Next year’s roster

And how did you know the game was over? THAT is the primary question.

Never assume. It makes...well, you know.

 

Portal TBD must be a helluva player. Already penciled in as a starter on the number 2 team.

 

Condon is still very raw. Kind of weird trajectory. I remember early last year thinking “that guy is a future lottery pick!”, but that was just simple knee jerk reaction to a freshmen big guy raining 2 or 3’s in a game - which he did early.

This year i actually recall being disappointed that his finishing didn’t improve. He was struggling a bit on the offensive side early on, missing lots of bunnies around the rim. Then he had that stretch where he appeared to have it all figured it out and onto “lottery pick” status. Then… the ankle injury… then a second ankle roll. Not sure if he was still feeling the ankle, but it seemed like something was in his head on offense down the stretch of the season. He just wasn’t comfortable on offense. It was weird seeing a big guy catch the ball in the paint then immediately sprint *away* from the basket, although for all i know that’s something the coaches wanted him to do to help get it back to a higher % look.

 

It is a bit funny, but given that Golden’s last four portal TBD guards ended up being Richard, Pullin, Clayton, and Martin, maybe not so crazy.

 

Since the validity and the methodology of my effect on Gator Sports is a matter of discussion, it's best to clarify The Rulez.

1. I only have a negative effect on Gator Sports during the time when I watch a live sports event via either broadcast network or streaming. There is some debate about if I watch a REPLAY of an event during the actual live game e.g. my son calls me to the the TV with an excited "Come in here and look at this play!" He and I have concluded that the risk is not negligible in this situation as both the act and the time spent could be held in abeyance and unleashed upon return to live action.
2. I cannot circumvent Rule 1 by watching a simulated version of the live event a la "Gamecast". The Godz see through this as "watching" via a different medium. My eyeball are on a thing happening in real time.
3. Checking the score constantly via X, etc., is permissible but only after the midpoint of the event. If I start out obsessively checking my X feed, it invokes Rule 2. (Also see Exception B below.)
4. Verifying the score at the approximate midpoint is allowed, but only via a after-the-fact source, i.e. ESPN, or CBS Sport website. Looking at the broadcast is allowed, but only during the halftime itself. The possibility of erroneously seeing the live event makes this a fraught tactic, and should be avoided.
5. During what is called the "downhill" portion of the event (4th quarter/late 2d half/7th inning or greater), the SCORE ONLY can be monitored via the ESPN app. (See Rule 2 above; no gamecast) Because it only shows the score, this does not constitute "watching" the events.

EXCEPTIONS:
A) I have no effect upon going to an actual event. Empirical data from 30 years of Gators playing in Knoxville might even say I have a positive effect on our football and baseball teams, and a negative effect on our basketball teams.
B) Watching the live event late in the downhill portion when the outcome is in no doubt is permitted but it does not mean I will not still have an effect on the event. (Ex: UF/UCLA 2006 NC basketball. My son calls me downstairs when we were up by 13 late in the game. "It's safe to watch now!", he said. I came downstairs. My foot hit the floor at the bottom of the stairs and my eyes went to the TV. Just then Aaron Afflalo hit his FIRST 3-Point Shot of the 2d half. My son turned and yelled "GO BACK UPSTAIRS!" but I had already turned and was already doing so. I came back once we were under 1 minute.

It is unknown at present by what means The Godz know my eyes are watching an event. We have had security people sweep our home, inspect our TVs for hidden cameras. We have no "Alexa-type" devices, though it's possible smartphones are involved somehow. Further, we don't yet know HOW the players are cued to start missing open shots/throwing interceptions, allowing gaping holes in the lines, etc. This demands further study.

 

I don't know if it is from being pushed around, but Condon seems to lose sight to where he is relative to the rim. I think that is totally correctable.

 

You can never know for sure (Lofton and Bonham, who weren’t bad, just not what we needed), but this has been my thinking all along. Golden now has a type: longer and/or more physical/athletic combos with high usage rates who can score at multiple levels on the floor (that is, not just perimeter jump shooters). Lee definitely fits that profile.

 

I’m shocked to see so many believe Klavzar is an automatic starter next year. He’s got a quick shot, solid handles (not great) and plays the right way but I see a talent gap compared with quite a few guards faced in the SEC. If Isiah Brown’s brother AJ transfers in from Ohio which seems likely, he’s way better than Klavzar and I wouldn’t make him a starter for the Gators either. It doesn’t mean Klavzar can’t be a meaningful contributor but I was clamoring for the guy to be benched and he ultimately didn’t see the court for a single second in the last 3 games of the tourney.

 

I don’t necessarily disagree. It’s also worth saying he had some things working against him. He came in late this summer and didn’t have the full offseason program. He was playing American ball for the first time. He got a late start on game play because of his initial eligibility delay. All of that on top of him basically being the 9th guy for a coach that prefers to play 8, and competing against a pretty experienced, established guard rotation.

When he did get on the floor and get consistent minutes as the fourth guard with Clayton or Martin sidelined, he was pretty darn good. Terrific shooter, good ball handler in tight spaces, sneaky passer and surprisingly pesky defender. In that 6 game stretch, he averaged 15 mpg and 6 ppg, shooting 10-17 from the arc. It’s just so much harder for an offensively minded guard to get into the flow in limited stints the way he had to in the postseason. I’m curious to see how he might fit in next year. I personally think he is still best as a kid who can be the first guard off the bench, playing on or off the ball offensively. He fits well alongside Aberdeen, as he would with either Lee or AJ Brown.

 

Interesting to say the least.

Um, are you a politician? And if you are, what IS the definition of "is"?