by Brian on August 26, 2008 at 11:34AM
Every morning I get an e-mail from Google which basically rounds up the Sixers scuttlebutt from around the Internet. This morning a headline jumped out at me because it was something we touched upon after the conference call with Ed Stefanski last week. Here's the headline, "Green could be in Sixers' starting mix."
The story was written by Tom Moore, who usually scoops Phil Jasner et al. The headline isn't really news to us, like I said, from Stefanski's own words last Thursday it seemed pretty clear that there's still a question at the small forward spot. If Iguodala slides back to the three, Willie could easily slide into the two.
Here's the big problem I have with Moore's article, though. Check out this last paragraph:
Not much suspense there, #1 is Rush, #2 is Lou, #3 is Iguodala and #4 is Green. Here's a complete breakdown of the four players. I suppose saying he's among the better on-the-ball defenders is a fair statement if you consider third-best out of four options "among the better."
We have to face facts at this point. If Willie Green is the starting shooting guard for this team the Sixers have either suffered a terrible injury to a key player or Thad Young has regressed. To say they might make the decision to help with 3-point shooting is lunacy. To try to infer that they may be a better team with him in the starting lineup is beyond defensible.
The story was written by Tom Moore, who usually scoops Phil Jasner et al. The headline isn't really news to us, like I said, from Stefanski's own words last Thursday it seemed pretty clear that there's still a question at the small forward spot. If Iguodala slides back to the three, Willie could easily slide into the two.
Here's the big problem I have with Moore's article, though. Check out this last paragraph:
While Green is a bit streaky, he would be the best outside shooter among the possible starters, which could be a factor because the Sixers ranked last in 3-point percentage a year ago, and among the better on-the-ball defenders.Uh, what? That has to be a joke, right? The Sixers ranked last in 3-point percentage a year ago mainly because Willie Green was the starting shooting guard. Check out the 3-point percentages from 2007-2008 for everyone who could possibly see time at the two guard. Tell me which one is Willie Green...
- Player 1: 38.9%
- Player 2: 35.9%
- Player 3: 32.9%
- Player 4: 28.5%
Not much suspense there, #1 is Rush, #2 is Lou, #3 is Iguodala and #4 is Green. Here's a complete breakdown of the four players. I suppose saying he's among the better on-the-ball defenders is a fair statement if you consider third-best out of four options "among the better."
We have to face facts at this point. If Willie Green is the starting shooting guard for this team the Sixers have either suffered a terrible injury to a key player or Thad Young has regressed. To say they might make the decision to help with 3-point shooting is lunacy. To try to infer that they may be a better team with him in the starting lineup is beyond defensible.
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i agree completely. willie green is not starting material in the NBA. not only does he shoot a low percentage, but he dominates the ball and jacks up too many shots, taking away touches from our other players. more than one commentator noticed that willie was the worst player getting significant minutes on any playoff team last year. by Hollinger's assessment, replacing willie with just an average NBA shooting guard would have produced a significant bump in wins for the Sixers last year.
if it was up to me (astonishingly, it's not), i would use Lou at the 2 in the event that AI2 is forced to start at the 3. yes it would take some of the scoring pop off of our bench, but our bench should be stronger than it was last year anyway. Kareem Rush should provide offense off the bench as it is.
one thing that i am really curious to see is how Rush plays defense. most of the scouting reports i've read say that he is an uninterested defender and has poor lateral movement, but i've also heard from hardcore Pacers fans that he was the teams most consistent perimeter defender last season. i guess i'll have to wait until the fall to find out the truth for myself.