WTF!! Time to move on???
What yesterday reaffirmed for me is how much this team needs Mag for this year and next. What he does in practices and off days needs continuous reassessment.
Time to move on from Mag
- Thread starter HatterChat
- Start date
What yesterday reaffirmed for me is how much this team needs Mag for this year and next. What he does in practices and off days needs continuous reassessment.
Having soreness in the opposite knee from the one where you had major surgery is not uncommon due to the added stress that has been put on it.
Not when the head coach, who is a great guy, completely throws him under the bus.
This is the key variable in the equation.
It isnt quite this black and white and is overly blunt
Either
A. Pike is a complete loser for not having Mags back
B. Mag is being soft and should be out there playing.
It cant be neither
He is 12 mos from an ACL injury, and his game relies on speed and athleticism. Its not surprising that he may need an adjustment period to get back to normal. The encouraging thing is that he has looked good at different points this season. When he is right, he is one of the best players on the team.
I don’t take it as Pike throwing him under the bus or Mag wanting to leave. Injuries are unpredictable and you have to deal with them when they come up.
Lolol. It’s so common that people like to make things black or white, O% or 100%, when so many things in life are actually shades of grey.
There are 99 numbers between 0 and 100.
Or C. you could stop trying to read into it. It may be that both Mag and coach wanted him to play but for some reason his knee didn’t feel right.
Maybe he did. And maybe at game time it didn’t feel right. Stop trying to play detective.
It’s certainly believable that a player who had one foot out the door last summer is considering what is best for him to keep his options open next summer and that could be manifesting by how much he pushes his body this season.
I guess in a time where everyone loves a good conspiracy theory, sure.
Pike has been kind of a dick when it comes to injuries imo. After Rider game last year he was asked about Caleb and Paul and when they're coming back.
He kinda scoffed, shrugged and said "yeah I mean I've said this before, I think they're close. But, that's what I said before, so.... Hopefully soon? When they're ready to play they'll say they're ready to play."
So to take his answer last night and tell me Mag is soft... Well he seemed to think Paul and Caleb were being soft too then, right?
Mag is a great kid coming back from ACL i really feel bad for the kid. You know he wants so badly to play against the number 1 team in the country.
OR
He had a great practice yesterday OR we found out 30 seconds before tip he wasnt going to play?
I think this is pretty obvious.
OR
He had a great practice yesterday OR we found out 30 seconds before tip he wasnt going to play?
I think this is pretty obvious.
Do you realize Pike needs him this year to do the things that the rest of the front court , Hyatt, Oskar and Gavin cannot do. You must have never dealt with injuries and act so cavalier , like it was just a ACL ? His is getting soreness in the other knee which is common but does not allow him to go. Maybe Pike has to just play him in games without practice and hope for the best. Not something any coach wants to do. The issue is more complicated than you are suggesting.
He didn't in the post game presser I just rewatched. Idk, my point is that he seems to have zero patience for injuries in general. He's an old school guy. It doesn't mean that Mag legit couldn't go against Purdue. He tried against Minny right? It's not like he's decided to sit out the rest of the year
I think pikes comments on injuries is nothing more than him releasing his other frustrations, without directly losing his cool.
He is often passive aggressive about officiating, and seems to do something similar with responses to injury and availability questions. Just his style.
I didn’t really pay too much attention to it before but as football has started to become relevant again and our thirst for injury news has grown, you can see the contrast in how Greg handles these questions with media directly with a “I’m not going to talk about it” vs pikes responses.
Last edited:
agree...its important to have a nuanced conversation with respect to Mag....yes no one wants to move out a player who was injured here and has sacrificed his body and been an integral part of our defense. On the flip side Pike also has a program to build here and next year is important to have the right complimentary pieces in place. Pike has been absolutely burned with roster management issues the past few years. That Mag actually was going to bolt last season before the $$$ was upped is a huge concern. Pike has to recruit a portal guy that could potentially threaten Mags starting role and Mag has to be okay with it. That has to be worked out. Definitely cannot have a repeat of last season. We all want a 100% healthy and committed Mag. If there is any waiver there OR its clear Mag is likely to continue to have nagging injury issues, Pike needs to navigate it and its not throwing Mag under the bus
Why? It’s a discussion board!
Me personally I am not questioning the possibility of knee soreness or why he has it. I think we all, as human beings understand what overuse and overcompensation can do regarding injuries.
For me the oddity of how Pikes comments around Mags practices and last minute, playing not playing, which seem to be at this point completely up to Mag, together with his offseason option exploration, in the day of NIL.
Is cause for question. Unless this board is some sort of player, program propaganda tool, it’s perfectly justified to question, discuss, criticize surmise and read between the lines.
Many people get upset when you start talking about the bolded above. It is a noteworthy part of the analyzing his tenure.
absolutely some of it bad luck, some of it not...for one the covid thing extra year was bs and it hurt RU recruiting imo...but ALOT of misses and Pike never replaced Geo or Ron or the miss of Jaden Jones..
The notion that a kid would bust his ass and practice “great” but then intentionally sit out a game feigning injury is absolutely ridiculous. Terrible thread. Mag Is arguably our most important player. Our defense is totally pedestrian without him. Just ask MD’s head coach Willard. We had Mag and no J. Will in the 1st game v. Purdue and held them to under 70.
Players make money now. Doesn't mean he necessarily wants to leave. Mag could want to return and get paid and knows that if his knee is bothering him and he tears his other ACL its over for him whether he stays or leaves
Mag also could be thinking he wants to be a part of a deep NCAA tournament run and potential historic season for RU next year. Maybe he doesn't want to risk injury especially with the NCAA tournament very unlikely this season so he can make sure he is ready to rock at full stength next season
We don't know what exactly is happening behind the scenes. Some people are all too quick wanting to jump on Mag and think the worst. How about give the man the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise and support him?
You can love Mag and know how major his injury was and know how important he is to the team and know how loyal Pike is and know that coming back is hard and know that playing hurt is not a good thing - and STILL start asking some questions.
Clearly there SEEMS to be something more going on here than Mag practicing too hard and getting sore 10 mins before games - there SEEMS to be something more in Pike's wording than just total surprise that his key player won't be available 8 minutes before he provides a line-up...
there SEEMS to be something more going on - maybe there isn't, but don't tell me it's totally fine and I'm totally wrong - unless you actually have real information that those of us who see something isn't quite right are wrong.
Clearly there SEEMS to be something more going on here than Mag practicing too hard and getting sore 10 mins before games - there SEEMS to be something more in Pike's wording than just total surprise that his key player won't be available 8 minutes before he provides a line-up...
there SEEMS to be something more going on - maybe there isn't, but don't tell me it's totally fine and I'm totally wrong - unless you actually have real information that those of us who see something isn't quite right are wrong.
Many that have played or understand the sacrifice to play high level sports find this thinking ridiculous and an insult. Mag has battled back from a lot of injuries. Many of which others would have given up. I will never understand anyone who suggests this is on him or assumes he is holding out.
"I was a tough guy, I played hurt" is kinda irrelevant.
I don't see a single person questioning his "sacrifice" (whatever that means) - I see people saying they see something is not quite right and asking what exactly is going on.
I have, and I do! As a matter of fact I tore my Achilles my sophomore year on the banks rehabbed every single day at the rac in the 80’s from cook, made it all the way back! To complete on nationally ranked teams. I also know times have changed, I also know not everyone has the same motivation and influence or family situation. I am not assuming anything just asking questions on a discussion board.
Last edited:
I guess the last line sums up the differences for me. I believe the scenario I mentioned as a possibility also encompasses giving him the benefit of the doubt. I don’t think a player should be looked at negatively for taking care of his body and options whether the option is returning to Rutgers or going elsewhere. Certainly I could’ve mentioned your scenario instead - but he did try to leave last year so I thought it was more likely than what you suggested now - still wouldn’t hold either against him or view him negatively.
Seems like you see it as inherently negative if going elsewhere and inherently positive if he stays at RU.
I absolutely want a fully healthy and motivated Mag back for next year. He can be a key piece and think his skillset fits perfectly with the talent we have coming in. That aside, alarm bells are going off in my head with Pike's comments and this isn't the first time he has said them. Hopefully, we are all reading into it too much but if not we need this resolved one way or the other quickly so we can have contingency plans. Next year is too critical to have a repeat as last year's offseason.
Lol it's a Rutgers message board. Of course it's positive if he stays and negative if he leaves
For the record….. i have no idea am just guessing….
I think it is possible Mag may not be the most stoic people when it comes to injuries. Some players when they get hurt come up right away and others dont. Bordering on hypochondriac.
I think it is possible Mag may not be the most stoic people when it comes to injuries. Some players when they get hurt come up right away and others dont. Bordering on hypochondriac.
The kid has been thru a litany of issues in his life.
War torn Sudan / his teeth / his ACL / not living with his family.
And he s 22 years old ?
Give the kid a break !
My thought : When he has soreness / pain etc - He’s petrified of hurting himself further and doesn’t want to jeopardize a career overseas to financially support himself and his family down the road or future NIL opportunities !
War torn Sudan / his teeth / his ACL / not living with his family.
And he s 22 years old ?
Give the kid a break !
My thought : When he has soreness / pain etc - He’s petrified of hurting himself further and doesn’t want to jeopardize a career overseas to financially support himself and his family down the road or future NIL opportunities !
Last edited:
Pike was tough as nails as a player, so I can understand why he is miffed when players say they can't play.
For example, the 32 times he has dislocated his shoulder, if Jim Calhoun’s estimate is to be believed.
The first of those came on a loose ball at a Connecticut practice. Pikiell dove, then came up with his shoulder out of his socket. The scene repeated again and again over Pikiell’s four years as a player with the Huskies.
“You could tell he was in incredible pain,” Calhoun said. “And then every time he did it, we took him to the orthopods at UConn Medical Center, and they (said), we can operate, he’ll be out in seven months, and Steve wanted no part of it. He wanted to play the year.”
Over four years, as that shoulder kept subluxing, Calhoun started to build a powerhouse in Storrs. In Pikiell’s freshman year, which doubled as the coach’s first, the Huskies went 9-19, finishing at the bottom of the Big East. By 1990, their fourth, UConn was 31-6, making it to the Elite Eight.
https://www.michigandaily.com/sport...-unenviable-task-building-rutgers-basketball/
--------------------------------
While trying to help Jim Calhoun build something special at UConn, Pikiell had suffered two shoulder dislocations and two concussions during his freshman year, and needed a CAT scan on the eve of his first Big East Tournament game. He went out and scored 27 points against Boston College anyway, making his first trip to Madison Square Garden more memorable than he imagined it could be.
https://nypost.com/2022/03/13/rutgers-is-in-ncaa-tournament-gets-spot-in-first-four/
I don’t get the Mag hate. Prior to the ACL, his injuries were flukey/bad luck. The bigger issue is our coaching staff brought in several players coming off severe injuries expecting them to be major contributors, and maybe not surprisingly it hasn‘t worked out. Even at the highest level of sports, ramping up players coming off serious injuries is an art, not a science. Even at the professional level, a handful of teams do it well, and most struggle (I’m looking at you, NY Yankees). To think that a college program could manage through this well in hindsight looks like a pipedream. By next year, Mag should be fully recovered, and can hopefully bring defense and glue to our team.
Last edited:
100% most coaches have a difficult time with their players when it comes to pain management vs injuries. And it’s normal for the player and coach to not agree. The trainer usual is the one giving the recommendation and the player decides what they are comfortable with. Coaches usual appy pressure when they believe they need to.
I mean you can talk about it but I don’t really think it’s true? I mean, this year absolutely. The last “few”? I don’t see it.
Similar threads
