Comments on: Who Starts?

By: Eddie A.

Eddie A. — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 02:14:07 +0000

Since the Lakers are not a Championship caliber team this year (even though anything is possible with Phil and Kobe), starting Bynum now and getting him used to the role would be best… even though we still want to limit his minutes (28-32per). He’s going to start eventually and having him up against the best 5′s every night can’t hurt…

Lamar off the bench would be best since he usually stays out with the second unit while Kobe sits anyway. This would keep a go-to man on the floor at all times, though Lamar would have to buy into the idea… Make it work Phil Jack!

Give Drew more touches and I can see him getting 20-12 PER before long with 40 minutes… maybe 24-15…

By: harold

harold — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:20:55 +0000

great question, but the answer may be too simple. you go with what works best, not something that you think may work best.

ideally, i think lineups should change depending on who’s out there for the opposing team, and what mismatches you can exploit while the other team can’t.

Kobe is a given starter because he is, by definition, a mismatch for the opposing team. If the other team doesn’t have a Bowen who can make Kobe a ‘good’ player as opposed to ‘the best,’ you start your best defensive team. If they do, you try to start somebody else that can help carry his load.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 23:57:04 +0000

If we assume Bynum still needs to develope his game,then Bynum should be on the second unit-notwithstanding however many minutes he actually plays. The reason-Practice!
If Bynum is on the starting team in practice he will be an afterthought to Kobe,Fisher,Lamar. On the Second team he is the guy they run the offense thru,giving him more growth opportunities.

By: ryan

ryan — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:08:42 +0000

Thanks Rob L (74) there are some interesting trends there. THough with such a small sample size it is difficult to tell if they are actual trends or just anomalies. Bynums numbers do not seem to differ whether he is starting or coming off the bench. The only thing I can get from it is that maybe he should be getting more posessions. The interesting trend is Jordans productions seems to drop off slightly with Bynum starting. Again with such a small sample size it is difficult to say whether this is from poor play from Jordan to due to Bynum not being their. Its possible that the lack of an interior presence hurts Farmar’s game because he doesn’t as many open shots and has less options to pass the ball when he penetrates.

By: Rob L.

Rob L. — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:22:49 +0000

Here's a spreadsheet comparing Bynum bench/start. You'll see it is far from comprehensive. These are just the initial factors I wanted to look at. Bynum Bench/Start Also, the Start vs. Bench Avgs all refer to Andrew Bynum. For example, I looked at Jordan's offensive performance in relation to Andrew starting. Those numbers do not refer to Jordan starting.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:15:53 +0000

Kwame a.

I agree. Lamar off the bench may be the answer. First, SA does this with Ginobli and it works great. Second, Lamar needs to dribble around and be the main option to be effective. I’ll take this against the other team’s second squad. But, no way against its first.

By: Bill Bridges

Bill Bridges — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:49:43 +0000

By the way, Bill Bridges (I mean me) for his career averaged 11.9 points and 11.9 rebounds. Talk about balance.

By: kwame a.

kwame a. — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:35:10 +0000

57/67- Craig W. I was not saying Odom is worthless, I am just realistic about what to expect out of him. Too many times people say he is versatile, but he can’t shoot or move well without the ball, so he is not offensivley versatile, he needs the ball to be effective. Defensivley he is too small to guard big 4′s and too slow to guard quick 3′s. I agree with Bill Bridges that Walton plays best with Kobe, and that his overall team D isn’t that big of a drop off compared to Lamar’s. Lamar off the bench may not work, but it has been 4 YEARS and he and Kobe exhibit NO chemistry. I mean, they don’t play off eachother well, it’s just the reality, maybe Lamar would thrive playing in a different role.

By: Brian P.

Brian P. — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:53:31 +0000

Regarding the “Best Starting 5 Combo” I would have to say it should be Fish, Kobe, Bynum, Turiaf, Odom. Bynum needs to start because he is clearly better than Brown. Brown can still be matched up against Yao and Duncan when need be, but Bynum is far superior.

As for which lineups have the best chemistry. You need to play to together to build chemistry, and that is why our second unit played so well together. They had more time together throughout the seasons and especially in practice.

That is why I believe Phil is starting Bynum now instead of Mihm, because he sees where Bynum’s role is going to be down the line and wants to build up the chemistry now so by the time we want to be playing our best ball, our best players are gelling.

By: Craig W

Craig W — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:48:50 +0000

Since we can get statistics to say almost anything (say that Kobe is only the 4th most effective player in the league, etc) I have to fall back on watching the game from start to finish. Fot me Kwame seems to play good defense against his man at critical times in the game. Those spectacular plays that lift the other team and depress the Lakers happen less often when Kwame is in the game.

This doesn’t make him an all-star or anything like that, but I do want him in the game when the other team’s best big man is playing. The only time I might change this is at the end of the 4th qtr, in a tight game, when he is subject to getting fouled.