2022-2023 General Celtics thread

[snowmanny]

My rudimentary hot take is that the Tatum Celtics have generally been two steps ahead of the Embiid Sixers, and despite Embiid MVP talk and Sixers to the finals talk and Harden in and TL out, plus c'est la meme chose.

So far, and one game is admittedly not very far.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

I guess the question is what the better option for them is, as I’m not convinced it’s having Embiid chase wings/guards around the perimeter on a switch, since that adds wear and tear to him, I’m not sure how effective he’d be at it (especially against good teams), and he’s generally their only rim protector out there (not that they did a good protecting the rim last night anyways).

Probably the better option is to get people who want to play defense.

That's probably too harsh. Seems like Harris and Maxey try at least when they are on-ball but they have some physical limitations that don't allow them to be terribly effective. The bigger issue to me is that none of Harden, Harris, or Maxey have really good off-ball awareness.

Also agreed that they are not going to be able to have Embiid spend a ton more energy on defense so not sure what they are going to do other than drop coverage.

 

[Shelterdog]

Old man yells at clouds alerts. Why were the Celtics dressed like the Milwauke Bucks? I get alternate color schemes of black on green, but an alternate green is one step too far.

 

[TripleOT]

Doc played his best perimeter defender, Matisse Thybulle, for less than a minute, while Tatum and Brown put on a scoring efficiency clinic against him. He was 4-11 from three in the pre-season, including 3-5 in his last game. I might have missed it if he was injured, but I haven’t seen anything about that.

 

[TripleOT]

Old man yells at clouds alerts. Why were the Celtics dressed like the Milwauke Bucks? I get alternate color schemes of black on green, but an alternate green is one step too far.

I was expecting to see a vintage Vin Baker post up. I liked the look of the uniform when I first saw a picture of it, but watching the Celtics play in, it just looked a little off

 

[Jimbodandy]

Probably the better option is to get people who want to play defense.

That's probably too harsh. Seems like Harris and Maxey try at least when they are on-ball but they have some physical limitations that don't allow them to be terribly effective. The bigger issue to me is that none of Harden, Harris, or Maxey have really good off-ball awareness.

Also agreed that they are not going to be able to have Embiid spend a ton more energy on defense so not sure what they are going to do other than drop coverage.

Harris and Harden aren't too bad off ball IMO, but not a plus either. Harden can play D when he wants to, which is valuable. Downside is that he's generally only interested in picks and passing lanes. Maxey is a rotten defender.

I don't know if we know whether Philly is a bad defensive team because they don't care or because they just are. I suspect that it's the former. Doc won't likely burn cycles and capital trying to get Harden and Embiid to hit the 82 like defensive wizards, so we'll not find out until playoff time methinks.

I still think that they're going to score loads.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

I'm not drawing any conclusions about the Celtics defense from game one against this particular team. Philly is going to score this year. What's TBD is whether they'll defend.

Love that the ball mojo is still strong. Thing was generally buzzing.

Also, for all of the points given up, I only remember one "who had that fucking guy" play on defense, where the communication completely fell apart. Considering a new coach and some non-trivial lineup turnover, that's not bad. I expected a bit more of the zagging when they should be zigging.

I agree with you. I mentioned it in the game thread last night, but the C's defense didn't bother me at all last night. They were put on their heels early with Al getting into foul trouble, and Vonleh following suite, and then Grant picking up quick ones. They couldn't be aggressive on that end, particularly after the parade of free throws in the 1st quarter. The result was a 34 point quarter in the 2nd by Philly. They got through that half tied, and then got aggressive in Q3 leading to a 35-25 margin.

And of course, they did all of it without arguably their best defender in TL.

It was a great win.

 

[Deathofthebambino]

Harris and Harden aren't too bad off ball IMO, but not a plus either. Harden can play D when he wants to, which is valuable. Downside is that he's generally only interested in picks and passing lanes. Maxey is a rotten defender.

I don't know if we know whether Philly is a bad defensive team because they don't care or because they just are. I suspect that it's the former. Doc won't likely burn cycles and capital trying to get Harden and Embiid to hit the 82 like defensive wizards, so we'll not find out until playoff time methinks.

I still think that they're going to score loads.

Speaking of Harden, just heard this stat in the car:

Harden dribbled the ball like 525 times.
The rest of Philly dribbled it like 490 times.

Harden pounding the ball into the floor works if he's draining his 3's and getting calls. It's a fucking disaster for that team if he isn't.

 

[reggiecleveland]

Old man yells at clouds alerts. Why were the Celtics dressed like the Milwauke Bucks? I get alternate color schemes of black on green, but an alternate green is one step too far.

The Celtics have a classic look, and I wish they treated it like the Yankees treat pinstripes, as a sacred tradition. The Celtics are not eh Hornets or Pelicans or Mighty Ducks. They have a classic look and should stick with it. I mean opening night on a year they are honoring Russ, they dress like the 90s bucks?

 

[Jimbodandy]

Speaking of Harden, just heard this stat in the car:

Harden dribbled the ball like 525 times.
The rest of Philly dribbled it like 490 times.

Harden pounding the ball into the floor works if he's draining his 3's and getting calls. It's a fucking disaster for that team if he isn't.

Agreed. But I think that he generally will do both. He looked great.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

Harris and Harden aren't too bad off ball IMO, but not a plus either. Harden can play D when he wants to, which is valuable. Downside is that he's generally only interested in picks and passing lanes. Maxey is a rotten defender.

I don't know if we know whether Philly is a bad defensive team because they don't care or because they just are. I suspect that it's the former. Doc won't likely burn cycles and capital trying to get Harden and Embiid to hit the 82 like defensive wizards, so we'll not find out until playoff time methinks.

I still think that they're going to score loads.

Agree with your last sentence.

With regards to Harden, the one thing he can do play post defense. That's about it. Off-ball he's a disaster because he doesn't pay attention. He certainly doesn't spend a lot of time playing help defense. He's also terrible on switches, and every time he guarded JT, JT just hit a jump shot over him.

So at the end of the day, I have to think PHI's a bad defensive team because they are and it won't change in the playoffs. Which is one big reason why they keep flaming out in the playoffs.

 

[Euclis20]

Agree with your last sentence.

With regards to Harden, the one thing he can do play post defense. That's about it. Off-ball he's a disaster because he doesn't pay attention. He certainly doesn't spend a lot of time playing help defense. He's also terrible on switches, and every time he guarded JT, JT just hit a jump shot over him.

So at the end of the day, I have to think PHI's a bad defensive team because they are and it won't change in the playoffs. Which is one big reason why they keep flaming out in the playoffs.

I think the addition of PJ Tucker is somewhat overhyped by the media. He's still a strong individual defender against big wings, but his size and dwindling athleticism limit his usefulness as a help defender. He was a good piece when surrounded by great defenders in Milwaukee and Miami, but several years older and playing alongside just one plus defender in Embiid....let's just say he's not a gamechanger defensively, but he's sometimes treated like one.

Philly desperately needs Thybulle to give them anything offensively, because too many of Philly's key pieces are defensive liabilities or below average at best. Their top 3 scorers are as good as any top 3 in the league and Embiid is good enough to make up for a lot of defensive shortcomings (until inevitably he gets tired), but they should be looking to add another defense first player to their rotation before the playoffs.

 

[Jimbodandy]

Agree with your last sentence.

With regards to Harden, the one thing he can do play post defense. That's about it. Off-ball he's a disaster because he doesn't pay attention. He certainly doesn't spend a lot of time playing help defense. He's also terrible on switches, and every time he guarded JT, JT just hit a jump shot over him.

So at the end of the day, I have to think PHI's a bad defensive team because they are and it won't change in the playoffs. Which is one big reason why they keep flaming out in the playoffs.

From your lips to God's ears.

I'm far from a Harden-stan (I find his game tedious). And the eye test is that he is a negative on defense. DARKO has him as very slight positive now (after being a big negative for a long time). LEBRON has him as a slight negative (with a couple of other slight negatives within a bunch of larger negatives). I don't think that his impact is bad as we think it is.

That said, you might be right. They might be bad defensively because they're bad. I hope so.

 

[John Marzano Olympic Hero]

The Celtics have a classic look, and I wish they treated it like the Yankees treat pinstripes, as a sacred tradition. The Celtics are not eh Hornets or Pelicans or Mighty Ducks. They have a classic look and should stick with it. I mean opening night on a year they are honoring Russ, they dress like the 90s bucks?

Russell did help design those uniforms, so that's probably why they did that.

And the NBA is releasing three-to-four new uniforms for every team every year. So I agree with you that it's a bit much.

 

[benhogan]

As much as I like Payton, he's kind of rotting away on the bench. I know injuries happen, but just love having Smart or White or Brogdon at PG. Defensively it really lets this team play big. Hauser is ready to be the 10th-man bench sniper. JD and Beagarin are there as development/future PG prospects

Come on Danny gives us Vanderbilt for PP+ so we don't have to watch Blake play rotational minutes.

 

[Jimbodandy]

As much as I like Payton, he's kind of rotting away on the bench. I know injuries happen, but just love having Smart or White or Brogdon at PG. Defensively it really lets this team play big. Hauser is ready to be the 10th-man bench sniper. JD and Beagarin are there as development/future PG prospects

Come on Danny gives us Vanderbilt for PP+ so we don't have to watch Blake play rotational minutes.

While I agree in principle, I'm not sure that we have a real problem to solve here.

The end of the rotation makes peanuts. Having more NBA players than we need is gonna come in handy when flu goes through the locker room, Jaylen is nursing that hammy for a week, and Al sprains his grundle. Imo, the depth is good unless something obvious falls into our lap.

I mean we just contained a top center with that bouillabaisse and no TL. Scored plenty and shot fine without PP and still had fouls on the bench in Cabin Jelly and Kornet.

If we had real contention or "not enough balls" problems or something, fine. Or an obvious upgrade.

 

[benhogan]

While I agree in principle, I'm not sure that we have a real problem to solve here.

The end of the rotation makes peanuts. Having more NBA players than we need is gonna come in handy when flu goes through the locker room, Jaylen is nursing that hammy for a week, and Al sprains his grundle. Imo, the depth is good unless something obvious falls into our lap.

I mean we just contained a top center with that bouillabaisse and no TL. Scored plenty and shot fine without PP and still had fouls on the bench in Cabin Jelly and Kornet.

If we had real contention or "not enough balls" problems or something, fine. Or an obvious upgrade.

making a trade right now would be malpractice anyways...

at some point in January the race to VICTOR is going to be on and tankers will be shedding talent for Justin Jackson

 

[bosockboy]

making a trade right now would be malpractice anyways...

at some point in January the race to VICTOR is going to be on and tankers will be shedding talent for Justin Jackson

And we’ll know much more about TL and Gallinari at that point.

 

[the moops]

The Celtics have a classic look, and I wish they treated it like the Yankees treat pinstripes, as a sacred tradition. The Celtics are not eh Hornets or Pelicans or Mighty Ducks. They have a classic look and should stick with it. I mean opening night on a year they are honoring Russ, they dress like the 90s bucks?

Older man comes in and tells old man to hold his beer

 

[nighthob]

at some point in January the race to VICTOR is going to be on and tankers will be shedding talent for Justin Jackson

Indiana will be setting new marks in Tank Battle: 2023! by then. You might have the pick of their roster for Begarin and a bundle of picks.

 

[reggiecleveland]

Older man comes in and tells old man to hold his beer

If that's all you have then I feel vindicated.

 

[Dr Strangeglove]

I was very impressed by Malcolm Brogdon's contributions yesterday. It seemed to me that he played extremely intelligent, highly efficient basketball. Almost every step he took or move he made was designed to create an advantage or opportunity for himself or a teammate.

 

[reggiecleveland]

I was very impressed by Malcolm Brogdon's contributions yesterday. It seemed to me that he played extremely intelligent, highly efficient basketball. Almost every step he took or move he made was designed to create an advantage or opportunity for himself or a teammate.

I mean if they get Rob back the depth is going to be great.
Not to get too excited, but when was the last time a scorer like was coming off the bench for the Cs.

 

[Euclis20]

I mean if they get Rob back the depth is going to be great.
Not to get too excited, but when was the last time a scorer like was coming off the bench for the Cs.

In 2015 after he was traded to Boston, Isaiah Thomas averaged 19.0 points and 5.4 assists in 21 games, all off the bench (the Celtics went 14-7 during that stretch, despite finishing under .500 overall).

Coincidentally, that's almost identical to what Brogdon averaged last year with Indy (19.1 points and 5.9 assists).

 

[lovegtm]

I mean if they get Rob back the depth is going to be great.
Not to get too excited, but when was the last time a scorer like was coming off the bench for the Cs.

It's such a big deal, particularly because it then unlocks Jaylen to always be able to be secondary/off-ball, which further maximizes what he does elitely.

 

[Reverend]

In 2015 after he was traded to Boston, Isaiah Thomas averaged 19.0 points and 5.4 assists in 21 games, all off the bench (the Celtics went 14-7 during that stretch, despite finishing under .500 overall).

Coincidentally, that's almost identical to what Brogdon averaged last year with Indy (19.1 points and 5.9 assists).

I was gonna say Bill Walton, but this might be right; I was sorta off the grid for some of that period. But didn’t Thomas start for some of that period? Honest question, as per above, I’m somewhat sketchy here. Maybe not, looking at minutes played per game, though they were substantial.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

I was very impressed by Malcolm Brogdon's contributions yesterday. It seemed to me that he played extremely intelligent, highly efficient basketball. Almost every step he took or move he made was designed to create an advantage or opportunity for himself or a teammate.

I mean if they get Rob back the depth is going to be great.
Not to get too excited, but when was the last time a scorer like was coming off the bench for the Cs.

And not "just" a scorer, but a ballhandler and spot up shooter as well. Just need to keep him healthy.

 

[benhogan]

Indiana will be setting new marks in Tank Battle: 2023! by then. You might have the pick of their roster for Begarin and a bundle of picks.

NBA TV will be airing its own version of WWII: RACE TO VICTORy, for the entire 2nd half of the season.

starring Presti, Ainge & Pritchard....who is playing Stalin?

 

[bosockboy]

NBA TV will be airing its own version of WWII: RACE TO VICTORy, for the entire 2nd half of the season.

starring Presti, Ainge & Pritchard....who is playing Stalin?

Spurs are in it also.

 

[Euclis20]

I was gonna say Bill Walton, but this might be right; I was sorta off the grid for some of that period. But didn’t Thomas start for some of that period? Honest question, as per above, I’m somewhat sketchy here. Maybe not, looking at minutes played per game, though they were substantial.

He started for most of his career in Boston, but after being traded in 2015, he came off the bench for the rest of that season (and for 4 playoff games).

 

[reggiecleveland]

I was gonna say Bill Walton, but this might be right; I was sorta off the grid for some of that period. But didn’t Thomas start for some of that period? Honest question, as per above, I’m somewhat sketchy here. Maybe not, looking at minutes played per game, though they were substantial.

A lot of us blacked out between "through the door" and the KG trade.

 

[Jimbodandy]

A lot of us blacked out between "through the door" and the KG trade.

I'll never stop being furious about the 2001 draft (and its aftermath). If Chris Wallace dropped on the sidewalk in front of me, I'd step over him and keep walking.

 

[nighthob]

I'll never stop being furious about the 2001 draft (and its aftermath). If Chris Wallace dropped on the sidewalk in front of me, I'd step over him and keep walking.

The worst part of the 2001 draft (aside from not drafting Gilbert Arenas, he would have been awesome playing for Jim O’Brien) is that Phoenix originally asked for Brown and Forte in the Delk/Rodgers trade. And Wallace demanded that they take Johnson instead.

 

[reggiecleveland]

I'll never stop being furious about the 2001 draft (and its aftermath). If Chris Wallace dropped on the sidewalk in front of me, I'd step over him and keep walking.

Joe Johnson was a good player...I mean he was way better than say Tony Delk...oh yeah

 

[Jimbodandy]

The worst part of the 2001 draft (aside from not drafting Gilbert Arenas, he would have been awesome playing for Jim O’Brien) is that Phoenix originally asked for Brown and Forte in the Delk/Rodgers trade. And Wallace demanded that they take Johnson instead.

I wanted Arenas and Parker. In retrospect, I understand more about why the former dropped so low, but still.

Regarding Johnson, hence "and its aftermath". The one good player that they got, they traded.

 

[Devizier]

2001 was bad, but let’s not forget that the Celtics gave up on Billups almost immediately.

 

[TripleOT]

Pierce, Billups, and Joe Johnson would have been a solid group to grow up together.

 

[Jimbodandy]

2001 was bad, but let’s not forget that the Celtics gave up on Billups almost immediately.

Agreed. The Pitino regime was a mess period, but 2001 felt like a lost opportunity that night.

 

[nighthob]

2001 was bad, but let’s not forget that the Celtics gave up on Billups almost immediately.

Four teams gave up on Billups because he didn’t start to get good until his sixth NBA season.

 

[jasail]

Knee jerk reactions to G1.

1. Malcom Brogdan is a serious pick up. Love everything about what he brings to this team. His skill set coming off the bench lets them replace with one player some of the D that Marcus/White provide and some of the scoring that JB/JT provide. If he stays healthy, he's a perfect bench piece.
2. JB and JT could be the best duo in the league. JT's is a great perimeter defender. The used him a lot last night to come with the late double on JoJo and I see them using him in a free safety role as the season goes on. I really liked what I saw from JB last night on JoJo, he was frustrating him with his hands and his quickness. This was an area I thought he struggled with last year. On offense, I still worry about JB's handle, but I did like to see JT finishing strong through contact and both of them finding their mid range game. I don't love relying on the mid range game but being able to knock down a pull up or a floater makes them three dimensional and will keep defenses from rim running them once they put the ball on the floor, which we saw too often against Miami and GS last year.
3. They got good bench minutes out of their bigs, but man is that not a great big man rotation. Vonleh is ok, Blake is mostly cooked and best used situationally, and Kornet is not the answer. I'm a broken record on this, but I'm worried its going to be their achilles heel. Really hoping they can pick up someone at the deadline or in a buyout. Until then, I'll be dreaming of Turner and Poetl while praying Rob comes back and Al stays healthy.
4. Grant seems like he's come to cash in. He continues to be a leader on the floor, crush open threes, and play physical defense. Now it seems he may be able do something other than turn the ball over when he puts it on the floor. I liked it in the preseason and it was nice to see it translate to a regular season game.
5. I hate the Sixers mainly because the game Harden and JoJo play relies so much on drawing and embellishing fouls. There were a couple of really bad stretches of officiating last night that favored the Sixers gross style of play, the worst being right around the time Al and Grant got their 3rd. It got so bad, Marcus decided to join in and threw himself backwards from the three point line to try and get a charge. Glad to see the overturned the Al call on JoJo. I'm with SVG though, they should have to rescind a T if a player gets one for complaining about that bad of a miss. Hated seeing they were back to handing out that landing call foul when the shooter kicks their leg out.
6. While I hate the Sixers, Maxey can ball for me. That kid has elite quickness. There was a stretch in the 3rd where he was on fire and would just turn the corner on the dribble or the cut and just find another gear. That plus his lateral quickness on D. Good player. That said, SVG is out of his mind telling me Maxey is a #1 on a contender.
7. Sat down last night and I said to myself, "who the hell put Tony Mazz on a national basketball broadcast." Then I remembered SVG. At least the Inside the NBA guys all got PAID and will be back. My life is measurably better with Charles Barkley on my television.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Despite getting preemptively dragged in the game thread and living rooms across Cs Nation, Vonleh did do a serviceable job against elite talent. Freedom wasn't free and neither is Vonleh but he may be able to fill that role capably during the regular season after all.

That doesn't preclude a move for another big but if he can play, the Cs can shop for other areas of need (more shooting please - never have enough).

 

[Eddie Jurak]

3. They got good bench minutes out of their bigs, but man is that not a great big man rotation. Vonleh is ok, Blake is mostly cooked and best used situationally, and Kornet is not the answer. I'm a broken record on this, but I'm worried its going to be their achilles heel. Really hoping they can pick up someone at the deadline or in a buyout. Until then, I'll be dreaming of Turner and Poetl while praying Rob comes back and Al stays healthy.

The bigs are fine for the time being. I mean, they just beat Philly with Al and Grant in foul trouble.

Not so much for the playoffs.

They need to grab a big at the deadline (or sooner) if they aren't going to have a healthy Rob. Otherwise, they are good with what they have.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

Knee jerk reactions to G1.

1. Malcom Brogdan is a serious pick up. Love everything about what he brings to this team. His skill set coming off the bench lets them replace with one player some of the D that Marcus/White provide and some of the scoring that JB/JT provide. If he stays healthy, he's a perfect bench piece.

Some good clips of what MB brings on the offensive side in this article: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.si.com/nba/celtics/.amp/top-stories/film-room-malcolm-brogdons-fitting-in-seamlessly-with-celtics-but-whats-more-exciting-is-on-the-horizon

 

[Eddie Jurak]

Some good clips of what MB brings on the offensive side in this article: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.si.com/nba/celtics/.amp/top-stories/film-room-malcolm-brogdons-fitting-in-seamlessly-with-celtics-but-whats-more-exciting-is-on-the-horizon

What killed them against GS last year was that the Warriors could repeatedly attack the Celtic ballhandlers and force turnovers or bad possessions. Brogdon just takes that whole approach right off the table. Even on possessions where he doesn't touch the ball, he'll have to be accounted for.

 

[dhellers]

What killed them against GS last year was that the Warriors could repeatedly attack the Celtic ballhandlers and force turnovers or bad possessions. Brogdon just takes that whole approach right off the table. Even on possessions where he doesn't touch the ball, he'll have to be accounted for.

It would also have been useful if Tatum wasn't recovering from a fractured wrist, Smart from a mangled ankle, TL from a scoping, etc etc.
IOW: the big "IF" is can this team stay healthy (Brogdon included).

 

[lovegtm]

If I didn't know that Hauser had a rep as a bad defender, and just tuned into the games he's played this year as a disinterested NBA fan, I would not think he was a bad defender.

 

[benhogan]

JVG noted in the game that Miami attacked Hauser 4 straight times down the floor and came up empty. He's smart & tall/strong enough to funnel wings into the help defender. Ultra-quick Guards (Curry, Ja, Maxey, etc) will always be a problem but bullying wings (Butler) won't incessantly abuse Sam. OTOH Pritchard can't handle Butler (or the ultra-quick guards)

Hauser taking Blake's Game 1 minutes was a nice adjustment, especially with his doppelganger(s) on the other side

Orlando likes to play BIG, we may get our first look at Luke and/or Kabengele tonight. But should still see Sam spreading the floor against Orlando's size.

+1 on the Brogdon-Grant-Hauser combo/bench minutes. Malcolm breaking down 2nd string PGs with Grant & Hauser spreading the floor from the Corners is an arrow Boston just didn't have in their quiver last season.

nice Game 2 recap by Keith Smith

https://www.celticsblog.com/2022/10/21/23417482/a-rob-less-block-party-10-takeaways-from-boston-celtics-miami-heat

 

[HowBoutDemSox]

I really like the Brogdon-Grant-Hauser combo/bench minutes. Malcolm breaking down 2nd string PGs with Grant & Hauser spreading the floor from the Corners is an arrow they just didn't have in their quiver last season.

Brogdon, if he stays healthy, is going to make Grant a lot of money, his drive and kick game is excellent and Grant is going to get a ton of open corner looks because of it (Hauser should also be a beneficiary as well). In both games so far Mazzulla has kept Tatum on the bench a good ways into the fourth as the second unit plays well, that’s got the potential to be a real strength this year (again, assuming health) and letting a rested Tatum come in to close things out midway through the fourth seems like a nice recipe for winning close ones.

 

[Imbricus]

If I didn't know that Hauser had a rep as a bad defender, and just tuned into the games he's played this year as a disinterested NBA fan, I would not think he was a bad defender.

Yeah, I think that line is just being uncritically repeated too much about him being a bad defender. I watched the first half of last night's game, and he looked competent enough. No one blew past him. The Heat weren't trying to isolate him, that I could tell. He was a bit slow fighting through screens, but guys like Bam tend to set illegal screens anyway.

Vonleh was another revelation. I think the first two minutes he played this year, he looked kind of lost, but since then, he's been plugged in, and he hustles, and he showed us a nice spin move at the basket last night. He does tend to foul a bit recklessly.

If I were the Celts, I wouldn't bring Time Lord back until February or March. Take the Golden State approach with Wiseman. Nice and slow. This looks like a team that should easily make the playoffs even without Rob.

 

[Jakarta]

Hauser taking Blake's Game 1 minutes was a nice adjustment, especially with his doppelganger(s) on the other side

Orlando likes to play BIG, we may get our first look at Luke and/or Kabengele tonight. But should still see Sam spreading the floor against Orlando's size.

I suspect both Al and Blake are not going to play back to backs at this point in the year, so alternating their rest days make sense.

Without Al tonight, plenty of minutes for the other bigs to play themselves into or out of regular minutes.