Is it time for Jeremy Lamb to be the starter?

[Slimjimzv]

Absolutely not, question answered. Why would we want Durant expending all his energy guarding the other team's best player, cripple our bench offensively and relegate one of the top perimeter defenders in the NBA to a role he won't be effective in?

Incidentally, Lamb has looked pretty darn good on defense this season. I'm not sure you're giving him enough credit by assuming Durant would have to guard the other team's best player.

[theokie]

Absolutely not, question answered. Why would we want Durant expending all his energy guarding the other team's best player, cripple our bench offensively and relegate one of the top perimeter defenders in the NBA to a role he won't be effective in?

Incidentally, Lamb has looked pretty darn good on defense this season. I'm not sure you're giving him enough credit by assuming Durant would have to guard the other team's best player.

Lamb isnt nearly as good as Thabo, and likely never will be.

[theokie]

The problem with starting Lamb is Scott Brooks' rotations. He doesn't know how to mix it up, and he insists on a full bench second unit being on the floor for long stretches. You have two of the best players in the league on the team, it really shouldn't be hard to keep either Durant or Westbrook on the floor at all times. Brooks hasn't figured this out yet, or he just refuses to do so.

If Lamb and/or Adams became starters, heres our lineup at the end of the 1st quarter and for the first couple of minutes to start the 2nd. Jackson/Fisher*/Thabo/Collison/Perkins - thats just an absolutely horrible lineup.

I'd switch Adams and Perkins in the starting unit, and make more of an effort to keep at least one of our all-star players on the floor at the same time.


*I'd also put PJ3 in over Fisher, but thats a different issue. Give me the 21 year old young athletic guy shooting 50 percent from the floor and 60 percent from three over the 39 year old little man who's shooting 10 percent from behind the arc

[Thunderhead]

The problem with starting Lamb is Scott Brooks' rotations. He doesn't know how to mix it up, and he insists on a full bench second unit being on the floor for long stretches. You have two of the best players in the league on the team, it really shouldn't be hard to keep either Durant or Westbrook on the floor at all times. Brooks hasn't figured this out yet, or he just refuses to do so.

Don't see that , not at all.

Last season, he did keep either KD or Russ on the floor at the same time, did it a lot in the first half.

This is the first season I've seen him have an entire bench on the floor for extended minutes.

He coaches each year's team, as that team needs to be coached.

[theokie]

The problem with starting Lamb is Scott Brooks' rotations. He doesn't know how to mix it up, and he insists on a full bench second unit being on the floor for long stretches. You have two of the best players in the league on the team, it really shouldn't be hard to keep either Durant or Westbrook on the floor at all times. Brooks hasn't figured this out yet, or he just refuses to do so.

Don't see that , not at all.

Last season, he did keep either KD or Russ on the floor at the same time, did it a lot in the first half.

This is the first season I've seen him have an entire bench on the floor for extended minutes.

He coaches each year's team, as that team needs to be coached.

In the past he's run out Maynor(Fisher), Harden, Cook, Collison, Mohammed
Last year it was Jackson, Fisher, Martin, Collison, Thabeet
This year its been Jackson, Lamb, Fisher, Collison, Adams

It happens all the time, sure the bench normally shortens some during the playoffs, but for the most part we get a lot of basketball without Durant or Westbrook on the floor.

[Thunderhead]

Just go here

http://www.popcornmachine.net/?dr=201301

And go into the archive, pick any game at random from last season, and there won't be more than a minute or two at the start of the second qtr that has an entire bench on the floor. From that point on, its entirely organic as to whose on the floor.

And when it was a reg season game, that Brooks really wanted to win., it looked like this

http://www.popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/g ... ame=OKCMIA

[theokie]

Just go here

http://www.popcornmachine.net/?dr=201301

And go into the archive, pick any game at random from last season, and there won't be more than a minute or two at the start of the second qtr that has an entire bench on the floor. From that point on, its entirely organic as to whose on the floor.

And when it was a reg season game, that Brooks really wanted to win., it looked like this

http://www.popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/g ... ame=OKCMIA

No. You're wrong. We regularly have had 5 man units without Durant or Westbrook on the floor for 4-6 minute stretches this year.

Our 4th most used lineup this year doesn't have Durant or Westbrook in it.

[Thunderhead]

Just go here

http://www.popcornmachine.net/?dr=201301

And go into the archive, pick any game at random from last season, and there won't be more than a minute or two at the start of the second qtr that has an entire bench on the floor. From that point on, its entirely organic as to whose on the floor.

And when it was a reg season game, that Brooks really wanted to win., it looked like this

http://www.popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/g ... ame=OKCMIA

No. You're wrong. We regularly have had 5 man units without Durant or Westbrook on the floor for 4-6 minute stretches this year.

Our 4th most used lineup this year doesn't have Durant or Westbrook in it.

I said, this was the first season I've seen him do that for extended minutes, just go back and read what I said.

And it surprised me to see it.

you said this

He doesn't know how to mix it up, and he insists on a full bench second unit being on the floor for long stretches -

And that's not true, he's not always done that.

[theokie]

Yes he has. You don't remember James Harden running the 2nd unit without Westbrook and Durant? He basically is doing the same thing this year but with Jackson. In 2012 OKC played (Fisher/Jackson/Maynor)/Harden/Cook/Collison Mohammed an average of 6 minutes per game, so yes there were certainly stretches where the group was on the floor 4-5 minutes at a time.

Also, the game you chose was a bad example. Russ played 43 minutes, so ya obviously there won't be a long stretch of both him and Durant being out when theres no long stretch of Westbrook ever being out.

Its the same reason why Andre Roberson started a game with Thabo was out. its the same reason why Gomes started the 2nd half when Ibaka was ejected. He doesn't like changing the rotation and messing up the 2nd unit.

[Thunderhead]

You can go to any game in the archive.

He hasn't played an entire second unit for EXTENDED minutes.

[theokie]

You can go to any game in the archive.

He hasn't played an entire second unit for EXTENDED minutes.

nba.com/stats

My whole point was that we should always have either Westbrook or Durant on the floor at the same time. I don't know why you're trying to argue that its not true when the stats say otherwise. What benefit do you get from that?

[Thunderhead]

The problem with starting Lamb is Scott Brooks' rotations. He doesn't know how to mix it up, and he insists on a full bench second unit being on the floor for long stretches. You have two of the best players in the league on the team, it really shouldn't be hard to keep either Durant or Westbrook on the floor at all times. Brooks hasn't figured this out yet, or he just refuses to do so.

As a general rule, in past seasons, for the most part, there's been a short period of approximately 2 minutes at the start of the second qtr, when neither player is on the court. There's many variables that could change that, like fouls, game score, injuries , etc. But that was his general format. I really dont' think 2 minutes of no KD or Russ, is a huge deal.

But you've made an assumption about Brooks as a coach, that can not be supported. He does not " insist " for " long stretches " , he's not done that in the past and he's not that inflexible. He hasn't " refused to figure it out " .

And frankly, this year, I think we are seeing the second unit get those " long stretches " as you say he's always done , because of Russ's injury and the need to develop some young players and get them more quality minutes.

I also read fan criticism of Brooks for playing KD and Russ too many minutes. He can't win with the fans, he will never do everything the way all fans think it should be done.

[spearsy23]

You can go to any game in the archive.

He hasn't played an entire second unit for EXTENDED minutes.

nba.com/stats

My whole point was that we should always have either Westbrook or Durant on the floor at the same time. I don't know why you're trying to argue that its not true when the stats say otherwise. What benefit do you get from that?

From the stats I looked at, last year he was running lineups without Russ or KD for around 3 minutes per night and the year prior about 5 minutes per night. Of course, basketball reference isn't quite as comprehensive as other sites on lineup info, and nba.com wouldn't load on my ipad for some reason.

[comingbacktousa]

From the stats I looked at, last year he was running lineups without Russ or KD for around 3 minutes per night and the year prior about 5 minutes per night.

I think you pretty much want to rest them about 3 minutes to start the fourth so they can come in and finish strong.

[Thunderhead]

You can go to any game in the archive.

He hasn't played an entire second unit for EXTENDED minutes.

nba.com/stats

My whole point was that we should always have either Westbrook or Durant on the floor at the same time. I don't know why you're trying to argue that its not true when the stats say otherwise. What benefit do you get from that?

From the stats I looked at, last year he was running lineups without Russ or KD for around 3 minutes per night and the year prior about 5 minutes per night. Of course, basketball reference isn't quite as comprehensive as other sites on lineup info, and nba.com wouldn't load on my ipad for some reason.

All I'm speaking to, is the first half. Because it becomes organic after the point, minutes and lineups become dictated by events and other factors, just the general flow of the game.

[NaturalThunder]

Going back to last season...

I distinctly remember Brooks (I think he might've been spurned by KD or Russ or someone to do it) saying he was going to make a concerted effort to have one of KD or Russ on the floor at all times after our bench went through a lull for a couple of weeks. I can't remember the exact time of the season, but after that we almost always had one of KD or Russ on the floor unless it was against a terrible opponent and/or we had a 10+ point lead after the first quarter. IN 2012, though, I thought he did go with "all bench" units for longer stretchers than I was comfortable with.