“JR should have started last year. He's a starter on a much more talented KU roster this year.”

JR was the most talented player on our team last year. So why did he come off the bench? The second team needed that elite scoring punch. With how his skill set fit with the team last year, it was better for him to come off the bench. Notice how he still finished games. Notice how he still played the third most minutes per game. He wasn’t on the bench because he didn’t deserve to start; rather, he was on the bench because that’s what the team needed. He embraced his role and was fantastic there.

“Who would you start over a healthy Hall? He's a more versatile player than Knell (who I also like a lot)”

I would start Knell and maybe even Bosko later on as he comes along. That would move Saunders and Kanon up sports, but that’s not a bad thing. I agree Hall is better than Knell. But Knell, as a spot up shooter, fits better beside Demin. Again, this isn’t that I think Hall is bad. I think the way his strength fits in best with the team is off the bench.

“and he's earned the right to start over Baker. Our best lineup against most opponents is currently Demin, Hall, Saunders, Catchings, and Keita.”

I hate the idea that someone “deserves” to start. If you’re starting someone because they’ve been in the program longer or done whatever else that isn’t related to skill/matchups, you’ve lost me. If you have an 18 year old freshman who is better or fits better than a 5 year senior, start the freshman. There shouldn’t be any “deserves” crap.

“I could see Hall getting occasionally bumped out of the starting lineup to go big with Demin, Saunders, Catchings, Boskovic, and Keita, but Hall needs to be on the court as much as possible.”

I’m fine with Hall playing a lot of minutes. I’m just saying that he doesn’t fit as well with Demin. So let’s stagger them so as to best utilize both of their skill set the most effective way we can.