after 4 games what would YOUR Ideal rotation look like

small sample at this point, but we all seem to have ideas about who should be playing more or less from our own perspectives. I was interested in seeing what others thoughts were , based on average minutes per game .


for me afteer the first 4 games I would shoot for:

Kelly O- 24 M/G (when he's looking for his shot more like 28, when not 20).

Zeller- 16 M/ G

Sully- 30M/G ( Keep his minutes down so he won't wear down late in the game)

Bass- 20 M/G

Green- 32 M/ G ( same as Sully cut his minutes slightly so he can play at high energy the whole time)

Wallace- 14 M/G ( his high energy and defense are needed with the second team)

Bradley- 32 M/G ( Same as Green, keep his energy level high for both offense and his defense)

Thornton- 16 M/G ( 20 minutes or more when his shot is going in, 10 or less when not)

Rondo- 32 M/ G ( the captain needs to shoot better, but he'll get the minutes regardless)

Smart- 24 M/G ( the kid looks like a high energy machine out there, still needs to work on his shot of course)

Much depends on goals. Are we trying to win each game as if our lives depend on it, build chemistry, look to the future by giving younger players more time, showcase trade bait etc.? Assuming we want to do some of all of that, and using your numbers as a guide, I'd make sure Young and Pressey get minutes, reduce Olynyk, Rondo, and Sully slightly, start Zeller and boost his minutes. Also I see no Turner in there and while he has not done well as a PG, he showed some promised in the pre-season. Bottom line is this a group of talented individuals, but an unbalanced roster. Hawk

thanks for the reply.

I always am looking to put the best team on the court....no tanking allowed.

and YES I have Wallace replacing Turner in the rotation and it can't happen soon enough for me, frankly.

While doling out minutes among players is an convenient way of discussing a hypothetical rotation, coaches typically don't preset a number of minutes for each player.  Fluctuating game situations and matchups can call for a wide variety of player combinations that can alter minutes distribution from game to game.  It's the time allotted to various combinations that determine how many minutes each player gets in a given game.  There can be wide swings in player minutes from game to game, especially when the coach is experimenting with numerous combinations early in the season.

Sam

averages..we're talking about averages here.

I understand that no coach will have a minutes limit on any player, unless injured.

I guess I was trying to gauge what other fans felt about this team AND the individual players after 4 games, more than anything else.

I'd start Zeller, KO is not a center.

I haven't watched enough of their games to have an educated opinion about how minutes should be spread around, so I'll offer an uneducated opinion.

Here are how minutes have been allocated during the first four games. I've rounded up or down based on my whim.

35 - Green
34 - Rondo
31 - Sullinger
30 - Bradley
25 - Olynyk
21 - Smart
20 - Turner
15 - Thornton
14 - Bass
10 - Zeller
1 - Young
1 - Pressey
1 - Wallace

The top five guys seem about right taken as individuals. I'd like to see more for Bass and Zeller. I'm fine with Smart's minutes, but I'd be inclined to sit him at the end of games for at least the first part of the season in favor of Rondo and Bradley.

The minutes seem to be guard-heavy, which I suppose goes with what Stevens wants to do, but until Turner and Thornton are more productive, I'd be inclined to even the big man/guard ratio and give some of their minutes to Zeller and Bass -- Bass because he's always productive, and Zeller because he's an actual center and can still run the floor.

I wonder if the Sullinger/Olynyk combo will ultimately work. Both are power forwards, and having them together means you either plan to platoon them or will go for long periods with a centerless lineup. I really like motion offenses, but I think a key component to a successful one is a skilled center. Kelly has skills, but he's not a center, and I'm afraid that Stevens is going to shoehorn him into the center spot regardless.

If we use San Antonio as an analogy, Kelly is Diaw -- a guy who isn't a center but fills that role when he subs for Duncan. What makes him particularly effective is the contrast with the Duncan or Duncan-Splitter lineup, but with the Celtics, there's no contrast because the lineup with the Diaw-type guy is what they use most of the time.

Ta da! Aren't uneducated opinions great?