TDL Archived: The 2nd Rnd Pick Yankee Swap

[mvossman]

I don't have a passion for these numbers like many of you do, but my eyes tell me Dinwiddie, despite hitting his shots a good clip, seems out of place on both ends of the court. How to reconcile that when he does some surface things that make it appear like he's playing well...that's tough. 

One theory I've been marinating is that he's a little selfish. He's a ball stopper, for sure, at least by my definition of that term. Basically, everything anyone says about Hardaway as a negative I disagree with, but change Hardaway's name to Diniwiddie and I start nodding my head. 

Loved what he brought last season, but I think he's under qualified for this more important role, which I suppose is just last season's role plus. That plus is the problem from my POV, not Dinwiddie. You put Brunson (or a reasonable replacement) back in the mix (ahead of Dinwiddie in the pecking order) and my guess is that Dinwiddie's effect on the team would start to become more positive again, especially since he's actually playing well.

Everyone lately has been assuming that Green needs to be a starter. While I agree he's probably ready, this assumption puzzles me because I don't know that Kidd has given any indication he feels that way. But, for my money, giving him Dinwiddie's spot in the rotation would be the place to start. Gets Dinwiddie back into a (slightly) smaller role wherein he can be a huge positive. "6th man Dinwiddie" was one of the things I was most excited about coming into the season.

Agree with all of this.  I think replacing Din with Green makes the most sense from a lineup construction standpoint, but I don't see any chance Kidd makes that move.  We need a legit point of attack defender in the starting lineup, and unless Bullock pulls his head out of his ass I don't see it happening without a significant acquisition this season.  If Green continues to play at this level, I could maybe see him getting into the starting lineup next season.