The Rotation Situation
by MikeTheIntern on Aug 31, 2010 3:24 AM EDT
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I've just recently read a nice piece on the rotation situation we'll be dealing with come October. We've been pondering this for quite some time now and rightfully so with all the new acquisitions acquired during the offseason. Is D'Antoni going to break his short rotation habit? It looks this way because the depth of our roster has to be used. D'Antoni is going to be forced to lengthen the amount of players in his rotation. Here are Jamey Adelson's top three rotations and two of my own.
1. C: Turiaf/Stoudemire/Mozgov
PF: Stoudemire/Randolph
SF: Gallinari/Walker
SG: Chandler/Azubuike/Mason
PG: Felton/DouglasThis line-up is lacking rebounding and defense. Turiaf brings that shotblocking presense we’ve been lacking for god knows how long, but we’re small. We’re going to need to find a way to contain the opposition from getting easy buckets inside the paint.
I agree with Adelson on all points besides the defense. We have solid defensive players with this rotation. Don't get me wrong, there aren't any defensive gurus in that rotation but together they could play exceptional defense. I wouldn't be too worried that teams are going to get basket after basket in the paint with these guys on the floor. If we establish continuity our defense shouldn't be much of a problem with this rotation.
2. C: Stoudemire/Turiaf
PF: Randolph/Stoudemire
SF: Gallo/Walker
SG: Azubuike/Chandler/Mason
PG: Felton/DouglasWith this projected line-up, both our front and backcourt will allow for a "skys the limit" potential and unlimited athleticism. Felton has the speed and handling to run the pick n roll as many times as he wants with STAT. If both become Batman and Robin in that kind of play, Gallo is going to get a lot more open looks, which we know is automatic when he’s wide-open.
I agree with the statement 100% but starting Stoudemire at Center is something we can avoid. I see this as a way to get Stoudemire on the court with Randolph at the same time as they are the main pieces in the "skys the limit" athleticism approach. I'm not against having Stoudemire at the 5 but starting him there isn't a must when we have Turiaf and Mozgov. There are other ways to get Stoudemire and Randolph on the floor together.
3. C: Stoudemire/Turiaf
PF: Randolph/Stoudemire
SF: Gallo/Chandler/Walker
SG: Mason/Azubuike
PG: Felton/DouglasObviously the name that sticks out is Roger Mason at the SG position. Call me crazy but the kid can flat out shoot the ball. During the 08-09 season, Mason started 71 of the 82 games played in San Antonio, primarily because of his clutch shooting performances and his 42% from beyond the arc. He only started five games last year but with the emergence of George Hill, it was hard for him to seek any playing time at all. Lets put it this way, if you’re a lifetime shooter of 40% from three point range, D’Antoni is going to love you.
Stoudemire at Center again, why Jamey why!? I'm no pro by anyone's standards but I just don't see the need to start him there. He can play at the Center position but when he doesn't have to why put him there? Let's see how Turiaf and Mozgov handle the load before we do that. Mozgov has only appeared in one of these rotations but I think he should be in all of them. Mozgov is pretty much guaranteed playing time unless he gets injured or disgusts the coaching staff to the point where they won't give him a shot in a game whatsoever. Mozgov has a three year contract with the last 2 years non guaranteed, you can bet your ass he'll be seeing playing time this year to prove his worth. If he blows, we'll just get rid of him in the offseason, that's why the contract is the way it is. He has this year to prove himself and earn his stay. No way doesn't he make the rotation. Moving on, Mason is a great add in my book but unless Azubuike isn't 100% I would rather he come off the bench. He's a great shooter but Azubuike does it all, I rather see how Azubuike does with the starters first before Mason gets a shot. Coming off the bench Azubuike could be a candidate for 6th man of the year with this offense though. Decisions decisions...
Here are two of my suggestions. Update: After reading the comments, thoughts of zone defense came up. I thought of a nice line-up to add height and a good zone defense player in 6'6 Andy Rautins. If Rautins continues his inconsistent play that we witnessed during the Summer League we could bring in 6'5 Mason Jr. The only thing that Rautins has over Mason is experience in the zone which is why I placed him in the one slot. This new lineup is even taller then my previous one. Thoughts? Mason or Rautins? Neither? I'm not saying start these guys, but get them on the court together.
4. C: Mozgov/Turiaf C: Mozgov/Turiaf
PF: Stoudemire/ Gallinari/Randolph PF: Stoudemire/Gallinari/Randolph
SF: Randolph/Chandler SF: Randolph/Chandler
SG: Gallinari/Azubuike/Mason SG: Gallinari/Azubuike
PG: Felton/Douglas PG: Rautins/Mason
This is my wild card rotation. Serious game planning is needed to find a way to stop a lineup this big. Gallinari at the 2 on defense is a big question mark and guards would have the speed advantage on him but on the offensive side Gallinari would be too big. Plus with all the hyper fierceness around him he can quietly sit outside and wait for the open three's to pour in. The super athletic rotations above with Stoudemire at Center are the safer route to go to achieve global athletic dominance but this alternative may catch teams off guard. This is the type of rotation that deserves a nickname. Remember, rotations/formations with nicknames scare people.
5. C: Turiaf/Mozgov
PF: Stoudemire/Randolph
SF: Gallinari/Chandler
SG: Azubuike/Mason/Chandler
PG: Felton/Douglas
I honestly believe that this will be the official line-up come opening day. Turiaf, Stoudemire, Gallinari and Felton are pretty much set in stone starters. The only toss up there is Turiaf and Mozgov. Will they have a competition? If so, Mozgov possibly has a chance to weasel his way into the starter spot but that's unlikely. This only leaves one position wide open and there for the taking which is the 2. Azubuike may not be ready, no one knows if he would even be the starter if he was 100%. So who fills the slot? Chandler? Mason? WALKER?!?! I think Azubuike will be ready and he will stay healthy. If not D'Antoni puts Mason there. I want to say Chandler would get the starter position if Azubuike was hurt but I just feel like D'Antoni is going to go with Mason and have Chandler come off the bench with Randolph. That isn't a bad thought either, Randolph and Chandler coming off the bench sounds exciting. I think Walker has seen his fair share of minutes last season and instead of trying to tap into his potential, I think we'll spend the effort on someone we're actually planning to keep this season. Walker is as good as gone folks. If Mason absolutely chokes he has a shot, but I wouldn't bet on it. Fields can handle Walker's load and he is going to push Walker right out the door.
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go with the fifth one
as it looks as something d’antoni would do and would be able to get something out of nothing the others i guess will be something of if the starting 5 and the rotations don’t work so this is what i’ll do by halftime approach
5th one
said it all the time, but Chandler provides better versatility off the bench.
If Buike can’t start, I don’t think its out of the question for Roger Mason to start either.
If Buike isn't ready
I feel like D’Antoni is going to fall head over heels in love with Mason and start him. Plus, Chandler’s versatility off the bench would be just adding to the depth of our second unit.
Mozgov
Randolph
Chandler
Walker (If Buike isn’t ready and Mason starts)
Douglas
That right there is a super athletic bench. We have nice reinforcements.
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by MikeTheIntern on Aug 31, 2010 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I've said this for awhile too
But Chandler, Randolph and TD off the bench is really really nice. Throw in Walker or Mason Jr and then possibly Mozgov and that’s a bench I tihkn would come in at the second quarter and our lead would balloon
I think you might see line-ups 1 and 5 at the start of games
But nos. 2 & 3 will see more time on the floor together. I don’t have a huge problem with Stat at the 5 as long as he isn’t getting abused by someone enormous. Amar’e did make All-NBA 2nd team at center last year, and he’d probably be the second best center in the East, or even the best offensively. He might not love it, but we’re paying him to play not to coach. And if Randolph busts out this year to the tune of 10 boards and 2 blocks I think there will be less pressure on Amar’e to the “center stuff” regardless of official positions.
What I would love to see get some action is no. 4. If Mozgov shows he can really play (which in his case just means run the floor, pick and roll, block shots, grab a few boards and not get into foul trouble or disrupt the offense) I think this has the potential to be a very dangerous combination of talents. If Gallo or Randolph can do even an adequate job guarding 2 guards and if Randolph shows he developed a mid-range J, these 5 will make for some very tough match-ups. Defensively a 1-2-2 or 3-2 zone could also be very effective with this line-up given their collective length and quickness.
I have nothing against Turiaf, I just think he’s best used as a role player in certain situations and to provide a defense/energy boost off the bench. I hope that Mozgov shows he can hang with NBA competition so that we’ll have that luxury.
I love #4 for the reasons you state in your middle paragraph.
Play zone, limit Mozgov’s role, and create a match-up nightmare at three positions on offense. From a our perspective, yeah, we see Gallo would have to guard the 2 and we get worried. But a 2 guard trying to match-up with him when we transition to offense will have even more trouble. He can shoot right over most of them, so giving him any space is basically giving him a wide open look. If we put him on the same side as STAT, it’ll be tough for teams to double down.
Also AR at the 3 is another extrmely tough match-up. He can post up most 3s with ease and could really put a lot of stress on teams if he runs P&R with Mosgov.
With that line-up it all comes down to who takes advantage more.
Randolph shouldn’t have much of a problem at the 3 on either end. Gallinari at the 2 is the tongue twister in there, him guarding 2’s can be costly. At the same time though, 2’s guarding him will be costly as well. If Gallo can win those battles on the offensive side more then he loses them, this line-up would be bulletproof. His height over 2’s would make it harder for them to get good looks so unless they can consistently beat him with their speed their advantage is minor. I wouldn’t be worried having Gallo at the 2, don’t we all have faith in our cock?
Another thing I’ve noticed is that Felton can run the pick and roll with every single person in that line-up. Its pretty to look at and wonder.
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by MikeTheIntern on Aug 31, 2010 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions
I think whether or not Gallo can guard SGs
Depends on how strong our help defense is (which seems to me to be a matter of chemistry and coaching) and how well our weakside shotblockers perform (with AR, Turiaf, Timo and Amar’e on the roster I think this is guaranteed to improve).
I think it would be impossible to avoid Gallo getting burned off the dribble now and then but if our help rotations are tight that becomes much less of liability, to the point where the mismatches he would create on offense would far outweigh whatever he gives up on D.
Or, we could just play zone.
Or, have AR guard the 2s.
You're extremely accurate on that.
I’m surprised I didn’t think of that. The help defense is going to have to be up to par. If it is, it’ll get to the point where the 2’s won’t even try using there speed to drive to the hoop when you have AR, Amare and Mozgov there. They’d be forced to basically deal with Gallo.
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by MikeTheIntern on Aug 31, 2010 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Great point on the zone
D’A may be able to go even more with that 2-3, 3-2 blend that fills up the middle instead of rotates. Maybe Randolph could fill the ‘roamer’ role that Jeffries did so well. Who knows? Maybe we’ll even see a zone exclusively. That would certainly cause some talk.
My name's Gus Johnson; I get buckets.
by ThisIsTraps on Aug 31, 2010 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions
The Zone D shouldn't be looked down upon in the NBA.
People look at it as only a “NCAA thing” but it can be used in the NBA with success. Look at what the Suns did to the Lakers in the playoffs with it. It catches everyone off guard.
I would rather unleash it at certain times rather it being our go to defensive setup, only because teams won’t spend as much time game planning for it. This way when we do let it out the gate it could confuse and disrupt offenses.
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by MikeTheIntern on Aug 31, 2010 1:03 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree its probably most effective when its sprung upon the opponent, but I think that if we use it out of the gate we can kind of bait teams into settling for jumpers early and kind of set a “jumper” tone to their offense. Its going to be hard to attack the paint with 7 footers roaming the paint. If we can get teams to get in the mindframe of settling for jumpers, it very well could lead to us getting into our high octane offense.
Long jumpers = long rebounds = easy transition to up tempo offense.
Thats a good point.
Does anyone actually think D’Antoni is even considering zone? It takes time to master zone defense, the kind of time D’Antoni would rather spend on the offensive side. In order to play zone defense you need Chemistry with a capital C. A team that doesn’t play collectively can’t play zone.
It would be cool to see Rautins get in on a few plays if we do run a zone.
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by MikeTheIntern on Aug 31, 2010 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Pringles
been ran the zone.. more last year than anytime before. And that was with a cast of guys who didnt mesh well talent wise.
"they try to do what he do, and been where he's been, but they get folded in two.....he's the dude"
That could have been an experiment
I’m not sold on the fact that he’ll plan on doing it with this team since this is basically his first year coaching us. The past seasons have been pure experimentation. This upcoming season is his first test. If the team does bad, he looks bad. The other seasons don’t really count for much. If we tank this year its on him and he knows that. I’m wondering if he has enough faith in zone to put it in play this season. If we could make Jefferies look good in it I’m sure we can make Randolph look even better.
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by MikeTheIntern on Sep 1, 2010 12:05 PM EDT up reply actions
yea it was trial n erroe
wit the lack of team talent we had..but the zone was one of the only effective defensive schemes we ran.. and once he saw this..he ran it all year long. From the jeffries era to the tmac era. Especially in the 4th quarters where in some game we were making a late rally… the zone was played.
And again with the lack of a prominent C depth.. i wouldnt mind seeing some more sparatic zone play. Espicially with mosilgov as the backup(true 5 anyway) His man D needs help…but weakside defense(along with AR) is pretty daym good.(not saying as good as AR’s tho)
"they try to do what he do, and been where he's been, but they get folded in two.....he's the dude"
It prob will be #5, unless Azubuike is not healthy
I would actually rather see:
PG Felton
SG Chandler
SF Randolph
PF Amare
C Turiaf
I think this would be the best defensive/rebounding and scoring lineup to start with. Alot of quickness and athleticism as well. I think gallo, azubuike, TD, walker, fields or mason(??) would be a great second unit and would bring tons of energy off the bench….although there is no way dantoni will go THAT deep into his bench.
That is a cool lineup
But Gallo’s gonna start. They staff all love Danilo and he’ll be starting either to try and help him reach his ceiling and become our #2 or to showcase him if Melo hasn’t been moved yet
Nobody in that lineup can hit a 3
Except Felton, maybe. Last year was the first time he ever even approached 40% on 3 pt attempts so I’m not going to assume he’ll stay at that level. I can’t see Pringles starting a line-up that collectively can’t shoot the 3.
by flossy on Aug 31, 2010 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Right Again.
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by MikeTheIntern on Aug 31, 2010 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Hopefully AR will have the awareness jeffries did
if so, i see #5 starting lineup. Personally i think the 2spot is chandlers to lose. After all the gallo and chandler are our building blocks talk last year. It would be crazy to think DA will just sit chandler to begin this year w/o losing his job first. DA is a loyal guy we know, and if chandler proves his handle isnt good enough or his jumpshot has worsened..than its open competition at the guard spot.
I actually like the scoring ability of bookie coming off the bench.
But back to jeffries / AR talk.. with that zone scheme we ran with madagascar running in the middle… we actually had some pretty good success. Athletically.. AR could be that good manning the paint in a zoned D. But his awareness and basketball IQ (which was one of his faults last year) has to be greater than what it has been so far. So starting Turiaf at C while playing man defense..and sub’in randolph in there with a occasional switch to zone would be a pretty good balance imo. But again, all this is speculated w/o even seeing this team run up and down the hardwood once. I need training camp, scrimmages, pre-season trips to italy.
"they try to do what he do, and been where he's been, but they get folded in two.....he's the dude"
I don't think D'antoni puts Gallo at the 2
Even though he likes to create matchup problems. He just never really did it last year.
I think Chandler at the 2 is a greater possibility, especially if Azubuike isn’t fully healthy for the whole training camp, which I don’t think he will be.
I think D’antoni will try, try, try to figure out a way to get Randolph in the lineup, but it’s going to be a bit difficult. I think he’ll be very reluctant to put Amar’e at the 5 to start out.
I think D’antoni will actually try to put Randolph at the center spot. Remember, he initially tried to do that with Jeffries and quickly realized it didn’t work. But with Randolph it might work because Randolph is a better rebounder and shot blocker, and he’s bulked up a bit. I think Randolph is given every chance to fail, and he well might – in which case Turiaf gets the nod. But here’s the lineup I think D’antoni actually would like to go with:
Felton / Douglas
Chandler / Mason / Walker
Gallinari / Azubuike
Stoudemire
Randolph / Turiaf / Mozgov
Sound weird, I know, but remember D’antoni’s teams don’t usually have a traditional center who posts up.
But if Randolph can’t handle the C spot and is too much of a liablity, Randolph backs up Stoudemire and Gallo. If Randolph just does too many boneheaded things, he may fall out of the rotation and Mozgov may come in, because D’antoni is going to love his pick and rolling.
Also – I think we may end up with Felton and Toney on the court together at the end of games.
I was coming to post almost this exact thing
Just swap Chandler out with Azu, IMO. But I have a strong feeling that Randy gets a chance to start at “C” for us.
unless Chandler's been really working on his shooting range over the summer
there’s a slim chance he’s starting at 2..cuz he’s not a 2.
Pringles doesn’t exactly have set positions, but there’s certain criteria for each…like you gotta be able to shoot the 3 to play the 2.
If we didn’t have Gallo, Chandler would be the starting 3. But as it stands he’s better off the bench.
He probably will and should get minutes at the 2 of course, but only off the bench and he should fill in at the 3 and 4 too.
by FreeBradshaw on Aug 31, 2010 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree
I think Azubuike would be best starting at the 2 and Chandler can come off the bench to spell the 2 or 3 or 4…. but I don’t think Azubuike will be fully healthy for training camp. Could be Mason starts in that case.
Im hoping Buike can get healthy.
But if Mason starts, I have no problem with that. He’s a smart vet that can shoot the rock. No problem with that.
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by MikeTheIntern on Aug 31, 2010 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions
agreed
i also like mason helping the second unit keep the offense moving. He’s a good distributor and could help TD in the backcourt. valuable pickup
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by Ray Smuckles on Aug 31, 2010 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions
my rotation isn't here
Turiaf/Stoudemire/Mozgov
Stoudemire/Randolph/Gallinari
Gallinari/Randolph/Chandler/Azubuike/Walker
Mason/Azubuike/Chandler/Walker/Douglas
Felton/Douglas/Mason
Lots of interchangeable SG’s/SF’s.
Yes, Chandler is near the bottom of the pile. I’m a hater. Sorry.
I really hope Mozgov is good.
He clearly has his limitations, but I really like what I see from him in the FIBA clips I’ve seen. He is real tall but not a stiff and he gets up and down the court really fast. It doesn’t seem like he has anything resembling a post game or much of a jump shot, but he is constantly moving on offense, setting picks for his teammates, has great instincts for when to roll to the basket and can finish well. Not the guy you feature in your offense but someone with a nose for the ball who can make teams pay for forgetting about him. Hopefully, a legit center that generally makes a positive if unspectacular contribution rather than get in the way. Best case scenario: a young David Lee, but 7’1". And with much more shot-blocking.
My big questions are his defense (aside from the occasional nice block), his rebounding and whether he can stay out of foul trouble. If the answers are good, good, and yes then it is ON. Line-up #4 with Felton, Gallo, Randolph, Amar’e and Timo would be insane. Raymond Felton could basically just throw it up near the rim every other possession and trust that one of of his FOUR very athletic 6’10" or taller running mates is just going to grab it and flush it on someone. Gallo is a better shooter than your average SG, but he’s 6’10. So if the guy defending him isn’t in his face all night long he’s dropping threes with ease over much smaller defenders. Randolph doesn’t give up much, if anything, in terms of foot speed, ball-handling and athleticism vs. your average SF…and he’s 6’11". And he can jump out of the gym. If he can develop a jumper, forget about it. Amar’e is a beast and the best pure paint scorer in the NBA right now, period. Collectively, that line-up can run, pass, shoot (mostly), rebound (?) and jump and is T-A-L-L. Our offense would look like a dunk competition plus Gallo and maybe Felton’s outside shooting. Defensively I think it would work better than you might think—there’s a lot of shot blocking there, so as I said above maybe a well-run zone would be suffocating with all that length to contend with, and might help mitigate our weaknesses.
It really all depends on Mozgov. I doubt we see that line-up much to start the season, but if he’s a player, bringing in him and Randolph off the bench to create line-up #4 could be an awesome way to wreak havoc. Isn’t it D’Antoni’s dream to play all 6’9" guys who can run, shoot, handle the rock, etc.? This line-up averages 6’ 9.5" and basically has all the “traditional” bases covered of having a shooter, a slasher, a PF and a C, but they’re all young and athletic and the height of NBA centers and they can keep up with their very fast, lob-throwing PG.
I like your comment
The other aspect is that Gallo and Randolph should be able to get whatever they want in the low post should their perimeter game be off, and I hope we see that. Because playing Gallo at the 2 means he would have guard say Wade. However Wade is 6’4" imagine the havoc Gallo could cause getting Wade on his back on the low block!
by Robert Currence on Sep 1, 2010 10:38 AM EDT up reply actions
True, as long as he protects the ball!
I really like the idea of Gallinari at the 2 and Randolph at the 3.
I do hope both play well enough to force D’Antoni to keep them both on the court together.
It really is extremely difficult to NOT get real excited about what this team could possibly be capable of…
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by Chris Child's Fist on Sep 1, 2010 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Gallinari cannot play shooting guard defensively
for long stretches and neither can Randolph play the 3. However, I do not have a problem with either of them provided D’Antoni does the things needed to mitigate the potential mismatches in quickness on the defensive side of the floor. For example, with that much length if Gallo or Randolph cannot stop dribble penetration, the Knicks should employ an aggressive trap, that much length could lead to some turnovers. Also it would be imperative for the Knicks with such a line up to switch on Pick and rolls rather than to expect either guy to consistently get over the top of picks, especially Randolph. Lastly D’Antoni can also employ a zone defense should one on one match ups be a problem with those guys on the floor together.
by Robert Currence on Sep 1, 2010 10:31 AM EDT reply actions
I'm curious about the reasoning against Gallinari playing SG
Seems the #1 issue is the quickness of other SGs. Of course that is a legit concern because it would seem a 6’10" guy should be slow.
But my question is, how quick must you be to handle these smaller, quicker guards? It would seem to me that the additional height and arm length of Gallo can make up for this supposed lack of speed. I mean, the basketball court is only bit so big, so how much space can a guy really create against Gallo so as to make him a weak enough link that it hurts the Knicks? I really don’t see this is such a big deal at all.
Sure, there are some very quick players, but when you think about it… how many lightning quick SGs are there really?? I mean, there is only one Dwyane Wade, and after that, really, with Gallo’s 6’10" length, he may give up that 1st step, but if the guy decides to pull up, Gallo still has potentially 3-4 inches over the guy and can still disrupt a shot even if he jumps late. If this lightning bolt of a player decides to continue to the hoop, even without any help defense…. Gallo has long enough arms to possibly cock block from behind (no homo…wow).
I’m not saying putting Gallo at the 2 makes him the league’s best SG, but is the ‘speed’ thing really a big enough deal to NOT put him there? This on a team where we actually DO have a guy like Anthony Randolph who, as a 7’0" guy is quite quick, and can create match-up nightmares of his own at SF. Dude does need to continue to build strength, but Gallo and Randolph seem talented enough that both should be on the floor as much as possible in my opinion. A 6’10" SG, 7’0" SF, 6’11" PF and (Russian aside) an average sized C (Turiaf)… and loads of talent … I mean, what other teams in the NBA can pull that off??!!
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by Chris Child's Fist on Sep 1, 2010 3:55 PM EDT reply actions
And regarding Gallo... this isn't even talking about the offensive side to this.
"you're the Rod Thorn in my Chris Bosh side."
by Chris Child's Fist on Sep 1, 2010 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Good point my point is based on the following
Gallo is really a power forward, and while he played alot at the 3 last year, quick guys did give him trouble, like Danny Granger for instance. Also playing the SG would involve him in more pick and roll situations and also chasing guys like Allen and Redick around screens, which could put him at a disadvantage due to his size. Now these would be real issues that if D’Antoni chose to go that route he would have to be willing to address. For example having Gallo switch on Pick and rolls and screens rather that trying to get over the top. Also when matched up against guards who like to iso and have quick first steps like (Kobe, Wade, Joe Johnson, or even Vince Carter) the Knicks could go to a trap and given the overall size that could be effective. Now we know that Pringles is pretty unconventional about where guys play, and he is more concerned about playing the guys he thinks are his best guys, so obviously if he thinks his best lineup has Gallo at the two then I just hope he is willing to make the adjustments in team defense to enable Gallo to stay on the floor without getting into foul trouble.
by Robert Currence on Sep 1, 2010 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Thats the kind of response i was looking for.
I wasn’t targeting you by any means here, Sir Currence, but I think you figured that too.
The pick n roll example makes a lot of sense.
And yeah, seems like in D’Antoni’s system, the official positions are kinda moot, so it really matters if a tall squad can stretch a lead or turn a deficit into a lead.
"you're the Rod Thorn in my Chris Bosh side."
by Chris Child's Fist on Sep 1, 2010 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Gallo guarding SGs is definitely problematic...
Especially guys like Ray Allen. But he’s equally, if not more, problemtaic to defend on the other end. And there’s no rule that prohibits us from using the quicker and more athletic Randolph to defend the slasher SGs.
But i think that going zone with that line-up is extremely disruptive. You can pack the paint with three to four 7 footers and force opponents into jump shots. Also if you go zone, you can harass guys like Ray Allen on the wings with guys who have tremendous length (in Gallo and Randy).
I also like the idea of using a double-screen when running the P&R with this line-up, having one guy roll and one guy pop. It could create a lot of confusion. Especially if using Gallo and Randy as the screeners. If they switch, you could get either Gallo or Randy matched up with a PG which is basically shooting fish in a barrel.
What do you think of the new updated rotation I recently added to the post?
In you’re opinion would that fair better with zone since we replace Felton with taller players?
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by MikeTheIntern on Sep 1, 2010 6:41 PM EDT up reply actions
What? You want MY opinion? You all right man? Lol.
I like it if Rautins can get us into our offensive sets and can stroke it from 3 like we hope he can; but yeah it seems to be a better defensive look.
But i think i still like Felton better, especially if we’re talking about a starting line-up. He’s just seems like such a general. Kinda like a Derek Jeter in a way. Doesn’t do anything exceedingly well, but does everything pretty good; and sets a tone and attitude that you want, IMO.
I don't have a bone to pick with you, you really aren't that bad. lol
But yeah, starting, I’d definitely take Felton and his swagger. I’d like to see Mason in that rotation at point as well thought. It’ll be interesting to see how D’Antoni utilizes our bench.
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by MikeTheIntern on Sep 1, 2010 9:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Derek Jeter, number two.
is not in any way related to “does nothing exceedingly well, but everything pretty good”
You can make that case for 2011 Jeter. But no way associate that without that disclaimer
"they try to do what he do, and been where he's been, but they get folded in two.....he's the dude"
Jeter's gotten more base hits then anyone in the history of the winningest franchise in professional sports
I’d say Felton doesn’t even deserve the bandwith, not taking away anything from Ray of course.
Its more so his attempt to keep up
with the sg’s… one on one you can argue his length could make up some for the lack of first step speed. But that will also increase his fouls most likely. The main point is tho that he would have hell covering the P n R and the screen and pops taht almost all teams run with the sg. I cant see Gallo keeping up with a moderately fast sg through say, 2-3 screens in one sequence on offense. Unless he bogards he way through the screen which i dont think is the best idea for him to do thru the season.
Now put gallo at the 2 in a zone scheme, and boom. Im for it. That would put less emphasis on him having to keep up with guards step for step and put other teams in a posistion to scoreo on a team with four close to 7 footers on the court. With the majority of them being athletic enough to make that weakside block. Pending court awareness of course… AR.
"they try to do what he do, and been where he's been, but they get folded in two.....he's the dude"
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