Starters & Mins

[jnhucla]

Does it seem like coaching staff is over thinking the line up and not just letting them go?

Starters

Pitch

Smith

Shields

Biggs

Webster

Petteyway - I understand he is playing as good as anyone but he can play multiple positions and would be an early spark for slow starting games.

Ray - change up with outside shooting. Limit his time all he does is shoot the 3, we can get him his shots when he's in would rather see Biggs & Webster get more mins (drive & dish)

Rivers- he can also play a couple spots, limit mins would rather have Shields/petteway/pitch those mins.

At that point I would cut any other mins these kids are young and with all the fouls they get plenty of breaks.

[The_Vault]

My starters would be:

 

Tai

Petteway

Shields

Walt

Leslee

 

or go a little smaller and put Ray in there for Walt and make shields a 4 and Petteway a 3

[Huskerpapa]

We can hash and rehash the line up...bottom line, it was the coaches decide.  I have said the beginning of the year that I thought Petteway would be a terrific sixth man.  But Coach Miles likes him in the starting line up...so...it is what it is.  Honestly, the top nine seems pretty interchangable.

[atskooc]

Where does Hawkins fit in when he returns?

[jnhucla]

Just saw he's back this week. You have to give him some mins to see where we could use him. I liked his size in the scrimmage.

[Cazzie22]

Unless Hawkins is going to play quality minutes every game, it might be better to redshirt him.

[Tallbaby21]

I think Petteway has to start and play 30+ minutes. He's a dynamic scorer.

[royalfan]

All interchangeable depending on the night and matchup aside from Petteway and Shields should be out thre 33 minutes each. 

[49r]

All interchangeable depending on the night and matchup aside from Petteway and Shields should be out thre 33 minutes each. 

 

I think that could be deadly.  If those two can get things figured out, they could be an almost unstoppable combo.

[jnhucla]

I don't mind Petteway getting 30 mins but I would still like him to come off the bench.

[Norm Peterson]

I don't mind Petteway getting 30 mins but I would still like him to come off the bench.

The way Petteway plays, he'd almost be superb to come off the bench.  When the bench is in and the starters start to go out, you want a guy who is willing and able to take over and provide a spark.  He could really do that coming off the bench.  You could still give him basically starters minutes and have him in for the end of the game, but just start him off on the bench while everyone else is sort of letting the game come to them.  

[royalfan]

When he and Shields are our two best players IMO and he is our best attacker arguable in our motion offense I think we need him out there almost all the time other than to let him get a quick blow and a quick reminder to stay within himself when he gets a bit carried away on what he thinks he needs to, which I think most would agree is a fine line.  I like starting with our best guys, but I can see the logic as he would give us a spark off the bench since he is a spark plug. 

[Huskerpapa]

Many of you may not remember John "Hondo" Havlicek.  He was a glue player and seemed to get better at the end of the game.  He was one of the first players who was recognized as a supersub or sixth man.  Here is what he thought of the role:

 

Havlicek was the best nonstarter in basketball. As Boston's "supersub" he came in at either guard or forward and was usually on the court at the end of a game. Along with Russell, Havlicek routinely accumulated the most playing minutes among the Celtics during a season.

Havlicek didn't mind the sixth-man role. "It never bothered me," he once said, "because I think that role is very important to a club.. One thing I learned from Red Auerbach was that it's not who starts the game, but who finishes it, and I generally was around at the finish."

 

I have said before, and I will say it again, I like Petteway in that role.  He is instant energy and can play multiple roles on the floor.  Perhaps he doesn't have the sixth man mentality.  I trust Coach Miles, as the year ages, the players will learn and embrace their roles.