Prokorov wrote:SpeedyG wrote:
Bogdanovic if he comes over? Pierce if he returns?
If pierce starts at SF, then who takes pierces spot at PF?
If bogs is over, then yea, he would be a candidate to replace livingston i'd think.
Ideally AK wouldn't be a starter. But if Pierce leaves, we are left with a gaping hole at backup PG and at SF. We only have one way of filling either one (mMLE). IMO, the PG is a bigger hole, because aside from Deron we don't really have anyone reliable there, and Deron has his own injury problems.
Pierce isnt a SF, he is aPF. if he leaves, i would think that mirza would step into the starting lineup and we'd look at someone like Ivan johnson to back him up with kirenko splitting time between backup SF and backup PF.
for me PG isnt a concern. we have enough ball handlers were we can get away with a sub par backup PG. i think replacing livingston is the most vital. he starts, and he is our main wing defender. the mMLE needs to be used to replace him imo.
Ideally, I agree I would not want Paul at SF. Defensively, he looks shot there. I would be OK with him at PF, but he's a bad fit with Lopez at C (unless Brook flips the switch and gets a hustle transplant). My point is that, if Paul comes back, we get a lot more options switching people around from SG to SF to PF. We have guys who are versatile enough to play either SG/SF or SF/PF.
I don't think we have that luxury at PG. The only guy I can kind of trust to run PG if Deron gets hurt is Joe, and even that minimizes what Joe can do, and further takes away from an already sketchy SG/SF/PF rotation.
I mean, we can trot out Deron/Joe/Paul/AK/KG (with Paul/AK switching responsibilities defensively) or even Deron/Joe/Paul/AK/Lopez. We can go Deron/Thornton/Joe/Pierce/KG or Deron/Thornton/Joe/Pierce with Plum/Lopez at C.
Let's say AK gets hurt. Well, we switch to lineup of Deron/Thornton/JJ/Paul/KG. Or we start both KG/Lopez up front. Or even go with Deron, Thornton, JJ, Mirza, Plumlee.
There's just more flexibility with our SG/SF/PF rotation because there are guys capable of playing those positions in small stretches should an injury happen.
But if, god forbid Deron's ankles has a setback?
That would force Gutierrez and Teague to play minutes they are quite frankly not ready for.
Bless the man if his heart and his land are one ~ FrancisM, R.I.P. 3/6/09