Just My Opinion

[BRADLEY FAN 49]

I feel like after all the expert post on the reason we were losing being because Merf. left the team.
That surely Merf. must be helping J.L. (giving him pointers behind the scenes).
This has to be the only explanation for us playing better now.

 

[Beninator]

I feel like after all the expert post on the reason we were losing being because Merf. left the team.
That surely Merf. must be helping J.L. (giving him pointers behind the scenes).
This has to be the only explanation for us playing better now.

lol... Nice post BF49!

 

[Da Coach]

I think you are right BF49- After reading posts from all the fans who said Merfeld was so essential, and his departure was obviously the reason Bradley was losing games, Jim Les must have worked out some kind of reconciliation to bring him back.
How else can this winning streak be explained?

 

[afan]

I feel like after all the expert post on the reason we were losing being because Merf. left the team.
That surely Merf. must be helping J.L. (giving him pointers behind the scenes).
This has to be the only explanation for us playing better now.

It would seem reasonable to believe that Merf leaving may have had somewhat of an unsettleing effect on the team. It would seem logical. However, it appears that any residual effect was only temporary, thank goodness.

 

[ph]

Merf was the bigs coach, and I believe EB is now the bigs coach. WE is now playing better. Although most of that may be natural injury recovery vs learned skills, it does not seem we have lost bigs coaching ability...

 

[dogsrus]

We have played 2 games at home we SHOULD have won and did and we had a nice road win against a struggling team at SIU.

While thats all wonderful MY question is why did we need a turn around in the first place.

Oh yeah, becuase we lost three games at home we should NEVER had lost in the first place.

So the Kool aid drinkers can get on the realists all they want but, as far as I'm concerned, we are back to "mediocre." We were trending downwards but APPEAR to be turning a corner.....


Weds will tell us MUCH more.

Go BU.

 

[basketball nut]

I feel like after all the expert post on the reason we were losing being because Merf. left the team.
That surely Merf. must be helping J.L. (giving him pointers behind the scenes).
This has to be the only explanation for us playing better now.

I have been wondering where all the fire JL threads have gone. It has been pretty quiet lately-I bet they come back out when/if we lose a game. I wonder how many of those guys have coached a BB game at any level.
Oh ya didn't you see Merf on the bench today?

 

[Grassman]

We have played 2 games at home we SHOULD have won and did and we had a nice road win against a struggling team at SIU.

While thats all wonderful MY question is why did we need a turn around in the first place.

Oh yeah, becuase we lost three games at home we should NEVER had lost in the first place.

So the Kool aid drinkers can get on the realists all they want but, as far as I'm concerned, we are back to "mediocre." We were trending downwards but APPEAR to be turning a corner.....

Well Doggie, let me see if i can cheer you up and help you around that corner.

6 games ago we win @ home in overtime against Ind. St
5 games ago we are embarrased at Mo. St. by 19.
4 games ago we go into UNI and lose by only 2 to a team that has been ranked as high as #20.,
3 Games ago we turn a 19pt loss around to an 18 pt. win.
2 games ago we win @ SIU for the first time in 8 years.
1 game ago we shoot "lights out" and out rebound a team by 14.

WE might not have turned the corner, but we are definitely peeking around it!

 

[AZ BU Fan]

I have been wondering where all the fire JL threads have gone. It has been pretty quiet lately-I bet they come back out when/if we lose a game. I wonder how many of those guys have coached a BB game at any level.
Oh ya didn't you see Merf on the bench today?

Come on BN. As if the only people who can post on this site need to be current/former basketball coaches - that would tend to eliminate many posters. Its doubtful most sportswriters have coached basketball, but that doesn't disqualify them from their opinions either. ;-)

Posting fire JL threads after wins would be just as dumb as .....posting how great JL is, and how he must must stay forever when they lose, and lose, and lose. :lol:

 

[lake Camelot]

Well this has been a bad year for me. I have been disappointed in our play and results. Now I have to sound negative at a time when we should be happy after a couple wins. Come on !!! All the people gloating about how great the team is. We beat Evansville. We should have. We should have won some other games earlier in the year that we lost also. This team has some talent. Just because we win a few games in a row or lose a few games in a row does not make either viewpoint right. You need to look at results over a long time. I don't like what I am seeing on that trend. It doesn't make me right, but I have no choice but to say something because people on here are acting like they have been proven correct.They say people who think Les is doing a poor job are wrong. I don't think our play recently proves any point one way or another. If people think a win over Evansville is the measuring stick for the program then we really disagree.

 

[Da Coach]

Winning in the MVC is tough. People who expect an easy time winning, even at home, simply don't know what they are talking about.
Only 2 teams in the MVC have currently won more than 1 game in a row- Drake has won 5 in a row, and Bradley has won 3 in a row. The team is clearly playing better. I suspect everyone sees that, if not, make your case. But I see improvement in shooting, rebounding, defense, passing, fewer turnovers, and overall better effort. I also see better game preparation and coaching.
Most people look at a winning streak and can appeciate the team for it, others bemoan why we couldn't have won every game. Like we've always seen, some see a glass half full, some see half empty.

As I said in another thread- after tomorrow, every team will have 9 conference games left. Of the teams tied or equal with Bradley, Bradley appears to have the most favorable remaining schedule. They have 5 more home games (CU, DU, IlSU, UNI, and WSU). They also have 4 more road games (IlSU, UE, InSU, and CU). If they can continue the better play we've seen the last couple weeks and avoid injury, I don't see any of those remaining games they can't win. I am not predicting they'll win them all, but they are tied for 3rd place, and things do not look as hopeless as some writers have portrayed, or as some fans constantly fret about.
Standings and RPI info-
http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2010/conference/Missouri%20Valley

 

[VeveJones007]

We have played 2 games at home we SHOULD have won and did and we had a nice road win against a struggling team at SIU.

While thats all wonderful MY question is why did we need a turn around in the first place.

Oh yeah, becuase we lost three games at home we should NEVER had lost in the first place.

So the Kool aid drinkers can get on the realists all they want but, as far as I'm concerned, we are back to "mediocre." We were trending downwards but APPEAR to be turning a corner.....

Weds will tell us MUCH more.

Go BU.

You're failing on the challenge that you so willingly accepted! Isn't there a statement game coming up? A game that might be of particular importance for a certain coach???

 

[Braves4Life]

Only 2 teams in the MVC have currently won more than 1 game in a row- Drake has won 5 in a row, and Bradley has won 3 in a row.

Didn't we beat Drake at Drake? Weren't we the last team to beat them?

Hmmmmmm. Maybe we're not too bad after all.

 

[Da Coach]

Didn't we beat Drake at Drake? Weren't we the last team to beat them?

Hmmmmmm. Maybe we're not too bad after all.

Not exactly-
Bradley beat Drake in Des Moines on Dec. 29, in the first MVC game for both teams.
Drake then lost their next 3 games at Wichita State, at home to Indiana State, then at Creighton to go to 0-4.
Since then they have gone on a 5-game winning streak-
Sat, Jan 9, at SIU Won 70-65
Tue, Jan 12 home vs. Missouri St. W 88-77
Sun, Jan 17 home vs. Illinois St W 69-59
Wed, Jan 20 at Evansville W 72-65
Sat, Jan 23 home vs. WSU 78-64

 

[bigdaddystuck]

I didn't call for JL's job, but I was fed up, sick, disgusted etc... by the effort given a couple of weeks ago. We have played much better of late. We are 1 game over .500....not a great record. No one owes BU a retraction or anything. We were bad, we are playing much better. CU is a huge game, why?...because it is the next game, against a team we have not played yet. We put some distance between ourselves and the bottom half of the league...I'll get excited.

 

[dogsrus]

Well this has been a bad year for me. I have been disappointed in our play and results. Now I have to sound negative at a time when we should be happy after a couple wins. Come on !!! All the people gloating about how great the team is. We beat Evansville. We should have. We should have won some other games earlier in the year that we lost also. This team has some talent. Just because we win a few games in a row or lose a few games in a row does not make either viewpoint right. You need to look at results over a long time. I don't like what I am seeing on that trend. It doesn't make me right, but I have no choice but to say something because people on here are acting like they have been proven correct.They say people who think Les is doing a poor job are wrong. I don't think our play recently proves any point one way or another. If people think a win over Evansville is the measuring stick for the program then we really disagree.

Dead on LC.......when we are not playing well some just like to call it like it is. I am one of those people. BUT, I can also recognize, appreciate and acknowledge GOOD play which we all have seen for the last few games.

You are SO correct though and its not 1,2 or 3 games it 25 or so over the season that tells us what we have and its 7-8 years that tell us even more.

HONEST polls would have shown that 75% of the fanbase was upset/disappointed with the Braves play and with JL. NOTHING over the last few games has changed why we were upset weeks ago. infact, it stregthens what we were saying because you can see, this team was probably underperforming.

Again though, like bbrave pointed out....home wins against UE aren't the best litmus test for this program.

And some need to stop all the "where are the fire jim les threads now." The VAST majority of fans that were upset had very FEW that were calling for JL's head. The VAST majority were simply calling for this team and coach to perform at a level we thought they could. PERIOD.

Hopefully thats the case. The next few weeks will certainly tell us more.

 

[dogsrus]

You're failing on the challenge that you so willingly accepted! Isn't there a statement game coming up? A game that might be of particular importance for a certain coach???

Oh come on....its only Sunday morning. Gotta let this HUGE win against OH for the Valley UE sink in and let the fans savor it for awhile.

I've got my sticky on the computer screen reminding me of my "challenge"......


In fact....you asked for it....you got it.

 

[Da Coach]

I didn't call for JL's job, but I was fed up, sick, disgusted etc... by the effort given a couple of weeks ago. We have played much better of late. We are 1 game over .500....not a great record. No one owes BU a retraction or anything. We were bad, we are playing much better. CU is a huge game, why?...because it is the next game, against a team we have not played yet. We put some distance between ourselves and the bottom half of the league...I'll get excited.

But many people did call for Jim Les to be fired after the home loss to SIU. Now they are in hiding, but I guarantee they will be back in force the next time Bradley loses a game they were expected to win, or even if they win, but don't win by a large enough margin to suit them.

After reading posts where people are telling us we should temper or optimism because we have only won 3 games in a row, and yesterday's win was over "D2" Evansville, I have to conclude the following-
It is apparently OK to jump to conclusions, and make assessments about Jim Les, and this team, and call for JLs firing, based on any single game that we lose, play poorly, or don't win convincingly enough.
However, if we win, put together a winning streak, play well, or win games we weren't expected to win, we can't get excited about that, it doesn't prove anything, and we must still hold JL on the hot seat.

 

[lake Camelot]

However, if we win, put together a winning streak, play well, or win games we weren't expected to win, we can't get excited about that, it doesn't prove anything, and we must still hold JL on the hot seat.

I agree that is a good time to be excited about the team. That is why we watch them. I just don't think it is right to call out people and use those wins as a reason they were wrong about the coaching. I feel the same way about the opposite point of view though. If we have a bad loss it doesn't prove he should go either. It is the trend over time of results the team has. Or the compilation of coaching decisions that tells the tale as far as I am concerned. I am happy with the wins and I hope we can get on a long roll. If we could get on a roll at the Valley tourney and make the NCAA's I would be very happy with the season I think.

 

[lefty]

I don't think there was that many people that called for JL's head a few weeks ago for this year.Maybe a couple, but many did say that next year should be a hot seat year if they continued that way.

And you are right DC, I haven't seen some people here lately who were all over during our losing streak.

I am all about evaluating the season as a whole to see how we are after 30 plus games