If he subs in as a small forward with the starters, we're not losing a heck of a lot on offense. I thought Chuck actually showed some improvement last year finishing near the basket. Of course, he went from "abysmal" to "fairly bad," but still.
I have a feeling that Adelman might play Miller alongside Yao for some stretches. That's all you need for a "big" lineup. But I think we are going to play more "small" ball the "big" ball because that's where our strength is. Anyhow, I agree that good teams make others match up with them, not the other way around. We have enough offensive weapons to force people to adjust. Yao is a mismatch every time he is playing. Teams have to adjust their defenses against him. Few people talk about this. But I think having Martin is very important for Yao's game. Martin is the sort of player needed to solve the fronting problem with Yao. You need quick ball-movers, changing the angles faster than the defense can shift. Martin does not dribble for 10 seconds before making a move. When he gets the ball, he either passes or shoots immediately or make a move to attack the basket. Same with Scola, Bundinger, and even Battier. With McGrady and Ariza gone, Brooks is the only guy in the starting lineup who would keep the ball for a long time. Hopefully he will continue to learn to make quick ball movement decisions. I think our offense will be beautiful to watch and teams will have to ask themselves, "How are we going to match up with these guys?"
Major misconception is that the Lakers win because of their height. Boston wasn't a tall team and they could've beaten them had Rondo, Pierce, or Allen done anything at all consistently. If Bryant ever declines the Lakers will be nothing. I like the Rockets' chances better with Battier playing a bigger role. Of course everything depends on Yao's health as always. Think about it - OKC almost took them to the brink; Denver was in shambles due to the Karl situation, and Utah had major injuries. Boston could have taken them out. The height is not the major issue. You need guys that are talented and won't be afraid.
lol - okay, then what about some of the other teams out there? like one of the other posters mentioned , it not JUST the lakers who are getting bigger... i guess this is what i'm most concearned about- we're deeper now but just how good ARE our bigs?
I'd figure you'd put Battier on Kobe and Bud on Ron, so Battier at SG and Bud at SF. Bud would probably get destroyed by Kobe. Battier would at least have a chance
PG: Courtney Lee 6'5 SG: Kevin Martin 6'7 SF: Jared Jeffries 6'11 PF: Brad Miller 7'0 C: Yao Ming 7'6 that's a pretty big lineup, but Lee probably can't play PG
Yeah, I'd rather have scola at the three than Jefferies. He night be taller but Scola's play makes up for what he loses in height.
It would clog up the lane too much. Chuck as a SF would not be beneficial on offense. Scola can't go out far enough to spread the court for Yao and if you put them all in the lineup together Chuck... because no one is going to follow and defend him outside of the post.