pursue his ultimate dream, becoming a successful NBA basketball player.
Finding "That Guy"
Author: TJ Fazio
What do Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, and Harrison Barnes all have in common? For one, they are all members of #1 seeded teams in the NCAA tournament. But more importantly, they are game changers, NBA lottery picks, and national player of the year candidates. When Florida possessed all the momentum going into the 2nd half with a lead against Kentucky in the SEC tournament, Davis stepped up and drilled a 3 pointer to take Kentucky's first lead. When Michigan State’s offense looked awestruck against the St. Louis Billikens last Sunday down the stretch, Draymond Green stepped up and hit a 20 footer, altered the Billikens next possession, and set up his teammate for a wide open 3-pointer to rid St. Louis’ upset alert. Harrison Barnes along with teammate Tyler Zeller, who was also in the discussion for player of the year, have been stepping up and hitting big shots all season for the Tarheels. My point is that if a big play is needed, these players deliver.
But what about Syracuse? A near undefeated regular season that arguably could've been perfect with the acceptation of one loss to Notre Dame with the absence Fab Melo. A quick and gritty team with such tremendous athleticism and length in their patent 2-3 zone that basically dares you to enter the lane, because 9 times out of 10 they will alter or block your shot when at full strength. A balanced team of veterans and young talent that can run the floor so beautifully at times that there's no doubt in your mind that they are the best team in the nation. I mean come on; Syracuse's bench players could join forces together and probably beat a lot of division 1 schools without even needing their top 5.
Time and time again, we've seen the Orange win games with their defense. The truth is anybody who has followed SU basketball knows that this year’s zone has to be one of the best of all time. This is something we are sure of. Even with the absence of Melo, the zone is nearly impenetrable. The athleticism of CJ Fair is crucial here, because he can covers so much area in his position and has a natural feel for the ball when rebounding. This is before mentioning the abundance of steals the Syracuse guards have racked up this year. Jardine and Waiters both averaged almost 2 steals per game, which helped ranked them near the top in the nation and opened up their ability to get out in the open floor and run. Syracuse willalways defend you, and it will be difficult for you to score.
Back Davis, Green, and Barnes: all one seeds, and national player of the year candidates. But what about SU? In close game situations there hasn't been that one player who steps up and can take the game over. A lot of people say it's great because a different player has been “that guy” for us every game, but it's tournament season and the stakes are high; a go to guy is needed for a team to be a title contender.
Look at the last five years: Kemba Walker for Connecticut, Kyle Singler for Duke, Tyler Hansbrough for North Carolina, Mario Chalmers for Kansas, and Al Horford for Florida. All these championship teams had one player that could take over at any moment and always delivered for their team. Their leadership and will to win in these players was unmatched and there's no teaching this; you either possess it or you don't. We saw it on the 2003 championship team, where a higher power blessed us with Carmelo Anthony for one year. Anthony came into the tournament and in the two most crucial games of his college career scored 33 points in the Final Four outing vs. Texas to go with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the championship game against Kansas. Without someone confident enough to step up and knock down a tough shot at a crucial time, the odds at a national championship are slim. But, I think Syracuse has this player, and his name is Dion Waiters.
Waiters is the most underrated overall college player in America. If he played for any other team in the country I’m convinced he would be a top ten player and would be in the national player of the year discussion with the improvement he has made from last year to this year, and he's a 6th man! He's arguably one of the best on ball defenders in the league and he's stuck in a 2-3 zone. Can you imagine him in a man-to-man defense? His passion and energy on defense would create so many more opportunities for his offense because mentally he thrives off of it. If you look at his Big East and NCAA tournament performances he has stepped up as “that guy”.
He scored 18 points shooting a ridiculous 8-11 in a win vs. Connecticut, then followed that performance by almost single handedly beating Cincinnati. He scored a season high 28 points, with 21 of those points coming from long distance. Against Kansas State he led the charge with 18 points, 2 steals and only 1 TO. While SU is extremely balanced and talented, Waiters will have to establish himself as “that guy” if they want to win a championship, let alone advance past Wisconsin this Thursday.
The truth is, every team needs “that guy”. That guy who is confident enough to beat his defender off the dribble and make a play during critical situations. That guy that can make mistake after mistake but when a big play needs to be made never lets it deter his attitude. If Waiters really wants to show what he’s worth to his city and to NBA scouts, this is his time to show it, and I’m confident in the fact that he has the ability to be “that guy”.
Photo Credit: Matt Slocum /Associated Press
Déjà vu
In what was truly turning out to be a special season for the Syracuse Orange one may ask does this team have what it takes to win it all? This year’s team has the potential to be considered as the greatest Syracuse Orange basketball team ever. For the second time in 3 years Syracuse is revisiting the NCAA Tournament as a #1 seed.
The Orange’s 2009-10 season saw its dreams of making a run to the finals shatter as starting center Arinze Onuaku went down with a quad injury in their first game of the Big East Tournament at the hands of Georgetown. As a team who only played 7 players comfortably, the Orange had been a team who had not even played their 8th man in half of the games on the year.
This year's Syracuse Orange has already set a record for winning percentage during Coach Boeheim’s 36-year tenure, regardless if they were to lose out on their next two games. With only two players averaging points in the double digits many people begin to grow restless and wonder does Syracuse have enough “Big” pieces to propel themselves past the other elite teams they may face a couple weeks down the road. Syracuse has been able to play 10 players, count it 10 players in double figure minutes per game. Syracuse is widely considered as one of if not the deepest team in the NCAA. This was all until the shocking news of Fab Melo’s eligibility was revoked.
The suspension of Fab Melo has put Syracuse in a similar spot of the 2009-10 Syracuse squad as both teams are without their starting center who was crucial to both teams as neither had backups that give near the same production. Both teams saw their aspirations of the NCAA title start to dwindle away the further you looked down the bracket.
1. Performance in the Big East
One of the growing concerns about this years Syracuse team is the lack of talent the Big East has dished out this year. As you can see the 2009-10 squad had better quality wins against teams that ranked higher in the top 25 polls that had successful upperclassmen lead teams versus this years younger and less star studded Big East.
- @ #9 West Virginia 72-71 Finished regular season ranked 7th
- VS #11 Georgetown 73-56 Finished regular season ranked 22nd
- @ #10 Georgetown 75-71
- VS #8 Villanova 95-77 Finished regular season ranked 10th
2011-2012 (17-1) Quality Wins VS Big East Ranked in top 25:
- VS #20 Marquette 73-66 Finished regular season ranked 9th
- VS #11 Georgetown 64-61 OT Finished regular season ranked 13th
- @ #18 Louisville 52-51 Finished regular season Unranked
- VS #18 Louisville 58-49
Edge: 2011-12
Despite the overall better talent the 2009-10 team faced throughout the year you can never argue with the record books. The 2011-12 team matched the record for most victories in Big East regular season play previously held by the 1995-96 Connecticut Huskies. The (17-1) mark has a small asterisk next to it in the mind of Syracuse fans. The one lone loss came at the hand of Notre Dame while Fab Melo was out on an unresolved academic issue. What if Fab Melo never was forced to sit out of that particular game? Possible perfection? No one will ever know what could have been if Fab had played in that game.
2. Performance Out Of Conference
The thing you can say about both of these squads was how little the out of conference schedule meant at the end of the day compared to the beginning for both teams. The “2009-10” squad was given some tough matchup against teams who did not live up to their preseason hype.
2009-2010 Quality Wins VS Out of Conference in top 25:
- VS #12 California* 95-73 Finished regular season Unranked
- @ #4 North Carolina* 87-71 Finished regular season Unranked
- VS # 11 Florida 85-73 Finished regular season Unranked
2011-2012 Quality Wins VS Out of Conference in top 25:
- VS #9 Florida 72-68 Finished regular season ranked 22nd
Edge: 2009-10
While this year’s team faced the best out of conference opponent of the two years, it still doesn’t match the four tournament-bound teams the “2009-10” squad faced. Syracuse flexed its muscles with wins over tournament teams such as Oakland, Florida, California and Cornell and not to mention NIT runner up North Carolina which really sets them apart from this years out of conference résumé as only Florida is a guaranteed lock with North Carolina State sitting firmly on the bubble.
3. Offense
The Syracuse Orange’s offense the last couple of years has had a couple of minor identity changes here and there. The main difference you can see is the field goal and 3-Point percentages. The 09-10 squad featured Wesley Johnson and Andy Rautins’ long ball threat as a viable option to complement the low post presence of Onuaku and Jackson as they both shot over 40% from beyond the arc. This Year’s Syracuse team has struggled to stay consistent from behind the arc and had no one clearly establish himself as “The Guy” from downtown.
2009-10 2011-2012
PPG 81.5 (6th) PPG 75.3 (33rd)
FG% .516(1st) FG% .470 (T-41st)
3PT% .385(T-24th) 3PT% .343(T-168th)
APG 19.4 (2nd) APG 16(T-14th)
TOPG 15.1 (T-271st) TOPG 10.6(T-10th)
The biggest worry about this years Syracuse squad is their ability to play in a half court set. This team is notoriously known for its transition game lead by Dion Waiters with what seems to be at times careless and/or reckless shot attempts. Syracuse has won a handful of games against teams of lesser talent such as South Florida, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Cincinnati by single digits as their transition game was the only thing saving them while utilizing their best offensive threat, which is none other, then their defense. Their defense is responsible for creating easy opportunities when they are stuck in the half court from teams dribbling the air out of the basketball.
Edge: 2009-10
This squad was much more efficient as games wore down as they had a presence in the post, midrange and the deep ball. Before Onuaku went out with injury they had a very balanced offense that could score in a number of ways. This year’s team has far too many consistency issues from deep and in the post to be considered a better overall offensive team despite turning the ball over less.
4. Defense
“The best offense is a great defense” is an age-old adage that fits like a glove with both of these teams. Both of these teams finished in the top 10 in both blocks and steals. The one stat that sets these teams away from elite competition is rebounding. This years rebounding is by far a greater concern then it was in 2009-10.
2009-10 2011-12
PAPG 65.7 (101st) PAPG 60.2 (22nd)
SPG 10(T-5th) SPG 9.74(3rd)
BPG 6.56(7th) BPG 7.26(2nd)
RPG 38.2(T-50th) RPG 35.4(T-121st)
Edge: 2011-2012
Despite 2009-2010 being a slightly superior rebounding team, they still donot match the low post presence offered by Fab Melo. Melo’s 3 blocks per game and low post presence changes the game in so many ways. Melo is the jumper cable to this team as he is what gets everyone going starting down low by altering/blocking shots and letting his guards get out in transition. Perhaps the second most important thing to their defense is their depth. Being able to play 10 players throughout the game almost always guaranteeing fresh legs is a deadly thing for teams who focus on playing their bench as “reserves” or “replacements” as Syracuse plays all ten as a key component in the right moments.
Overall Edge: 2011-2012
It pains me to say this but I believe this year’s team has an edge over the 2009-10 for a number of reasons.
Experience: Both of these teams featured Triche, Jardine, Joseph and Southerland. In 2009-10 Jardine ended Syracuse’s season trying to be a go-to guy against Butler before finally being knocked off. This year he along with Jospeh has shown senior leadership by knowing their roles and allowing for the game to come to them rather then force it.
Depth: The amount of versatility the Orange show this year on defense is quite impressive. The main thing Syracuse has to worry about tournament time is avoiding injury and/or foul trouble for Fab Melo. He is a spark plug to this team defensively along with his adrenaline boosting alley oops he receives to liven the crowd and most importantly his teammates. With all the different combinations Syracuse can throw at you it will make every team they play question what is coming next.
Turnovers: Syracuse this year ranks 10th in turnovers and has really made holding onto the ball a priority. While the difference in steals between these two teams is barely seen, the amount of turnovers (T-271st) the “2009-10” team let slip away is the biggest vulnerability either of the teams have shown. Smart basketball will take home the W’s and the end of the day.
Team Basketball: This year’s team has no true star on their team. Depending on the situation it is always a different player stepping up in a time of need whether its Fab Melo blocking a shot or taking a charge, Triche hitting a jumper in the lane, Scoop setting someone up or hitting his own shot, waiters getting out in transition. The list can go on and on. This team has many helpers and they all contribute to make one special basketball team who does what it takes to win and that alone helps set them apart from many teams including the 2009-10 squad.
With both of these teams missing a crucial big man neither has the team they grew accustomed to playing with all season. Both big men were very balanced players who brought intensity to each squad. Onuaku brought more of an offensive threat and a big body that could take up space inside the zone despite only averaging a steal and block a game before injury. However Melo brought a menacing 3 blocks per game protecting the zone from being attacked. Who was more crucial to their team?
Onuaku was a more offensive minded player than Fab but also did not bring the same intensity that Fab does on Defense. Onuaku was a more polished post player and rebounder who could bully his way through the paint. Fab struggled in offensive situations that showed his basketball IQ was not at its highest. This years squad is much deeper than the 09-10 team and have potential to make more noise despite the looming matchups of Kansas State, Southern Miss who are both much better rebounding teams than Syracuse this year. Syracuse is in a position where we could see a one and done performance cap off a great regular season. The most impressive thing you could see is Syracuse win it all without their starting center while being in the national spotlight since the season began for the Bernie Fine molestation accusations. This team will show great resiliency if they make a deep tournament run.
Who needs to step up:
- Southerland and his ability to rebound and score in the paint
- Jardine and his ability to take care of the ball and distribute.
- Waiters & Joseph have the potential to prove themselves as stars that will be remembered years from now as a college star that carried their teams on their back through all of the disparity.
The same team that knocked out the “2009-10” squad is very similar to this years team. The Butler Bulldogs that knocked us out went on a run of close games during the tournament in which they were outshot and outrebounded but still prevailed with the victories. They limited their turnovers and held their opponents down with good defense by wreaking havoc and forcing turnovers. This year’s Syracuse Orange may be winning games by closer margins than the “2009-10” team, but they are doing it the right way playing smart basketball and not forcing too many turnovers upon themselves. The wins are very ugly some days but they still manage to get the jobs done over and over again even if some luck or bad officiating calls are responsible. Syracuse has put its self in those situations to get those calls or lucky rolls all season long. Syracuse’s own worst enemy is themselves and have the potential to cap this season off as the greatest in their history by winning the NCAA tournament especially with all of the scandals swirling around campus the last year or so.
written by Scott Stanford
(photo credit: Real Clear Sports, Syracuse.com, Empire Writes Back)
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