I truly do live Raja Bell but...

[billyshelby]

I still don't really see a better option to start.

I like Howard, but damn, is there a worse (or maybe I should say less willing) passer on the team? He chucks more than CJ, his are just a step or two inside the 3 point line.

I like Miles, but we really need his energy/scoring off the bench. When Watson isn't pushing the ball on the break, our 2nd unit struggles and CJ appears to be the only one capable of scoring in the half-court off his dribble penetration.

Bell is the most logical choice to start because: 1. He doesn't use any unnecessary/bad shots. 2. He moves the ball well. 3. For the most part still plays pretty decent/mistake free defense. 4. Is easily our best distance shooter.

In my opinion the biggest myth is every team needs that 'fifth guy' who knows his role. Ordinarily that 'fifth guy' has to play exceptional defense and have at least one truly beneficial skill. A) Raja doesn't play exceptional defense. He's Ok. Not bad, hardly great. B) He doesn't actually have a beneficial skill. His shooting isn't so great it keeps teams honest, he's not a threat on the break, and we don't need a guy playing 27 minutes to 'keep the ball moving' if he's not actually able to get an assist.

On the flip side, I'll happily live with the inefficiency of two wings who can create offense so long as they can get rebounds and make plays. Those guys scramble defenses and make shots easier for the bigs whether they get passed to or just tip in misses. And they can then get rebounds on misses or create turnovers on the other end. Hayward, Howard, and CJ are also a million times better on the break. So why give another team an easier guy to guard who doesn't actually do anything to generate points if you don't have to?