I'm hoping the starting lineup ends up something like this although I'm pretty sure at sf either rice or KT will win the job: C - Cato PF - Griffin SF - TMo SG - Cat PG - Francis This lineup provides excellent defense in the frountcourt, which allows the guards to try for steals more freely. We've already seen that Cat is ok in defense and Francis needs work, but I think they can play the passing lanes beautifully with a defensive frontcourt watching their back. The offense flows mainly through Cat and Francis, but if the defense focuses too much on the guards I have faith that Griffin and TMo will make the opposition pay. Francis driving could leave Cat, Griffin, or TMo open for an open J, or the other way around with Cat driving. But whatever the defense throws at Francis and Cat, we've seen they can usually handle their share. Off the bench lineup: C - Ming PF - MoT SF - Rice/Nachbar SG - Hawkins PG - Maddox Ming can have a scoring fest against the second string C's and if they try to double Ming, he has MoT or Rice/Nachbar to hit the open jumper. Maddox, although we haven't seen him play in a game, he's almost definitely better than what Moochie's providing us right now. Hawkins and Ming provide most of the D. Although this lineup isn't as good defensively, they're going up mostly against the second string players and with Ming, MoT and Rice, they should easily outscore them. Then again, we can go with an offensive lineup (Ming, MoT, Rice, Mobley, Francis) in the beginning then a defensive lineup (Cato, Griffin, TMo, Hawkins, Maddox) to give the starters a breather, but I like the more balanced attack. But whatever the lineups are, the rox are crazy deep. I mean.. the bench lineup above is probly already better than some starting lineups other teams have.. or I could be dreaming, after all, I'm a rox fan.
It doesnt really matter if we start Yao first or not. More than anything else, get him INVOVLED offensively once he's in the game. What's the point to start and then forget about him in our offense.
Let Cato start is not because Ming had 1 or 2 bad games, it's because Ming can learn better, perform better off the bench. You have no idea what basketball is, so shut your a$$ off.
now that you have gone 3 with Ming, you keep him there. He did well yesterday considering the doubled and tripled him and left Rice and others wide open...though Rice is the only was scoring right now. Griffin shoots better or Taylor the same, we win!!! Ming did well on D too...he is a nice prescence and his low offensive effort was partly due to extended D and rotations.... bring Cato in to sub him and get some help from other areas....Griffin and Taylor need to score 10-15 a piece for us to be real effective.....bottomline! watch their numbers when we lose.... if Griffin and Taylor combine to score less than 15-20 we tend to lose..all about tendencies
