The other side: maybe Dogus Balbay's injury isn't actually a blessing in disguise

By now, you've surely heard that the injury that Texas point guard Dogus Balbay suffered of Saturday afternoon was a torn acl and will miss the rest of the season.

The general consensus seems to be that this injury could actually be a blessing in disguise for the Longhorns. Balbay is an excellent defender, the Longhorn's leader in assists, and a vocal leader. But where Texas has struggled of late hasn't been on the defensive end; its been creating offense. Balbay, who is shooting a robust 10% from three this season, is a liability at that end of the floor. So much so that teams don't even bother guarding him outside of 15 feet.

You knew the injury was bad when Balbay went down on Saturday.
(photo credit: RTC)

With Balbay out of the lineup, it will provide more minutes for more offensive-minded players like J'Covan Brown and Jai Lucas, while also allowing Justin Mason more minutes at the point.

But could the general consensus be wrong here?

Could the loss of Balbay actually add injury to insult as the Longhorns look to get back on track after losing six of their last ten games?

Its true that J'Covan Brown is the most talented offensive player the Longhorns have at the point. But even after Balbay went down with the injury five minutes into the game against Texas Tech on Saturday, Brown played just five minutes as Justin Mason logged a season high 38. Could there be a reason for Brown being in Rick Barnes' doghouse? Take a look at this quote from the Austin Statesmen where Barnes was asked how Brown improve his standing in the eyes of his coach:

One word: consistency. In all areas of the game. That's what we've looked for all year. People wonder why we go back and forth. It's consistency. It's every day. It's preparation. It's the details. It's accountability. He knows what we need from him. He needs to prepare every day, not just when it's convenient. It's not just him. People need to understand what their roles are.

Not exactly glowing praise for a guy that most expect to take over the starting point guard role.

The issue with Brown isn't the ability to score. Anyone that watched him go for 28 points, the majority of which came in the last eight minutes, against Kansas would agree. With Brown, the issue is decison making. Will he improve his shot selection? Can he improve on an assist to turnover ratio that is almost 1:1 (to be fair, he has been better in Big XII play)? Does he understand how to facilitate an offense?

You see, part of the reason that Texas needs another scorer on the perimeter is that it will open up space for the Longhorn's big front line to operate in the paint. But Brown is a scoring point guard and a freshman who sat out the two years prior to this season. He isn't exactly programmed to run an offense just yet.

What about Jai Lucas? He has great pedigree - the son of John Lucas and the brother of former Oklahoma State standout John Lucas III. But Jai has scored all of 11 points in Big XII play, and neither he nor Brown are as good on the defensive end as Balbay.

The third option is Justin Mason. He's an excellent defender and a senior. But he also had the opportunity to run the point last season alongside AJ Abrams, and was not as effective as Barnes would have liked.

The bottom line is that increased, consistent minutes for Brown and Lucas at the point may result in increased production from the two. But it also should be safe to assume that Rick Barnes knew his team's weakness was on the offensive end, and he still used Balbay as the starter, playing him the most consistent minutes.

Either way, the only thing I really hope for in the situation is a quick and speedy recovery for Balbay. He's a tough kid that plays with a lot of heart.
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Players joining teams mid-season

In case you missed it, The Quad, the New York Times college sports blog, had a great read yesterday about Ater Majok, UConn's Sudanese-by-way-of-Australia big man that will be suiting up in a UConn uniform for the first time today.

UConn has really been missing one thing this season: depth. The Huskies have some talented youngsters in their back court - Darius Smith, Jamaal Trice, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, Donnell Beverly - that are still learning what Jim Calhoun requires if you want to get playing time. But UConn has no front court depth. Yes, Gavin Edwards comes off the bench, but he has been playing over 30 minutes a game as Charles Okwandu is simply not ready for this level of competition.

Majok will finally be eligible on Sunday, but how much impact will he have.
(photo credit: Jamati)

While Edwards, Alex Oriakhi, and Stanley Robinson have been pretty good in the early going, UConn needs more bodies up front if they expect to compete in the Big East. Which is why the addition of Majok is so important. He provides the rebounding, shot blocking, and a mean streak off the bench that UConn doesn't have right now.

I warn Husky fans not to be too excited about Majok just yet. He may end up being the next Ajou Deng. But he could also end up being the next Josh Boone or Charlie Villanueva.

But Majok is far from the only mid-season addition.

What other mid-season additions will make a difference this year?

Derrick Caracter, UTEP: We all know the story on Caracter, but after a year and a half away from the court, Caracter was cleared to play last weekend. He has played three games with the Miners, notching two double-doubles. UTEP was sorely missing a big-bodied banger on the block, and Caracter provides that, assuming his stays in shape and keeps his attitude in check. With Caracter, UTEP is a real threat to win C-USA.

Derrick Caracter has two double-doubles in three games since becoming eligible.
(photo credit: UTEP athletics)

Brady Morningstar and Jeff Withey, Kansas: In the days following the fight between the Kansas football and basketball teams, Morningstar was arrested for suspicion of DWI, which resulted in him being suspended by Bill Self for the first semester's games. While Kansas is a very deep team this year, the return of Morningstar is important. He is their best perimeter defender, an excellent shooter, and the guy of glue guy that does enough little things that it forces a coach to keep you on the court. There is a reason he went from walk-on to starter last season. Morningstar isn't going to post huge numbers, but his addition will be important for the Jayhawks goes of winning a national title. Morningstar had 2 points, 3 assists, 2 boards, and 0 turnovers in 22 minutes against Michigan.

Kansas also got news that Arizona transfer Jeff Withey was academically cleared to play. While he likely won't see too much playing time, Withey was a top 100 recruit and provides Self with even more depth on an already loaded roster. He didn't play against Michigan.

Keon Lawrence and Jeff Robison, Seton Hall: Lawrence, a transfer from Missouri who came back from suspension against Temple on Saturday, and Robinson, a transfer from Memphis who finally became eligible, both played significant minutes for the Pirates. Lawrence may be the better player, especially for Bobby Gonzalez's system, as he is a 6'2" scorer. But Robinson may be more important for the Pirates right now. Seton Hall has no problem scoring the ball, but they don't defend all that well. Robinson is an athletic, 6'5" guard that is strong enough to guard three or four positions on the floor.

Ibrahima Thomas, Cincinnati: Thomas, a transfer from Oklahoma State, is a talented 6'11" center, but I'm not sure how much he is actually going to help the Bearcats. Thomas is not an overly physical center, instead preferring to play on the perimeter and shoot some threes. He can hit that shot, and it definitely gives the Bearcats a different dimension along their front line, but can you see Mick Cronin using a center that doesn't rebound? Thomas played limited minutes in losses to Xavier and UAB, but had 10 points and 6 boards against Lipscomb on Saturday.

Jai Lucas, Texas: Lucas transferred in from Florida early last season, and just is getting eligible now. Texas is deep, and with Avery Bradley, J'Covan Brown, and Dogus Balbay, they now have four guys capable of playing the point. Lucas might be the best pure point guard of the guard - the most capable of running a team - but that may not be exactly what Texas needs. He will play some minutes, but expect Bradley, Brown, and Balbay to carry the load as they are more dynamic offensively.

Jai Lucas didn't score in six minutes against UNC.
(photo credit: Globe and Mail)

Gilbert Brown, Pitt: Pitt, who just got Jermaine Dixon back from injury, will have Gilbert Brown back in uniform on the 22nd. The Panthers, who are really struggling to score this season, sorely need Brown back. In addition to lacking offensive firepower, the Panther do not have a ton of athleticism this season. Brown oozes athleticism.

Mike Gerrity, USC: So did anyone know this kid, who has bounced from Pepperdine, to Charlotte, to USC, would make this big of an impact? In his first game with the Trojans on Saturday, Gerrity went for 12 points and 10 assists in leading USC to a 22 point win over Tennessee.

John Riek, Mississippi State: The Bulldogs are an excellent three point shooting team that likes to use four players around Jarvis Varnado offensively. Varnado is going to be an all-SEC pick, and is one of the premier posts in the conference. Riek, who was thought to be a top draft pick early in his career, hasn't played seriously in quite a while, and definitely looks like he has a ways to go before he is ready to contribute here. That said, Riek is a 7'1" shot blocker, and playing him alongside Varnado would mean that opponent's won't be able to shoot within ten feet of the rim. He's played just 1 minute in two games since he has been eligible.
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