I don't get it. Maybe a Louisville fan can help me out. What kind of team do you have? At points during the season they have looked good. Really good. And then there are games like last night where they looked bad. Really bad.
This was supposed to be an over matched, out sized Marquette team that Louisville was going up against last night. Louisville started the traditional two guard, two forward and one center lineup. Marquette started three guards and two forwards. Marquette held the starting forwards to a combined 11 points and the center, Samardo Samuels, to only 4 points and no free throw attempts.
No Louisville player scored in double digits. The closest player was Little Eddie Sosa with 9. Marquette guard Darius Johnson-Odom, a transfer Juco All American, put up 22 for the Golden Eagles. He looked like the most athletic player on the floor the entire game. He did what he wanted to the Cards no matter who was on him. Even the vaulted defense of Jerry Smith could not hold this guy.
Samuels summed up his performance against the smaller sized Eagles with this quote in the Courier Journal today, "It's hard when you're a big and you've got a small defender. When they double, they just swipe down and you can't do much." Really? I never heard Shaq, Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudamire, or even Yao Ming make such a claim. What happened to the big man that dominated the inferior sized Notre Dame players? Granted, Louisville only had two free throw attempts to Marquette's 22, but Louisville had more turnovers and less rebounds. That is not a winning recipe.
I'll close this article with a quote from Rick Pitino and a quick final thought. Slick Rick said the following, "This was a game where one of the two of us was going to have a lock for the NCAA. They got it and we didn't, so we've got work to do." Yes Rick, you do. You have a lot of work to do against Syracuse, the #1 team in the land, at your last game at Freedom Hall this on Sunday. I think the Cards are in at a 10 or an 11 seed, counting a loss to Syracuse on Sunday. I am not going to make a prediction of the score yet, but my guess is that it will be pretty Bad.
Wow, comparing Samardo to the likes of Amare, Yao, or the two Supermans is something that I don't even think U of L fans do, and you're a Cat fan!
ReplyDeleteAlso, how is that any different than Cousins comparing himself to Shaq and complaining about getting hit hard down low? Shouldn't he realize that he plays center and gets fed a lot and that's just part of the game?
Cardinal fans claim that Samardo Samuels is a big time elite center and I disagree. Other big time centers don't complain that little guys are the reason why they don't play well. Samuels is not an elite center in my opinion. Did I go over the edge b y comparing him to those NBA guys? Probably, but I was trying to make it a point that big time centers don't let their games suffer at the hands of smaller players.
ReplyDeleteThere is a difference between complaining that you're game suffered because you can't handle a smaller player and complaining that you are getting hacked every play. Cousins gets hacked cosntantly and the mojority of the time it does not get called. He doesn't blame the lack of productivity (which he has not shown. his numbers are outstanding) on getting hacked, he just says it gets old getting mugged every play.
Cousins is like Shaq when he was at LSU only Cousins has better foot work. I am definitely not saying that he is as good as Shaq but he is comparable to a young Shaq. He has the potential to be great if he can keep his head straight.
Thanks for the feedback Boogiewoogie. I am a U of L fan and never said Samardo was an elite center. He came in as the #1 rated player, but truth be told, he's an undersized 5 man. Also, he hasn't been playing basketball all his life, so I think his growth potential is there.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Cousins, what the heck does he expect to happen in the NBA? Is he going to complain to reporters after a game against the Magic that Dwight Howard slapped him multiple times with no calls?
If he knows what is good for him he won't say anything to Dwight Howard or the way he plays!
ReplyDeleteBut in all seriousness, I think Cousins needs to stay one more year. I agree with you that he can't complain about being fouled in the NBA like he does now. The NBA guys will know how to get into his head because they are the best at mind games and trash talk. Now, on the flip side, if Cousins does go and becomes an elite player then he can complain about fouls all he wants because elite players in the NBA are treated differently than your average NBA player. Kobe and LeBron fouls are overlooked while fouls on Kobe and LeBron pile up.
As for Sam Sam, I actually like him and you are right when you say he has potential. I just think he is extremely inconsistant. I think by the time he is a senior he should be a dominant player and a POY candidate.
There's no reason Samuels should only score 4pts. He's 6'9 and the tallest Marquette player that played last night is 6'7. He also outsized everyone on the floor. He just needs to learn to be more aggressive.
ReplyDeleteFor his career and Louisville's sake, I would just hope he doesnt decide to leave after this season.
There is no way Samuels is leaving after this season.
ReplyDelete