1-2-2-3-4 vs. 1-2-3-4-4

[playstation]

this is the result of the trade. we'll still be playing 'small' with KT in the lineup, but i remember a discussion about this last year where the consensus was the latter small lineup was dramatically more effective than the former. still believe it? i do.

 

[elindholm]

I definitely still believe it. Very few teams play a "true" center much now anyway. The only decent centers who see big minutes are (in no particular order) O'Neal, Yao, Ilgauskas, Miller, Dampier, and Ratliff. I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple, but the point is that the "true center" is a dying breed and most teams have figured out that they can get better results by going with two PFs who have complementary skills.

 

[myrondizzo]

i think so too considering there are only a few true 5s in the whole league.

 

[Joe Mama]

I definitely still believe it. Very few teams play a "true" center much now anyway. The only decent centers who see big minutes are (in no particular order) O'Neal, Yao, Ilgauskas, Miller, Dampier, and Ratliff. I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple, but the point is that the "true center" is a dying breed and most teams have figured out that they can get better results by going with two PFs who have complementary skills.

Ratliff is as much a truce center as Bo outlaw. He is possibly 6-8. He just has a very long arms. He does block a lot of shots, but I would rather have Kurt Thomas. And I'm not saying that just because the Phoenix Suns now have KT.

Joe Mama

 

[elindholm]

Ratliff is as much a truce center as Bo outlaw. He is possibly 6-8.

Ah, I didn't realize that. I thought his listing of 6' 10" was legitimate. But that's fine, go ahead and take him off the list -- better for my point anyway.

 

[George O'Brien]

I'm not sure "lightning ball" is gone. I think that the Suns might be even more effective with their style using JJax at forward. However, I doubt they would use that lineup to the degree this season's lineup was used because this year the Suns went small out of necessity rather than tactical advantage.

There are some teams that absolutely could not deal with the Suns speed lineup. It would be crazy not to use it when it works. However, it ddid not work well against the Spurs and that is what matters over the next few years.

 

[jandaman]

The small ball will still be the suns main system. Kurt Thomas will come off the bench or start depending on who the suns are facing.


He'll thrive against half court teams like the spurs for example.

 

[jbeecham]

Unless we bolster our bench with a quality backup SG/SF then I don't think JJ2 will be starting. We need KT in the game for his defense & rebounding no matter who we play and we'll still have the speed to run teams out of the gym. Hopefully we'll resign Hunter and possibly get a guy like Donyell Marshall, Stromile Swift, SAR, Kwame Brown or a PF in the draft to backup Amare & KT. I know they might re-sign McCarty, but I was never crazy about him being on the team in the first place.

 

[coloradosun]

I am seeing the benefit of having KT vs. Nene or Ratliff (or any other C/PF). If Amare is truely going to have a roll as a "point center", Thomas would be great with the pick and roll for Amare. Thomas can hit the 15 footer if they double Amare, if they switch the opposing center is matched up with Amare, giving them the mismatches that had last season with STAT at the 5.

I am beginning to see the logic of this deal, I just did not realize that KT took 90% of his shots from outside the lane and inside the arch (which on the Phoenix new paint scheme is in the wood stain, to which I will now refer to the 15 foot range as "the stain").

This may be another reason that I see the Suns trying to move up and get Joey Graham, he could also set a mean pick on the opposing PF and roll and hit the shot in "the stain". In this case, Amare gets matched up against the opposing SF, advantage Amare. Garcia would snap in half if he had to set any pick.

It would also make me believe that SAR would be a better fit than Donyell Marshall for a FA pickup.

In both of these offensive sets, it leaves both Nash, Johnson and Jackson around the arch to nail the 3's. This definitely sets up Amare as the focal point in the half court offense taking the pressure and the wear and tear off of Nash. That is where Nash was getting beat up last year was on picks. Diener would be effective as well just lurching around the arch instead of setting picks.

 

[F-Dog]

this is the result of the trade. we'll still be playing 'small' with KT in the lineup, but i remember a discussion about this last year where the consensus was the latter small lineup was dramatically more effective than the former. still believe it? i do.

I believed it back then, but not any more.

62 wins and the conference finals is a pretty good argument.

 

[Yuma]

Why not a 1-2-4-4-4 lineup if you got em? Since Marion played "PF" this last year, if we got KT would our lineup be 1-2-4-4-4 if KT started with Marion and Amare?