Do you primarily go with guys that emulate your starters, IE having watered down versions of your starters, or do you try and find guys that change the pace of the game, or you can adjust with if your primary players are getting beat? I think it would depend on what your starting 5 looked like in the first place. If you're the Suns, and you have Steve Nash to distribute the ball to everybody, it's a no brainer, you get guys who can run, but if you don't have a strict tempo/vibe of your system, it might make sense to just be deep and able to mix and match ala the Mavericks. If you were building a team, which direction would you go?
To go along with a good point guard, I'd say a good defensive player and a player who can play multiple positions.
1) Instant offense scorer. Often scoring tweeners get this role, could be a combo guard, combo forward or a natural wing player. 2) Athletic PF/C who plays defense and rebounds. 3) Perimeter defensive specialist, preferably can also hit 3's. A legit PG is a great luxury but most teams don't have that off the bench. I would lean more toward having my bench players give me different looks and compliment the starters than to have them emulate the starters.
Let's look at the Blazers bench ... <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Run BJM @ Jan 3 2008, 10:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>1) Instant offense scorer. Often scoring tweeners get this role, could be a combo guard, combo forward or a natural wing player.</div> Jarrett Jack is a combo guard. Travis Outlaw is a combo forward. Both can be instant offense players any given game. Check. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Run BJM)</div><div class='quotemain'>2) Athletic PF/C who plays defense and rebounds.</div> Channing Frye is athletic, can rebound a little, but not great, and isn't that great on defense. Only a partial check here. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Run BJM)</div><div class='quotemain'>3) Perimeter defensive specialist, preferably can also hit 3's.</div> James Jones is leading the NBA in three point percentage and playing very solid defense. Jarrett Jack can be a physical defender, especially for his size, as well. Check. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Run BJM)</div><div class='quotemain'>A legit PG is a great luxury but most teams don't have that off the bench.</div> The Blazers have a combo guard who started the season as the starting PG but is better as a combo guard and a guy who had eight assists in six minutes last night, then only played four more minutes after that for some reason. Check there too. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Run BJM)</div><div class='quotemain'>I would lean more toward having my bench players give me different looks and compliment the starters than to have them emulate the starters.</div> The Blazers bench gives teams a different look this season, but will be the same as the starters in the frontcourt next season after we get Oden back and move Joel Przybilla to the bench. I'm fine with either way.
Good topic, Dre. It really depends on what the starting lineup looks like and the style of play, but in general, I guess it would be something like this for me: - A serviceable point guard, preferably a bigger guard that can play defense and handle ball pressure... much like a Jarrett Jack or an Antonio Daniels. However, if my starting point guard is a bigger guard, I'd prefer a change of pace backup with some real quickness - like a Sebastian Telfair. - Scorer or shooting specialist on the wing. - A versatile defensive specialist, much like my man James Posey. - A big active body. - A young energetic player at the end of the bench to come in for spot minutes.
Damn...the Blazers bench is mad good, and that trade for James Jones is looking more and more like a steal each game.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (peg182 @ Jan 4 2008, 11:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Damn...the Blazers bench is mad good, and that trade for James Jones is looking more and more like a steal each game.</div> The best part is it wasn't a trade for James Jones, it was a trade for Rudy Fernandez, and Phoenix made us give them the trade exception we got in the Zach Randolph trade before they would trade us the pick for Rudy. At least Phoenix is learning, last year they just sold us the pick for Sergio Rodriguez, but they made us take a good player. Wasn't there another player they could have given us instead?
