Yep. This death lineup has been one of the best in the league but the bench has been so horrible for most of the year that we’ve been too far behind for it to even matter.
Some grouping of
Whiteside/Metu/
Harkless/Metu/Woodard
James/DQJ/Woodard
Davis/James/Guy
Wright/Guy/
isnt exactly gonna blow the socks off of anyone but it’s also probably not going to get cooked so bad that your team goes down by ten in a brief two minute span.
Yeah- I think there are some good combinations off the bench depending on what you are looking for, and you will probably have 12 guys who need to be "ready" at any time and could be in the 9-10 man rotation for any given game.
For instance, if you are playing a big team, your bench guys might be Whiteside, Metu, Harkless, Davis, Wright.
For small ball games, you might run Metu, Harkless, Davis, Wright, Guy.
If Harkless is cooked, Davis isn't that good, or you want a different look you could run DQJ.
I don't think you are going to see much of Woodard, James, or Silva if we are truly trying to make the playoffs.
I don't think Luke is ever going to play more than 9-10 guys a night, but he will likely have 10-12 guys of at least decent NBA quality to choose from any given night, and I think some of the backend rotation guys (Whiteside, Guy, DQJ) might find themselves playing one game and not the next depending on matchup and need. That we have 10-12 guys who don't look lost on an NBA floor is itself an improvement. Prior to the deadline that number was closer to 6-7, given that James is not an NBA level player, DQJ shows only flashes, Belly was checked out, and CoJo was often net negative. That the core 5 won't have to play 38 minutes per night, and that we don't have to worry about trying to find time for Bagley to mess things up, should contribute to a record that is much closer to .500 in and of itself.
I actually think that is what McNair is thinking. He looks at his core 5 and thinks he is got something. If you get reasonable growth from Fox and Hali next season, and resign Holmes you have a good core. Barnes is a nice piece. If you can find a way to upgrade Buddy (and get off is salary) you are starting to really have something. Add in some role players on the bench (I think we will really like Wright), and let everyone grow together, and you may have something.
The toughest part of that is upgrading Buddy. I know some people think that is through the draft, but maybe Monte thinks there is a trade out there when we get deeper into Buddy's contract. Maybe you can package him with Bagley when Bagley is an expiring. If you want to keep Barnes and Holmes to build around Fox and Hali (which I think is reasonable) then this team was too good to tank to the bottom 5. There is just too much talent. I think any effort to soft tank (but holding Barnes and Holmes) is probably no better than 8th or 9th pick territory. So Monte probably looks at it and says "why not got for it?" If we are already likely picking 8-10, why not try for the playoffs? if you get it, awesome, and if not, you are picking 10-12 instead of 8-10. The core you have (Fox, Hali, Barnes, and Holmes) is already too good to just waste the season. So let them play. Let Fox and Hali learn how to play and lead. Let them experience a playoff run or even play in meaningful late season games that have consequence. That is the only way we will get good.
I'm actually struck by how "bad" some of those old Lakers players are at "winning basketball." The Pellies have so much talent, but guys like Ingram are just not winners. You let a guy play meaningless basketball for too many years and he starts to develop bad habits and apathy, no matter how talented he is.
I am not suggesting this is the approach I would have taken. But I see the direction Monte is looking to go. Your chances of tanking to the bottom are small given the existing talent on the roster. So add some guys who will help you be more competitive this year, try to make a run that will probably only cost you 2-3 pick spots, pick up a guy (Wright) who might be part of your core, but otherwise keep your powder dry until a better opportunity presents itself.