Shaq or Jermaine to start at 5?

[xmuscularghandix]

Jermaine should start at the 5 with Shaq coming off the bench. I would say JO has more Offense down there + he has a nice mid range jumper + is better to watch than Shaq who just clogs up the lane.

But Dont get me wrong im looking forward to watching both #7 + #36 play at the same time, so it shud be good fun to watch

     Shaq is undoubtedly the better down low scorer, but that’s in no way an insult to Jermaine. JO and Shaq and two of the better low post scorers you’ll find in the games, even with their current mileage they can still bang down low.
 
      That being said I still agree about Jermaine starting. But it’s because of his defense as apposed to his offense. JO has defended the pick and roll very well over his career, and has annually positioned himself as one of the leagues top shot-blockers. O’Neal’s breakthrough year came with 228 blocks, enough to top Perkins’, Rasheed’s, and even Garnett’s top years. I think that the more evenly distributed offense will bring back some of JO’s defensive dominance.

     As for Shaquille, he will give us his shot-blocking as well. The Big Green Monster will also deliver some "Vince Wilfork Style” fouls and this will of course mentally block a few shots from even being taken. I disagree about Shaq clogging the lane for Rondo. If you look at the way Rondo cuts to open space in order to find WIDE OPEN layups, and Shaq’s ability to find the cutting man, I think this could be a match made in heaven.

     No matter what 2010-2011 The Boston Celtics are going to be one of the most entertaining groups to ever hit the road. Whether our starting lineup has 46 All-Star Selections or 37, I’d say we’re pretty stacked.   

[guava_wrench]

Shaq would make a great first scoring option off the bench. Imagine all the bench players trying to defend him.

Considering that Perk is our 5th option among our starters, it seems a more natural fit for JO on offense. He can concentrate on defending and setting picks.

[byennie]

Playing devil's advocate here...

Is scoring really what the 2nd unit needs? Nate Rob, D West, Wafer, Big Baby... we actually have more firepower (and not a lot of defense) on the bench that at any time last year.

What if the 2nd unit actually needs a defensive anchor, and the 1st team needs a center who can score down low? Don't our guys win the title last year if the 1st team can get a few easy buckets down low?

Certainly will be interesting. Mostly I just hope Doc finds a way to get 100% out of both guys. Say what you will about their collective decline, but either one of these guys projects as a helluva backup C.

[Boris Badenov]

I think it depends on whom Doc sees as the first center off the bench when/if Perkins returns. If our performance in June matters more than anything else, then the first half of the season should be spent developing a cohesive second unit for the stretch. Ideally, you'd have the same center in that gruop all year.

What this means is that if Doc sees JO as the center in that unit, then JO should come off the bench all year, and Shaq should start then move to the bench when Perk returns. And vice versa.

There is an ego issue here, in that someone will go from starting to the 3rd string, but I trust Doc to manage that better than anyone else could.

I also happen to think that Shaq would exert more defensive effort on the first unit, because if he doesn't, he'll have KG, Pierce and maybe even Rondo woofing at him. No shirking allowed!

[LooseCannon]

There is an ego issue here, in that someone will go from starting to the 3rd string, but I trust Doc to manage that better than anyone else could.

Maybe that someone should be Perkins.

[2short]

I believe that with Perk back Jermaine will get minutes at pf as well

[toinewalka]

I see Doc starting Jermaine and bringing Shaq off the bench.  I think one of the main worries going into the season from a coaching standpint is what can Shaq do as a bench player.  Doc will want to get him used to that role early and often, and Jermaine is a lot more flexible.  I see Jermaine starting at the beginning of the season and The Daddy coming off the bench.

[Fafnir]

Jermaine should start at the 5 with Shaq coming off the bench. I would say JO has more Offense down there + he has a nice mid range jumper + is better to watch than Shaq who just clogs up the lane.

But Dont get me wrong im looking forward to watching both #7 + #36 play at the same time, so it shud be good fun to watch

     Shaq is undoubtedly the better down low scorer, but that’s in no way an insult to Jermaine. JO and Shaq and two of the better low post scorers you’ll find in the games, even with their current mileage they can still bang down low.

Jermain O'Neal has never been a particularly good post option. He's not a good one especially at this point in his career.

[Roy H.]

Jermaine should start at the 5 with Shaq coming off the bench. I would say JO has more Offense down there + he has a nice mid range jumper + is better to watch than Shaq who just clogs up the lane.

But Dont get me wrong im looking forward to watching both #7 + #36 play at the same time, so it shud be good fun to watch

     Shaq is undoubtedly the better down low scorer, but that’s in no way an insult to Jermaine. JO and Shaq and two of the better low post scorers you’ll find in the games, even with their current mileage they can still bang down low.

Jermain O'Neal has never been a particularly good post option. He's not a good one especially at this point in his career.

He's definitely not a primary post player, but he's not bad inside.  33% of his shots were inside, and he hits those shots at 67.9%.  Those numbers are almost identical to what KG did in the post last year (30% of shots from inside, at 68.1%).  Inside of 10 feet (but not at the rim), J.O. hit 51.1% of his shots, which again is KG-like (53%).

[snively]

Jermaine is the far better fit with Rondo: he can pick and pop or roll, he can catch and finish on the move and he can finish with power. 

His defensive superiority to Shaq has also been understated.  He was an anchor of the 6th ranked defense last year, and has been consistently good defensively in a variety of different situations.

Shaq is also much better suited to the 2nd unit.  He'll get more touches against 2nd string centers, he won't have to face the other team's best pick and roll weapons as often and he'll get to play with shooters like Robinson, West and Wafer.

[Fafnir]

Jermaine should start at the 5 with Shaq coming off the bench. I would say JO has more Offense down there + he has a nice mid range jumper + is better to watch than Shaq who just clogs up the lane.

But Dont get me wrong im looking forward to watching both #7 + #36 play at the same time, so it shud be good fun to watch

     Shaq is undoubtedly the better down low scorer, but that’s in no way an insult to Jermaine. JO and Shaq and two of the better low post scorers you’ll find in the games, even with their current mileage they can still bang down low.

Jermain O'Neal has never been a particularly good post option. He's not a good one especially at this point in his career.

He's definitely not a primary post player, but he's not bad inside.  33% of his shots were inside, and he hits those shots at 67.9%.  Those numbers are almost identical to what KG did in the post last year (30% of shots from inside, at 68.1%).  Inside of 10 feet (but not at the rim), J.O. hit 51.1% of his shots, which again is KG-like (53%).

Most of those shots will have been finishes created by others, just like KG's.

I'd love to see what their pps in the post were if someone has synergy handy.

[moiso]

Jermaine should start at the 5 with Shaq coming off the bench. I would say JO has more Offense down there + he has a nice mid range jumper + is better to watch than Shaq who just clogs up the lane.

But Dont get me wrong im looking forward to watching both #7 + #36 play at the same time, so it shud be good fun to watch

     Shaq is undoubtedly the better down low scorer, but that’s in no way an insult to Jermaine. JO and Shaq and two of the better low post scorers you’ll find in the games, even with their current mileage they can still bang down low.

Jermain O'Neal has never been a particularly good post option. He's not a good one especially at this point in his career.

This is true.  I'm hoping he focuses on defense during his time on the C's.