CB Draft '10 Playoffs First Round Eastern Conference

[KCattheStripe]

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, why you gotta make me do Math?

I will say, that until the 4th, it's unlikely that you would see That trio on the court at the same time. Battier's minutes would have to be conserved a little so to offset that dip in defense you might see a switch like Battier/ Duhon out
Stuckey/Head in and Rudy mans up on LeBron for 5 minutes or so.

So you're saying Gay is only going to play 5 mins or so a night at the SF?

I'd worry about playing Ruday Gay 45 minutes and being effective.

Word.

So here are the primary back-court lineups?
1) Duhon/Gay/Battier (approx 20 mins)
2) Stuckey/Gay/Battier (Approx 10 mins)
3) Duhon/Stuckey/Gay (approx 5 mins)
4) Stuckey/Head/Gay (approx 5 mins)

And your primary FC lineups:
1) Amare/Okafor (25 mins)
2) Blair/Amare or Amare/Blair (15 mins)
3) Blair/Okafor (5 mins)
4) Orton/Amare (4mins)

That about right?

Roughly.

[Who]

2) Milwaukee over Indiana- Jason Kidd is bigger and better than Derick Fisher. Kobe is way better than Rip Hamilton. Pietrus is good enough to slow down Maggette and maggette is bad enough on defense that Pietrus should get close to 10 ppg. Nowitzki will absolutely destroy Ty THomas, and Marc Gasol is better than Marcin Gortat, but neither is a particularly amazing defender, so I see Gortat getting 10-12, to Gasol's 17-8. The key here will be who has an easier time; Nowitzki or Kobe, and with Jason Kidd providing the ammunition (and 10 points, 10 assists and 5 or 6 boards himself), Nowitzki has more to work with.

Marc Gasol is going to have a tough time scoring against Marcin Gortat. His scoring will drop from the 18ppg I thought he could average in the regular season to 15-16ppg against Gortat. His scoring efficiency will drop too.

Kidd has a good advantage over Fisher + Jack has an advantage over Jonny Flynn.

The Pacers advantage of Kobe vs Rip is smaller than the Bucks advantage with Dirk vs Tyrus Thomas.

Corey Maggette also has a good advantage against Pietrus.

The rest of the bench is largely equal. Maybe an advantage of Maxiell vs B.Wright depending on Wright's progress.

All in all, Milwaukee should win comfortably. Only out of sheer faith in Kobe Bryant and a very good team defense (starting lineup) do I think they'll win two games in this series.

[KCattheStripe]

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, why you gotta make me do Math?

I will say, that until the 4th, it's unlikely that you would see That trio on the court at the same time. Battier's minutes would have to be conserved a little so to offset that dip in defense you might see a switch like Battier/ Duhon out
Stuckey/Head in and Rudy mans up on LeBron for 5 minutes or so.

So you're saying Gay is only going to play 5 mins or so a night at the SF?

I'd worry about playing Ruday Gay 45 minutes and being effective.

He was third in the NBA this past year in both minutes played and minutes per game. More random Rudy Skepticism. 

He averaged 39.7 per game, he's still resting 8 minutes. Cutting his rest down to 3 minutes a game is risky.

Its not skepticism to think that you're be shooting yourself late in games by playing him so much. Everyone gets tired, especially if you're asking him to play defense at a high level as well as carry a big offensive load.

Young important players minutes go up in the playoffs,see Rondo, Rajon. If he plays 15 minutes at SF and 30 guarding Mike Miller or Tony Allen, is he really exerting himself that much?

Did you notice how gassed Rondo was at times? Did you notice how his defense slipped frequently forcing Doc to give him a blow?

Its a legit strategy, but I think its a questionable one. Especially if that's your game plan going into the series.

I think it's alright for a first round series, it was certainly fine against Miami when Rondo could camp on Chalmers ( like I would have Rudy camp of Miller) but when I beat IP and move on to the next round, if Rudy is running 45 again then I think it's a viable criticism. Just not this round.

[Who]

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, why you gotta make me do Math?

I will say, that until the 4th, it's unlikely that you would see That trio on the court at the same time. Battier's minutes would have to be conserved a little so to offset that dip in defense you might see a switch like Battier/ Duhon out
Stuckey/Head in and Rudy mans up on LeBron for 5 minutes or so.

So you're saying Gay is only going to play 5 mins or so a night at the SF?

I'd worry about playing Ruday Gay 45 minutes and being effective.

Word.

So here are the primary back-court lineups?
1) Duhon/Gay/Battier (approx 20 mins)
2) Stuckey/Gay/Battier (Approx 10 mins)
3) Duhon/Stuckey/Gay (approx 5 mins)
4) Stuckey/Head/Gay (approx 5 mins)

And your primary FC lineups:
1) Amare/Okafor (25 mins)
2) Blair/Amare or Amare/Blair (15 mins)
3) Blair/Okafor (5 mins)
4) Orton/Amare (4mins)

That about right?

Roughly.

Daniel Orton = Worst player in the NBA next year ??

[KCattheStripe]

Chicago over Seattle: Chicago has the best player, an explosive PG, and, I think, the better 8-man rotation.

Psssh, when was the last successful playoff team that relied on a SF and a PG as their two best players?

[wdleehi]

Chicago over Seattle: Chicago has the best player, an explosive PG, and, I think, the better 8-man rotation.

Psssh, when was the last successful playoff team that relied on a SF and a PG as their two best players?

Celtics?

[KCattheStripe]

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, why you gotta make me do Math?

I will say, that until the 4th, it's unlikely that you would see That trio on the court at the same time. Battier's minutes would have to be conserved a little so to offset that dip in defense you might see a switch like Battier/ Duhon out
Stuckey/Head in and Rudy mans up on LeBron for 5 minutes or so.

So you're saying Gay is only going to play 5 mins or so a night at the SF?

I'd worry about playing Ruday Gay 45 minutes and being effective.

Word.

So here are the primary back-court lineups?
1) Duhon/Gay/Battier (approx 20 mins)
2) Stuckey/Gay/Battier (Approx 10 mins)
3) Duhon/Stuckey/Gay (approx 5 mins)
4) Stuckey/Head/Gay (approx 5 mins)

And your primary FC lineups:
1) Amare/Okafor (25 mins)
2) Blair/Amare or Amare/Blair (15 mins)
3) Blair/Okafor (5 mins)
4) Orton/Amare (4mins)

That about right?

Roughly.

Daniel Orton = Worst player in the NBA next year ??

Absolutely not, he's going to be a good C/PF for years to come. I'll admit that he'll be buried for the next few years behind Dwight and Gortat.

[KCattheStripe]

Chicago over Seattle: Chicago has the best player, an explosive PG, and, I think, the better 8-man rotation.

Psssh, when was the last successful playoff team that relied on a SF and a PG as their two best players?

Celtics?

Kevin Garnett thinks you're silly.

[Who]

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, why you gotta make me do Math?

I will say, that until the 4th, it's unlikely that you would see That trio on the court at the same time. Battier's minutes would have to be conserved a little so to offset that dip in defense you might see a switch like Battier/ Duhon out
Stuckey/Head in and Rudy mans up on LeBron for 5 minutes or so.

So you're saying Gay is only going to play 5 mins or so a night at the SF?

I'd worry about playing Ruday Gay 45 minutes and being effective.

Word.

So here are the primary back-court lineups?
1) Duhon/Gay/Battier (approx 20 mins)
2) Stuckey/Gay/Battier (Approx 10 mins)
3) Duhon/Stuckey/Gay (approx 5 mins)
4) Stuckey/Head/Gay (approx 5 mins)

And your primary FC lineups:
1) Amare/Okafor (25 mins)
2) Blair/Amare or Amare/Blair (15 mins)
3) Blair/Okafor (5 mins)
4) Orton/Amare (4mins)

That about right?

Roughly.

Daniel Orton = Worst player in the NBA next year ??

Absolutely not, he's going to be a good C/PF for years to come. I'll admit that he'll be buried for the next few years behind Dwight and Gortat.

In a couple of years, maybe ... but this coming season?

I think he's in the running for the worst player in the league. He was absolutely dreadful in summer league and didn't play much in college.

Nice long term prospect to have on the end of your bench but not a minutes worthy player.

[KCattheStripe]

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, why you gotta make me do Math?

I will say, that until the 4th, it's unlikely that you would see That trio on the court at the same time. Battier's minutes would have to be conserved a little so to offset that dip in defense you might see a switch like Battier/ Duhon out
Stuckey/Head in and Rudy mans up on LeBron for 5 minutes or so.

So you're saying Gay is only going to play 5 mins or so a night at the SF?

I'd worry about playing Ruday Gay 45 minutes and being effective.

Word.

So here are the primary back-court lineups?
1) Duhon/Gay/Battier (approx 20 mins)
2) Stuckey/Gay/Battier (Approx 10 mins)
3) Duhon/Stuckey/Gay (approx 5 mins)
4) Stuckey/Head/Gay (approx 5 mins)

And your primary FC lineups:
1) Amare/Okafor (25 mins)
2) Blair/Amare or Amare/Blair (15 mins)
3) Blair/Okafor (5 mins)
4) Orton/Amare (4mins)

That about right?

Roughly.

Daniel Orton = Worst player in the NBA next year ??

Absolutely not, he's going to be a good C/PF for years to come. I'll admit that he'll be buried for the next few years behind Dwight and Gortat.

In a couple of years, maybe ... but this coming season?

I think he's in the running for the worst player in the league. He was absolutely dreadful in summer league and didn't play much in college.

Nice long term prospect to have on the end of your bench but not a minutes worthy player.

He's already better than BJ Mullens. He didn't play much in college because Cal wanted to keep Cousins happy and Patterson was the only leader he had. Also, Orton was coming off a knee injury.

[indeedproceed]

Here is how my playoff roster looks:
PG: Jennings(36), Maynor (12)
SG: Miller(27), Tony Allen (11), Michael Redd/Von Wafer** (10)
SF: LeBron James (31), Tony Allen (10), Mike Miller(7)
PF: Ersan Ilyasova (31), LeBron James (7), Louis Amundson (7), Gani Lawal (2)
C: Joakim Noah (31), Louis Amundson (12), Omer Asik (5)

** Note: If Michael Redd has shown that he has something left during the regular season, he'll be playing 10 minutes a night for me at the 2, dominantly next to Tony Allen with Tony taking the tougher defensive assignment. If Redd shows he's done (which he's not), Von Wafer gets those minutes.

the 'running' lineup is going to be

Jennings-Redd/Wafer-Tony Allen-LeBron James-Louis Amundson

This lineup will predominantly be to let the frontcourt rest and speed up the tempo of the game, without giving up too much defense. If they move Amare to the 5, I think this will be particularly destructive, but I'm willing to run it whenever the timing seems right, independent of the squad Charlattle puts on the floor.

[ChampKind]

Sorry guys, I really don't have time to post much of a rebuttal to Kwhit's excellent gameplan. I'm still confident that this team wins with a shifted primary lineup -

PG - Lawson/Terry/Mason
SG - Terry/Carter/Dunleavy
SF - Johnson/Kirilenko/Dunleavy
PF - Aldridge/A. Johnson
C - Biedrins/Aldrich

Joe Johnson takes the primary coverage on KD, lighting a fire under his ass and changing his primary role. With LMA, Terry, and Lawson, you have three guys with great abilities to spread the offense and score from anywhere on the court. If Lawson struggles under the pressure (though he came up big as a NCAA champion and played well in his first playoffs), Terry will shift back and VC will go to the 2. Hell, Joe Johnson isn't known for putting a team on his back offensively anyway, why not take the pressure off, hope he chips in 15-16 points in an efficient, under-the-radar performance, and take a different technique to get the most out of Super Joe.

Joe Johnson, at 6-8, 240, and athletic, is a tough option for KD to figure out - though I'm sure he'll make an impact offensively because, let's face it, Durant's offensive game is rivaled only by 2-3 other players in the NBA. However, a steady diet of Johnson and Kirilenko's length, speed, and athleticism will keep a hand in his face, frustrate him, and more importantly keep Vince Carter the hell away from him.

Biedrins, covering Brand (slow) and Okur (soft) will be sufficient. Biedrins is quick and long enough to stop Okur's game and lively enough to reduce Brand's impact. However, he'll also cede minutes to an instant impact rookie with a NCAA championship, a true center who blocks shots, backs down defenders, and is a beast in the paint in Cole Aldrich. Neither Brand or Okur are the bruising centers that can give this team fits, especially with the weakside shot-blocking and solid help defense that our bigs bring to the table (Kirilenko, Johnson, Aldrich and Aldridge).

More importantly, our immense depth means this team will be fresher for the playoffs, and we have oodles of playoff experience (with varying success, I know). I am confident we'll win this first round series, but I understand the KD-love (he's ADORABLE). I think Nashville takes this one.

Cheers.

[ChampKind]

My official statement:

 "Hello fellow American. This you should vote me. I leave power. Good. Thank you, thank you. If you vote me, I'm hot. What? Taxes, they'll be lower... son. The Democratic vote is the right thing to do Philadelphia, so do."

[indeedproceed]

My official statement:

 "Hello fellow American. This you should vote me. I leave power. Good. Thank you, thank you. If you vote me, I'm hot. What? Taxes, they'll be lower... son. The Democratic vote is the right thing to do Philadelphia, so do."

I think you might be dyslexic bro. Better just to go Green Man.

[Kwhit10]

Sorry guys, I really don't have time to post much of a rebuttal to Kwhit's excellent gameplan. I'm still confident that this team wins with a shifted primary lineup -

PG - Lawson/Terry/Mason
SG - Terry/Carter/Dunleavy
SF - Johnson/Kirilenko/Dunleavy
PF - Aldridge/A. Johnson
C - Biedrins/Aldrich

Joe Johnson takes the primary coverage on KD, lighting a fire under his ass and changing his primary role. With LMA, Terry, and Lawson, you have three guys with great abilities to spread the offense and score from anywhere on the court. If Lawson struggles under the pressure (though he came up big as a NCAA champion and played well in his first playoffs), Terry will shift back and VC will go to the 2. Hell, Joe Johnson isn't known for putting a team on his back offensively anyway, why not take the pressure off, hope he chips in 15-16 points in an efficient, under-the-radar performance, and take a different technique to get the most out of Super Joe.

Joe Johnson, at 6-8, 240, and athletic, is a tough option for KD to figure out - though I'm sure he'll make an impact offensively because, let's face it, Durant's offensive game is rivaled only by 2-3 other players in the NBA. However, a steady diet of Johnson and Kirilenko's length, speed, and athleticism will keep a hand in his face, frustrate him, and more importantly keep Vince Carter the hell away from him.

Biedrins, covering Brand (slow) and Okur (soft) will be sufficient. Biedrins is quick and long enough to stop Okur's game and lively enough to reduce Brand's impact. However, he'll also cede minutes to an instant impact rookie with a NCAA championship, a true center who blocks shots, backs down defenders, and is a beast in the paint in Cole Aldrich. Neither Brand or Okur are the bruising centers that can give this team fits, especially with the weakside shot-blocking and solid help defense that our bigs bring to the table (Kirilenko, Johnson, Aldrich and Aldridge).

More importantly, our immense depth means this team will be fresher for the playoffs, and we have oodles of playoff experience (with varying success, I know). I am confident we'll win this first round series, but I understand the KD-love (he's ADORABLE). I think Nashville takes this one.

Cheers.

Regarding Biedrins guarding Okur and Brand.

I wouldn't call Okur soft.

Okur was one of the league's most improved defenders last season, getting in much better shape and providing more effort than we'd seen in past seasons. He doesn't move particularly well or run the floor with great speed, but shedding excess weight helped him do both more adequately last year. He also showed more energy as a pick-and-roll defender, another longtime weakness. Plus, he's always been quite good defending the post because he's big and willing to play physical.

With Brands new found size Biedrins will be back down over and over if guarding Brand.

His lack of bulk allows opposing post players to set up wherever they please inside, and his help defense is inconsistent. While he has the mobility to be a good screen-and-roll defender, he doesn't show a great deal of commitment to the enterprise.

You're also having Carter come off the bench for what the first time in his life?  Good luck with him being happy.