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fatlever wrote:great point about the playbook. we know he trimmed it when jax came in, but who is to say he hasnt been adding a few plays back in every day. this is lb we are talking about.

In Chandler's absence, Charlotte has gotten good minutes from Nazr Mohammed, his replacement in the starting lineup who is playing the best basketball of his career and shooting 57.6 percent from the field while using possessions at an above-average rate (22.6 percent). Another factor is the time the Bobcats have spent with small lineups on the floor. When Chandler was healthy, the team played true centers (Chandler, Mohammed, DeSagana Diop and a handful of minutes for Alexis Ajinca) about 39 minutes per game. Since Chandler went out, Diop and Mohammed have combined for just under 30 minutes, meaning Charlotte is spending nearly a third of games playing with a forward--usually Boris Diaw--in the middle. These lineups, which often move Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace down a position to make room for Flip Murray, offer improved floor spacing and shooting.

The downside of that strategy, and part of what makes the way Charlotte has played this month unsustainable, is that it has meant a lot of minutes for the Bobcats' starters. Wallace has averaged 43.4 minutes per game since Chandler went out, Jackson 40.0 and Diaw 37.3. Larry Brown has been relying heavily on that trio of players all year long, and an injury to any of them would be painful.

fatlever wrote:i also fear that eventually going small is going to catch up with us in a few games. we got destroyed on the glass in the second half of that kings game. were were outrebounded by at least 13 boards in that second half. luckily we hung on, but in that particular game, we needed another big to help on the boards in the second half.

what about when we play orlando? are we really going to try boris vs howard for 20 mins in that game?