I'm a huge Hart supporter and love what he brings to the team... Having said that - I think it is time to bring him off the bench. IMO, he is unquestionably the 5th best player and deserves to start. Hart is at a career low in usage rate and field goal attempts (which results in a career low in scoring). Basically he's sacrificing shots/scoring to fill the defensive role the team needs. Hart has the ability to score a whole lot more... he's just deferring too much (because of the role he's playing). If Hart came off the bench, he could play more aggressively. Every game it feels like when 3 or more of the starters are off the floor - Portland struggles to score. Bringing Hart off the bench will help balance that out. Hart has the ability to score ~15 pts a night & I think he could do that off the bench with more shots. Watford (or possibly Winslow) should start to play that defensive/hard nosed role without sacrificing much firepower with the starting unit. Agree? Disagree? Why?
I would rather move Hart to the 2 and bring Simons off the bench. I do not think playing Lillard with a small 2 is ever going to work.
There are legit merits to having Hart start at 2, but there is no way Ant is coming off the bench, so I think we have to stick to the original question. More importantly, combined with his contract situation, I think the point the OP is bringing up points to why Portland is likely to trade Hart IMO.
I don't know if bringing Hart off the bench is the answer but I do think we should tinker with lineups to see what works best. Going 15 games with one and then switching it up to 15 games with another isn't the end of the world. Hopefully you find something that clicks and carry's you into the playoffs on a hot streak. That is more important then a specific seed, imo.
Really tough question? I kind of agree that Lillard and Simons might not be the answer together. Chauncey is going to have to decide which way they need to go?
I think that the answer for now is to keep the starting lineup the way it is because those are our best 5 guys but change up the rotation until some time between January 15th and the trade deadline, when we trade Ant and hopefully Nurk for a piece or pieces that fit better in Chauncey's system and around Dame.
Ah I see Ant's getting the CJ treatment now. The starting lineup is really good. The bench sucks. The solution is to replace players off the bench with better players.
I think that's why the OP is talking about putting Hart on the bench. Stop gap for the time being. I kind of like the idea of Ant off the bench.
You can stagger Hart with the bench. Ant already plays with the bench. People focus too much on Starting vs. Not Starting when at least half the game (if not more) consists of a mix of bench players and starters. Not starting Ant will result in two paths: Path 1: Keeping his minutes the same 1a. He subs in at the 6 minute mark of the 1st and 3rd and plays 18 minutes straight to end halves. He plays with the starters in the middle of the 1st/3rd, and ends halves with them. This changes nothing except guaranteeing that he'll be absolutely gassed at the end of every half. 1b. Subbing him in with 8-9 minutes left in the 1st/3rd and giving him a 3-4 minute break later in each half. This also accomplishes nothing and he still plays a similar amount with the starters and bench as he does now. Path 2: Cut his minutes to bring him off the bench - This is the only way to bring him off the bench and enact any meaningful change, but the only meaningful change it creates is it makes the team worse.
No his trade value isn't much. Tough spot to be in, but hurting the starting lineup to help the bench gets this team no where, especially when it's easier to find role players than it is to find star-caliber scorers.
I would prefer to see Ant off the bench - but I don't think that would go over as well. Hart is the epitome of a pro. He is currently sacrificing his scoring ability to mesh with the starting unit.
This forum is REALLY good at finding ways to hate on good players. He spaces the floor, makes plays for others, draws a ton of defensive attention on and off the ball, handles the ball... Basically this is just the easiest way for people to say "He isn't a great rebounder or defender" in the most negative way possible.
As long as Ant is here he has to start. I don't know if JG or Ant is our second best player but it's one of them and it's close. I just don't think Ant is the ideal match in the back court with Dame but that's not a knock on any of the players, the coaches or management. We had to retain Ant and did so. We'll see what we do with the roster going forward and we'll see what scheme adjustments will be made.
