I was just curious if you guys thought that this was going to be the starting rotation. PG- Steve Francis SG- Cuttino Mobley SF- Eddie Griffin PF- Mo Taylor C- Yao Ming I am kind of concerned about the playing time for Nachbar wihti Rice around. I honestly like Rice and I hope he sees some time on the court. Of course i like nachbar also but rice still has some game left in him i think. Griffin needs to be starting. He needs the time to develop and for us to see what he can do. Mo Taylor is the man.
Eddie does not have the lateral movement to keep up with Marion, Carter, Tmac, Odom, etc. Plus you dont want him roaming out of the paint on defense. His shot-blocking ability is his best asset and you want him as close to the paint as possible.
Although I agree that Griff. is a true power foward, austinrocket made a valid point that EG should be starting. We aren't going to win any championships w/ mo-T at the 4, so we need to get EG on the court to develop his game, confidence, strength, and maturity. Once he begins to get legitimate minutes, he'll become something special. He needs time under his belt! Start him at the 3 in some games where the matchups can best be utilized and at the 4 in other games. He should definitely be one of the most utilized players off the bench b/c he can play the 3, 4, and 5. If he's not starting, I see EG as our sixth man, and has the ability to give us a spark on both sides of the ball. One more point is the fact that several of today's present PF's started their careers at the small foward position b/c they hadn't the strength, or knowledge to man the 4. I see this as being the same scenario we should use with Griff., until he adds muscle bulk and strength. Just to name a few who have taken on this transition: Garnett, Nowitzki, Abdur-Rahim, Juwan Howard, Clifford Robinson, Anthony Mason, Jamison, etc...
griffin is not a three, it's pointless to start him there just because it makes us look good on paper. within a couple years or possibly by the end of this one, he'll start at the 4, but until that time it's mo or kt's job to lose. imo, it won't hurt eddie's development to be a 6th man and beat up on other team's second units. i also seeing him getting alot of pf time during the 4th quarter which is most important anyways. this is my lineup to start the season: cato kenny(unless he's traded) rice mobley francis when we contend for the ring: ming griffin nacbar mobley francis
After Mo T returns, this will be the starting lineup C- Yao PF - MoT SF - Rice SG - Cat PG - WInk Hopefully not too far into the season achbar will start getting some serious minutes and eventually take over for Rice
Do you guys really think Yao is going to be able to come in and start right away? Cato will be the starting center at the beginning of the season with Yao playing around 20-25 minutes a game. It will take Yao time to develop into an NBA starter.
I agree but Cato will be starting unless Yao just blows away everyone in what little training camp he will get. It safe to assume that Rudy will not start a rookie unless he has to. Cato will start but Ming will most likely get as many minutes he can handle depending on foul trouble, matchups, etc. And yes Boki should be able to take the starting sometime during that season unless Rice sold his soul to the devil and re-discovered his shooting stroke and is injury free.
Yes...mark my words: Yao will be in the starting lineup on the very first game of the season (not exhibition). There is just way too much international media attention on that game for him not to start.
C- Yao PF -Eddie SF - Rice SG - Cat PG - Francis Surely no one wants to bench such a great center like Yao is now. He is ready to start but may not play over 20 mins for the first couple of games.
If everything goes well and there are no injuries then we will see Rudy go with experience and salary in determining the starters and the rotation. Before I list mine, I just wanted to warn those who like to make new friends and forget the old. This time last year people were calling Tmo our SF of the future, now he is forgotten. Early indications is that he will be heard from and will not be this year's DL. Cato Taylor Rice Francis Mobes. Nobody except Francis and Mobes should play more that 24 minutes and those two, no more that 30 minutes. Ming Griffin/Morris Thomas, Morris if KT is traded/ Moochie Torres/Nachbar
I think it's a lot smarter to let him come off of the bench and then start when he is 150% ready. Rudy will not take the chance of hurting his confidence by throwing him out there when he is not ready and then pulling him back to the bench. Depending on how his game is, starting him may even be a situational game-by-game decision for a while.
You have to put the guy in the best possible situation to succeed and starting him day one is not the best situation. From a team standpoint it is also very important that we get the train running with our bread and butter guys and lay the foundation for him to come in and contribute. He also has to get to know the players, the league and the plays. Don't rush the brush!
You have got to be kidding about Francis and Cuttinos minutes. You are expecting backups for 36 minutes? That is almost three quarters. Francis and Mobley shouldnt have to play more then 40 minutes, but I think they can easily handle 37-38 minutes.
Ming-Cato-Collier Griffin-MoT-KT (if traded) Rice-Nachbar-TMo Mobley-??? Francis-Norris-Maddox/Brown (whoever signs) I like this rotation. This way we have veterans and young guys playing with each other at the same time. You have guys with fresh athleticism with veterans that can tell you to slow things down when needed. We are going to be bada$$ next season.
