A wise man once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results (His name was Albert). Never has this saying been more applicable. How a guy as competitive as Roy Williams can continually do the same thing after his team digs a big hole early with the starters each game, then gets back in it with the 2nd team, completely baffles me. Does he not see the trend here? We spot the opponent a solid 10 points early each game, putting added pressure on ourselves later when we are forced to fight back from behind. One thing a young team definitely doesn't need more of is pressure. Why give the opponent confidence right off the bat by letting them jump out to a quick lead? Why not just start Marshall, jump on the opposition from the tip, and win games going away? At least try a different starting lineup and see what happens. Why would you not?
What's that old saying? Fool me once, shame...shame on you...(awkward pause)...You fool me we can't be fooled again??? (Wait that was President Bush's revised version). Roy has to see the differences in this team when Marshall is on the floor and when he's not. If he watches any tape at all, the major flaws in this team should jump out like an autostereogram. Everyone gets much better looks at the basket when Marshall is in, and easier shots equal more points. Not only that, but he keeps going with the 5-in, 5-out strategy which clearly isn't working, doesn't allow anyone to get in a good rhythm, and keeps a few of the top players from ever getting a chance to play with Marshall. I wanted to lay off the Coach a little and avoid talking about this anymore, but that just isn't possible. It's the single biggest mistake being made by the Tar Heels this season, and there is only one guy that can fix it (clearly if his assistants are saying anything about this, Roy is being too stubborn to listen).
The preponderance of the fan-vote seems to be with Kendall Marshall playing more, but I don't even think the casual fan understands just how good Marshall is. He's going to have his freshman moments, and going on the road in the ACC can be very difficult, but he is already leaps and bounds ahead of Drew II in every facet of the game. There is no need to sit Marshall and let him "learn" from Drew, as there is nothing Drew does better than Marshall, and therefore nothing to teach. Marshall clearly has a much higher "basketball IQ," and if anything Drew needs to watch Marshall and try to learn from him. The last two championship point guards at UNC have been extremely good players, but neither Felton nor Lawson had the vision that Marshall does already (this is saying a lot considering Felton is my favorite Carolina player of all time). Marshall just has incredible instincts that can't be taught, and it's time to give him the reins and let him run with them. Here's my solution to the problem, with suggested estimated minutes per player...
Barnes 27
Henson 26
McDonald 25
Zeller 25
Knox 22
Bullock 20
Strickland 12
Drew 5
Watts 3
While this minute distribution could lead to the transfer of Larry Drew, so be it. He just doesn't have what it takes to be a starting point guard for a UNC team, and if he can't accept a backup role, then good riddance. On another note, the athletic director has to be taking a serious look at Roy Williams. While he has 2 championships, those teams each had 5 or more professionals on the roster, so the wins can hardly be attributed to him. The last two years have clearly shown a lack of ability to recognize differences in talent, adjust in-game strategies, and put the team in the best position to be successful. That is after all the main thing you pay a coach to do, and he has failed in all these aspects for the past two years. You just can't rationalize paying a guy millions of dollars to perform worse than any knowledgeable die hard UNC basketball fan would. While Roy does many good things for the program, something has to be done to fix this. My suggestion is to make the coaching staff like one in the NFL, with offensive and defensive coordinators, and let Coach Williams be one of but not the only voice on the sidelines. Someone else clearly needs to be in charge of lineups and in-game substitutions, because he is doing a horrible, horrible job in that department. I'm sure this would never fly with a man as accomplished, proud, and stubborn as Roy Williams, but just because someone is a big name doesn't necessarily mean they're the best. I guarantee there are thousands of people out there who could put together better lineups and strategies than Williams, and it's time we consider looking for one of those people to help right the ship.
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