Bite the Bullet

[LittleBrave]

This is just one more of the inaccurate statements I've seen here in the last couple days. The Bradley record is not 6 in a row. Bradley lost 8 in a row in the 2003-2004 season, and there have been other years with longer losing streaks than 6.
http://www.bradleybraves.com/SportSe...&Q_SEASON=2003

Whew! Our 6-game losing streak doesn't seem that bad to me anymore.

[srw]

It will all depend on finances IMO. The lost revenue by declining attendance and lost season ticket revenue may offset or even exceed what a buyout would cost. If you're going to lose the money, you might as well lose it while turning around the program. If he returns the arena will be even more dead than it was last night.

And its going to get worse.....

I am hopeful Jim will realize its time to go and neogiate a buyout.

If he continues to stay he is either not very smart, or doesnt care about this university

[srw]

How are you 'convinced'? I was certain we would have won most of our non-con games, but we had one of the worst non-con schedules in recent memory. MVC is a different story. Do you think at full strength we're better than WSU, MSU, or CU? I say no way.

Another good point...What this has shown me is that BU was as normal, a 4th or 5th place team

[LittleBrave]

In truth, I see a team that goes out to compete every game. Through the defense they give themselves a shot to win the game, almost every night.

Now that is not saying I am happy with the season. I want us to win and I am frustrated with the results we have had so far. I just guess I am looking at it differently than others. I am not only focusing on the wins and losses.

Maybe many of us are focusing on the BLOWN wins this season. Granted there were more last season, but we should have won at least 1 by now.
If we lost by 10+ every game, we know we stink, but we've been in games, but have managed to do something to blow it.

We could have won at Drake, but, um, I don't remember what the foul happened.
We could have won at UNI had we come out with an attitude that we could actually beat the Panthers.
We could have won last night if we shot better than 50% free throws on our home court and if JE didn't play out of position & get outmanned down low by bigger bigs - didn't lose necessarily because AW was having an off-night.

I am pleased that we are playing harder than we did last season, and the defense IS better than I've seen the past 2 seasons. We play hard about 75% of the time compared to about 60% last year - this is subjective, of course.

[bigdaddystuck]

Maybe many of us are focusing on the BLOWN wins this season. Granted there were more last season, but we should have won at least 1 by now.
If we lost by 10+ every game, we know we stink, but we've been in games, but have managed to do something to blow it.

We could have won at Drake, but, um, I don't remember what the foul happened.
We could have won at UNI had we come out with an attitude that we could actually beat the Panthers.
We could have won last night if we shot better than 50% free throws on our home court and if JE didn't play out of position & get outmanned down low by bigger bigs - not necessarily because AW was having an off-night.

All good points and I agree with them.

[Beninator]

I didn't mean a mid-season change. I meant if he hasn't been fired up to this year....why would he be after the year.

Sorry. I misread your post.

[shaunguth]

Right now we are playing guys who were not expected to play as an important role this year. BU is not some big named school who recruits a bench full of all-americans out of high school. There was a time last night that we had Lemon (fr), Prosser (fr), Eastman (so), DSE (so) in the game at the sametime! I don't think that too many BCS schools would want to put that kind of lineup in!!!

When TB went down my expectations for this team was that we could still play around .500 ball. When SM went down...my expectations were that we were going to struggle and that I didn't know how we were going to score, with only AW left to take the whole load. My win percentage dropped to below .500.

In truth, I see a team that goes out to compete every game. Through the defense they give themselves a shot to win the game, almost every night.

Now that is not saying I am happy with the season. I want us to win and I am frustrated with the results we have had so far. I just guess I am looking at it differently than others. I am not only focusing on the wins and losses.

+1

[Chico]

And its going to get worse.....

I am hopeful Jim will realize its time to go and neogiate a buyout.

If he continues to stay he is either not very smart, or doesnt care about this university

Question anything you want about JL's coaching, but IMO, don't question how he cares about Bradley University.

[Da Coach]

People are entitled to their opinions, but if Sammy and TB are healthy, we are not even having this conversation. There is no coach in America who would just give up and walk away voluntarily when he knows he will get all his players back healthy (plus a solid recruiting class) next season.

[dogsrus]

And its going to get worse.....

I am hopeful Jim will realize its time to go and neogiate a buyout.

If he continues to stay he is either not very smart, or doesnt care about this university

I have to disagree with that.......first he's a smart guy. Period. Second....he's NOT a quitter. I think for a guy like that quitting would be the EASY way out. He only knows hard work and MORE often then not hard work has worked for him.

I would offer he wants to turn this around as much and even MORE than any one of us wants it to be turned around.

And you can forget the not caring about the University....with all due respect thats just silly.

[SaintLouBrave22]

Is it bad that we are reduced to saying we are bad, but not historically bad yet?????

8 straight losses...now THERE is a goal to shoot for

Wrong...

We ARE in fact historically bad...

We have lost more games to begin a Valley season than any team in BU history in the conference so I got what Realfan was trying to say...


So yes we are THAT bad!

[squirrelgotdead]

Wrong...

We ARE in fact historically bad...

We have lost more games to begin a Valley season than any team in BU history in the conference so I got what Realfan was trying to say...


So yes we are THAT bad!

Yep. And in real danger of finishing in sole possession of last place, something that has similarly never occurred.

[ph]

I have no doubt that we are heading in a historically bad season, but really losses are losses.
There is nothing more significant about starting with consecutive losses vs losses dispersed with wins. Sure it feels psychologically bad to have consecutive losses, but the end record is the real measure.

[ER3]

People are entitled to their opinions, but if Sammy and TB are healthy, we are not even having this conversation.

I don't think you could state this with any degree of certainty. Before the season started we were picked to be a 5th place team in the conference even though we had three players recognized on the pre-season all-conference teams.

If Sammy and Taylor were healthy this year, I think it's pretty safe to say that there would be a number of people asking for a coaching change if we were once again scuffling around in the middle of the conference...I think most people had a much higher expectation for this team than 5th place...

Based on the fact that we have become a league doormat without them, I think it becomes really difficult to support a theory that we have a system and supporting cast in place that would have allowed us to challenge Wichita or Missouri State for the title if they were healthy...IMO.

And another underwhelming 4th or 5th place finish which three supposed all-conference caliber players would have brought about just as many (if not more) questions about the direction of this program under Les, I would think.

[mrcoachdude]

I don't think you could state this with any degree of certainty. Before the season started we were picked to be a 5th place team in the conference even though we had three players recognized on the pre-season all-conference teams.

If Sammy and Taylor were healthy this year, I think it's pretty safe to say that there would be a number of people asking for a coaching change if we were once again scuffling around in the middle of the conference...I think most people had a much higher expectation for this team than 5th place...

Based on the fact that we have become a league doormat without them, I think it becomes really difficult to support a theory that we have a system and supporting cast in place that would have allowed us to challenge Wichita or Missouri State for the title if they were healthy...IMO.

And another underwhelming 4th or 5th place finish which three supposed all-conference caliber players would have brought about just as many (if not more) questions about the direction of this program under Les, I would think.

You can not state this with any certainty either...people keep stating that the addition of TB and SM would not make that much difference...what I think thye fail to realize or just do not want to see is that with the addition of TB and SM...then AW is playing better as is DD and DSE and WE and JE and..etc....I am sorry but, to take away the caliber of player that TB and SM are is devestating and effects all the players...its interesting to see where we are picked pre-season...but I would not have JL 's job hinged on where we were picked...the fact is this....no one can say with any certainty where BU would be with TB and SM..good or bad...

But chances are good that with TB and SM we are certainly not having this discussion...