RealGM

Doc Rivers is saying that KG could likely be Boston's starter at the 5 this year. Why not do the same, especially now that Bosh has bulked up? Let's be honest: Anthony, Curry and Pittman are not NBA-quality starters. Let's go with Haslem/Bosh from the get go. That way, there's no obligation to play any other bigs for 20+ minutes unless the match ups dictate that.
Rio / Wade / Bron / Haslem / Bosh. Battier, Joel, Miller and Curry off the bench.

No offense, BUT why do we always want to play guys out of position? We have one and a possible legit center and we still want to use gimicks.

How about no

WD wrote:No offense, BUT why do we always want to play guys out of position? We have one and a possible legit center and we still want to use gimicks.

I believe in playing your best players. Basketball is a fluid sport, like soccer. It's not football where functions are based on positions. Coach K is the prime example of that: he will always play his best players. He started Odom at center for Team USA. He had Melo and Bron play a lot of 4 in Beijing and CP3/Deron sharing the floor. He often plays with 2 point guards on the floor at Duke. IMO, playing guys in their natural position can't justify not playing your best players. Our best players, in order, are: Bron, Wade, Bosh, Haslem, Battier, Chalmers, Miller, Curry, Joel, Jones. The minutes should reflect that.

diablerouge wrote:

WD wrote:No offense, BUT why do we always want to play guys out of position? We have one and a possible legit center and we still want to use gimicks.

I believe in playing your best players. Basketball is a fluid sport, like soccer. It's not football where functions are based on positions. Coach K is the prime example of that: he will always play his best players. He started Odom at center for Team USA. He had Melo and Bron play a lot of 4 in Beijing and CP3/Deron sharing the floor. He often plays with 2 point guards on the floor at Duke. IMO, playing guys in their natural position can't justify not playing your best players. Our best players, in order, are: Bron, Wade, Bosh, Haslem, Battier, Chalmers, Miller, Curry, Joel, Jones. The minutes should reflect that.

I actually agree with you to a point, I won't debate this BUT - "playing" your best players is not the same as "starting" your best players...would you agree? - I WOULD NOT START UD - would U?

I don't think he'll start, but he'll definitely be in during crunch time. Our best line-up in terms of talent is easily something like -

PG: LeBron
SG: Wade
SF: Battier
PF: Haslem
C: Bosh

A lot of versatility in that line-up.

coolstorybro wrote:I don't think he'll start, but he'll definitely be in during crunch time. Our best line-up in terms of talent is easily something like -

PG: LeBron
SG: Wade
SF: Battier
PF: Haslem
C: Bosh

A lot of versatility in that line-up.

i agree with U also that this is a potent lineup = i have no further comment

WD wrote:

diablerouge wrote:

WD wrote:No offense, BUT why do we always want to play guys out of position? We have one and a possible legit center and we still want to use gimicks.

I believe in playing your best players. Basketball is a fluid sport, like soccer. It's not football where functions are based on positions. Coach K is the prime example of that: he will always play his best players. He started Odom at center for Team USA. He had Melo and Bron play a lot of 4 in Beijing and CP3/Deron sharing the floor. He often plays with 2 point guards on the floor at Duke. IMO, playing guys in their natural position can't justify not playing your best players. Our best players, in order, are: Bron, Wade, Bosh, Haslem, Battier, Chalmers, Miller, Curry, Joel, Jones. The minutes should reflect that.

I actually agree with you to a point, I won't debate this BUT - "playing" your best players is not the same as "starting" your best players...would you agree? - I WOULD NOT START UD - would U?

But why is it such a big deal to NOT start UD if he is going to be playing close to 30 minutes a game at the 4 and the majority of those minutes will be next to Bosh?

coolstorybro wrote:I don't think he'll start, but he'll definitely be in during crunch time. Our best line-up in terms of talent is easily something like -

PG: LeBron
SG: Wade
SF: Battier
PF: Haslem
C: Bosh

A lot of versatility in that line-up.

This lineup could be used to close out a lot of games, but not start.

Or, if we get Billups:

Billups
Wade
Battier
LeBron
Bosh

Erm Boston is starting KG at Center because they have no choice. If we start Haslem, who will back him up? Juwan Howard?

no ty

Curry may surprise us, Pittman will be the back up no matter what. Joel is not a starting Center I agree and he should not start, it's an embarrassment. He is better off the bench anyway.

Bosh at the end of games would be the Center anyway.

It's not how you start but how you finish.

DefenseWins wrote:Erm Boston is starting KG at Center because they have no choice. If we start Haslem, who will back him up? Juwan Howard?

no ty

Curry may surprise us, Pittman will be the back up no matter what. Joel is not a starting Center I agree and he should not start, it's an embarrassment. He is better off the bench anyway.

Bosh at the end of games would be the Center anyway.

It's not how you start but how you finish.

How do you know Pittman will play this year?

We need bench scoring which we SUCKED last year so we need Udonis off the bench...he, Miller and Battier are the Big Bench 3...

Dezmondballins3 wrote:

DefenseWins wrote:Erm Boston is starting KG at Center because they have no choice. If we start Haslem, who will back him up? Juwan Howard?

no ty

Curry may surprise us, Pittman will be the back up no matter what. Joel is not a starting Center I agree and he should not start, it's an embarrassment. He is better off the bench anyway.

Bosh at the end of games would be the Center anyway.

It's not how you start but how you finish.

How do you know Pittman will play this year?

Well I said he'll be a back up but I don't know if he'll play. I mean he'll be on the bench behind Anthony unfortunately. I rather have him be 2nd to Curry is Curry starts. Joel might start... which is stupid.

I think our crunch time line up will have UD. At the same time remember we have Spo as the coach not coach K and that does make a difference.

oh okay my bad .
Yeah hopefully he will get some playing time early since he knows the system more the Curry.

Dezmondballins3 wrote:

DefenseWins wrote:Erm Boston is starting KG at Center because they have no choice. If we start Haslem, who will back him up? Juwan Howard?

no ty

Curry may surprise us, Pittman will be the back up no matter what. Joel is not a starting Center I agree and he should not start, it's an embarrassment. He is better off the bench anyway.

Bosh at the end of games would be the Center anyway.

It's not how you start but how you finish.

How do you know Pittman will play this year?

He should/could get a some burn

i feel that whatever happens at C this year, it will be significantly better than last year :

1) Haslem is healty, could play next to bosh agasint most teams.
2) The Heat must have worked with Joel on rebouding all summer long.
3) big Dex is in much better shape and will get his chances. (high hopes)
4) Curry can only suprise us in a good way..we dont expect too much.
5) Bush put on some Muscle on would feel more comfortable down there.

so - is our C rotarion the ideal one ? maybe not, but we have quite a few decent option and we'll have to manage with what we got!

Here is the reason why you dont want to play a player out of position, its because you make them less of a player. You want your core players to be in position for them to succeed and the role players to play off of them. If you move Bosh to center, you putting him in a position to succeed less. And taking off the focus of your best players learning how to be their best instead they learning how to do a new job they are not equiped for. Its kind of like moving Mike Pouncey to Tackle because your tackle sucks, and your backup center is decent. So now you will have a decent tackle instead of a great center. Moving Bosh to center will make him a decent center, and you will have a decent powerforward on the court in Haslem. You have to weigh do i want a combo of great powerforward and bad center or combo of decent powerforward and decent center? We witness how playing a player out of position can effect him when he were force to play Brian Grant at Center so Anthony Mason can start in the early 2000s. Instead of Brian Grant becoming a great powerforward, he became a decent center for the Miami Heat. Fortunately Mason was a great powerforward that one year, but we never made moves so Grant can move back to PF. Unfortunately we wore Grant body out, and he never was able to improve on his game as a powerforward.

Grant should of been an multi year all star power forward. But his legacy became just a hard working undersize overpaid center for the Heat. This will happen to Bosh, he will not play at the level at center that we are paying for him to play as a powerforward.

Haslem will play plenty of minutes, just cause he won't start don't mean none

SweetTouch wrote:Haslem will play plenty of minutes, just cause he won't start don't mean none

I get tired of people saying this, starting does mean a lot. People act like the first three quarters dont mean anything and only the fourth quarter counts lol. Thats such a false cliche and its annoying as hell.