How Big a Loss is Donte' Green?

When Donte' Green declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft on Wednesday, Orange fans were understandably upset. The anger was not due to the surprise of the announcement. As fans we knew in the back of our minds all year that Green would probably make the jump. But Green's decision instantly dashed the dreams we had of making a deep run into the NCAA Tournament next year. Or did it?

Yes, Donte' is a tremendously talented player and he will be a first round pick in the NBA Draft. With Green on the court, opposing coaches had to prepare their defense around stopping #5 of the Orange. He scored 17.7 ppg, good for fourth in the Big East Conference. He also broke Gerry McNamara's freshman record for three-pointers made. But there certainly are faults to Donte's game.

How many times this year did you yell at Donte' for not running out to put a hand in the face of a shooter on the wing? There were many occasions in which Green looked like he played with a lack of effort on the defensive end of the court. With his athleticism and over 7-foot wingspan, Green should have been much better. The biggest gripe though has to be with his shot selection. For the year, Donte' shot just under 42 percent. But in Big East Conference games playing against much tougher competition, Green had problems. He shot under 40 percent in eighteen conference games and only 29 percent from 3-point range. Head Coach Jim Boeheim would have pulled him to the bench a number of times, but the lack of depth prevented that. He had to stick with his top weapon no matter how many bad shots the freshman chucked up. Another thing is that Donte' was playing out of position this year. Instead of playing small forward, he was banging against power forwards of the other team. Green didn't like playing with his back to the basket and his upper body was not strong enough to bang back.

That gets me to my point. Jim Boeheim was putting out a team that was missing two very big pieces. The most important being guard Eric Devendorf who was lost to a torn ACL in mid-December. Prior to his injury, the junior was averaging 17 ppg and was starting to play under control. The emotional leader of the team was on the bench unable to help a young Orange squad. Andy Rautins, the other missing piece to the puzzle, is more of an unknown. But the 6-foot-5 shooting guard has added about 20 pounds of muscle and could be a top five shooter in the country according to Boeheim. I'm not saying that these two can replace Donte' Green, but they certainly add dimensions to the team that were missing this past season.

Three point shooting will be much improved next season. Rautins has had months and months to perfect his three point shot that he showcased in 20 starts two seasons ago. Devendorf's presence opens things up for everyone else. His ability to slash into the lane and shoot the three ball will prove valuable for guys such as Rautins who can set himself on the arc and wait for the kick out after penetration. While there is no guarantee these guys will return to normal after ACL tears, if they do, they add much needed depth at the guard position. My projected starting lineup for the 2008-09 season is Flynn, Rautins, Harris, Ongenaet, and Onuaku. Since Devendorf tore his ACL in December, he may not be back until Big East play begins in January. But once he works his way back in, he will be fresh for the stretch run.

Best of luck Donte', but this team is fully capable of making the NCAAs without you.