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Van Gundy still isn't sure how often Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe and Josh Smith will be on the floor at the same time this season. He is sure that he might need the lineup against some teams. "We just haven't had enough of a sample size," Van Gundy said after Monday's practice. "The big lineup has been competitive. … In three games, really, they've been competitive. They got us off to good starts.

"So is that the way we start and really rebound the ball and pound it inside early and try to draw some fouls and then play quicker, or do we go the other way and start smaller and go to that if we need it? I don't know."

Fans might not want to hear that considering how disastrous the lineup was last season. Forced to play Smith out of position at small forward, the three-man pairing was one of the worst in the NBA. Van Gundy still is concerned about early foul trouble, perimeter defense and floor spacing.

theBigLip wrote:I'm willing to give SVG a try with the big 3. Smith just has to not jack 3s while playing SF.

Maker_84 wrote:

theBigLip wrote:I'm willing to give SVG a try with the big 3. Smith just has to not jack 3s while playing SF.

Good small forwards are supposed to shoot 3s though to spread the floor. If he can't shoot then play someone else. Smith has been lazy and not developed a long range shot since he's been in the league. This lineup would be a disaster on offense and easy to guard not to mention slooooow on defense

“That lineup could be really, really good if you’re got two guards in the game who can both penetrate and make plays,” he said. “We’re playing with one guard, a small forward, a power forward and two centers. That's not the ideal lineup to play the big lineup with. I think it would look a lot different if it were Caldwell-Pope playing with one of the point guards and those three guys up front.”

Van Gundy is devoted not to any particular scheme but to finding ones that maximize the individual strengths of his players. So when Monroe is at center he’ll use him differently than at power forward. When Smith is at power forward, the offense will look just different enough than when Monroe is at that spot. “He’s got advantages at each position,” Van Gundy said of Monroe. “We use him a little bit differently at each spot. ... Greg’s a very good passer, but you’re not going to spread Greg out on the run and have him driving the ball from 18 to 20 feet. If you have him at the five, now he has the ability to drive the ball. He’s a tough guy, because he’s too big and strong for most fours and he’s got too good a first step for most fives.”

When Smith is at the four, he won’t be in post-up situations quite as often as Monroe. Van Gundy wants to use him there, too, and especially in certain matchups. But he wants to ensure that Smith gets a chance to attack and use his playmaking skills by stationing him a little farther from the basket than Monroe would stray. “Greg we pretty much exclusively post when he’s at the four, whereas Josh we’re really trying to move him around. He’s really good in the post, but we want to try to create situations where he can attack fours off the dribble and make plays. He’s as good a playmaker, creator as we have on this team, including our point guards. You look at how many assists he’s had – 17 in the last three games, not even playing much more than half a game. He can really make plays, so we try to put him in situations to make plays.”

And when they’re all in the same lineup, look for Drummond on one side of the block, and nearest the rim, Monroe on the other, probably closer to the foul line, with Smith running the baseline or playing off the elbow opposite Monroe. With Drummond’s growing comfort level with his back to the basket and Van Gundy’s creativity, the possibilities for success appear much better for the trio this season.[/b]

DetroitPistons wrote:This is why I wanted a SF this offseason. Our SF rotation is so bad that SVG is thinking about using the lineup we all know and hate from last year. I trust SVG much more than Cheeks though so I think we will be better regardless. I would much rather just start Butler and bring Monroe off the bench. I'm hoping Thursday we see our set starting lineup and I hope its Jennings, KCP, Butler, Smith, Drummond.

ImHeisenberg wrote:The difference would be the ball movement, accountability, and offensive schemes.

SVG isn't going to repeat Cheeks' mistake.


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ImHeisenberg wrote:The difference would be the ball movement, accountability, and offensive schemes.

SVG isn't going to repeat Cheeks' mistake.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

MotownMadness wrote:Just stoping Smith and Jennings from taking ill advised shots will help out alot but its still just a dysfunctional lineup.