Call me crazy, but....

[typeviic]

did CMP use 'sandbag' tactics by keeping Colvin and Heide from playing key minutes in the regular season. All of a sudden in the last 2 games, you have 2 players that change the dynamic of the team that scouting reports do not show. Think about it. Opponent coaching staffs have all the regular season film that do not show the athleticism of those 2. Lets face it. It's a very different Purdue team than we were used to seeing in the regular season. Again, call me crazy.

 

[boilerzz]

You’re crazy! 😎

But seriously, coach Painter does what he thinks is best to win every single game. There is no holding guys back who are ready.

 

[Tommaker]

did CMP use 'sandbag' tactics by keeping Colvin and Heide from playing key minutes in the regular season. All of a sudden in the last 2 games, you have 2 players that change the dynamic of the team that scouting reports do not show. Think about it. Opponent coaching staffs have all the regular season film that do not show the athleticism of those 2. Lets face it. It's a very different Purdue team than we were used to seeing in the regular season. Again, call me crazy.

All right, you're crazy.

Interesting theory. The guys also have had another 5 months to develop, both physically and with their game, so that's probably helped.

 

[Chi-Boiler]

Yeah I don't buy the theory, and the average fan wouldn't think anything of it. They probably think those 2 have been regular contributors all season. We know better.

 

[Jaycee79]

I don't think CMP would do that. But it is a good conspiracy theory. Just like my thoughts about his substitution pattern in the Big 10 championship game. He wanted to have Sunday off.

 

[BoilerNGold013]

No I don't. We are fortunate Colvin has figured out the defensive end to a point where he is at least average on off ball defense. That is why he can be on the floor more. For Heide, he has gotten more and more trust since the Rutgers game in Mackey.

What I will say is that Painter is going full offensive destruction mode with rotations for the first time all year and I love it. No more Furst and Morton, who cant hit open shots, unless its victory formation time or there is major front court foul trouble in Furst's case only.

 

[JerseyBoiler]

Not sure about sandbagging but it's possible. What's obvious is Colvin and Heide have fresh legs and seem to be in peak condition. Maybe CMP realized Smith and Loyer were tired at the end of last year and he decided this year to not burn out our Freshmen.

 

[DrEss]

We all knew Heide could jump and rebound, but I was very happy to see Myles get under there and rip some rebounds. They both seem to play bigger than they are. Great infusion of energy and talent to our bench this March.

 

[rgarlitz]

Not sure about sandbagging but it's possible. What's obvious is Colvin and Heide have fresh legs and seem to be in peak condition. Maybe CMP realized Smith and Loyer were tired at the end of last year and he decided this year to not burn out our Freshmen.

Plus, it forces Gonzaga to prepare for more possibilities.

 

[BoilerAndy]

We all knew Heide could jump and rebound, but I was very happy to see Myles get under there and rip some rebounds. They both seem to play bigger than they are. Great infusion of energy and talent to our bench this March.

Beginning in the 2nd half of the B1G season, you could see the game-to-game progression for both. Colvin's was more obvious. Before that, you could see Heide working hard on defense, but oftentimes being out of position. Colvin did not appear to be working hard. The light came on. I would enjoy seeing a video compilation of him playing defense, beginning at the start of the season.

 

[New Pal Boiler]

Agree with all of the above.

Plus, maybe Morton is better suited for the “indoor rugby” played in the B1G, where he knows all the opponents having played against them before, whereas the 2 less physical, but more skilled and more athletic youngsters will flourish more in free flowing NCAA games where you are facing opponents who you don’t know, and who don’t know you ?

 

[Steve83]

did CMP use 'sandbag' tactics by keeping Colvin and Heide from playing key minutes in the regular season. All of a sudden in the last 2 games, you have 2 players that change the dynamic of the team that scouting reports do not show. Think about it. Opponent coaching staffs have all the regular season film that do not show the athleticism of those 2. Lets face it. It's a very different Purdue team than we were used to seeing in the regular season. Again, call me crazy.

There may not be a lot of film to analyze but in this Information age I suspect every coach in the country knows who and what every player on the opposing team is.

 

[FiveWeight]

Id been wondering all season if this was the way it might play out, and since it has I also suspect it may have been a tad intentional that these guys are particularly ready for more minutes right at tourney time. I don’t think this is part of Painter’s strategy that, if true, he would acknowledge so I don’t think it can ever be proven more than a hunch.

Scouting is not that easy during the tournament since there’s a lot of teams you have to be aware of. Last night Utah state’s power forward and primary scorer faked us out by pretending to set up for three and we bit even though he doesn’t shoot them. You can imagine how hard it would be to track 10 deep on the depth chart, especially if a few of them are barely even on your radar due to low season utilization. And maybe a opposing coaches might suspect this too, but then they have to decide who all to focus on in research and practice.

 

[Roeder]

Heide has been trending up for a while now IMO.

I think Myles just needed to sit on bench to learn about details, effort, role, etc. Credit to him for not sulking, listening to coaches, and being ready for his time. You don't notice him on defense anymore because he is where he's supposed to be. He's not thinking, but just playing hard because he knows and understands what to do.

Thankfully the light is coming on and Painter trusts him at the right time. His jump shot is so pure and will open thing up for the guys inside when he's on the court. Love to see him blocking shots and hitting the glass hard too.

 

[LousiBFree]

Notice that they started getting more playing time immediately following the death of Baron Jacob Rothschild! Coincidence???

 

[tjreese]

did CMP use 'sandbag' tactics by keeping Colvin and Heide from playing key minutes in the regular season. All of a sudden in the last 2 games, you have 2 players that change the dynamic of the team that scouting reports do not show. Think about it. Opponent coaching staffs have all the regular season film that do not show the athleticism of those 2. Lets face it. It's a very different Purdue team than we were used to seeing in the regular season. Again, call me crazy.

I don't think "sandbag" is the best wording, but think I understand the intent. We have all seen some improvement in the players in question. Looking back at the season and the success I'm sure Matt is fine with those two making a move now, having gone through the season. Actually, if the season was the same with them playing early with a main role or now, I'm sure Matt prefers now. If you can win without a certain player or two with possible higher ceiling, you can help them elevate their game by them watching...getting hungry and meeting the expectations of the coach. There are some real positives with a player or two capable of impacting a game peaking now instead of earlier. Sitting a kid on the bench to make a point even if the player on the bench is better...even if you lose a game can provide better results later on.

Here is a thought on Myles. A couple of games back when Myles went from getting no minutes to coming in the first half and then getting a few in the second as an early rotation and doing so the next game and what we see now...do we think it was night and day at that time of his first early rotation? I suspect Matt saw a move before his early rotation, even though we as fans didn't. Isn't it likely that Myles could have got a bit more time in the game before he was early in the rotation? That jump in rotation and key minutes was quite different than Cam's slower progression. Sandbagging probably not the correct word, but holding back some things until the time you seek is possible. Knight himself did that at times

 

[FiveWeight]

I’d like to revise my thoughts on this just a hair because I agree sandbagging isn’t quite the right term. It could just as easily (or more likely) be that Painter expedited Heidi and Colvin’s development to get them ready for this point in the season, though I do suspect either way the timing of when they got brought into the rotation beyond mopup duty was strategic. This could certainly be the answer to their tourney woes in past years.

 

[TMA62]

The bottom line is that Purdue is peaking during the tournament (Yay!!) and it is a multi-pronged threat to any team to defend.

Unlike the 'journalists' and on-line posters at Wal-Mart, Purdue is not just one guy who is "just tall" that makes up this team.

 

[tjreese]

I’d like to revise my thoughts on this just a hair because I agree sandbagging isn’t quite the right term. It could just as easily be that Painter expedited Heidi and Colvin’s development to get them ready for this point in the season, though I do suspect either way the timing of when they got brought into the rotation beyond mopup duty was strategic. This could certainly be the answer to their tourney woes in past years.

It is hard to parse the words correctly to state exactly the thoughts. I think Cam provided a need and was more ready earlier in the season than Myles. I think players typically improve over time and that doesn't have to be a continuous, constant equal spaced improvement over time, but I also don't think a large improvement happens in a couple of days "typically".

On the "surface" it doesn't make a lot of sense. That said I'm aware of it being done successfully with some nuances. Let's just hope Myles gets a bit more comfortable out of some rotations and such and elevates his game Friday.

 

[Lee3370]

All right, you're crazy.

Interesting theory. The guys also have had another 5 months to develop, both physically and with their game, so that's probably helped.

Just semantics, but i dont think Colvin and Heide needed to physically develop, both have the physical tools for the NBA, so college basketball even as freshman not the issue.

I was doubting CMP use of them earlier and boy I was so wrong. He developed them mentally got both ready to defend in the post season and take shots within the offensive flow. The offensive side is obvious, but both are so athletic and now that even Colvin is playing decent defense that its a completely different dynamic our bench has taken on.

We have the 6th man of the year and he is becoming our 2nd or 3rd best bench player. This is just outstanding coaching by CMP.

 

[TwinDegrees2]

Not sure about sandbagging but it's possible. What's obvious is Colvin and Heide have fresh legs and seem to be in peak condition. Maybe CMP realized Smith and Loyer were tired at the end of last year and he decided this year to not burn out our Freshmen.

They were not ready to play expanded minutes early in the year.

 

[Boiler BCT 93]

did CMP use 'sandbag' tactics by keeping Colvin and Heide from playing key minutes in the regular season. All of a sudden in the last 2 games, you have 2 players that change the dynamic of the team that scouting reports do not show. Think about it. Opponent coaching staffs have all the regular season film that do not show the athleticism of those 2. Lets face it. It's a very different Purdue team than we were used to seeing in the regular season. Again, call me crazy.

I have thought the same thing but know that Coach would not jeopardize any game to do that. They are sophomores now essentially with fresh legs

 

[tjreese]

Just semantics, but i dont think Colvin and Heide needed to physically develop, both have the physical tools for the NBA, so college basketball even as freshman not the issue.

I was doubting CMP use of them earlier and boy I was so wrong. He developed them mentally got both ready to defend in the post season and take shots within the offensive flow. The offensive side is obvious, but both are so athletic and now that even Colvin is playing decent defense that its a completely different dynamic our bench has taken on.

We have the 6th man of the year and he is becoming our 2nd or 3rd best bench player. This is just outstanding coaching by CMP.

Here is my recollection on Myles. He came in known as a shooter. Purdue used him to spot up in the corner for shots. His D on the ball and off left much to be desired. When he played he probably rivaled Zach in shots per possession as he was trying to play through his shooting touch. He didn't rebound, the ball stuck, and he slowed down Purdue's offense. Then we started seeing him in end of game and his on ball D had improved. The ball still stuck and he slowed down the offense and so Purdue continued to put him in the corner and not want him to handle the ball. He retained his on ball D improvement and although sometimes a step behind away from the ball his D overall was improving and "I believe" he was more a concern on offense. Still could be a spot shooter, but not part of the offense...just a player that could hold the help D on him a bit.

Now we actually see him having the ball in his hands and making quicker decisions on offense. He is now ingrained in the offense legitimately. He has also found the boards better than earlier in the year. He plays slower than than some and probably relies too much on his vertical on D, but he has taken a step forward on D both on the ball and off. He isn't going to be confused as a great defender either on his performance or positioning, but he has moved the needle. He can make shots and doesn't seem concerned with the moment. He is now ingrained as a player to see the court during key times and I hope Purdue benefits from his growth.

 

[LedZep17]

IKR, Who says Painter is 1 dimensional and predictable?😉

Agreed that Colvin has finally caught on to what Painter is wanting to see from a serviceable defensive role and his athleticism actually can make him an even better defender than even he prob imagined. I think we've only seen tip of the iceberg what he can do on defense with his agility and blocking.

A pleasant surprise for me is actually from Painter. I have noticed more and more that his confidence seems sky-high in what he's built for this year, and I really think it's translated to the team.

Don't get me wrong, Painter's never had a problem with confidence but he tended to have a quiet confidence before and be more professional about it and responding to media or storylines. Seems like now he doesn't hold back flexing his muscles when talking about this team or calling out the rubbish. He'll always respect the other team and give them their props, but he doesn't care if you don't like the identity he's built for this program. Despite what people may think, even some here, Painter's not afraid to tell you Purdue is a better team now and built to win in March.