Lineup changes for Wednesday

[AbeVigodaLive]

I guess since I'm posting at a rabid pace everywhere else this morning, I might as well post in this thread, too.

I'm ready to see this team develop... together. I'm ready to see LaVine with Wiggins, Towns and Rubio. Ideally, Jones would be here, sopping up some experience in about 12 mpg... but hopefully that comes soon.

I wouldn't delay the move above just because of the backup PG. Miller can handle 12 mpg until Jones is ready. The playoffs were never really a viable option. Now that it's out on the table, let's move on to what this season is really about... developing Wiggins and Towns and finding out where LaVine and Rubio fit into the mix.


[Note: In all honesty, I am optimistic still. Towns is better than I expected. LaVine is better than I thought. Those are GOOD things for a young developing team. Now, if Wiggins can show progress toward being the guy many of us hope he can be...]

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I listened to Sam's post-game comments driving home from a terrible Wolves performance tonight. Unlike many of his pressers, I found tonight's comments quite measured and thoughtful. He didn't fight with the press, but instead talked about what he was displeased with. And the main thing he was displeased with is the same thing I was mostly displeased with tonight...our horrible perimeter defense. After a depressing game, I was heartened to hear Sam say there would be lineup changes in light of the recent poor defensive effort.

Anybody want to venture a guess as to why we ranked in the top 10 in defense and were 4-2 after our first 6 games, and why we have now lost 7 of our last 8 games and rank near the bottom defensively? Anybody? Anybody? Buehler? After the 6th game, Rubio got hurt again, and as the losses began to mount up, Sam inserted Kevin Martin into the starting lineup in an effort to get more offense on the court. And our defense has been a disaster ever since that move. We're scoring more points, to be sure...but defense wins ballgames and the futility of our defense with #23 on the court far offsets the additional offense he provides. I will be very disappointed if Sam doesn't revert back to the lineup that was so successful at the start of the year: Rubio, Wiggins, Prince, KG and Towns.

Maybe it's just me, but I much prefer first quarters that end with 22-17 leads like they were at the start of the season rather than the 32-26 deficits we're seeing with Kevin in the lineup. Going back to the original successful lineup works because:

1) It puts our best defense on the floor from the start of the game, and doesn't allow the opponents offense to get in gear and their confidence to build.

2) It forces our budding offensive stars Towns and Wiggins to be active offensively and handle most of the scoring from the start, which hopefully carries through to the rest of the game.

3) It allows our weaker defensive second unit to line up against the other team's reserves who will be less able to exploit our defensive weakness, while still providing some potent offensive firepower from Martin, LaVine and Shabazz.


It's very simple really. It worked at the start of the season, and it will work now. Sam is too hard-headed to admit he made a mistake in taking Tay out of the starting lineup, but I do expect him to make this simple lineup change tomorrow.

LST, That's definitely the lineup I think he goes back to. I also wouldn't be surprised if we see Payne bump Bjelica from the lineup. Bjelly has been in a major slump lately and the refs have had it in for him.

Frankly, "tweaks" to the rotation aren't going to fix this. Everyone except may be KG has been slipping defensively. As Tim mentioned, defensive discipline and focus is required in addition to effort. There are just too many mental lapses right now - by multiple players. I'm not sure how that gets fixed through a lineup tweak.

Agree with this. How is Payne's Defense? I haven't seen him play much, can he be our 3 and D guy off the bench or does he make too many mistakes?

Not the best, Kenny. In a way he reminds me of a longer version of Bazz on defense...lots of effort, but subpar technique at times. It's a drop in quality going from Good Belly to Payne, but Belly isn't giving us anything good currently.

[bleedspeed]

Let the development begin. LaVine into the starting lineup.

I think the hope was Kevin Martin would play strong and we would up his value and then could move him. It has not happened.

I love the idea of:

Rubio/Miller
LaVIne/Shabazz
Wiggins/Prince
KG/Bjelica
Towns/Dieng
(Dieng would log minutes at PF when KG comes off the floor)

[60WinTim]

I seriously doubt Mitchell made any move for the sake of propping up someone's trade value...

Mitchell had a problem. The starting unit needed more offense, and the wings on the bench unit were only playing for themselves (Kmart and Bazz, fueled by Zach's inability to run an offense). So Sam's tweak was to swap Prince and Kmart. My biggest complaint is KMart was/is in a shooting slump, so how do you justify moving him into the starting lineup hoping he will find his shooting touch?!?

So with tweak failing, the next tweak is to put Zach in the starting lineup (which he has earned!), and hope that Miller can foster more selfless play from KMart and Bazz.

We will see how well it works. But we need a stretch of games before we can evaluate it...

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Apathy has changed to excitement!! A lineup change!! Woo hoo!!! Everything is gonna be great now!!!

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Apathy has changed to excitement!! A lineup change!! Woo hoo!!! Everything is gonna be great now!!!

Ha, that's all it takes, Kenny! Conventional wisdom says that it doesn't matter who starts...it's who finishes that matters. But the performance of our starting lineup has been so much worse since Sam inserted KMart in the first five, that it seems like who starts does have an impact. I think the excitement level here is based on two hopes:

1) Most here want to see the Zach at SG era begin, and are excited to see if Zach for KMart is the move that Sam makes. That move means much more than just a shuffling of the starting 5...according to most of you, it would put Zach in his rightful position. And you're excited about that.

2) The other camp (which admittedly is lonelier than the Zach at 2 camp) remembers fondly those first quarters of October and early November, when we regularly held opponents well under 25 points, and sometimes under 20, in first quarters. We remember the Wolves' lofty defensive rating in the pre-Martin starting era, and remember even more fondly that promising 4-2 record with the correct starting lineup.

So, regardless of which camp you are in, there is agreement with Sam removing Kevin and hope that Sam will do the move that we endorse. For fans of a team that has lost 7 of 8 coming off a terrible performance, that's enough to generate a little enthusiasm! I'll be watching tonight, and suspect we may have an active GDT tonight.

[60WinTim]

A couple other notes, LST:

I do view Zach as a "guard", but until recently, he has been used exclusively at PG. So yes, we are anxious to see him get minutes at SG. And every time Miller sees the floor, the 2nd unit becomes more efficient, so it is exciting to think we might see him more consistently.

And while the Wolves start to the season was pretty good, I don't think you are factoring in scouting as a reason our success has declined. The book is out on how best to attack and defend our team. I suspect a return to the rotations we began the season with would not produce the same results.

[thedoper]

I hope its

Rubio
Wiggins
Bazz
Kg
Kat

I'd be just as Happy with:
Rubio
Zach
Wiggins
KG
Kat

My main reason for the first choice is that I think Martin and Bazz are a horrible combination for the 2nd unit. Once Martin is traded Move Zach into a starters role. Zach is already getting 25 mins a game, Bazz needs more run.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

A couple other notes, LST:

I do view Zach as a "guard", but until recently, he has been used exclusively at PG. So yes, we are anxious to see him get minutes at SG. And every time Miller sees the floor, the 2nd unit becomes more efficient, so it is exciting to think we might see him more consistently.

And while the Wolves start to the season was pretty good, I don't think you are factoring in scouting as a reason our success has declined. The book is out on how best to attack and defend our team. I suspect a return to the rotations we began the season with would not produce the same results.

Good points. Some shakeup is in order, but it feels like a crisis of confidence has permeated throughout the team. This might be just shifting of deck chairs on the Titanic.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

A couple other notes, LST:

I do view Zach as a "guard", but until recently, he has been used exclusively at PG. So yes, we are anxious to see him get minutes at SG. And every time Miller sees the floor, the 2nd unit becomes more efficient, so it is exciting to think we might see him more consistently.

And while the Wolves start to the season was pretty good, I don't think you are factoring in scouting as a reason our success has declined. The book is out on how best to attack and defend our team. I suspect a return to the rotations we began the season with would not produce the same results.

Good points. Some shakeup is in order, but it feels like a crisis of confidence has permeated throughout the team. This might be just shifting of deck chairs on the Titanic.

Yeah, I sense the crisis in confidence phenomenon too. I noticed the same thing that Tim noticed last night...everyone missing shots pre-game and at halftime. Not a good sign and an indicator of a team not playing confidently right now.

I'm not on board with Tim's suspicion that the starting lineup Sam started the year with would not produce the same results now. Hopefully we find out tonight (although AP Guy is predicting a Zach start), and I'm predicting a KAT/KG/Tay/Wig/Ricky lineup will still be stifling defensively. I prefer Tay/Wig lining up against Melo/Afflalo more than I like Wig/Zach, although Wig/Zach is at least an upgrade over Tay/Martin.

But if Sam decides to go with Zach starting at SG tonight, I will be on board. One thing the Knicks don't have is great PG play with Calderon and Galloway, so I'm not worried about Andre matching up with either of them. And even Kevin Martin shouldn't have too much trouble guarding Sasha Vujacic as the backup SG.