It appears that majority of this board would prefer if Fran switched to a tighter player rotation. I don't get this. Where is the proof that the rotating ten or eleven players last year actually hurt this team? It's true that this team collapsed last season, but blaming it on rotating too many players seems odd to me. We were rotating ten players during the first half of the season when we were playing great basketball. In fact, the rotation actually tightened near the end of the season as Jok and Clemmons started to get less minutes. I just don't see any evidence that the player rotation had anything to do with our collapse.
On the other hand, there seem to be numerous benefits to rotating a large number of players. First, limiting minutes keeps everyone fresh so that they can play harder when they are in and hopefully avoid hitting a wall. Obviously, this team hit a wall last February but I'm not sure that more minutes for a smaller rotation of players during the first three months is the best solution to that problem. Second, it helps develop young talent for future teams. For example, Peter Jok is probably going to come into next season with much more confidence after having a great game in the NCAA tournament. Fran temporally cut him from the rotation after he struggled in games, but he recognized that he was doing well in practice, and brought him back into the rotation. That paid off well in the tourney game and those minutes were important to this year's team as Jok will be called upon to play a major role. If Fran had trimmed the rotation to 8 by mid-season, Jok never would have played again last year.
Third, the players likely work harder and go after it more in practice if they know they are going to be playing in games. It also helps avoid transfers. Clemmons came back, in part, because he knew that if he improved Fran would give him a chance to play meaningful minutes. Thus, the rotation minimizes transfers which was a big problem under the last two coaches.
It is fair to criticize Fran for playing a player too many minutes. For example, perhaps McCabe deserved less minutes last year. It is also fair to criticize him for playing certain players together or how he manages his rotations. However, it seems arbitrary to criticize him solely for stating that he intends to rotate 10 or 11 players. If Uhl looks lost during Big Ten season and Fran insists on continuing to play him for large stretches during every game, that would be a very legitimate criticism. But, as last season proved, that is a very unlikely outcome.
In sum, let's just see how this plays out. If we end up having 11 players that play fantastic basketball, then great. If not, I'm sure the rotation will be trimmed as Fran sees fit. Just because most teams don't play that many players doesn't mean we are doing it wrong.
On the other hand, there seem to be numerous benefits to rotating a large number of players. First, limiting minutes keeps everyone fresh so that they can play harder when they are in and hopefully avoid hitting a wall. Obviously, this team hit a wall last February but I'm not sure that more minutes for a smaller rotation of players during the first three months is the best solution to that problem. Second, it helps develop young talent for future teams. For example, Peter Jok is probably going to come into next season with much more confidence after having a great game in the NCAA tournament. Fran temporally cut him from the rotation after he struggled in games, but he recognized that he was doing well in practice, and brought him back into the rotation. That paid off well in the tourney game and those minutes were important to this year's team as Jok will be called upon to play a major role. If Fran had trimmed the rotation to 8 by mid-season, Jok never would have played again last year.
Third, the players likely work harder and go after it more in practice if they know they are going to be playing in games. It also helps avoid transfers. Clemmons came back, in part, because he knew that if he improved Fran would give him a chance to play meaningful minutes. Thus, the rotation minimizes transfers which was a big problem under the last two coaches.
It is fair to criticize Fran for playing a player too many minutes. For example, perhaps McCabe deserved less minutes last year. It is also fair to criticize him for playing certain players together or how he manages his rotations. However, it seems arbitrary to criticize him solely for stating that he intends to rotate 10 or 11 players. If Uhl looks lost during Big Ten season and Fran insists on continuing to play him for large stretches during every game, that would be a very legitimate criticism. But, as last season proved, that is a very unlikely outcome.
In sum, let's just see how this plays out. If we end up having 11 players that play fantastic basketball, then great. If not, I'm sure the rotation will be trimmed as Fran sees fit. Just because most teams don't play that many players doesn't mean we are doing it wrong.
