The Breakdown: Hawkeyes’ Comeback Falls Short at Minnesota

Fryowa said:
He’s not a stretch 4, and no way in hell is he big enough to be a 5 in the NBA.

Measureables or not, Tyler Cook is not an NBA caliber basketball player, and definitely not draft pick material. There’s no one thing about his game that sets him apart from anybody else, he can’t shoot, coughs up the ball at a torrid pace, doesn’t stand out defensively. Jordan Murphy ate his ass for lunch yesterday and NBA forwards would do the same. He may be the most athletic guy on this basketball team, but look at the rest of them...

What I don’t understand is why people try to paint this picture that isn’t there? Is it bias because he’s a Hawkeye and people want to be able to say we have an elite player or something? I honestly don’t understand it. Yeah, he’s good. But to get to the next level you have to stand out from the crowd somehow.
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From just a size perspective, Cook (6'9 253 pounds) is big enough to be a 5 in the NBA. Here are some examples of starting/reserve centers currently (just doing one division, so you get the idea)

Boston - Al Horford 6'10 245 pounds/Daniel Theis 6'8 243 pounds
Brooklyn - Jarrett Allen 6'11 237 pounds/Ed Davis 6'10 225 pounds
New York - Mitchell Robinson 7'1 240 pounds/Enis Kanter 6'11 250 pounds
Philadelphia - Joel Embid 7'0 250 pounds/Amir Johnson 6'9 240 pounds
Toronto - Serge Ibaka 6'10 235 pounds/Greg Monroe 6'11 265 pounds/Jonas Valanciunas 7'0 265 pounds (hurt)

There are other NBA centers like Tristan Thompson (6'10 238 pounds for Cle), Omari Spellman (6'9 245 pounds for Atl), and Bismack Biyambo (6'9 255 pounds for Charlotte).

From a skill perspective, there are players like Biyambo, Ed Davis, and Amir Johnson that basically set screens, play defense, and rebound for a few minutes a game. Unless Cook expands his shooting range then he is destined to do that. Also, he would have to improve the defense and rebounding portion to be able to stick in the NBA.

Or, he can be like Amile Jefferson from Duke (from a few years back) and play in the G league (stats linked below). Again, Cook would need to be more of a rebounder/defender to be able to earn a living like that.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/gleague/players/j/jeffeam01d.html
 
WindsorHawk said:
I'm not throwing Cook under the bus. He just needs to calm down a bit. And I would like to see him slap the floor a couple times on defense like he was earlier in the year. Kind of letting the team know it's time to do the dirty work.

But I don't agree at all that Iowa is under coached. We are 16-5...with zero bad losses. I suspect Fran is trying to let Cook be Cook while also trying to get Cook to do this within the framework of the offense. I'm pretty sure Fran tackling Cook as he comes barreling down the floor is breaking some kind of rule. And I highly doubt Cook has been coached to take it coast to coast against 3 defenders with no path to the rim, no one to rebound, etc.
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I agree we have zero bad losses, which is undeniably a good feather in the cap for any program. But we also don't have that many good wins and I'm saying that with a straight face. Ohio State and Iowa State were nice, and maybe that's an understatement. But you won't find me bragging about Iowa's W-L record, at this point in the season.. We played a ridiculously soft non-conference schedule, filled with college after college that I had seriously never heard of.

I'm not saying it's easy to strategically craft a college bball schedule (for the development of a roster and program), 1-3 years in advance. That's not something I'm able to do. I don't think "16-5" is a good argument. Look at the best programs in the country - you'll see that they play bball schedules that are meant to challenge and shape the roster. All of the best teams play all of the other best teams (UK, Duke, Kansas, Carolina, etc.). I'd rather have Iowa "learn" from a tough early season loss versus a powerful team, than go 9-0 against Bryant and Guilford state.
 
WindsorHawk said:
I was one of the guys and still think JB is fine at the point. We could certainly do better. And I like having CM so JB can play some at the 2. But we are 16-5 and bouncing in and out of the rankings with JB starting at the point and playing the majority of the minutes at the point. I certainly acknowledge that there are better point guards in the country, conference, etc. But I also know there are teams that would love to have JB. I'm glad he's on our team rather than Wisconsin or UNI like his brothers.

Edit - And I love having 2 starting guards that can make 85% of their FTs and hit an open 3. How far back do we have to go to find an Iowa team that had this.
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Connor doesn't shoot 3's very well, he's only 1 out of 12 for the season. Actually JB doesn't either, he's only making 38% of his three's.

The problems with JB at the point is on the defensive end, he is not quick enough to stop a good penetrating PG and Connor isn't much better. Yes our record is nice but the weaknesses at the point is glaring.
 
ssckelley said:
Connor doesn't shoot 3's very well, he's only 1 out of 12 for the season. Actually JB doesn't either, he's only making 38% of his three's.

The problems with JB at the point is on the defensive end, he is not quick enough to stop a good penetrating PG and Connor isn't much better. Yes our record is nice but the weaknesses at the point is glaring.
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Concur, broken record for Iowa fans.
 
lightning1 said:
Of these players, only Joe W has the ability and desire to play defense like an All BIG level player. Period. Moss still disappears for entire games. That's far more than "1 guard short". We have some talent. Not enough. And not enough talent on the staff either.
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It's interesting you said this about Joe and Moss after this most recent game:

Moss - 33 minutes, 23 points (8-14/6-10 from three), 6 rebs, 3 assists, and 2 steals
Joe - 20 minutes, 3 points (0-2/0-1), 3 rebs, 1 assist, 1 steal

Now, does Joe have a lot of potential. Yes.

And, I agree the coaching staff needs to step up as well.

:)
 
Robowe said:
From just a size perspective, Cook (6'9 253 pounds) is big enough to be a 5 in the NBA. Here are some examples of starting/reserve centers currently (just doing one division, so you get the idea)

Boston - Al Horford 6'10 245 pounds/Daniel Theis 6'8 243 pounds
Brooklyn - Jarrett Allen 6'11 237 pounds/Ed Davis 6'10 225 pounds
New York - Mitchell Robinson 7'1 240 pounds/Enis Kanter 6'11 250 pounds
Philadelphia - Joel Embid 7'0 250 pounds/Amir Johnson 6'9 240 pounds
Toronto - Serge Ibaka 6'10 235 pounds/Greg Monroe 6'11 265 pounds/Jonas Valanciunas 7'0 265 pounds (hurt)

There are other NBA centers like Tristan Thompson (6'10 238 pounds for Cle), Omari Spellman (6'9 245 pounds for Atl), and Bismack Biyambo (6'9 255 pounds for Charlotte).

From a skill perspective, there are players like Biyambo, Ed Davis, and Amir Johnson that basically set screens, play defense, and rebound for a few minutes a game. Unless Cook expands his shooting range then he is destined to do that. Also, he would have to improve the defense and rebounding portion to be able to stick in the NBA.

Or, he can be like Amile Jefferson from Duke (from a few years back) and play in the G league (stats linked below). Again, Cook would need to be more of a rebounder/defender to be able to earn a living like that.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/gleague/players/j/jeffeam01d.html
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It is discouraging to see that after a year dedicated to getting better off the dribble and shooting jump shots, there appears to be zero growth. Or am I blind?

His "non-pressure" FT stroke is technically much improved.

Shooters love to shoot, Cook is afraid to shoot, perhaps for good reasons.
 
Robowe said:
It's interesting you said this about Joe and Moss after this most recent game:

Moss - 33 minutes, 23 points (8-14/6-10 from three), 6 rebs, 3 assists, and 2 steals
Joe - 20 minutes, 3 points (0-2/0-1), 3 rebs, 1 assist, 1 steal

Now, does Joe have a lot of potential. Yes.

And, I agree the coaching staff needs to step up as well.

:)
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I'm not basing my opinion off of recent games.
 
Robowe said:
It's interesting you said this about Joe and Moss after this most recent game:

Moss - 33 minutes, 23 points (8-14/6-10 from three), 6 rebs, 3 assists, and 2 steals
Joe - 20 minutes, 3 points (0-2/0-1), 3 rebs, 1 assist, 1 steal

Now, does Joe have a lot of potential. Yes.

And, I agree the coaching staff needs to step up as well.

:)
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I would guess the winning percentage is pretty high for a team which has an individual player go 6-10 from 3 point range.
 
Robowe said:
From just a size perspective, Cook (6'9 253 pounds) is big enough to be a 5 in the NBA. Here are some examples of starting/reserve centers currently (just doing one division, so you get the idea)

Boston - Al Horford 6'10 245 pounds/Daniel Theis 6'8 243 pounds
Brooklyn - Jarrett Allen 6'11 237 pounds/Ed Davis 6'10 225 pounds
New York - Mitchell Robinson 7'1 240 pounds/Enis Kanter 6'11 250 pounds
Philadelphia - Joel Embid 7'0 250 pounds/Amir Johnson 6'9 240 pounds
Toronto - Serge Ibaka 6'10 235 pounds/Greg Monroe 6'11 265 pounds/Jonas Valanciunas 7'0 265 pounds (hurt)

There are other NBA centers like Tristan Thompson (6'10 238 pounds for Cle), Omari Spellman (6'9 245 pounds for Atl), and Bismack Biyambo (6'9 255 pounds for Charlotte).

From a skill perspective, there are players like Biyambo, Ed Davis, and Amir Johnson that basically set screens, play defense, and rebound for a few minutes a game. Unless Cook expands his shooting range then he is destined to do that. Also, he would have to improve the defense and rebounding portion to be able to stick in the NBA.

Or, he can be like Amile Jefferson from Duke (from a few years back) and play in the G league (stats linked below). Again, Cook would need to be more of a rebounder/defender to be able to earn a living like that.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/gleague/players/j/jeffeam01d.html
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He’s got ok size, I just don’t think he’s draft material. I’m not under the illusion that staying an extra year at Iowa will turn him into one, but I also don’t see him making a living at it if he leaves.
 
Fryowa said:
He’s got ok size, I just don’t think he’s draft material. I’m not under the illusion that staying an extra year at Iowa will turn him into one, but I also don’t see him making a living at it if he leaves.
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NBA is going to be tough for TC. If he had a motor like Montrezl Harrell who is 6'8 240 pounds for the Clippers, he might have a chance (without the shooting). I am not sure that he can acquire that motor now, so I think his future is overseas (or possibly the G League, like Peter Jok).
 
IowaTeddy said:
Not trying to be a troll here... but this is back to the very nature of what Dolph "leaked" into a live mic earlier this year. We all want to see Iowa make a Sweet 16 run. Does anyone think Iowa has the PG play or talent to make that happen?
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Not being mean or trolling, this is a solid NIT team, nothing more
 
ibahawkeye said:
Our D was bad for sure and offense good enough to win.

When I look at the box score, we got out scored by 10 at the free throw line.
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Would somebody tell me why everybody thinks the Iowa basketball team is going to go to the NCAA tournament? Really come on. Plus some publications Evan has a 6 seed on really.. then why and FM put his son and Macy on the floor that's like having our team basically playing 3 on 5 because those two don't even look at the basket the score. Pitiful. I see them going either 8-12, or 9-11..
 
Hawkeye/swish said:
Would somebody tell me why everybody thinks the Iowa basketball team is going to go to the NCAA tournament? Really come on. Plus some publications Evan has a 6 seed on really.. then why and FM put his son and Macy on the floor that's like having our team basically playing 3 on 5 because those two don't even look at the basket the score. Pitiful. I see them going either 8-12, or 9-11..
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Because we were ranked in the top 25 team prior to the last 2 losses.

And our schedule eases up a bit after Michigan.

At this point we’re in and would have to play ourselves out.

Even if they go 9-11 and win 1 in the BTT, they’re in with the undefeated non-con.
 
IowaTeddy said:
I think you're underestimating them. NIT would be disappointing. I'm just not confident they can win 1 or 2 NCAA games and that's where I want them to be.
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It’s either NIT or a first round out vs. a 2 or 3 seed. Neither is appealing.
 
MWS604 said:
Not being mean or trolling, this is a solid NIT team, nothing more
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.
Wins against Iowa State, UConn, Pitt, Oregon, Ohio State, Nebraska, are a good start to an NCAA berth. Win against Michigan and play .500 the rest of the way, they deserve a berth. Finish below .500 lose all the games against top 25 teams, not even an NIT team.
 
IowaTeddy said:
I think you're underestimating them. NIT would be disappointing. I'm just not confident they can win 1 or 2 NCAA games and that's where I want them to be.
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It would be nice to at least hear Iowa talked about on a national stage like the NCAA tourney.
 
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