This topic contains 13 replies, has 6 voices, and was last updated by AvatarAvatar yellowdunker 13 years, 6 months ago.

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  • #21617
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    sammybuckeye13
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    I’ve found these posts projecting starting lineups really interesting, and thought I would do my own, a really long one, apparently, with some brief commentary. The lineups listed are what I believe the team’s go-to lineup will be in a month or so, when most players coming back for injuries will be ready to go.

    ATLANTA HAWKS
    PG – Mike Bibby
    SG – Joe Johnson
    SF – Marvin Williams
    PF – Josh Smith
    C – Al Horford
    Same lineup, slightly more expensive.

    BOSTON CELTICS
    PG – Rajon Rodo
    SG – Ray Allen
    SF – Paul Pierce
    PF – Kevin Garnett
    C – Kendrick Perkins
    I know Shaq has bickered with coaches about playing time of late so many assume he’ll start here, but there’s no way he’s in the starting five when Perkins is healthy. Perkins is one of the two young assets this team has and he injects athleticism and toughness into the squad. With Shaq or Jermaine O’Neal, you would have 4 starters over 33 years old.

    CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
    PG – D.J. Augustin
    SG – Stephen Jackson
    SF – Gerald Wallace
    PF – Tyrus Thomas
    C – Erick Dampier
    I think Gerald Henderson could thrive with some pt, but their two best players both play the same position and their big men can’t score down low meaning they might not be putting their best five out on the court all year.

    CHICAGO BULLS
    PG – Derrick Rose
    SG – Ronnie Brewer
    SF – Luol Deng
    PF – Carlos Boozer
    C – Joakim Noah
    I think Brewer gets the nod over Korver. They gave Korver slightly more $ but he hasn’t started a game since 2006, While Brewer started every game in Utah from 2007-early 2010.

    CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
    PG – Mo Williams
    SG – Anthony Parker
    SF – Antawn Jamison
    PF – J.J. Hickson
    C – Anderson Varejao
    Personally, I think a Sessions/Mo Williams backcourt would work. Mo is a shoot-first PG and Sessions is a very good distributor, and much more effective when he starts. And he’s definitely a top 5 player on this team. In all likelihood, however, they’ll go with a more traditional lineup, utilizing Parker’s experience.

    DALLAS MAVERICKS
    PG – Jason Kidd
    SG – Caron Butler
    SF – Shawn Marion
    PF – Dirk Nowitzki
    C – Brendan Haywood
    The only center prediction I’ve seen here is Hollinger’s, and I concur with him. Chandler is more of a one-year rental (I doubt they’ll re-sign him) while Haywood, with his 5-year deal, is clearly the team’s future at the position, though I doubt that future will last five years. Chandler could still see 27 minutes a night, though.

    DENVER NUGGETS
    PG – Chauncey Billups
    SG – Aaron Afflalo
    SF – Carmelo Anthony
    PF – Kenyon Martin
    C – Nene
    If everyone stays healthy (which is doubtful) they should have no qualms playing with the same lineup as last year, though K-Mart’s minutes will likely be reduced due to constant injuries and the presence of Al Harrington.

    DETROIT PISTONS
    PG – Rodney Stuckey
    SG – Richard Hamilton
    SF – Tayshaun Prince
    PF – Jonas Jerebko
    C – Greg Monroe
    The Pistons clearly are Will Bynum fans, but I don’t see him starting even though he’s this team’s only true PG. A team that won 39 games two years ago and missed the playoffs last year cannot afford to sit two of its 5 best players (Stuckey and Gordon, were Bynum to start), meaning Stuckey will again be at the point. Gordon, Bynum and McGrady will definitely be stalking for playing time, though, meaning Hamilton and Prince will see their minutes reduced noticeably. Power forward is still a problem spot, with Villanueva expectedly underperforming, so I see them giving the nod to Jerebko, who’s a better fit next to Monroe anyways as a more gritty player.

    GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
    PG – Stephen Curry
    SG – Monta Ellis
    SF – Dorell Wright
    PF – David Lee
    C – Andris Biedrins
    Though Warriors fans might be rooting for fan favorite Reggie Williams (eight 20-point games after being picked up in early March) or the perpetually upside-laden Brandan Wright (more of a PF) to start at the 3, they’ll soon fall in love with Wright. He is an excellent on-ball defender, unselfish, has great size and is a perfect fit in GS. When Udoh returns from injury, then things will get interesting, though I doubt he’ll be a consistent starter at any point.

    HOUSTON ROCKETS
    PG – Aaron Brooks
    SG – Kevin Martin
    SF – Shane Battier
    PF – Luis Scola
    C – Yao Ming
    Last year, the Rockets entered the season without a single player who had averaged 10 ppg for his career. Now, it appears that they will start four 20 ppg threats. This is a pretty easy lineup to project, while predicting what time of run their talented subs (Courtney Lee, Kyle Lowry, Brad Miller, Jordan Hill, Patrick Patterson, Chase Budinger) will get is nearly impossible. And I’m giving Yao the benefit of the doubt here.

    INDIANA PACERS
    PG – Darren Collison
    SG – Brandon Rush
    SF – Danny Granger
    PF – Tyler Hansbrough
    C – Roy Hibbert
    Brandon Rush is the #1 starter on the hot seat this year. He’s a very average player (which in some cases is good enough), but he has a very strong defender (Dahntay Jones) and a great prospect (Paul George) breathing down his neck.

    LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
    PG – Baron Davis
    SG – Eric Gordon
    SF – Ryan Gomes
    PF – Blake Griffin
    C – Chris Kaman
    Aminu will PROBABLY start at some point this year but as they go into the season guns loaded, it’s the more experienced/safer Gomes.

    LOS ANGELES LAKERS
    PG – Derrick Fisher
    SG – Kobe Bryant
    SF – Ron Artest
    PF – Pau Gasol
    C – Andrew Bynum
    It’s very possible that Blake will play more minutes than Fisher even with Fisher starting.

    MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
    PG – Mike Conley
    SG – O.J. Mayo
    SF – Rudy Gay
    PF – Zach Randolph
    C – Marc Gasol
    Eventually Mayo will be at the point, though it appears Conley is still the starter.

    MIAMI HEAT
    PG – Mario Chalmers
    SG – Dwyane Wade
    SF – LeBron James
    PF – Chris Bosh
    C – Joel Anthony
    This is one of the toughest calls. I think that late in games/throughout the playoffs they’ll go with one of their superstars at the point, but they’ll give Chalmers a shot. As a distributor/defender he could actually be alright.

    MILWAUKEE BUCKS
    PG – Brandon Jennings
    SG – John Salmons
    SF – Corey Maggette
    PF – Drew Gooden
    C – Andrew Bogut
    Redd will probably be the SG as long as he’s healthy but he played just 18 games last year (and averaged just 11.9 points), and you can never be certain with him.

    MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
    PG – Jonny Flynn
    SG – Wesley Johnson
    SF – Michael Beasley
    PF – Kevin Love
    C – Darko Milicic
    Per David Kahn’s enthusiasm surrounding Darko (their “most important starter”) and Beasley, one has to assume that they’ll both start, squeezing Wes Johnson to the 2. They might want to go with Brewer, but Johnson is a more exciting player with actual range and looks to fit really well into any team dynamic.

    NEW JERSEY NETS
    PG – Devin Harris
    SG – Terrence Williams
    SF – Travis Outlaw
    PF – Troy Murphy
    C – Brook Lopez
    Every big basketball fan is excited to see how much run Derrick Favors gets, but they shouldn’t get their hopes up. I think 18-23 minutes is realistic. As neither Terrence Williams nor Travis Outlaw is a proven starter yet, Anthony Morrow should get plenty of minutes off the bench.

    NEW ORLEANS HORNETS
    PG – Chris Paul
    SG – Marcus Thornton
    SF – Trevor Ariza
    PF – David West
    C – Emeka Okafor
    I read somewhere that Belinelli might start, but I just don’t see it. Thornton is arguably the third most talented player on this team (19.8 points in 17 games as a starter) while Belinelli has just been a disappointment throughout his career.

    NEW YORK KNICKS
    PG – Raymond Felton
    SG – Kelenna Azubuike
    SF – Danilo Gallinari
    PF – Amare Stoudemire
    C – Ronny Turiaf
    I would like to see Randolph start, but as he’s coming back from injuries and doesn’t yet have a niche on this team, I think he’s starting out as the 6th or 7th man. The real question is who will start at the 2. I think they’ll go with Azabuike because he’s just more consistent than Chandler, but they’ll get equal playing time.

    ORLANDO MAGIC
    PG – Jameer Nelson
    SG – Vince Carter
    SF – Rashard Lewis
    PF – Brandon Bass
    C – Dwight Howard
    This might be a bit unorthodox, but stick with me here, because this team’s solution is hidden on the bench. With Matt Barnes gone they do not have a SF worthy of starting, while Bass’ agent has been lobbying for playing time for client for months now, and the Magic have no good excuse not to play him more in my mind. It’s just perfect. Bass is a do-everything guy who could perfectly supplement a team with plenty of scorers and great size, making people forget that he’s ONLY 6-8. He would give them the toughness that they were lacking against Boston, and could allow Lewis (4.4 rpg in 32.9 minutes) to move to his natural position.

    PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
    PG – Jrue Holiday
    SG – Evan Turner
    SF – Andre Iguodala
    PF – Elton Brand
    C – Marreese Speights
    Seeing how the Turner/Iguodala experiment pans out will be exciting, as will the center battle between Hawes and Speights. I think with Dalembert gone they will be forced to start Brand – and they won’t regret it.

    SACRAMENTO KINGS
    PG – Beno Udrih
    SG – Tyreke Evans
    SF – Omri Casspi
    PF – Carl Landry
    C – Samuel Dalembert
    ESPN’s John Hollinger predicts Dalembert will be the team’s starter (as a stop-gap until Cousins is ready), and while Jason Thompson might have the most upside of any of the team’s many PF’s, Landry is simply more productive and is a much better fit next to Dalembert.

    OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
    PG – Russell Westbrook
    SG – Thabo Sefolosha
    SF – Kevin Durant
    PF – Jeff Green
    C – Nenad Kristic
    There’s no doubt Serge Ibaka and Cole Aldrich are extremely talented on the defensive end and just what this time needs, only not this year. A team that expects to contend for the West Conference crown cannot start a relatively unpolished 21-year old at center, while Kristic demonstrated this summer that he’s tough (in a bad way, perhaps), and can give this team one more year until their young big men are ready.

    PHOENIX SUNS
    PG – Steve Nash
    SG – Jason Richardson
    SF – Hedo Turkoglu
    PF – Hakim Warrick
    C – Robin Lopez
    This could go any number of ways. Here my logic: they won’t start Childress and Turkoglu together because both are poor rebounders and Robin Lopez isn’t a phenomenal board crasher himself, they’ll start Turkoglu over Hill and Childress because he’s more versatile, plays at a borderline All-Star level when he’s at his best, and is getting paid 2 times as much/3 times as much as them, respectively, and even though Frye got a bigger deal than Warrick, the latter is a lot like Amare Stoudemire and is a better fit as a starter.

    PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS
    PG – Andre Miller
    SG – Brandon Roy
    SF – Nicolas Batum
    PF – LaMarcus Aldridge
    C – Greg Oden
    With Marcus Camby. Wesley Matthews and Rudy Fernandez (?) they have one of the league’s best benches (that’s assuming Oden recovers on schedule), and if the the starting 5 stay heathy, they have one of the league’s absolute most balanced lineups.

    SAN ANTONIO SPURS
    PG – Tony Parker
    SG – George Hill
    SF – Richard Jefferson
    PF – Tiago Splitter
    C – Tim Duncan
    With a rookie PF/C in the lineup, Duncan’s minutes slowly decreasing, an underperforming SF and a combo guard who might not fit well with Parker at the 2, you can be sure that Manu Ginobili, DeJuan Blair, Antonio McDyess and James Anderson will be getting plenty of pt.

    TORONTO RAPTORS
    PG – Jose Calderon
    SG – DeMar DeRozan
    SF – Linas Kleiza
    PF – Amir Johnson
    C – Andrea Bargnani
    They have sort of a weird dilemma at the swing, and while Sonny Weems can play, he’s not a starter. They shelled out good money to Kleiza, and at 6-8/245 with a nice stroke, he’s a good fit at the 3. This could all change if they decide to put Barbosa at the 2, but he’s a career 6th man to me.

    UTAH JAZZ
    PG – Deron Williams
    SG – Raja Bell
    SF – Andrei Kirilenko
    PF – Al Jefferson
    C – Mehmet Okur
    Miles might end up starting 40 games this year at the 2 or 3 and I expect them to at least attempt a Jefferson/Millsap low post combo, especially in the beginning of the season when Okur’s still hurt, but I think this will be the lineup come playoff time.

    WASHINGTON WIZARDS
    PG – John Wall
    SG – Gilbert Arenas
    SF – Josh Howard
    PF – Andray Blatche
    C – JaVale McGee
    The real mystery here is how they will delegate playing time at the SF spot. Al Thornton will likely be the default starter at the beginning of the year due to Howard’s injury, but come December, Howard will be the man. There’s simply too much high reward value with him and he makes them a more formidable team. Thornton has two years left on his contract (2nd year is a player option but reasonable), so they’ll give Howard a shot to show that he can return to form.

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  • #402312
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    RUDEBOY_
    Participant

    I agree with 95% of your projected starters..

    Charlotte waived Dampier on tuesday..So Diaw or Mohamed might start at center for them..

    Cant see Wesley Johnson starting ..Dude looked lost in the 1 summer league game he played in..Brewer might be at 2 guard..

    The Kings could be a surprise team..If they can add some more shooters to the roster..

    If Toronto start that lineup..They should be asking David Stern to reserve a seat for them in Secarcus for the Lottery..

    Raja Bell days are over ..Why else would a defensive minded coach like Larry Brown,let a great defender go? Unless he knows he cant defend anymore..

    And Byron Scott will tell Dan Gilbert to take that job and shove it..When he realizes Mo Williams is only a shooter and not a point guard that can create plays..And Lebron’s playmaking skills is what made Hickson look good..

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  • #402314
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    RUDEBOY_
    Participant

    I agree with 95% of your projected starters..

    Charlotte waived Dampier on tuesday..So Diaw or Mohamed might start at center for them..

    Cant see Wesley Johnson starting ..Dude looked lost in the 1 summer league game he played in..Brewer might be at 2 guard..

    The Kings could be a surprise team..If they can add some more shooters to the roster..

    If Toronto start that lineup..They should be asking David Stern to reserve a seat for them in Secarcus for the Lottery..

    Raja Bell days are over ..Why else would a defensive minded coach like Larry Brown,let a great defender go? Unless he knows he cant defend anymore..

    And Byron Scott will tell Dan Gilbert to take that job and shove it..When he realizes Mo Williams is only a shooter and not a point guard that can create plays..And Lebron’s playmaking skills is what made Hickson look good..

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  • #402315
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    lolyouth
    Participant

    Dampier is already gone from Charlottte. He was the one with the $13 million voidable contract. He was let go for valuable salary cap space.

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  • #402316
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    lolyouth
    Participant

    Dampier is already gone from Charlottte. He was the one with the $13 million voidable contract. He was let go for valuable salary cap space.

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  • #402317
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    OhCanada-
    Participant

    Jack starts for Toronto.

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  • #402318
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    OhCanada-
    Participant

    Jack starts for Toronto.

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  • #402320
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    OhCanada-
    Participant

    Jack starts for Toronto.

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  • #402323
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    sammybuckeye13
    Participant

    Sorry, I wrote this before Dampier was let go.

    Last year Brewer averaged 13 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Wes Johnson is definitely good for that if given Brewer’s minutes (30), plus he can more effectively stretch the D and is a very good shot-blocker for a wing with his gigantic wingspan. I don’t think he was worthy of the third pick, but he is being slightly underrated. Syracuse was the most efficient offensive team last year because they always took high percentage shots, meaning no player could really “take over” (because they didn’t have to). Johnson averaged 16 ppg in that offense…could definitely have averaged more somewhere else and I think he’s definitely good for Brewer’s numbers this year, while he’ll just be a rookie.

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  • #402326
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    sammybuckeye13
    Participant

    Sorry, I wrote this before Dampier was let go.

    Last year Brewer averaged 13 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Wes Johnson is definitely good for that if given Brewer’s minutes (30), plus he can more effectively stretch the D and is a very good shot-blocker for a wing with his gigantic wingspan. I don’t think he was worthy of the third pick, but he is being slightly underrated. Syracuse was the most efficient offensive team last year because they always took high percentage shots, meaning no player could really “take over” (because they didn’t have to). Johnson averaged 16 ppg in that offense…could definitely have averaged more somewhere else and I think he’s definitely good for Brewer’s numbers this year, while he’ll just be a rookie.

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  • #402349
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    khaled_a_d
    Participant

    Dampier has been waived ,also Mavs already said that Marion will be our pack up 3&4,Roddy B is our starting 2 (when healthy) and Butler @3

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  • #402352
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    khaled_a_d
    Participant

    Dampier has been waived ,also Mavs already said that Marion will be our pack up 3&4,Roddy B is our starting 2 (when healthy) and Butler @3

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  • #402369
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    yellowdunker
    Participant

    I see a couple flaws at the begining of the season for Boston Kendrick Perkins will still be on the IR list and they said they will give the start to J.O’neal second for Bobcats they already released Erick Dampier as for Indiana Dunleavy will be back from IR they might play Granger at the 2 spot half way into the season for some reason Brandon Rush is not been getting the notch for a starting spot over the years for New Jersey they cant compete in the east right away due to Miami,Orlando,Boston,Chicago,Atlanta i think its a toss up for the PF position Favors can get that experience for now while letting him and Brook develop together for a year or 2 into the playoffs New York is ran under Dantoni and he’s plays the 7second or less offence i think u can slide Amare and Danilo up a spot and bring in Chandler PG:Felton SG:Azubuike SF:Chandler PF:Gallinari C:Stoudemire same for Phoenix i think the experienced Hill get the SF spot and Turkoglu gets the PF spot as for the rest its ok Sacremento i vote for Cousins at C and Tyreke at PG…..

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  • #402372
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    yellowdunker
    Participant

    I see a couple flaws at the begining of the season for Boston Kendrick Perkins will still be on the IR list and they said they will give the start to J.O’neal second for Bobcats they already released Erick Dampier as for Indiana Dunleavy will be back from IR they might play Granger at the 2 spot half way into the season for some reason Brandon Rush is not been getting the notch for a starting spot over the years for New Jersey they cant compete in the east right away due to Miami,Orlando,Boston,Chicago,Atlanta i think its a toss up for the PF position Favors can get that experience for now while letting him and Brook develop together for a year or 2 into the playoffs New York is ran under Dantoni and he’s plays the 7second or less offence i think u can slide Amare and Danilo up a spot and bring in Chandler PG:Felton SG:Azubuike SF:Chandler PF:Gallinari C:Stoudemire same for Phoenix i think the experienced Hill get the SF spot and Turkoglu gets the PF spot as for the rest its ok Sacremento i vote for Cousins at C and Tyreke at PG…..

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