Will Marion Guard Kidd?

If you guys have been following the past few games, you must have noticed that Marion has been asked to guard the opposing PGs, for short periods, if not all the time -- Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Allen Iverson.

That probably has made him less effective at the boards -- its not like he gets in rebounding positions in any case, he just pounces on the ball from wherever he is. Marion has traditionally been made to guard bigger guys (Odom, Dirk), usually PFs, on the opposing team and he's made it clear all along that he doesn't relish the role. Wonder what he thinks of this new role that probably affects his rebound numbers..But on the bright side, guarding the opposing PGs will make it easier for him to get to the other end on the break.

So far, the strategy has worked in two out of three cases. Let's see if the coach tries it today.

Morning Roundup - Wednesday

- USA Today salutes Marion's versatility with its statistical analysis of each of the positions in the 2005-06 season. (full story)

- GMs' predictions for the 2006-07 season (link)
Champions : San Antonio Spurs
Eastern Conf Champs : Miami Heat
Pacific Division : Phoenix Suns
MVP : LeBron James
ROY : Brandon Roy
Best Coach : Pat Riley

Best Perimeter Defender in the NBA : Raja Bell came in 4th with 10.7% votes
Click here for rest of the predictions.

- I took a look at the 2005-06 GM survey and found a few good/stupid predictions (thanks to hindsight),
Stupid :

• Which team will be most improved in 2005-06? Golden State Warriors
• Who will win the 2005-06 MVP? (1)Tim Duncan, (2) Shaquille O'Neal ; Duncan had the worst ppg, rpg of his career last year
• Who is the best head coach in the NBA? Larry Brown
• Which head coach makes the best in-game adjustments? Larry Brown(lol. I don't know about in-game adjustments, but he sure made a few in-between game adjustments - he set a record with 42 different starting lineups)
• If you had one game to win, which current coach would you want coaching that game? Larry Brown
  

Surprisingly accurate :
What was the most underrated player acquisition? Raja Bell, Phoenix Suns
(remember how fans revolted when Raja was offered the MLE)

Other interesting predictions :
Which active player will make the best head coach someday? Steve Nash (1st both in 05-06 and 06-07)

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