FDU

Jordan is the new Sampson...bonehead plays and mistakes at key moments...takes jumpers whenever he feels like it  [ ...] Unlike Sampson, though, he isn't surrounded by similar guys on this roster 

??
Sampson was surrounded by the same guys that are on this team, sans Orlando.   

Btw, Marillac, I'm not totally convinced just yet, but it does appear that this team is better than I was giving it credit for.   And maybe part of that is the coaching.
Maybe.

Quote from: Marillac on December 11, 2014, 05:20:43 PM

Jordan is the new Sampson...bonehead plays and mistakes at key moments...takes jumpers whenever he feels like it  [ ...] Unlike Sampson, though, he isn't surrounded by similar guys on this roster 

??
Sampson was surrounded by the same guys that are on this team, sans Orlando.   

Think he meant minus Sampson and Sanchez.

Quote from: desco80 on December 11, 2014, 05:35:56 PM

Quote from: Marillac on December 11, 2014, 05:20:43 PM

Jordan is the new Sampson...bonehead plays and mistakes at key moments...takes jumpers whenever he feels like it [ ...] Unlike Sampson, though, he isn't surrounded by similar guys on this roster

?? Sampson was surrounded by the same guys that are on this team, sans Orlando.

Think he meant minus Sampson and Sanchez.

Those two get such a bad rap around here it's unbelievable.   Based on what you read on here you would think Sampson led the team in usage rate and was ridiculously inefficient.  
Neither of which is true.  He shot jump shots from 15ft and in, with some success, and scored around the basket.     If he was auditioning for the NBA he would've been hoisting threes and proving he could be a wing.  

Quote from: stjohnnie75 on December 11, 2014, 05:39:37 PM

Quote from: desco80 on December 11, 2014, 05:35:56 PM

Quote from: Marillac on December 11, 2014, 05:20:43 PM

Jordan is the new Sampson...bonehead plays and mistakes at key moments...takes jumpers whenever he feels like it [ ...] Unlike Sampson, though, he isn't surrounded by similar guys on this roster

?? Sampson was surrounded by the same guys that are on this team, sans Orlando.

Think he meant minus Sampson and Sanchez.

Those two get such a bad rap around here it's unbelievable. Based on what you read on here you would think Sampson led the team in usage rate and was ridiculously inefficient. Neither of which is true. He shot jump shots from 15ft and in, with some success, and scored around the basket. If he was auditioning for the NBA he would've been hoisting threes and proving he could be a wing.

Basketball is not about a collection of talented players...it is about how you play together.  Looking at Sampson's stats 13 ppg on 49.5% from the field, looks like he was an efficient player.  That doesn't tell the whole story. Sampson killed chemistry with inopportune turnovers, missed FTs (56% from the line), being unclutch, taking jumpers with no consideration of the shot clock, score, situation, etc.  How many offensive goaltendings did he have...how many times did he put someone on the line with a touch foul in the bonus...how many times did he take a deep jumper early in the shot clock when we were in a scoring drought...how many times did he foul a three point shooter (more than anyone I've ever seen)...how many missed front-ends of one-and-ones? 
I don't blame Sampson alone.  Dom was the same at SF and Sanchez and Jordan were mistake-prone as well.  To make things worse, Lavin doesn't reign his guys in at all and likes leaving them with ambiguous roles--that works for guys like Hardy and JB2, but not for guys like Sampson, Sanchez, and Pointer who don't make good decisions.  
Sampson and Pointer handed the game to Syracuse last season like Jordan tried to do this year.  I have no doubt in my mind we lose to Syracuse this year if Sampson was on the roster.  Phil would not have gotten those shots--if he was in the game at all. 
This year, Jordan is really the lone mistake-prone player.  Dom is playing a defined role and is much more aware of his limitations this season.  We couldn't defend the post last season and this year we are exponentially better on D and on the glass...because it is a team effort. 

Quote from: desco80 on December 11, 2014, 05:48:21 PM

Quote from: stjohnnie75 on December 11, 2014, 05:39:37 PM

Quote from: desco80 on December 11, 2014, 05:35:56 PM

Quote from: Marillac on December 11, 2014, 05:20:43 PM

Jordan is the new Sampson...bonehead plays and mistakes at key moments...takes jumpers whenever he feels like it [ ...] Unlike Sampson, though, he isn't surrounded by similar guys on this roster

?? Sampson was surrounded by the same guys that are on this team, sans Orlando.

Think he meant minus Sampson and Sanchez.

Those two get such a bad rap around here it's unbelievable. Based on what you read on here you would think Sampson led the team in usage rate and was ridiculously inefficient. Neither of which is true. He shot jump shots from 15ft and in, with some success, and scored around the basket. If he was auditioning for the NBA he would've been hoisting threes and proving he could be a wing.

Basketball is not about a collection of talented players...it is about how you play together. Looking at Sampson's stats 13 ppg on 49.5% from the field, looks like he was an efficient player. That doesn't tell the whole story. Sampson killed chemistry with inopportune turnovers, missed FTs (56% from the line), being unclutch, taking jumpers with no consideration of the shot clock, score, situation, etc. How many offensive goaltendings did he have...how many times did he put someone on the line with a touch foul in the bonus...how many times did he take a deep jumper early in the shot clock when we were in a scoring drought...how many times did he foul a three point shooter (more than anyone I've ever seen)...how many missed front-ends of one-and-ones? I don't blame Sampson alone. Dom was the same at SF and Sanchez and Jordan were mistake-prone as well. To make things worse, Lavin doesn't reign his guys in at all and likes leaving them with ambiguous roles--that works for guys like Hardy and JB2, but not for guys like Sampson, Sanchez, and Pointer who don't make good decisions. Sampson and Pointer handed the game to Syracuse last season like Jordan tried to do this year. I have no doubt in my mind we lose to Syracuse this year if Sampson was on the roster. Phil would not have gotten those shots--if he was in the game at all. This year, Jordan is really the lone mistake-prone player. Dom is playing a defined role and is much more aware of his limitations this season. We couldn't defend the post last season and this year we are exponentially better on D and on the glass...because it is a team effort.

Great post. People still refusing to see that Jakarr was just as big of a liability (bigger IMO) as he was an asset last year. Just look at how much improved the ball movement is this year.

Myles and the other 3 star shooter are what they call grey shirts. Both were recruited with understanding they get scholarships. The entire sec does this in football every season . Nick saban is the master. If they make it great for the school . If not , that's it. I am a notre dame football fan. This is common practice . I do not believe felix got screwed. St. John's is honoring his 4 year scholarship . 5th years are earned. He has done nothing to earn a 5th year . That is not a criticism that is a fact .

Quote from: TONYD3 on December 11, 2014, 11:14:57 AM

Rembwr that thread . No need for me to reread it.

If you rembwr the thread why did you ask if anyone other than me thought that Balamou got screwed? Because to a man everyone who posted in that thread said he did. So either you don't rembwr, or you're a liar. Take your pick. BTW your opinion in that thread, in case you don't rembwr, was that you didn't care whether Balamou got screwed, because he's not that good at basketball and the sooner he gets out the better. Which, as I pointed out then, makes you sort of a douche, because he's a person, not a commodity.

Your talking about treating people nice. will rembwr that internet tough guy. I am sure your latest book report of the latest game was nice. Your so smart get a job. I am sorry I spelled remember wrong,  tough typing on the phone. Wish I had the time you do. Would rather be sort of a douche then a self proclaimed douche.  Like I said. We are going to keep winning. You will go the way of Linda. Dumb coach jokes aren't as funny when team is winning. Neither are jokes made at the players. Never said anything bad about Felix. He is not a very good basketball player for this LEVEL. Absolutely want a better player in his place. And yes genius a coach has to treat players as commoditys.
Just looked up your name- foad- fxck off and die hope in your next live you live up to it. You deserve to be a bad ass. Like I said get a job

Basketball is not about a collection of talented players...it is about how you play together. Looking at Sampson's stats 13 ppg on 49.5% from the field, looks like he was an efficient player. That doesn't tell the whole story. Sampson killed chemistry with inopportune turnovers, missed FTs (56% from the line), being unclutch, taking jumpers with no consideration of the shot clock, score, situation, etc. How many offensive goaltendings did he have

I'll take a stab at this one. How many offensive goaltending did he have? Was it two? Three? Seven hundred?

Question: are you the same Marillac who posted daily in the off season about what a horrible offensive rebounder Dom Pointer was, complete with charts, graphs, and video telestration? And yet here, Jakarr Sampson - who in Marillac's expert opinion has no shot of ever playing in the NBA, ever - was allegedly too aggressive an offensive rebounder. Well. Evidently the perfect small forward for Marillac would be Goldilocks. This Dom Pointer is too cold. This Jakarr Sampson is too hot. But this offensive rebounder is just right.

Here's the thing. Your thesis - and the other guy, who rips Jakarr Sampson and describes Christian Jones as "productive - is silly. It's a classic example of the fallacy post hoc ergo propter hoc: it postulates causation from coincidence. There are any number of reasons why this years team is better than last years: the players are all seniors, just like the other team Lavin had success with; Chris Obekpa has transformed himself from a one dimensional player to a force in the middle; Phil Greene has (for the time being anyway) stopped clanking his shot off the front rim; Dom Pointer has become a wrecking ball; the freshman PG is a sophomore - no less an authority than Marillac says the the biggest improvement in BB is between freshman and sophomore year; Lavin is coaching for a contract and so has kept the beclownment to a minimum; Whitesell's system has been in place for a year. All these things are different, which differences  you ignore. And what is silliest about all of that is that it takes all those changes as givens and leaves Jakarr Sampson - who evidently worked his balls off after he left school to become a better basketball player - frozen in amber like a prehistoric bug. All those changes are ignored and the possibility that Jakarr Sampson would not change is assumed.

Sampson and Pointer handed the game to Syracuse last season like Jordan tried to do this year.  I have no doubt in my mind we lose to Syracuse this year if Sampson was on the roster.

The roster difference that made a difference between last year and this belongs to Syracuse's: last year Fair, Ennis, and Jeremi Grant scored 56 of SU's 68 points. This year they scored none - because they're playing professional basketball.

I went back and looked at the box score of last year's Syracuse game, which evidently Jakarr Sampson lost single-handedly. In that game Jakarr Sampson had his usual 12 points (6 of 10) and 6 rebounds. Saint John's guards OTOH shot 9 of 33 from the floor - that's 27 percent - and 1 for 11 from three - that's .09 percent. Question: can you explain the physics behind the vacuum in which you analyzed those statistics to determine that Jakarr Sampson gave that game away? Thanks in advance.
 

Quote from: Foad on December 11, 2014, 11:38:00 AM

Quote from: TONYD3 on December 11, 2014, 11:14:57 AM

Rembwr that thread . No need for me to reread it.

If you rembwr the thread why did you ask if anyone other than me thought that Balamou got screwed? Because to a man everyone who posted in that thread said he did. So either you don't rembwr, or you're a liar. Take your pick. BTW your opinion in that thread, in case you don't rembwr, was that you didn't care whether Balamou got screwed, because he's not that good at basketball and the sooner he gets out the better. Which, as I pointed out then, makes you sort of a douche, because he's a person, not a commodity.

Your talking about treating people nice. will rembwr that internet tough guy. I am sure your latest book report of the latest game was nice. Your so smart get a job. I am sorry I spelled remember wrong, tough typing on the phone. Wish I had the time you do. Would rather be sort of a douche then a self proclaimed douche. Like I said. We are going to keep winning. You will go the way of Linda. Dumb coach jokes aren't as funny when team is winning. Neither are jokes made at the players. Never said anything bad about Felix. He is not a very good basketball player for this LEVEL. Absolutely want a better player in his place. And yes genius a coach has to treat players as commoditys. Just looked up your name- foad- fxck off and die hope in your next live you live up to it. You deserve to be a bad ass. Like I said get a job

Shit, I broke another one.

Quote from: Marillac on December 11, 2014, 06:47:55 PM

Quote from: desco80 on December 11, 2014, 05:48:21 PM

Quote from: stjohnnie75 on December 11, 2014, 05:39:37 PM

Quote from: desco80 on December 11, 2014, 05:35:56 PM

Quote from: Marillac on December 11, 2014, 05:20:43 PM

Jordan is the new Sampson...bonehead plays and mistakes at key moments...takes jumpers whenever he feels like it [ ...] Unlike Sampson, though, he isn't surrounded by similar guys on this roster

?? Sampson was surrounded by the same guys that are on this team, sans Orlando.

Think he meant minus Sampson and Sanchez.

Those two get such a bad rap around here it's unbelievable. Based on what you read on here you would think Sampson led the team in usage rate and was ridiculously inefficient. Neither of which is true. He shot jump shots from 15ft and in, with some success, and scored around the basket. If he was auditioning for the NBA he would've been hoisting threes and proving he could be a wing.

Basketball is not about a collection of talented players...it is about how you play together. Looking at Sampson's stats 13 ppg on 49.5% from the field, looks like he was an efficient player. That doesn't tell the whole story. Sampson killed chemistry with inopportune turnovers, missed FTs (56% from the line), being unclutch, taking jumpers with no consideration of the shot clock, score, situation, etc. How many offensive goaltendings did he have...how many times did he put someone on the line with a touch foul in the bonus...how many times did he take a deep jumper early in the shot clock when we were in a scoring drought...how many times did he foul a three point shooter (more than anyone I've ever seen)...how many missed front-ends of one-and-ones? I don't blame Sampson alone. Dom was the same at SF and Sanchez and Jordan were mistake-prone as well. To make things worse, Lavin doesn't reign his guys in at all and likes leaving them with ambiguous roles--that works for guys like Hardy and JB2, but not for guys like Sampson, Sanchez, and Pointer who don't make good decisions. Sampson and Pointer handed the game to Syracuse last season like Jordan tried to do this year. I have no doubt in my mind we lose to Syracuse this year if Sampson was on the roster. Phil would not have gotten those shots--if he was in the game at all. This year, Jordan is really the lone mistake-prone player. Dom is playing a defined role and is much more aware of his limitations this season. We couldn't defend the post last season and this year we are exponentially better on D and on the glass...because it is a team effort.

Great post. People still refusing to see that Jakarr was just as big of a liability (bigger IMO) as he was an asset last year. Just look at how much improved the ball movement is this year.

I think calling Sampson a liability isn't fair. Every player on last year's team took turns helping us lose games. The ball movement was poor last year, but it's not much better this year. This year, we have seniors who put it on the floor and go to the basket. Last year, we waited until the shot clock was about to expire and then flipped  the to Jakarr w 4 seconds on the clock and told him to save us. Then we blamed him when he either missed, or drew the foul and missed free throws. He's not a complete player. He might be the worst player in the NBA, but he's in the NBA, despite few here, if any, believing that he'd make it. 
One massive difference this year is Dom Pointer. Last year, he was awful, but now, he does it all, and he does most of it better than Jakarr did. Pointer passes better in the half court set than he does in transition, but he still mixes in the occasional pass on the break, where as Jakarr wouldn't dare give up the ball-a quality the NBA is happy to have. 

Quote from: Marillac on December 11, 2014, 06:47:55 PM

Quote from: desco80 on December 11, 2014, 05:48:21 PM

Quote from: stjohnnie75 on December 11, 2014, 05:39:37 PM

Quote from: desco80 on December 11, 2014, 05:35:56 PM

Quote from: Marillac on December 11, 2014, 05:20:43 PM

Jordan is the new Sampson...bonehead plays and mistakes at key moments...takes jumpers whenever he feels like it [ ...] Unlike Sampson, though, he isn't surrounded by similar guys on this roster

?? Sampson was surrounded by the same guys that are on this team, sans Orlando.

Think he meant minus Sampson and Sanchez.

Those two get such a bad rap around here it's unbelievable. Based on what you read on here you would think Sampson led the team in usage rate and was ridiculously inefficient. Neither of which is true. He shot jump shots from 15ft and in, with some success, and scored around the basket. If he was auditioning for the NBA he would've been hoisting threes and proving he could be a wing.

Basketball is not about a collection of talented players...it is about how you play together. Looking at Sampson's stats 13 ppg on 49.5% from the field, looks like he was an efficient player. That doesn't tell the whole story. Sampson killed chemistry with inopportune turnovers, missed FTs (56% from the line), being unclutch, taking jumpers with no consideration of the shot clock, score, situation, etc. How many offensive goaltendings did he have...how many times did he put someone on the line with a touch foul in the bonus...how many times did he take a deep jumper early in the shot clock when we were in a scoring drought...how many times did he foul a three point shooter (more than anyone I've ever seen)...how many missed front-ends of one-and-ones? I don't blame Sampson alone. Dom was the same at SF and Sanchez and Jordan were mistake-prone as well. To make things worse, Lavin doesn't reign his guys in at all and likes leaving them with ambiguous roles--that works for guys like Hardy and JB2, but not for guys like Sampson, Sanchez, and Pointer who don't make good decisions. Sampson and Pointer handed the game to Syracuse last season like Jordan tried to do this year. I have no doubt in my mind we lose to Syracuse this year if Sampson was on the roster. Phil would not have gotten those shots--if he was in the game at all. This year, Jordan is really the lone mistake-prone player. Dom is playing a defined role and is much more aware of his limitations this season. We couldn't defend the post last season and this year we are exponentially better on D and on the glass...because it is a team effort.

Great post. People still refusing to see that Jakarr was just as big of a liability (bigger IMO) as he was an asset last year. Just look at how much improved the ball movement is this year.

Agreed, good post.  Last years team exemplified poor teamwork and decisionmaking and Sampson, along with others mentioned, were the culprits.  This years team moves the ball and the quickness on D is great.  No game is perfect, there are always guys playing well and guys having poor games.  The difference so far this year is that the offense is more patient and controlled and the D is great.  DOM has been super all around but particularly in the high post as need vs zones.  Have to get Jordan starting.  He is mistake prone but not starting him is probably a negative in terms of him getting his head on straight.     

Quote from: Marillac on December 11, 2014, 06:47:55 PM

Basketball is not about a collection of talented players...it is about how you play together. Looking at Sampson's stats 13 ppg on 49.5% from the field, looks like he was an efficient player. That doesn't tell the whole story. Sampson killed chemistry with inopportune turnovers, missed FTs (56% from the line), being unclutch, taking jumpers with no consideration of the shot clock, score, situation, etc. How many offensive goaltendings did he have

I'll take a stab at this one. How many offensive goaltending did he have? Was it two? Three? Seven hundred? Question: are you the same Marillac who posted daily in the off season about what a horrible offensive rebounder Dom Pointer was, complete with charts, graphs, and video telestration? And yet here, Jakarr Sampson - who in Marillac's expert opinion has no shot of ever playing in the NBA, ever - was allegedly too aggressive an offensive rebounder. Well. Evidently the perfect small forward for Marillac would be Goldilocks. This Dom Pointer is too cold. This Jakarr Sampson is too hot. But this offensive rebounder is just right. Here's the thing. Your thesis - and the other guy, who rips Jakarr Sampson and describes Christian Jones as "productive - is silly. It's a classic example of the fallacy post hoc ergo propter hoc: it postulates causation from coincidence. There are any number of reasons why this years team is better than last years: the players are all seniors, just like the other team Lavin had success with; Chris Obekpa has transformed himself from a one dimensional player to a force in the middle; Phil Greene has (for the time being anyway) stopped clanking his shot off the front rim; Dom Pointer has become a wrecking ball; the freshman PG is a sophomore - no less an authority than Marillac says the the biggest improvement in BB is between freshman and sophomore year; Lavin is coaching for a contract and so has kept the beclownment to a minimum; Whitesell's system has been in place for a year. All these things are different, which differences you ignore. And what is silliest about all of that is that it takes all those changes as givens and leaves Jakarr Sampson - who evidently worked his balls off after he left school to become a better basketball player - frozen in amber like a prehistoric bug. All those changes are ignored and the possibility that Jakarr Sampson would not change is assumed.

Quote

Sampson and Pointer handed the game to Syracuse last season like Jordan tried to do this year. I have no doubt in my mind we lose to Syracuse this year if Sampson was on the roster.

The roster difference that made a difference between last year and this belongs to Syracuse's: last year Fair, Ennis, and Jeremi Grant scored 56 of SU's 68 points. This year they scored none - because they're playing professional basketball. I went back and looked at the box score of last year's Syracuse game, which evidently Jakarr Sampson lost single-handedly. In that game Jakarr Sampson had his usual 12 points (6 of 10) and 6 rebounds. Saint John's guards OTOH shot 9 of 33 from the floor - that's 27 percent - and 1 for 11 from three - that's .09 percent. Question: can you explain the physics behind the vacuum in which you analyzed those statistics to determine that Jakarr Sampson gave that game away? Thanks in advance.

Sampson doesn't seem like a guy you would be high on. He was probably the best athlete in the country last season--top five at worst--but he is was mistake prone and didn't have a clutch bone in his body.  He had no chance at SJU with the other mistake-prone personnel and no true wing and center to let him do what he does best.  He also had a bimbo head coach that doesn't understand that not ever talented player should be given free reign to play like Baron Davis, Dwight Hardy, and Justin Brownlee.  He didn't have the skill set or the decision-making ability to carry that kind of responsibility last season.  Sampson did not play within his game.  This is how how he and Sanchez ended the Syracuse game:
5:48 - Sanchez misses FT (SJU 60-58)
3:19 - Sampson misses jumper, Harrison gets rebound misses shot, Sampson rebounds and is fouled
3:14 - Sampson misses TWO FTs (Syracuse ahead 62-60)
3:00 - CJ Fair nails open jumper because Sampson strayed too far (Syracuse up 64-60)
1:41 - CJ Fair nails another open jumper after Harrison makes 1/2 from line (Syracuse up 66-61)
1:21 - Sampson turnover out of time out
:44 - Sanchez turns ball over
:41 - Dom fouls Ennis who makes two FTS (Syracuse 68-61)
:33 - Sampson missed layup 

CJ Fair didn't exactly have a great game (21 pts, 4 turnovers, 3-7 from the line) but he came up huge when it counted.  Those are the exact moments Sampson and Pointer disappeared.  Sanchez and Jordan just added to the mistake ball.  Sampson didn't score a point the last 13:24 of the game while CJ Fair scored 10.  

Sampson doesn't seem like a guy you would be high on.

Sampson was an above average sophomore forward with some flaws in his game and I agree with much of your first paragraph, especially the bimbo part. But I reject the idea that his presence was the reason we started 0 and 5 last year and that his absence this year is the reason we're 7 and 1. I think this team is a one-year improved Sampson away from being really really very quite good. Which is a shame, because this is going to be the best season for a while and the boneyard looms.

Quote from: Marillac on December 12, 2014, 04:36:15 PM

Sampson doesn't seem like a guy you would be high on.

Sampson was an above average sophomore forward with some flaws in his game and I agree with much of your first paragraph, especially the bimbo part. But I reject the idea that his presence was the reason we started 0 and 5 last year and that his absence this year is the reason we're 7 and 1. I think this team is a one-year improved Sampson away from being really really very quite good. Which is a shame, because this is going to be the best season for a while and the boneyard looms.

I never said nor would I agree that we started 0-5 because of Sampson. He was only part of the issue.  Sampson's problems were compounded by having arguably the least skilled and most mistake-prone SF in the country playing alongside him...with an undisciplined freshman PG and a center that could play three positions offensively (but none defensively) lacking a defined role. The biggest + of not having Sampson is that Lavin is forced to abandon his JB2 dreams and put Pointer where he should have been for four seasons. 
I would actually have had less of a problem if Dom played the four last season and Sampson played the three. Sampson at least crashed the glass from the perimeter.  Pointer just stood around.  I have on tolerance for a big man shooting a jumper when the SF and the center are on the perimeter.  You are looking at a 70% chance of walking away with no points that possession.  I'd rather Harrison try to bank one from the Syracuse logo with four rebounders and a chance at three points.  Now, replace Sanchez with Rakeem Christmas and Dom with, say, Kennedy, and it's a different story.  But that wasn't the case.  We had Moe, Larry, and Curly out there and, as a result, we never looked like a team.
Sampson would have been a great player on the 2010-2011 team, where he would not have been asked to create offense off the bounce or make decisions...just clean the glass, hit a few open jumpers, and play versatile defense.  

I have a difficult time believing that an Nba caliber talent, on a St. John's basketball roster,  the second pro we've had since Meta World B Free Peace who might catch on for more than a cup of coffee, could be logically considered more a part of the problem than the solution.

I'm not buying it.

Facts speak for themselves. We are better without Sampson and Sanchez. If they were here, Pointer would not be playing the middle of the zone offense. We are at the upper range, if not leading the big east in  rebounding, points allowed, and offense -defense differential. Last year we were worse. This is not coincidental. 

I have a difficult time believing that an Nba caliber talent, on a St. John's basketball roster, the second pro we've had since Meta World B Free Peace who might catch on for more than a cup of coffee, could be logically considered more a part of the problem than the solution. I'm not buying it.

Very happy for Sampson, but calling him an NBA caliber talent is a stretch.  He is on what could very well end up the worst team in NBA history that is strongly rumored to be throwing the season and is 20 mill under the cap.  He is shooting 27% from the field, 16% from three and 45% from the line, albeit in very limited minutes.

We've had other pros since Artest:  Postell, Barkley, Cook, Cedric Jackson, Harkless, Polee (next year).  I'm sure DJ or Brownlee would have played better than Sanchez if they had that same golden opportunity. 

Facts speak for themselves. We are better without Sampson and Sanchez. If they were here, Pointer would not be playing the middle of the zone offense. We are at the upper range, if not leading the big east in rebounding, points allowed, and offense -defense differential. Last year we were worse. This is not coincidental.

Bingo. 
The best thing to happen to the team this year is getting Pointer off the perimeter and playing guys 5 on 5. 

He is shooting 27% from the field, 16% from three and 45% from the line,

It's weird how when Sampson was at SJU his statistics were misleading but now that he's in the NBA they accurately represent his abilities. Poor guy can't catch a break.