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Who should be the 5th starter?

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IYO, who "should" be the 5th starter this season?

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    33
  • Poll closed .
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While I doubt the 4 will be Ross's primary position, I certainly could see him getting some minutes there, especially if Thomas is erratic. I think a rotation that had Ross at the 3 on the offensive end with Thompson at the 4 and switched roles on defense would probably work.
 
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DZ83CK;2035700; said:
I see no persuasive reason to not start Smith at this point. He has versatility and contributes in all aspects of the game - something I think some people underestimate. Sibert might average more points and make more 3s, but as far as all-around production, Smith has that aspect possibly over Sibert. Thompson is backing up Buford at this point, so the roles there are somewhat clearly defined.

Now, perhaps in the future if Ross is on the team than maybe Thomas' starting spot could be in jeopardy, because I think the 4 is where Ross would fit in best on this team & if he's as good as advertised, then he could be a better option than Thomas.

If/when Ross is on the team, we could see a fairly well-defined and simplified rotation with 1 starters and 1 backup playing at each position - if Craft, Smith, Buford, Thomas, Sully is the starting 5, then the backup group could be Scott, Sibert, Thompson, Ross and Ravenel.
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Completely agree.
 
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I really don't think who actually starts is that important. In my opinion playing time is more important than starting. Last year Dallas Lauderdale started; however, Aaron Craft got significantly more playing time (i.e. 14.0 min per game to 29.6 min per game). The more important issue is: Who is on the floor when the game is on the line, i.e. "crunch time"?

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/stats/_/id/194/year/2011/ohio-state-buckeyes

:osu:
 
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I get the point about who starts doesn't matter as much as who's on the floor at the end, however last year was an extreme condition. DLaud started because he was a senior and to jump at the start of the game. This year, the 5th spot is going to someone who has no significant college experience, so the spot is probably going to the guy viewed as the 5th best player. Right now, that could be any one of 4 guys in my opinion (Scott, Smith, Sibert, Thompson). I think if/when Ross returns it could be him. I agree on Smith right now if he can knock down open shots because of his rebounding and defense.

FWIW, I think it was a mistake to start DLaud last year since he was only playing about 10 minutes a game (in the close games). We would have been better served not starting him beside Sully and bringing him in to the middle of each half to give him a longer break.
 
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I voted Sibert and I would still like to see Jordan get the knod but everytime I see Lenzelle play he impresses me more.

You can't fake good rebounding. He crashes the boards and is basically a forward playing guard with guard skills. His 6'10" wingspan makes his height more like 6'7"/6'8" than the 6'4" that he's listed at.

I'm starting to like the combo of Buford and Zelle on the wing with Sully and Deshaun down low with Craft at the point.

Once again, Matta proves that he knows what he's doing on the recruiting trail. Throughout the offseason, I kinda thought that we'd be better off having an open schollie to offer instead of having Lenzelle for the next 3 years but I was wrong. The skinny, in-shape Lenzelle is a good, athletic basketball player.
 
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NINJA BUCK13;2037930; said:
Lenzelle has cemented his starting role IMO.

I'm truly shocked at how much he's improved. Next up for Zelle, start draining the outside shot.
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I agree that Zelle has played great. But would it make more sense to have a lineup of Craft-Buford-Thomas-Sullinger-Ravenel? I'm a bit worried after last night about Sullinger's strength vs. big bangers with the weight he's lost. Young had a good offensive night. He presumably lost the weight because most scouts see him as a 4 in the pros, so why not put him there now. Protect him from the beating he takes vs. centers (hack-a-sully), and also protects Ravenel and Thomas from covering 4's with distance like last night. Only question is, can Sullinger guard the 4's that step out deep. If he can't he'll need to learn to to play in the NBA (or overseas, whereever pro basketball is played next year.)
 
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