Syracuse Basketball: Is This the Year?

The Syracuse Orange are poised to cement their place among the basketball elite. Can Brandon Triche lead them three?

Is this the year?

Now that college basketball season is officially underway, that’s the question on the minds of hoops fans everywhere.  Is this the year we win a title.  Can we at last make a Final Four run?  If this team finally going to make the NCAA tournament?  Can we break .500 this year?  No matter that team you pull for, you have hopes and goals and expectations.  Some are more ambitious than others, but the core question is always the same.  Is this the year?

We Syracuse fans have been blessed in that the goals and expectations are high, and rightfully so.  Under Jim Boeheim, Orange(man) basketball has been nothing short of solid and has at times bordered on spectacular.  While one title in three title game appearances and three Final Fours might pale in comparison to the UCLAs and Kentuckys, it’s still more than most programs achieve in their whole history.  Boehiem has crammed all of that into 36 years on the Syracuse bench, turning the program from an also-ran into a perennial conference and national contender.

Yet for all that’s been accomplished under Boeheim’s watch there are still many, even Orange fans, who shy away from labeling Syracuse as an “elite” program.  Many don’t think that the fifth all-time winningest program deserves to be put in same category as UCLA, Kentucky, Duke, Kansas or UNC.  And maybe they’re right.  Maybe Syracuse has work to do.  So, the question remains.  Is this the year?

NBA Summer League: The Summer of Orange Recap

Former Syracuse standout Dion Waiters was solid in his first few professional outings. (FearTheSword.com)

The Las Vegas session of the NBA summer league has wrapped, so it’s time to check up on the former Orange players in attendance.

Player- Dion Waiters

Final Stats-  3 G, 12.5 PPG, 30% FG, 17% 3FG, 3 RPG, 3 APG, 1 SPG, 2.3 TOPG

Verdict-  Dion’s performance in the summer league can best be described as solid.  He didn’t wow like some of the other prospects in Vegas did, but he didn’t stink up the joint either.  Granted, his shooting percentages and AST/TO ratio were horrible but the numbers also point to him being in attack mode, which every Syracuse fan knows is where Dion is at his best.  15 FT attempts over three games versus just six 3PT attempt (four in the first game) is a good thing.  Anyone who followed Waiters’ career at Syracuse would be shocked to see Dion hold himself to one 3PT attempt in 30 minutes of game action.  And he finished strong, dropping 16 points on the Suns along with four boards and two steals.   Moving forward, I fully expect Dion to improve his shooting percentage as he learns to convert more of his forays into the lane into either buckets or fouls drawn.  Having reining ROY Kyrie Irving along side will certainly help.  And let’s not forget, the Cavs didn’t play in Orlando, so Dion only has three games under his belt so far.  With more time to acclimate himself to the NBA game, I think he’ll be just fine.

Grade-  B.  He didn’t blow us away but he held his own.

NBA Summer League: Orange Vegas Bound

 

Fourth overall pick Dion Waiters has been aggressive in the absence of reigning Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving.

The Orlando session of the NBA summer league might be over but there’s still plenty of ball being played, this time in Vegas.  There’s more teams and more former Orange players putting in work in the desert.  Let’s take a look at how they’ve fared.

Dion Waiters–  The Cavaliers didn’t play in Orlando, so this is the first NBA-esque action Dion has seen, and he’s held his own.  Through two games, he’s averaging 10.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.5 APG and 2.5 TO in just over 30 minutes of action.  Dion has been nothing if not consistent, dropping 10 points and 4 dimes  in his debut, with 11 points and 3 assists in the second.  He’s only shooting 28% from the field, though, so that, along with his AST/TO numbers, must improve.

Dion might not be playing his most efficient ball out of the gate, but he hasn’t let it affect his aggressiveness.   He’s been in attack mode so far, shooting eight FTs as opposed to only five 3pt attempts so far.  It’s good to see him not settling for jumpers.  Once he gets used to the size and physicality of NBA defenses, you can expect to see his shooting numbers rise so long as he maintains an aggressive mindset.  It’s also worth noting that reigning Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving is out with a broken hand.  Irving’s presence in the summer league would have opened things up more for Dion.  Still, it’s a chance for Cav’s brass to see what they really have in Waiters, without the already spectacular Irving there to skew things.

NBA Summer League: Orange in Orlando Recap

Fab’s jump shot was one of the less impressive aspects of his play in Orlando.

The Orlando session of the NBA summer league wrapped up on Friday, with two of Syracuse three draftees getting their first week of pseudo-NBA action under their belts.  Both Fab Melo and Kris Joseph got a good amount of run, the former showing he has work to do and the latter surprising many with his assertiveness and production.

It’s well know that the stakes for each are very different.  Fab is just there for a crash course in NBA big man.  KJ is fighting for his job.  I don’t think this factors any into the difference in their play, but it’s worth noting.  The summer leagues are little more than glorified pickup games and, as such, lend themselves more to perimeter play than defensively oriented big men.  So, how did the Orange fare in Orlando?

Fab Melo–  Fab didn’t move the needle much in either direction with his initial summer league outings.  He averaged 1.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG and 1.0 BPG in 15 MPG of action.  He showed some of the same flashes on the offensive end that he displayed during his last season at Syracuse; a not-terrible jump shot from 15 feet, the ability to make a move to the basket from the same range.  Still, he scored a grand total of four points in his first four game before scoring five in his final game.

On the brighter side, Fab’s defense didn’t disappoint.  His 4.8 RPG was only slightly under his 2011-12 season average in almost 10 fewer minutes.  It’s still a woeful average for a big man, but shows he’s on the right track.  And, otherwise, the Big Bastard looked sharp.  He was agile enough to get into the right spots on defense and wasn’t afraid to challenge shots, even if he knew he was going to get dunked on.  Kendrick Perkins put it best.  Fab is getting paid to protect the rim.  That means getting dunked on, a lot.

The summer league isn’t the ideal place for Fab to really improve his game.  I think that once he’s in camp and can start learning from Kevin Garnett, Fab’s potential will be truly unleashed.  He’ll either get it or he won’t, and we fans will find out fairly quickly.

NBA Summer League: Orange in Orlando

Former NCAA Tournament foes Kris Joseph and Jared Sullinger are now teamed up in Beantown. (ESPN)

The Orlando Summer League began play on Monday and newly minted Boston Celtics Fab Melo and Kris Joseph are in attendence.  The summer league is a far cry from true NBA action, but it’s a chance for the rookies to test their mettle against top young talent.

For each of the former Orange, the stakes couldn’t be more different.  By virtue of being a first round selection, Fab’s roster spot is safe.  He’s got that guaranteed contract, so his summer league experience is all about adjusting to the speed and physicality of the professional game.  For The Big Bastard, the summer session is a springboard for the big time.

Kris Joseph’s summer league experiece is much more meaningful.  He’s fighting for a job.  It would be easy to say that KJ is a long shot to make the squad, given that he fell into the last ten selections in the draft.  The Celtics, though, entered the summer with only six players under contract, with veteran Paul Pierce the only small forward among them.  It’s the perfect opportunity for KJ to prove himself a viable NBA player and work his way onto the roster.

NBA Draft: The Orange are Going (and Getting) Green.

Former Syracuse guards Dion Waiters heard his name called earlier than expected last night. He doesn’t seem too upset about it.

In a draft that was as uneventful as any in recent memory, the only real surprise of the night was colored orange.

Anthony Davis went first overall as expected and although not many expected Davis’ UK teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to go at #2, it wasn’t a total shock.  Even the players who suffered through hear-wrenching draft stock drops, Jared Sullinger and Perry Jones III weren’t without explanation (both were injury concerns).  But I don’t think anyone at all expected Dion Waiters to be selected 4th overall.  He’s headed to Cleveland to team up with reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving while a pair of former Orange are hooking up again in the League.

Player: Dion Waiters

Pick/Team:  4/Cleveland Cavaliers

Analysis:  I think everyone, except for maybe Dion and the Cavs, was shocked that Waiters was taken so early.  We all know he has talent and potential in equal measure.  We all know that he made an uncanny rise from late-first round prospect to possible lottery pick.  Yet most had him topping out at 8th overall.  So, how did he end up being the pick at four?

For one, the Cavs couldn’t trade up to get the two-guard they wanted.  It was all over the draft that they were looking to either trade up to the second spot or work out deal where the Charlotte Bobcats would pick Bradley Beal and trade him to Cleveland.  That didn’t work out and when Beal went 3rd to Washington, the Cavs were left with Plan B.  So that rules out Cleveland being the team that supposedly promised Dion he would be a lottery pick.  It’s that same promise that likely made him Dan Gilbert’s backup plan, even if he’s not the one that issued it.  Whether or not that rumor was true, the fact that it was widely believed had to make GMs think hard about Dion.  In the end, it was enough to convince the Cavs brass that Dion was a better prospect than guys like Austin Rivers, Terrence Ross and Jeremy Lamb, all of whom were rated higher as SG prospects for most of the time leading up to the draft.  I still think 4th overall is a bit of a reach.  But knowing that he was Plan B is bound to give Dion a small-ish chip on his shoulder, and he plays his best when proving doubters wrong.

As for the fit in Cleveland, the Cavs needed scoring and they’re getting it in Waiters.  When Boobie Gibson is getting significant burn at SG, it’s plain to see where the holes in the roster are.  Going to Cleveland means that Dion will also likely be in a position to start right away.  If he pans out, Dion and Kyrie Irving could form one of the most dynamic backcourts in the NBA for the next decade or so.  Plus, playing with a top PG like Irving means Dion can focus on scoring, which I think will help his transition.  At the same time, Irving can score himself, so Dion won’t be under as much pressure to put up a ton of points right.  It also helps that the Cavs aren’t expected to win right away.

Grade:  B+

Orange in the Draft: The Kris Joseph Conundrum

Kris Joseph has NBA talent, but is the drive there?

Kris Joseph was supposed to attend a pre-draft combine co-sponsored by the New Jersey Nets and Houston Rockets this weekend.  It is an event for fringe prospects to showcase their talents in front of NBA scouts.  It was just what KJ needed to improve his draft stock.

He’s not going.

Opinions of The Quebecios Kid’s draft prospects vary widely among fans and pundits, but the word among NBA scouts is largely consistent.  KJ has the talent to work his way into the NBA.  His physical tools, while needing improvement, are enough to get him in the door.  The concerns are focused on his drive, his passion for the game.  KJ is seen as a guy who plays without fire, despite his explosive athletic ability and skill.  His decision to withdraw from an event that could greatly improve his standing in the eyes of those who would determine his NBA future only reinforces this opinion.