TripleThreat wrote:If STAT and Chandler don't tend to play well together in the paint and STAT was more effective last year as a center and Novak and Lin work well together and Jeffries and Chandler work well together and Fields seems to play better away from Melo and STAT and Dolan won't allow his two highest paid player come off the bench, then I'd suggest -
First Unit
SF - JR Smith
PF - Carmelo Anthony
C - Amare Stoudamire
PG - Baron Davis
SG - Iman Shumpert
Davis and Smith provide shooters. Shumpert provides lockdown D on other teams best offensive wing. STAT moves to center, away from Chandler, Anthony is in a better position to work the low post and draw contact.
Second Unit
SF - Steve Novak
PF - Jared Jeffries
C - Tyson Chandler
PG - Jeremy Lin
SG - Landry Fields
Lin and Chandler are ego-less, if they don't start, it won't end their worlds for it. If you can't trade Melo or STAT and you can't bench them, then the answer would be to MOVE Lin out of the starting lineup and in charge of the 2nd unit, where his penetration and scoring are a premium. Linked with Novak, his safety valve shooter, and Jeffries and Chandler work well together, opening up the middle for Tyson and allowing some coverage for Lin's not so hot defense at times. Fields provides length, and does well running the pick and roll, to Chandler hopefully and seems to operate best away from Melo.
With a full five man rotation, A unit can simply try to shoot it out with other teams, pushing their strengths while B unit can operate a more traditional balanced lineup. You aren't going to magically get Melo and STAT to suddenly start playing lockdown defense, so I say don't ask them to, put them at center and power forward where they have no choice but to be more physical.
Gunner Unit ( need a three point shot)
SF - JR Smith
PF - Carmelo Anthony
C - Steve Novak
PG - Mike Bibby
SG - Jeremy Lin
Enforcer Unit (size and defense, for stops and defending a big lead, to lay down forearm shivers and take technicals)
SF - Jared Jeffries
PF - Jorts Harrellson
C - Tyson Chandler
PG - Iman Shumpert
SG - JR Smith
Garbage Time Unit ( blowouts, either way)
SF/SG - Iman Shumpert
PF - Steve Novak
C - Jorts Harrellson
PG - Mike Bibby
SG/SF - Landry Fields
Your post makes a lot of sense and is a very interesting take on the situation. The only problem is that the politics of management probably won't allow MDA to do that. I actually hope that i'm wrong, but I get the idea that he'd hear immediately from upstairs if he tried to do something like that.
What I actually think will happen is that MDA will do what your suggesting by given the SL a token 1st 3 minutes of the 1st qtr and then going with the early substitutions. It will still work and will avoid the political issues of strictly starting games without Lin and Tyson. It really doesn't matter who you start when you can make substitutions and still have the lineup you want. Dirk always comes out after 3 mins in the 1st qtr. It seems odd but that's their pattern.
