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2011 Opening Day Roster
I think we took a big step up this year. We add a dominant shooter through the draft, but give up a solid rebounder. But with Kelley not even getting a lot of playing time last year, I don't think we lost much.
We also kept Durant around, keeping our young core players together.
STARTERS
PG: Russell Westbook, 22 yo (4) 6'3", 187 lbs.
Westbrook's numbers were down a bit last year, but he still looks like he'll be a pretty good player as he gains experience.
SG: Darius House, 24 yo (2) 6'6", 237 lbs.
House had a solid rookie year, scoring 12 PPG. We'll be depending on him for a steady stream of points this year.
SF: Kevin Durant, 23 yo (5) 6'9", 215 lbs.
All I can say is thank god this guy decided to stay around. His numbers were down last year, but only because he had Stoudemire to help out. He got a huge contract and I have no doubt that he'll be worth every penny.
PF: Andrea Bargnani, 25 yo (6) 7', 250 lbs.
Bargnani was picked up in a trade in the middle of last season. He had career highs in PPG (14.2), RPG (4.2), and APG (1.7). He's a great outside shooter but lacks instict on defense.
C : Amare Stoudemire, 28 yo (10) 6'10", 249 lbs.
Stoudemire scored 21.4 PPG last season and grabbed 7.3 RPG. He's given our team a tremendous lift and I'm so glad we spent the money on him. He can score from anywhere but is excellent in the paint. His post defense also helps us out since Bargnani sucks on D.
SIXTH MAN
PF: Antwan Jamison, 35 yo (14) 6'9", 235 lbs.
Jamison could start on most teams but he'll start this year as our sixth man. I could see him taking over for Bargnani at some point, but we'll see. Jamison isn't any better on defense, but is a pretty good shooter and is a very good rebounder.
ROLE PLAYERS
SF: Preston Dean, 21 yo (R) 6'7", 236 lbs.
Dean was the first overall pick in the 2011 draft and he looks like he'll be great. He really is a great player all around. He'll start on the bench but his minutes will grow as he gets some experience.
C: Steven Hunter, 29 yo (11) 7', 240 lbs.
Hunter only averaged around 10 MPG last year but did okay while he was in. He adds a lot of size to our roster and is a good post defender and rebounder.
PG: Chris Quinn, 28 yo (6) 6'2", 175 lbs.
Quinn didn't get on the court as much as he did two years ago, but I still think he's a solid option off the bench to spell Westbrook.
BENCH WARMERS
SG: Greg Buckner, 35 yo (13) 6'4", 210 lbs.
Buckner was a mid-season free agent pickup last season. He didn't get on the court much, but he's on okay option to give our starters a breather.
SF: Franklin Fulton, 24 yo (3) 6'7", 236 lbs.
Fulton can hit the outside shot, but he hasn't really turned into anything special. He will probably stay on as long as he doesn't ask for too much money in the future.
PROSPECTS
SG: Troy Law, 20 yo (R) 6'7", 216 lbs.
Law is an outside shooter, but he's not bad at creating plays for his teammates either. I like to see that in bench players.
OPENING DAY ROTATION
Here is our planned rotation for the start of the season:
PG Westbrook: 36
SG House: 34
SF Durant: 39
PF Bargnani: 31
C Stoudemire: 43
PF Jamison: 17
SF Dean: 15
PG Quinn: 10
C Hunter: 10
SG Buckner: 3
SF Fulton: 1
SG Law: 1
C Elliot: (Rsv)
SG Semenko: (Rsv)
SF Pavic: (Rsv)
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