RealGM

some starting point
- Conley will rest in back to back and some other game (i think he will play in 55-60game for not more than 24' of average)
- DDV: we don't know if his foot problem are over
- last two years Finch has a 8 man rotation (who Finch trust ever), with addition of one other (Milton/Morris/McLaughin in 2023-24, Clark or other for a part of 2024-25), the 9° man was not in Finch trust
- this year we have only 7 man that has certainly Finch trust
- we need to arrive at april with minimum 9 man in Finch trust

so my ideal rotation during the regular is with 10 player (or 9 when all the player are avaliable
We need to take advantage of the opportunities when some will miss games to help others grow and increase Finch's confidence in them.

so my proposal is:

Conley 20' Dillingham 15', Edwards 13'
Edwards 22', DDV 22', Clark 6'
McDaniels 20', TSJ 18', Clark 8'
Randle 30', Reid 6', McDaniels 12'
Gobert 29', Reid 19'

nolian wrote:some starting point
- Conley will rest in back to back and some other game (i think he will play in 55-60game for not more than 24' of average)
- DDV: we don't know if his foot problem are over
- last two years Finch has a 8 man rotation (who Finch trust ever), with addition of one other (Milton/Morris/McLaughin in 2023-24, Clark or other for a part of 2024-25), the 9° man was not in Finch trust
- this year we have only 7 man that has certainly Finch trust
- we need to arrive at april with minimum 9 man in Finch trust

so my ideal rotation during the regular is with 10 player (or 9 when all the player are avaliable
We need to take advantage of the opportunities when some will miss games to help others grow and increase Finch's confidence in them.

so my proposal is:

Conley 20' Dillingham 15', Edwards 13'
Edwards 22', DDV 22', Clark 6'
McDaniels 20', TSJ 18', Clark 8'
Randle 30', Reid 6', McDaniels 12'
Gobert 29', Reid 19'

Boo, Hiss.... No Le Berricade.
Conley 24 and will play more than 60 games. I'm believing in him being mostly healthy this season. Dilly 18 and Clark DDV split the 6 remaining.
ANT 30 DDV 18- any PG minutes.
McDaniel 30 TSJ 10 ANT 8
Randall 30 Naz 18
Rudy 30 Naz 10 Le Berricade 8

Where I want to start my reply is with last year's rotation....

Conley (25)
Edwards (36)
McDaniels (32)
Randle (32)
Gobert (33)
---
Reid (28)
DiVincenzo (26)
Alexander-Walker (25)

Those 8 players accounted for an average of 237 minutes played, out of a nightly average of 240 (technically, 241.8 was the nightly season average when you include overtime games). Now, Alexander-Walker is out, meaning there is an extra 25 minutes at play. Rather than giving it all to one player, I expect they will split it among multiple players. I also think you'll see some minutes fluctuation among the current guys.

I think the biggest tweak we may see is a little bit more with the smaller lineups. I don't think we'll see Gobert go all the way down to the 27 mpg he played in the playoffs, but I bet we'll see his minutes drop somewhat. Everyone expects Conley to drop, and he might. However, I believe he's healthier now than he was at any point last year. And it's not exactly a definitive answer behind him either that will necessitate a drop. A lot of possibilities, but nothing definitive.

So here's where I currently have the rotation:

Conley (24)
Edwards (36)
McDaniels (32)
Randle (32)
Gobert (30)
---
Reid (30)
DiVincenzo (28)
Shannon (18)
Clark / Dillingham / Beringer roulette (10)

Conley 20 /Dilly 20 /DDV 8
Ant 30/DDV 18
McDaniels 30/ Shannon 16 / Ant 3
Randle 30/Reid 15/McDaniels 3
Gobert 26/Reid 15/ Beringer 7

There is 9.5 rotation. That leaves no room for Clark, who I'm sure will earn some minutes, especially if his shooting continues to improve.
I would really like to cut a couple more minutes from Ant, Jaden & Randle, but I don't think that will happen and they will probably play more than I have them set for.

Klomp wrote:Where I want to start my reply is with last year's rotation....

Conley (25)
Edwards (36)
McDaniels (32)
Randle (32)
Gobert (33)
---
Reid (28)
DiVincenzo (26)
Alexander-Walker (25)

Those 8 players accounted for an average of 237 minutes played, out of a nightly average of 240 (technically, 241.8 was the nightly season average when you include overtime games). Now, Alexander-Walker is out, meaning there is an extra 25 minutes at play. Rather than giving it all to one player, I expect they will split it among multiple players. I also think you'll see some minutes fluctuation among the current guys.

I think the biggest tweak we may see is a little bit more with the smaller lineups. I don't think we'll see Gobert go all the way down to the 27 mpg he played in the playoffs, but I bet we'll see his minutes drop somewhat. Everyone expects Conley to drop, and he might. However, I believe he's healthier now than he was at any point last year. And it's not exactly a definitive answer behind him either that will necessitate a drop. A lot of possibilities, but nothing definitive.

So here's where I currently have the rotation:

Conley (24)
Edwards (36)
McDaniels (32)
Randle (32)
Gobert (30)
---
Reid (30)
DiVincenzo (28)
Shannon (18)
Clark / Dillingham / Beringer roulette (10)

Virtually nothing for Dilly and Le Berricade. You could be right, but I don't like it.

frankenwolf wrote:Conley 20 /Dilly 20 /DDV 8
Ant 30/DDV 18
McDaniels 30/ Shannon 16 / Ant 3
Randle 30/Reid 15/McDaniels 3
Gobert 26/Reid 15/ Beringer 7

There is 9.5 rotation. That leaves no room for Clark, who I'm sure will earn some minutes, especially if his shooting continues to improve.
I would really like to cut a couple more minutes from Ant, Jaden & Randle, but I don't think that will happen and they will probably play more than I have them set for.

I like it but.... I hope Dilly earns it, but that's a lot. Same with Shannon. I can't see Ant at less than 36.

Klomp wrote:Clark / Dillingham / Beringer roulette (10)

the effective minute's average at the end of the season are conditionated by the absence of one or more players for a bit of games during the entire regular season

I believe that for the PO the rotation will reduce at 8 players

however at this moment we don't have 8 players Finch trusts

i know that TSJ is the most candicate to became the 8° players Finch trusts, but it isn't a a warranty at this moment
the ideal scenario is to have 9 players Finch trusts al April

the roulette i think is a probable scenario, but i don't know if is the best option for having the best from those players
It's possible that some absence will help for having opportunity (minutes) for someone, like it happen for Clark last year

nolian wrote:

Klomp wrote:Clark / Dillingham / Beringer roulette (10)

the roulette i think is a probable scenario, but i don't know if is the best option for having the best from those players
It's possible that some absence will help for having opportunity (minutes) for someone, like it happen for Clark last year

This is well said.

I doubt it will be a literal roulette, but I just don't know which of the three I think will be ninth and I don't think there is much separation. It could just be lineup dependent, even. For example, if they start Donte, I find it harder for Rob to find minutes right away because they are already bringing one smaller guard off the bench in that scenario.

And yes, this will 100% fluctuate during the season as opportunities present themselves. It is impossible to predict injuries, which is why I do not consider injuries when assembling a rotation.

I wanna see a 10 men rotations this year. I understand Finch management last year and our start was not good and we have to fight until last games to avoid play-in. Better start is mandatory. If it's the case i expect :

- To see Mike not playing over than 20-22 min and get 100% when it matters.
- Rudy playing not more than 30 min per game as NAZ need to play more and i really want to see some minutes from Joan.
On my opinion, Dilly, TSR and Clark will have a chance to contribute at least the first part of the season. They have to take a chance and show they deserve to be in the rotation.
And to close the season + PO, i see Finch reducing a bit the rotation to 8-9 players.

FrenchMinnyFan wrote:I wanna see a 10 men rotations this year. I understand Finch management last year and our start was not good and we have to fight until last games to avoid play-in. Better start is mandatory. If it's the case i expect :

- To see Mike not playing over than 20-22 min and get 100% when it matters.
- Rudy playing not more than 30 min per game as NAZ need to play more and i really want to see some minutes from Joan.
On my opinion, Dilly, TSR and Clark will have a chance to contribute at least the first part of the season. They have to take a chance and show they deserve to be in the rotation.
And to close the season + PO, i see Finch reducing a bit the rotation to 8-9 players.

I like this post and I think Finch will go to a bigger rotation now that the pressure is off on integrating Randle and DDV.

I could actually see Mike's minutes tapering to much less than 20-22 mpg. This is likely his last NBA season, and it seems like he probably slides into the Timberwolves coaching staff next season. The game hasn't completely passed him by, but last season his role was not really a PG. He was more of a short, low usage SG that knows the offense and where the ball needs to go in an offensive set. Clark brings quite a bit more on the defensive end and generally brought similar value on the offensive end. Dilly has the potential to bring far more offensive ability to break a defense down and get the team easy shots. If we are expecting to compete against OKC (and Houston, LAC, GS, SAS, DAL, LAL) this season, it seems like the easiest path forward to getting better is to replace NAW and MIke's minutes with more effective minutes from TSJ, Clark and Dilly.

Biff Cooper wrote:I could actually see Mike's minutes tapering to much less than 20-22 mpg. This is likely his last NBA season, and it seems like he probably slides into the Timberwolves coaching staff next season. The game hasn't completely passed him by, but last season his role was not really a PG. He was more of a short, low usage SG that knows the offense and where the ball needs to go in an offensive set.

That's the role he's played basically since they traded for him. A couple fewer pick and rolls with Gobert, but that's as much about Rudy than it was about Mike. It's also about his struggles with his mid/floater game, which ties directly to the wrist injury he was dealing with last offseason.

DLo had to have the ball in his hands a lot. When we traded for Mike, there was definitely less of that, but he had additional offensive responsibility and usage the season of the trade than he does now. A little less in year 2, and another drop again last year. Last year, Finch emphasized getting the ball up the court quickly and allowed anyone to push the ball for an easy basket or to start the offense.

The point is that if you are playing Mike as a low usage SG, and you are not relying on his ball handling - Clark brings similar numbers offensively and brings additional size and defense at the other end of the court. If you need extra ball handling on the court with better ability to put pressure on the opposing defense, then Dillingham is probably a better option than Mike. If you need ball handling on the court with better defensive acumen, then Mike is probably a better choice than Dillingham.

Mike is still going to get some PT as he is still a fairly solid defender and is smart on the offensive end, but I could see him at 10-12 mpg easier than I could see him at 20-22 mpg.

Biff Cooper wrote:DLo had to have the ball in his hands a lot. When we traded for Mike, there was definitely less of that, but he had additional offensive responsibility and usage the season of the trade than he does now. A little less in year 2, and another drop again last year. Last year, Finch emphasized getting the ball up the court quickly and allowed anyone to push the ball for an easy basket or to start the offense.

The point is that if you are playing Mike as a low usage SG, and you are not relying on his ball handling - Clark brings similar numbers offensively and brings additional size and defense at the other end of the court. If you need extra ball handling on the court with better ability to put pressure on the opposing defense, then Dillingham is probably a better option than Mike. If you need ball handling on the court with better defensive acumen, then Mike is probably a better choice than Dillingham.

Mike is still going to get some PT as he is still a fairly solid defender and is smart on the offensive end, but I could see him at 10-12 mpg easier than I could see him at 20-22 mpg.

I understand what you are saying. I just don't think it's been any sort of philosophical shift for Finch. It's why I personally have never been as worried about the PG position, because the position is largely a low-usage position in Finch's system.