The Cat
06-14-2001, 10:28 AM
After just reading someone mentioning that for about the 50th time, it's time to dismiss this ridiculous notion. Where to start?
First, you have to go by minutes. If you don't recognize that Moochie is one of the best 6th men in the league, you haven't been watching many games. He changes the pace, breaks down the defense, gives Steve more chances to concentrate on scoring, and above all, he is clutch. You can count on him to deliver when it counts.
So, based on that, how many minutes per game do you think he should get? Well, if you're one of those people dreaming of Forte or others in the draft, you are going to have to give them time on the floor, and he is not going to play the 3. As a result, you would be giving that man the majority of minutes behind Cuttino. If you want Steve to play 38 minutes per game, like a franchise player does, then the notion of acquiring a backup SG means he would play almost all of those minutes at PG. So what does that leave the Mooch? 10 minutes per game. He is an excellent player, and there is no way in hell that Rudy or anyone with a sane mind would limit his minutes to 10 per game.
And the topic of injuries may come up. God forbid, Steve or Cuttino could get a long injury one of these days, and we might need another guard besides Moochie and Steve or Cuttino (whichever isn't hurt) and Sean Colson. Then you just have an SF play some SG. Walt, Langhi, and most of the small forwards in the draft are easily capable of playing some backup minutes from the two spot in case Steve or Cuttino ever got an extended injury. But you can never build a team around planning for injuries, because the likely scenario is that Steve and Cuttino will not be hurt, and if you acquire a pure SG like Forte you will either be sticking him on the bench all game or limiting Mooch's minutes to 10 per game.
Want some evidence of this? Look at the NBA's teams with elite backcourts. They consist of 3 players who get the majority of minutes, one of which being versatile enough to play the 1 and the 2. They may have another guard on the roster, like the Lakers have Ron Harper, the Bucks have Rafer Alston, etc., but they essentially play the same role as Sean Colson for us-- just being there in case someone got hurt. They won't play any significant minutes, and you don't draft someone like Forte, Hassell, etc. to sit on the bench in case of an injury. Here are some of the teams with the NBA's best backcourts-- and look how many players they have in their guard rotation.
Lakers-- Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Brian Shaw
Bucks-- Sam Cassell, Ray Allen, Lindsey Hunter
Mavs-- Steve Nash, Howard Eisley, Michael Finley
Hornets-- Baron Davis, David Wesley, Hersey Hawkins
Knicks-- Mark Jackson, Allan Houston, Charlie Ward
Raptors-- Alvin Williams, Vince Carter, Chris Childs
Sixers-- Aaron McKie, Allen Iverson, Eric Snow
Need I go further? There is a need for a 4th guard on the team, like a Sean Colson, but only in case of injury, blowouts, etc. When you have two elite guards who are going to contribute big every night and command 38 minutes per game (at least), you only need one solid guard off the bench, or minutes become too hard to come by. (assuming one guard is versatile enough to play both positions, and Steve is) All drafting Forte or someone does is make the lineup look better when you write it out. We're trying to build a realistic winner, not a Dream Team that looks stocked at every position. Stop with the Forte talk. Please.
------------------
"Basketball players win basketball games. Athletes win track meets."-- Shane Battier
Draftsource.net (http://Draftsource.net)-- the premier source for draft info. Profiles, rankings, mock drafts, and more!
First, you have to go by minutes. If you don't recognize that Moochie is one of the best 6th men in the league, you haven't been watching many games. He changes the pace, breaks down the defense, gives Steve more chances to concentrate on scoring, and above all, he is clutch. You can count on him to deliver when it counts.
So, based on that, how many minutes per game do you think he should get? Well, if you're one of those people dreaming of Forte or others in the draft, you are going to have to give them time on the floor, and he is not going to play the 3. As a result, you would be giving that man the majority of minutes behind Cuttino. If you want Steve to play 38 minutes per game, like a franchise player does, then the notion of acquiring a backup SG means he would play almost all of those minutes at PG. So what does that leave the Mooch? 10 minutes per game. He is an excellent player, and there is no way in hell that Rudy or anyone with a sane mind would limit his minutes to 10 per game.
And the topic of injuries may come up. God forbid, Steve or Cuttino could get a long injury one of these days, and we might need another guard besides Moochie and Steve or Cuttino (whichever isn't hurt) and Sean Colson. Then you just have an SF play some SG. Walt, Langhi, and most of the small forwards in the draft are easily capable of playing some backup minutes from the two spot in case Steve or Cuttino ever got an extended injury. But you can never build a team around planning for injuries, because the likely scenario is that Steve and Cuttino will not be hurt, and if you acquire a pure SG like Forte you will either be sticking him on the bench all game or limiting Mooch's minutes to 10 per game.
Want some evidence of this? Look at the NBA's teams with elite backcourts. They consist of 3 players who get the majority of minutes, one of which being versatile enough to play the 1 and the 2. They may have another guard on the roster, like the Lakers have Ron Harper, the Bucks have Rafer Alston, etc., but they essentially play the same role as Sean Colson for us-- just being there in case someone got hurt. They won't play any significant minutes, and you don't draft someone like Forte, Hassell, etc. to sit on the bench in case of an injury. Here are some of the teams with the NBA's best backcourts-- and look how many players they have in their guard rotation.
Lakers-- Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Brian Shaw
Bucks-- Sam Cassell, Ray Allen, Lindsey Hunter
Mavs-- Steve Nash, Howard Eisley, Michael Finley
Hornets-- Baron Davis, David Wesley, Hersey Hawkins
Knicks-- Mark Jackson, Allan Houston, Charlie Ward
Raptors-- Alvin Williams, Vince Carter, Chris Childs
Sixers-- Aaron McKie, Allen Iverson, Eric Snow
Need I go further? There is a need for a 4th guard on the team, like a Sean Colson, but only in case of injury, blowouts, etc. When you have two elite guards who are going to contribute big every night and command 38 minutes per game (at least), you only need one solid guard off the bench, or minutes become too hard to come by. (assuming one guard is versatile enough to play both positions, and Steve is) All drafting Forte or someone does is make the lineup look better when you write it out. We're trying to build a realistic winner, not a Dream Team that looks stocked at every position. Stop with the Forte talk. Please.
------------------
"Basketball players win basketball games. Athletes win track meets."-- Shane Battier
Draftsource.net (http://Draftsource.net)-- the premier source for draft info. Profiles, rankings, mock drafts, and more!