Will Brooks change rotation?
Shaun Livingston and D.J. White made their 2009-10 debuts Friday night at Houston but that doesn’t mean coach Scott Brooks is ready to make changes in his rotation.
Asked if White or Livingston might play Sunday night against Orlando, Brooks indicated he’ll probably stick with the nine-man rotation he’s used the first two weeks.
“I can’t predict that,” Brooks said. “It’s game to game. But I like going with (only) nine guys right now.
“Sometimes the game will tell you differently. Some guy gets into foul trouble. Some guy is playing extremely bad, not given great effort, you have to change it up. But I like nine guys (in my rotation). But it’s not like that it’s (permanent).”
Kevin Ollie, a seasoned veteran, opened the season as the backup point guard. Livingston has more upside but still has much to prove after being sideined more than two years following a major knee injury.
White didn’t crack the four-man interior rotation, all the minutes going to Nenad Krstic, Jeff Green, Nick Collison and Etan Thomas.
“We have 12 guys that can play,” Brooks said. “Any of the 12 have to be ready. They all know that. I’ve talked to all of them. I always tell them to be ready. You don’t know what’s going to happen.
“All it takes is foul trouble, an injury or bad effort. Then you get an opportunity and have to make the most of it. I thought D.J. and Shaun did a good job, not having played in four games. They gave us good minutes.”
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Comments
I understand coach Brooks wants to win first and foremost but, From a fans standpoint, I’d like to see some of the kids get on the court,when the score allows (garbage time). I’m referring to Ibaka and Mullins.
Ibaka earned it in summer/preseason and Mullins could develop into something faster than expected, judging by the progress he made from the start to the finish of his one year of college experience. He went form a confused guy, to go to guy, in the in the Ncaa tournament.
Is one player playing too many minutes enough to change the number of rotation (from 9 to 10 or more)? One of the reasons why Kevin Durant said he had a terrible game (vs. the Lakers) is he was too tired at the end.