SkywalkerAC

I'd love to see Bargnani starting and putting up allstar numbers next season but I think it makes sense for him to come off the bench, at least to start the season.

Andrea's foul troubles were kept in check, by himself and Mitchell, last season. In the starting lineup, is it more likely this becomes an issue? I'd be surprised if it wasn't and would expect opposing teams to go at him early and often on the block, whether his defense is decent or not. That said, maybe our team defense is good enough to make this a non-issue.

Rasho in the starting lineup makes sense for defensive purposes. Bargnani will eat up any bigs that are tired, have foul issues, or are also coming off the bench.

That said, maybe Mitchell wants to start off the season with a bang - 100 shots. Now that the team has found its shooting range he'll want to come out of the gates running rather than jogging up the floor with Rasho. I wouldn't be surprised. It's not like we don't have the depth to compensate for any foul issues and a frantic pace.

At the end of the day, I'd prefer to see Bargnani start because that says a lot about where he's at as a player. Our bench doesn't NEED him. We all want to see him develop a lot more chemistry with the starting lineup (especially TJ). And, quite simply, his presence gives us one of the most offensively potent starting lineups in the history of basketball.

__________________
AC