Comments on: Just Play Ball

By: Game 6: Boston College at Michigan Post Game | UM Hoops.com

Game 6: Boston College at Michigan Post Game | UM Hoops.com — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:04:47 +0000

[...] the offense seemed to disappear and Michigan lost 5 of 6 games. In the middle of that stretch, I wrote a piece proclaiming that Michigan needed to “Just Play Ball” rather than be crushed under the weight of [...]

By: Sombrero

Sombrero — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:22:28 +0000

Dylan,

This article is 100% better than anything you’ve written before.

Keep up the good work.

By: Bill

Bill — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:51:37 +0000

Couldn’t agree more. But somtimes you need to go through this kind of thing to understand what winning is all about.

I also wonder if Sims ankle has been hurting. He twisted a few games back and since then his shot has been a little off. And when he had that breakaway I believe against Iowa instead of dunking it he stumbled into a layup.

By: Keith Davis

Keith Davis — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:11:17 +0000

It was interesting to hear Coach Beilein talk last night on Inside Michigan Basketball (BTN). He’s basically saying the same thing about making shots. He made the comment, “We haven’t made shots in three weeks”. He also talked about the guys shooting too quickly and that most of them are still learning good shot vs. bad shot.

Manny’s FTAs are a concern. He went from 7.25 FTAs in the non-conference, down to 4.4 FTAs in conference play. The Big Ten has long been regarded as a physical conference. I think that has something to do with it. He’s not going to get some of the calls that he had been getting in the non-conference. What bothers me is how he handles not getting the calls. Against Wisconsin, there were several times when I was up screaming for a foul. Instead of battling through it, Manny seemed to get frustrated and basically took himself out of the game. He’s too good of a player to let that happen.

I refuse to give up on this team. They have played beyond any expectations I had and I honestly believe that in the future this team will only get better.

By: Giddings

Giddings — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:35:34 +0000

I think there’s multiple reasons why we’re struggling right now, and they are all contributing. Basically all of them have been mentioned either by Dylan or by commenters, but I would say these are the biggest issues (in no particular order):

1) Playing as the favorite / dealing with expectations
2) Lack of height being exploited by opposing big men
3) Shots simply not falling
4) No period of more than 2 practices between games since the FGCU/NCCU games
4b) Fatigue overall
5) Novak playing huge amounts of minutes at the 4, leading to fatigue and decreased offense
6) Refs not calling fouls on Manny drives in the Big Ten season

By: Go Blue

Go Blue — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 04:04:18 +0000

You nailed it Evan. Its all about making a reasonable % of your shots.

By: Spartans Weblog » To panic or not to panic?

Spartans Weblog » To panic or not to panic? — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:48:10 +0000

[...] Just Play Ball Dylan on the Wolverines’ recent struggles. [...]

By: Beast1530

Beast1530 — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:14:32 +0000

The problem with Michigan is the Big Ten teams are exposing Michigan by keeping 2 big guys on the floor since Michigan is vastly undersized. There’s nothing that Beilien can do because DeShawn Sims and Zach Gibson are the only 2 players with significant playing times who are 6′7″ or taller(not so sure if Sims is as tall as listed). Novak and even CJ Lee has to play the 3 and the 4. Next year is going to be better because Michigan will have more big bodies to combat this weakness.

By: El Capitan

El Capitan — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:31:45 +0000

I think one of the biggest problems lately for this team has been Manny’s decreased overall production. Sure, he’s still keeping his scoring afloat, but he’s taking a lot more shots, and as you said Dylan, he simply isn’t getting to the line enough. If he gets going early in games, then teams will have to adjust to him, and then our other players will start getting better looks.

I honestly think Manny has more talent than anyone else in the Big Ten, but he has a tendency to lose some of his aggression if he doesn’t get the early calls. When he doesn’t get to the line he starts settling for pull-up jumpshots (often with a hand in the face) and he becomes a perimeter player. And on a team of perimeter-oriented players, Manny has to be the man to break down defenses and dish out the ball when all five defensive players collapse on him.

By: Evan

Evan — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:27:00 +0000

I just see a three game stretch with bad shooting. It will happen. Sims had two off games but seemed to correct that. I am sure Beilein has coaching strategies to correct poor shooting. Whenever we have noticed a glaring problem this season, it has been corrected. Poor shooting might be tougher to address, but I am sure it is being addressed.

I enjoyed reading this very thoughtful post. Good stuff.

Evan