Paul Westphal has been the recipient of a substantial amount of criticism for his musical chairs starting lineups. A year ago, players and fans alike grew very irritated at the constantly fluctuating starting unit.
But in defense of Westphal, his lineups were as inconsistent as the players featured in them. In 2009-10, no position saw more instability than small forward. Desmond Mason, Andres Nocioni, Francisco Garcia, Dominic McGuire each held the distinction at different times, but the brunt of the starts went to either Omri Casspi or Donte Greene.
The roster for 2010-11 has been pared considerably. Gone are Mason, Nocioni and McGuire. Garcia remains, but most within the organization feel he is more productive at shooting guard. Leaving the battle in familiar hands, Casspi and Greene.
The coaching staff's conundrum is how remarkably similar the two players are. Both are 22 years old, both have prototypical NBA small forward bodies (Greene 6'11", 226 lbs.; Casspi 6'9", 225 lbs.), both boast very solid three point shooting (Greene .377, Casspi .369), neither are strong free throw shooters (Greene .643, Casspi .672) and both compete hard on t ...
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Article written by David Spohn
2010-11 NBA Predictions: Who Should The Sacramento Kings Start at Small Forward?
October 15th, 2010 by David Spohn Leave a reply »
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