2014/2015 Wish List

[Gunk]

For the 2014/2015 what are you hoping to see improve? Here's what I'm hoping for.

I kept it to improvement with current players/coaches as it's hard to critique people that haven't stepped on the court yet.

Rose: He did a good job this season juggling the lineup. Certainly better than last; however, in some ways this is a weakness we've had the last two seasons: no clear lineup. I'll give him credit for recognizing struggling players and pulling them accordingly as opposed to sticking with them too long. But going through 3 - 4 retools of the lineup makes it hard to create synergy.

Defense has got to improve. I hope Rose spends the off season pushing defense. And come fall practice the team spend 70% of their time working it. Defense and stops creates turnovers and transition baskets. Our guys know how to score in the open court. No need to go over that.

Front court scheming has got to improve. This has been one of my biggest beefs with Rose. Don't get me wrong, I like him and think he's a great coach, but when it comes to drawing up front-court plays it's his Achilles heel. We likely won't have a big powerful 5 that can clear the floor. Doesn't mean, though we can't run some baseline cuts, back doors or give-and-go's, especially when doubles come.

Haws: See the other thread on him. I'm sure he knows what he needs to do. I have no doubt he'll come back a better player. Needs to improve in defense, ball handling, and passing.

Carlino: I can't recall a more polarizing player. Shooting and decision making are the biggest areas of improvement for him. Some more scoring weapons on the court would do MC wonders, particularly a legit low-post threat. That would ease the pressure on the perimeter and perhaps get some inside out going. Some serious work at the line would help and likely give him 4+ points more a game.

Collinsworth: Get that knee better...oh...and work on those free throws. His outside shooting actually got a lot better during the season. If he can keep that up and increase his FT% to above 70% he''ll be looking at 15+ points a game easy.

Austin: His rebounding was down-right clutch in games this season. Good hustle. But he has to be a scoring threat. I don't care where those points come from, but he needs to score. I miss that 12 - 18 footer he had the last two seasons. A baseline turn-around jumper like Hartsock had would do him wonders and no one would be able to defend it (hard to block a 6' 11" guy on a turn-around).

Winder: Shooting needs to get more consistent. He improved drastically on his free throw shooting and decision making when taking it to the lane. Next year if he wants PT he's going to need to be a much more consistent shooter and lock-down defender.

Worthington: Coordination...is that something you can get better at? He needs some post moves. His defense wasn't horrendous. Overall, he needs to improve.

Bartley: Shooting, including free-throws, and decision making. See his thread.

Sharp: Not sure he'll be around next season. We need size and points from the 4, neither of which he provides. Good hustle, so he may be a serviceable backup, in which case his defense needs to improve so he isn't a liability when on the court.

Halford: Not sure he'll be around either next season. His shooting was inconsistent. He got pushed around on defense and he had a propensity to play out of control. He'll need to bulk up and work on that shot if he hopes to see the floor. He's supposed to be a 3-point specialist, in which case he needs to be shooting well above 40%.