...of stubbornly having JR Smith come off the bench if he is playing 35-40 mins and more minutes than your starters at the SG, SF anyway? It just feels a little gimmicky. Is it just a matter of keeping him on a short leash so that he continually needs to earn his minutes? Or am I missing something else here? You can't say that "he's playing with the second unit" because that's so many minutes that statement is just impossible to be true.
Last 5 games: 41, 34, 31, 38, 38 mins
In the last two games, he played more minutes than Prigs, Felton, and Shrumps, all of whom were "starters". Again, what's the point?
To be eligible for 6 man of the year. Thats what woodson promised jr...just to make him comfortable coming off the bench.
LOL - what Panos is asking is why he needs to come off the bench in the first place??? Because if he didn't Woodson wouldn't have to make him comfortable about it.
I think it makes it easier to ensure that either he or Carmelo is playing at all times -- someone who can create his own shot and hit a decent percent of them when the sets didn't work and the shot clock's winding down.
Carmelo is averaging 37 mins a game, JR 34. That's a total of 25 mins when they one or the other isn't playing, or, if you want one of them on the floor at all times, only 9 minutes when they can both be playing. I'd rather those 9 come at the end of the game than at the beginning.
Wait. I screwed up my math. Too early in the morning. If one is on the floor at all times, they can play together 25 minutes. Still, the point remains, imo; it's easier to manage it if they don't both start.
He's a volume scorer. It's nice in Woodyland to have that luxury to turn to and know your second unit is not relying on Stevia "4-6 from three or 0-4 from three" Novak as your main option on offense.
Balance. It's got to be truly difficult to manage as a head coach. That's why he makes millions and we're all on a free Knicks board.
Maybe JR's embraced his role. He's "the man" for the second unit. Dayum, fellas, it's working, ain't it? Is it broke?
jrodmc wrote:He's a volume scorer. It's nice in Woodyland to have that luxury to turn to and know your second unit is not relying on Stevia "4-6 from three or 0-4 from three" Novak as your main option on offense.Balance. It's got to be truly difficult to manage as a head coach. That's why he makes millions and we're all on a free Knicks board.
Maybe JR's embraced his role. He's "the man" for the second unit. Dayum, fellas, it's working, ain't it? Is it broke?
Yeah I cant really complain since its working. My only problem is that JR needs to finish games but Woodson believes Kidd needs to also (im not sure where i am with this) and with Felton being the PG that makes our finishing 5 small as hell.
I really think we might see him start in the playoffs if we get far and we need more juice in the starting lineup. Kind of like when Dallas started Barrea in the playoffs during their title run. Rotation gets short and minutes increase in the playoffs anyway so it'll be less of an issue for rotation purposes starting him.
Melo and Tyson (when he's back), imo, should be our guaranteed finishers. Then choose 3 from Raymond, JR, JKidd, Shump and KMart based on who's playing well and match-ups, and platoon in Camby, Novak and whoever isn't in the 3 above for offense or defense as game situations dictate.
He comes off the bench because he needs to hold the ball like Melo to be effective..At least with one guy in the starting line up who holds the ball, you can still have some ball movement at the beginning of games...It kind of set a tone... But Melo and JR together stops the flow most times..With JR and Melo, you kind of need one to be on the court at all times..So their rest periods don't happen at the same time...
JR is instant offense and Melo uses the early period to get in the flow or rhythm of the game ..
I'm kind of with Woody on this- what is the obsession people have with who's starting?
Bingo! Our Faithful Woodsman is more concerned with who's winning.
smackeddog wrote:I'm kind of with Woody on this- what is the obsession people have with who's starting?
I agree. Going to the bench isn't a demotion in today's NBA. JR is one of the few (read: two) reliable scorers on the team. They can't play together 48 minutes a game and if they're each playing 35, having one of them on the floor at all times is paramount. Right now it's working, so I'm not going to be upset about it.
smackeddog wrote:I'm kind of with Woody on this- what is the obsession people have with who's starting?
Because if you are going to finish someone with the starting unit always, why not start them? It's all about getting rhythm, chemistry, fluidity.
JR will start next year, he has earned it.
Anji wrote:JR will start next year, he has earned it.
probably on another team because we won't be able to afford him!
franco12 wrote:Anji wrote:JR will start next year, he has earned it.
probably on another team because we won't be able to afford him!
I think JR will come in a package deal with Chris Smith and the Knicks will say goodbye to White. I believe the Knicks have some version of Bird's rights on Smith and would probably match another teams offer if they could.
Anji wrote:JR will start next year, he has earned it.
I agree if he has a good playoffs and re-signs and becomes a leader during summer workouts, training camp, etc, he will have earned his starting role. Woody seems content with the small lineup so i see him starting at the 3 in between Shump and Melo. Woody treats JR with that tough love and sees him as a son moreso then most on the team (maybe as well as Shump.) JR should be coming into his prime now where maturity meets ability in his case, so hopefully we see a consistent JR for the long-term. Can't hold our breath on that one though but we will see.
