(07-10-2021 04:17 AM)pono Wrote:  

(07-09-2021 11:57 PM)UTfanBGalum Wrote:  Gotta figure TK will be trying to free up a roster spot and stay away from the possibility of a 4th injury.

first of all, terrible news for AJ and the team. He knows a lot about overcoming and is getting a lot of schooling done, so it's not a hopeless thing. All the best with his recovery. He came back fast from an ACL before, but they held him out for caution, which hasn't trumped bad luck.

not likely to replace him with a new player. all of our scholarships are accounted for. Teams often push out a guy or two at the end of the bench after the season. But doing that in July is unfair and would be surprising for a staff known for being thoughtful and ethical. You don't get an extra scholarship when a guy gets hurt.

anyways, we played small and fast last year and this year's team has a great small ball lineup with some good new players, mostly in the 6-4 to 6-7 range. they should win a lot of games. perhaps, AJ comes back during the MAC season and gives us a boost down the stretch. Either way it is Rian Rollins team and now that the unfortunate issue of AJ Edu's health has been resolved we can get back to the likelihood that the team will go as far as rian rollins improves. guys usually make their biggest improvement between freshman and sophmore year. and rollins was really good as a freshman. Dennis is a great counterpart because he can flex between being a pass first ballhandler, which he mostly was at boise to a scorer which he showed he could be on occasion too. playing for the rockets gives him the flexibility to play with a versatile combo guard in rollins and they can adjust their styles to complement each other.

if the rockets go small, and there is no serious other option unless the Romanian shows up as the 4th best player on the team, they will outscore most people. we lose the ability to guard the post. not a small problem, although not everyone you play has true big guys who are good enough to make you pay for going small. this probably means moss has a bigger role, as his strength, leaping ability, and physical style allow him to chip in as big. it means milner will continue to play more as a 4 man and both jacobi and the icelander will get a chance to play if they can guard forwards.

'IF' ... Edu is tagged as medically unable to play ... and/or ...'IF' the Rockets have an extra scholarship (which this year is possible via NCAA rule) then the one area, nationally, that has not been picked over as much as the portal is the juco route. I would think there might be either a project of interest, or a burly undersized post out there capable of giving minutes.

On another note, don't know why Komagnum (?) left ... if it was his decision or TK's ... but an off-season of development along with his experience in the system would have made this situation more bearable.

Hind site I know, but still ... sometimes the focus is so much on getting 5-6 studs and their improvement, that little attention is paid to the 10-15 minute guy, his development and his importance, especially in the post. In the end, those guys are the hardest to find, and the hardest to replace.