This thread is about who will be fighting like dogs for the starting job. The title is pretty self-explanitory.Marvin Williams vs. Shelden WilliamsWhile I think that Shelden should definitely get the job, many believe Marvin will. IMO, Marvin Williams should not be played as a PF. He will be forced to with this team, but I don't think he's fit for it. That's just me.Sebastian Telfair vs. Delonte WestThese 2 bring a different style of play to the team, Delonte is the scrappy player/shooter yet also unselfish, while Telfair brings quickness, playmaking, and is more of a floor general. I think Telfair should start because we need a playmaker to get the ball to our scorers, plus if we start Delonte we have no shooting off the bench, but Delonte will probably start the year as the starting PG. But, as time goes by - who knows?Ryan Gomes vs. Al JeffersonGomes is the more polished player, Big Al has great potential. Gomes gets the nod to start off, but Jefferson has been working hard and he just got his ankle fixed. This could be a good battle, and if Big Al comes back strong it will be tough to distribute minutes.Raymond Felton vs. Brevin KnightMost people would say Felton will get the job this year, including me, but Knight is no slouch. He is a veteran and an excellent playmaker. Felton will most likely take it, but it's still not that far off from Knight.JR Smith vs. Earl BoykinsWill they continue to run with a small backcourt lineup of Miller and Boykins, which they used quite a bit last year, or will they start the young guy? I say Smith should take the job because of his scoring and athleticism, but it's still up for grabs.Mike Dunleavy vs. Monta EllisNellie likes small ball, and its a high possibility he could run with Ellis/Baron in the backcourt and bring in Dunleavy as the 6th man. I think they should keep the lineup the way it is and have Ellis come off the bench, but with Nellie's style it's possible.Adonal Foyle vs. Andris Biedrins vs. Ike DioguFoyle is the most overpayed player in the entire NBA. He will most likely get the job to start off, but Biedrins could very well take the spot, and if Nelly wants to stay small then Diogu can hold it down (he is also the most talented of the 3). My take: I would like to see Biedrins take the job, if you give him good minutes he will produce. We'll see as the season progresses.Corey Maggette vs. Quinton RossWhen healthy, Maggette puts up All-Star numbers, but Ross' defense and Maggette's health issues, you could see Maggette comming off the bench again. Now, Maggette hates it, but who knows? Ross is much better than people think, and his defense is very valuable.Jake Tsakalidis vs. Hakim WarrickWith Pau out, they need someone else to step up as the starting C/PF. It's pretty clear that Stro will start, but the other big man is somewhat of a mystery still. I think Big Jake should take the job due to his size and rebounding, but Warrick is a candidate as well if they want to go small with Warrick/Swift.Randy Foye vs. Trenton HassellFoye is the better offensive player by a great deal, Hassell is the better defensive player by a great deal. Foye with James and Davis wouldn't work, IMO, so I say start Hassell for his defense and let Foye light it up with the 2nd unit.Steve Francis vs. Jamal CrawfordNeither one play a lick of defense, and Francis is the most physically talented. But Francis/Marbury can't start together, IMO, they are almost the same player. My opinion, they should start Crawford and try to trade Francis. Francis isn't happy in New York and he hates comming off the bench.Darko Milicic vs. Tony BattieBattie is a very servicable center, but Darko's potential could steal the show and start him with Howard. I say continue to start Battie until Darko really proves something off the bench, but who knows?Jamaal Magloire vs. Joel PrzybillaThis is up in the air. I think both of these guys are close to the same skill level, and I don't know who will start. But I think Magloire gets the edge as far as a better player (by a little), but Przy fits better with Randolph.Francisco Elson vs. Robert HorryDo they start Horry and put Duncan at the 5, or do they start Elson? I say start Elson, but Horry will play well in either role. Elson should start, IMO, because of his athleticism and rebounding, plus Horry is getting old.Robert Swift vs. Johan PetroBoth started a fair share of games last year, but I say Swift gets the edge right now. He is very long and he's a good rebounder. Petro should come in off the bench to provide a spark defensively, but it could go either way after a month or so into the season.Freddie Jones vs. Anthony ParkerI can't even comment on this, because I know close to nothing about Anthony Parker except he was in the league before and played for the Sixers. I know nothing about his game or how good he is, but it is a positional battle.Ronnie Brewer vs. Matt HarpringHarpring is the better scorer right now, and Sloan usually doesn't let a rookie take over, but I think Brewer should start. He's very athletic, can play both guard positions, and he is an excellent defender. I think Brewer is going to contribute a lot either way, but given Sloan's history with rookies I'm not sure if he gives him the job right away.Jarvis Hayes vs. DeShawn StevensonHayes has had a recent history of injury problems, but the kid can play. Stevenson is a good player, and Washington got an absolute steal by getting him for league minimum. But both bring different styles - Stevenson is the more athletic one and a better defender, while Hayes is a lights out scorer. I think they should keep Hayes' scoring contributions as a 6th man, and let Stevenson spark the starters with his defense. Besides, they have Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler - they can do all the scoring.EDIT: Any other noteable ones I left out?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>JR Smith vs. Earl BoykinsWill they continue to run with a small backcourt lineup of Miller and Boykins, which they used quite a bit last year, or will they start the young guy? I say Smith should take the job because of his scoring and athleticism, but it's still up for grabs.</div>Earl Boykins never started 1 game for us last season, What makes you think he will start this season?JR Smith will start for sure.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BALLAHOLLIC @ Sep 16 2006, 09:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Earl Boykins never started 1 game for us last season, What makes you think he will start this season?</div>Really? I could have sworn he started like 15 games. My bad, thanks for the correction. Well either way, I definitely know for a fact that I did see Dre and Boykins on the floor at the same time a lot last year.
"Robert Swift vs. Johan PetroBoth started a fair share of games last year, but I say Swift gets the edge right now. He is very long and he's a good rebounder. Petro should come in off the bench to provide a spark defensively, but it could go either way after a month or so into the season."I like petro here. He's a bit stronger and I like him better defensively. The real question is how many minutes SENE gets?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ Sep 16 2006, 09:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Really? I could have sworn he started like 15 games. My bad, thanks for the correction. Well either way, I definitely know for a fact that I did see Dre and Boykins on the floor at the same time a lot last year.</div>Yeah, Thats true. Boykins only started 8 total games for us in 3 years. Pretty interesting stat considering how good Boykins is.
Luke Ridnour and Earl Watson....if anyone followed the results of the sonics addition to watson. He out performed ridnour once he arrived.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (S_Guard @ Sep 17 2006, 09:44 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Luke Ridnour and Earl Watson....if anyone followed the results of the sonics addition to watson. He out performed ridnour once he arrived.</div>Yeah he did big time. To tell the truth I'm not the biggest fan of Ridnour. Watson was solid as. And after the sonics got him and Wilcox they had a winnig record for the rest of the season (by about 4 or 5 games I think)
Ryan Gomes vs Al Jefferson:I'd love to see both of these kids play a lot. Unless Jefferson shows a marked improvement, Gomes should start, even though I would LOVE to see him on the 2nd unit. Him, Delonte, Allen, Ratliff, Rondo/Telfair. That would be a 2nd unit I don't mind at all. I don't know if exactly that will happen, and actually now that I think about it, Al would probably need to be on the 2nd unit because it looks pretty weak rebounding right now. But I think Al is going to find the majority of his minutes backing up at the 4 and 5, even if he does improve a lot (obvioulsy unless the improvement is ridiculous). That being said, I still think he will see around 25 minutesish a game.Telfair vs WestThis is one where I think I'm all alone... I think Delonte West SHOULD be starting. He does the little things, he's got a sweet shot, he's scrappy, and proved last year he can play the point. WOW! If it's not broke don't fix it right? But I think ultimately, West will start at the 2 while Telfair plays PG. The real battle here is Rondo vs. Telfair I think.
Mo Williams and Charlie Bell in Milwaukee....And no way is Brewer going to start over Harpring...Sloan and rookies don't usually work, Deron Williams played because they didn't really have anybody.
Glad to see some Warriors ones. Well, I think that Biedrins and Diogu will both start eventually, Diogu at PF, Bierdins at C, but never together. Both can run the floor well, can move towards the basket well, get good boards. As for Dunleavy vs. Ellis, I think they will both start, but not togheter. With Nelly everything has to do with match-ups. Against the smaller teams Dunleavy will start. Against slower teams, you will see Ellis at point to create a hassle for the other teams. It's all on mistmatches.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (yankshater213 @ Sep 17 2006, 04:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Ryan Gomes vs Al Jefferson:I'd love to see both of these kids play a lot. Unless Jefferson shows a marked improvement, Gomes should start, even though I would LOVE to see him on the 2nd unit. Him, Delonte, Allen, Ratliff, Rondo/Telfair. That would be a 2nd unit I don't mind at all. I don't know if exactly that will happen, and actually now that I think about it, Al would probably need to be on the 2nd unit because it looks pretty weak rebounding right now. But I think Al is going to find the majority of his minutes backing up at the 4 and 5, even if he does improve a lot (obvioulsy unless the improvement is ridiculous). That being said, I still think he will see around 25 minutesish a game.Telfair vs WestThis is one where I think I'm all alone... I think Delonte West SHOULD be starting. He does the little things, he's got a sweet shot, he's scrappy, and proved last year he can play the point. WOW! If it's not broke don't fix it right? But I think ultimately, West will start at the 2 while Telfair plays PG. The real battle here is Rondo vs. Telfair I think.</div>I'm with you on delonte. he's a much better fit for the starting line-up too.with randy foye, I think he'll be fighting for minutes with Marko Jaric and Rashad McCants, not so much with Hassell. Hassell is a full-time 3.
Dang it, you beat me to making this topic....(I had it on a sticky note )For Golden State, add Mikeal Pietrius to the Dunleavy/Ellis list.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SunnyD @ Sep 17 2006, 01:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Dang it, you beat me to making this topic....(I had it on a sticky note )For Golden State, add Mikeal Pietrius to the Dunleavy/Ellis list.</div>Nah. MP is going to be a starter depending on the matchups. With Nelly we won't have set starters. Pietrus will start against players like Kobe, Wade ect. Other than that, Ellis will start SG or Baron/J-Rich will. My starters with Nelly areG: Baron Davis/Mike DunleavySG: Monta Ellis or Mickael Pietrus/ Baron DavisSF: Jason Richardson/Mickael PietrusPF: Mike Dunleavy/Ike DioguC: Troy Murphy or Andris Biedrins/Ike Diogu or Chris Taft
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SunnyD @ Sep 17 2006, 02:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Dunleavy at PF is terrible. Ike Diogu at Center or PF, with Murphy at the other role.</div>Dunleavy is going to be a point forward all day. He controls the ball and forces the other team into mismatch problems not having a player big and quick enough to guard him. He won't be posting up or always guarding the PF's on defense. Nelly wants small, so therefore, Murphy and Dunleavy will be starting in our first parts of the season. Both can create hell for other teams.
It seems dumb to have Dunleavy and Murphy playing frontcourt. Who will get the boards if Diogu isn't in? Murphy can't get them all...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SunnyD @ Sep 17 2006, 02:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>It seems dumb to have Dunleavy and Murphy playing frontcourt. Who will get the boards if Diogu isn't in? Murphy can't get them all...</div>J-Rich, Baron, Ellis, Pietrus all get a good amount of boards. Ellis is in fact an excellent rebounder for his size. Biedrins or Diogu off the bench will still get a lot of boards to add to Murphy's 10 +.
What about defense though? You think that Dunleavy can guard bigger guys than him? I don't even think he can guard guys his size.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SunnyD @ Sep 17 2006, 02:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>What about defense though? You think that Dunleavy can guard bigger guys than him? I don't even think he can guard guys his size.</div>Sag off the PF's when they go away from the hoop, get help from Baron to strip the ball when Dun has to guard in the post, put your hand in their face. Either way, it's not like Dun's in for defense ever. In a running game, you can get away with sloppy defense if the rest of your team can get up the court fast our double team to create bad shots and passes. Dunleavy is never going to be in 45 minutes a game either so other people will guard PF's, not just him.
