Just a few observations... Point Guard: Francis/Norris/Brown Francis is da man and Mooch will back him up when he gets back in a couple weeks. Brown probably should sit on the IR but he is more experienced and more polished than Maddux. Either way, Francis and Mooch will see time at the 1. Shooting Guard: Mobley/??? Mobley is here, obviously, but that's about it. Stevie will play some two this year for sure, but Hawkins supposedly tore it up in camp and he looked very good in his first outing. Could he be a back-up at two maybe with Torres rounding it out? Small Forward: Thomas/Rice/Nachbar/Morris Morris is on the shelf for probably a month or more but, still, that is a packed house. Rice's shot is back and he makes the ideal instant offense off the bench. Thomas has been terrific at the three but will see time at the four as well. Nachbar strikes me as a Cassell-ish prospect - probably won't get a lot of time early one but could get minutes later in the year. Power Forward: Griffin/Taylor Griffin is unreal and Taylor is looking better and better every game. Given that both of these guys will probably put in time at the 5 and Thomas will play the four a bit, this seems very solid. Center: Yao/Cato/Collier Collier may spend the whole year on the IR and Yao will need to ease his way in. The key question is what will happen to Cato. If he plays poorly, Griffin and Taylor may take his time on the floor and he could be the most expensive 12th man in the league. Overall: To me, you have a very thin backcourt and a loaded frontcourt, but Francis, Norris, Mobley, Rice, Thomas, Griffiin, Taylor and Yao make a strong top 8. If Nachbar comes on, Morris returns and plays well and Cato has even a mild pusle, they could easily go 12 deep. Yikes!
That is pretty much the way I see it turning out. Boki's role probably changes if Rice gets hurt or at least when he calls it a career. Until then it looks like Boki's minutes depends on the play of others. TMo is kind of a wild card if you ask me. If comes of the injury and continues his good shooting then he becomes the proto-typical small forward with a very complete all around game. He may never have the natural shot of Boki and Rice or the great first step of Thomas but he could have the best overall skills including defense of the group. If he can not maintain the good outside shot that he has shown during pre-season then he is a non-factor.
When Taylor is available, Cato will see less and less PT as Ming gets more and more. Frontcourt (1st half season) C: Ming 24 min., Eddie 16 min., Mo 8 min. PF: Eddie 20 min., Mo 20 min., KT/Rice 8 min. SF: KT 24 min., Rice 16 min., Boki/Morris 8 min. Frontcourt (2nd half season) C: Ming 32 min., Eddie 12 min., Mo 4 min. PF: Eddie 24 min., Mo 24 min. SF: KT 24 min., Rice 12 min., Boki/Morris 12 min. Backcourt (all season) SG: Cat 36 min., Wink 8 min., Torres/Hawkins 4 min. PG: Wink 28 min., Mooch 16 min., Tierre 4 min. When everybody is healthy, nobody should play more than 36 a game. Notice, we don't need Cato when Ming, Eddie and Mo are all healthy. We need him only when there is injury or foul trouble.
Jeff, two problems with your presentation: 1. Thin Backcourt. Three very good point guards in Francis, Moochie and Brown. Best in the league. Why do we discount the fact that Rice can play off guard. Mobley, OT and Rice with Wink in a pinch cannot be considered second class to anyone. Collectively this cannot be a thin backcourt. 2. At this point KT, when everything is settled may not play PF all that much, certainly not offen enough to be mentioned. EG and the rehad MoT will take up all the time there. In addition, KT success at the 3 is only just beginning and could approach dominance at the spot require the defense to double. Also Tmo is more likely to play PF than KT. There is a reason why KT is even more slimmed down and it was not to play PF. Tmo is bigger and taller and will have to find time there.
Given Rudy's use of the three-guard lineup so often, I doubt this will be a significant issue. I'd say they will be more likely to run the small lineup out there than give any minutes of note to Rice at the two. It's just not Rudy's style. I don't know if KT reaching dominance at that position is a realistic goal given the strength of that position around the NBA. However, what I would LOVE to ultimately see is Nachbar mature into the position and have KT be the ultimate weapon at both the 3 and the 4 off the bench. The guy could be like Corliss Williamson and didn't he win 6th Man of the Year. Besides that, KT has played minutes at the four in every game this preseason in which he has played. He'll definitely get time at the four this season even if he plays a lot at three. The knock he'd had before is the inability to play multiple positions. That is NOT the case this year and I'm really happy he's developing well.
DearRock, I just don't see Rice playing the 2 for even a minute this year. Rice is less mobil than Walt has been the last few years and Walt certainly never played 2. Walt is also better at putting the ball on the court than Rice. Sorry but I just cant see a 6'8" old man trying to keep up with any of todays shooting guards. KT was the starting PF for this team last year. How can you sit there and make the statement that he will play very little there as if it is a fore gone conclusion? KT has played PF in every pre-season game. I admit with TMo out of the picture Rudy T may want to limit his minutes at PF because we need him more at the 3. But if Rice shows that he can stay healthy or Boki can find his offense then who knows. In any event I cant imagine TMo getting more PT at PF than KT, not when KT was the starter there last year.
Easy, I don't see Rice only getting 12 mins a game in the second half, if healthy. He will get 20+ every night.
imo, Corliss Williamson is a fashionable but very poor comparison to Kenny. Kenny is an all-round player that Corliss never was and never will be. There is a reason Corliss become 6th man of the year; it is because he sucks at defense so his teams eventually showed him the bench, so he could dominate non-starters. There is a reason Rick Fox won't ever be a 6th man, because his defense has always kept him a starter, except Rice's year as a Laker. Kenny is more comparable to Rick Fox than Corliss. Not to say he has Fox's range, yet, but he does have stuff Fox doesn't. And I think it is becoming increasingly clear that Kenny's defensive speed is outstanding, moreso than Fox. Corliss sucks. I hate the whole Corliss comparison, and I think it is a lazy comparison.
I used the Corliss comparison because Bill Worrell made it, but I'll give you a nod on Fox. That's probably not a bad comparison though Fox does have more range as you pointed out. I'm just glad that KT, Griffin and Taylor all have skills down there. It makes for some tremendous lineup possibilities.
my main hope is that we never see the three guard lineup in the fourth quarter or actually ever. there's just no room for it with all that frount-court depth and there's not too many teams where it creates an advantage. maybe dallas? also i'm curious who will make it between torres and hawkins, if in fact it comes between them. i have to say after watching the game again on the knws recap, i payed more attention to juaquin and was impressed. he worked really hard on defense and diving for loose balls. even calls himself a defensive guy. obviously there's no such thing as a kobe/tmac/vince stopper but it wouldn't be bad to have this guy work on one of them for a while when cat or kenny rests. i hope he gets similar minutes in philly. remember mario elie was also a cba/foreign league veteran before really making his mark in the league. maybe this guy can follow that lead?
Yeah, I kinda know that. The rotation I put up is more of my wish than my prediction. We don't have enough PT to go around at the 3 spot when no one is hurt. If Rice plays 20+ then either KT will play less or we don't see TMo and Boki play at all. I'd rather see KT and Boki on the floor. You probably have noticed that I am prejudiced against Rice and Cato.
You couldn't be more wrong Heyp. Corliss was a 13pt 6 reb player in Sac, but Peja was a upgrade over him. A player like thomas,corliss,trent,and rose have places in the league. They are all tweeners , but rebound well, can score and hustle. The downfall to these player is that for long stretches they're exposed. Thomas will be and can be exposed just like last yr if he starts or plays for extended periods of time. Corliss last yr scored as many points in 24 mins as a lot of guys did in more time, but if he starts like he did in Sac, he gets exposed. A player like thomas,corliss,rose, and trent does is shorten the rotation and use of an extra body. Those tweener guys can get enough time between the 3 and 4 to not only satisfy their playing time needs, but also be very productive. I deally, Thomas would back up Nachbar and Griffin or whoever the 3 would be, but until the logjam is cleared somewhere, playing time will be unequal and someone will be pissed.
Is Nachbar not able to play the 2? Predrag Stojokavic is 6'10" and is an exceptional player that could exclusively play the 2 if he had to. Nachbar is a little shorter, about the same weight, cant he play 2 as well? If so, we have a roster rounded out pretty well. Nachbar can snatch up the 10+ minutes or so available at the 2. He is much better than Torres, Brown, or Nachbar.
Rice at the 2 in not a novel idea, since he played it in NY. To compare him to Walt is a bad mistake and the use of Rice is not based on his d but based on his ability to hit the 3 and post up any 2 guard in league all quarter long. That is what it is all about. Mismatches and using him in a pinch. You need to clear up room at 3 anyway and according to some we have a weakness at backup 2. I say, if we have a weakness there, which I do not subscribe to, then that weakness goes away with the use of Rice.
I did not say KT cannot play PF. I just believe that he is going to make his living at the 3 which is consistent with his plan and that of the team. Sure he can still play PF, but when you have MoT, EG, Tmo and even Ming, you will use your 6-7 SF at the PF less. Only those who still have a discomfort with KT playing the 3 will still harbor thoughts of him going all over the place. In the case of MoT, EG, and Tmo they are all calling for big minutes. Right now KT is our best SF and will be for some time since he will continue to improve. His play so far against the 3's has to be considered just the beginning.
Jeff...as shocking as it may be that I got excited over this....does this mean that Griffin will be starting?
I agree with Dearrock on this one, I can't call a Steve, Cat, Mooch, Brown, Torres and possibly Hawkins backcourt "thin". In addition, I think Torres is going to fill in for Cat a fair amount and he will do a real good job. He has even found a way to score some. With the front court weapons the backcourt will have less pressure and more options.
You can't say that the rocks are as deep in the backcourt compared to the frontcourt.. brown and torres aren't the same quality players as cato, tmo, kt and either griff or taylor (depending on whose on the bench).. nachbar and ming are still up in the air, but no doubt they'll do well
I can say whatever I want... Yea, but Steve and Cat are so good, and make the best tandem in the league. They both average over 35 minutes a game. The back ups do not need to be "starters on the bench", and they are solid 5-15 minute guys. Mooch, Torres and Brown possibly could start or play significant minutes on a lot of teams. These guys make the back court deep, especially if the minutes are like 5-7 minute spurts, sometimes with Cat or Steve playing with them...
