Post by DERRENMATTS on Sept 26, 2005 20:12:06 GMT -5
Heading into training camp this season, there are a number of positions that are up for grabs. Only Pierce is a lock as a starter (unless he gets traded, which doesn't seem likely at this time).
At Center, the likely starter is Raef LaFrentz because he's the veteran and he held that spot last season after Walker came back. But Perkins may be able to slide Raef down if he shows big improvements in his game. Blount is a far far far shot.
Right now, I'd pencil in Jefferson as the starting PF because I'm willing to give this kid the benefit of the doubt and say that he is ready to start (but that doesn't mean he'll stay in the game for long periods of time or even be on the court at the end of games). He is the future of the team and he's got to get his feet wet at some point, so why not now? Brian Scalabrine could earn the starting nod if he outplays Jefferson. Raef is also an option if he's booted out of the starting Center spot because he has played PF a lot in the past. If Raef outplays Jefferson and Scalabrine, he could be the tentative starter.
Pierce could be the starting SF again. Most of the better wingmen we have are SG's (Tony Allen, Ricky Davis) and Gerald Green is far from being a starter, so Pierce could be the starting SF by default. But lets not write his name in stone just yet because Justin Reed and Ryan Gomes are drawing high praises from Coach Rivers. They will be battling each other out for the backup slot anyways, but should either of them play fantastically well this training camp, I wouldn't be surprised if Rivers uses them at the starting spot while moving Pierce to SG.
At SG, I would have said that the spot was reserved for Allen, but at the moment, we clearly can't make that assumption with him having athroscopic surgery on his knee last week. The papers said that he'll miss some time and Rivers worries how long it'll take him to get into playing shape. However, young players heal very quickly and we can only hope that Allen will heal faster than expected. So, in the meantime, the starting spot is up for grabs. This might be an opportunity for Rivers to move Pierce to SG and use the SF spot to let Gomes or Reed get their learning curve out of the way. Ricky Davis is always an option and he is clearly a starting caliber player (heck, he's a borderline All-Star). But I really like him in that 6th man spot and I think Rivers likes him there also.
At PG, its a 3-way battle between Dan Dickau, Delonte West, and Marcus Banks--or that's what the organization will have you believe. It's more like a battle between Delonte and Dickau, IMO. I honestly have only seen Dickau a handful of times so I don't have much of a scouting report on the guy. I've seen Delonte a bit more, but I haven't seen nearly enough of him to know that he'll outplay Dickau. Either way, this will be one of the more interesting battles that will go on in training camp and preseason. May the best Point win.
At Center, the likely starter is Raef LaFrentz because he's the veteran and he held that spot last season after Walker came back. But Perkins may be able to slide Raef down if he shows big improvements in his game. Blount is a far far far shot.
Right now, I'd pencil in Jefferson as the starting PF because I'm willing to give this kid the benefit of the doubt and say that he is ready to start (but that doesn't mean he'll stay in the game for long periods of time or even be on the court at the end of games). He is the future of the team and he's got to get his feet wet at some point, so why not now? Brian Scalabrine could earn the starting nod if he outplays Jefferson. Raef is also an option if he's booted out of the starting Center spot because he has played PF a lot in the past. If Raef outplays Jefferson and Scalabrine, he could be the tentative starter.
Pierce could be the starting SF again. Most of the better wingmen we have are SG's (Tony Allen, Ricky Davis) and Gerald Green is far from being a starter, so Pierce could be the starting SF by default. But lets not write his name in stone just yet because Justin Reed and Ryan Gomes are drawing high praises from Coach Rivers. They will be battling each other out for the backup slot anyways, but should either of them play fantastically well this training camp, I wouldn't be surprised if Rivers uses them at the starting spot while moving Pierce to SG.
At SG, I would have said that the spot was reserved for Allen, but at the moment, we clearly can't make that assumption with him having athroscopic surgery on his knee last week. The papers said that he'll miss some time and Rivers worries how long it'll take him to get into playing shape. However, young players heal very quickly and we can only hope that Allen will heal faster than expected. So, in the meantime, the starting spot is up for grabs. This might be an opportunity for Rivers to move Pierce to SG and use the SF spot to let Gomes or Reed get their learning curve out of the way. Ricky Davis is always an option and he is clearly a starting caliber player (heck, he's a borderline All-Star). But I really like him in that 6th man spot and I think Rivers likes him there also.
At PG, its a 3-way battle between Dan Dickau, Delonte West, and Marcus Banks--or that's what the organization will have you believe. It's more like a battle between Delonte and Dickau, IMO. I honestly have only seen Dickau a handful of times so I don't have much of a scouting report on the guy. I've seen Delonte a bit more, but I haven't seen nearly enough of him to know that he'll outplay Dickau. Either way, this will be one of the more interesting battles that will go on in training camp and preseason. May the best Point win.
