I intended to post this thread a week ago when Bargnani was our starting small forward. I think its fair to say that Andrea will never be a long-term solution at the 3. He has the ability to play spot minutes there, when the matchups are favourable (eg: Miami, New Jersey). But for the most part, he lacks the lateral quickness to defend most NBA small forwards. His natural position is at the 4/5, and he should be our backup big until he earns the starting spot. But I still think this change needs to be done. Jamario definitely had a good first game in his return to the starting lineup (17 points and 8 rebounds), but I have little confidence in his ability to consistently play that well. We've all been used to the "Bad Joey/Good Joey" phenomenon, but I'd argue it applies more to Jamario this year. The fact is that he always plays the game the exact same way: very passively, dependant on his shaky jumpshot, and not particularly intelligently. That's what causes most of his performances to be so forgettable, but there are occaisons when his unorthodox jumpshot hits the mark and he has games like last night. That's not good enough for me though. I've been impressed by Joey Graham's hustle and effort this season. Even when he doesn't have great games, he's consistently bringing more energy and assertiveness than Jamario Moon. He's played smarter, finally recognizing some of his limitations, and has played to his strengths. He's willing to draw contact like few players on our team, and definitely unlike Jamario. I thought his game last night off the bench (12 points and 2 rebounds) was more impressive than Moon's just because of the way he got his points. So yeah. That's my case for putting Joey in the starting lineup. I've liked that Triano has given Graham minutes where Smitch refused to. The next step, IMO, is for him to reward him with the starting job.
