24 Dec 10 2010-11 NBA Predictions: Who Should The Sacramento Kings Start at Small Forward?

Donte Greene, Sacramento Kings ForwardJed Jacobsohn/Getty ImagesPaul Westphal has been the recipient of a substantial amount of criticism for his musical chairs starting lineups. A year ago, players and fans alike grew very irritated at the constantly fluctuating starting unit. But in defense of Miami Dolphins jersey
Westphal, his lineups were as inconsistent as the players featured in them. In 2009-10, no position saw more instability than small forward.Desmond Mason, Andres Nocioni, Francisco Garcia, Dominic McGuire each held the distinction at different times, but the brunt of the starts went to either Omri Casspi or Donte Greene. The roster for 2010-11 has been pared considerably. Gone are Mason, Nocioni and McGuire. Garcia remains, but most within the organization feel he is more productive at shooting guard. Leaving the battle in familiar hands, Casspi and Greene. The coaching staff's conundrum is how remarkably similar the two players are. Both are 22 years old, both have prototypical NBA small forward bodies (Greene 6'11", 226 lbs.; Casspi 6'9", 225 lbs.), both boast very solid three point shooting (Greene .377, Casspi .369), neither are strong free throw shooters (Greene .643, Casspi .672) and both compete hard on the defensive end. The situation the Kings find themselves in is an unusual one. Typically the competition for a starting spot is between an incumbent seasoned veteran and the young, up and coming stud. With these two, this is a couple of youngsters who see the prize and their only competition is each other. And it's going to be this way as long as these two don the purple. There are 14 teams in the Western Conference jockeying to dethrone the LA Lakers from their perch of dominance. Nobody in the league has more size to alter shots and snag rebounds than the Lakers, Minnesota Vikings
but Sacramento did a lot this off-season to address those shortcomings. The point is this: Paul Westphal wants a giant starting five as well, in order to adequately compete with the Lakers, Celtics, and the Magic in the front court. Therefore, I believe the attribute that will earn Donte Greene the job is his 6'11" frame. When Samuel Dalembert returns from his strained groin in four to six weeks, the Kings will have the 6'11" Dalembert, 6'11" DeMarcus Cousins, 6'11" Jason Thompson, 6'11" Donte Greene, 7' Hassan Whiteside and the 6'9" Carl Landry. Compare that size and length to last year, where our last line of defense was provided by Spencer Hawes. Yikes. The prudent move here for the Kings is to name Donte Greene the starting small forward, do so quickly, and keep it that way. His confidence, consistency, and chemistry with the guys will grow immensely. With this defined role, Greene will no doubt become a better player on the road as well (a major bug-a-boo for him in his first two years in the league). TheNew England Patriots jersey
sky is the limit for the Baltimore native. Donte improved in almost every category from his rookie to sophomore year, why can't he make a similar jump from year two to three? With his unique combination of size and skills, it's not a stretch to think Donte could become a Tayshaun Prince, Rashard Lewis, or Jeff Green caliber player in this league. As far as Omri, the role of designated sixth man off the bench is nothing to be embarrassed about. If Casspi embraced the opportunity to provide that spark the way many others do in the NBA, it would give some identity to a bench unit that has been among the NBA's most anemic in recent seasons. Both would still get solid minutes, it seems like a win-win proposition. Beno Udrih, Tyreke Evans, Donte Greene, Carl Landry, DeMarcus Cousins. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?