A Dime Back HQ has been slammed this week. We’ve got some fun stuff for you in the near future, so stay tuned. Despite our busy schedules, we wouldn’t dare leave you without a mailbag. We’re not animals.
Remember: If your question wasn’t answered, or you’re just hearing about this and want to get in on the fun, you can submit your questions here or on Twitter.
Mike asks: Is this team, with several NBA draft picks but no central leadership, more like 2012 than we want to admit?
There are some slight similarities: high expectations despite a lot of new faces, leadership questions, high-profile talent being infused into an existing rotation. But there are enough differences that I don’t think the comparison holds. For one, the 2012 team featured a bunch of guys who had just won a national championship. There was nowhere to go but down. That’s obviously not the case this season coming off a first round NIT loss. On the leadership side, there’s a big difference between wondering which veteran guard (Gibbs, Purvis) will step up than there was in 2012 when a very young Shabazz Napier took claim of a leadership role that he hadn’t really earned at the time.
Lastly, the positional conflict between Alex Oriakhi and freshman Andre Drummond really damaged that team and there doesn’t appear to be a comparable situation on this roster. Jalen Adams has a bit of a redundant skill set to Gibbs and Purvis, but the roster is such that all three can easily coexist. Overall, chemistry is a big question mark for this year’s team, but I find it hard to believe that they’ll struggle to figure it out as they did in 2012.
Trevor asks: Do you think there’s a chance that Jalen Adams could potentially start by mid season if Purvis struggles shooting the ball? I believe he’d be a better offensive option than him.
Jack asks: UConn best 5 ever compared to Duke’s, Kentucky’s Louisville and Syracuse. One journalist can take a team each.
You only get one journalist for your question, but fortunately for you, I’ve spent a lot of time on this.
For starter’s my UConn all-time starting five is:
C Emeka Okafor
F Donyell Marshall
F Richard Hamilton
G Ray Allen
G Kemba Walker
Five first-team All-Americans, all of whom have had at least moderate NBA success, with Allen being a no-doubt HOFer when he finally officially retires.
For Syracuse
C Rony Seikaly
F Derrick Coleman
F Carmelo Anthony
G Dave Bing
G Pearl Washington
Louisville
C “Never Nervous” Pervis Ellison
F Wes Unseld
F Rodney McCray
G Dr. Dunkenstein (Darrell Griffith)
G LaBradford Smith
Duke
C Christian Laettner
F Elton Brand
F Grant Hill
G JJ Redick
G Jay Williams
Kentucky
C Anthony Davis
F Dan Issel
F Jamal Mashburn
G Cliff Hagan
G Lou Dampier
UConn matches up pretty well with all of these schools, in my opinion. Kentucky is a little weaker than you’d think, but for all the talent they’ve been bringing in recently, very few guys have stuck around long enough to really become stars in college. Davis was obviously so good that it didn’t matter. Duke’s guys were notorious for flopping in the NBA, but Hill was a superstar (until the basketball gods cursed him for signing in Orlando), Brand was terrific, and Laettner was a douche but underrated. Redick has turned himself into an adequate NBA player, and Williams might have been a star if he hadn’t gotten in a motorcycle accident after his rookie year.
