Backcourt rotation?

[droopdog7]

Now that Lee is in the fold (I admit, I thought we had no chance), the common assumption seems to be that Rondo and Bradley (once he returns) start and Lee and Terry come off the bench.  Obviously, the various combinations (six to be exact) will be on the court together at some point in time regardless.

But, do we start two smallish guards in Rondo and Bradley?  I think two things are obvious.  Rondo starts and Terry comes of the bench.  I guess that means that Terry needs to play PG whenever Rondo is NOT in.  Would we be better off pairing him with Bradley, thus moving Bradley back to part time PG (and starting Lee)?

Thoughts?

[Jon]

Well, we have 3 short guards, plus Lee.  So even if we start Lee, so no matter how you work the rotation, the only time we'll have height is when Lee's in.  That doesn't change whether he starts or comes off the bench.

I think the bigger concern is how to get 4 guys who all averaged over 30 mpg  last year minutes (Bradley was actually at 21 mpg for the season, but averaged over 30 the last month when he took over the starting spot).  There's only 96 minutes at the two spots, and Rondo is at least taking 36 of them.   

As I said in another thread, I think one of the ways is for Doc to slide Lee to the 3 at times, which will in turn necessitate Doc to slide Green to the 4 for even more time. 

[BudweiserCeltic]

I'm going back and forth on Lee or Bradley starting. I really don't care much at this point.

[2short]

To me the idea of playing rondo less is the main thing.  If he is injured our chances go down the toilet (much like kg).  I'd be happy with rondo down to 32 mpg
If everyone gels we could just have the backourt go all out and interchange guys.  I personally love the defensive backcourt of rondo & bradley as starters (once bradley is healthy) is Lee better than bradley?  You could argue it and he has size.  Terry is perfect though, he's ready to come off bench doesn't matter to him.

[Who]

But, do we start two smallish guards in Rondo and Bradley?  I think two things are obvious.  Rondo starts and Terry comes of the bench.  I guess that means that Terry needs to play PG whenever Rondo is NOT in.  Would we be better off pairing him with Bradley, thus moving Bradley back to part time PG (and starting Lee)?

Courtney Lee is a smallish guard himself. Close to average sized. Decent height/length but small frame. Not much bulk to him. And he doesn't defend bigger guards particularly well either.

So, there is not much gain there (size wise, matching up against bigger SGs) by switching Bradley out for Lee.

[Who]

My first preference is for a three man backcourt with Rondo, Terry and Bradley.

And with Courtney Lee only seeing situational minutes. Effectively a third string SG.

[Jon]

To me the idea of playing rondo less is the main thing.  If he is injured our chances go down the toilet (much like kg).  I'd be happy with rondo down to 32 mpg
If everyone gels we could just have the backourt go all out and interchange guys.  I personally love the defensive backcourt of rondo & bradley as starters (once bradley is healthy) is Lee better than bradley?  You could argue it and he has size.  Terry is perfect though, he's ready to come off bench doesn't matter to him.

While I don't entirely disagree with your premise about Rondo's minutes, I wouldn't hold my breath on the idea of him playing only 32 mpg.  He averaged 37 mpg last year, which is right about around the minutes that other young superstars like Durant and James play.  

And to Who, I don't disagree entirely with your premise of the 3 man backcourt, but I have a tough time believing that Boston went through the trouble of picking him up to see him only play spot minutes.  Though I think one way around this issue is getting Lee 10 mpg or so at the 3 spot (shifting Green up to the 4 almost exclusively). 

[droopdog7]

To me the idea of playing rondo less is the main thing.  If he is injured our chances go down the toilet (much like kg).  I'd be happy with rondo down to 32 mpg
If everyone gels we could just have the backourt go all out and interchange guys.  I personally love the defensive backcourt of rondo & bradley as starters (once bradley is healthy) is Lee better than bradley?  You could argue it and he has size.  Terry is perfect though, he's ready to come off bench doesn't matter to him.

While I don't entirely disagree with your premise about Rondo's minutes, I wouldn't hold my breath on the idea of him playing only 32 mpg.  He averaged 37 mpg last year, which is right about around the minutes that other young superstars like Durant and James play.  

And to Who, I don't disagree entirely with your premise of the 3 man backcourt, but I have a tough time believing that Boston went through the trouble of picking him up to see him only play spot minutes.  Though I think one way around this issue is getting Lee 10 mpg or so at the 3 spot (shifting Green up to the 4 almost exclusively). 

Of course, Rondo isn't a superstar on the level of guys like Durant and James.  Indeed, he can still be a liability at times so reducing Rondo's minutes, to make him more effective during those minutes, may not be a bad idea. 

[Interceptor]

The best way to reduce the stress on Rondo isn't to cut his minutes, it's to play him with Bradley, who can pick up the other team's best guard on D. Worked like a charm this past season. That's my default once AB is back, unless there is some other reason to start Lee for a matchup issue.

[KGs Knee]

Honestly, I can envision scenarios where Bradley, Terry & Lee will all be on the bench at the same time.

Against certains teams, with bigger SGs, I can't escape the thought that a SF/SG combo of Green/Pierce is our best pairing.

[snively]

I think we'll see something along the lines of the guard rotation Phoenix deployed when they had Nash, Raja Bell, Barbosa and Eddie House all seeing regular minutes.

The key is, which of Lee/Terry/Bradley gets demoted to the more minor Eddie House slot (18mpg) when everyone is healthy?

[OmarSekou]

But, do we start two smallish guards in Rondo and Bradley?  I think two things are obvious.  Rondo starts and Terry comes of the bench.  I guess that means that Terry needs to play PG whenever Rondo is NOT in.  Would we be better off pairing him with Bradley, thus moving Bradley back to part time PG (and starting Lee)?

Courtney Lee is a smallish guard himself. Close to average sized. Decent height/length but small frame. Not much bulk to him. And he doesn't defend bigger guards particularly well either.

So, there is not much gain there (size wise, matching up against bigger SGs) by switching Bradley out for Lee.

Maybe I'm wrong but I always thought Lee was sneaky big. I feel like I remember him doing well against bigger guards in Orlando.

[kg is king]

But, do we start two smallish guards in Rondo and Bradley?  I think two things are obvious.  Rondo starts and Terry comes of the bench.  I guess that means that Terry needs to play PG whenever Rondo is NOT in.  Would we be better off pairing him with Bradley, thus moving Bradley back to part time PG (and starting Lee)?

Courtney Lee is a smallish guard himself. Close to average sized. Decent height/length but small frame. Not much bulk to him. And he doesn't defend bigger guards particularly well either.

So, there is not much gain there (size wise, matching up against bigger SGs) by switching Bradley out for Lee.

Maybe I'm wrong but I always thought Lee was sneaky big. I feel like I remember him doing well against bigger guards in Orlando.

Lee is big enough to guard any 2 in the league. 6'5 is decent and you're not gonna find many quality 2's that are bigger than 6'6, those who are taller plays SF so 1 inch of height does not make that big of a difference. The difference maker is how he moves his feet, how he pressures the ball handler, how much he understand the team defensive scheme. From what I've seen he totally fits the bill. He has very good quickness when guarding the ball and is smart enough to not committ bad fouls. Tony Allen is even smaller than Lee and he hung in more than just fine against any 2 guard.

Strength wise Lee does not blow anyone away, but weighing in at 200 pounds is decent, not a twig by any means.