What Would Be Your Rotation For The Playoffs???

[xSABOx]

Assuming the team is at full strength, what 8/9 man rotation would you use come playoff time??? The team is currently 11 deep into it's rotation, which will be cut down to 8 maybe 9 once the playoffs start and starters get a higher increase in minutes... So, who do you go with??

Do you go with Farmar or Vujacic off the bench?? Walton, Radmanovic or Ariza?? Do you even use Turiaf or always make sure that two out of the three starters in the frontcourt are always on the floor??

Phil has always done a great job of having establishing player roles and his teams rotations, but I'm curious which direction he goes because of the unique depth on the team...

[dockingsched]

fisher 28 / farmar 20
bryant 36 / sasha 12
odom 16 / kobe 6 / vlad, walton, ariza 26.
gasol 23 / odom 25 / turiaf
bynum 30 / gasol 18 / turiaf

- turiaf should get in during specific situations like foul trouble.

-vlad, walton, ariza will split the minutes depending on matchups and who's hot.

-fisher's injury should limit him to lower minutes.

-sasha could get less or even more minutes depending on game situations. chances are kobe doesn't even get off the floor.

- lamar will still play most of his minutes at pf while pau will play plenty of minutes at center. let the other sf's split the rest of the time at sf. i think lamar or bynum have to be in at all times for rebounding.

[LLcoleJ]

meh.. I dont think Phil cuts it that deep.

Assuming we are healthy...

Bynum
Gasol
Odom
Kobe
Fisher


Off the bench.. ( in no order because that will depend on match-ups and foul trouble )

Farmar
Turiaf
Ariza
Turiaf
Sasha
Vlad
Luke

...everyone else wont get much PT unless needed

Coby ( probably wont make the playoff roster)
Benga
Ira ( although Ira could see some time , given he is a vet and Phil will trick it up)

Mihm ( dont think he makes the playoff roster)


Phil is not a guy who normally cuts down the rotations at the playoffs, Like other coaches. He will give burn to 10 deep... with the assumption that we are healthy.

[3-Pt_Shooter]

Hmmm... my starters would obviously be Fish, Kobe, Lamar, Pau, and Andrew. That would give us very solid guard play and a front-line with the longest wingspan of any other team in the NBA.

Then I would bring Luke & Jordan off the bench, and follow that up by inserting Rony & Sasha into the lineup. I also might find a way to get DJ some minutes here and there -- maybe at the end of the second quarter when we need an energy guy off the bench.

[MAMBAEMD]

I think he'll bring Bynum off the bench, at least initially.
Phil will want him to run with the second unit when he comes back.

I hope I'm wrong because I'd love to see him and Gasol in the game together most of the game.

I think those two will be in the game late in the 4th quarter, but since they haven't played together this year, I doubt that he'll start with that experiment this late in the season and start them together.

[3-Pt_Shooter]

I forgot about Ariza. I probably would bring him into the game early as a defensive stopper... if one of the perimeter players from the other team starts going off, I would let Ariza go to work on that guy instead of sliding Kobe over (just want to keep Kobe fresh for the rest of the game).

[LLcoleJ]

I think he'll bring Bynum off the bench, at least initially.
Phil will want him to run with the second unit when he comes back.

I hope I'm wrong because I'd love to see him and Gasol in the game together most of the game.

I think those two will be in the game late in the 4th quarter, but since they haven't played together this year, I doubt that he'll start with that experiment this late in the season and start them together.

If Bynum gets a couple games under his belt then he will start with Gasol in the playoffs.

Remember , Phil put Farmar as the starter last year with a couple games left in the regular season nad going into the playoffs. ( thank god- boo Smush)

But Phil is not the typical coach who does things in a slow methodical way. He will test you and or the team on any given night. I suspect when healthy, they will both start.

[That Nicka]

Fisher 24/Farmar 20/Sasha 4
Kobe 40/Sasha 8
Lamar 18/Luke 12/Rad 10/Ariza 8
Pau 18/Lamar 20/Turiaf 10
Bynum 28/Pau 20/Mbenga 0

IR: Mihm/Newble/Karl

Kobe: 40 min
Lamar: 38
Pau: 38
Bynum: 28 (will increase the further we advance)
Fisher: 24
Farmar: 20
Sasha: 12 (could steal some of Farmar's minutes if hes on fire/playing well)
Luke: 12 (could get more min if he is playing well and other SFs are sucking)
Turiaf: 10
Rad: 10 (same as Luke)
Ariza: 8 (same as Luke)
Mbenga: 0 (only plays in blowouts or severe foul trouble)

[Sofa King]

I actually think Gasol would start at center and Bynum comes off the bench mostly due to his injury. Just being realistic here.

[Gus McCrae]

those are all great lineups no matter how you cut it. Man, I didn't know Ariza would be back. I'm trying to think which lineup did the best during the regular season.... our stretch with Gasol or our stretch with Ariza and Bynum. It seems like ages ago we had those guys on the floor.

[LLcoleJ]

I actually think Gasol would start at center and Bynum comes off the bench mostly due to his injury. Just being realistic here.

If healthy and Bynum and Gasol get a couple games under the belt in the regular season , then I dont see why they wouldnt start together.

[tayzer]

Either way that is a hard lineup to beat. Kobe prob won't need to play too much mins in some games because we'll blow teams out early with Bynum in the paint.

Teams would probably try to attack the pant and get a turn over everytime because we got our beast shot blocker back, with another 7 footer next to him. Then they'll get scared and shoot jump shots the rest of the way, which is going to hurt them even more.

[Farsi Man]

Kobe shouldn't play the whole game. IMO he should play as little minutes as possible. Unless the Machine Chokes Kobe shouldn't get 42 minutes+ because Kobe becomes tired and misses his jumpshots if he plays the entire 4th quarter. Also the less minutes he plays the more defense he plays.

[MAMBAEMD]

-= original quote snipped =-


If Bynum gets a couple games under his belt then he will start with Gasol in the playoffs.

Remember , Phil put Farmar as the starter last year with a couple games left in the regular season nad going into the playoffs. ( thank god- boo Smush)

But Phil is not the typical coach who does things in a slow methodical way. He will test you and or the team on any given night. I suspect when healthy, they will both start.

I think you are right.
I hope he starts both eventually. I actually think they can be a great force together in the low block. They both have very high basketball IQs and won't trip over each other.
You are right on when you say Phil will do some atypical things. He has shown that in the past.

A line-up og Gasol, Bynum, Lamar, Kobe and DFish..... with Farmar, Turiaf, Ariza, Luke, and the Machine off the bench is unreal..... and very intimidating, I would hope to any Western Conference team.

[LLcoleJ]

+1, and I am coining a new phrase for the twin towers after one of my many favorite drinks.

7 & 7



Cant wait.

[MAMBAEMD]

+1, and I am coining a new phrase for the twin towers after one of my many favorite drinks.

7 & 7



Cant wait.

7 & 7
I love it.

[Erik Eleven]

I would use Kobe a whole lot at the SF simply because he's deadliest from that spot. SF: Odom 22, Kobe 20, remaining 6 a crap shoot and subject to matchup and individual form. I see Sasha getting around 12-14 minutes and Turiaf about the same.

As my dark horse move, I would use Coby Karl a whole lot more than expected. He's intense, a crowd favorite, total energizer and a sniper. I'd bring him out much more than in the regular season as an element of surprise and for Phil to remain the aggressor. Teams don't know him yet and he can play.

Bynum's and Ariza's minutes low due to return from injury. I expect Mihm and Mbenga to be benched.

[Big Bird]

those are all great lineups no matter how you cut it. Man, I didn't know Ariza would be back. I'm trying to think which lineup did the best during the regular season.... our stretch with Gasol or our stretch with Ariza and Bynum. It seems like ages ago we had those guys on the floor.

These three line-ups were the most successful (at leat 6 games played together):
6 5 1 .833 Kobe Bryant / Derek Fisher / Pau Gasol / Lamar Odom / Luke Walton
11 9 2 .818 Kobe Bryant / Andrew Bynum / Derek Fisher / Lamar Odom / Luke Walton
13 10 3 .769 Kobe Bryant / Derek Fisher / Pau Gasol / Lamar Odom / Vladimir Radmanovic

You can check them out here .

I can't wait to see this team in full motion. And next season... wow, I can't wait for this team to (hopefully) start healthy and finish healthy. Great things to follow.

[Deuce33]

How many players can you have for a playoff roster now?

[Cookin Baskets]

If the lakers were healthy, i'd say they give them the title right now, but with Bynum/Gasol coming back from injuries its going to be a challenge to get them accustomed to each other on the run in important playoff games, especially if Bynum doesn't come back before the playoffs, they really need a few games to get the twin towers going. Bynum is a young player as well, and who knows when he will play like he did earlier this season.

Sooner the better, and lakers can get the chemistry down. In the tough west they might be vulnerable in 1st round getting Gasol/Bynum back in the offense and all and depending if they win the pacific division against the suns and who they face.

That will be down to the wire who wins the pacific, obviously lakers even without bynum are better then the suns, the gasol injury and recent suns hot play brought them back in contention of the divison title. It will be important for L.A to win the divison or not go any lower than the 4th seed otherwise they might have some trouble getting out of 1st round where i think there the most vulnerable. I still got the lakers winning the pacific, but anything could happen in these next weeks of the wild wild west.