<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Charles)</div><div class='quotemain'></p>
Last year Marcus was basically the only choice at the backup point (aside from Vince). This year Frank can go still go to Armstrong, who is a much better defender. Is Marcus going to get any minutes when he returns or is he going to be plastered on the end of the bench b/c he doesn't play any defense?</p>
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Marcus is only 22 (? . . . 21 soon to be 22?) and has only a single year of NBA experience. Every part of his game is evolving, and rather quickly at that. Just because he was poor defensively last season doesn't mean he will be as poor or even poor defensively this season. Careful observation showed that his defense improved substantially over the course of last year. He was a noticably better defender in April than he was in November.Add that with the weight loss and extra work he put in over the summer, and it's safe to assume he will be a better defender this year than last.</p>
If he is marginally acceptable defensively and has made the strides in judgment that you expect from someone that offensively gifted who worked hard (and drew praise from everyone in the organization) over the summer, he should still get the bulk of early-season (at least) minutes at backup point. His combination of quick release, silky jumper, in-lane floaters, herky-jerky dribble moves, and tremendous passing technique and court vision clearly take him from the realm of "steady", "blend in" players to the realm of MAJOR impact players. Part of the risk with impact players is that they have a negative impact when they are off. But I expect Marcus to have far fewer "off" moments this year than last, and that's all it should take to give him 15-20 minutes a game with the reins in his hands.</p>
Frankly I'm at a loss to understand why more posters (here and elsewhere) don't see his exceptional talent. Sure he had a lot of rough edges last year, and I'm certain he's not filed them all off over one summer. But he, far more than any other player, was responsible for making Boone look like a great pickup the last half of last year. And, likewise, Hassan Adams never looked so good on the floor as he did when Marcus had the ball. I live for the day (well, not really) that he is given time with Sean Williams and Boone in the game at the same time. Dollars to donuts people will be raving the next day about what a great young frontcourt we have.</p>
None of this is to disparage Armstrong, whom I love as a player. I have every confidence he will make crucial contributions to the team over the course of the season. I also see no reason that Armstrong and Marcus can't play together, just as Marcus and Kidd played together last year and just as Armstrong and Kidd played a few minutes together last night. Armstrong, IMO, would be best used in a couple of 5 minute stretches each half when the Nets need a jolt of energy and want to ratchet up their full court defense. End of second and late third/early fourth quarters sounds about right to me.</p>
But, until and unless Marcus proves he hasn't gotten any better, I want to see him handle the point 90% of the time Kidd is on the bench.</p>
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