Should Patillo Be Starting?

[yukonmiller]

I'm just askin

[oumartin]

Don't mess with success!

[bri]

No, not yet. Part of what makes Juan so great is the energy he brings off the bench. You've gotta have that if you want to make a championship run.

[sooner2b09]

exactly, we need his energy off the bench. I also don't want to mess up the chemistry between Blake and Taylor

[gonefishin]

I agree we should keep the lineup as is. Patillo is making his mark, and is gaining the experience and confidence needed to have a breakout season next year. You can't underestimate the value of the jolt he provides coming off the bench.

[SOONER STEAKER]

We've won 23 games with him coming off the bench. Why mess with chemistry and sucess. I'd leave him there unless we have an injury or illness.

[RonMexico7]

We've won 23 games with him coming off the bench. Why mess with chemistry and sucess. I'd leave him there unless we have an injury or illness.

not to nitpick, but i think we're 8-0 with the chupacabra coming off the bench.

[oumartin]

so, would patillo have another semester of eligibility after next year?

since he sat out a semester

[yukonmiller]

The only reason I ask is because he deserves it. I agree though, as long as he gets plenty of minutes this year he will have plenty of starts next year.

[Hella Sideburns]

bring off the bench for a jolt, but when he's in there, make sure he gets ample time with the first team

[OU_Sooners75]

so, would patillo have another semester of eligibility after next year?

since he sat out a semester

Possibly.

Why not sit him for the first semester next year and he would have another year. :D

[soonerfan28]

Pattillo is a nice energy boost off of the bench. He's the best 6th man in college basketball.

[yukonmiller]

Sittler addresses this issue

http://mobile.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx?articleID=20090208_202_B1_NORMAN13510 8

[cheezyq]

There are certain elements that make a team successful, and the right mix leads to great chemistry.

Remember a few years back when the US "Dream Team" struggled to a 3rd place finish? Sure, they had all the athletes and all the talent in the world. They had slashers and guys who could dunk the hell out of the ball. But they had no outside presence. Guys like Kobe could shoot the occasional 3-pointer, but his game isn't to spot up and hit the 3 consistently. They needed someone who could come off screens and be a deep threat to ease up the pressure in the paint.

OU has a great inside presence with the Griffin brothers. While we have some good outside shooters, the one thing we can't say is that they are "consistent" from 3-point range. And that's where I think it's fantastic that we can bring Pattillo off the bench. With AJ, Crocker, and Warren on the floor first, Capel can get a sense of who is/are going to be the hot shooter(s) to keep the defense honest. Then he can bring in Pattillo to replace the right guy who's cold on that particular night.

In truth, though, the lineup that seems to be the MOST effective so far is:

C: Blake Griffin
F: Taylor Griffin
F: Juan Pattillo
G: Willie Warren
G: Austin Johnson

When that lineup is in the game, we seem to just dominate. AJ and Willie are good shooters and good passers. And 4 of those guys are NBA-type athletes (Taylor is an NBA athlete, though his game is not NBA-caliber).

The one BIG problem, though, is that we aren't getting enough from Wright or Allen to really keep Juan AND Taylor AND Blake in at the same time. Tony and Cade and even Leary provide nice options at the guards/small forward positions, so that's why I think that Pattillo comes off the bench right now. Juan's our best player down low not named Griffin, and right now he's needed more as a big man than he is needed as a guard.

I think chemistry is part of it, but mostly I think he comes off the bench out of necessity, not preference.

[Overtime]

The one BIG problem, though, is that we aren't getting enough from Wright or Allen to really keep Juan AND Taylor AND Blake in at the same time. Tony and Cade and even Leary provide nice options at the guards/small forward positions, so that's why I think that Pattillo comes off the bench right now. Juan's our best player down low not named Griffin, and right now he's needed more as a big man than he is needed as a guard.

I think chemistry is part of it, but mostly I think he comes off the bench out of necessity, not preference.

I'm not quite sure I follow that logic. I like the idea of going with a two-guard set and Blake at Center. That keeps the Griffins on the court together and doesn't slight Taylor by replacing him with Patillo. The lineup you suggested may very well be the right answer for starting big games down the stretch. Let Crocker try being the energy off the bench. Although, we can't do that after he has a game like last Saturday.

As of now we are deeper with big men than we are with guards. Allen and Wright may not have shown us all that we've hoped they would so far, but thy have potential, and they aren't suspended, unlike Ray Willis. So why not put our big men out there more and conserve our guards for a change? Make Allen Blake's backup and Wright fill in for Taylor or Juan. If someone gets hurt we can go back to 3 guards.

In the end though I think I agree with you that we should keep Patillo coming off the bench, just not for the same reasons. I'd go more with the "team chemistry" opinion - none of our starters have played badly enough to lose their spot, Taylor is a senior and Blake's brother, Willie should be a superstar, Crocker can get hot at times, and AJ is our senior point guard. Now, if one of them would *volunteer* to come off the bench, that would be worth trying.

[cheezyq]

As of now we are deeper with big men than we are with guards. Allen and Wright may not have shown us all that we've hoped they would so far, but thy have potential, and they aren't suspended, unlike Ray Willis. So why not put our big men out there more and conserve our guards for a change? Make Allen Blake's backup and Wright fill in for Taylor or Juan. If someone gets hurt we can go back to 3 guards.

From a "body count" standpoint, we might be deeper with big men. But from a production standpoint, we're deeper at guard. Davis and Crocker far outproduce Allen and Wright. So, if we start the Griffins and Pattillo from the beginning, when guys get tired or it's time to sub, we pretty much HAVE to sub in Wright and Allen more often, which means less production and greater potential for a scoring drought.

Here's another issue: the majority of the teams we've faced so far have been smaller teams, which precludes us from using a "larger" lineup most of the time anyway. I think when we start facing teams like KU, Texas (again) and Texas A&M (again), the larger lineup will work more to our advantage. That was the case against Texas A&M, and I think we'll start using that more often in the right situation.

I can also see the larger lineup becoming our lineup in the NCAA tourney. Having Juan out there with the Griffins and Warren gives us our most athletic lineup possible. Put AJ in there, and this is what we get:

- 3 superbly athletic guys who can block shots and rebound, providing a dominating inside game.
- 1 versatile guy who can cover almost any spot on the floor.
- 4 premier athletes who can get down the floor in a hurry on the fast break, and get back in a hurry in transition.
- 4 guys who are adept at handling the ball against a press.
- 2 guys who can direct an offense and also hit an open 3-pointer.
- 1 guy who can break down the defense off the dribble.
- 4 guys who can hit free throws consistently.

I'd love to see Crocker and Davis come off the bench with Pattillo starting, but I'm just worried that guys like Wright and Allen aren't stepping up to be what we need them to be.

[soonerfan28]

I like this lineup. Only because it's bigger.

C-Blake Griffin 6'10
F-Taylor Griffin 6'7
F-Juan Pattillo 6'7
G-Tony Crocker 6'6
G-Willie Warren 6'4

I think if we start Pattillo though, who do we sit? The way that Crocker and AJ have played should keep them in the lineup and I see no way that you can sit Warren.

[badger]

You should have made this thread a poll, no?

For the record, if one of our starters goes down, I think Juan is the next guy in. He's earned it.

For the time being, however, I don't think any of our current starters have earned the bench.

[cheezyq]

I like this lineup. Only because it's bigger.

C-Blake Griffin 6'10
F-Taylor Griffin 6'7
F-Juan Pattillo 6'7
G-Tony Crocker 6'6
G-Willie Warren 6'4

I think if we start Pattillo though, who do we sit? The way that Crocker and AJ have played should keep them in the lineup and I see no way that you can sit Warren.

I vote AJ, just because he's a better ball handler and passer than Tony. Both have good outside range. AJ just offers more offensively. Defensively, AJ and Crocker would be our best guard combo. Athletically, it's Crocker and Warren.

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

You also have to realize that his body does not have the wear and tear that the others have, that should help us come tournament time

[MojoRisen]

I think he needs more minutes, sometimes this team plays sloppy with a lead and let's up bigtime. After watchng the TA&M game - I was really pissed at both griffens for getting out rebounded and out hustled. Patillo was the energy boost and ATH we needed in there. Why we were getting out rebounded and out hustled who knows - but it is a trend that I would like to see stopped and I believe the team realizes it as well. Have to learn to go for the kill better. We are not always going to be able to turn on a switch so we should not practice and play like we can.

Play him more, but bring him off the bench is fine...