starting liineup

>From: "sup-man" sup-man.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com
>
>what do you guy think the bucks starting line will be this year?
>
>
This is the lineup I think should be on the floor:
PG -- Ford
SG -- D.Mason
SF -- Thomas
PF -- Smith
C -- Gadzuric
I like this lineup for a number of reasons, but three in particular: 1) It
allows Desmond Mason to play the two guard primarily, a position I believe he
could really thrive in if playing extended minutes there. He's obviously a good
small forward, but I think he could be a great two guard; 2) It keeps Redd as a
sixth man where I believe he could be extremely effective once again (hell he
should've won the Sixth Man of the Year Award last year). It gives the Bucks
some firepower and aggressive play off the bench which is vital; 3) It keeps
Thomas at the 3 spot, where he's best suited to play rather than trying him at
the 4 spot as Karl did which was a complete disaster. Thomas can't match up
consistently with bigger players and if he stays at the three, it will cause
potential mismatch problems in the Bucks' favor.
I like the comments I'm seeing from Porter already. One of my BIGGEST gripes
with Karl was his defensive mindset of switching at every turn. That may work
with an aggressive defensive team (as he had in Seattle), but it won't work
with a bunch of lazy malcontents who refuse to play defense (as was the case
here). Porter correctly understands that he needs to instill a more aggressive
defensive approach. That's an excellent plan.
There was also a very good column by Michael Hunt in this week's Journal
Sentinel which says one of the possible benefits of getting rid of Slug Mason
is that it could open the doors for Caffey to be more of a contributor. I said
months ago I'd much rather have Caffey than Mason if the Bucks could only keep
one. According to Hunt, Caffey was whipping Mason's sorry ass in practice on a
consistent basis, but Karl (being Karl) refused to make any kind of lineup
alterations which led Caffey to retreat and become a non-factor.
Here's hoping Caffey can provide some low-post help and toughness once Mason
is gone. He's certainly capable.