like many have said already, our starting 5 wasnt the problem. they had the best +/- in the whole league. the biggest difference is our bench. we actually have one now.
I dont think Alston + Hayes is a good fit because neither of these players is a scoring threat. Alston is valuable because he can move the ball around our offense and help with fast breaks. Hayes is valuable as a defender and rebouder. I think we should have Alston + Scola in at the same time, and maybe James + Hayes off the bench. Hayes is practically worthless on offense, and Rafer isnt much better. I really dont think they should be played simultaneously for any length of time. 1st rotation Alston TMac Battier Scola Yao 2nd rotation James Head/Francis Wells Hayes Yao/Dikembe
This is what the starting lineup will be most part of the season: Yao, Scola, Battier, Tmac, Alston. Bench will be Mutombo/Hayes/Bonzi/Head/James. Some playing time Francis/Snyder. Very rare Novak/Landry. Scola will be great n I think Bonzi will also make a huge impact. Hes in shape n has been playing well on defense n offense.
Great sentence. It was bench, bench and behcn again. Of course it would be good to get another fit on PF in the startin' lineup but it's pretty ok.
Why are people too stupid to realize that a Yao/hayes with Scola/Mutumbo is much better combination than Yao/Scola Hayes/Mutumbo combo. Do people actually want Mutumbo and Hayes out on the court at the same time? This Scola obsession is getting out of hand here to the point where people are just blind. Anybody that knows anything about basketball agrees that Hayes should start. The only person that I heard say otherwise is our great commentary Clyde Drexler and we all know how much of an expert he is.
explain to me then when didn't year 2000 era lakers play shaq as a starter and kobe coming off the bench to balance scoring. I think the whole idea of balance bench scoring is BS. You put your best 5 on the court and that's it. And I am sure when mike james coming in, you don't have to worry about our deke not getting touches. james will get his 17 shots per game
That is the exact point I want to make in my reply poster to Johnrox. You are doing better job in this poster. In addition, Hayes and Deke should not be the floor at the same time, playing the small ball is better than using those two together at the same time.
this sums it up for me Yao + Scola will work beautifully, when teams double team Yao he now has the option of kicking it out to Scola for an open basket. And if nobody double teams Yao then he can just score at will, so its basically an unstoppable combo. Mutumbo + Hayes on the other hand would not be desireable. I hope Yao plays a lot of minutes so we dont have to worry as much about that. I can maybe see Adleman going small with Battier at 4 and Wells at 3. Even if Scola isnt starting, he should still play as many minutes as possible w/o fouling out. I know in the 4th quarter with the game on the line I would rather have a rotation with Scola at PF.
What I find interesting is that this is the SAME starting lineup we used a year ago. Seriously, if you go back and look at the old box scores, I think you will find that we used this same lineup just about all of last year. It's crazy! I would like to see us shake things up a little bit. Maybe put Yao on the bench and start Dikembe Mutombo. That would let us bring in Yao while the opposing starting center is on the bench. Can you imagine how much Yao could dominate a backup center? It might also make it so that the other team would be afraid to bench their starting center. Can you imagine how TIRED and worn out he would be by the end of the game? Teams would really fear us if we did that. I have never been a head coach in the NBA, but I am pretty sure I could probably do a very good job if given the opportunity. I'm one of those people who likes to think INSIDE of the box though. Sometimes you have to keep it real. Most people try to out think the box, but I find that sort of attitude a little bit condescending. Keep it simple, but don't be afraid to innovate. That's always been my motto...
I agree that having a healthy and motivated Bonzi Wells is huge, but the biggest difference BY FAR? Even if he is the biggest difference (and that's debatable) it isn't by a large margin over the additions of Scola and Mike James.
I know the active roster isn't set in stone but last time I checked it, it said Landry was on the active roster and Snyder wasn't so I don't see how Snyder would be getting some time and Landry very rare.
As much as respect I have for Mutombo, I don't think he will see much time this year. People keep comparing Yao/Scola and Hayes/Mutombo, but didnt we see the releasing of Butler? Isn't that a clear sign of saying they would use Hayes or Scola at the center when Yao is not on the court. So expect these front lines: Yao/Scola, Yao/Hayes, Scola/Hayes, and Scola/Battier.
