Same here. Really liked what he has shown in the preseason. And really like to see him get another opportunity after what he's been through. But oh well, money talks at the end of the day, I guess
With $3.5 non-guaranteed, I guess I'm not surprised, but I don't like the depth behind Lin. Livingston is better than Douglas and Cook and I wish it had been one of those two instead.
The Ony reason Cook made it is because of his guaranteed contract, otherwise we keep Livingston instead.
How does this make sense, basketball wise? Harden will be starting, not with the 2nd unit. This was financial.
They are likely not making 5-man substitutions. It will be rare for neither Harden nor Lin to be on the court at any given time (barring injuries).
I know there's some overlap, but Harden will play the bulk of his minutes with the starters. I'd have prefer Livingston over Douglas to run the 2nd unit when neither Lin nor Harden are in. Oh well, spilled milk.
Since Harden is here, he can be the playmaker for the 2nd unit and in this case, Douglas' game fits more perfectly than, let's say, Livingston. Douglas can shoot the 3 ball pretty well and is a decent defender. I think if Harden hadn't come here Livingston might have made it. Also, what CH said.
Barring injuries is the key here. Harden is a combo guard who can run the point in spurts, but Douglas is really an undersized shooting guard with a great dribble but not much court vision. Considering Lin's inexperience and injury history, Livingston makes much more sense. If Lin goes down for any lenght of time, Machado will be a sieve on D. And Machado's offense is almost as bad. It will be 4 on 5 all game long.
Harden will also play something like 35+ minutes, and so he will be on the court with Douglas while Lin is having a rest. Hence it makes perfect sense doesn't it? Douglas can just play his gritty D, and space the floor by being a catch and shoot guy. I think he'll do that job really well.
I would much rather be rid of Cook. Both he and Douglas are undersized shooting guards. But at least Douglas can be a lock down defender. And while Douglas may not be a great passer, he has very good ball handling ability and is able to create for himself.
McHale likes a 9 man rotation, so Im guessing it should look like: 1st Unit Asik Patt Parsons Harden Lin 2nd unit Jones Delfino Douglas Morris or White maybe Id like to see Motiejunas get some mins with Jones in the 2nd unit! I think the 2nd group is all still pretty questionable as to who will be playing!
