Confused about our big man rotation already...

[Snakehead]

nothing to be confused about. Just start with the guys that are signed so far at PF/C

C- Melo
PF - JJJ, Sullinger

As we all know KG is our #1 priority to bring back. So you can add another PF to the list. Then one of Hollins or Stiemsma will be back (i think it will be hollins). Thus

C- Melo, Hollins
PF - KG, JJJ, Sullinger

and at times if you have to go small, or needed a more offensive lineup out on the court, then you can have

C- Sullinger and PF- Garnett.

Don't expect Bass back unless we know KG def won't be back, Chris Wilcox with excess bodies at pf won't be brought back even if healthy and Sean Williams was all about insurance and def won't be back.

**** a 6"9 center?? im not trolling you because this is not the 1st time i heard of him playing center but wow...kinda saddens me.

Worked with BBD.

If you missed it, a 6'10" "Center" just won the title (Chris Bosh).  Traditional Centers are becoming a relic of the past IMO.  That's why when people say Anthony Davis is a PF I shake my head, dude will play C and be good there.


Also, if you didn't know, Dwight Howard is 6'10".

Difference is Dwight can jump out the building and he is a machine. Sullinger has no hopes also bosh is 6'11 and i honestly believe dwight is a 7 footer idc what anyone say lol

Sure but Dwight Howard is the best C in the league... again, you passed by BBD playing C quite effectively for us in the past.  Chris Bosh is 6'10" or 6'11" but regardless, he is really a PF and is thin and a finesse big.

Dwight is 6'10" proven fact.  

I'm not saying its preferrable, just certainly doable.  Got us very fair with BBD and Sullinger is more skilled and presents matchup problems.

I'd rather play KG at C though.  Hopefully he realizes that is a great matchup for us when he does.

My point: you don't need prototypical C's to win the title anymore, especially if they can't score. Sullinger can.

[theswitch]

I don't know why so many people get worked up about KG wanting to play PF instead of C.

It's a preference. Not an absolute.

Garnett will do what is in the best interests of the team and if that means playing center, so be it.

I think it's more concern that he wouldn't want to come back to play center. I don't think that's a dealbreaker for him, though.

[theswitch]

i don't expect anything from the young players and you probably shouldn't either.  If KG comes back... he'll be starting.  Beyond that, who knows.  KG at center was key to our run this year.

Lets hope we make a run at trading for Josh Smith or something... play smith at PF and hopefully KG agrees to stay at C.

You've got to get to 96. If KG comes back, he's going to play, say, 30. If Bass or a similar vet comes back, there's another 32 or so. That takes us down to 34 left. Let's say Green splits half behind Pierce and half at the 4, that takes us to 18 or so. Keep in mind I've pretty much only been counting 4s, so in this case KG would have to be primarily the center and Bass and Green would fill up the 48 at power forward. That still leaves 18 minutes at the center position, and means that KG has to play all of his minutes there. I'm cool with that, I don't know if he is. Anyways, let's say Steamer comes back as our 6th and final big (not counting Green as a "big") and plays those 18.

That's all fine and dandy, but it means that A) Nobody is getting hurt, all year. B) Steamer is capable of 18 quality minutes every night. C) Nobody is getting into foul trouble.

My point is that we are forced to expect a lot out of Johnson, Melo and Sullinger even though they are young, because Doc is going to HAVE to play these guys a decent amount this season. There's just no way around it when they account for three of the six or so bigs on the team. That's a huge percentage.

How many years can 3J, who was drafted as a 4-year college player, be expected not to play?  Sullinger is the youngest, but also probably the most ready to log real minutes.  I'd put the three of them together with Stiemer at the back of the big man rotation, then start KG with a FA/unnamed established center alongside him.  I don't see d-league helping Sullinger, though I suppose there's risk Melo or 3J could log some time there.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. We're going to have to play them and see what they've got. At the very least, Sullinger and Johnson need to get minutes. Melo seems like the most far off, but he'll get there.

[CFAN38]

I expect danny to get a C in free agency one way or the other. I also expect Sully to emerge as our backup 4/5 by the all-star break.

[wiley]

I think Sullinger will get minutes from day 1, or maybe day 10 or 15, at PF and C.  He's a bit short and grounded but he'll make space with his lower body.  He'll clear the paint nicely for himself and others.

[Cman]

i don't expect anything from the young players and you probably shouldn't either.  If KG comes back... he'll be starting.  Beyond that, who knows.  

Agreed. Sully and Fab will contribute a few years from now. I'm not going to worry about their place in the rotation now.

[wiley]

i don't expect anything from the young players and you probably shouldn't either.  If KG comes back... he'll be starting.  Beyond that, who knows.  

Agreed. Sully and Fab will contribute a few years from now. I'm not going to worry about their place in the rotation now.

A few years from now?
Hmmm...don't see it that way at all.
Sullinger will play a lot this coming year if his back is fine...

[byennie]

Guys like BBD & Bass have actually been pretty efficient at center in the past. If you have the strength to defend the post, players 6'7" or so and up can be perfectly useful as centers for 10-20 minutes per night. There are only so many centers that will be able to take advantage and shoot over them if they don't get great post position. What's bad news is when you don't have any other options. In that case you'll periodically get killed down low.

Assuming Pierce and KG play 65 MPG, you've got 5 guys (Green, Sullinger, Melo, Steimsma, JJJ) competing for 79 minutes of player time at the 3/4/5 spots. Not a bad problem to have, especially since Sullinger & Green are starters on most teams. And that's not counting Pietrus at the 3 or whoever else we sign.

People have droned on about the new athletic NBA... what I like is flexibility in the playoffs. How does a team like Miami defend the post against a lineup with Green + Sullinger + Garnett? Go with Pierce / Green / Garnett and we have good scoring punch but can matchup better with Lebron at PF.

In conclusion, glass half full.

[chambers]

I think Melo and Sullinger will play a bit, Sully probably more depending on his back.
I think if Hollins came in and got immediate scrap minutes, then Melo with better hands and similar defensive attributes will get a look for a while.
Steimsma will probably go down at some point with his foot so Melo will get opportunity one way or the other.
I agree that they won't be massive contributors this year though.