Line Changes

[jesmu84]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/11634438/kentucky-wildcats-deep-enough-use-two-starting-units-john-calipari-says

Is Cal dumb? Did he suddenly forget how to coach? Is he throwing games to prove a point? Was Buzz a genius ahead of his time? The world may never know...

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Sadly, they are that deep. I'm trying to picture the two lineups.

1: Andrew Harrison
2: Devin Booker
3: Alex Poythress
4: Trey Lyles
5: Dakari Johnson

1: Tyler Ulis
2: Aaron Harrison
3: Marcus Lee
4: Willie Cauley-Stein
5: Karl Towns Jr.

Guard Sub: Dominique Hawkins
Big Sub: Derek Willis
Benchwarmer: E.J. Floreal

This is kind of genius actually. Either of those squads is national championship worthy. It also gets more of their players maximum exposure, allowing more to go to the NBA, which clears more roster space for their 2015 class....where they are in literally every recruit ranked in the top 15.

[bilsu]

Last year Kentucky was projected to go undefeated and they lost close to 10 games. With this roster, if Kentucky losses one game than Cal is a bad coach.

[Daniel]

Really unbelievable lineups. Clever to push this as it gets more players playing and may appeal to other recruits that perhaps they will get a chance to play too.  He just about has two nba teams.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

May as well start running the Grinnell system.

[Lennys Tap]

If the players buy in great, but assuming 10 total minutes for the non rotation players that leaves 19 minutes per game for the 10 rotation guys. Most of those guys would play 35 mpg at any other school. Will 19 be enough to keep them happy?

[NersEllenson]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/11634438/kentucky-wildcats-deep-enough-use-two-starting-units-john-calipari-says

Is Cal dumb? Did he suddenly forget how to coach? Is he throwing games to prove a point? Was Buzz a genius ahead of his time? The world may never know...

I'll take your bait.  

1) What you fail to realize is, is that the plan is to use DISTINCT 5-man units (not running 9 different guys into a game in 3:30 seconds in a hodge podge mass fire substitution "plan."

This method could work, and I suspect you will see both units operate for 10 minutes at a time with largely only two potential subs (as the article points out), that might alter the composition of the original 5 man line.

Buzz's antics last year weren't anything remotely close to the above.

[mug644]

I'll take your bait.  

1) What you fail to realize is, is that the plan is to use DISTINCT 5-man units (not running 9 different guys into a game in 3:30 seconds in a hodge podge mass fire substitution "plan."

This method could work, and I suspect you will see both units operate for 10 minutes at a time with largely only two potential subs (as the article points out), that might alter the composition of the original 5 man line.

Buzz's antics last year weren't anything remotely close to the above.

What happens in the case of foul trouble for a player on the first unit? Someone from the 2nd unit would need to come in. I think the idea of 2 national championship worthy units on one team is impressive (at least, if it wasn't so pompous), but the actual coaching of it isn't likely to work in reality.

[NersEllenson]

What happens in the case of foul trouble for a player on the first unit? Someone from the 2nd unit would need to come in. I think the idea of 2 national championship worthy units on one team is impressive (at least, if it wasn't so pompous), but the actual coaching of it isn't likely to work in reality.

I'd say if guys only going to be playing 20 minutes a game, the likelihood of foul trouble is greatly reduced and thus a non-issue.

I can only see this working if he sticks to the plan verbatim and goes with 2 distinct 5 man units, and each play 10 minutes at a time.

On paper it sounds plausible, yet not sure I'd want to implement it if I were a coach (regardless of how talented all 10 guys are) as bringing 5 guys cold into a game together against a team of guys who are warmed up and in the flow is dicey. 

[Tums Festival]

This is taking the football tactic of playing two quarterbacks and tweaking it for basketball.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

This is taking the football tactic of playing two quarterbacks and tweaking it for basketball.

So Kentucky is trying to pull off the Wildcat?