In Reply to: the negatives that come with Mick Cronin posted by barrya on February 15, 2025 at 08:46:10
I think he has a tremendous upside and if he can tap into that potential on a consistent basis I believe he could be an outstanding college player and perhaps even have a long NBA career. Having said that, he just isn't there yet. Maybe he can harness all this potential or maybe not, but the reality right now is that he is inconsistent at best.
I've thought for awhile now that Mara should be getting a lot more minutes and even starting although I acknowledge that starting isn't that important. I think it is important to the extent that it's a declaration, presentation, and a commitment by the coach to the idea that these are my best guys, my best five on the floor and we're riding them to whatever our fortunes may be. In a small way changing the starting five is an indication of changing the focus. Up until recently I thought Clark, still having a big roll, should come in off the bench.
I think the Bruins' deep bench is integral to any success this team can achieve, but I think Cronin needs to dig in with Mara, Bilodeau, Dailey, Johnson, and Clark as his main "go to" five.
I know there may be some defensive lapses or holes but I believe working these five as a unit and developing remedies for the holes, and allowing the players to develop and get comfortable in their roles will only benefit them further down the road. It pains me to admit, but I think right now, instead of Clark, Andrews needs to be coming off the bench.
I think Andrews, Mack, Kyle, Stefanovic, and Perry will all have huge rolls to fill in the remaining games, but IMO the more Cronin can play Mara, Bilodeau, Dailey, Johnson, and Clark together the better off the Bruins will be moving forward. I think that five gives the Bruins more effectiveness generally and also gives them the most potential in terms of being the most effective and able to handle more varied situations while also giving their opponents more trouble in preparing for the Bruins. His presence on the floor forces opponents to change the way they play. Mara, more than anyone else on the Bruins effects the entire game on both ends of the floor for both teams. That's a lot of power that needs to be tapped into and developed IMO.
In terms of Mara, the bottom line for me is that he needs to be on the floor more. He gives the Bruins a dimension that is just hard for opponents to counteract and a much higher ceiling for them to achieve. However Cronin does it, whether it's starting him or not, he needs to get him on the floor much much more. The Bruins IMO will eventually be much better off for it. I don't know if this is true or whether it's just wishful thinking, but it seems to me that Cronin is slowly, and maybe even reluctantly, coming to that realization and hopefully conclusion.