I stick up for Phil a lot, and appreciate his contributions to our title. But there's a reason Brimah has finished 147 alley oop dunks and Phil has none. Brimah makes the read when his man leaves, presents himself, catches and finishes - the lob doesn't have to be perfect (he has more trouble catching the ball low on bounce passes, etc.). The key is that the fear of that play keeps his man at home and gives room for the 10-12 footers from our slashers. With Phil out there, that play is off the table and his man can bring help freely, closing off the lane much earlier. Brimah can make a difference to our offense without even touching the ball or looking like he's even involved.
Now today was a big step back in terms of post scoring. He looked clumsy and unable to finish his move after the slightest contact. But he's raw offensively - there will be days like that. At the other end, he erased 12 points from USF with his blocks that they probably make without him out there - as well as an airball over the rim that he clearly influenced (the guy shot the ball into the rafters) and a turnover where a guy was afraid to shoot. USF stinks, but we put our foot down when Boat and Brimah took over late at opposite ends.
