Thoughts on Indiana:
Durant/Deron, even if I'm not even in the same stratosphere of high as you are on Deron (a top 10 player? Did the Tin Man get a heart? Is it 2008?). He's a much better passer than Russell Westbrook, so just from there Durant's job becomes a little easier. I'm actually also on board with Robin Lopez being a legitimate defensive anchor, and a starter. He's not in the same class as Sanders, Noah, Chandler, or Asik in defensive specialists, but he's just the next step down. I like Rodney Stuckey as a combo-guard, and I like Ray Allen as a bomber off the bench and a compensation shooter when Livingston is the facilitator. That's not really a question, I just like all those things.
Who's your first guy off the bench? Allen, right?
I am really having a hard time buying Scola. He's just not a 30 mpg player anymore, and while Indiana was lauded for acquiring him, it was because he'd be playing significantly reduced minutes against weaker competition. How many minutes are you thinking of playing him? 33? 35?
I think Shawn Livingston should take a good amount of those backup 3 minutes, and should just be wiped off the rotation at the 1. He can't defend the point, and while I don't think defensively your team is so bad it worries me, I do think that when your second best defender is either Brand or Durant, you really can't have the potential for 2 well below average defenders on the court at the same time. When Livingston is at the point, that's a trainwreck, but he can at least make an attempt at the 3 without getting out-quicked by the primary ball handler.
Hm.