Pacers ready to turn to "small lineup"?

[JarrettJackSG]

Hm..not if the defender is oh, 3-5 feet away from him.

[ajizzle]

Diener was impressive, but we do need to see him play more consistently over a longer period of time. This is the same guy who didn't hit anything at the beginning of the season.

Rush did OK. Like I said before, he misses so many shots that he should hit. He missed like 4 WIDE OPEN shots tonight, and K-Mart took him to town. I like giving him a shot in the SL, but I'd much rather see Shawne in there and Kareem as 6th Man.

Obie stuck w/ the offense and SmallBall throughout the game, so I give him props for that. He didn't revert to the POST game that kills us late. He mixed it up and kept everyone involved.

JO was impressive getting to the line and passing the ball, something I knew he could do and also hope he continues to improve upon w/ this small lineup.

So far, the experiment has gotten us an average of 116.5ppg... I know it's vs. the Suns and Kings (not defensive stalwarts), but it's an encouraging start.

[JarrettJackSG]

I don't know, sometimes when I see shawne I see him as shoot first, pass second, Kareem likes to shoot, pass, and drive, but not always in that order.

[ajizzle]

New SL: JO, Danny, Mike, Quisy, and Tinsley/Diener/Owens (in that order).

The only reason I'm keeping Rush on the bench is b/c we really need his shooting to spark us, and I want him to be the No. 1 option as 6th Man. The way he performed tonight just solidified his persona as a 6th Man... scoring in bunches, scoring off ISO or by moving w/o the ball, and can finish games. Sounds like a 6th Man to me.

Plus, Quisy needs to be our defensive stopper from now on. He doesn't score consistently enough to warrant too many shots, and he gets his points in unconventional ways. He can initiate the offense and help bring the ball up (mainly for Andre). He is the best "deflector" of the ball and is quick enough to get out on the break w/ steals.

This way, Danny, Mike, and Kareem don't have to fight over shots and have more defined roles. We know that Danny & Mike get a lot of looks, and Kareem has freedom on the 2nd team to chuck as much as he wants. This identifies our "scorers" and also, by process of elimination, identifies our "role players" on the team.

Since we average about 85 shots a game, Danny/Mike/JO can split about 45, Rush gets 15 as 6th Man, then everyone else can get in where they fit in (Yes, Jamaal! This pretty much eliminates you as a scorer and makes you more of a floor general. Rule of Thumb: Average more APGs than FGAs, and we'll do a lot better. Yes, Ike! This pretty much means you're not gonna get many more than 8mpg. I know, I don't like it either, but we gotta see if this small-ball thing is legit. Just hang, we may need you if JO leaves.).

[Scoot McGroot]

-= original quote snipped =-

He is still 4 inches taller though and that makes an impact whether he is a good defender or not.

Only if he's defending his guy like white on rice.


I've played against many a taller player, and unless they're exceptionally athletic or extremely smart, they have almost never altered a shot I've taken.


Height on defense is more important when you're a PF or C and you literally man up on someone's back, usually in the post. For a guard, it can help some players, but not always.

[ahartleyvu]

Height doesn't really matter, but length (arms, legs ,etc.) do matter (which is related to)

Strength is important though.

[JMaster5K]

I'd really like to see what exactly Diener's best fit is here. Is he the type of guy that needs to play next to a playmaker so he can shoot (like he did back at Marquette), or does he need to just come off the bench for about 10 minutes a night in 3 or 4 minute runs to just shoot 3's.

Blast from the Past:

You know,.. this team really has come a long way,.... Been a fun ride & only seems to be gettin better?.....