Convince me this is not our best lineup

[Brooky03]

Sid can't shoot the three or catch a pocket pass on a pick and roll.

For all that Sid would help us out and do some basic stuff decently, you are fully changing the geometry of the floor that we can use.

Sid hurts the offense but helps the defense immensely. Rebounding, too.

 

[pearl31]

I honestly don't think this team has a "best" lineup, meaning it's very fluid from game to game. There are some games when Buddy is lights out and should play a lot and other games where he's hurting the team and need to sit. Same with Joe.

^^^

 

[RF2044]

I don't know.

But what I do know, unequivocally, is that any "best" lineup has to include Kadary. Not suggesting he's perfect, but he improves our play on both ends of the floor.

 

[Alsacs]

Assuming Sidibe gets a knee transplant, correct. Marek is a good facilitator. He passes better than Alan and Q, but that’s the only thing he does better. Well, he can dribble a little, but with two guards on the court that doesn’t mean a lot.

I’m firmly of the belief Alan could not give us more than a few productive minutes at SG before hurting us. If we want Marek in our best lineup, then that takes Alan (arguably our best guy at creating for himself) off the court.

How much ball handling does Buddy do?
Marek is our second best ball handler unless both Joe and Kadary are on the floor.

Buddy doesn’t handle the ball. The idea AG can’t play the SG is just because JB doesn’t want to take Buddy out if he doesn’t have to.

By making AG a forward it means only one guard has to sit and Buddy isn’t sitting much.
AG can play the SG position if one of KR/JG and Marek are on the floor.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Alan's handle leaves a lot to be desired at 2.

People keep saying this as though it's important in Boeheim's offense. Last year, when Buddy manned the SG spot for the entire year without a break, after made baskets, he ran down the court and didn't help on bringing the ball up on 99.74543% of plays. True for most rebounds off of misses as well. When Joe needed to be bailed out because of smaller pressure guards defending him, it was NEVER Buddy's job to help out. It was always Eli.

End rant.

 

[Brooky03]

How much ball handling does Buddy do?
Marek is our second best ball handler unless both Joe and Kadary are on the floor.

Buddy doesn’t handle the ball. The idea AG can’t play the SG is just because JB doesn’t want to take Buddy out if he doesn’t have to.

By making AG a forward it means only one guard has to sit and Buddy isn’t sitting much.
AG can play the SG position if one of KR/JG and Marek are on the floor.

Buddy’s ball security is astronomically better than AG’s. He understands the offensive sets better and is a better passer, too. Alan is a considerably better basketball player than Buddy. Buddy is a considerably better SG than Alan.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Buddy’s ball security is astronomically better than AG’s. He understands the offensive sets better and is a better passer, too. Alan is a considerably better basketball player than Buddy. Buddy is a considerably better SG than Alan.

I'd like to see Alan play the role a couple more times before we call Buddy considerably better at anything.

I truly believe AG would be a major upgrade on defense at the two.

 

[Alsacs]

Buddy’s ball security is astronomically better than AG’s. He understands the offensive sets better and is a better passer, too. Alan is a considerably better basketball player than Buddy. Buddy is a considerably better SG than Alan.

Ball security is why AG can’t play SG?
But he can play SF?
It makes no sense.
Buddy doesn’t handle the ball.
We use a forward Marek this year Elijah last year to be the secondary ball handler.

Alan can play SG. He doesn’t because of what I said above.

 

[Brooky03]

I'd like to see Alan play the role a couple more times before we call Buddy considerably better at anything.

I truly believe AG would be a major upgrade on defense at the two.

AG would be a better defender at the top of the zone than Buddy. No argument there.

 

[Brooky03]

Ball security is why AG can’t play SG?
But he can play SF?
It makes no sense.
Buddy doesn’t handle the ball.
We use a forward Marek this year Elijah last year to be the secondary ball handler.

Alan can play SG. He doesn’t because of what I said above.

Buddy handles the ball more than Marek. Ball security at guard matters more than ball security at forward. You act like Buddy just catches and passes. That’s not true. Alan doesn’t play SG because he’s not a SG. We’d be crippled against good defensive guards if we have one ballhandler next to AG at the 2. Marek is never the secondary ballhandler in any lineup we’ve used. He’s the 3rd ballhandler. He dribbles well for a guy his size. He’s not Magic Johnson.

 

[Bayside44]

I'd like to see Alan play the role a couple more times before we call Buddy considerably better at anything.

I truly believe AG would be a major upgrade on defense at the two.

Buddy's turnovers v UVa were atrocious, but we've seen Alan with a loose handle and turnovers in enough spots also.

 

[Alsacs]

Buddy handles the ball more than Marek. Ball security at guard matters more than ball security at forward. You act like Buddy just catches and passes. That’s not true.

Buddy doesn’t handle the ball.
He gets the ball in the half court.
Alan does as well.

I mean c’mon AG can play SG.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Buddy's turnovers v UVa were atrocious, but we've seen Alan with a loose handle and turnovers in enough spots also.

Fair.

I just don't see the upgrade offensively from Buddy when Alan is just a better all around player. His defense, rebounding, blocked shots, etc., all make up for many of his TOs when he shuts the brain down for a bit. I'm just tired of seeing Alan get yanked for a mistake while Buddy is allowed to 'play through it' when he really just needs to sit and watch.

 

[Alsacs]

Buddy's turnovers v UVa were atrocious, but we've seen Alan with a loose handle and turnovers in enough spots also.

Nobody wants Buddy to sit the whole game.
Alan can play SG.
He doesn’t get a chance.
Buddy plays 90% of the SG minutes.

That is too much.

 

[NineOneSeven]

As far as I’m concerned we won’t see sidibe play >10mpg in any game.

 

[Chip]

People get hung up on the lineups, and I get it because JB isn't a big mix and match guy for the whole game.

But if Sid is healthy enough to contribute and assuming Woody is back, you have a core group of 8. JB will mix and match early, find out who his best 5 are either based on the matchup or just whose game is on, and he'll ride those 5 most of the 2nd half.

Good to have more options. That's the key to our depth.

Braswell and Edwards are emergency guys. JBA is basically a walk on at this point. Frank I assume is out until next year.

 

[dasher]

Assuming Sidibe gets a knee transplant, correct. Marek is a good facilitator. He passes better than Alan and Q, but that’s the only thing he does better. Well, he can dribble a little, but with two guards on the court that doesn’t mean a lot.

I’m firmly of the belief Alan could not give us more than a few productive minutes at SG before hurting us. If we want Marek in our best lineup, then that takes Alan (arguably our best guy at creating for himself) off the court.

Marek, Sid, QG, Alan and Kadray How am I taking griff off th floor?

 

[Brooky03]

Buddy doesn’t handle the ball.
He gets the ball in the half court.
Alan does as well.

I mean c’mon AG can play SG.

If AG takes more than 3 steps while dribbling, he has an 85% chance of bouncing it off his foot into his face.

 

[Brooky03]

Marek, Sid, QG, Alan and Kadray How am I taking griff off th floor?

I don’t think Alan can play SG, which I mentioned. Since Alan can’t play SG and we need Sid at Center if he’s healthy, that means Q or Alan have to come off the court for Marek to play.

You think Alan can play SG. Great. Nobody is going to convince me he can.

 

[Alsacs]

I don’t think Alan can play SG, which I mentioned. Since Alan can’t play SG and we need Sid at Center if he’s healthy, that means Q or Alan have to come off the court for Marek to play.

You think Alan can play SG. Great. Nobody is going to convince me he can.

How can AG play SF and he can’t play SG?
If Marek is on the floor we have a second ball handler.

You make it sound like the Buddy backdown fade-away jumper is so important that it DQs Alan from playing SG.
When what I want from my SG is to shoot the ball well in the half court.

 

[Domedog84]

I don’t think Alan can play SG, which I mentioned. Since Alan can’t play SG and we need Sid at Center if he’s healthy, that means Q or Alan have to come off the court for Marek to play.

You think Alan can play SG. Great. Nobody is going to convince me he can.

Isn't it sort of important for Alan to be able to play the 2 if he has hopes of playing professionally? (I know this was not your argument or that of the OP). I mean he isn't going to be a 3 in the pros at 6'5" is he?

 

[Cusefan0307]

Just play the hot hand at the 2. I think Girard or Buddy are better with Kadary than together with each other. I don't really want Griffin off the back line as he's our best shot blocker and I don't think Sidibe is going to give us much, but I've been wrong before.

 

[Alsacs]

I also don’t want AG at the SG position for close to the entire game.
I just think he can play it 5-10 minutes each game and allow for the possibility it could help in certain games.

I don’t think 90% BB 10% JG is how the SG minutes should be distributed.

 

[dasher]

I don’t think Alan can play SG, which I mentioned. Since Alan can’t play SG and we need Sid at Center if he’s healthy, that means Q or Alan have to come off the court for Marek to play.

You think Alan can play SG. Great. Nobody is going to convince me he can.

He can't play the 2 compared to who? We use Marek to help bring the ball up against pressure as sit is. In the half court, Alan can definitely play the 2. And on defense, he is far superior to Buddy or Joe at the 2 on his rebounding alone. As far as covering the position against outside shots, I think he will be superior to Buddy or Joe.

 

[Brooky03]

Isn't it sort of important for Alan to be able to play the 2 if he has hopes of playing professionally? (I know this was not your argument or that of the OP). I mean he isn't going to be a 3 in the pros at 6'5" is he?

With the emphasis on the perimeter game in today’s NBA, SF’s have gotten shorter. The average SF height in the NBA last season was 6’6.4”. He does need to work on his ballhandling to have a real shot in the NBA. He’ll have to do that in practice because right now we can’t afford to let him try to figure that out in games.

As it stands now, he’d be exclusively a catch and shoot, 3 and D player. He has the athleticism and physicality to defend most SFs at the next level.