RealGM

- Do we start him at SF and hope the C can rotate to help the penetration while still shading his man and that Josh can provide any sort of help defense?
- Do we keep Josh/Al at the 4/5 and bring the C off the bench as a big lineup?
- Do we bring Josh off the bench as a Lamar Odom-type and start Marvin?
- Do we trade him?
- Do we keep him and change our lineup depending on who we're facing?

Just wanted to hear your thoughts on this topic.

azuresou1 wrote:- Do we start him at SF and hope the C can rotate to help the penetration while still shading his man and that Josh can provide any sort of help defense?

At SF, he'd not be the shotblocker he has been. That negates his biggest asset on defense. Plus, at SF, he'd get MORE opportunities to shoot outside...

- Do we keep Josh/Al at the 4/5 and bring the C off the bench as a big lineup?

In this draft, I hope we can find a prospect at center at 24 and do that very thing, but - for your question - if we have a "starting caliber 5" then I'd expect for Horford to be used at the 4 most of the time.

- Do we bring Josh off the bench as a Lamar Odom-type and start Marvin?

Only if we have to. He wouldn't be happy with that and history leads me to expect he'd show out.

- Do we trade him?

That's the best option IF we can get value for him.

- Do we keep him and change our lineup depending on who we're facing?

Questions 2, 3 and 5 are the same question, essentially.

You are assuming that we could get a starting caliber 5 without giving up Josh to get him? Are there really any out there?

If we could then I'm a fan of splitting the 96 minutes at the 2 big spots in a 3 man primary rotation of Josh, Al, and the new C. I've long been in favor of getting a backup C capable of playing big minutes without being overwhelmed by matching up against starters. Zaza fights hard, but he has neither the length nor the bulk to really pull off the role.

Personally I'd really like Brad Miller or someone like that where they could defend the post and play a stretch 5 on offense allowing Josh or Al to operate on the block when he's in with either of them. When Josh and Al are together on the floor we should push and try to use the speed advantage of our bigs. I know Brad Miller's numbers dropped off last year, but I think he still has stuff in the tank. Not sure Miller qualifies as a starting caliber 5 that you're talking about, but as I said initially are there really any out there?

@parson -
Josh played his rookie and sophomore seasons mostly at SF, and he was a bit faster then, but he still got quite a few blocks back then. His 10 block game against Dallas was with a team so wretchedly bad I don't want to remember the entire roster, but I know Harrington and Toine also started, as well as some scrub at C. I don't think playing Smoove at SF is out of the question, if we get a C who can space the floor offensively.

@evil -
I'm not assuming that we will get a starting caliber 5, but we certainly have to consider it, as I think we could get a starting C if we were to trade Marvin or Joe, or in case if our draft pick turns out significantly better than expected.

I liked Okur prior to the injury and would have liked a Marvin for Okur-type trade, but he's injured now. I'm not sure how I feel about Channing Frye, but he could be an option. Brad Miller would be good off the bench. Matt Bonner would also be a similar player, but I think he'll get re-signed by the Spurs.

In typing up my post I looked at Frye and decided that I didn't like him enough defensively or on the boards. I do like have a stretch 5 or 4 though as that is a skill set we have totally lacked here.

I glossed over it, but I don't think Josh can play the 3 right now. Offensively he doesn't have the skills needed and defensively it would expose his biggest weakness (lateral quickness) and minimize his greatest strength (help-side shot blocking). Moving him to the 3 right now would be like when AK47 moved to the 3 to make room for Boozer and Okur. He was still an ok player, but not a game changing force like he was at the 4 spot.

azuresou1 wrote:I... as I think we could get a starting C if we were to trade Marvin or Joe,...

I have to believe we'd have already made such a trade, if it were at all possible. Marvin for what starting center? Joe's more likely, but, again, who?

bench Al or the 5. we all know what this team looks like when Josh is not providing his defense. without Joe, this team is the 8th seed, without Josh, this team is in the lottery. Josh is a better PF then Al and more important to the team.

if the Hawks can sign Haywood, i would just bench Haywood but give all three guys, Josh, Al, and Brandon 30mpg. or trade Al for Iguodala and Young

Starting Cs who I think we could acquire in a trade for Marvin and/or Joe? Keep in mind I'm not sure I'd want all of these, just that we could acquire them value wise.

Okur
Gortat
Okafor
Oden (longshot possibility)
Channing Frye
Robin Lopez
Al Jefferson
Tyson Chandler

Harry10 wrote:bench Al or the 5. we all know what this team looks like when Josh is not providing his defense. without Joe, this team is the 8th seed, without Josh, this team is in the lottery. Josh is a better PF then Al and more important to the team.

if the Hawks can sign Haywood, i would just bench Haywood but give all three guys, Josh, Al, and Brandon 30mpg. or trade Al for Iguodala and Young

I would cry and possibly go kill Rick Sund if he made that trade.

azuresou1 wrote:I would cry and possibly go kill Rick Sund if he made that trade.

I'd hold the rope.

Harry10 wrote:if the Hawks can sign Haywood, i would just bench Haywood but give all three guys, Josh, Al, and Brandon 30mpg

It's exactly the only thing I see since we got Al.
If you keep both Al and Josh, there is only one solution, getting a C who is at the highest level for a bench guy, and play him with both Josh and Al.
And to get that kind of C, we don't have to be focus on his salary as a bench player, because he would be playing like a starter, with 30mpg.
Camby would have been that kind of C, Przybilla if not always injured, Brad Miller can be this C, Haywood,... and all these guys would give huge improvement.

There will be possibilities, but they won't look good for everybody.
You seems to like Crawford, but I as expiring, and good player, he can help bring us a C.
Other want to keep Joe, but Joe in sign-&-trade can get a C.

The only thing to keep in mind is that we don't want a top C, because we can't start him if we keep Al and Josh.

I shouldn't have started that Thabeet for Marvin thread....could have placed it right here.
Sounds like Thabeet may not have a slot in Memphis.....but should that happen, we would need a veteran coaching staff to work with him exclusively (like Kareem did with Bynum), and bring him up to speed as much as possible.
You don't go 2 if you don't have talent. Marvin did, and Marvin has talent, but he isn't big on rebounding and blocking shots. Don't laugh, but I though Marvin would be our LeBron stopper on this team. He has the measurements, but not sure about his effort, especially defensively.
To be really truthful, I would take Brandon Bass for Marvin straight up. He would contribute more IMO.