Robbie Hummel's back has been bothering him most of the season...but we didn't know until just recently that the back problem is a cracked vertebrae in his lower back. Watching him versus Michigan, you could see that it was little more than will that was keeping him walking, let alone playing basketball.
But now, according to the J&C, Hummel and Painter might be addressing the back problem in a much more cautious manner. With Hummel out of every other contest, might it be time for a change in tactic for Painter's team?
What I'm referring to is not a major change, just a shift in playing time. I believe this shift will help everyone involved and might lay a foundation for next season. What I think needs to happen is we need to see Ryne Smith/Bobby Riddell for at least 6 minutes/game. Not a ton of playing time, but these minutes might take the added strain off of Kramer, Jackson and Grant. Furthermore, we simply must see more production from Green and/or Calasan. Both of these players have shown at times that they are more than capable of playing a sizeable amount of minutes, but what Painter really needs from both is not points, but rebounds and solid defense. It seems Johnson has become a bit of a weapon offensively...and a shift to using the twin towers a bit more might help Purdue late in the game as well...as clearly, our Boilers' lack of depth has killed them time and time again this season. A Big Ten team (especially one that plays Purdue's style of defense) needs AT LEAST 8 players in its rotation as the physical nature of this conference's games are too much for to spread out over 2 subs.
I also think it might be imperative to employ these substitutions even during the games that Hummel's playing. During the Michigan game, he was forced to play too many minutes...the lingering effects of this seem to last days.
One thing was very clear last night- poor shot selection sets up the opponent for easy buckets...so smart offensive sets become an aspect of Purdue's defense, if each player can effectively play his role, Purdue might still finish in the top-3 in the conference and get a solid seed for the NCAA tournament. But what are those roles? At times it seems even the players don't understand what's needed from on the offensive side of the court. Purdue must re-learn how to play without relying on Hummel night-in, night-out; undoubtedly, this will be a tough task for Painter's team as March fast approaches.
9 comments:
I've been saying it all season, rotate the ball and get good shots for Grant, Moore, Hummel, and Johnson. Like you said, Green and Calasan need to know their roles. Any possesion that ends with a bad shot by Green or Calasan is a complete waste.
I'm more concerned with a strong run in the NCAA tourney than I am Big Ten titles. If resting Hummel for a few weeks can take care of his pain, I'll gladly sacrifice a Big Ten title for a healthy Hummel come tourney time.
I was just discussing with 'dowd and if we lose another couple of Big Ten games and Robbie's still hurting as badly as he has been, I think you shut him down for the season. What's to gain at that point? We're not going to the Final Four with this lack of depth and the injuries that seem to mount up on this team. And risking Hummell further seems foolish.
if you want to get depressed about Hummel then Google - L5 vertebrae "stress fracture"
it quickly goes Latin and none of it sounds good. Don't know if Purdue will share any more info than it has but I'd like to know how bad he is, whether there is any scenario of rest/treatment that puts him at 100% healthy by NCAA tourney time.
I believe this is a good opportunity to remind Mr. Scott Martin how stupid his decision to leave Purdue was. That is all.
PTI announced that Andrew Bogut (NBA big man, I don't watch the product so don't know who he plays for) is out for 8 weeks with stress fracture in his back.
Agreed about Green and Calasan. They have got to get more minutes. They played like crap last night, but they need minutes to contribute. Also agree with getting Riddell in there more...
Chris -- Boilerdowd was just saying that to me yesterday... so true. And it really left us in the lurch.
Row -- I saw that, too, and wondered whether Hummell is just tougher or if it's less severe. Would hate to think not having millions invested in Robbie is part of the decision.
Insider information has the story that Hummel was out past curfew before a game night and was in a car accident where he may or may not have injured his back more than what the coaching staff is telling us and this vertebrae stemmed from that.
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