Official Please Play Earl Watson Thread

Ramtastico · Unread post by **Ramtastico** » 9 years ago

Why in the world is this guy averaging 9 minutes a game?
I hate criticizing players but 11 games into his senior season and I am still waiting to see when Gil will approach his potential and/or hype. All rookie team in the big east? Shows what a great league we are in, I guess.
Back to Earl, PLAY THIS GUY until he fouls out or begs to come out!

luke · Unread post by **luke** » 9 years ago

He will be playing more. Book it. He is playing with great confidence. I expect him to reach 20 minutes per game soon. He was fabulous again today.

Billyboy78 · Unread post by **Billyboy78** » 9 years ago

He fouled out today.

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 9 years ago

Can't believe the coach didn't change the rules of basketball so Watson could play more than 14 minutes tonight. I'm out to celebrate. Peace and joy to you all in the New Year. Some of you really seem to need a bit more of that. Great win tonight, on to conference play!

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 9 years ago

Almost everybody fouled out today, from the numbers I saw.

That might be the only thing holding Earl back. Stay out of foul trouble, and he's a load.

He has been much more consistent than Gil.

Watson will get more minutes, but I don't see Dan burying Gil on the bench. We will need him in conference games. All hands on deck, so to speak.

bigappleram · Unread post by **bigappleram** » 9 years ago

He had a great game and will see plenty of minutes moving fwd. Unnecessary thread.

Seawrightspostgame · Unread post by **Seawrightspostgame** » 9 years ago

I like Earl. I like most that he does what he does. Other guys aren't as reliable.

A lot to be said for a guy that is the same every time out.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 9 years ago

The thing is, this player is skilled in his play around the basket.
He's not some caveman throwing his weight around and fouling out
after five minutes.
He rarely makes mistakes and doesn't seem to have bad juco habits.
I look forward to watching him for the remainder of his time at URI.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 9 years ago

He could be a difference maker.

Reliable, unlike Gil. Sorry to have to say that.

If we could get 20-25 minutes of Earl every game, watch out....

His relative lack of height means little, with his leaping ability. He's also got a pretty good BB IQ, something that's worth it's weight in gold.

What does height mean anyway, unless you're playing Duke or Kentucky? Seems like Dayton has adjusted really well, with no one over 6'6" on their roster.

And we're bigger than they are.

steveystuds06 · Unread post by **steveystuds06** » 9 years ago

Hurely clearly has a short leash on Gil As long as Earl stays out of foul trouble I'm sure he will continue to receive more minutes. Earl is the man!

ramster · Unread post by **ramster** » 9 years ago

Watson displays good form on this Free Throws and did so even when he was missing in the first few games going 0-6 against Pace and UML.......but what a turnaround as in his last 6 games he has made 9 of 11 Free Throws. Very encouraging as this guy displays strong rebounding, good shot blocking ability with 3 blocks tonight, good moves around the basket, good passing ability, good court awareness and unselfish play.

Free Throw Performance
Pace 0-2
Umass Lowell 0-4
Nebraska 0-0
Kansas 2-4
Santa Clara 1-2
Georgia Tech 1-1
Southern Miss 1-1
Providence 1-2
Delaware State 4-4
Detroit 1-2
Brown 1-1

bressler3south · Unread post by **bressler3south** » 9 years ago

He's played very well. He's reliable -- until he hits a bump/pothole in the road -- and what do you call him then?
Until he wins the job outright, Earl is as Earl does…..

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 9 years ago

Who doesn't love the Earl of Swatson?

Rhodymob05 · Unread post by **Rhodymob05** » 9 years ago

I like this kid a lot, aggressive on both sides of the floor, he's a back down player too which you don't get much with Gil since he's a face up player. I'd like to see Gil's minites shares a lot more with earl. Glad to see iffy get minites too although he looked rusty but understandable.

RAM67 · Unread post by **RAM67** » 9 years ago

How about Iffy and Watson on the floor at the same time?

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 9 years ago

Iffy is very limited. That's being pretty kind. How many close-in shots has he missed this year? He is still also fouling a lot.

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 9 years ago

bressler3south wrote:He's played very well. He's reliable -- until he hits a bump/pothole in the road -- and what do you call him then?
Until he wins the job outright, Earl is as Earl does…..

Pretty much this. Watson has performed well so far, but you also can't look at his production and just double it or whatever for how many minutes you think he should get. He's not yet out there against everything, and he has the benefit of some of his minutes being selected to his advantage. Watson did sit out last year and had adjustments to make this season, even with getting to practice with the team for half the season last year. He's receptive to instruction, and he absolutely has physical tools and has worked hard to figure out his role in all parts of this offense. It will be interesting to see him in conference play. At 24, he has the age advantage over almost anyone he's matched up against. This team will regularly go 9-11 deep in conference play, everybody will get their minutes.

BFC · Unread post by **BFC** » 9 years ago

Gil's only averaging 23.5 minutes a game, he's not what has kept Watson on the bench. Watson's potential minutes have gone to Reischel and the four guard lineup.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 9 years ago

Dan has had the luxury of being selective with Watson's minutes which has been beneficial to his production and fans' reception to his play. Pretty much what Ace said.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 9 years ago

I disagree. You put a guy in and you and Ace are implying that his
time is cherry-picked so he can look good?
Wow! That's total nonsense. You put a sub in, because the starter isn't doing his job,
or he's in foul trouble, or needs a rest.
Watson has produced, because he has talent, not because Dan is putting him in where
he'll look good. It's because Watson is needed by his team to produce in his role.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 9 years ago

Nope. Dan said multiple times that Earl's time has been selected and heavily dependent on opponents.

Are you really going to disagree with Ace on this? I wouldn't question Her insight into these types of discretionary decisions by the coaching staff.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 9 years ago

Please. I'll disagree with the Pope, if I feel he's wrong.
Ace isn't infallible , and neither is Dan.
Nobody on this board gets a pass on everything they write.
Nobody is a deity here.

giovanni · Unread post by **giovanni** » 9 years ago

I agree with Rod. Earl is very talented. There is a reason Marshall and Wichita St signed him, that's wasn't a fluke. Regardless of who he's been in against and when, he is clearly done the job and deserves more than 10 minutes a game. I like Gil, but he has been a huge disappointment to this point to be kind. I still believe Gil can and will turn it around in league play, and with Watson we can have 2 productive big guys.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 9 years ago

Happy New Year, Gio! Glad to see you back here!

giovanni · Unread post by **giovanni** » 9 years ago

Thanks, same to you and all Ram fans.

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 9 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:I disagree. You put a guy in and you and Ace are implying that his time is cherry-picked so he can look good? Wow! That's total nonsense. You put a sub in, because the starter isn't doing his job,or he's in foul trouble, or needs a rest. Watson has produced, because he has talent, not because Dan is putting him in where he'll look good. It's because Watson is needed by his team to produce in his role.

Nothing I said is nonsensical. You did overstate some of my points, though.

ace wrote:Watson has performed well so far, but you also can't look at his production and just double it or whatever for how many minutes you think he should get. He's not yet out there against everything, and he has the benefit of some of his minutes being selected to his advantage... He's receptive to instruction, and he absolutely has physical tools and has worked hard to figure out his role in all parts of this offense.

As a sub, he does sometimes have the benefit of match-ups. This team is also deep enough right now so that the staff can force the other team to adjust. There's nothing controversial in saying that at all. Sometimes Watson replaces Biruta or Martin, other times it's Buchanan or Reischel that comes in for a big. My point, which is hardly nonsensical or audacious, was don't just think you double Watston's minutes and his stats double as well.

Please, I'm not even infallible in my own head. Argue away.

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 9 years ago

I don't think a ton is going to change regarding Watson's playing time this year, barring some unforeseen circumstances of course. But what I am most excited about for Watson is next year, where we'll need to count on him even more and he has shown that he can be a serious asset.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 9 years ago

I'm pretty sure you're right, Adam.
Dan mentioned Watson and next year, when he'll be our man
in the middle.
We didn't get a transfer center in our Christmas stocking this year,
so, even if Dan gets a 2015 kid, Watson would be odds on to
start next season.

ramfan85 · Unread post by **ramfan85** » 9 years ago

What is there about this school that keeps even "serviceable" centers away.

RAM67 · Unread post by **RAM67** » 9 years ago

ATPTourFan wrote:Iffy is very limited. That's being pretty kind. How many close-in shots has he missed this year? He is still also fouling a lot.

Not advocating, but was referring to last night when they were in together, albeit a short time.

luke · Unread post by **luke** » 9 years ago

I have to agree with Rod in the fact that regardless of when or whom Watson has faced, he has shown the ability to finish around the basket that has nothing to do with when he is in the game. i think Dan is just trying to protect Earl from picking up too many fouls. If he is going to play more he has to realize when to challenge his man and when he is beaten and a foul won't help. and he also has to learn not to reach in when his man or when in help mode the player is not yet in position to score. Both Watson and Biruta tend to pick up silly reach in fouls when they have little chance to steal the ball and the action is unnecessary. I don't think Earl's playing time is limited because of his offensive skills. It is clear to me that he is very smooth and fluid when he has the ball around the basket and doesn't miss easy layups. I think the more time he gets on the floor the less silly fouls he will get and this will lead to increased playing time. On the other hand I can see why Onyekaba has seen limited play. He is not fluid around the basket. Unfortunately I think the less he plays, he will play with less confidence and fluidity. Hopefully, he can get more time against some of the lesser teams to help him build back some confidence going forward.

Running Ram · Unread post by **Running Ram** » 9 years ago

Some believe Earl has benefited from being used in the right situations by the coaching staff. Has that somehow made him look better than he is? or is it that compared to say a guy like Jarelle, looking back to last year of course, Earl hasn't been asked to do things outside of his comfort zone? If that's true, then we're talking about a well coached team with very good depth and I think we can all understand that to be a good thing.
and some, like myself, see Earl excelling and want to see more of that, we're not talking about fluky spurts here and there, we're talking about solid aggressive fundamentals, we're saying he appears to be good enough to be deployed as a weapon instead of to be used in a more situational way. No one is criticizing the coaches, we're saying we've seen his minutes and want to see more, I think the coaches would agree and I believe there will be increased play for Earl and his contributions will continue to be dramatic.

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 9 years ago

Running Ram wrote:Some believe Earl has benefited from being used in the right situations by the coaching staff. Has that somehow made him look better than he is? or is it that compared to say a guy like Jarelle, looking back to last year of course, Earl hasn't been asked to do things outside of his comfort zone? If that's true, then we're talking about a well coached team with very good depth and I think we can all understand that to be a good thing.
and some, like myself, see Earl excelling and want to see more of that, we're not talking about fluky spurts here and there, we're talking about solid aggressive fundamentals, we're saying he appears to be good enough to be deployed as a weapon instead of to be used in a more situational way. No one is criticizing the coaches, we're saying we've seen his minutes and want to see more, I think the coaches would agree and I believe there will be increased play for Earl and his contributions will continue to be dramatic.

If I'm understanding you correctly, those two views are not incompatible, and neither are criticisms of Watson, the coaching staff, or anything else.

Tom98 · Unread post by **Tom98** » 9 years ago

100% Earl needs and will be playing more....the kid plays hard and aggressive under the basket....no hesitating in his game. I'm a big fan

Seawrightspostgame · Unread post by **Seawrightspostgame** » 9 years ago

Earl is great. Trying to diminish his current stock on this board is not in the holiday spirit.

I personally wonder which things dan has been working on will reward us down the line.

I'm referring to the minutes allocation and the styles of play. I doubt everything will turn out great.

Running Ram · Unread post by **Running Ram** » 9 years ago

ace wrote:
Running Ram wrote:Some believe Earl has benefited from being used in the right situations by the coaching staff. Has that somehow made him look better than he is? or is it that compared to say a guy like Jarelle, looking back to last year of course, Earl hasn't been asked to do things outside of his comfort zone? If that's true, then we're talking about a well coached team with very good depth and I think we can all understand that to be a good thing.
and some, like myself, see Earl excelling and want to see more of that, we're not talking about fluky spurts here and there, we're talking about solid aggressive fundamentals, we're saying he appears to be good enough to be deployed as a weapon instead of to be used in a more situational way. No one is criticizing the coaches, we're saying we've seen his minutes and want to see more, I think the coaches would agree and I believe there will be increased play for Earl and his contributions will continue to be dramatic.
If I'm understanding you correctly, those two views are not incompatible, and neither are criticisms of Watson, the coaching staff, or anything else.

That's why you're called "ace", your intellect is second to none...

I think the coaching staff has done a good job with player rotations, etc. to get a good idea of who will help with what going into conference play. Sure I have my opinions of who should get more minutes and who should play in which situations, but I think I have the opportunity to form those opinions because the players are all on the same leash, I trust the coaching staff and I trust my own observations, that's why I'm confident Earl will get increased playing time and his play will continue to make dramatic impact.

BFC · Unread post by **BFC** » 9 years ago

I think Earl's limited minutes to this point have to be a result of either practice habits or his understanding of what's being run, or both. I understand his production could be inflated by situations, but that doesn't mean his production would completely drop off with more minutes.
I've seen enough to believe, even with a reduction in per minute numbers, he could be giving us an effective 20 minutes a game. Hopefully, he's improving in whatever areas Hurley needs him to improve in. I don't think he needs to start but I'd like to seem him in when Gil and/or Hassan are on the bench.

sf2010 · Unread post by **sf2010** » 9 years ago

Earl is very successful in his role right now as the first big off the bench. He should play about 15 minutes in games where matchups are favorable. He should not be in a timeshare with Gilvydas, even though he is not playing at his best currently. As others have stated, Gil is a very good passing big and has a great fg% in a much larger sample than Earl. I like Earl a lot, and he should replace Gil in-game when Gil does something stupid (which admittedly still happens 2-3 times every game) or in cases of Gil's frequent foul trouble. I also want to see Reischel continue to get some minutes given his play of late.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 9 years ago

Hurley had talked about Earl's playground tendencies. He's never played in a structured environment. I love what Earl brings to the floor, but I think what we see and Hurley sees are different. Based on what's happened so far, I don't see 20 minutes a game down the road.

Ramtastico · Unread post by **Ramtastico** » 9 years ago

I would LOVE to see Gil try to cover Earl over 10-20 minutes(I know, that is impossible). Earl does things that Gil dreams about. Anyone who thinks Gil is a better post player is not watching what I am watching. Gil is good on the perimeter, but we need a nasty man doing nasty shit underneath, which Earl does. Sorry, but as I said in my opening post, I am disappointed in Gil's play after almost a year and a half of action. Maybe coming of the bench for a game or two can help him, and keep him out of early foul trouble.

sf2010 · Unread post by **sf2010** » 9 years ago

If Gil and Earl tried to defend each other for 10-20 minutes, they would both foul out after 5.

Gil has had a disappointing first half of the season, no doubt, but he has also cut down on his mistakes this season (fewer TO's and fouls, better fg%, fewer 3's attempted). Earl is great Gilvydas insurance for when he makes mental or physical mistakes.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 9 years ago

Put it this way....Earl is tough, Gil isn't.
Earl is our toughest inside player since Luther Clay.
Can't see him playing 20 minutes? I sure as hell can.
Also, Earl's outlet passes after a rebound are very good.
Some guys are practice players and some are game time players.
Earl may be the latter.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 9 years ago

I'd love to see him play 20 minutes. I'm saying there's no indication that Hurley is going to increase Earl's minutes substantially as they go into conference play.

Unread post by **SGreenwell** » 9 years ago

Watson is averaging 1.9 fouls per game in his 10 minutes per game he's getting now. That scales to about 7.6 fouls per 40 minutes, and that's typically with him playing a team's second unit. Biruta is at 2.9 fouls per game for 23.5 minutes per game - about 4.9 fouls if you scale it to 40 minutes. So, especially for this year, it's not an either/or situation - You need both. Most big men have a bit of an adjustment period their first year of D-I basketball, so it wouldn't surprise me if Watson manages to avoid fouling next year and gets more toward 20, 25 minutes per games.

Ramtastico · Unread post by **Ramtastico** » 9 years ago

I find it personally disturbing that lately Rod and I agree all the time...please post something political so I can go back to yelling at you like the good old days.

ace · Unread post by **ace** » 9 years ago

BFC wrote:I think Earl's limited minutes to this point have to be a result of either practice habits...

Not necessarily in response to this, but a general point- everyone on this team comes to practice ready to work and is very coachable. It makes it so much easier to focus on the next level stuff.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 9 years ago

OK, Ramtastico, this one's for you.....
Obama sucks!
My favorite Christmas gift this year was Obama toilet paper.

CTRamfan · Unread post by **CTRamfan** » 9 years ago

Give Hurley credit for recognizing what a great complimentary player Watson could be.
Next year his roll will expand as he increases his range in our "help man to man".
This defense requires three of the players to cover a zone much like Chaney's match-up zone.
Right now Biruta guards most of the switches on whatever side he covers. Watson is still learning this aspect of Hurley's defense.

ramfan85 · Unread post by **ramfan85** » 9 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:OK, Ramtastico, this one's for you.....
Obama sucks!
My favorite Christmas gift this year was Obama toilet paper.

I've got an Obama Chia Pet. They didn't last on the shelves very long, for obvious reasons..

Running Ram · Unread post by **Running Ram** » 9 years ago

I haven't noticed many of those "playground" tendencies in the games from Earl, actually to the contrary I've been impressed by his fundamentals, mostly in his body positioning, perhaps there are things I'm not picking up on but the things that I am picking up on are extremely impressive, lets stop with the excuses now or the stat break downs or whatever else and lets just trust our eyes and instincts. Do you like what you've seen from Watson? Do you want to see more of that? if you answered yes to these two questions, we are in agreement.

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