James Padgett's Strange Disappearance: Cliff Tucker Part Deux In the Making?

by Ben Broman on Dec 13, 2009 11:30 AM EST in Basketball Comment 5 comments

Indiana forward Derek Elston, right, is fouled by Maryland forward James Padgett as he goes up for a shot during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Bloomington, Ind., Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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3 months ago: Indiana forward Derek Elston, right, is fouled by Maryland forward James Padgett as he goes up for a shot during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Bloomington, Ind., Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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Enter Dino Gregory. Exit James Padgett.

In Gregory's first game back after the eight game suspension, he ate up a rather outrageous 33 minutes. Jordan Williams saw his playing time shrink to just nine minutes as a result, but the real curiosity came in James Padgett's playing time; which is to say, the fact that he got none.

Yes, Padgett played a grand total of 0 minutes despite Gregory looking average at best and rather rusty. Gary likely wanted him out there because he's shorter and quicker, allowing him to better guard the players on the perimeter. But offensively he was average and he was a liablility on the boards - in 33 minutes, he had just 3 rebounds. Jordan had 5 in 9. Also, when Padgett was in, EKU switched up the offense and started attacking the middle, which was empty when Dino was present.

On the other side of that coin, when Williams was in they'd start attacking from outside, and he'd be a liability then.

So, the question is, why not use James Padgett? He's a good middle man between the size and strength of Williams and the speed of Gregory. He'd be able to stay with people on the perimeter and still provide a defensive presence on the inside if he needed to. He's a better rebounder than Gregory, and he hasn't looked lost at all.

Oh, and even Jin Soo Choi saw playing time. Yes, Choi was on the floor more than Padgett. I'll let that sink in.

Is Padgett slowly turning into Cliff Tucker? That's a snap judgement definitely - it was just one game. But it's something to keep track of as the season goes on. Maryland should use him and utilize their depth, not keep him on the bench.

Any thoughts on Padgett's lack of run yesterday?

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curious to be sure, but i don’t want to hear that kind of talk. it’s crazy talk.

by ivan24 on Dec 13, 2009 12:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Far too provocative a question at this stage

We are a team in transition that has to get ready for the ACC games while still winning these non-conference games. Gary can’t experiment too much. He has to build on these games while getting playing time for Dino and continuing the development of Jordan. Those are priorities and James has temporarily lost playing time. However, with all of this uncertainty, we don’t know what kind of team we will have as the season progresses. According to WaPo this morning, Greivis said that we are not a good transition team right now. He said we need to push the ball up the floor. That was a strength last year that created scoring opportunities for us and James runs the floor very well. Also, Dino and Jordan have a tendency to pick up cheap fouls. We just cannot tell how much James will play.

by wmterp on Dec 13, 2009 12:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Funny you mention that GV qoute

It’s very true though. Don’t be surprised if JW minutes go down now that Dino is back.

by ccrun1800 on Dec 13, 2009 5:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Opps Post Fail

GV was pretty much shouting for a smaller line up. I tend to agree that this team is much better the faster the tempo. Of course GV has to make his shots to warrant us playing his style more often.

by ccrun1800 on Dec 13, 2009 6:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It is curious...

I agree that Dino looked rusty. Physically, he’s fine, he just seemed to be out of position a lot defensively. Maybe Gary sort of came in determined to let Dino get as much PT as possible to get him back in the flow of things, since there’s now a 2-week break before another game. I don’t see how you can compare Padgett to Tucker, though, we’re just not to that point yet.

I also think the outrage over Choi getting 1 minute of PT is a little overblown. Choi is actually a pretty good defender, especially in the zone, despite his lack of strength and tendency to look awkward. I personally think he could play a much bigger role on next year’s team than most people seem to. Besides that, Gary immediately pulled him when he made a stupid turnover, and he didn’t see the floor again.

by jellisjenius on Dec 13, 2009 12:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs