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October 13, 2011

Nas Out Early (Again)

Filed under: Basketball,Injury — Chas @ 11:54 am

For those eager to see what youth (and Talib Zanna) can do at the power forward spot, there will be a small window of opportunity. Nasir Robinson is expected to miss the next 3 to 4 weeks with a knee injury.  Nas will have surgery on his right knee tomorrow — actual injury not yet disclosed. He may be back in time for the season opener against Albany on November 11, but Pitt may be extra cautious with him.

Last year, Nas missed several games when he suffered a tear in the meniscus in his right knee. The same knee he has injured this week. Given that it is the second surgery on the same knee within a 12 month period (albeit, both seem relatively minor), there might be reasons to bring Nas back slowly.





Always feels wrong to say that positive things can come from a guy having surgery, but clearly this will give Zanna the chance to really show what he can do. He has a nice 10-12 jump shot, can rebound and block shots. If he can put it all together with some consistent defense he will have a huge impact this year.

Comment by Carmen 10.13.11 @ 12:16 pm

Carmen, my thoughts also. Nas has been around and should be ready for league play.

I’ll also be interested to see who else than Zanna will be playing the 4

Comment by wbb 10.13.11 @ 12:48 pm

Chas, I believe you will be particularly interested in Pitino’s opening remarks in his presser today.

Comment by wbb 10.13.11 @ 1:03 pm

not to mention, it will give mr. khem birch a chance to see some early playing time. this kid has a level of athleticism that we have not seen from a frontcourt player at pitt. skinny, but can jump out of the gym and run like the wind.

Comment by Omar 10.13.11 @ 1:10 pm

Despite what was reported previously by Fittipaldo, I have a hard time understanding why Birch would see significant minutes at the 5. They have Taylor, a true center in Gilbert (very raw, but can play defense and block shots at the minimum), and another coming next year in Adams. Birch’s body and game don’t really lend themselves to playing center right away, and it doesn’t look like his long term future is there either. I have to think Fittipaldo was just making some guesses rather than reporting inside information.

Comment by Pantherman13 10.13.11 @ 1:34 pm

I’d be pleasently surprised if Birch plays 4, on the court at the same time as Taylor. But I don’t see that happening. Zanna, who had been in the program a year already, looked lost at times last year when he filled in for Robinson. Seems a bit wishful thinking for Birch to pick up on things quickly at that position. Patterson played minutes at 4 last year and performed well enough. I could see him sliding over. Power forward in Pitt’s system requires a lot of movement without the ball, low and high post passing skills, etc. It’s more than just physical skills. Center is much easier to simply apply natural ability to.

Comment by SilverPanther in NYC 10.13.11 @ 1:41 pm

And before anyone responds that they felt the same way about Taylor 2 years ago…remember that when Taylor was a frosh, they really didn’t have any other options at the 5. Also, Birch is a different type of player than Taylor.

Comment by Pantherman13 10.13.11 @ 1:42 pm

Here’s hoping Nas gets healthy and keeps his legs under him in time to contribute by conference time. I, for one, feel that his contribution as a calming force in the lineup is highly underrated. We need this Senior healthy and contributing before conference time.

Comment by PaulyP 10.13.11 @ 1:43 pm

Silver – I agree with everything you just wrote, but I guess I come back to wondering how Birch will pick up the nuances of the 4 if he doesn’t play it. I just don’t see him projecting to a 5 long term, particularly with Adams and Gilbert in the fold, so what do they gain by sticking him at the 5 for a year? The only way this makes sense to me is if they have already decided to redshirt Gilbert and they need a stop-gap center for a year.

Comment by Pantherman13 10.13.11 @ 1:48 pm

SilverP is dead on. The 4 is simply too difficult for many freshmen to pick up in JD’s system. 5 is easier and more suited for quick and easy contribution from an athletic front court type player.

But knowing JD, I wouldn’t be shocked if he got creative early with his lineups by putting Birch in the 4 during non-con….

Question for folks…is the 4 easier/harder/same when running a zone offense vs. our various motion offenses? My guess is the Zone is easier on the 4 (as long as they are skilled passer); thus, maybe JD runs a Taylor Birch high low deal against a zone.

Comment by PaulyP 10.13.11 @ 1:51 pm

Pauly-the other thing that Nas brings is a toughness that rubs off on the other players. Not just physical, but mental. It would be nice to see his minutes drop just a little (I think he would be more effective with a few less minutes), but there is no doubt that they need him on the court for Big East play.

Comment by Pantherman13 10.13.11 @ 1:54 pm

Dixon coaches to win in the present. So he will play guys out of their “seemingly” natural position to win now- i.e. Sam Young, Levance Fields, Gibbs, etc.

…A high/ low with Taylor and Birch does not sound like a recipe for success. The high post player needs to be a good passer and heady overall player. That scenario would be better with either Robinson (remember against Syracuse last year?) or Patterson. Maybe Zanna if he has improved.

Comment by SilverPanther in NYC 10.13.11 @ 1:54 pm

As I recall, all of Birch’s scoring comes from missed rebounds .. this may be why he is allegedly being used at the 5. If he is posting high, he would not be that accessible to the basket

Comment by wbb 10.13.11 @ 2:57 pm

Some info for you from trib the top 2012 recruiting classes in BB all have a PITT connection.

The no 1 class is sean miller at az .
no 2 indiana with former pitt assistant Tom Cean.
no 3 Ben Howland ucla.
no 4 PITT

Comment by FRANKCAN 10.13.11 @ 2:58 pm

Against a zone, the 4 needs to find the soft spots in the middle of the zone, and then also be able to make good, quick decisions about where to distribute the ball (or shoot/drive to the hoop if available). The 4 tends to stay at or near the high post against a zone, particularly the 2×3. This works best if the ball is moving quickly since the defense tends to move with the ball rather than the players.

Against man, the 4 and 5 will rotate more through the high and low posts.

As SilverP points out, Nas has demonstrated several times that he has a real knack for finding the seams in a zone. I would actually expect him to play more, not less, against these types of teams.

BTW, I’m not suggesting that Birch should play ahead of Robinson, only that he may be better served at the 4 rather than the 5. I’m not sure that I feel all that much better about a high/low combo of Taylor and Zanna than Taylor and Birch.

I guess on the flip side you don’t really want to go with a 4/5 combo of Birch and Gilbert unless you really have to…

Comment by Pantherman13 10.13.11 @ 3:10 pm

Frank, where is Kentucky on that list? another Pitt connection

Comment by wbb 10.13.11 @ 3:13 pm

Wbb this year so far he is not in the top 25 but it is not over yet.

Comment by FRANKCAN 10.13.11 @ 3:19 pm

Wbb this is the second year in a row that we have the fourth best player if we can keep them in school for the next 3 years we might win it all our first year in the ACC let me dream.

Comment by FRANKCAN 10.13.11 @ 3:46 pm

I agree with SilverPanther as I did with what Fittipaldo wrote yesterday. The 5 is the easiest place to give Birch PT, while also having him learn the offense and defense, gain some bulk and improve his court skills.

When Adams comes next year, Birch moves to the 4 bigger, smarter and better.

Pantherman13, you may be on target with Gilbert redshirting. He’s big but he’s supposedly raw. A year in the system without burning his eligibility might be in Jamie’s plan for him, especially since Adams may be one-and-done and Dante will be graduating after next season – unless he has a phenomenal season this year and leaves early.

Comment by TampaT 10.13.11 @ 4:15 pm

What I know about Gilbert comes mostly from online sources like Dokish, and most of them have said that his offensive game is very raw, but he is ready to play defense and block shots at this level right away. Birch is also raw offensively, but he is much more athletic. As thin as he is, however, I just worry that he will really struggle at the 5.

The one thing we can be sure of is that playing time will be earned in practice, which has proven to be a good thing over the years.

Comment by Pantherman13 10.13.11 @ 4:46 pm

Yeah I don’t see why you have Birch learn the 5 when Adams is coming next year. Adams can ONLY play the 5. I would think you would want Birch to learn the 4 this year, so he doesn’t have to learn it NEXT YEAR. Because he’s the 4 next year, one would assume.

Anyway, we really need to get these new guys and Taylor & Moore up to speed in the non-con.

It is going to be very interesting to see how JD juggles all these pieces at the 3,4 & 5.

Comment by EMel 10.13.11 @ 7:58 pm

It’s about getting your best player on the court as much as possible. You have Nas and Zanna who are both experienced at the 4, as SilverPanther said one of the tougher positions to play in Jamie’s system. Nas knows it inside and out, which is why he’s been the starter there despite his size and shooting issues. Zanna should make a big leap mentally this year.

If we want Birch on the court, the 5 is the best spot, at least early on. I don’t think there are many big, beastly centers in Big East this year, so his frame may not be a big issue. Birch may get some time at the 4 too, but I think he’ll play mostly at the 5.

People keep leaving Patterson out of the mix. I guess because of JJ’s raw talent and some of these new kids coming in. But I wouldn’t count Lamar out of the mix. He’s got game and a good head, which is why he got more PT than JJ last year. People forget he was a rsFreshman and I think expected a little too much from him.

Comment by TampaT 10.13.11 @ 9:04 pm

Sorry, meant playerS in that first line. Not saying Birch is the best player, rather getting the best players on the court.

Comment by TampaT 10.13.11 @ 9:05 pm

I would be surprised if Patterson does not start at the SF position. Starting five vs. Albany I would think would be: PG- Woodall, SG- Gibbs, SF- Patterson, PF- Zanna, C- Taylor. First sub off the bench will be Moore, either for Patterson or for Zanna with Patterson moving to PF. Birch might be with him as a straight sub for Taylor. Sounds like Wright is the first guard off the bench- maybe for Woodall, and Gibbs will move to point.

Comment by SilverPanther in NYC 10.13.11 @ 9:16 pm

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