Minnesota Sports Forum

Starters
Rubio / Martin / Brewer / Love / Pekovic
A nice balance of offense/defense/athleticism/transitional players/shooting/slashing/rebounding and low post scoring.

6th Man - Williams: Comes in for Pek, Love slides to 5
7th Man - Budinger: Shares 48 minutes a night with Brewer. Nice offensive/defensive combo.
8th Man - Shved: Covers minutes at 2 behind Martin and occassionally at the point.

This is a solid 8 man rotation, which I can imagine Adelman will rely on.

9th Man - Barea: Relieves Rubio. Gives 2nd unit scoring punch
10th Man - Dieng: Gives us about 12 minutes a night when we need a defensive big

Cunningham, Muhammad, Turiaf, Johnson: Foul / Injury cover.

The benefit, beyond having a very reliable defensive wing, is that Brewer is a reliable 5th option on the corners shooting 3's (40% corner 3's) and would likely end up getting some highly explosive breakaways given what should be a very good defensive rebounding teams. Although I could also see him paired with either Johnson or Deing (sp?) who can adjust to Brewers cheating ways on defense.

As much as I'd like to see Williams start, Brewer makes the most sense without having seen these guys play together.

The only way D Will becomes a starter is if he shows he can be better than Brewer defensively against 3's in training camp. Otherwise, I think we'll see Ricky/Martin/Brewer/Love/Pek with JJ/Shved/Bud/DC/Turiaf as the second unit and Bazz, Dieng and D Will getting spot minutes when available.

Bazz will only play if he commits to playing defense in training camp. I think Dieng is still a ways away from playing significant minutes as he doesn't look like he has a very high basketball IQ watching him in summer league and has to learn to play the game smarter if he wants to be the rim protector we are looking for. I think the only way D Will plays is if he beats out DC in training camp, otherwise I don't see him playing much 3 unless someone gets hurt or he beats out Brewer for the starting spot because he defends 3's well in camp.

Bazz, D Will and Dieng have the most to prove to earn minutes and Adelman isn't just going to hand them minutes because they were drafted. They are going to have to beat out the hard working veterans in front of them if they want to see the floor at all, otherwise, we are committed to the playoffs and Adelman isn't going to waste time developing players in games when we are looking to win and have a solid group of veterans to do so. You may not agree with it, but I am certainly tired of missing the playoffs and I'm not willing to miss them again just to get some young guys minutes.

Right on, Khans, Adelman isn't going to "experiment" with Williams just for the sake of seeing if he can play or not. He has already seen enough and at this stage of his career wants to talk about victories, not "what-ifs." And beating DC out of minutes at the 4 won't be easy. Cunningham will be playing for a new contract the following season and wants to make the most of his limited time on court.

I think Martin will start I also think Brewer will start not because Brewer is better than Bud, I just think with the other starters I think Brewer would be the better fit.

Riverside_Viking wrote:I think Martin will start I also think Brewer will start not because Brewer is better than Bud, I just think with the other starters I think Brewer would be the better fit.

In a nutshell yes. Brewer balances out the starting lineup better than Bud. I also want him on the court with Rubio due to his great fast break / transition game. I think those two can develop great chemistry.

Riverside_Viking wrote:I think Martin will start I also think Brewer will start not because Brewer is better than Bud, I just think with the other starters I think Brewer would be the better fit.

Yup, you and Kiwi nailed it.

Typically you think of Brewer as an energy guy and those type of players tend to do well off the bench. But if you think about our other bench guys - Barea, Cunningham, and even Turiaf - I consider all those guys as energy players. If anything, Budinger can give that second unit some stability with his steady play. Our first unit needs a wing that focuses on defending the opposing team's best wing. I just don't see this as the best fit for Bud (and certainly not Martin, who will be counted upon for his offense).

Tim, ha haa....yah...I am predicting that Barea will be moved, and still have a gut feeling that D Will could be also. I am just not sure what is happening with Pek, and more and more he balks at making a choice or is not confirmed....The more i get nervous. I like Barea, but not at the risk of holding Shved back from his true position at PG. I like a second unit of Shved, Bud and Brewer a lot.

I think kiwi nailed the starting 5. It will most likely be brew/love/pek/rubio/martin.

As for the bench, If it were up to adelman only, I can see him with his 2nd unit being Bud/dante/turiaf/jj/shved. If flip wants adelman to play dw, then kiwi's rotation would be more like it except you sub turiaf for dieng.

I dont see the rookies making the rotation for the first half of the season. JJ would most likely play ahead of shved as well in that he gets backup pg minutes and some sg minutes as well playing together with rubio.

The 7 guys that are sure to get regular minutes are love/rubio/pek/martin/brewer/bud/jj. Turiaf will get spot minutes at the 5, he may also get some dnp's if we are up againts smaller teams like steimsma did last season. .Dante,shved and dw have to compete for their minutes. Bazz,dieng,cj,15th guy will be on the bench, inactive list or play in the d league.

DWill may not start in favor of Brewer, but he's going to play. Thinking he won't be part of the rotation just doesn't make sense.