Ron Cook goes for the full-court backing of Carl Krauser returning to Pitt. I’ll give him credit for going fully to one side in declaring this very good for Pitt. He’s gone opposite Smizik on the issue.

Me, I’m still stuck somewhere in the middle. I wish I wasn’t being so wishy-washy. Love Krauser and his game. Plain worried about how the coach will handle him and the whole team; and I worry about how Krauser’s long decision making after the draft about coming back affects the team.

This is why Jamie Dixon gets paid to be a Division I head basketball coach. The expectations should be lower, even with Krauser back, but the ceiling will be higher for this team.

He will have a talented, mature Krauser. A guy who always wants to be out there. Wants to be playing. He also has a young, talented and raw kid for the future in Fields. Not just at point guard. There is a lot of young talent on the team that should push the guys in front of them.

Fields will benefit from having Krauser around. Not just learning to lead the team and run the offense (and defense), but from going up against him in practice.

Last year, Krauser averaged just under 36 minutes a game. Fields will have to be worked in more, and given opportunities to run the team in anticipation of the future. That means Krauser should see his minutes drop. He will have to be held out for periods lasting more than one or two minutes.

Dixon will have to be keeping him from barking and complaining from the bench about wanting back in.

The situation, frankly, will be more about what kind of coach Dixon is than anything else. Even if Pitt has an up and down year — which I expect they will. A lot of focus will be on the decisions and coaching of Dixon. How does he handle the players? Substitutions? Intensity? Focus? How does he handle the scrutiny of what he does?

Lots and lots of questions for 2005-06.