What is the goal of the team? -A tight rotation will win more games. -A 9/10 man rotation will showcase players for a trade - ie Hill looks more dominatnt in fewer mins. Get a look at some of the younger players without having to really rely on them. And to the poster above me. YES! cut Flynn and sign Greg Smith ASAP.
You either need to play an 8 man rotation (or 8.5, with one extra guy getting 8-10mpg), or you have to play a true ten man rotation with two separate units who play together. A lineup of Dragic, Lee, TWill, Patterson and Dalembert would probably have trouble keeping us in games most nights when the starters are sitting.
Substitute Hill for Dalembert in that hypothetical line-up, and that is what we will probably have to work with in a few weeks. Dalembert is going to be the starting center as soon as he learns the offense well enough.
Generally both coaches and stats say players perform better with bigger minutes. So if you want to showcase someone, you should stick to a regular 8-9 man rotation. Then trade your guy and have someone else replace him. So suppose you want to showcase TWill, then you play him 20+mpg and then trade him. Then insert Morris/Parsons into the rotation to replace him.
He said he gave guys looks early on because he didnt have the chance to during normal pre-season games. What he said was right in a way.
Hubie Brown got the ten man rotation to work in Memphis. We have a similar situation. Lots of depth, but no superstars. With the compressed season I think it could be a big advantage to play a 10 man rotation.
10 man rotation makes sense because there is a legit backup at each position. If Jeff Adrien was your 8th guy then yeah forget it. Also with the compressed schedule, it'll keep guys fresher.
I agree. The previous Gasol trade assets are taking up almost half the rotation(3 of 8 positions), now. In a 10-man rotation, they would take up less than 1/3 of the positions. It seems that McHale is shortening the rotation to showcase Scola, Martin, and Dragic. Patterson, T-Will, and Flynn will have to be patient until the trade deadline.
Ya, this is how I feel too. Guys have a hard time being effective if they are only in the game for a few minutes a game. Shorten the rotation a bit to give guys some consistency with a group and a little more time to get in the flow of a game. There is no reason why his short rotation has to be the same every night - he can sub in/out a few guys like a baseball reliever rotation periodically to keep the guys fresh - especially in the compressed season.
Its the right decision if the goal is to win. If we're just looking to "develop" the young players, wins be damned, then there's an argument for a deep rotation. Even in that case, it can be counter-productive if the end result is that certain players get very sporadic minutes.
I don't like to pretend I know better than coaches whether I like them or not, but I do think this is a mistake. Barely any of these guys is ready to play, they've had virtually no practice with a new coach/system, and he thinks he's ready to pick out his 8 or 9 already? T-Will, Chandler, Flynn and Morris (and, hell, even Thabeet who's shown flashes in limited minutes) need time or we won't even know what we're missing by benching them. I'm all for ultimately arriving at an 8-9 man rotation -- like in time for the playoffs (knock wood) -- but trying it in game 4 of a shortened season? On day 3 of a back-to-back-to-back? Sorry, that just seems stupid.
Exactly. That distills what I was trying to say when I started the thread into just a couple sentences.
I'm for a tighter lineup and more defined roles. It's hard to optimize your best players' output with spotty minutes and weird rotations/lineups. I feel guys like Patterson and CLee can bring alot to the table on both ends of the court with heavier minutes to be able to get into the flow of the game.
I'm comfortable with running a 5-man bench unit. Shorten it to 9 if injury occurs, and add one of the extra players into the rotation if further players get injured. Lowry/Martin/Budinger/Scola/Dalembert Dragic/Lee/Williams/Patterson/Hill Flynn/Parsons/Morris Thabeet/Adrien
Let's be honest guys, we pretty much know who the top 9 guys are. Now that Morris has been sent to the D-League, the only guy I see with the potential of cracking the rotation is Williams. This might as well be the "Should TWill get consistent minutes?" thread.
