My “Shake it up” proposals

[OkaForPrez]

Problem statement(s):

Lack of dribble penetration offensively and on ball defense are the primary issues.

Three point shooting is suffering as a result of lack of dribble penetration. Teams are overplaying on the third level.

Lack of on ball defensive exposes a weakness of Adama on that end, he’s not a rim protector.

Solutions:

Move Diarra to the starting lineup, his handle and defense address both primary issues.

Move Newton to the 2, Hawkins to the 3, AJ to the 4. This gets us smaller at every position which should help us close the quickness gap at both ends. Yes, this demotes AK. But I’m okay sending more shooting to later in the rotation because…

Start Donavan. The rim protection will help cure ills defensively and offensively even if teams pack it down low there’s still enough offensive weapons on the perimeter in Hawk, Newt (assuming moving him off ball helps fix him) and AJ.

Adama now plays his first 5 minutes with AK and JC + lineup dependent decisions. He’s playing against tired or bench bigs which can help get him going earlier. He’ll have spacing.

From there it’s game feel on which lineup is having more success.

Conclusion:

Defense improves in first 5 which is helpful in hostile environments.

Quickness improves which helps on both ends on what is currently being exploited.

Challenges:

“Benching” the pre-season POY is probably unpopular.

 

[storrsroars]

There was a time not too long ago where I would've supported giving Diarra more play.

Then I watched the end of yesterday's game. Twice.

 

[Mets8692]

What am i missing with Diarra that other people are seeing?

He is out of control 90% of the time the ball is in his hands, he goes without thinking. Starting him isn't going to change that.

Never mind the fact that he isn't a scoring threat, though neither is Jackson or Newton lately so i guess that wouldn't change to much.

 

[August_West]

Problem statement(s):

Lack of dribble penetration offensively and on ball defense are the primary issues.

Three point shooting is suffering as a result of lack of dribble penetration. Teams are overplaying on the third level.

Lack of on ball defensive exposes a weakness of Adama on that end, he’s not a rim protector.

Solutions:

Move Diarra to the starting lineup, his handle and defense address both primary issues.

Move Newton to the 2, Hawkins to the 3, AJ to the 4. This gets us smaller at every position which should help us close the quickness gap at both ends. Yes, this demotes AK. But I’m okay sending more shooting to later in the rotation because…

Start Donavan. The rim protection will help cure ills defensively and offensively even if teams pack it down low there’s still enough offensive weapons on the perimeter in Hawk, Newt (assuming moving him off ball helps fix him) and AJ.

Adama now plays his first 5 minutes with AK and JC + lineup dependent decisions. He’s playing against tired or bench bigs which can help get him going earlier. He’ll have spacing.

From there it’s game feel on which lineup is having more success.

Conclusion:

Defense improves in first 5 which is helpful in hostile environments.

Quickness improves which helps on both ends on what is currently being exploited.

Challenges:

“Benching” the pre-season POY is probably unpopular.

Holy Moly, I appreciate the spirit but you just took our most consistent player out of the equation: Karaban.

Also Id be fine with DC over Sanogo but that aint gonna happen. Unless you really want to torpedo this team in locker room any further than it may be now.

Newton doesn't deserve to even sniff 15 minutes. I would be good with 15 minutes.

 

[boiwerebad]

Diarra is the idea that looking like you are trying hard means you are doing a better job than you are (kind of like Hurley yelling). He just is not good enough to play more than spot minutes. He is shooting under 30 from the floor, 20 from 3 and barely over 50% from the line with a 1.7 AST:TO ratio. That offense is so abysmal it doesn't make up for the fact he seems to care.

Also Karaban needs to start. He is a pure shooter with size who basically plays mistake free (or at least as mistake free on this team) basketball. He has also been developing more with off the dribble stuff.

PG: Andre
SG: Hawkins
SF: Karaban
PF: Sanogo
C: Clingan
6: Joey
7: Newton
8:Richie (Seriously, how has he only gotten double digits once in 3 years, we have no other bigs)

 

[MrSec224]

Im gonna go with a crazy proposal

Back to the starting lineup we used to open the PK

Newton - Alleyne - Hawkins - Karaban - Sanogo

I believe Alleyne playing with the starters may unlock him a bit. Next to Diarra he has to force shots and it just doesnt work.

Then you have Clingan - Andre - Joey - Diarra off the bench. That is all energy and chaos. Loved the feel of Andre off the bench and it just feels like it injects change to the starters and the bench

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

Problem statement(s):

Lack of dribble penetration offensively and on ball defense are the primary issues.

Three point shooting is suffering as a result of lack of dribble penetration. Teams are overplaying on the third level.

Lack of on ball defensive exposes a weakness of Adama on that end, he’s not a rim protector.

Solutions:

Move Diarra to the starting lineup, his handle and defense address both primary issues.

Move Newton to the 2, Hawkins to the 3, AJ to the 4. This gets us smaller at every position which should help us close the quickness gap at both ends. Yes, this demotes AK. But I’m okay sending more shooting to later in the rotation because…

Start Donavan. The rim protection will help cure ills defensively and offensively even if teams pack it down low there’s still enough offensive weapons on the perimeter in Hawk, Newt (assuming moving him off ball helps fix him) and AJ.

Adama now plays his first 5 minutes with AK and JC + lineup dependent decisions. He’s playing against tired or bench bigs which can help get him going earlier. He’ll have spacing.

From there it’s game feel on which lineup is having more success.

Conclusion:

Defense improves in first 5 which is helpful in hostile environments.

Quickness improves which helps on both ends on what is currently being exploited.

Challenges:

“Benching” the pre-season POY is probably unpopular.

In no scenario are we better with AK not starting/getting starter minutes.

 

[storrsroars]

I've suggested much the same in other threads. AJax still had a lot of minutes, but Newton had the chance to run the offense alone for stretches. Hard to say if AJax's presence is holding Newton back, but it's hard to deny the Newton of the first 8 games wasn't better than the guy we've got now.

 

[REB1094]

What am i missing with Diarra that other people are seeing?

He is out of control 90% of the time the ball is in his hands, he goes without thinking. Starting him isn't going to change that.

Never mind the fact that he isn't a scoring threat, though neither is Jackson or Newton lately so i guess that wouldn't change to much.

Diarra has a 5ish minute stretch every game where he's really disruptive defensively and wins us back a few possessions when nobody else can get a stop

For the other 10ish minutes, his effectiveness is about the same as the other PGs. He plays rugged defense and plays with passion, which is why we give him a pass. When all 3 PGs are nearly unplayable, the one that gives 100% effort and plays with energy will always be preferred

Quite possibly the most inefficient offensive player in the country though - below 30% FG, below 20% 3P, and 52% FT

After Newton's performance yesterday, I wouldn't blame Hurley if he started Diarra. It doesn't really solve any problems, but Newton didn't even look like he wanted to be out there. It would more be a punishment for Newton than a reward for Diarra tbh

 

[OkaForPrez]

Just to be clear, I’m not advocating for reducing Adama or Alex’s minutes, Im saying I want to start the first 5 minutes with our best defensive lineup on the floor. You can still manage the minutes accordingly and get each of those guys 28+.

 

[bendm]

If we’re trying to stop dribble penetration first and foremost then putting AK at the 3 and Sanogo at the 4 seems like the worst possible solution. Neither have the footspeed necessary to stay in front of the smaller quicker guys they would almost always be guarding.

Clingan’s presence at the rim would help negate perimeter breakdowns so we could get away with Sanogo at the 4 but not if AK is at the other forward spot.

 

[Hurleyman216]

Starting with AJax on the bench isn’t the worst idea I’ve heard. It will at least keep him from picking up 2 fouls in the first 2 minutes. Also gives him the chance to see how tight the refs are calling things. Then bring him in with Joey C and Clingan and keep rolling

 

[uconnfan68]

If we’re trying to stop dribble penetration first and foremost then putting AK at the 3 and Sanogo at the 4 seems like the worst possible solution. Neither have the footspeed necessary to stay in front of the smaller quicker guys they would almost always be guarding.

Clingan’s presence at the rim would help negate perimeter breakdowns so we could get away with Sanogo at the 4 but not if AK is at the other forward spot.

Maybe play to OUR strengths, not our weaknesses. Zone if we’re too slow. We’re long enough to make it work.

 

[Hurleyman216]

My proposal:
Start Sanogo and Clingan just to let the Boneyard know it’s not the answer moving forward. Then…

Sit Newton down and tell him how good he can be and tell him he could have his Jersey hanging from the rafters one day, get him back to playing how he was early on. He just lost his confidence. Have Alleyne/Calcaterra/Diarra/Jackson shoot 1000 3 pointers a day even if they need to stay up all night to get them all in.

Making 3’s covers up a lot of mistakes…when our offense goes cold we lose our motivation on defense. Gotta start knocking down our open shots again

 

[Hunt for 7]

Diarra is the idea that looking like you are trying hard means you are doing a better job than you are (kind of like Hurley yelling). He just is not good enough to play more than spot minutes. He is shooting under 30 from the floor, 20 from 3 and barely over 50% from the line with a 1.7 AST:TO ratio. That offense is so abysmal it doesn't make up for the fact he seems to care.

Also Karaban needs to start. He is a pure shooter with size who basically plays mistake free (or at least as mistake free on this team) basketball. He has also been developing more with off the dribble stuff.

PG: Andre
SG: Hawkins
SF: Karaban
PF: Sanogo
C: Clingan
6: Joey
7: Newton
8:Richie (Seriously, how has he only gotten double digits once in 3 years, we have no other bigs)

This would be my starting lineup. Start the game playing zone. Then sixth man is Newton for one of the bigs. After the start and there is a feel for what the other team has working you can rotate out using the same players maybe minus Diarra and adding Samson to rotation.

 

[JT-55]

Im gonna go with a crazy proposal

Back to the starting lineup we used to open the PK

Newton - Alleyne - Hawkins - Karaban - Sanogo

I believe Alleyne playing with the starters may unlock him a bit. Next to Diarra he has to force shots and it just doesnt work.

Then you have Clingan - Andre - Joey - Diarra off the bench. That is all energy and chaos. Loved the feel of Andre off the bench and it just feels like it injects change to the starters and the bench

The more I think about this the more I like it. Lets get back to that early season rotation and try to recapture that magic.

Early in the season there was the idea that we came at opponents in waves. Maybe having Andre off the bench creates that energy for the second team. Diarra and Andre get can aggressive on defense with Clingan as a rim protector.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

Im gonna go with a crazy proposal

Back to the starting lineup we used to open the PK

Newton - Alleyne - Hawkins - Karaban - Sanogo

I believe Alleyne playing with the starters may unlock him a bit. Next to Diarra he has to force shots and it just doesnt work.

Then you have Clingan - Andre - Joey - Diarra off the bench. That is all energy and chaos. Loved the feel of Andre off the bench and it just feels like it injects change to the starters and the bench

I like this but I don’t think it will happen. It is tough to put your most important player on the bench. I’m not sure Hurley would do that or if Jackson would be open to it. But Jackson is a huge team guy, so it’s possible.
I think it could bear fruit later in the season if we can get Alleyne going. And Jackson can maybe upstart the bench guys a bit. And of course, we’ll have Samson back soon. I’m guessing 10-15 min off the bench to start.
Of course we’d still end the game with Jackson on the court and get him his 25-30 min a game.

 

[Hunt for 7]

I like this but I don’t think it will happen. It is tough to put your most important player on the bench. I’m not sure Hurley would do that or if Jackson would be open to it. But Jackson is a huge team guy, so it’s possible.
I think it could bear fruit later in the season if we can get Alleyne going. And Jackson can maybe upstart the bench guys a bit. And of course, we’ll have Samson back soon. I’m guessing 10-15 min off the bench to start.
Of course we’d still end the game with Jackson on the court and get him his 25-30 min a game.

Actually I think this is the best suggestion. Andre coming off the bench with DC. I agree it may give Alleyne a shot of confidence and help maximize his value. At the start of the season I thought he played well. He defended hit his open shots and had enough size to get in there and rebound. The more I think about it the more I like it.

 

[Kenny11]

Problem statement(s):

Lack of dribble penetration offensively and on ball defense are the primary issues.

Three point shooting is suffering as a result of lack of dribble penetration. Teams are overplaying on the third level.

Lack of on ball defensive exposes a weakness of Adama on that end, he’s not a rim protector.

Solutions:

Move Diarra to the starting lineup, his handle and defense address both primary issues.

Move Newton to the 2, Hawkins to the 3, AJ to the 4. This gets us smaller at every position which should help us close the quickness gap at both ends. Yes, this demotes AK. But I’m okay sending more shooting to later in the rotation because…

Start Donavan. The rim protection will help cure ills defensively and offensively even if teams pack it down low there’s still enough offensive weapons on the perimeter in Hawk, Newt (assuming moving him off ball helps fix him) and AJ.

Adama now plays his first 5 minutes with AK and JC + lineup dependent decisions. He’s playing against tired or bench bigs which can help get him going earlier. He’ll have spacing.

From there it’s game feel on which lineup is having more success.

Conclusion:

Defense improves in first 5 which is helpful in hostile environments.

Quickness improves which helps on both ends on what is currently being exploited.

Challenges:

“Benching” the pre-season POY is probably unpopular.

I think the challenge you point out is too much to overcome. My guess is Hurley loses the team if he benches Adama

 

[Doctor Hoop]

Problem statement(s):

Lack of dribble penetration offensively and on ball defense are the primary issues.

Three point shooting is suffering as a result of lack of dribble penetration. Teams are overplaying on the third level.

Lack of on ball defensive exposes a weakness of Adama on that end, he’s not a rim protector.

Solutions:

Move Diarra to the starting lineup, his handle and defense address both primary issues.

Move Newton to the 2, Hawkins to the 3, AJ to the 4. This gets us smaller at every position which should help us close the quickness gap at both ends. Yes, this demotes AK. But I’m okay sending more shooting to later in the rotation because…

Start Donavan. The rim protection will help cure ills defensively and offensively even if teams pack it down low there’s still enough offensive weapons on the perimeter in Hawk, Newt (assuming moving him off ball helps fix him) and AJ.

Adama now plays his first 5 minutes with AK and JC + lineup dependent decisions. He’s playing against tired or bench bigs which can help get him going earlier. He’ll have spacing.

From there it’s game feel on which lineup is having more success.

Conclusion:

Defense improves in first 5 which is helpful in hostile environments.

Quickness improves which helps on both ends on what is currently being exploited.

Challenges:

“Benching” the pre-season POY is probably unpopular.

But bringing Sanogo off the bench ...

 

[superjohn]

If we’re trying to stop dribble penetration first and foremost then putting AK at the 3 and Sanogo at the 4 seems like the worst possible solution. Neither have the footspeed necessary to stay in front of the smaller quicker guys they would almost always be guarding.

Clingan’s presence at the rim would help negate perimeter breakdowns so we could get away with Sanogo at the 4 but not if AK is at the other forward spot.

We aren't stopping any dribble penetration as it is and we aren't stopping anything at the rim with Clingan off the court and Samson injured. Maybe use or size advantage to control the boards, protect the rim, and bludgeon teams down low. Playing your best players doesn't seem like a bad idea especially when so many other guys are playing horribly.

 

[bendm]

Maybe play to OUR strengths, not our weaknesses. Zone if we’re too slow. We’re long enough to make it work.

We aren't stopping any dribble penetration as it is

All for going super big if we use a 2-3. That just seems like a more dramatic shift in philosophy than not being so aggressive and overplaying on the perimeter, which I think diarra and Clingan would help most with.

 

[superjohn]

All for going super big if we use a 2-3. That just seems like a more dramatic shift in philosophy than not being so aggressive and overplaying on the perimeter, which I think diarra and Clingan would help most with.

I wouldn't want a major shakeup if it seemed like we could just tweak things a little and be right back on track but from where I'm sitting it looks like the wheels are falling off. We're getting gashed on D by inferior talent game after game now and our offense revolves around throwing it into Sanogo who isn't making anyone better and chucking threes.

 

[hookshot]

My proposal:
Start Sanogo and Clingan just to let the Boneyard know it’s not the answer moving forward. Then…

Sit Newton down and tell him how good he can be and tell him he could have his Jersey hanging from the rafters one day, get him back to playing how he was early on. He just lost his confidence. Have Alleyne/Calcaterra/Diarra/Jackson shoot 1000 3 pointers a day even if they need to stay up all night to get them all in.

Making 3’s covers up a lot of mistakes…when our offense goes cold we lose our motivation on defense. Gotta start knocking down our open shots again

If Jackson shoots his 1000 with his current technique, he'll miss more than 700 of them. As hard as it may be at his age, he needs to get with a shooting coach and totally overhaul his technique - even if he has to wait until off-season to do so because the NBA is not drafting 6'6" guys who don't shoot over 30%, no matter how athletic they are.

 

[XLCenterFan]

Newton had 0 points 1 rebound 1 assist on Sunday. Alleyne should be relegated to the bench. I don’t mind starting Diarra. Cannot not start Sanogo. Jackson needs to be closer to basket for rebounds. Make him the 4. DH can be quick with the hook like Calhoun was.
Diarra
Hawk
Ak
Jackson
Sanogo