Originally Posted by
Kedsy
Well, when Nolan's in the game with Seth (and no Kyrie), Seth rarely brings the ball up, so I doubt that would change if you insert Kyrie into the scenario.
However, I agree with those who said when Kyrie plays it will be with Nolan, rather than replacing Nolan. Nolan is the ACC player of the year and on all-ACC defensive team. He has shown an aptitude for playing 38 to 40 minutes a game. What do we gain by replacing that with Kyrie, even if Kyrie is just as good (or better, although I suspect he'll need a fair amount of game time before he again reaches that level).
Seems to me what Kyrie brings is best used in combination with Nolan. Having two lockdown backcourt defenders can totally shut down a guard-oriented team, and should be able to at least disrupt most if not all opposing offenses. And when we're on offense, if Nolan and Kyrie are in together, who is the opponent's best defender going to guard? Add in Kyle and it makes it that much more troubling for opposing defenses. And if we go small, there will be nobody left to guard Andre or Seth at all. And all this is true even if Kyrie is only three-quarters speed, because our opponents will have to respect his full potential even if he isn't exhibiting it on the court.
By the way, I said "Andre or Seth" in the above paragraph, but because of Seth's size, our "small" lineup will most likely contain Andre rather than Seth. I continue to believe there will be few opportunities for Nolan/Kyrie/Seth to play together. Seth will probably be the guy to spell both Kyrie and Nolan, which should still leave plenty of playing time for him since I doubt Kyrie will be playing big minutes.
Of course, all the above is contingent on Kyrie actually playing again. From what everyone's saying I still don't put the odds at much better than 50/50.