RealGM

I was having an argument with a friend after watching some college ball and the question is "is it generally a good strategy to sit guys who are in foul trouble?"

It seems like every time a player picks up his second foul in the first half, he is immediately taken out of the game. Same thing if a player picks up his 4th foul early to mid second half.

I think it's bad strategy because you are essentially "fouling out" the player yourself, and that there's no sense in "saving" a player for the last few minutes because those 2-3 minutes are no more important than any other 2-3 minute stretch.

Thoughts?

If you keep the player in foul trouble in the game he is going to play soft defense in order to not pick up any more.

It depends a lot on the type of player as well. If it's a foul-prone big man, then maybe you're better off sitting him. But if your point guard doesn't pick up many fouls and then he gets two quick, cheap ones then it's a different calculus IMO.

Mags FTW wrote:If you keep the player in foul trouble in the game he is going to play soft defense in order to not pick up any more.

But I think that's because he knows he will be taken out if he picks up another foul. What if it was made clear by the coach that foul trouble will not mean benching?

He'd be more worried about the refs kicking him out after 5, than his coach pulling him after 4.

fam3381 wrote:It depends a lot on the type of player as well. If it's a foul-prone big man, then maybe you're better off sitting him. But if your point guard doesn't pick up many fouls and then he gets two quick, cheap ones then it's a different calculus IMO.

Consider this scenario:

A team's best big man who is also foul prone (i.e. oden last year) picks up his second foul with ten minutes to go in the first half. I think most coaches would just sit him for the rest of the half, to make sure he's able to play at the end of the game.

First, assuming he is not benched for foul accumulation, I think it's unlikely oden would foul out before the 10 minute mark in the second half; therefore, I think you diminish oden's playing time more by protecting him from fouling out than if he were to actually foul out.

Second, assuming he does foul out at the ten minute mark of the second half, I don't think the last 10 minutes of the second half are any more important than the last 10 minutes of the first half. If the opposing team makes a run in the last 10 minutes of the first half because you're best big man was sitting that whole time, then the last few minutes of the game could become irrelevant, and you've saved that player for nothing.

By keeping Oden in, the other team will keep attacking him knowing he will either A) play soft D, or B) play the same style D that got him the quick fouls in he first place.

It's better to just put his backup in who can play balls to the walls defense.