Last season when Bosh started the Raptors scored a lot of points and Bargnani also scored well and shot pretty good.
Last season because Bosh required double or sometimes even triple teaming the Raptors starting lineup was in effect playing five on four. With Bosh constantly being double teamed someone else was always open. Bosh could not only score out of the double team but the other four Raptors constantly had relatively easy shots being guarded three on four.
Now enter 2010-11 with Reggie starting.
To his credit Evans lost a lot of weight and has played well on defense. However on offense he is a big zero. So now the Raptors minus Bosh and plus Evans are playing four on five on offense because no one guards Evans.
Clearly when you are playing in the NBA four on five on offense and you have no one who can break the defense down off of the dribble your offense is going to have a rough go.
Starting Evans and playing him next to Bargnani has really negatively impacted Bargnani's offense. Where last year he would often find himself open he is now being double teamed and the other three scorers on the Raptors are having to go one on one while Evans remains unguarded.
So what is the solution to this stupidity of starting Evans?
Remove him from the starting lineup.
The Raptors could go several ways, some of which would be a massive improvement over Evans as a starter.
1. Start Kleiza at PF and either Weems or DeRozan at SF and either DeRozan or Barbosa at SG
2. Start Anderson with Bargnani - Not near as good a choice as the first one and may be worse than starting Evans because Evans has been playing better defense.
3. Start Johnson and play him until he has to come out due to fouls or finishes his prescribed rotation minutes. Johnson at least showed last season that a starting unit encompassing Johnson and Bargnani could score and beat the below .500 teams.
4. Start Alabi - He at least has some offense and why not give him a chance.
5. Start Dorsey - About the same as Evans in terms of not having to be guarded.
6. Sign Dampier or another big who can play some defense and has to be guarded.
Last season because Bosh required double or sometimes even triple teaming the Raptors starting lineup was in effect playing five on four. With Bosh constantly being double teamed someone else was always open. Bosh could not only score out of the double team but the other four Raptors constantly had relatively easy shots being guarded three on four.
Now enter 2010-11 with Reggie starting.
To his credit Evans lost a lot of weight and has played well on defense. However on offense he is a big zero. So now the Raptors minus Bosh and plus Evans are playing four on five on offense because no one guards Evans.
Clearly when you are playing in the NBA four on five on offense and you have no one who can break the defense down off of the dribble your offense is going to have a rough go.
Starting Evans and playing him next to Bargnani has really negatively impacted Bargnani's offense. Where last year he would often find himself open he is now being double teamed and the other three scorers on the Raptors are having to go one on one while Evans remains unguarded.
So what is the solution to this stupidity of starting Evans?
Remove him from the starting lineup.
The Raptors could go several ways, some of which would be a massive improvement over Evans as a starter.
1. Start Kleiza at PF and either Weems or DeRozan at SF and either DeRozan or Barbosa at SG
2. Start Anderson with Bargnani - Not near as good a choice as the first one and may be worse than starting Evans because Evans has been playing better defense.
3. Start Johnson and play him until he has to come out due to fouls or finishes his prescribed rotation minutes. Johnson at least showed last season that a starting unit encompassing Johnson and Bargnani could score and beat the below .500 teams.
4. Start Alabi - He at least has some offense and why not give him a chance.
5. Start Dorsey - About the same as Evans in terms of not having to be guarded.
6. Sign Dampier or another big who can play some defense and has to be guarded.
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