Coach Beilein: The 30 second shot clock has impacted the offense

Submitted by Erik_in_Dayton on

I don't know how to embed a tweet, but it's in the Twitter timeline of MLive's Brendan Quinn.

https://twitter.com/BFQuinn

Coach Beilein said it's too late to fix it this year and that he'll look at it over the offseason.

I think this is interesting/worth posting b/c it gives us a specific reason why the offense is struggling.  And it makes sense, because Michigan's offense even at its best has been efficient but not about running and gunning.

 

EDIT: Coach Beilein was likely offering this as a reason for the offense's struggles but not an excuse. Do you really know him as an excuse-maker? 

Wolverine Devotee

March 8th, 2016 at 10:23 AM ^

I completely agree and dreaded it when it was announced.

We were at our best when we could grind out 30-second possessions and have them end in a bucket. 

smcdani

March 8th, 2016 at 10:32 AM ^

I assume you're joking?  Our offense is shoot a long three 10 seconds into shot clock or one person stand and dribble for 27 seconds, then shoot a long 3 contested.  We lack talent all around.

Yo_Blue

March 8th, 2016 at 10:24 AM ^

They really need to get into their sets quicker.  There is too much dribbling and no apparent sense of urgency as the shot clock winds down.  Coach B will fix it.

ijohnb

March 8th, 2016 at 10:30 AM ^

for the remainder of this year, however long it may be, they should just run and gun.  The offense is broken right now, just go Loyola Marymount for the rest of the year.  It actually is the only way I see us being Indiana because they are going to run up and down the court whether we want to or not.  Might as well go down swinging.

ThatGuyCeci

March 8th, 2016 at 10:25 AM ^

Seems like a cop out from Beilein.  The real reason the offense has struggled is because he recruited a bunch of shooters and not enough athletes.  The team often stands around looking for someone to make a play and forgets they have to move without the ball.

lbpeley

March 8th, 2016 at 10:27 AM ^

Add that to the apologists' long line of excuses. Although this one would be the most mind boggling. The new rule didn't sneak up on anybody. Do they not practice tempo?

lbpeley

March 8th, 2016 at 10:53 AM ^

The Beilein Can Do No Wrong apologists will use it  along with their injury and past success excuses. 

Beilein should have adjusted and didn't. And this is A-OK with his defenders. It boggles the mind that some people can't even entertain the thought that just maybe he's hit his peak and is on the way down. Sure, he's a hell of a good man. He did bring us 2 great seasons out of 9. That does not mean he can continue on until he wants to retire no matter his record. He has to sustain that success.

In reply to by ijohnb

lbpeley

March 8th, 2016 at 11:23 AM ^

I started out weeks ago by saying he needs to improve next year or he needs to be replaced. Basically his seat is hot this year and better fix it next or he's gone. There were quite a lot of other posters like me. Then there were the posters saying he needs to go this year. Of course you had the group that wants him forever no matter what.

Much like in politics, it quickly became one was either pro Beilein no matter what or fire his ass now. There was no middle ground. Insults and us vs them is pretty much all it is now. I'm just as guilty of that as anyone. 

It's hard to quantify what the criteria should be for him to earn a 2017-18. There's been a lot mentioned of the listless and heartless play this year. Guys looking lost or just checked out. My stab at something intangible is his seat should be red hot and if he doesn't make the tourney with breathing room next year and tanks on recruiting AGAIN he should be shown the door. I'd love to say get at least a tourney win too but there's just so much odd shit that can happen with that. No more blowouts to teams with a pulse. No more slow starts and several minute stretches without a bucket in damn near every game. Inbound the gotdamm ball effectively for once. Maybe try some defense.

MileHighWolverine

March 8th, 2016 at 11:45 AM ^

I don't follow BBall much so forgive the ignorance but, is there an obvious choice for replacement? Are there good up and coming coaches that could potentially replace him, with confidence, or would we be rolling the dice?

 

wayneandgarth

March 8th, 2016 at 12:52 PM ^

The criteria to remain coach for '17-'18?  For me, it is similar to how Justice Potter Stewart defined porn.  "I can't define porn, but I know it when I see it". 

After the Manuel watches next year's B-ball squad, he'll know what his decision should be.

Space Coyote

March 8th, 2016 at 11:44 AM ^

Throwing around "Beilein apologists" rather lightly around here. There are a lot of people that believe Beilein should be around for at least another year. All of them get degatorily called "Beilein apologists", because one must be an apologist if they feel that he deserves another year.

I've seen very, very few people that saw Beilein is above fault. I have seen people believe there are other reasons that the past couple years haven't worked out as hoped. The people that want Beilein fired call them excuses, the people that don't call them reasons. I think it's semantics. But it doesn't make them any less real. The debate isn't whether those excuses/reasons are real, it's the severity of the excuse/reasons.

I'm of the belief that he deserves another season, and I get lumped in with the apologists because of it. I feel people complain about his offense despite the fact that the offense is still top 30 in the nation and is just a couple seasons removed from being one of the best ever. People snidely remark when anything bad happens on offense "I thought he was supposed to be an offensive genious" as if the events of a couple years ago didn't exist. And then claim that it was some magical recruiting class, apparently the best recruiting class ever, that was the reason for its success. It wasn't. Beilein has objectively put out much better offenses than the skill implies it should. 

The issue here is defense, 100%. An average defense and this offense is more than good enough. Bringing up the offense is just trying to pile on with insults that aren't really credible. Can he fix the defense so that it can compliment the offense or not? I feel he deserves another year to try. Others don't because they don't see the evidence that it'll make enough difference. Those are arguments I can understand, even if I disagree. But from my point of view, it's the people on the side of wanting him fired that are taking it to a much greater extreme than the "apologists". The "apologists" know that everything isn't perfect. The "apologists" are stating their opinion on what is best for the program. The fact that they get chided for an justifiable opinion is stupid.

I'd also argue saying he provided "2 great seasons out of 9" is misleading. He lead Michigan back the NCAA tournament when others could not, including someone who has had success elsewhere (and he did it before we start arguing about how much the facilities renovations meant). He won two B1G titles, one by 3 games. He made the finals and another elite 8. I'd argue that's 3 great seasons and 5 good seasons, particularly given the circumstances. And I really wouldn't lump much on a first year coach trying to incorporate a complex system, so really, to me, it's 5 good seasons in 8 years. The trend needs to be turned around by next year, in my opinion, for him to stick around.

Stringer Bell

March 8th, 2016 at 12:08 PM ^

Next year he's gonna have a team full of upperclassmen. That's what a lot of people say is all he needs to have a good season. He better be competing for a Big Ten title and making the second weekend of the tourney to make up for missing the postseason completely last year and likely missing the tourney this year. Another year like this past one and he needs to go. A year where he makes the tourney and loses in the first weekend and the hard questions need to be asked.

pescadero

March 8th, 2016 at 12:13 PM ^

"An average defense and this offense is more than good enough."

I'm not sure a great Beilein offense and an average defense aren't mutually exclusive.

 

"Can he fix the defense so that it can compliment the offense or not?"

I sure hope he can, but years upon years of evidence aren't good.

 

"I'd argue that's 3 great seasons and 5 good seasons, particularly given the circumstances."

 

I'd call it one great season (2012), 3 good seasons (2008, 2010, 2013), 1 mediocre season (2011), and  3 bad seasons (2007, 2009, 2014).

 

This season will end somewhere between medicore and bad.

 

 

pescadero

March 8th, 2016 at 1:21 PM ^

Then it isn't a realistic criteria for program expectations

 

I have no expectations that a program will have a great year regularly. If they did - it wouldn't be great.

 

If amount of great seasons is defined this way then Beilein is in good shape for that criteria

If you believe having 4/8 years be good/great and 3/8 years be bad is in "good shape" - then we have significantly different expectations for what MBB can achieve.

Tom Izzo: 13/20 good/great seasons, 2/20 bad seasons

Bo Ryan: 12/14 good/great seasons, 0/14 bad seasons

Thad Matta: 7/11 good/great seasons,1/11 bad seasons (and their bad season was an NIT championship)

 

pescadero

March 8th, 2016 at 2:26 PM ^

Bad seasons are worse than great seasons are good.

Beilein has had more bad seasosn in 8 years than Izzo in 20, Ryan in 12, or Matta in 11.

 

Obviously, Tom Izzo and Bo Ryan have had more success to date. No one is arguing otherwise.

A lot of folks sure seem to be arguing that they shouldn't be our benchmark for acceptable and we should just be happy with what we have. We shouldn't.

 

...and "to date"? Beilein historically underperforms them, his current trend line is worse, and he's OLDER than all of them. Looking to the future all of those coaches will be further ahead of Beilein.

uncle leo

March 8th, 2016 at 12:49 PM ^

They are tied for 140th in PPG.

Yeah, the defense is horrible, but the offense matches them equally. It's watch Walton dribble the hell out of the ball, pass to Doyle at the top, he turns his back to someone and shovels it off. Repeat, shoot a garbage shot.

The entire team, effort, offense, defense, coaching, was crap this season.

Space Coyote

March 8th, 2016 at 2:06 PM ^

So it's just the facts. They score the 28th most points per 100 possessions in the country, regardless of what my eye's tell me. But their tempo is 276th. They are still highly efficient though. Your eye test is likely biased based on your dissatisfaction with the program and what we have become accustomed to seeing from Michigan's offense.

On the flip side, their non-tempo adjusted defense is 62nd. This explains why you use tempo adjusted efficiency as a better measure. This is far from the 62nd best defense in the country. But 132nd? Yeah, I can believe that. That's why Kenpom says.

smcdani

March 8th, 2016 at 2:15 PM ^

Thats why KenPom is just ridiculous.  His stats are meaningless.  To use his stats to justify anything is pointless.  Their offense is bad.  They cant shoot, they miss layups, etc.  I'm sure "KenPom" takes into account the Minny's and Youngstown St's of the world too.  When we play good teams, like RichRod, our offense sucks.

Space Coyote

March 8th, 2016 at 2:29 PM ^

So it adjusts down when playing bad teams and adjusts up when playing good teams. And it's the same for all other teams, which play both good and bad teams alike. And the vast majority of those teams performed better against worse teams than against better teams. It's not a perfect method, but it's the best we have. It's far better than PPG.

If you're argument is "this offense could be better", then no one is disagreeing with you. Making layups, reducing turnovers, shooting more consistently would all help Michigan's offense be better. Michigan's offense wasn't great, like it was in previous years; it was still good. Just not good or consistent enough to make up for a terrible defense.