Public Defender

With five players all deserving of significant PT at two positions, how do you manage it?

Here's my breakdown:

PF: Zach Randolph (32 minutes), LaMarcus Aldridge (10 minutes), Jamaal Magoire (6 minutes).

C: Joel Przybilla (32 minutes), Jamaal Magloire (12 minutes), Raef LaFrentz (4 minutes).

These would be averages, and I think there could be lots of games where JP gets in foul trouble and Magloire plays far more minutes. There might also be games against centers who don't want to leave the middle when LaFrentz could play a lot more. In blow-outs (likely losses, rather than wins), I could see Aldridge getting more than his allotment.

There are lots of worries about this kind of PT distribution, though. Will Z-Bo be satisfied with "just" 32 minutes (even though it's equal to, or more than, everyone else in the frontcourt?), will Magloire put up with averaging less than 20 minutes? Will Raef mind being basically glued to the bench most of the time?

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Next year...

wastro

Way too early to tell.

The best players will get the most playing time, and it remains to be seen if Magloire will come in and be the All-Star of two years ago or the gradually declining player since.

No one knows if Joel will come with with a new fire and intensity after the Magloire acquisition ... or if he will come in and half-*** it in the wake of a secure contract (not likely, but still).

And Zach is the wild card here. What if he returns to his 20/10 form? He's looking a lot better, but will the translate into a more physical player, or with the smaller size, will he become even more of a perimeter non-threat than he has been so far?

So I'd say it's too early to dole out minutes ... that will be decided by the players who are doing the best and giving the team its best chance to win.

This whole argument negates the possibility of injuries, too. The Blazers have five healthy big men right now, but there's no way all 5 stay healthy the entire year. What the team WON'T have to worry about is losing all its size if two players go down to injuries -- last year, they were starting Ha; this year, they still have some capable big men to step in and play well. So injuries will play a part in the minutes breakdown, too.

Public Defender

I think you're right, that injuries will probably play a role of some kind. And with one player out, it loosens things up significantly. However, the Blazers may well go weeks and months without a significant injury, at which time, the chemistry of this new roster will be formed.

I also agree that some of this will be forged in training camp. But the one pointed criticism I have of Nate is his reluctance to stick with a rotation and allow roles to be defined. It's all well and good to say "whoever's playing the hardest will play the most" - but there's a point where players want to settle in, and know what's expected of them, and not be constantly looking over their shoulders.

That's the spirit in which this thread was intended.

The question I have is, knowing what we know about the various abilities and expectations of the frontcourt players, and assuming for a time that health won't be an issue, how do you divide up the time?

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dkap

I would guess Pryz and Magloire will split the center minutes closer to 26/22, with Magloire making up the difference with spot minutes backing up Zach. Joel is a high energy, injury prone guy. No reason to play him major minutes when there's an equally capable, more durable guy to plug in for equal minutes.

Dan

ThatBlazerGuy

Pryz will not play over 30 minutes a game. I would think around 25 or 26.

sa1177

Sounds about right to me...I also think Nate will experiment with a "big" lineup consisting of a frontline of Zach, Joel, and Mags. Joel at C, Mags at PF and Zach at SF with his penchant for playing outside the paint recently. I don't think this will be a common lineup but I do think Nate will experiment with it and possibly employ it against certain teams.

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Blazer Maven

Decrease Joel from 32 to 26 and give Raef 5-10/min at the 3.

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barfo

I don't think Aldridge will get many minutes his first year. I predict something more like:

PF: Zach Randolph (36 minutes), LaMarcus Aldridge (1 minute), Jamaal Magoire (11 minutes).

C: I've got no idea how this one works out.

barfo

PorterIn2004

Nor should he, unless he's really a better player than the other four, which seems unlikely to me. I think he'll get to do most of the development he needs to do in the weight room and practicing against these other guys; he's supposed to be a strong defender -- playing against guys like Zach and Raef in practice should keep him on his toes. Then next year he can look to get more actual court time.

hasoos

I do agree Lemarcus won't get a ton of minutes, but it won't be due to lack of talent, it will be due to foul problems most likely. I think he will quickly probe he is offensively more capable then most of the players on the front line very quickly, as both Joel and Jamaal are not offensive players. Lemarcus if given the minutes will easily score in the teens. The only question for me is can he stay out of foul trouble, and most big rookies can't.

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Hasoos

BBert

Obviously Zach starts at PF and plays major minutes, 32 at an absolute minimum, probably more.

I doubt LaMarcus is going to be ready to play much this year, especially early. Expect a lot of DNPs. If we didn't have so many vets ahead of him, sure we could throw him to the wolves a little more. But not this year. He needs to spend a year learning and bulking up. Nate won't want to play him when he's got 4 experienced vets ahead of him. We're into Aldridge for the long term and the coach has other options, no need to rush him.

I think Raef ends up playing decent backup minutes this year. As has been alluded to elsewhere on the board, if Joel is in at center at the same time Magloire is backing up Zach, that's an ugly offensive jugger-not. Depending on who wins the starting center job, we should try to pair Magloire or Joel with Zach; then Magloire or Joel with Raef.

If Magloire gets backup PF minutes, then Raef will get more C minutes. If Magloire starts and gets major C minutes, Raef will have to play some PF. This will depend on matchups. There are going to be nights when we need to use Magloire's defense at the PF position (heck, maybe every night ), but when we do that we are going to need some offensive punch at center. Since Aldridge is unlikely to beat out Raef this year, Raef it is.

If Magloire wins the starting job at C, he should get most of the minutes there, with Joel backing him up. I agree Joel's minutes should be somewhat limited due to his injury history. That's the best way to get our moneys worth out of the contract we gave him. So even if Joel starts, there will still be minutes there for Raef and Magloire.

Zach: 36
Magloire: 24
Joel: 20
Raef: 14
Aldridge: 2 (and that's generous)

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B_&_B

PF = Zach 33... Magloire 9... Aldridge 4... Raef 2

C = Joel 25... Magloire 15... Raef 8.

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mediocre man

I would start by trading one of them

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wastro