It is hard for me to understand why people think this team will be as good as last year's or even the year before, teams. While I agree that we have the potential to be a better offensive and 3 point shooting team, we will in all likelihood not be as good defensively and without question we will not be as good at rebounding the basketball. This board has never appreciated what JVP brought to the table. He was the strongest player in the league, with a warrior's mentality, who always seem to get the tough baskets and a very high basketball IQ, who completely bought into Jay's team first mantra. Very unusual for a McDonalds All American. He created space underneath, was an enforcer and provided protection for Daniel. In addition, Hilliard, Ennis and JVP were all high level defenders, and while I love our new guys, I don't see any stud defensive replacements on the horizon. A huge part of our success the last 2 years has been defense and rebounding, and it looks like we have a long way to go to return to that elite defensive level. I also think Daniel will have a harder time staying out of foul trouble this year. Last year he had Ennis and Hilliard playing big time perimeter defense to keep players out of the paint. He may not have that luxury this year. Also, JVP created space and was such a strong rebounder, that we didn't give up a lot of offensive rebounds. With JVP gone I suspect that we will be more vulnerable to the offensive rebound, which will put a ton of pressure on Big Dan. So, while I expect us to be good, exciting and fun to watch, I think 30 wins is a bit ambitious.
