Official Discuss your CB Draft team

[Rondo2287]

Fixed   Weird, it wont scroll for me, Maybe edgar Broke it


Most underrated Man in the CB Draft right now

Dirk NOWITZKI



25 ppg
7.7 rpg
2.7 apg
1.0 blk
48% fg
43% 3pt

100% Superstar

Dirk Nowitzki is a heck of a player...I only wish he would've had a friend near by that knew the Heimlich in 2006 or 2007. Could've saved Dirk a lot of hassle.

If only he had wing players like Rip and Maggette around him back then...

[JSD]

Fixed   Weird, it wont scroll for me, Maybe edgar Broke it


Most underrated Man in the CB Draft right now

Dirk NOWITZKI



25 ppg
7.7 rpg
2.7 apg
1.0 blk
48% fg
43% 3pt

100% Superstar

Dirk Nowitzki is a heck of a player...I only wish he would've had a friend near by that knew the Heimlich in 2006 or 2007. Could've saved Dirk a lot of hassle.

I don't think Dirk chocked... That was the 2nd worst officiated series in the history of the NBA finals.

Anytime Wade drove to the hoop he got to the line. It was insane.

[indeedproceed]

Fixed   Weird, it wont scroll for me, Maybe edgar Broke it


Most underrated Man in the CB Draft right now

Dirk NOWITZKI



25 ppg
7.7 rpg
2.7 apg
1.0 blk
48% fg
43% 3pt

100% Superstar

Dirk Nowitzki is a heck of a player...I only wish he would've had a friend near by that knew the Heimlich in 2006 or 2007. Could've saved Dirk a lot of hassle.

I don't think Dirk chocked... That was the 2nd worst officiated series in the history of the NBA finals.

Anytime Wade drove to the hoop he got to the line. It was insane.

I agree, to a point. Dirk lost his head after game 3. The whole Mavs team did. That, and the fact that Dirk hasn't really made it past the first round (lost 4-1 in the second in 08-09) since then, despite Dallas being willing to spend well over the luxury tax to field a competitive team, tells me that Dirk might not cut it.

[indeedproceed]

trust me im worried about Kobe, but he better be worried about Rip, Maggette, and Dirk.  Dirk would eat that team for breakfast lunch and dinner

I think Rip, Maggette, he shouldn't worry about. Rip hasn't been the same player since he was injured (could be a moral thing, who knows), and Pietrus should be able to contain Maggette.

Dirk on Ty Thomas though is going to be rough.

I've already began wondering what I'm going to do about 'Ze German'.

Id also consider Jarret Jack vs Johnny Flynn to be pretty big in my favor

Not so big that it tips tables any which way. Its not like either guy is going to be heavily relied on in the rotation.

Overall though I think Indiana's bench is pretty terrible.

But beyond Turiaf, why does it really matter?

Playoffs are a 9 man rotation, tops. Your 9 man rotation is Kidd, Hamilton, Prince, Dirk, Gortat, Jack, Miles, Turiaf, Barnes, in that order (of minutes played), correct?

Your bench is strong, no question, but assuming that you're a playoff team (which I do, no question), once you get there the bench will only matter so much. As long as you're operating under the assumption that the starting 5 are healthy, then that's really where the choice is for me, with the exception of one or two "sixth men".

THat's really where the line in the sand is for me on a larger point. People point to this past year's celtics as a team that "could've won if they had another legit big", but the fact is they could've won if Kendrick Perkins hadn't of hit the wood. People point to the injury and say have a bench, but I believe that if one of your starting 5 is injured, than unless they play a very small roll that is duplicated on your bench (which nobody on a team with a well rounded contender probable starting 5 has), your (as in all of us who fancy ourselves contenders, myself included) championship aspirations are shot.

[action781]

2010-11 Indiana Pacers

PG:  Derek Fisher (27/30) - Jonny Flynn (15/10) - Rafer Alston (6/8)
SG:  Kobe Bryant (38/40) - Marco Bellinelli (10/2) - Mickael Pietrus (0/6)
SF:  Mickael Pietrus (24/24) - Kyle Korver (24/24)
PF:  Tyrus Thomas (28/23) - Jason Maxiell (20/19)
C:   Marc Gasol (37/37) - Nenad Krstic (8/2) - Jeff Foster (3/0)

Rights to:  Rasheed Wallace (0/6) at PF and (0/9) at C if he returns.  Regular season minutes apply at PF/C if he does not.

My minutes are (reg season/playoffs).  Here's why I really like my team:

This team's starting lineup is built around defense and 2 excellent scorers. 
Defense: 
PG: Derek Fisher, while declining and no longer one of the elite, is still an average PG defender.  He struggles most staying in front of very quick PGs.  He scored votes for All-Defensive team as recently as 2008 and 2009 and did receieve a first place vote each season.  Yes, he's fallen out due to age and speed this past season, but he is still at least average against most PGs. 
SG: When there is an very quick PG to guard, that's where NBA first team all-defensive player Kobe Bryant comes in to guard him which cover Fisher's biggest weakness and Fisher is strong and tall enough to guard 2's.  I don't think there is any need to further boast about Kobe's defense.  His 8x first team all-defense (including '06-'10) selections should say enough.
SF: Kobe won't have to expend energy guarding our opponent's best offensive wing most of the game, because Mickael Pietrus will.  IMO, one of the most underrated wing defenders since watching him what some have said "lock down" Pierce in the playoffs last season.  He has the size and speed to guard 2's and 3's. 

Pietrus ranked third in the entire league in defending isolations at the top of the key, allowing 0.647 points per possession. Opponents scored on just 30.9% of their possessions when matched up against Pietrus there.
Source:  http://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2010/6/6/1503041/evaluating-mickael-pietrus

And we know he was always guarding the best opposing wing in those situations too.  Pietrus will do this for approx. 24 minutes per game and Kobe will man up on the best opposing wing for the remaining 24 minutes provided there is no PG Fisher can't stay with.  Pietrus' minutes bump up to 30 in the playoffs where we are more likely to run into those elite perimeter players in the East.
PF: Tyrus Thomas has elite talent and potential as a PF defender, but has largely disappointed in his career.  Nonetheless, he is still an average to above average defender at the position with size 6'10 225 lbs and an elite shotblocker (ranked 16th at 3.34 bp48m in a down season).  He is an enormous plus for my team if he develops consistency as a starter and realizes his potential, but worst-case is a slightly above average defender.
C: Marc Gasol is an aggressive 7'1 265lbs and average to above average C defender.  He garnered 1 point in all defensive team voting this past season and blocked 1.6 shots per game last season.  I think he can defend any center in the East reasonably well.  He had an efg% of .581 last season compared to his counterpart's around .500. 
Bench:  My bench admittedly is awful defensively except at PF.  But I will always have Kobe or Pietrus in the game to defend the best wing.  At PF I will always play an above average defender in Ty Thomas or Maxiell.  Gasol will play most of the game.  While Korver is not known for his defense, he will never have to guard an elite wing and his efg% of .598 last season is good enough to outmatch the opponent's lesser (and likely bench) wing.  Having Foster on the bench will provide necessary bench post defense/fouls/rebounding if needed and Sheed is obviously a huge wild card potential boost.

That was really long, but I wanted to get into great detail how very confident I am in the overall defensive ability of this group.  I believe I have an average at worst defender at every starting position.  PG defense is my team's biggest overall weakness IMO.  On the plus side, the East team's with PGs that Fisher won't guard (Miami, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Boston) all have SGs that I think Fisher can not be exploited by.  I expect Flynn to be able to match or beat the overall offensive/defensive production of most bench PGs and possibly play more minutes against quicker PGs.  Also, 5 of the last 6 championships have been won with either Fisher at PG or a poor defender (Parker, J. Williams) so I wouldn't say this weakness should be too prohibitive.

Offense:
I'll be relatively brief.  I have two excellent scorers on my team who can create their own shot and create shots for teammates.  In the early game, I'll be looking to go to Gasol and his efg% of .581 very often.  Around him will be 3 very good shooters at all times to spread the floor and atheltic Ty Thomas/Maxiell who can finish strong.  Gasol likes to catch the ball in the low and mid post and catches the ball with his head up (3rd among NBA centers with 2.7 apg) which will keep the opposing team from doubling with Thomas' or Maxiell's man as they can both finish well.  Gasol also has shown he can play well in the pick and roll game which bodes well for playing alongside Kobe.  The Pacers will obviously get plenty of offense also from the most complete offensive player in the game, Kobe Bryant, and have rotational players around him who can all shoot or finish strong.  We're really excited about pairing Kobe and Korver as wings together to see how much we can open up last season's top 3pt% shooter (NBA record 53.6%).  The 10 minutes when Kobe is out of the game is why I have offensively geared Jonny Flynn/Rafer Alston and Marco Belinelli as guard reserves to go alongside Gasol or Krstic.

Team Chemistry/Intangibles:
This team is oozing with backcourt leadership and championship experience in the form of Fisher and Bryant.  Pietrus and Alston also have advanced playoff experience as does Rasheed (ring) and Maxiell in the front court.  I have enough shooters or passers at every position to not allow opponents to pack the lane since Maxiell and Thomas are below average offensive players.  If you do double off their man, they are terrific offensive rebounders who can make you pay.  I also don't believe I have any rotational players who will start the season injured nor are considered high injury risks, which many teams in the East cannot say.  This team has 10 (possibly 11) total championship rings, which I believe leads every other team considerably (I see the next having 6).

And I barely mentioned Rasheed Wallace, consider him however you please.  If you think he'll return for Boston this postseason, then please think he will return for my team.

Well-deserved TP to anyone who comments because I know this was a lot to read!  As you can see, I've though much about this team and am very excited about it.  You can quote only parts if you'd like for the sake of the thread.  Thoughts??  Projections??

[indeedproceed]

Action, I think that's a really nice write-up. Perhaps a little early for conferences, but its good to get your homework done early.

I think you're approach on defense with Fisher was spot on, and a lot like my own approach with LeBron James.

Very few teams are good at 2 of the 3 positions Kobe Bryant could defend. Kobe doesn't have the muscle to defend LeBron James, but he does have the muscle to defend most 3's, and the agility to defend most 1's (Rondo not being one of them, Jennings I believe also not being one, but in your plan I guess that duty falls heavily onto Flynn anyways).

I'm taking the same idea with LeBron James. For instance, against your fine squad I'd say for substantial parts of the game, Mike Miller would check Pietrus, while James would check Bryant, at least while Tony Allen isn't in the game.

Offensively Kobe's game is well known so lets not dwell there. I think between Kobe and Gasol you have a fine opportunity in the making.

I think also that you're overrating two players pretty substantially though, in Tyrus Thomas and Jason Maxiell.

You state Tyrus Thomas's "worst case scenario" being an 'above average defender'. Power forwards playing against Thomas this season and last regularly had FG%'s above their average, and they out rebounded Thomas. We know Thomas has the leaping ability to be a very good shot blocker in the league, but he doesn't seem to stop his man from scoring with all that air beneath his shoes.

Since I'm guessing you see yourself as a contender, I wonder how confident you are in Thomas's ability to sustain effort and focus on the defensive end both during the grind of an NBA season and into the playoffs. Up until this time, he hasn't shown that ability.

Also on the offensive side, doesn't Thomas's lack of arsenal when it comes to scoring present a problem? Lots of guys lack a post game at the 4, its a dying art. But most of those guys compensate with faceup games or shooting ability. Half of Thomas's shots came from outside the paint this last season, and he only connected on 37% of them. He was even worse shooting around the basket when he wasn't dunking.

Maxiell on the other hand has the opposite problem. He can score from inside with his strength alone, but he can't stop his man from scoring, allowing opponents to often outscore him, presumably due to his lack of height. He allowed opposing PF's to shoot better than 52% from the field while he was on the floor, and I can't really call that anything than a 'below average defender'.

I like how during the playoffs you are taking Marco Bellineli out of the rotation, and opting instead to play Korver and Pietrus together. Might I suggest though moving Korver into Kobe's 8 minutes off the floor? Just seems to be his more natural position.

Also, maybe look at playing Jeff Foster and Gasol together, especially against slower but bigger 4's, so as to minimize Thomas and Maxiell's deficiencies, assuming Foster is 100% next season.

Derek Fisher is a guy I worry about for you on a lot of levels. He came up big when it matter against us (FISHERRR!!!!), but during the season the entire league was begging to have him benched because he was playing so poorly. How do you see him operating outside of Phil Jackson's triangle offense, or are you going to try to run the triangle with your current personell? The triangle relies heavily on dominant big men who can pass the ball, and while Gasol can pass, he's not exactly dominant. Fisher is used to dumping the ball down to one of Gasol or Bynum, and playing on the wing waiting for his shot. I don't see how he's going to get his opportunities here.

All in all I think you've put together quite a team, but there are some serious questions for me, especially at the 4 and the 1.

Also, lastly, you stated that you thought your team was substantially better than the pre-Gasol Lakers. Could you revisit that?

[nickagneta]

2010-11 Indiana Pacers

PG:  Derek Fisher (27/30) - Jonny Flynn (15/10) - Rafer Alston (6/8)
SG:  Kobe Bryant (38/40) - Marco Bellinelli (10/2) - Mickael Pietrus (0/6)
SF:  Mickael Pietrus (24/24) - Kyle Korver (24/24)
PF:  Tyrus Thomas (28/23) - Jason Maxiell (20/19)
C:   Marc Gasol (37/37) - Nenad Krstic (8/2) - Jeff Foster (3/0)

Rights to:  Rasheed Wallace (0/6) at PF and (0/9) at C if he returns.  Regular season minutes apply at PF/C if he does not.

I didn't read the entire profile of your team as I will be doing in depth analysis during the pressers. But, looking at your players, I have to say, your bench is not good and you are seriously mistaken if you think your starting SF and PF will cut it.

I would have this team fighting for it's playoff lives in the Eastern Conference and probably losing in the first round if they made it.

Right now I would have you, Toronto and Nashville fighting for that last playoff spot.

[Fafnir]

2010-11 Indiana Pacers

PG:  Derek Fisher (27/30) - Jonny Flynn (15/10) - Rafer Alston (6/8)
SG:  Kobe Bryant (38/40) - Marco Bellinelli (10/2) - Mickael Pietrus (0/6)
SF:  Mickael Pietrus (24/24) - Kyle Korver (24/24)
PF:  Tyrus Thomas (28/23) - Jason Maxiell (20/19)
C:   Marc Gasol (37/37) - Nenad Krstic (8/2) - Jeff Foster (3/0)

Rights to:  Rasheed Wallace (0/6) at PF and (0/9) at C if he returns.  Regular season minutes apply at PF/C if he does not.

I didn't read the entire profile of your team as I will be doing in depth analysis during the pressers. But, looking at your players, I have to say, your bench is not good and you are seriously mistaken if you think your starting SF and PF will cut it.

I would have this team fighting for it's playoff lives in the Eastern Conference and probably losing in the first round if they made it.

Right now I would have you, Toronto and Nashville fighting for that last playoff spot.

And PG. Johnny Flynn is the best of the three and his performance last year wasn't a good one, but he's young and could improve. Fisher and Alston both showed they were cooked.

Having three well below average PGs doesn't bode well in addition to the problems you highlight Nick.

[Rondo2287]

Im playing around with the idea of moving Barnes to my Starting Rotation and having Maggette be 6th man of the year.  

Barnes started all season for the magic as you all are aware and i think he can do it here especially because i consider him a better defender than Maggette.  

What do you think
Start        Bench
Kidd         Jack
Rip          Miles
Barnes       Maggette
Dirk         Wright
Gortat       Turiaf

[Rondo2287]

trust me im worried about Kobe, but he better be worried about Rip, Maggette, and Dirk.  Dirk would eat that team for breakfast lunch and dinner

I think Rip, Maggette, he shouldn't worry about. Rip hasn't been the same player since he was injured (could be a moral thing, who knows), and Pietrus should be able to contain Maggette.

Dirk on Ty Thomas though is going to be rough.

I've already began wondering what I'm going to do about 'Ze German'.

Id also consider Jarret Jack vs Johnny Flynn to be pretty big in my favor

Not so big that it tips tables any which way. Its not like either guy is going to be heavily relied on in the rotation.

Overall though I think Indiana's bench is pretty terrible.

But beyond Turiaf, why does it really matter?

Playoffs are a 9 man rotation, tops. Your 9 man rotation is Kidd, Hamilton, Prince, Dirk, Gortat, Jack, Miles, Turiaf, Barnes, in that order (of minutes played), correct?

Your bench is strong, no question, but assuming that you're a playoff team (which I do, no question), once you get there the bench will only matter so much. As long as you're operating under the assumption that the starting 5 are healthy, then that's really where the choice is for me, with the exception of one or two "sixth men".

THat's really where the line in the sand is for me on a larger point. People point to this past year's celtics as a team that "could've won if they had another legit big", but the fact is they could've won if Kendrick Perkins hadn't of hit the wood. People point to the injury and say have a bench, but I believe that if one of your starting 5 is injured, than unless they play a very small roll that is duplicated on your bench (which nobody on a team with a well rounded contender probable starting 5 has), your (as in all of us who fancy ourselves contenders, myself included) championship aspirations are shot.

While playoffs are 9 man Rotations, i think we saw in the finals particularly how many times the bench swung the momentum of the game.  Im not going to say that Shrek and Donkey won the game singlehandedly but i will say that we wouldnt have won if we didnt have them  playing major roles.  I believe that my bench guys in my 9 man rotation all have the ability to swing a playoff game.  Barnes with his defense and perimeter game, Jack with his penatration and overall game against another teams backup pg, Turiaf with his hustle and D and Miles with his overall game. 

Miles averaged 14 ppg starting for utah in this years playoffs.  I dont see many other backup 2 guards in this league that did that

[Fafnir]

Barnes with his defense and perimeter game

What game or defense? I'll say again, he's a bad offensive player, not a good shooter, and not even a good defender. He rebounds and plays "tough" (by reputation more than anything).

I like Barnes starting just because Maggette will play better with reserves.

[Rondo2287]

Barnes with his defense and perimeter game

What game or defense? I'll say again, he's a bad offensive player, not a good shooter, and not even a good defender. He rebounds and plays "tough" (by reputation more than anything).

I like Barnes starting just because Maggette will play better with reserves.

I guess we will have to disagree, I think Barnes is a good defender. And so does Kobe.

[Who]

2010-11 Indiana Pacers

PG:  Derek Fisher - Jonny Flynn - Rafer Alston
SG:  Kobe Bryant - Marco Bellinelli - Mickael Pietrus
SF:  Mickael Pietrus - Kyle Korver
PF:  Tyrus Thomas - Jason Maxiell
C:   Marc Gasol - Nenad Krstic - Jeff Foster

I would make a pair of personnel changes if it's not too late.

(1) I would waive Rafer Alston and sign and another wing in free agency (I have someone in mind).

(2) I would make Marco Belinelli my starting point guard and use either Derek Fisher or Jonny Flynn as my backup point guard. If you are intending on using a Triangle offense, then I'd go with Fisher. If not, I'd use a pick and roll centric offense and go with Jonny Flynn ... who'll play much better once he is out of that Triangle offense and allowed to be a playmaker. Unfortunately, Flynn is a poor fit alongside Kobe's isolation and post up heavy offense.

Marco Belinelli is both the better PG prospect + the better fit alongside Kobe.

I wouldn't use Belinelli in my rotation as a SG. He is a low level player there due to his lack of rebounding and defensive play. His offensive game is also quite streaky and that will improve too at the point when he has the ball in his hands more often than on the wing.

--------------------------------------------------

I am a big fan of the Kobe + Pietrus + Tyrus + M.Gasol foursome. I think they'll combine to make one heck of a defensive foundation. Marc Gasol gives you a strong one-on-one post defender and solid team defense. A real physical presence in the paint. Tyrus Thomas gives you high level team defense with his quickness and activity. Pietrus and Bryant combine to give you one of the most talented wing defensive combinations in the league.

I don't like Fisher, I think he's pretty much cooked at this point in his career. A candidate for the worst starting PG in the league + a below average backup PG + but still an excellent third string PG and locker room presence. I like him in that reduced role.

Not a fan of Jonny Flynn either. A poor defender, doesn't rebound, is a weak scorer who is horribly inefficient and he cannot shoot. He is a good passer when he is allowed be a playmaker but he doesn't do well in a more restricted role like he had last year in Minnesota in the Triangle offense.

Kyle Korver is a good backup SG. Solid rebounder and passer, excellent shooter. A below average defender but not as bad as his reputation defensively. I would like to see your squad add another wing player, a small forward with size/athleticism, who can provide more of a defensive option if/when needed. There is a player still available who would be perfect for this role. That would make a big difference to your reserves on the wing.

The big men are solid enough if Jeff Foster can get back healthy. Generally I take a benefit of the doubt stance on injuries but I am very worried about Foster's back injury and am unsure whether he'll make it back. If he can, a Foster + Krstic + Maxiell backup big man rotation is solid.

That would give you a solid big man rotation + with a new SF a solid backup wing rotation + with Belinelli in the rotation at PG, a solid PG rotation.

--------------------------------------------

Now if Jeff Foster cannot make it back + Belinelli doesn't move to PG + Belinelli is used as a SG in the rotation + Rafer is not waived and a SF is not acquired + Flynn remains in the rotation and the team runs the Triangle offense ...

Then I think your supporting cast is weak and will fail to provide adequate support to your four man core.

[action781]

I'm heading to the beach, but want to thank those of you who commented on my team and TPs were paid.  I especially thank those of you who put a lot of time and thought into your response.

People are really hating on Derek Fisher.  I guess I don't understand if he's so cooked, then how have the Lakers repeated as champions with him playing 32mpg in the playoffs?  Again, he's just 1 season removed from receiving votes for all-defensive team (including a first team vote) and he shot 44.8% fg and 36% 3pt this past postseason.  He is also one of the 2 most clutch role players of the last decade.  Yet he'd be a "below average backup pg"  I guess that just baffles me.

I am very much open to the idea of Belinelli playing pg during the regular season, but I still plan to start Fisher.  There are simply 0 backcourt chemistry questions and he brings great leadership.  Do you guys think I should cut down Fisher's reg season minutes but keep his playoffs the same?

I admit that PG, SF, and PF are my weakest spots for starters.  That is why those were the 3 positions I wanted to make sure I had the most viable backups for in Flynn, Korver, and Maxiell.  I think I'd like to give Flynn more reg season minutes.  Thoughts?

Nick, you don't think my starting SF will cut it?  Pietrus is a terrific wing defender and a good shooter.  Wouldn't he cut it for the current Orlando Magic?  He actually might be starting for them.  If he can start for a real NBA contender, he can obviously start for a less top heavy CBNBA contender.  I also have a very solid bench player in Korver behind him.

[indeedproceed]

trust me im worried about Kobe, but he better be worried about Rip, Maggette, and Dirk.  Dirk would eat that team for breakfast lunch and dinner

I think Rip, Maggette, he shouldn't worry about. Rip hasn't been the same player since he was injured (could be a moral thing, who knows), and Pietrus should be able to contain Maggette.

Dirk on Ty Thomas though is going to be rough.

I've already began wondering what I'm going to do about 'Ze German'.

Id also consider Jarret Jack vs Johnny Flynn to be pretty big in my favor

Not so big that it tips tables any which way. Its not like either guy is going to be heavily relied on in the rotation.

Overall though I think Indiana's bench is pretty terrible.

But beyond Turiaf, why does it really matter?

Playoffs are a 9 man rotation, tops. Your 9 man rotation is Kidd, Hamilton, Prince, Dirk, Gortat, Jack, Miles, Turiaf, Barnes, in that order (of minutes played), correct?

Your bench is strong, no question, but assuming that you're a playoff team (which I do, no question), once you get there the bench will only matter so much. As long as you're operating under the assumption that the starting 5 are healthy, then that's really where the choice is for me, with the exception of one or two "sixth men".

THat's really where the line in the sand is for me on a larger point. People point to this past year's celtics as a team that "could've won if they had another legit big", but the fact is they could've won if Kendrick Perkins hadn't of hit the wood. People point to the injury and say have a bench, but I believe that if one of your starting 5 is injured, than unless they play a very small roll that is duplicated on your bench (which nobody on a team with a well rounded contender probable starting 5 has), your (as in all of us who fancy ourselves contenders, myself included) championship aspirations are shot.

While playoffs are 9 man Rotations, i think we saw in the finals particularly how many times the bench swung the momentum of the game.  Im not going to say that Shrek and Donkey won the game singlehandedly but i will say that we wouldnt have won if we didnt have them  playing major roles.  I believe that my bench guys in my 9 man rotation all have the ability to swing a playoff game.  Barnes with his defense and perimeter game, Jack with his penatration and overall game against another teams backup pg, Turiaf with his hustle and D and Miles with his overall game. 

Miles averaged 14 ppg starting for utah in this years playoffs.  I dont see many other backup 2 guards in this league that did that

But your bench won't win you a playoff series...they're not some magic switch you can switch on if your starters aren't working.

And I think Barnes is an okay player, but he's not going to change a game with his defense or his shooting...Miles can do some damage but he'll also damage you with poor defense, especially against stronger players (SF'S) or quicker players (smallish fast 2's).

I don't hate the idea of Maggette playing your sixth man. He might hate it though, and might not buy in.

EDIT: Honestly I'd just leave Maggette in at the 3 and tell people to stuff it. Obviously nobody likes Matt Barnes anyways and with Rip's recent season you may want Mags out there for scoring punch anyways.