Way too early for this exercise, but it's fun. Rotational minute breakdown is near impossible to tell right now, but here's a couple of predictions: 1. Greg smith gets moved for a pick before the season 2. Covington makes the team 3. Casspi plays significant minutes at the 4 and becomes Ryan Anderson part II.
PG: Lin (25) / Beverly (23) SG: Harden (35) / Garcia (8) / Lin (5) SF: Parsons (25) / Garcia (12) / Casspi (11) PF: Asik (12) / DMo (20) / Parsons (8) / Casspi (8) C: Howard (32) / Asik (16) Overall: Harden (35) Parsons (33) Howard (32) Lin (30) Asik (28) Beverly (23) Garcia (20) DMo (20) Casspi (19) Hopefully we are able to keep the whole group to about less than 35 MPG. We definitely have the depth to keep our guys fresh until the playoffs. I feel*a 9 man rotation would be optimal with the others getting spot minutes during blow outs or when someone gets injured. I also feel this line up gives us the most versatility.
Reggie Williams will earn a ton of minutes in this system. Seriously, he is going to have a good year. He'll be in the conversation as 6th man of the year, as will Cisco. Also, I hope DMo gets 10 minutes a game AT THE MOST. Every time he's in the game, we go through a series of turnovers, bad shots and lackluster defense. Even though he is foul prone, I'd rather have Greg Smith getting those minutes. At least he plays aggressively.
If DMo could make free 3pointers - it's a gold duo with DMo/Howard. Whole team gets easier way in the paint when DMo stands with his defender in the corner lol. Also he gained weight, get better on D and doesn't get in foul trouble in 10-15 minutes as he did numerous times last season. Our big men trouble is making FT's. Howard/DMo/Asik are close to 50-60% FT shooters, that could cost us wins in long run.
I think, from what we've seen, we can pencil these guys in as making the roster... Lin - Beverley - Brooks - Caanan (D-League) Harden - Garcia Parsons - Casspi Motiejunas - Jones Howard - Asik - Camby We all know who our 6 main guys are: Lin, Harden, Parsons, Howard, Asik, and Bev. I think Motiejunas and Jones will be getting a load of minutes as well, along with Garcia. That's a damn good 9 man rotation, I like to think. Brooks and Camby are there for insurance, and Casspi can probably play the stretch 4 in small-ball lineups. Caanan is relegated to the Vipers to develop there. So, with 13 locks, that leaves on 2 spots remaining to be filled by two of the following... Ronnie Brewer (F) Robert Covington (F) Jordan Henriquez (C) Greg Smith (F-C) Reggie Williams (G) BJ Young (G) I think Henriquez and Young are not likely to make it. D-League prospects at best. I would have put Covington in that same tier but he is getting heaps of praise from fellow Rockets. Greg Smith seems kind of redundant to have now, even though he's a junkyard-dog kind of guy. Williams is a 3 point marksman, but Brewer is renowned for his tenacious defense. I think it'll come down to - Brewer vs. Williams Covington vs. Smith Who do you guys choose? I think Brewer would be more useful due to his perimeter defense, which was a clear weakness to us last year. We already have plenty of 3 point shooters. I've no idea how Covington plays; can he shoot the ball? I like Greg Smith, but I like Motie and Jones more. They have higher ceilings. Someone mentioned Houston trading Greg Smith for a second rounder. That could be a possibility. If Covington doesn't make the cut, he'll definitely be on the Rio Grande Vipers.
C Howard 27 minutes Asik 21 minutes PF Parsons 24 minutes D-Mo/Jones 18 minutes Howard 6 minutes SF Garcia 22 minutes Parsons 12 minutes SG Harden 36 minutes Beverly 12 minutes PG Lin 32 minutes Beverly 16 minutes
