http://slamonline.com/links/013006/
And while we're talking about the Knicks, SLAM editor-in-chief Ryan Jones asked his friend Dave Hollingsworth, a double math and physics major in college, to break down how many possible starting lineups the Knicks could use this year based on a 12-man active roster and the 15-man total roster (inspired, by Larry Brown using starting lineup number 27 on the season last night)...
The process is called a "combination" -- I realize that sounds very non-specific, but it has a different meaning from a "permutation," in which the order matters -- e.g. for a batting order (permutation) as opposed to having five guys on a basketball court (combination). If you disregard their positions, there are:
-- 3003 ways to pick 5 players out of a group of 15
-- 792 ways to pick 5 players out of a group of 12
I know you don't want this, but there's a way to compute this more specifically -- you can calculate the number of ways to assign a five-player starting lineup if you're starting two guards, two forwards, and a goalie (just kidding) from x, y and z available players for those positions. Then again, it's a funnier thought to have the Knicks just throwing players out there in random groups.
Luckily with only 82 regular season games, LB won't get a chance to get close to 792 different starting line-ups.
