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Thirteen guys, all capable of contributing -- how to play them? Four possible solutions,
The Stud Solution:
You don't choose this one; it forces itself upon you. You wake up one morning and find yourself with an NBA-caliber stud at each position. Each has got to play 30-32 minutes . Doesn't matter how many other competent players are crying for time. These five gotta play. Everyone else must adjust. Stud candidates might be Sanogo at C, Akok at PF, Jackson, Hawkins or Floyd at the SF/SG. Less likely stud at PG, unless Diggins blossoms, but Cole could end up as a 30-32 minute guy by default. This solution leaves the other eight players as strictly spot-subs, a few minutes here, a few minutes there. So be it. You don't sit a stud.
The Platoon Solution:
Hate to suggest this, since it never seems to work. You have a starting five, which you sit at the 12-13 minute mark. You substitute enmasse a second 5 down to the last 4-5 minutes.. You mix and match to the buzzer depending on hot hand, fouls, match-ups, etc. Ten guys get to play most of the game. The other 3 split the rest. Lacking studs, this is a tempting solution, since it exploits all your talent and creates team cohesion.
The Seat Of The Pants Solution:
In this solution you have an arbitrary starting five, frequently changing, and your substitutions are strictly a response to events on the court. It is twenty minutes of mix and match. There can be any five men on the floor at any time. It is the best solution for instantly matching talent to the situation, but it sacrifices team cohesion, makes everyone a role player, challenges the development of team leadership. More than a solution, it seems like lack of a solution.
The Likely Solution:
Likeliest is that a stud or two is identified, and together with Cole at PG, they nail down 30-32 minute roles. Likeliest candidates are Sanogo and Akok, with Whaley and Johnson settling in as back-ups. The SF/SG positions remain a mix-and-match all year long among 5 or 6 players. The challenge will be to achieve some degree of cohesion with all the in-and-out on the wing. It is unlikely also that any team leadership will come such a 2-3 rotation. That mantle will rest on Cole alone. Clearly, even the likeliest solution presents a coaching challenge.
Thoughts?
The Stud Solution:
You don't choose this one; it forces itself upon you. You wake up one morning and find yourself with an NBA-caliber stud at each position. Each has got to play 30-32 minutes . Doesn't matter how many other competent players are crying for time. These five gotta play. Everyone else must adjust. Stud candidates might be Sanogo at C, Akok at PF, Jackson, Hawkins or Floyd at the SF/SG. Less likely stud at PG, unless Diggins blossoms, but Cole could end up as a 30-32 minute guy by default. This solution leaves the other eight players as strictly spot-subs, a few minutes here, a few minutes there. So be it. You don't sit a stud.
The Platoon Solution:
Hate to suggest this, since it never seems to work. You have a starting five, which you sit at the 12-13 minute mark. You substitute enmasse a second 5 down to the last 4-5 minutes.. You mix and match to the buzzer depending on hot hand, fouls, match-ups, etc. Ten guys get to play most of the game. The other 3 split the rest. Lacking studs, this is a tempting solution, since it exploits all your talent and creates team cohesion.
The Seat Of The Pants Solution:
In this solution you have an arbitrary starting five, frequently changing, and your substitutions are strictly a response to events on the court. It is twenty minutes of mix and match. There can be any five men on the floor at any time. It is the best solution for instantly matching talent to the situation, but it sacrifices team cohesion, makes everyone a role player, challenges the development of team leadership. More than a solution, it seems like lack of a solution.
The Likely Solution:
Likeliest is that a stud or two is identified, and together with Cole at PG, they nail down 30-32 minute roles. Likeliest candidates are Sanogo and Akok, with Whaley and Johnson settling in as back-ups. The SF/SG positions remain a mix-and-match all year long among 5 or 6 players. The challenge will be to achieve some degree of cohesion with all the in-and-out on the wing. It is unlikely also that any team leadership will come such a 2-3 rotation. That mantle will rest on Cole alone. Clearly, even the likeliest solution presents a coaching challenge.
Thoughts?
