Strawberry got traded for Sean Singletary (for no apparent reason)

Morty is right this post is suppose to be about the Phoenix Suns.  I will save my comments about Thad at SF for the Sixers preview or a dedicated post.

For clarity’s sake, last year was, by far, Green’s best year in the league. And you can look it up!

About Thad getting less rebounds, forget the numbers – does he average less rebounds with a good frontcourt than he did last year?  I think the answer’s in your question – he’s no longer in the frontcourt.  He played mostly PF last year, and defended PFs, so he was often in prime position for rebounds.  I think that what he did as a PF last year was nothing exceptional in terms of rebounding, he did what he was he supposed to do.  I actually think that if they hadn’t gotten Brand, it wouldn’t have been the end of the world to have Thad continue to play PF, since he doesn’t get outrebounded by bigger, stronger PFs.  Like you said, he’s great at “sneak”-ing in for those boards.  With Brand, I think we lose one of the more exciting parts of last season – Thad running the break, leaving your typical power forward in the dust.  Do you see the Richard Jeffersons and the Kevin Durants of the world having trouble getting back on defense with Thad on the wing?  I don’t.

For me, a lot is in Mo Cheeks’ hands – as our SF, will he be asked to rebound as much as he did when he was our PF?  He’ll be bigger and stronger than most SFs, so if he’s battling for a rebound against your average NBA SF, he’ll get them.  But will his role change now that he’ll no longer be asked to play a lot of PF?  You can tell me here – you’ve played basketball, what are some philosophies and strategies regarding rebounding?  Do you ask your SF to help rebound all the time, or do you ask him to get back on D after a miss?

Dannie, I hate to repeat myself, so do unto others…  If you’ve discussed this topic before, let me know where, so I can find out how you feel about Thad moving to the SF role.  For the sake of bski’s sanity, I’ve been trying to focus on the Phils…  But don’t get me wrong, I like my conversations with bski a lot.

How’s “Tip-Off”?  And, here’s a “YOU LUCKY BASTARD!” for you, for snagging those those nice seats at the Eagles game.

Also, I think Marshall plays at the small forward position as well, so there is a little more depth there than just AI2 and Thad.  Having another veteran on the court would be a good thing.

Oh and Zack, I don’t remember Willie Green ever looking “good.”  His first two seasons were his worst shooting seasons from the field easily.  He’s actually gotten better – slightly.  Less minutes for him must means less bad play for you to see, which seems like it looks good.  His negative impact will just be minimized with less minutes.  He just shots a lot for the minutes he plays and doesn’t pass at all for a guard.

Also, why are you assuming Thad is the player that will lose rebounds, or at least be affected the most?  To me it makes more sense and is more likely that Brand and Thad take rebounds away from Iguodala and Reggie Evans, with this new line-up and adjustment in who gets the most minutes.