While reading Brent Axe's (@AxemanBlog on Twitter) recent break down of the DePaul game on syracuse.com( SU-DePaul Recap The Axeman - Brent Axe -), I was reminded how many negative fans we and other teams are dealing with on an every day basis. I understand constructive criticism when they make mistakes but some people are just so negative in nature that they have the "sky is falling" mentality every time something gets a bit too tough (thanks to @SUMeg06 for giving me the perfect analogy). The following is a comment someone left and if I thought this was just one person's view, I would ignore it but I know there are more like this. Let me know what you think about what "hoopsphreak" had to say for himself and ask yourself, is this constructive or just simply finding the negative in one of the greatest basketball seasons in SU history:"Bottom line - this is NOT a final four team. It might have been earlier this year, but not now. Talent is there, no doubt, but discipline and motivation seriously lacking lately.
"Time for JB to show some real Hall of Fame coaching ability.
"Fire up Wesley - make him a leader. AO - get the lead out or get the HELL out! Defense wins and rebounds rule.
"C;mon 'cuse - kick it into overdrive and show what you really have."
So am I wrong to read too much into that statement? Was this person simply trying to help point out the team's fault in the hopes that people will see it and adjust? To me, this looks like the comments of someone who is either bitter or expects perfection every time out.
Can someone please show me 4 teams who have demonstrated that they are that much better than Syracuse and have never had let down games? Let us not forget, they may have struggled but it is still a win in the end and a road win at that. I will say that right now, Kansas and Villanova are both playing great basketball right now and Kentucky looks like they could be a top contender as well but that is it and I think on any given night, this team could beat them as well. This team is a top 4-5 team and could potentially be #1 in the country at any time (as well as #1 in Orange hearts).
Why be so negative when we have so much to be proud of?
Every team struggles from time to time and this struggle still resulted in a road win which when it is all said and done, will be all that matters. Be proud to be an Orange fan (even though we should always be proud of our program). They have potential NBA lottery draft pick, ESPN Sportscenter top 10 play contender, and spectacular shot blocker Wes Johnson. Andy Rautins has great defensive skills and can light up a team by himself on any given night. AO and Rick Jackson are talented big men who can dominate inside. Kris Joseph is in my opinion the best 6th man in all of the NCAA. And how can you not be proud when you have a Hall of Fame coach like Jim Boeheim who not only delivers on the court but makes press conferences worth watching whether he is talkative or not. We are one F'n Keith Smart shot away from having two championships and some programs in this country would trade us in a heartbeat to have the program we have at Syracuse. Not to mention, we have some of the most dedicated fans like Michael Borkowski (@MBorkowski) who showed us his exceptional artistic skills with the drawing below:
My point is this, enjoy the ride and stop trying be a Negative Nelly. Rants like the one above accomplish nothing but prove ignorance and the fact that you are either a bandwagon fan or think everyone should be a perfect as you. This team is 21-1 and if you are looking at only the pre-season game, the Pitt loss and this close game as reasons to support your view of why they will fail, please jump off the bandwagon now because the true fans do not need your support and neither does this team. We need people like those who showed up at the Georgetown game and made me proud to bleed Orange. Thank you for those who have pride and are not afraid to show it. I appreciate those who point out issues they have but remain supportive that this is one of the best teams in the country regardless. And to those who think this is a sign of the apocalypse, either learn to have faith and be supportive when we struggle or find a new hobby because we are not all as perfect as your expectations apparently (and neither is any other team in college basketball). This team has the potential to win it all and I plan to enjoy the journey with them.
GO ORANGE!
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