WeekapaugGroove wrote:The 5 man lineup of Rubio, Booker, Bridges, oubre, Ayton is a +20 net rating per 100 possessions this season. That's an absolutely elite number.
Simple question, why are so many here looking to break that up? Basketball is about finding player groups that work and when you do you should ride the **** out of it.
Side note it's shows how much flux the suns had in lineups this year when that group is the second highest 5 man lineup with 226 even with the ayton suspension. Rubio, Booker, oubre saric Baynes was top with 245 and they had a +6 net rating, not bad but no where close to that elite +20 number.
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I don't think it should be but also don't know what is going on behind the scenes with players. I wish Oubre was playing in Orlando (or hope he does) so we can see if that continues, and I'd like to see if that lineup would continue to do so well next year. If it does that well, I wouldn't break it up.
However, I would try to figure a way to put a weight on each player's importance to that group, and who may be more replaceable (interchangeable) than others. The reason I do mention sometimes that for Oubre it could simply come down to money is because of that group, I think you obviously need Rubio, Booker and Ayton (despite Baynes doing very well with the group too), but of course Ayton is here to stay. And Bridges defensive and chemistry with players is obviously key as well.
Because we all have to remember, that despite how good one unit is, if our team struggles greatly enough during other teams to make us a 30 win team, that's a problem, and while I think had we gone with this lineup sooner, had Ayton healthy, Baynes and Rubio healthy, Bridges healthy to start, etc, we'd be better, we have to make sure the entire depth chart works.
Oubre's energy can get the group going and sometimes he has those clutch plays. He also has the drive into traffic turnover/missed shot problems. While he is probably the least important of the starting group, he would probably be our second highest paid player....this is a guy ranked 382 in RPM (I know not your favorite metric but still uses same criteria for everyone...Cam is like 257).
We mainly saw that lineup when we sat Saric for Mikal. Now I don't think going back to Saric works....I think you need a guy that runs and can finish and shoot and be electric...a bit like the SSOL Suns. I do wonder how Cam would do in place of Oubre, given that it would make our offense more potent spreading the floor, opening things up for Ayton, Booker and Bridges at the rim. Or an electric 4 like Toppin might provide some of that energy that Oubre does...of course Toppin probably won't be available.
Now Cam or Toppin would obviously likely drop down that rating but obviously could save us a lot of money. And while one could argue "Well you want to find out what works and stick with it" when talking about this current group, I do agree, but even with that lineup, given our depth issues, we have problems, and if we overpay people those depth issues will not go away.
So the question is how best to utilize all your money in the best way possible to make the entire roster (or at least those who play) worthwhile, because you don't want to blow big leads when part of your best lineup sits.
Our two biggest areas of need in my estimation are obviously backup PG....so if you can get Hayes, Halliburton, Ball, Melton, Tyus Jones, or some of the other names floated, fine.....and then a 4 that works for us and can run with our fast unit in place of Oubre IF he walks...because, lets face it, it may not just come down to what we want anyway? Plus there may be times we need a 4 with a bit more size, especially if we go small. I really love Toppin offensively, but obviously you never know how much a player is willing to work to improve defensively. I have been very happily suprised with Ayton though, and Toppin really came out of nowhere with a much improved game, so my guess is he works hard.
I have read that people would like to trade the pick, especially if we move up. These comments are hard for me to respond to because you never know what for. What if it's for a future pick? What if it's for Denzel Valentine?
Are these picks that valuable? I personally think that although these may not be standout prospects, that some of the top prospects seem to fit positions we could use players at 1 and 4, between Ball, Hayes, Halliburtion, Toppin and Avidja. At 4 or higher, you get one of those guys if you want which really solves a depth issue for us.
Of course I'd be open to trade, but at the same time, it has to make sense cap wise and also hopefully address one of those same needs. And do you want a solid backup PG more than a Hayes type who could be PG of the future 3-15 years down the line?
Just too many unknowns when it is blanketly stated to trade draft picks.
) . But the rook will have every opportunity to run the second unit with 16+ minutes a night, and best case scene is an eventual Rubio replacement.
