With Ryno moving to the bench and the signing of Wright, we now have, BY FAR, the best bench unit in the league. Gordon Moute Anderson Wright or Nene Basically, our bench will play with the same dynamics as our staters. Anderson will do well off the bench, since he won't be guarding the same level of players as he is now. Wright will play against more athletic fronts, while Nene takes the big guys. I imagine Wright will get all of the minutes against the Warriors. Lots of offensive and defensive punch from this group.
Agreed it is a very strong unit...if they mesh. Hopefully we are able to throw iso Joe in there too and kind of have a situation with him and Anderson where we can play the hot hand rather than having to play Ryno bigger minutes because of lack of depth. Could potentially be a really really deep squad. I like where this is going. Getting better without even trading anything away.
From MDAs comments, it looks like we are riding with what's working for us right now. No question that Ryno is a better shooter, but PJ does so much that contributes to winning basketball. The extra spacing Ryno adds may not make that much of a difference when Harden and CP3 share the floor, since they will set up each other and have a variety of ways they can create shots for themselves. When one sits, that might be the right time to have Ryno come in to add spacing as a proxy for playmaking. I really like PJ going up against the other 4s in the league. It's Harden, CP3 and Gordon's job to create scoring opportunities...if PJ can help contain the other teams front court, then we will always be playing ahead because NOBODY has a better backcourt.
CP3 / Harden / Ariza / Tucker / Capela Gordon / Green / LMAM / Ryno / Wright That's already a solid 10-man rotation. Factor in Nene, Brown, possibly Joe Johnson? Wow, team is scary deep.
I wouldn't be so sure Ryno is moving to the bench. His primary role is STRETCH 4. He's a key part in drawing out the opponents' 4 and giving James additional space to operate. Neither Wright nor Tucker are as effective. Just not enough of a threat from the arc
Give me Iso Joe in starting 5 over Tucker. Not necessarily more minutes just give him the start so he will sign with Rockets.
Was Ryno off the bench tonight more so a function of bringing him back from injury or was this truly a change up by MDA?
Labeling him as a stretch 4 oversimplifies things in a game of positionless basketball. He is a fantastic shooter and decent rebounder. His size makes him a PF, but how much do you think that helps him in rim protection? I'm not saying that he isn't valuable for what he does, but there is always a cost. The cost of Anderson is what he gives up on the defensive end. That could be mitigated by having him go against backup front courts. And on offense, he may get more opportunities to score by playing with either CP3 or Harden...not both at the same time.
Perhaps a bit of both, but MDA did say he was riding with what is working. Another underrated part of moving PJ into the starting lineup is the impact it may have on Clint. While Anderson does create more spacing for those lobs on the offensive end, he also creates more responsibilities for Clint on the defensive end. Adding PJs defense simplifies what Clint needs to do, as he doesn't have to account for Ryno's player getting into the paint consistently. This likely makes Clint a better rim protector and rebounder.
Positionless basketball? But Ryno's sole purpose is to stretch the floor at the 4 position. That's his value in the league (and team) isn't it? NOT Point Guard or Shooting Guard. Sure there is a cost. But MOST players are more effective at one end than the other. Is PJ Tucker better at D or O? One would HAVE to say D. His O is pretty suspect most of the time. You are only considering Ryno's stats and his defense shortcomings instead of his actual value. Sure, he's not the defensive player that a Brandan Wright would be in protecting the rim. But I think Ryno is FAR more effective at the 4 than say, PJ Tucker. You also point out how James and CP enhance his ability to 'get more opportunities'. But it's a symbiotic relationship. James and CP LIKEWISE benefit from Ryan's ability to stretch the floor. It works like this: At one point Ryno was shooting like 70% from 3 when CP fed him the assist. 70%! That's an incredible rate. Now do you think Ryno's defender would be wise to sag off of Ryno and crowd the paint to slow down CP? If they do they're gonna pay handsomely. Instead Ryno positions himself WAY out, and the defender has to follow him WAY OUT. CP or James benefit from the clear path This system is built around shooters. When Ryan is hitting shots from 40ft the defense has no choice but to come further out to contest. Thereby giving James or CP lots of space to create in the lane. I'm of the opinion that (when he's ON) Ryno's offensive value far outweighs his defensive shortcomings I also believe James and CP prefer to have him on the floor in the starting unit. I think Mbah Moute would be a decent alternative. He shoots the 3 pretty well and has good size and certainly better defensive talent than Ryan. But Ryan still has value in the starting unit Just sayin'
I didn't say he doesn't have value in the starting unit. I said his liabilities may be better mitigated coming off the bench, and he may get more shot opportunities by spending most of his time playing with one of Harden or CP3...not both at the same time. Anderson isn't playing 48 minutes, so we have to pick the minutes he will be most effective in. This isn't a "PJ is better than Ryno" argument. Also, Ryno has been better playing with CP3, which makes him a good option to start the 2nd and 4th quarters. I still think he should get 25 minutes per...but maybe those minutes should be switched up a bit. Finally, I think playing Harden and Anderson at the same time puts a little strain on the defense. Harden isn't a bad defender, but he isn't great either. Surrounding him with CP3, Ariza, PJ and Capela makes the starting defense formidable. The same can be said for surrounding Anderson with a bench unit of CP3, Gordon, Moute and Wright. I'm not saying don't play Anderson and Harden together...just that we can probably more efficiently distribute Andersons minutes to get the most out of him.
Going to have to disagree with your reading of PJ. He is a good defender for an undersized PF, but is often at a big deficit when facing decent PFs with size in the division. I recall vividly his struggles handling LMA and the problems he has had with Stephen Adams, among others. The problem is that because of his size, he gives up basically uncontested shots to taller players, and when he has to switch out on quicker players his later quickness just doesnt hold. This results in guys having to shift over and play help D a lot. There are matchups and times when his presence has been an advantage, and I am not opposed to playing him....but I'd rather it be selective and situational. Right now, PJ's offense is just so limited, and when he, Ariza, and Capela are on the floor with JH and CP3, they force JH and CP3 to carry a major load given their inability to create their own shot (Capela is probably the best of that group at making his own shot). Ariza being out these past few games actually might have covered some of this weakness because Luc is much better than Ariza at creating off the dribble and finishing near the basket, along with giving more PT to EG and GG. With Ariza coming back and the Wright signing, I am concerned that we are going to fade RA and GG out of the offense (especially given D'Antoni's penchant for going with 8 guys in critical game situations and playoffs)....
Neither LMA or Adams play for the Warriors, so I don't think it matters how PJ matches up with them. If Anderson is the better matchup against those teams, then I'm fine with starting him. All decisions should be looked at through the lense of playing the Warriors. The path to a title runs through them.
To finish the regular season, I think Green is clearly the odd man out since either Harden or CP3 will be on the floor unless it's late 4th quarter in a blowout. If they add JJ, Green is instantly relegated to scrub time only. The playoffs will squeeze the rotation down to 8 (and maybe even 7 on occasion). Rockets have the horses to win a championship.
I'd be worried about Tucker getting into early foul trouble as a starter. Ryno also has been playing really well lately.
Even though am not a big fan of tucker starting at the 4 since he isn't true 4 (assuming that's the case), However, I truly think Ryno plays better with the second unit or when CP3 is on the floor, man our bench is deep af, we really have the chance to do something special.
