Comments on: But Seriously, He Handles The Rotation Like An Artist. For Real. http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2009/12/14/but-seriously-he-handles-the-rotation-like-an-artist-for-real/ Unbiased opinions from extremely biased people Thu, 24 May 2012 01:33:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: msk http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2009/12/14/but-seriously-he-handles-the-rotation-like-an-artist-for-real/comment-page-1/#comment-33054 msk Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:18:34 +0000 http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/?p=4888#comment-33054 Bryant, you have a point. The Lakers bench is pretty weak (Odom doesn't count as a bench player on that team) and the starters play a lot of minutes. I guess Matt is trying to say that Phil Jackson, by the end of the year, has a few different line-ups that he knows work in certain situations. Doc Rivers basically has his starting five. Maybe Phil has more flexibility, though if he wears out a key starter, it doesn't matter. Who knows how it will work out? One difference, though, is that Kobe is not human, and is in the best shape of anyone, and can go long minutes. We'll see how he lasts. He has played an incredible number of consecutive games over the past few years and in the 2009 playoffs, only had one game where it looked like fatigue really got him (game 4 in Denver). Also, key Lakers are younger than several key Celtics (though not Rondo and Perkins). I hope these teams get to meet in the Finals at full strength. Bryant, you have a point. The Lakers bench is pretty weak (Odom doesn’t count as a bench player on that team) and the starters play a lot of minutes. I guess Matt is trying to say that Phil Jackson, by the end of the year, has a few different line-ups that he knows work in certain situations. Doc Rivers basically has his starting five. Maybe Phil has more flexibility, though if he wears out a key starter, it doesn’t matter. Who knows how it will work out?

One difference, though, is that Kobe is not human, and is in the best shape of anyone, and can go long minutes. We’ll see how he lasts. He has played an incredible number of consecutive games over the past few years and in the 2009 playoffs, only had one game where it looked like fatigue really got him (game 4 in Denver).

Also, key Lakers are younger than several key Celtics (though not Rondo and Perkins). I hope these teams get to meet in the Finals at full strength.

]]> By: Bryant http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2009/12/14/but-seriously-he-handles-the-rotation-like-an-artist-for-real/comment-page-1/#comment-32982 Bryant Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:05:46 +0000 http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/?p=4888#comment-32982 Sure. But I don't see how you can critique Doc for that in comparison to the Lakers, given that Phil's working Kobe harder than any Celtic starter. The Lakers starters are, on the whole, being worked more heavily than the Celtics starters. The Celtics bench is getting more minutes than the Lakers bench. It's just a bad comparison. Nice game from Memphis tonight, by the way. They are going to be a contender way sooner than anyone thought. I was nervous before the game and I don't expect to see them play Boston any time in the next few years and not be nervous. Sure. But I don’t see how you can critique Doc for that in comparison to the Lakers, given that Phil’s working Kobe harder than any Celtic starter. The Lakers starters are, on the whole, being worked more heavily than the Celtics starters. The Celtics bench is getting more minutes than the Lakers bench. It’s just a bad comparison.

Nice game from Memphis tonight, by the way. They are going to be a contender way sooner than anyone thought. I was nervous before the game and I don’t expect to see them play Boston any time in the next few years and not be nervous.

]]> By: Matt Moore http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2009/12/14/but-seriously-he-handles-the-rotation-like-an-artist-for-real/comment-page-1/#comment-32960 Matt Moore Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:31:30 +0000 http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/?p=4888#comment-32960 Bryant, I wrote this. "Now, the point is not that Doc’s overworking the Celtics, far from it. They play a nice distribution of minutes, dont’ get too overworked, and get their rest in." I get the fact that they play together. I'm aware of what rotation minutes mean. My point is that you can't have a lineup play heavy minutes together without the individual players playing lots of minutes. And more my meaning is that Doc's not finding alternative lineups. He's just relying on his veterans to be great players. And that's still going to have a cost on wear and tear. Perhaps I should have made that more clear, though. Bryant, I wrote this.

“Now, the point is not that Doc’s overworking the Celtics, far from it. They play a nice distribution of minutes, dont’ get too overworked, and get their rest in.”

I get the fact that they play together. I’m aware of what rotation minutes mean. My point is that you can’t have a lineup play heavy minutes together without the individual players playing lots of minutes. And more my meaning is that Doc’s not finding alternative lineups. He’s just relying on his veterans to be great players. And that’s still going to have a cost on wear and tear. Perhaps I should have made that more clear, though.

]]> By: Bryant http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2009/12/14/but-seriously-he-handles-the-rotation-like-an-artist-for-real/comment-page-1/#comment-32956 Bryant Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:07:07 +0000 http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/?p=4888#comment-32956 I think you're misreading this, Matt. It's not that the Celtics starters play more minutes than anyone else. It's that they play more minutes together than any other group of starters. As of this comment, Kobe is playing 36.8 minutes per game. Ray Allen leads the Celtics in this category at 35.4 MPG. Pierce is right behind Allen, followed by Gasol at 34.4 MPG. Artest is right behind Gasol, then Rondo, then Bynum. Big gap before Garnett at 30.5 MPG. Perk is way down there, as is Fisher. The average minutes for Celtics starters is 32.43. The average for Lakers starters, counting Gasol as a starter (and ignoring minutes Odom played as a starter while Gasol was out) is 33.16. I think you’re misreading this, Matt. It’s not that the Celtics starters play more minutes than anyone else. It’s that they play more minutes together than any other group of starters.

As of this comment, Kobe is playing 36.8 minutes per game. Ray Allen leads the Celtics in this category at 35.4 MPG. Pierce is right behind Allen, followed by Gasol at 34.4 MPG. Artest is right behind Gasol, then Rondo, then Bynum. Big gap before Garnett at 30.5 MPG. Perk is way down there, as is Fisher.

The average minutes for Celtics starters is 32.43. The average for Lakers starters, counting Gasol as a starter (and ignoring minutes Odom played as a starter while Gasol was out) is 33.16.

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