Rondo to start the season at PG

[Mauro Pedrosa]

Manu and Iguodala are great examples of sacrificing a starting position for the greater good

[BasketballFan7]

Minutes

Rondo (24) Lonzo (24) Caruso
KCP (28) Hart (20) Svi
Ingram (30) Kuzma (12) Stephenson (6)
Lebron (32) Kuzma (16)
McGee (18) ZuWag (18) Beasley (10)

LeBron playing 32 a game would shock me. It may be the smart move, but I'd wager that he's once again among the league leaders in MPG.

[Michael Lucky]

Seeing KCP get that many minutes kills me inside. Then again it will likely be reality.

[Ball so hard]

Then I'd question if you've ever played basketball in an organized fashion. From middle school on starting matters. Best 5 starts, you want to be recognized as the best. It's not one or the other it's starting and finishing. And please don't bring up Manu....

.... Played?... Check.... Coached for 22+ years (assistant at HS and 17 years as AAU head coach on DC area) Check. Gonna be coaching again this year in AAU in Phoenix. Come on over and I'll show you around.

When I coached I told my players that getting a starting slot was an accomplishment however finishing the game should be their goal.... No, I didn't put my "best" 5 on the court at the same time. You're telling me Manu was not as good as any SA starter over his career?.... he'll be in the HOF. He didn't start but he sure finished.

Maybe we should bring LeBron off the bench?

lol when I saw this.

You guys aren't even debating the same thing. On one hand Landsberger is conflating "team" and "individual" while speaking primarily from a team standpoint. On the other hand you're speaking almost exclusively from a player's standpoint. Of course starting matter to most players. And of course a coach's main objective is to put the pieces that yield the best results, irrespective of whether or not the best players are starting.

You guys are both right; It appears to me there's simply a misunderstanding on both sides.

[ROballer]

It's pretty clear Lonzo is way behind physically at the moment. Once he gets his strength he'll be getting the normal playing time. His defense is too elite.

Rondo is owning that ass and so will I.

Time to give Ball back Tyson, you know you want it.

[iamworthy]

.... Played?... Check.... Coached for 22+ years (assistant at HS and 17 years as AAU head coach on DC area) Check. Gonna be coaching again this year in AAU in Phoenix. Come on over and I'll show you around.

When I coached I told my players that getting a starting slot was an accomplishment however finishing the game should be their goal.... No, I didn't put my "best" 5 on the court at the same time. You're telling me Manu was not as good as any SA starter over his career?.... he'll be in the HOF. He didn't start but he sure finished.

Maybe we should bring LeBron off the bench?

Seriously, a lot of team start guys who aren't as talented or "good" as the guys on the bench. My namesake and Rambis were not nearly as good as McAdoo for example. Didn't we win a title with Odom coming off the bench? He finished the games and was 4th in minutes played.

You put players on the court who can bring you the best results and have complementary skillsets. You do the same when you create your rotations. Many games are won by crafting the second rotation and timing/match ups.

Quite frankly I'd question a players mental approach if he pouted about not starting and was in the lineup to finish close games.

I said don't mention Manu because I figured you would stay pointing out outliers to try to prove your point. Once a conversion goes the way of outliers there's really no need to continue.

'Sixth man' still comes with stigma among NBA players

Just ask the Oklahoma City Thunder, who lost James Harden two years ago, in part, because he had no interest in following in Ginobili's footsteps and now have a similar quandary with young guard Reggie Jackson leading into his free agency next summer. Or the Phoenix Suns, who have point guard Isaiah Thomas making $28 million over the next four years to play that role yet spending his days dreaming of being a starter. Or the Cleveland Cavaliers, who so badly need young Dion Waiters to embrace his recent reassignment and become an impact player off the bench. Or the Golden State Warriors, who convinced veteran small forward Andre Iguodala to play the sixth man role but are well aware he would prefer to start.

But as 30-year-old Iguodala sees it, there's more to it than money. The simple desire to start and attain that status, Iguodala said, is something that starts early in most players' lives and never seems to leave.

"Guys are wired like that from a young age," he told USA TODAY Sports. "I mean I've been playing basketball since I was five, and you're just so used to just starting the game. Even when you're young, it's 'Starters vs. Scrubs.' That was kind of the (mentality).