We should play all the tall guys and sit the short ones after 8 minutes have passed. Nobody should get downloaded.
The big question is who starts at the 4. Smith will be the backup 4 and either T-Jones or D-Mo will be the backup 5. Minutes will be distributed based on who's playing well that game(and if anyone's in foul trouble). I don't see Dorsey playing much(if at all). I'd lean toward D-Mo starting. He's got a better post game than T-Jones. He's a much better outside shooter. He's a terrific passer. And I also like the idea of T-Jones and Smith as a tandem off the bench. We wouldn't lose too much in interior defense(especially with rebounding and blocked shots) when Dwight sits and those two come in.
Depends on match-ups. I think what come to D-mo, his biggest price is about his body. He's a big dude that can be thrown even against centers (we saw how he held back the ones loke D. Jordan). And I would surely put D-mo against Aldrige and other really big PFs because TJ can't do this against them. He's too small down there in the paint. Or say, Rockets faces Spurs. You would want D-mo guarding T. Duncun because he simply would overpower TJ or Smith. Now Jones could be probably better option guarding Diaw at 4. Both D-mo and Jones are realy good so it comes to matchups, but I still see that X factor in D-mos ability to guard really big and weighty dudes.
I hope he rotates them 4 deep, but remember last year he didn't. DMo didn't even sniff the court. DMo should get Dorsey's minutes come playoff time. I don't think DMo will start. But it will be good to have a 7 footer on the floor at all times, even though TJones and JSmoove both protect the rim better. I wager it will be very tight and be Terry, Prigioni Harden, Brewer Ariza, Harden TJones, Smith Howard, DMo
Damn, that would be huge disappointment if he would average 5-10 minutes in the playoffs knowing how much he did for the team in the season. I don't see that at all though. Unless he's injured or semi-injured.
if everyone's fully healthy: dwight (30) - dmo (24) jones (24) - smith (18) considering dwight and dmo may not be at 100%: dwight (24) - dmo (15) jones (32) - smith (25)
If Mchale somehow plays anything less than a 9 man rotation he's back to McFail. If you exclude the PG position this is the most talented rotation in the NBA hands down.
I tend towards D12 and TJones starting and Josh and Dmo coming in second. Playing time will be determined by match ups and how well each guy is paying in any given game. I really like our front line...best the in West. I believe Dorsey will get spot minutes for special match ups and Capela, well his time will be next year.
I really think DMO will start. I don't TJones ever really earned his starting spot back. DMO fits better next to Dwight. Ultimately his production off the bench could be huge though. He's one of few players who can actually create his own shot. They'll need his offense in the half court when Harden sits. Jones is great on the break... But he rarely creates his own shot and isn't exactly someone you can run an offense through in a slump. I see DMO and Smith sharing the court with Howard. Jones will share the court more with Smith in a small ball run and gun lineup. I totally expect Dorsey to get minutes though bc you know Dwight is gonna get in foul trouble and they need someone who can board.
Kind of agree with this as well. I think we go 9 deep in the playoffs: Howard/DMo Jones/Smith Ariza/Brewer Harden/Brewer Terry/Prigioni Although it's a crapshoot who starts between Jones and DMo, I could see McHale going with either one of them, to be honest. Who knows.
In the front court we have 4 PF/C's and 2 SF's. Howard, Jones, Smith, D-Mo can each play +/- 24 minutes. Ariza and Brewer will play +/- 24 minutes. We're not moving our bigs to the 3. It doesn't make any sense.
I feel pretty comfortable saying that Ariza will play at a min 35+ mins every playoff game and Brewer will play 25 mins+ every game (between SG/SF)
If Smith is hot from 3, running the floor, rebounding and blocking shots. Let's roll with him, however, we need D12 and the Cook (Harden), rolling every game. Some timely 3's for JET, Ariza, and Brewer will help out nicely.
The way I see it: 1. Everything for this team starts on the defensive end. We have to defend, turn the opponent over, force bad shots, and clear the glass to get on the break or man advantage on the other end. 2. Knowing #1 is true, that means that Smoove is your defensive anchor behind Dwight. Smith has to be on the floor every minute Dwight sits while the game is still undecided. Smith is the best paint defender and rim protector behind Dwight. 3. Dwight is the best rebounder of the 4 and DMo is the worst rebounder of the 4. There's a certain symmetry to pairing them up and having Smith/Jones come off the bench as the 2 smaller defenders/rebounders to play against the opponent's backups (who are typically smaller/less athletic than the starting bigs) to help get the bench unit running and gunning. 4. DMo is the superior offensive player of the 4. He's the best floor-spreader in half-court sets because of his shooting ability, he's the best post-up option, he's the best pick-and-pop option, and he's the best half-court playmaker of the 4 players. The starters have a tendacy to play more conservatively defensively early to avoid foul trouble thereby necessitating that their half-court offense on the other end be as efficient as possible. Dwight is the best finisher of the bunch. So it makes sense for DMo to be paired with Dwight with the starters offensively. I'd run Dwight and DMo out there first, run pick-and-roll with James and Dwight and have DMo spot up in the corner. Then I'd sub out Dwight for Smith first, move DMo into the offensive post and let him and Harden run pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop. Then sub out DMo for Terrence. Somewhere around here we're resting James and going full speed into the defensive overplay and overdrive offensive transition game with Brewer, Smith, Jones, Prigs, etc. The emphasis with that crew has to be to overplay and force the turnovers off the opponents backup unit and run, run, run. Get a solid run with Harden sitting on the bench. Rinse and repeat. Splice in Dorsey/Capela if we are ahead and there are opportunities to foul poor free-throw shooting bigs like DeAndre and put them on the FT line. This steals a few more minutes for Dwight and saves him for the end while putting the opponent in a bad position and forcing them to sub out guys like DeAndre. That's how I see it.
