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12 years 2 months
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I'll be heading from Boston; looking for four tickets. Would be greatly appreciated.

My thoughts exactly

I don't know how you could watch THJR over the past three years and not see his intensity.  I was really confused by that part of the post.

This.

If people don't like Dakich's delivery/attitude, that's one thing.  But to say that he has some anti-Michigan bias is ridiculous.  He loves Beilein and frequently mentions that Beilein's coaching job at West Virginia is the best he's ever seen.  The only time that I can remember him unfairly criticizing Michigan was during the whole GRIII punch incident, which made Dakich look bad (he refused to admit that he was wrong even after the conclusive second camera angle was released.)  Other than that, he calls it as he sees it.  I like it; I'd rather have my announcers approach each game with a fresh perspective than have them compliment certain players based on past performances.  Bob Knight is the best at this because he rarely knows much about the teams that he's watching, so he often sees the players for what they are (in that game) rather than what they are supposed to be.

Praise for Brian and Co.

I posted about a year ago on the site, and I was critical of the basketball coverage on MGoBlog.  Just wanted to say that over the past 6 months or so I've noticed an increase in both the amount of bball coverage and the quality of it.  Ace has really added to the site's coverage of the sport, and I like that a nuanced analysis of the game (Ace's inside the play posts) is becoming commonplace.  While I tend to think KenPom is a somewhat lazy way to view the game, I understand its value and enjoy when it is used in addition to "eye-test" methods.  Keep up the good work, Brian and company.

Brian owes me nothing

Couldn't agree more.  I just offered a way to improve the site.  If it was only my opinion, I wouldn't have posted.

You are right...

Which is why I responded to somebody above with more specificity.  Argument was about hiring somebody else like Dylan, not me.  Either way, I could have been more specific.

Ohio

is a great basketball recruiting state.  Diebler, Buford, Sibert, Sullinger, Mullens, Koufos were all from the state, so it might not be too hard to keep them close to home.

Having said that, Amir Williams' recruitment seemed sketchy.  For a long time it seemed like he was either coming here or going to Duke.  O$U wasn't even in the picture, and then he committed there.  That was a tough one to figure out.

Agree

I came off pompous, which was my fault.  Even though I believe that I have more bball knowledge, there's no way for me to prove that in an Internet forum, and that wasn't why I posted.  I just replied to somebody above about how I was trying to point out that Brian's word on bball shouldn't be taken as gospel.  If people are reading both UMHoops and MGoBlog, then Brian can post away.  I'm just worried that that's not happening.  Having said that, wouldn't it be best/financially beneficial to consolidate the two sites?

Anyways, two off-the-top-of-my-head criticisms of a larger, big picture nature--

1. Brian's suggestion that mid-way through last year that Hardaway should stop shooting (clearly a mistake, Hardaway recruited based on his shooting ability, went on to be a huge factor in our tourney run)

2. The lack of support for Beilein up until the team went on a run at the end of last year, undeniably one of the game's top tacticians (Top 5 if you believe Coach K) and one of the most ethical men in the game.  This last point might seem subjective, but given Brian's respect for RR's timeline implementing the spread and his expectation that Michigan's resources could turn RR into an even more successful coach than at WV, I was surprised he ignored this same rationale for Coach B.

You don't have to agree--I know many people at UMich right now echo my opinions about this site's bball coverage.  But then again, this site is for alumni, high school students, etc., so by no means do I want to speak for them or all Michigan students.  The Board has spoken, and Brian shall continue.

Good

As long as people read UMHoops as well, then it doesn't matter to me if they read Brian.  My point was basically that Brian's football writing is at such a high level that many people probably take his hoops knowledge as gospel, too.  UMHoops does a great job of balancing the statistical side of things with intangibles and offers different viewpoints than Brian, so if people are reading both, that's great.

Well-played,

But what's your counter-argument?

Yes...

But he doesn't really understand the nuances of the game like he does with football.  It's why his football writing is compelling--he can create incredible comparisons/metaphors because he possesses the utmost knowledge of the sport.  Most people can produce KenPom stats (which are flawed, but that's another argument) and offer opinions about basketball.  All I'm saying is that the site could be taken to another level if the basketball writing was better. (By the way, I agree with the "wit," which is what I was trying to say when I said that I respected him as a writer.)

Also, I'm confused about "flamebait."  I offered a suggestion for the site and made it pretty clear that I was a fan of the vast majority of Brian's work.

Brian and Basketball Coverage

Brian, I love the site--its football coverage has changed the way I watch the game.  But PLEASE stop writing about basketball.  I'm sure you've tried to hire Dylan away (or if you haven't, you should.)  I know that you recognize that basketball isn't your area of expertise, and I also know that many of the people on the board are only casual fans, but there are some diehard bball fans (like myself) that frequent the site regularly and are incredibly disappointed with the way you cover the sport.

I guess what bothers me the most is that many of the inaccurate and ridiculous points that you make in basketball game recaps/previews are similar to the baseless football comments made by many media outlets.  You criticize those outlets to no end, yet you leave yourself vulnerable to the same criticism regarding basketball.  As the preeminent Michigan blog, MGoBlog deserves better basketball coverage.  It's a shame that this is my first post because I do love the site and most of its content, and I respect Brian as a writer, but I just think it's time for a change in its basketball coverage.