So it looks to me like that Rose-Brooks-Butler-Mirotic-(Gibson or Noah) lineup is going to be the best at closing games by a good amount, if it isn't already. You guys think Thibs is actually going to play that lineup to close games? It's nice to say as a value statement that Thibs plays his best players. But I have my doubts about how closely he's going to adhere to that. Regardless, Mirotic needs more than 15 minutes a game.
Managing egos is a tough thing and an important part of being a NBA head coach. There are four very good players in Noah, Gasol, Mirotic and Gibson and only so many minutes and only 2 guys can close out games for the most part. Sure you can do offense / defense, but pretty much two. Its going to be very hard to bench Pau Gasol during crunch time and expect him to be fully engaged for the rest of the season and the remaining 2.5 years of his contract. Taj Gibson as well, jeez, talk about a tough situation for a guy that would be a starter on many, many teams. Bench Noah? The reigning DPOY and 1st team all-NBA center? So a rookie can play? This isn't a coach thing, its a roster construction thing IMO. There isn't a good way around this issue. There just isn't. Benching Pau Gasol (playing at an all-star level) or Taj Gibson (who is a really good player needing minutes / stats to get paid / progress in his career) isn't a matter of just thinking / seeing that Noah / Mirotic is the best combo to close out games. The front office needs to make a trade, if Mirotic really is worth it and its too much of a distraction. Unless you get real quality in return though, just have to keep all 4. Very tough decisions though since if Mirotic is playing in the 4th, some elite NBA talent is riding the pine.
A solution is to trade Taj for Lance Stephenson. Fixes the roster construction issue and solves the ego thing.
Also complicating things is the fact that I think Gibson may be the best pairing in that lineup. With that grouping you need bigs who'll switch everything and feel comfortable moving far away from the paint. Noah's instincts are a little too center orientated. I have a very tough time imaging a scenario where Thibodeau benches an all star and the reigning All-NBA First Team center.
Taj has played 18:16 and 18:52 the last two games. Mirotic has played 18:20 and 14:00 in those same two. Interesting stat.
I don't think Stephenson gives you what you need, which is consistent range from your wings. I'm not sure that guy exists for that matter. Chandler Parsons, Nicholas Batum, Kawhi Leonard, Luol Deng (if he even fits in this group), Gordon Hayward, and Trevor Ariza are not moving anywhere any time soon. The same probably goes for Terrance Ross and Tobias Harris.
The guy was a triple-double threat every game last season. And he's known as a good defender while in Indy. Worst case scenario is he starts at SG and Jimmy starts at SF, which isn't too shabby. Moves Dunleavy to bench 3pt specialist where he probably belongs. If he were in a good situation like with Thibs as coach, he might have a Jimmy-like breakout season.
Yah, its an issue. Everyone seems, including myself, is pretty happy with Gasol's play to this point. He's better than I expected. There are some downsides though. Noah seems less effective when paired with Gasol, who "has" to play, so you are turning your 1st team all-nba center to less than that. Also, guys like Mirotic and Gibson are losing their minutes, and these guys are also really effective. So its arguable what the marginal gains are by having Gasol out there vs Gibson / Mirotic. The depth is nice and if one or two guys get hurt its a nice situation to be in. Its kind of a nice problem to have, but it does cause issues too. I guess that is what happens when your impact free agent signing is at a position where you are already stocked with high quality players.
FWIW, Gasol always was one of the top PF/C in the league, and he still is. If I had a choice of playing him or Noah, I'd probably play Gasol. But it's nice to have options based upon matchups and game situations.
I think I agree with you with the caveat that a lot depends on match ups and lineups. I don't think I appreciate Pau's offensive game as much as I should. I can't tell you how many times I thought Pau had a mediocre game only to later turn to the box score and see that he hit at above 50% while going to the line a bunch.
If our C outscores their C, our PF their PF, etc., then we're going to win. I think Pau dominates the guy he plays against.
So, last night's game was about as good as its going to get, IMO. 33 minutes for Gasol. 27 minutes for Noah. 20 minutes for Gibson. 15 minutes for Mirotic. Its going to be tough for Gibson or Mirotic to rise above role player. Gasol is going to the all-star game.
I think Thibs has settled into the rotations that you've set out. I find myself wishing that the four bigs were closer to 24 minutes a game, but that might just not be consistent with how things go in the playoffs, where teams use shorter rotations. Anyway, Michael Wilbon had some interesting speculation about how the big men rotations might work out in an article today: http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/stor...es-now-learning-how-all-fit-together#comments
Yah, it has to be an issue. But, the Bulls seem like a good group of guys and have a coach that seems to be able to navigate these waters well. And Noah is a great leader in many ways. Winning is the best deodorant, yes? I'm sure both Taj and Niko would love more minutes, but when you are the odds on to come out of the East, well, it lessens the sting.
If the Bulls win the title, I can see some discontent seeping in after the parade. I say let's risk it.
