The Bench....

[JimiCliff]

You know, I only partially blame Casey for these problem. BC is also to blame for not having a truly differentiated depth chart. That is, as with the Telfair acquisition he provides a different option, but not a differentiably betteroption and thus Casey's already troubling decision making problems are only compounded.

+1

I think I've even seen it written somewhere that it's Colangelo's philosophy to put together a team of guys with similar talent levels. He even has a term for it, but I can't remember what it is.

I guess the thinking is that if you do it this way, then if someone gets injured there's no dropoff. But it means that the coach is basically flipping coins to decide some of the rotations.

[japetas]

Valanciunas sitting on the bench at the 4th quarter again... His +/- was the best in the team, but Casey played ice-cold Bargnani and Gray instead... Anderson's +/- -27 in 13-14 mins of play...

[Axel]

That's funny, because NOBODY is down to an 8 man rotation at this point.

Quote from a recent SI article on the Lakers chances of making the play-offs:
"Utah and Houston — who both go deep into their respective benches — are better protected than the Lakers, who are utilizing a playoff-type eight-man rotation these days."

http://nba.si.com/2013/02/26/kobe-br...ee/?xid=si_nba

So your complaint that Nilanka "shifted from most teams to 1" is just as accurate a maneuver as "NOBODY" (in all caps for extra fun) to one of the most prominent teams in the league who, like the Raptors, are chasing down a play-off spot, is also a "Slick maneuver"

[Nilanka]

So you've shifted from "most teams" to 1. Slick maneuver!

Nothing's changed, genius. Most teams DO shorten their rotation towards the end of the season. But go ahead and keep burying your face in the sand pretending it's not true.

Regardless, it was you who said that zero teams are doing so. The Lakers simply proved you wrong (yet again).

[Nilanka]

The big problem with the roster right now (or at least, one of the big problems) is that we have too much talent at the wings. Ross, Anderson, and Fields are probably our best three bench players at this very moment. And you can only play two of them, at most, in a game.

You know, I only partially blame Casey for these problem. BC is also to blame for not having a truly differentiated depth chart. That is, as with the Telfair acquisition he provides a different option, but not a differentiably betteroption and thus Casey's already troubling decision making problems are only compounded.

Agreed.

[Nilanka]

+1

I think I've even seen it written somewhere that it's Colangelo's philosophy to put together a team of guys with similar talent levels. He even has a term for it, but I can't remember what it is.

I guess the thinking is that if you do it this way, then if someone gets injured there's no dropoff. But it means that the coach is basically flipping coins to decide some of the rotations.

I think Colangelo refers to it as the "stacking principle". Just another classic BC spin.

[Nilanka]

Quote from a recent SI article on the Lakers chances of making the play-offs:
"Utah and Houston — who both go deep into their respective benches — are better protected than the Lakers, who are utilizing a playoff-type eight-man rotation these days."

http://nba.si.com/2013/02/26/kobe-br...ee/?xid=si_nba

So your complaint that Nilanka "shifted from most teams to 1" is just as accurate a maneuver as "NOBODY" (in all caps for extra fun) to one of the most prominent teams in the league who, like the Raptors, are chasing down a play-off spot, is also a "Slick maneuver"

Hypocrisy is p00ka's middle name (along with 'DumbassKicker', 'CaseyDaMan', and a plethora of other schizophrenia-induced personalities).

[p00ka]

Quote from a recent SI article on the Lakers chances of making the play-offs:
"Utah and Houston — who both go deep into their respective benches — are better protected than the Lakers, who are utilizing a playoff-type eight-man rotation these days."

http://nba.si.com/2013/02/26/kobe-br...ee/?xid=si_nba

So your complaint that Nilanka "shifted from most teams to 1" is just as accurate a maneuver as "NOBODY" (in all caps for extra fun) to one of the most prominent teams in the league who, like the Raptors, are chasing down a play-off spot, is also a "Slick maneuver"

Holy shyt! Are you really this dumb, or just caught up in being a sniveling weasel a la Nilballsa? So, I was off the mark by a whole fn "1" when I said "no team",,,,, out of 30. Wow, great find dude. Misses the point, but you got me with a nitpicking detail that essentially proves my point that VERY FAR FROM "MOST TEAMS", LOL.

To remind you, Nilballsa was blabbering about "most teams", but if you think cherry picking 1 fn team out of 30 somehow lends some credence to a "most teams" babble, you need some remedial math classes. Thanks for the info though.

[p00ka]

Nothing's changed, genius. Most teams DO shorten their rotation towards the end of the season. But go ahead and keep burying your face in the sand pretending it's not true.

Regardless, it was you who said that zero teams are doing so. The Lakers simply proved you wrong (yet again).

LOL, you're a pathetic piece of work.

" Most teams DO shorten their rotation towards the end of the season."
Yup, that's something that even simpletons know, but your rant about doing it NOW, like "most teams" is fabrication, as only "1" team, in a very unique situation (do you need pictures?), is doing any different than what the Raps are doing. Apparently you need remedial math classes too, but 1/30 isn't "most", simpleton. But you hang your hat on "1" isn't "nobody" as some sort of redemption of your idiotic babble.

[Nilanka]

LOL, you're a pathetic piece of work.

" Most teams DO shorten their rotation towards the end of the season."
Yup, that's something that even simpletons know, but your rant about doing it NOW, like "most teams" is fabrication, as only "1" team, in a very unique situation (do you need pictures?), is doing any different than what the Raps are doing. Apparently you need remedial math classes too, but 1/30 isn't "most", simpleton. But you hang your hat on "1" isn't "nobody" as some sort of redemption of your idiotic babble.

Show me where I said anything about most teams doing so "now".

You've got nothing. Never had anything, and continue to dig your hole deeper and deeper. Seriously dude, just stop trying. You're wasting everyone's time.

[p00ka]

Hypocrisy is p00ka's middle name (along with 'DumbassKicker', 'CaseyDaMan', and a plethora of other schizophrenia-induced personalities).

Heavens, you're pathetic. Did your sister beat you up as a kid? Daddy? Mommy? Your name shouldn't be Nilballsa. It should be "sniveling internet weasel"

[Axel]

Holy shyt! Are you really this dumb, or just caught up in being a sniveling weasel a la Nilballsa? So, I was off the mark by a whole fn "1" when I said "no team",,,,, out of 30. Wow, great find dude. Misses the point, but you got me with a nitpicking detail that essentially proves my point that VERY FAR FROM "MOST TEAMS", LOL.

To remind you, Nilballsa was blabbering about "most teams", but if you think cherry picking 1 fn team out of 30 somehow lends some credence to a "most teams" babble, you need some remedial math classes. Thanks for the info though.

You are choosing to nit-pick over Nilanka's words, yet you originally posted that NOBODY is using 8 man rotations. The fact that you used caps lock on nobody really makes it seem like you felt you were 100% on point. When in fact, you aren't.

The fact is that one of the most high profile franchises in the league is currently facing an up-hill battle to get into the playoffs, which is a very similar situation to that of the Raptors. Since the thread comments that you seemed to be so in disagreement with, was in regards to using an 8 man rotation down the stretch instead of a deeper bench, it logically makes sense for the Raptors to use the same rotation depth as that of a team in a similar situation, in this case the Lakers. So finding not just one team, but the team with the closest parallel in terms of goals down the stretch (catching and making the play-offs with 2 other teams battling for the spot), isn't just about nit-picking your claim, but really finding proof to the logic that people were saying. Finding proof doesn't make me dumb, it simply illustrates that I think before I speak, perhaps you should try it out sometime.

[Nilanka]

Heavens, you're pathetic. Did your sister beat you up as a kid? Daddy? Mommy? Your name shouldn't be Nilballsa. It should be "sniveling internet weasel"

Nah, pathetic would be constantly changing your name, denying it numerous times, calling out someone else for doing exactly what you're doing, then fabricating some lame story as to why you did so.

And if pointing out your BS makes me a weasel, I'm happy to be one.

[p00ka]

Show me where I said anything about most teams doing so "now".

You've got nothing. Never had anything, and continue to dig your hole deeper and deeper. Seriously dude, just stop trying. You're wasting everyone's time.

Had to leave for a while, but I'm back, good buddy. So now you're actually going to resort to your common "did I say that word?" childish rebuttal? So you're saying your comments & rants (some would say hissy fits) in this thread, about rotations and shortening the bench, aren't meant to be relevant for "now", but for sometime in the future. Ah, okay.

Shit, I apologize, because I didn't see any indication at all that you were talking to a different time frame than everybody else, who seem to be giving their analysis about what Casey's doing now, and what should be different. When is this mystery future time you speak of, and what does your crystal ball say about the line-up Casey has then, how he will be using them, where they'll be in the standings, and what he should be doing different to avoid inducing another one of your " Identify your top 8 guys and stick to it, dammit!" hissy fits? To make the discussion the least bit useful, others need to know in what context your judging Casey's 's rotations and line-ups..

[p00ka]

Nah, pathetic would be constantly changing your name, denying it numerous times, calling out someone else for doing exactly what you're doing, then fabricating some lame story as to why you did so.

And if pointing out your BS makes me a weasel, I'm happy to be one.

LOL, I don't know if I've ever seen so many lies in a single sentence, and you call me for BS???? You're a funny guy. I was seriously thinking of bidding adieu to these friendly environs, but I think I'll stick around a while to at least enjoy your bubbly personality for a while longer.

[p00ka]

You are choosing to nit-pick over Nilanka's words, yet you originally posted that NOBODY is using 8 man rotations. The fact that you used caps lock on nobody really makes it seem like you felt you were 100% on point. When in fact, you aren't.

The fact is that one of the most high profile franchises in the league is currently facing an up-hill battle to get into the playoffs, which is a very similar situation to that of the Raptors. Since the thread comments that you seemed to be so in disagreement with, was in regards to using an 8 man rotation down the stretch instead of a deeper bench, it logically makes sense for the Raptors to use the same rotation depth as that of a team in a similar situation, in this case the Lakers. So finding not just one team, but the team with the closest parallel in terms of goals down the stretch (catching and making the play-offs with 2 other teams battling for the spot), isn't just about nit-picking your claim, but really finding proof to the logic that people were saying. Finding proof doesn't make me dumb, it simply illustrates that I think before I speak, perhaps you should try it out sometime.

hey, I don't know if you're just young and naive, or lacking education, or just riding Nilanka's shimmy/shake/skate in circles/ never take ownership of dumbass remarks,,,,, style of rebuttal, so I'll keep it simple and as least aggressive as possible:
1. Continuing to try hanging your hat on the 1 team out of 30, when the essence of the discussion was "most teams", is lame.
2. If you think being in the 9th spot of each of their respective conferences equates to the Lakers and Raptors being in parallel situations, then you are very naive and uneducated toward the NBA world. There are so many other factors that influence rotations and player minutes, that are soooooooooooooooooo different between these organizations, that you criteria for drawing parallels is nothing short of laughable. I'll try and point you in the direction of a few vast differences that these organizations have that result in lack of a parallel in consideration toward rotations and player minutes:
- The Lakers entered the season aiming for a championship, with a closing window facing them. Some so called experts even pegged them as favourites to battle Miami. The Raps entered the season with a goal to "compete for a playoff spot", looking at a window that's barely ajar.
- The Lakers have a line-up that includes 3 guaranteed first ballot HOFers, and another possibility in Dwight, if he ever grows up and becomes the player he's capable of being. The Raps don't even know what they're core is going to develop into, both individually, or as team. They're trying their best to be a young team on the rise, as everybody but RR whiners and bitchers see them as.
- The Lakers are missing future HOFer Pau Gasol, AND their 1st big backup, from a thin bench as it was entering the season. The Raps are missing nobody, but imagine how lineup and rotations might be different for the Raps if they were missing both JV and Amir, and still trying to live up to pre-season goals.
- The Lakers haven't just executed a couple of trades that drastically altered the flavour and player mix on the team. The Raps have, and are understandably experimenting with different line-up combinations.
- The Lakers are the Lakers. Pretty simple, no matter how you interpret that, and I'm sure we all have our idea of what that means. Whatever criteria you go by, the Lakers come from a very different history, are in a very different place in their development, are going to a very different place in the future of the NBA. They never have been, nor never will be, in a parallel situation to the Raptors.

At the end of the day, drawing a parallel between how these two organizations should be handling playing time, is akin to equating anything about Kobe and DD because their both starting SGs whose teams are in the 9th spot. These two teams, just like those two players, are in vastly different situations, with vastly different considerations, that where they're positioned in their respective conferences is but a minor factor.

[Krix]

[Nilanka]

Had to leave for a while, but I'm back, good buddy. So now you're actually going to resort to your common "did I say that word?" childish rebuttal? So you're saying your comments & rants (some would say hissy fits) in this thread, about rotations and shortening the bench, aren't meant to be relevant for "now", but for sometime in the future. Ah, okay.

Shit, I apologize, because I didn't see any indication at all that you were talking to a different time frame than everybody else, who seem to be giving their analysis about what Casey's doing now, and what should be different. When is this mystery future time you speak of, and what does your crystal ball say about the line-up Casey has then, how he will be using them, where they'll be in the standings, and what he should be doing different to avoid inducing another one of your " Identify your top 8 guys and stick to it, dammit!" hissy fits? To make the discussion the least bit useful, others need to know in what context your judging Casey's 's rotations and line-ups..

Reading comprehension buddy. Yes, I want Casey to shorten his rotation today, because what he's currently doing (i.e. making it up as he goes) is clearly not working for anyone.

When I said "most teams shorten their rotation", again, not a single claim made about "now".

You misinterpreted my comment that was written in plain old English, decided to nitpick, had it thrown back in your face by multiple posters, and now are too embarrassed to admit defeat. Classic p00ka.

Anyways, I've said my piece. Carry on...

[ebrian]

Reading comprehension buddy. Yes, I want Casey to shorten his rotation today, because what he's currently doing (i.e. making it up as he goes) is clearly not working for anyone.

When I said "most teams shorten their rotation", again, not a single claim made about "now".

You misinterpreted my comment that was written in plain old English, decided to nitpick, had it thrown back in your face by multiple posters, and now are too embarrassed to admit defeat. Classic p00ka.

Anyways, I've said my piece. Carry on...

Listen, you need to stop debating Casey's rotations and stick with the important topics like booing Bargnani.

[Nilanka]

Listen, you need to stop debating Casey's rotations and stick with the important topics like booing Bargnani.

lol, point taken.