Starting lineup...

[TD 21]

I see no reason to think it wouldn't be Parker, Green, Leonard, Diaw and Duncan. That was the starting five down the stretch and for the vast majority of the playoffs last season and it's also the most balanced lineup they can put together.

If for some reason(s) the team is struggling mightily (and the culprit isn't injuries), I could see them shaking it up by starting Ginobili and/or Blair, though.

[DesignatedT]

Plus how could Blair be comfortable as a starter when the past couple of seasons he has lost that spot as the playoffs approached. Let him get comfortable as a bench player, where he is more suited for.

Yeah, I agree with this. I don't see how starting him would get anymore out of the guy considering past history.

[DesignatedT]

Manu with the second team works the best. He plays well with Splitter (and Blair) and kind of hides the fact that we don't really have a true backup PG.

[CGD]

[moved]

[racm]

You know why Manu should be in the second unit? He's a point guard in a shooting guard's body. Pairing him with a shoot-first PG in Mills makes the most sense.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I still like the idea of:

Parker
Green
Leonard
Diaw
Duncan

That unit showed quite a bit of cohesion, and a nice balance of offense and defense. It also leaves a killer bench unit of:

Mills
Ginobili
Jackson
?
Splitter

Obviously that PF slot on the bench is the biggest question mark, as we've been saying all offseason. It would be nice if Blair could fill it, and it's his for the taking if he stays motivated. Barring that (or a trade), part of training camp might be auditioning small ball PFs to fill that role.

This. And I'd be happy to see Pop using that 9-man rotation most of the time, with extra players only used in special cir stances eg Neal for a scoring spark or 3pt shooting lineup, Blair to get some energy going, Bonner as little as possible...