Rockin’ Steady

I give Isiah Thomas an immense amount of credit for going with this short rotation. The bench is three people deep right now, and although one can argue that Thomas isn’t getting those most out of the quality out of his bench, he is getting the highest possible quality bench time.

I also credit Isiah with his adherence to an early-season promise: The best guys play. Renaldo Balkman, despite coming off the bench, still not being completely healed and having had no preseason, is clearly a better option than Quentin Richardson right now, and he rightly played 28 minutes tonight, including most of the second half. (David Lee played 23–that’s about the acceptable minimum, and pretty much the right amount, period, given how well Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph played.)

Part of me feels bad for Richardson–he’d be a terrific asset on a team like Golden State or Toronto–but he shouldn’t play here on name recognition alone. And Balkman is too intriguing an offensive beast to ignore. Earlier this season, I described Balkman as an unexpectedly intriguing amphetamine-laced amalgam of Anthony Bonner and Charlie Ward. I’m not sure that this does him justice. He played the point–competently–for a few moments tonight, showed an ability to put the ball on the floor and drive when opportunities presented themselves, and did a million little things that the boxscore will not reflect. There isn’t an easy label to place on him, nor a single player you can compare him to. (The same is true of Denver’s Eduardo Najera, whom I love watching and who was good tonight).