{"id":574791,"date":"2010-05-21T12:43:38","date_gmt":"2010-05-21T16:43:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com\/?p=4999"},"modified":"2010-05-21T12:43:38","modified_gmt":"2010-05-21T16:43:38","slug":"way-too-early-look-at-the-basketball-bucks-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/574791","title":{"rendered":"Way too Early Look at the Basketball Bucks, Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This is how Matta has been feeling since the November signing date.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Now that we\u2019ve discussed all of next year\u2019s players including what positions they could theoretically play, let\u2019s try to paste together an idea of what the starting lineup might look like next season.<\/p>\n

Before we begin I want to point out that there is a long<\/em> time before any of this actually gets set in stone.\u00a0 We have no idea how certain people will play compared to how they performed last season (especially the new guys), and so the vast majority of this is guesswork.\u00a0 Part of this, also, is to give an early sense of excitement for the upcoming season because there is so much talent on this team that it\u2019s nigh disgusting.\u00a0 It was rough having to choose who to play and who to sit in each lineup – Matta has to be smiling a little bit at having to deal with this particular \u201cproblem\u201d.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSmall\u201d Lineup<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
“Small”<\/td>\nStarters<\/td>\nBackups<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nCraft<\/td>\nSmith<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nDiebler<\/td>\nSibert<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nBuford<\/td>\nThomas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\nLighty<\/td>\nWeatherspoon<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\nLauderdale\/Sullinger<\/td>\nKecman<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Here\u2019s the fun with the \u201cSmall\u201d Lineup.\u00a0 You could plug any of Thomas, Weatherspoon, Sullinger or Lauderdale in at the 5 spot and probably do pretty well for yourself considering you go small in order to push the pace and deal with a faster smaller lineup.\u00a0 The advantage of Lauderdale is that he gives you experience plus good size without actually being comparatively \u201cbig\u201d.\u00a0 The biggest downfall with both Sullinger and Lauderdale is that they don\u2019t have the speed to play the 5 spot in a small lineup.\u00a0 Thomas or Weatherspoon, or even Kecman would be a better fit for the 5 spot there, but I think you don\u2019t want to give up on the talent\/experience and shot changing ability of Lauderdale and Sullinger.<\/p>\n

\u201cBig\u201d Lineup<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Bigs<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nSmith<\/td>\nCraft<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nDiebler\/Buford<\/td>\nBuford\/Diebler<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nThomas\/Weatherspoon<\/td>\nLighty<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\nLauderdale<\/td>\nWeatherspoon\/Thomas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\nSullinger<\/td>\nSarikopoulos<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Take a look at the \u201cBigs\u201d for a minute and tell me what you see.\u00a0 First, Thomas and Weatherspoon are interchangeable at the 3 and 4 spots and I have them shift to the 4 in the backups so that Lighty can make an appearance somewhere.\u00a0 Second, Big Z Sarikopoulos plays a heavier role here than anywhere else for obvious reasons.\u00a0 Lastly, Buford as a backup?\u00a0 This is one place that there could be a lot of play.\u00a0 I place Buford as the backup primarily because Diebler\u2019s ability\u2019s from outside the arc would be more handy in a court of big guys than Buford\u2019s all around ability \u2013 though Matta\u2019s comments about working on his 3 point shot may change that come time for the season.\u00a0 Also, Diebler has an inch on Buford, giving him a slight advantage for the Big spot (though an inch difference almost might as well be nonexistent).\u00a0 Lighty also get\u2019s relegated to the backups due to his lack of size and minor inconsistency from the outside.<\/p>\n

\u201cTraditional\u201d Lineup<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Traditional<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nCraft<\/td>\nSmith<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nDiebler<\/td>\nSibert<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nBuford<\/td>\nLighty<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\nWeatherspoon<\/td>\nThomas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\nSullinger<\/td>\nLauderdale<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The Traditional offense is predicated on the idea of getting a balance of Big guys down low and faster, smaller, guys outside. \u00a0Given Weatherspoon\u2019s propensity for the dunk and his ability to play down low, I give him the nod over Thomas in the traditional style offense.\u00a0 Lighty would be downgraded to the \u201c6-man\u201d coming off the bench as a primary defensive specialist.\u00a0 The hope is that Craft would provide enough defensive ability that having Lighty on the bench to start the game wouldn\u2019t be a liability.\u00a0 Lauderdale takes a seat to Sullinger based on sheer talent, though I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if Dallas starts due to his more extensive experience.<\/p>\n

Max Talent<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Skill<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nBuford<\/td>\nCraft<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nDiebler<\/td>\nSmith<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nLighty<\/td>\nSibert<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\nThomas<\/td>\nWeatherspoon<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\nSullinger<\/td>\nLauderdale<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The last lineup I want to examine is the \u201cBest Skill\u201d lineup.\u00a0 Obviously this lineup is based on having the best 5 players on the court to start the game.\u00a0 Weatherspoon is replaced with Thomas, compared to the Traditional offense, due to Thomas\u2019 increased versatility compared to Weatherspoon who seems to operate better in the paint.\u00a0 Also, Lighty makes an appearance in the starting lineup as Buford moves up to the Point Guard position.\u00a0 Smith takes a shot at the 2 spot while Sibert moves down to 3, taking advantage of some of their other skill sets.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s pretty obvious from inspection that the job of delegating who gets playing time at this point would not be a fun one.\u00a0 If I had to wager a guess as to what lineup we might see in November for the first game might be the last one given the overall experience and talent of the lineup.\u00a0 However, it might as well be a coinflip depending upon how people look in fall practice and during the exhibition games before hand.\u00a0 All I know for certain is that the Buckeyes are absolutely swimming in talent right now and it\u2019s going to be exciting to see how things turn out in the end.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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