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Post by matteosandiego on Jan 25, 2015 7:04:27 GMT -8
Pope should start and Shepard should come off the bench. It's time for Fisher to let the dog out. He's had one breakout game. And though i do believe he deserves more minutes i think Fisher has played it correctly. Pope if starting right now i think runs the risk of getting in silly foul trouble as his defense is not there. But like i said, he definitely deserves more minutes, and possibly the crucial crunch time minutes. Its all about the specific game with this team however. Any given night any given player is capable of getting hot. Last night was Malik's turn. |
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Post by legkick on Jan 25, 2015 8:09:53 GMT -8
Pope's defense is clearly not there yet. Fisher even mentioned the ineffectiveness at double-teaming Avila, and a significant portion of that was Pope's responsibility. He's also not physically strong (ball gets easily stripped) and has the same high dribble issue that affects Shepard. These are all things that we should see improve as he develops as a player.
However, his step back is awesome to watch; he can clearly create his own shot using just that.
Fisher isn't set on playing Shepard if the circumstances warrant it. Shepard sat almost the entire second half, so did Spencer, so did Chol. Fisher went with Pope, Shrigley and Allen much more than would have been normal.
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Post by AccessBowlTime on Jan 25, 2015 9:14:32 GMT -8
If you don't have anything to contribute then STFU. The same could be said of you. |
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Post by Luchador El Guerrero Azteca on Jan 25, 2015 9:21:00 GMT -8
You sound like a broken record. If you don't have anything to contribute then STFU. Classic Irony |
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Post by zed on Jan 25, 2015 9:21:56 GMT -8
It's time for Fisher to let the dog out. Fish is weaning Malik off the puppy chow and is slowly giving him the big dog food.  |
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Post by uncledougy on Jan 25, 2015 9:28:49 GMT -8
Pope's defense can only improve with playtime. You can practice defense all you like, but it's hard to get better unless it's real game speed.
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Post by standiego on Jan 25, 2015 9:45:55 GMT -8
the team is going to need both Shepard and Pope . As we have learned from Polee it is not if you start or not it is getting the actual PT and then being there at crunch time . Would be important to have a coach by Pope to talk with him about the game as he is on the bench ,then let him go in and see if he can put those instructions into action . Pope can play a variety of positions so move him or other players as needed . Also do not be surprised if he is not totally consistent.
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Post by aztecanthony on Jan 25, 2015 10:16:53 GMT -8
Great to see the Pope unleashed. Great shooting by shrigley finally. Best offensive game of the year by JJ. Unfortunately we had the same starters in both halves which resulted in Shepard getting burned by Bejarano, and JJ getting abused by Avilla. It has been said before that JJ can not hold up against athletic upper tier talent but again I blame Fish here. A quicker longer defender could stay in front of Avilla, close enough to disrupt his release. We are talking one on one down at the post, Think Pope could have done no worse than 29 Pts given up or CHEATHAM might have swatted a couple of those post shots into the white out giving them a little to think about. love that Pope has been unleashed and less time given to spencer and shep until they get it together. Way too much confidence in JJ resulting in too many minutes for him.
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Post by therealoracle on Jan 25, 2015 10:21:13 GMT -8
The Real Oracle needs a Pope jersey.
The Real Oracle Out
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Post by pdraztec on Jan 25, 2015 10:58:11 GMT -8
Speaking of Defense........Chol and Sky were absent in this game in every facet.
Add the complete inept performance of Winston and Allen I'm surprised we only
lost by 6.
Chol....4 minutes and 4 fouls.....really?
1 point from Sky and Chol, combined....really?
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Post by William L. Rupp on Jan 25, 2015 11:12:23 GMT -8
The subject of whether Malik Pope should be given more playing time, or perhaps should start, is a good one and deserves a thread. What AztecMesa does not deserve is all the snarky pot shots taken at other posters. You know the rules, right? Be bold, be decisive, be informed, be creative, but do not get bogged down in attacking one another. At the very least, criticism of other posters should be framed in exceedingly decorous terms.
WLR
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Post by longtimebooster on Jan 25, 2015 11:28:33 GMT -8
Pope is the best pure talent I've seen on the Mesa since Evan Burns. In fact, if I had to rank the top four Aztecs I've ever seen who had NBA stamped all over them it would be Cage, Burns, Kawhi and Pope. The later is just monstrously athletic and has an absolutely pure shot from anywhere on the court. Not sure who should or shouldn't play or whether WSIII is the guy or not. Doesn't really matter. Pope is the real deal. As such, he needs 30+ minutes a game. Period. Where this minutes come from doesn't really matter. That's for Fish to figure out. Just feed the beast.
And, BTW, Fish has known about Pope for a while obviously. Don't think last nite's performance was at all unexpected. I've heard Fish say on the radio at least a half dozen times that Pooe is the best shooter in the team, but he's still shaking the rust off and trying to find his rhythm in live games. I wasn't sure what Fish was talking about until last nite.
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Post by therealoracle on Jan 25, 2015 13:14:26 GMT -8
The subject of whether Malik Pope should be given more playing time, or perhaps should start, is a good one and deserves a thread. What AztecMesa does not deserve is all the snarky pot shots taken at other posters. You know the rules, right? Be bold, be decisive, be informed, be creative, but do not get bogged down in attacking one another. At the very least, criticism of other posters should be framed in exceedingly decorous terms. WLR "Oh don't do it! ... Oh my god..." (Turn the sound on in the upper left) vine.co/v/OID7uwW6mtjThe Real Oracle Out |
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Post by aztech on Jan 25, 2015 14:56:59 GMT -8
Great to see the Pope unleashed. Great shooting by shrigley finally. Best offensive game of the year by JJ. Unfortunately we had the same starters in both halves which resulted in Shepard getting burned by Bejarano, and JJ getting abused by Avilla. It has been said before that JJ can not hold up against athletic upper tier talent but again I blame Fish here. A quicker longer defender could stay in front of Avilla, close enough to disrupt his release. We are talking one on one down at the post, Think Pope could have done no worse than 29 Pts given up or CHEATHAM might have swatted a couple of those post shots into the white out giving them a little to think about. love that Pope has been unleashed and less time given to spencer and shep until they get it together. Way too much confidence in JJ resulting in too many minutes for him. I think Shepard and O'Brien should have switched positions. Shepard is much longer with enough bulk and would have been a better matchup against Avila, who's a slow player. O'Brien is more Bejarano's size. |
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Post by sdsustoner on Jan 25, 2015 17:36:15 GMT -8
Pope is the man on O. However, as great as he looked on that end, he looked as awful on D. Pope still can't play D. He's out of position a lot and is very unsure of himself on that end. To the point he is very passive attempting to rebound, if he even does. I lost count of how many times he let the ball go past or over Pope as he just stared at the ball.
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Post by leastcoast on Jan 25, 2015 17:45:27 GMT -8
pope's playing time (as well as everyone else's) is going to get resolved by the time we get to the conference tournament.
fisher is a pro and this board is full of fans. coach knows what he's doing.
that between the legs step back jumper pope hit was definitely nba quality.
I don't know if he sees his junior season. he looks like round 1 material.
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Post by RB Aztec on Jan 25, 2015 19:57:59 GMT -8
Pope is dangerous everywhere on the court. The guy is crazy athletic. The only area that he needs some work is dribbling into traffic. He has made several Freshman turnovers dribbling out of control, mostly in the lane. That can be fixed. I still can't believe how a guy of his size can dribble up the floor like a point guard.
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Post by Lloyd on Jan 25, 2015 20:07:39 GMT -8
Speaking of Defense........Chol and Sky were absent in this game in every facet. Add the complete inept performance of Winston and Allen I'm surprised we only lost by 6. Chol....4 minutes and 4 fouls.....really? 1 point from Sky and Chol, combined....really? Chol was in foul trouble very quickly, and we were losing badly. So we needed Pope's offense most of the game, (and he is fun to watch). When Pope and Shrigley are in the game at the same time, we may not have our strongest defensive team on the floor, but it sure is nice to get some points quick. Pope is going to be a very good rebounder - he just needs some more playing time. |
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Post by AzTex on Jan 25, 2015 22:19:39 GMT -8
Pope is dangerous everywhere on the court. The guy is crazy athletic. The only area that he needs some work is dribbling into traffic. He has made several Freshman turnovers dribbling out of control, mostly in the lane. That can be fixed. I still can't believe how a guy of his size can dribble up the floor like a point guard.The way I heard it was that Pope grew up playing the guard position before he had a growth spurt that turned a 6'4" or so player into the 6'10" that he is now. So he's a guard playing in a big man's body.i |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2015 22:27:46 GMT -8
The subject of whether Malik Pope should be given more playing time, or perhaps should start, is a good one and deserves a thread. What AztecMesa does not deserve is all the snarky pot shots taken at other posters. You know the rules, right? Be bold, be decisive, be informed, be creative, but do not get bogged down in attacking one another. At the very least, criticism of other posters should be framed in exceedingly decorous terms. WLR I agree, perhaps you can go observe Monty Zuma Mesa's posts, it seems he has a personal insult directed at someone every post he makes. |
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