O'Brien Shaking Up The Starting Lineup

Dunthreevy · Post #1 » by **Dunthreevy** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 10:10 pm

Earlier today Brandon Rush posted on his twitter that Coach pretty much gave them a verbal beatdown during the film session this morning, and that he anticipated O'Brien trying to run them into the ground in practice today.

http://twitter.com/KCsFinest09/status/5983097989

A little while later Mike Wells, from the Indy Star, tweeted that Jeff Foster and Troy Murphy will be re-inserted into the starting lineup for tomorrow's game @ Toronto, putting Hibbert and either Dahntay or Brandon back to the bench.

http://twitter.com/Wells222/status/5986943666

I really don't care what O'Brien does with the starting lineup, as long as they win tomorrow and play like they actually care. Sticking with the spirit of Thursday's holiday, I'm very thankful that last night's game @ Charlotte wasn't televised.

grewich · Post #2 » by **grewich** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 11:25 pm

i bet rush is benched. i dont know if im too happy about benching Hibbert though. i bet this eats into T-Hans playing time. its a shame. i know its early but id rather they develope the young-ins now, this season.

Post #3 » by **Miller4ever** » Mon Nov 23, 2009 11:39 pm

What? Foster is starting? Everyone knows that I love the guy, but he is becoming more and more of a liability on the court.

Dunthreevy · Post #4 » by **Dunthreevy** » Tue Nov 24, 2009 12:41 am

Miller4ever wrote:What? Foster is starting? Everyone knows that I love the guy, but he is becoming more and more of a liability on the court.

My sentiments exactly.

Hoop Hunter · Post #5 » by **Hoop Hunter** » Tue Nov 24, 2009 7:18 am

Our coach is horrible. Until JOB is out of a job we are not going anywhere. What the hell were they thinking giving him an extension.

Post #6 » by **count55** » Tue Nov 24, 2009 11:50 am

http://www.eightpointsnineseconds.com/2 ... onto-game/

Troy Murphy and Jeff Foster appear to be back in the starting lineup. Roy Hibbert is out. And so is one of Dahntay Jones or Brandon Rush. I have to imagine it would be Rush given how poorly he is shooting.

News comes via a tweet from Indy Star beat writer Mike Wells, who followed up the below announcement with a clarification that could be construed as insinuating that this change is not nes permanent. Of course, what is permanent with this lineup aside from Danny really?

Anyway, Wells added in a follow-up tweet that Coach O’Brien is “going with foster because of Bargnani. he wants murph out there to stretch the floor on offense.”

It is extremely unlikely that Hibbert has been "benched." More likely, Foster is a situational substitution, and HIbbert will be used when Rasho and Amir Johnson are on the floor.

Post #7 » by **Miller4ever** » Tue Nov 24, 2009 1:16 pm

That makes a lot more sense. Bargnani is a handful to guard. Is Murph going to guard Bosh?

Man...

Post #8 » by **mizzoupacers** » Tue Nov 24, 2009 2:40 pm

I'd guess that Murphy will guard Bargnani, and Foster will be on Bosh.

And Hibbert won't be out of the starting lineup for long. It's a matchup thing with this one game. Bosh is too quick, and Bargnani is too perimeter-oriented for Hibbert to guard either of them effectively.

We'll see if it works...I'm not sure Foster can guard Bosh either, and at least Hibbert gives you some offense. How would Toronto cover Hibbert? I don't think Bargnani can guard him, and fine with me if they want to wear Bosh out pounding with Hibbert in the low post

Good teams make opponents adjust to them, not vice versa. I hope the day is coming when other teams have to adjust to Hibbert and the Pacers rather than us having to contort our starting lineup from game to game.

Post #9 » by **count55** » Tue Nov 24, 2009 4:52 pm

We're not a good team, talent-wise. Perhaps Hibbert can cause teams to adjust down the road, but he's not ready today, and he's hurt by the fact that we have almost no one capable of consistently feeding the post.

Junior would do wonderful things for Roy.

Post #10 » by **PR07** » Tue Nov 24, 2009 8:13 pm

I don't like that we're changing our lineup for the sake of playing the Raptors. I mean, yes, that frontcourt is a handful, but comon, what kind of message does that send.

My guess is they'll put Foster on Bosh and Murph on Bargnani.

Post #11 » by **count55** » Tue Nov 24, 2009 10:24 pm

PR07 wrote:I don't like that we're changing our lineup for the sake of playing the Raptors. I mean, yes, that frontcourt is a handful, but comon, what kind of message does that send.

My guess is they'll put Foster on Bosh and Murph on Bargnani.

None. No message at all.

Post #12 » by **PR07** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 4:08 am

Care to elaborate, Count?

cedric76 · Post #13 » by **cedric76** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 9:45 am

how can u coach bench a guy like hibbert
crazy

Post #14 » by **count55** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 1:52 pm

What message is there to send? People seem to think that by matching up with other teams, it makes us look weak. Well, I hate to tell ya, we are weak.

Roy was a horrible matchup for that front line, so O'Brien brought off the bench against the second unit where he might have more chance for success. At the end of the day, the move neither gained nor lost anything. Hibbert had a couple of nice plays with Earl, but he was largely ineffective, even being outplayed by the corpse formerly known as Rasho. Needing a scrambling lineup in the second, O'Brien went with Solo, and when it was effective, it largely ended Roy's evening.

Tonight, Roy will be back in the starting line up, and we'll go back to trying to see if we can be anything other than a mediocre to average defensive team and an incompetent offensive team.

Post #15 » by **PR07** » Wed Nov 25, 2009 4:10 pm

Haha, fair enough Count. Good analysis. Can't say I disagree.