Leaving for all that Greene?

It's probably, no, it's definitely too early to ask. But, being in the rush I am to get to next season, I thought it would be constructive. And before you get on my back harder than Doug Nottlieb on Jimmy B's, let me say I'm not giving up on this season. Three to four more wins and I think this team is in great shape to make the tourney. I just want a healthy team. The team we all know could be on the floor if it weren't for Canada and the state of Tennessee. But, I polled the bleeding readers, and it's pretty much split right down the middle. Donte is making it real hard to tell if we can start bragging about our 08-09 top-10 talent, or our 08-09 "imagine how good they would be if Greene weren't a Milwaukee Buck" team.

Personally, and what the hell do I know? I haven't played competitive basketball in months, the highest level I've played at is pick-up games against some D-III players, and my jumpshot only resembles Preston Shumpert's until it matters... his went in, mine don't. But, I have watched this team my whole life. I've watched NBA talent come in and out of the Dome over the past couple decades. Greene is one of the best (ESPN's Pat Forde currently has him ranked #6 on a mock draft board), but I think another year in school will do him, and his game, A LOT of good. Plus, and call me selfish, I want another NCAA title. Here's my take on D.Greene.

First, he's got a great shot for his size. An unbelieveable shot. But he relies on it too much. He's got some moves in the low-post, and what appears to be a great face-you-up or fade-away jumper. He can score in a variety of ways, but he often is too busy doing an imitation of J.J. Redick.

Second, he's a rather poor rebounder for his size. There's only one player I've seen at Syracuse that was as purely talented as Greene is, more so in fact, and his name is Carmelo Anthony (pause here for common recollections of nets being cut down and trophies being hoisted). Melo was great for many reasons. Besides the fact he could pretty much score at will, he also pretty much got rebounds at will. We all remember the road win that year at ND where Melo got the winning tip-in. A lot of his greatness was his work on the glass. Melo averaged 10 boards a game, and he was 6'8". Greene is 6'11". Greene does have some excuses because of the zone D, but again, he should spend more time working the glass and less time watching from the perimeter.

He's not a great ball handler. It is tough to be one at his height, but ball handling doesn't necissarily mean bringing the ball up the floor. Most of the time it just means taking care of it. That can mean either not turning it over, or ensuring a good shot is being taken on offense.

His D is, for lack of a better term, weak. I see most of his motivation on the offensive side of the ball, he is often in foul trouble due to poor decisions or poor man-to-man fundamentals, and he's playing primarily zone. In the Association, he'll be manning up against guys like Tim Duncan and Dwight Howard. Gulp.

He's got to get stronger, with the ball and without it. He has to learn how to hold his ground on the low block, and how to power through defenders without drawing a charge call. He's long, lean, and can jump through the roof. A little more strength is the only thing missing from his impressive physical make-up. I mean that in a strictly, totally straight way.

This may seem like I'm bashing Donte's game a bit. Perhaps I am. But in the long run, 2-15 against UConn might have been the best thing for SU Hoops. His game is as good as anyone's who's come over the hill, through the dome, and off to the NBA (except Melo, of course). I want to see him stay because I want to see him improve. I want to see this team improve. But mostly, I want to see the entire team together, with everyone healthy and with everyone having a year of experience under their belt. Just imagine the possibilities....