drsd wrote:Mad Guru wrote:Frye started 82 games for a team that nearly made the playoffs in the West, he is the Magic's highest paid player by nearly 4 million dollars. The guy is starting.
To add, this is a real sign that GM Hennigan projects Harris as a SF. And that Gordon A's role this year will be to learn behind Frye as a future PF. Frye's main locker-room job, I would project, is to teach Gordon A the training routines that are involved in improved shooting mechanics for a big.
Opening night:
(blue = major rotation; brown = deep bench; red = practice squad player that is not part of 12-man roster)
Oladipo/Payton/Ridnour
Fournier/Gordon-B/Green
Harris/Harkless/Marble
Frye/Gordon-A/Nicholson
Vučević/O'Quinn/Dedmon
At the All star break:
(Payton will be thrown into a starting role)
(Oladipo will shift to SG and get big minutes as a back-up PG)
(Harkless now has big minutes as a back-up SG to go with his back-up SF minutes)
(Nicholson and Gordon-A will have resolved who is the primary back-up PF at this point)
Payton/Ridnour
Oladipo/Fournier/Gordon-B/Green
Harris/Harkless/Marble
Frye/Nicholson/Gordon-A
Vučević/O'Quinn/Dedmon
I think Payton will be starting sooner than the all-star beak and very well could start right away. I Also think Gordon will be part of the rotation early as a backup 3 and 4 and towards the end of the year could really cut into the minutes Harkless is getting. If Gordon develops at least a decent 3 point shot then I think you put him at SF as he has more athleticism than Harris and is a better match up defensively for 3s. You throw in a decent shot along with all that athleticism and ball handling ability and his size and he could be an all-star SF. Not sure when or if that will happen as he does have a lot of developing to do and he doesn't appear to be as ready as Payton is but who knows.