Thread: What will next season's rotation look like?

Curious to hear peoples' thoughts. Mine looks like this:

PG: Anderson/Drew
SG: Powell/Adams
SF: Muhammad/Lamb
PF: T-Wear/D-Wear
C: Smith/Parker/Stover

I can see the SG and SF spots being used pretty interchangeably, and Anderson playing a plethora of positions. I think we learned D-Wear is not nearly quick enough to play SF, so he will be playing mostly PF. I can see Parker playing some PF as well.

interesting. (preface note - picking who starts games doesn't matter nearly as much to me as who FINISHES them. The guys on the floor at the end is what matters most - in my mind anyway. That said) ...

first thing, i think the nature of the OPPONENT will have a large effect on how many minutes we would LIKE to play each of our kids. Leave it in neutral, just how would Ben like to write out the depth chart, what you write makes sense for sure. However, against short, quicker teams and lineups, those that choose to attack us with quickness and hit the board in waves against us - as Oregon, for instance - i think we'll see the Wears sometimes playing center. Because of Smith's lack of quickness and foul trouble; Stover's health; Parker's inexperience. (Stover's lost time due to surgery and rehab is especially grating as he could really use the development time through the off-season. A healthy Stover in his RS Junior year i think could be ahead of Parker but given the circumstances maybe no.) i think our three centers may just prove something of a liability in some situations....

Certainly bringing Adams in to bomb from outside, perhaps playing alongside Powell (or perhaps Lamb if his shot improves) could help in such situations by making it harder for opponents to just pack it inside and smother our bigs. Add Muhammad mid-range and that makes it that much more complicate for opposing defenses.

Really hard to tell a rotation at this point,not having seen the frosh or how much of Ben's teaching - especially on defense - they can absorb and master by say the start of February, but let me fiddle a bit and suggest this:

PG: Anderson/Drew
SG: Powell/Lamb/Adams
SF: Muhammad/Lamb/Anderson/T-Wear
PF: T-Wear/D-Wear/Parker/Muhammad(!)
C: Smith/Parker/Stover/D-Wear

What I want the line up to look like is pretty close to OP's. Then I started thinking about what I think the line up WILL look like, and boy does Howland have some decisions to make. It's a good problem to have, but a problem nonetheless.

Starters at the 1-3:
Drew - 5th year player already with a history of not wanting to play backup at UNC. Will he be willing to play backup PG with his final year of eligibility?
Lamb - The team's "Outstanding Defensive Player" from last year... Will Howland sit him? Will he be willing to play backup or will he see that as a demotion?
Powell - As much as everyone wants to see him start, he may be more willing than Drew and Lamb to be the 6th man. Will Howland play Powell over Lamb?
Anderson - He's the game changer. You have to play him. Period.
Muhammad - Obviously not here to come off the bench.

Well damn, I just named 5 starters for 3 positions. The only one I can safely say that won't start is Jordan Adams, but even he should get minutes as our only pure shooter. If we can keep everyone happy, this would be a heck of a team!

The Wears should have the PF spot locked up. They can't play anywhere else and Howland will play them. Smith is a no-brainer at C if he's in shape. If not, at least Parker will be there. And Stover will back them up.

[QUOTE=Sydbruin;9343]What I want the line up to look like is pretty close to OP's. Then I started thinking about what I think the line up WILL look like, and boy does Howland have some decisions to make. It's a good problem to have, but a problem nonetheless.]

Absolutely right on. Thing to look at is how much will Coach Howland adjust the lineup to deal with opponents' strengths and weaknesses. Probably not the "starting" lineup, but as games go along. That quickly blurs the distinctions between "center" "power forward" "small forward" etc. One of the Wears may be easily the best option at center against an opponent that goes smaller and tries to come at us with quickness and swarming D.

But let's look at this option to start with: let's stay Smith at C, TWear at PF, KAnderson at Small/Point F, Shabazz at SG (a position he has stated he expects to play in the pros) and Drew at "PG". That gives you the quick guy to guard the opposing PG; the O can go through Anderson while he can guard the opposing SF on defense. Shabazz leaves you a bit slow on defense but you aren't going to sit him. In keeping with Syd's comments, i just don't see Powell and Lamb not playing key roles on this team (which leaves Jordan Adams to be a situational player - not too many minutes a game but your designated "zone-buster" - altho i much prefer seeing a team attack a zone with penetration first and outside shooting only second, especially anyone not named Adams or perhaps Powell).

Up front the merry-go-round is also up for grabs - Smith - with a decent improvement in conditioning to help improve his balance - is the starter at C and - as stated - one of the Wears at PF. Stover's lost time really sets him back - or rather doesn't allow him to progress much where much and more is needed. On defense he has to learn to pick his shot-blocking moves, not leaving his man wide open for an easy dunk; on offense - and rebounding - he has to learn pretty much everything. Parker may take a while - conditioning and just the adjustment to a whole new level. But one or the other needs to take a big step up. Travis Wear is the most intriguing of the twins, being the better shooter and scorer. Against smaller opponents i wouldn't be at all surprised to see a four guard line-up including - with rotations - four of Anderson, Muhammad, Powell, Parker, Drew and Adams on the court at the same time along with one big.

Timing is the other factor - it's going to take time for the freshmen to begin to learn Ben's complicated defensive requirements - Shabazz and Kyle are grinders with extremely high BB IQs so they may come around more quickly in the season i would think.

Questions about this team include defensive quickness, REBOUNDING and - as Syd sayd - lineups - rotations - and Larry Drew's attitude and skills.

i would expect our best DEFENSIVE players to be Lamb, Powell then Drew, Muhammad - inside Stover.

i would expect our best players on OFFENSE to be Anderson, Muhammad, Smith, Powell, TWear

Don't you wish there were more overlap on those two lists?