Artest shot 38% from 3 last year and Battier shot 37.7%. I don't mind if Artest comes off the bench or not. If he really wouldn't mind which I doubt I think it's better he comes off the bench so he can get a lot of touches. Then he can finish games with T-Mac and Yao , the iother teams weaker wing defenfder will have to guard one of them , good luck with that. If Artest starts it will be better for his ego , he will get less toches but will be more wide open because of T-Mac and Yao. Overall I think it's better basketball wise that he will come off the bench , he will get a ton of touches and will finish the game with T-Mac and Yao.
I think it's a match-up thing. I don't think Battier (and artest said he wasnt) isconcerned with who starts like some NBA players are. A big SF like Caron butler, play artest. A finess shooting guy, play battier.
I agree with the Boston concept since they won the title and would have done so even if they played San Antonio.
Probably going to echo what most of you have said already, but... * Ego aside, I think it would be better for Ron to come in off the bench. Would give some good offense off the bench and make it easier for T-Mac/Yao to get some rest without losing any lead we might have. * This would also be nice if our O stagnates - we could have a change of pace when he enters the game. * I'm hopeful that Ron taking over some tough defensive assignments (or at least splitting them with Shane) will give Shane more energy through the game. That will hopefully mean he has more energy for his offense and can actually score more. * It doesn't matter as much who starts the game. What matters more is who's on the floor at the end of the game. I'm pretty sure that'll be our big 3 (Yao, T-Mac, Ron), PG of the day, and probably shane - tight D with good O. * Lastly - I am not at all concerned with the talk about how all the minutes will be divided up with all the talented players we'll have available - this includes Scola. I think each night we'll have players with "the hot hand" while others are having an off night. It'll be a beat-down for any team we play when all our players are felling it! Is it time for the season to start yet? Damn, I can't wait!!!!
I agree with your every point. I used to cringe when TMac and Yao would both sit for small stretches and Battier, Scola, or Head was the go to guy. Artest would do much better in that sparkplug role off the bench. Though ideally 2 out of 3 would be on the floor at all times. And yes I'm ready for the season to start!
I think Artest will start. In Memphis Battier was off the bench while still playing productive minutes. Not saying his numbers are bad as a starter but he did equally as good off the bench. Artest on the other hand has never had to come off the bench. It's a different role to come off the bench, and no doubt it might not be effective for him, or optimal for the team. Battier has proven to be productive off the bench, but the same can't be said for Artest. This really isn't a year for experimentation even early at the start of the season given how tough the West was last year and how it shouldn't get any easier this year. A 10 or 15 game stint where we're messing around the lineup could cost us a #1 seed and put us back at the #5 spot again. Lets face it. We got Artest because Yao and T-Mac were carrying too much of the load. We got him to compliment them as starters and to give each of them an additional 5 or so minutes on the bench to recover. I think this is a no brainer.
They both will get equal minutes so why does it matter?? Well I think Artest should start anyway and Shane would be a great 6th man off the bench. He can plug into any "hole" and would be a great versatile defender at nearly any position.. We would be well prepared for any match-up. Remember, NBA is all about match-ups.
If Battier stars instead of Artest I wouldn't mind , if they get equal minutes I will be really mad , Artest is just better and should play more , off the bench or not.
I would like to see Battier in the role of the 6th man. Maybe the coaching staff can convince him up to be more aggressive on the offensive side of the ball and be that scorer off the bench. We would all like Battier to shoot more, but he seems very passive when playing with Yao & T-Mac. He can also play the roll of a defensive stopper.
i dont understand this. offensive creativity is not Shane's strong suit. He can't just flip a switch and change his game up. he's relatively efficient because he is not a volume shooter. he chooses his shots wisely and takes ones that he can make in most cases. that style does not translate to "if he takes twice as many shots he will score twice as many points".
Even if artest starts, he could still be on the floor when tmac and yao sits. You start with your best 5 players, and end with the 5 players that contribute the most in the game.
You put your best 5 out there to start. Ron will be the starter with Battier coming in to spell Tracy (most likely) or Ron. Having Tmac, Yao and Artest in your starting 5 is just too good to pass up. You don't need fire power off the bench when your starting 5 is that talented and your team that versatile. Battier off the bench is a great luxury but as a starter he is too one dimensional offensively. How many times have we seen Yao not get the ball and Tmac either take a bad shot as the shot clock runs down or watch him kick it to a rushed 3 point shooter? It seems like that happens every other play and the only reason it works sometimes is because of the talent of McGrady. Add Ron to the mix and those bad shots and rushed 3s happen a lot less.
the thing is the reason manu comes from the bench is b/c HE CANNOT PLAY BIG MINUTES. he will break down playing 34-35 mins a game consistently. he is better playing 28-29 mins and then get the occasional 35-37 mins. artest is more durable and stronger. he can take the starters' minutes. and he has never played from the bench so i don't know how he will adjust to that role. battier is a ROLE PLAYER. he can play that role and play it well. i think artest just has to play with yao and tmac. he provides the toughness and intimidation that shane does not provide.
Someone mentioned the 3 point shooting having an effect, but I think you have to consider that there was basically no player behind Pierce or Allen that really deserved to be a starter. Posey is really the only guy that came close. But Posey has been a solid 6th man for a year or so now that it doesn't really make sense to start him. Do you see Battier being a solid 6th man? If you have Artest, Tmac and Yao in starting, and hopefully ending the halves, you would be hard pressed to find any time to get them any time to rest because you have guys like Battier, Barry, and Landry coming in for them. While those guys are decent players, its a huge drop off from Tmac, Yao and Artest. On the other hand, say you bench Artest. I would be perfectly fine with bringing Tmac out for Artest at the 7 minute mark to give him an early breather.
tmac, yao, and artest will play with the 2nd unit too. say battier comes in for artest, tmac will play with the 2nd unit. then tmac comes back in to spell for artest and so on.
