January 1, 2022
TO ONE AND ALL
Here’s wishing you and yours a happy, healthy, prosperous 2022 Happy New Year!!!!!!
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LEGEND PASSES
Our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of Ronnie Devall, who recently passed away. I got to know Coach Devall in his capacity as principal at Central High School. He was a very special person. The world would be a much better place if more people were like Ronnie Devall.
TODAY’S COLUMN:
Scott offers his New Year’s Resolutions
Please scroll down below.
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
My Christmas wish for the Saints crashed and burned mightily. Some would say to give it a rest, but I say, ¨The odds are now in my favor.¨ Let's try some New Year's resolutions this week.
I want the Pelicans to resolve to stay away from players with high ceilings, but are very young or have not developed physically. The Pelicans will, once again, be drafting near the top of the draft. They are stuck with Ingram and Zion for now, so I want to focus on the rest of the roster. I know the most talented players in the draft are always the youngest. The Pels need players who are physically and mentally ready for the NBA.
Players like Herb Jones and Josh Hart who developed while in college are undervalued in the NBA draft. But they are all over the rosters of successful teams. For Golden State, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Gary Payton II, Jordan Poole, and Otto Porter Jr. all played multiple years of college basketball. The Milwaukee Bucks have guys like Kris Middleton, Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, Donte DiVincenzo, Grayson Allen, George Hill, and Rodey Hood who all played 3 or more years of college basketball. Just a note for Baton Rouge basketball fans, Javonte Smart has seen some action recently for the Bucks.
In the case of LSU basketball, I would like them to resolve to play inside out offensively from the start of every game. Throw it into the post for Days and Reid to get some touches and perhaps draw a foul or two. LSU needs a post touch or Pinson needs to get in the paint before shooting the three. Eric Gaines is usually in the game before the 15 minute mark and he needs to understand that coming off the bench cold and shooting a three is not the recipe for this team.
The slow starts offensively for this team can be overcome by attacking the goal, forcing the opponent into rotation, and offensive rebounding. All of those things will lead to more free throws early in the game, and increase the opportunity to press which really gets this team rolling.
LSU football fans, me included, must resolve to stay patient. We want the quick fix, but we know the quick fix does not last. I know it is extremely difficult to watch Texas A&M, Alabama, and Georgia dominate the recruiting rankings. Just remind yourself that these rankings are terrible. Yes, you want to be near the top. But, they do not tell us how well that player fits in a system, how that player will develop, or if that player will stay at LSU if they do not play right away.
The good news is that the transfer portal does allow for quicker roster development. Signing players from the transfer portal who have competed in college is similar to what I was talking about with the NBA and older, more experienced players being more productive. Predicting the development of a 17 year old who is able to win a matchup simply by being a stronger or faster athlete than his opponent is significantly more difficult than a 20 year old who has played against college athletes.
The last resolution is for the Saints to prioritize speed on offense at the skill positions. The best offenses in the NFL either have an elite quarterback, speed at every skill position, or both. The Saints do not have an elite quarterback. We know because we have seen them all.
Michael Thomas will hopefully return next year. Alvin Kamara will be back. Neither player has the type of speed needed to make big plays and the Saints cannot compete with the top teams consistently driving 3-6 yards at a time for a touchdown all game over 17 games. Kamara and Thomas move the chains. The Saints need players who will blow the top off of a defense.
Deonte Harris and Taysom Hill are the only two players on offense who have that type of speed. The Saints need two more receivers and 1-2 at tight ends who the defense knows can run by them on any play. The Miami game was tough to watch. So was the Tampa game. Heck, the Saints have not scored a TD in two games.
As bad as the Saints have been due to missing players, the difference in the game against Miami was one player. Jalyn Waddle was the only player on either team who could win every matchup with speed where the Dolphins did not have to have all 11 players execute on an elite level to gain 10-15 yards at a time. Tua is not better than Taysom Hill. If he was, the final score would have been 35-3.
The Saints have made life too hard on themselves on offense. Get some speed to burn on the outside and the game will be a lot easier on the offensive line, quarterbacks, and play callers.
Happy New Year.
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