SBNation.com User Blog: Loneytunes

Quick Quincey Question?

Loneytunes — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 06:07:26 -0000

Why does everyone hate Kyle Quincey so much? Yeah, I get we overpaid for him and he made a lot of mistakes last season. But I also recall being ridiculously upset when we got rid of him in the first place because he showed a bunch of potential. So really, I'm more mad at Ken Holland for getting rid of draft picks for a goddamn mulligan he never should have needed.

Points wise, both he and Ian White have underperformed compared to their career averages, but I have to imagine that will regress to the norm. Lets not forget that in the two seasons Quincey actually got a whole seasons worth of games in he's about a 30 point player, I doubt that's changed with more experience and talent around him. He was on pace for that when we traded for him, and I can understand how a change of playing philosophy would interrupt your vibe.

Lastly... the dude leads us in +/-. By, like, A LOT.

So why the hate? It seems to be lessening lately, but I still see a lot of people bitching about him, both here and in person. I don't get to watch too many games due to other commitments, but when I do I rarely have much to complain about aside from the odd huge mistake, which many players on this team are prone to make. I dunno, I just get more frustrated with Franzen, Bertuzzi, Cleary, Filppula, and Abdelkader than I EVER do with Quincey.

Lastly... the dude leads us in +/-. By, like, A LOT.

MSU ND Hockey Game Thread

Loneytunes — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 01:28:20 -0000

Game's halfway over, but there has to be someone else watching right now. If you aren't, it's on NBC SN right now and you should tune in. Because I miss hockey. A lot.

Okay since fanposts have to be a certain length... the game has so far been relatively competitive. MSU has missed some solid chances, and they have a great shot to steal this game from ND in the Irish's house. Which is awesome, because screw Notre Dame. Also I haven't been following our hockey team terribly closely this year, but it seems like while Tom Anastos was a great player under Ron Mason, he makes some odd decisions strategy wise. I look him up and he has more time as CCHA commissioner than as an actual coach. I know Comley began to slip later in his career but I have to imagine that there were better choices to succeed two of the best college hockey coaches ever... We'll see, he's only had a season and a half, but I doubt our talent has slipped.

Anyways, that's enough words, let's post this ish.

Game's halfway over, but there has to be someone else watching right now. If you aren't, it's on NBC SN right now and you should tune in. Because I miss hockey. A lot.

Anyways, that's enough words, let's post this ish.

Michigan State Football Isn't Going Away

Loneytunes — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 12:40:14 -0000

Michigan State Football Isn't Going Away

Our own Chris Vannini is moving up in the world. Sniff, they grow up so fast.

Rexrode Wrap Up and Projections for 2012

Loneytunes — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 18:52:03 -0000

Rexrode Wrap Up and Projections for 2012

Interesting bit from Rexrode. He covers his projected lineup for next year, which as he says is plenty open for debate. Most interesting tidbit is that he has Trice starting with Appling at shooting guard. Also he has UM above us assuming Burke stays, which even so I disagree with, but I'm also pretty biased.

This'll get you pumped for Friday if you aren't yet Spartans!

Loneytunes — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 05:08:36 -0000

This'll get you pumped for Friday if you aren't yet Spartans!

Has Michigan Passed Michigan State in Basketball?

Loneytunes — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 23:29:37 -0000

Has Michigan Passed Michigan State in Basketball?

According to Detroit Sports personality Pat Caputo they have. Anyone in the area who listens to 97.1 The Ticket should also know that Mike Valenti vehemently disagrees.

Really good podcast worth listening to, where Valenti pretty definitively proves MSU's continued reign on top.

Every Team in Illinois is Having a Down Year

Loneytunes — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 23:11:10 -0000

Every Team in Illinois is Having a Down Year

But that's not why I'm posting this, although it's definitely a great CBB article and worth the read. Really the thing that irked me was a short sentence:

"But if you had a tournament including all 17 of Tom Izzo’s teams in East Lansing, would this one even get out of the first round? I doubt it."

Really? Frankly yes this team would make it out of the first round. Is this really how people view State, as a fluke? Or is this one Chicago writer just misguided?

Well either way, I know and you should know that this team would easily beat up on last years team, 2002, 03, 04, 06, 07, 08 and 10.

Ranking Izzos Tenure - Bleacher Report

Loneytunes — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:50:06 -0000

Ranking Izzos Tenure - Bleacher Report

Bleacher Report ranks 13 of Izzo's 15 seasons from worst to best. Guess which is last? Guess which is first? Thats the easy part, the fun is in the inbetween. This is really thorough, a great read and if you aren't feeling good about MSU sports already this'll get you going.

Spartans Hungry With Basketball Season Approaching

Loneytunes — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:50:08 -0000

Spartans Hungry With Basketball Season Approaching

Preview article from the State News. Anyone else getting super revved for this season to start?

Michigan State a 10 Seed

Loneytunes — Thu, 12 May 2011 03:49:22 -0000

Michigan State a 10 Seed

I'm a little confused why after losing no one to the draft and adding a 15 PPG guard in Brandon Wood we actually went DOWN in the seeding. Whatever, I take everything Lunardi says with a grain of salt especially after the debacle that were his last predictions.

Lucious to Transfer

Loneytunes — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 03:42:20 -0000

Lucious to Transfer

Following in Chris Allen's footsteps. Iowa State apparently is the Michigan to our West Virginia. Except they get players instead of garbage coaches. Whatever.

Facebook Group to Bring Back the Old State Jerseys

Loneytunes — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 09:46:12 -0000

Facebook Group to Bring Back the Old State Jerseys

I think the title explains it. Join up Only Colors! We need support to get rid of these awful Spartans jerseys. Take a cue from the silver uniforms...

Hey Joe - Caution to the Wind

Loneytunes — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 21:33:39 -0000

Hey Joe - Caution to the Wind

I assume everyone who frequents this site also regularly visits Rexrode's blog. Either way, this is interesting to people in a tizzy after the Syracuse... actually I'm still not ready to talk about it.

New Developments in Alleged Sexual

Loneytunes — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 16:55:56 -0000

New Developments in Alleged Sexual

The information in this article, and released in the transcript and statement (all of which can be found online as well) pretty much ensure that charges will not be pressed since the sex has been confirmed as consensual and not rape. So don't expect any punishment towards the two still unnamed players.

Sexual Abuse Accusations

Loneytunes — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 17:20:09 -0000

I hate doing this, but I have a very strong opinion on the recent allegations against the two unnamed MSU players, and since comments on the story are closed I'd like to use this as a sounding board. Like in the Only Colors original post on this subject please refrain from speculation (despite the fact that most people on campus pretty much know who the players are) and any inappropriate comments since this is a very touchy topic.

First off, the original story can be found here. If you are unfamiliar with the case please read it and LVS's original post just to get some perspective.

In the comments page of the original post many people demanded dismissal from the team and assumed that the two players did in fact commit rape, which is one of the worst crimes possible. What's being either forgot or dismissed is the fact that the affidavit and the alleged victim were looked over by two prosecutors (both female by the way) who advised not to prosecute.

Why? Because in the corraborated chain of events both of them determined that the victim:

She [the victim] fully understood and agreed

The prosecutor ran a mock-questioning of the victim as well, asking legitimate questions like:

...whether or not it was possible the perpetrators thought the activity was consensual, why she didn't yell and scream and why she didn't run or try and fight her way out of the room.

On top of this there is a witness to the crime, the players' suite-mate who upon questioning stated:

he heard a woman "moaning" and said it sounded like she was having sex "and was not in any trouble."

When another person enters a room whilst a woman is being raped, logic may dictate that the woman would signal to the person that she was in trouble. On top of this she was in a dormitory, and as I think everyone who has ever lived in a dorm would agree, any screams for help or sounds of struggle would eventually be heard.

I'm not trying to blame the victim. I think that she was most certainly taken advantage of in her drunken state. However in the player's account which was confirmed by the victim, after he stopped engaging in sexual activity due to her wishes, the other player coaxed her back into it. I know for a fact that it is at times very easy to convince a drunk person to do something they wouldn't otherwise do had they been sober. However the word coax is not a synonym for "forced".

In conclusion I think the real deal breaker here is that two prosecutors feel this case is not worth prosecuting. Two. I think the victim feels wronged, and in the players statement he feels they "disrespected" her. The presence of alcohol and the mixed signals that seem to have been sent from both sides make this case nearly impossible to try. Depending on your moral standpoint two players "tag teaming" a drunk girl may be reprehensible, however to this humble writer it seems more like a night of drunken copulation that went wrong. I think in cases like this you have to look at both sides and find the correct middle ground, and that's it for me. I don't think she's making it up like in the Duke Lacrosse or Kobe Bryant case but I don't think these players are thugs who enjoy forcing themselves upon young women.

So what should the players punishment be? Nothing. Unless charges are filed and they are found guilty the team should not punish the players seeing how they are innocent until proven guilty. I do think Izzo should let these two know that they are on a tight leash however.

Blast away at my stance, but please remember to keep it clean and not speculate or be offensive.

Did Allen's Departure Hurt THAT much?

Loneytunes — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 06:49:17 -0000

While reading up on the latest from Gary Harris I stumbled upon a related story on rivals.com that has really riled me up. The question this article asks is: Can MSU win the Big Ten without Chris Allen? The basic consensus from the experts answering was: Ehhhh, maybe. In fact one of them went so far as to say that losing Allen pushes the Spartans from a top 3 team to a top 15 team.

I'm sorry, but I frankly don't think that Chris Allen is the difference between being a contender and a pretender. Why? Find out my esteemed opinion after the jump.

First off lets look at this from a statistical standpoint. Allen's 2009-10 stats are below:

25.5 minutes per game
8.2 points per game
2.8 rebounds per game
2.0 assists per game
39.8 3pt FG %

The most pressing issue would be Allen's offensive contributions. Obviously Allen was lights out from the arc and 8.2 points, although not superstar numbers, is nothing to sneeze at. In fact that 8 points is very important, seeing how the Spartans average margin of victory WAS 8 points last year. Couple Allens 8 points with Raymar Morgans 11.3 PPG and you've dug quite the hole. But, obviously then you have to factor in the two things:

A.) There are 3 stellar incoming freshmen in Payne, Appling and Byrdwho will play significant minutes (and one we aren't sure about yet in Gauna). By comparing them to similar players in their freshman years we can estimate that they will easily produce by conservative measures something close to 12-13 points a game(If you want specifics here they are: Appling 5 ppg, Payne 5 ppg and Byrd 3 ppg).

B.) Derrick Nix and/or Garrick Shermanshould develop into a bigger role. These guys are the only true centers we have, and unlike last year where one of them started and was promptly pulled for Draymond Green, expect them to actually stay in the game and contribute. Each averaged around 2 points in about 7 minutes a game. Assuming that each role doubles at the least (which should be easy since with Allen and Morgan gone MSU is missing 52.7 minutes a game) and neither has an increase in productivity, they still will be averaging 4.2 more points a gamecollectively. Add that to the frosh points and the gap is pretty much filled points wise. However it would be incredibly pessimistic and disappointing to think that these two players will only be in for 14 minutes at a time AND their productivity will stay that low. Expect something closer to having one or the other averaging more like 22 minutes and the other 15 a game, with averages around about 12 points collectively. (At this point its hard to foresee who will come out more developed and effective, although my money's on Nix if he continues losing weight.)

So right there you've made up the point total. Of course points aren't all that matters. Allen's 2 assists will be missed, he was fourth on the team in assists, but Appling is an excellent passer and Lucious will be seeing increased time, so that should be made up as well. Really the only thing Allen brings offensively that I cant really see being made up for is his 3 point percentage, which was ridiculously high at basically 40%. But even if no one will shoot that next year, MSU does bring in Byrd who is a 3 point specialist and should easily average in the 35-37 range. Add on the fact that Lucas and Summers both averaged 35%and that Lucious, who was also considered a 3 point shooter during recruitment, had an off year shooting wise at nearly 32% and will probably even out around the 34% range next year, and you still have plenty of effectiveness around the arc.

So, lets move on to Defense. Allen was almost definitely the Spartans most effective perimeter defender last year. But its not going to be missed as much as you might think dear reader. Undoubtedly, Travis Walton'sbiggest contribution in his four years was his defensive prowess. Yet after his departure the 3 point percentage of Spartan opponents only increased by 2%. Yes that two points can hurt, but don't expect a similar jump now that Allen is gone. For one thing, Allen is nowhere near the impact player on defense that Walton was. At the most expect maybe a 1% jump. And remember, Izzo isn't going to let his team not play defense. They will pick up the slack. And its not like Allen was forcing many turnovers either by the way, he averaged 0.4 steals per game. Defensive verdict? MSU will miss his defense, but should easily be able to recover.

Now onto Intangibles. The guy was kicked off the team. He was a rising senior who was a significant piece on two final four teams and was kicked off the team. Logic dictates that his dismissal is an immediate plus in terms of team chemistry. Izzo talked about him not being as good a teammate as expected. We can only speculate what that means, but this much is for sure: Allen's absence should be one less distraction on a team that was full of mental issues last year. Another thing to look at is that Allen was experienced in Izzo's system as well as Big Ten play. That experience will be missed, but its not like the incoming players wont be able to figure Izzos system out.

So, looking at the big picture does Allen's departure hurt State THAT much? No. It stings, its a shame and he was a good player, but losing Allen doesn't take away MSU's FinalFour expectations. Especially because in his tourney history, the only game I can think of where Allen was a significant factor was in his freshman year, in the Sweet 16 against Memphis when the game was lost in the first 5 minutes. His NCAA career PPG was 5.7, and his 2010 tourney average was 2.8 ppg (although granted he was injured).

Another thing that the Rivals article said was that without Allen the Spartans wont be able to top Purdue. Purdue is already a loaded team, that's for sure. But their recruiting class is no where near as impactful (or just plain good overall) as States. On top of that, you want to talk about losing a defender? Purdue lost Chris Kramer. Kramer was a huge glue guy for that team who did a little bit of everything. Without him Purdue loses a leader and its prime defender. On top of that Purdue lost Keaton Grant as well. The loss of them is comparable to that of Allen and Morgan, but the key difference is that Purdue didn't and doesn't have the depth to replace them as easily as MSU does. In fact speaking of depth, that may be the biggest hole Allen created: less depth on a very deep roster (remember this is the team that can win tourney games while throwing out walk-ons).

So, in conclusionafter a very long article (which I hope the Only Colors community has enough attention span to read through) losing Allen hurts. But it does not and should not knock the Spartans out of a preseason top 5 ranking. The competition in the Big Ten was always going to be rough with Purdue and OSU this year both also being top 5 teams. But MSU still has just as good a chance as they do to win the Big Ten, and a Final Four should still be expected.

Poll

How does Allen's departure affect MSUs Big Ten and Postseason chances?

They wont be able to win the Big Ten, but should still make a Final Four run

10 votes

They will be a sweet 16 team at best

7 votes

They will still win the Big Ten and make the Final Four

60 votes

They will win it all

64 votes

141 votes | Poll has closed

Why isn't State recruiting Branden Dawson

Loneytunes — Thu, 20 May 2010 03:14:47 -0000

MSU already has verbal commitments from Dwaun Anderson and Brandon Kearney for the class of 2011. Kearney looks solid but not a star, and Anderson as of now seems like he'll peak at maybe 10 ppg. MSU is also heavily pursuing Amir Williams and Mike Chandler, both of whom are stud centers. That's great and I hope State gets one of them (personally I prefer Chandler, he as a good back to the basket game and is a better defender than Williams who is pretty soft).

But aside from Anderson, who is going to replace Chris Allen and Durrell Summers on the wing? Russell Byrd? No, he's more an A.J. Granger type. Kearney or Kieth Appling? No they are better as a two guard.

The point is, look at State's final four teams in the past decade of the Izzo era: 2000, 2001, 2005, 2008 and 2009. What is the common unifying factor? It isn't a dominant center like Hutson, Randolph, Davis or Suton as proved by last year since 2009's best inside post threat was a 6 foot 6 man by the name of Draymond Green. It wasn't rock solid point guard play since although Cleaves, Bell and Lucas (in 2008) were studs, look at the tandem of Neitzel and Hill in 2005, pretty shakey. And of course the mercurial Lucious last year.

No, the unifying factor is dominant wing play. 2000 has Morris Peterson. 2001, Jason Richardson. 2005, Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown. 2008 and 2009 have Durrell Summers on fire. Well do you really think that Dwaun Anderson is the difference maker that will lead to a championship?

MSU is at the point where it should be (and does) competing for a championship every year. And I know this is looking way ahead, but 2011-12 won't be one of those years without a wing threat, because theres still no bona fide inside difference maker since Roe is always injured, Nix still is too fat, Sherman hasn't shown too much and Payne may end up a one and done. Lucious will start at point that year most likely and he's no Cleaves, let alone Lucas, Neitzel or Bell. Theres some solid guards and I think the big men will develop nicely and MSU will certainly be good. But the player they need is Branden Dawson. This kid is Durell on steroids minus the attitude issues. High flying, bug hustle and great all around skills.

Watch this video and voice off your opinion. Am I being too panicky too early? Is there someone besides Dawson who is the answer and am I underestimating Anderson and Kearney?

Branden Dawson Video

Watch this video and voice off your opinion. Am I being too panicky too early? Is there someone besides Dawson who is the answer and am I underestimating Anderson and Kearney?

Branden Dawson Video

Poll

Does MSU need an dominant wing to be succesful?

Yes

48 votes

No

13 votes

Depends on the year

28 votes

89 votes | Poll has closed