Posted by martin:
Bonn, Franco.... how many minutes did the rookies get? Seems to me that they are all VERY high on the per minute range for rookies this year. How do you account for that? Factor in Jackie, Woods, Barnes, Ariza, trades Jalen and Francis... where do you get the extra minutes?
Those guys played a LOT.
They did, and it's not just Larry's approach but Isiah's too.
Nate has played more this year than Ariza did last year. Ariza only had TT to compete with while Nate had Marbury, Crawford, Q, Jalen and Francis.
Rookie Frye has played more minutes in his 62 game season than Sophomore Sweets did in 82.
Lee I'd have liked to see more of Lee, but Larry is trying to shape him from a 4 to a 3 while in the absence of AD and Frye Mo is a more natural 4. Lee is definitely a keeper, and I don't know yet if larry is right or wrong in trying to make him a 3, but in that position his perimeter game, offensively and defensively, isn't quite there yet. Right now Woods is the more natural 3. None the less lee's gotten more mins than Woods.
So relative to last year (pre brown) I think this years kids are ahead. If Isiah, Mills and Dolan, (the architects of this 'rebuild') wanted Larry to feature the kids they should have set a better precedent last year and thought twice about adding two more max contract veterans at the deadline.