So, the PF minutes on this Clippers roster are getting squeezed from both sides–on the one hand, a more competent/dynamic guard corps resulting in more Leonard-at-PF lineups; on the other, the presence of a 2nd legitimate NBA center obstructing the PFs from siphoning as many C minutes as they have this season.

Morris, Batum, and Covington played a combined 3,267 minutes through the Clippers’ first 59 games of the season (game 60 being the debuts of the trade acquisitions). That’s 55.4 minutes per game–the equivalent all 48 PF minutes and 7.4 SF/C minutes. And just as a note, that’s an underestimate on how many non-PF minutes those guys were getting per game, because we remember the 3-guard bench lineups that had either George or Leonard at PF, as well as garbage time units where Moussa and Moses played together and even that one weird game where nobody played and Zu was the PF next to Moses for a shift.

How many minutes do we think exist in the rotation going forward into the postseason for our veteran PF positional grouping, now that they a) will siphon far fewer SF minutes than before, b) will have significantly more of their minutes siphoned by Leonard, and c) will get fewer, and sometimes no, C minutes? Does that 55 become 40? 30?

To me, this makes the Morris issue much more pressing than it was 2 weeks ago. Nico Batum is the significantly better basketball player, and has been for their entire Clippers tenures. In a world where there are 2 big roles available for the veteran PF contingent, and Batum comes off the bench and finds plentiful playing time across the PF and C positions, I don’t care who the nominal starter is. In a world where there is only one big role available for the veteran PF contingent, and then maybe a smaller role for a 2nd guy, there is greater urgency to ensure that Batum is the guy in the big role. He still doesn’t have to start for me (although he probably should to save the Leonard-at-PF looks for later in the game), but if there are 31 minutes available for the Morris/Batum/Covington pool, as there were on Tuesday vs the Warriors, I’m giving Batum 30 and DNPing the other 2, not Morris 23 and Batum 8 as Ty Lue opted for.

I always thought that the intensity of scorn towards Moses and his obvious limitations was over the top, and my guess is that he was actually much more playable than Ty Lue gave us a chance to see. All those relatively empty Marcus Morris minutes–his total is 1519 and counting, #2 on the squad behind ironman stalwart Zu–include a woeful and paltry 4 rebounds a game, while Moses cruised along at 17 rebs per 36, and his 139 total (57 offensive) in 288 minutes was only 60 fewer than Mook in 5 times as many minutes.

I’m not saying Moses Brown was good. But the highly negative and dismissive focus on his shortcomings took away from his strengths and his potential utility for the undermanned Clippers as they dealt with injuries and player absences in the first half of the season. Yes, Robert Covington should have gotten a whole lot of those minutes, of course. But Brown played hard, and his activity around the basket made him a factor. If we had been looking at his upside all along and he had more rotation opportunities as Zu’s backup, his strong efforts might not have been so shocking. You could see him getting better, even in the small sample.

Getting Plumlee is a deft coup, and it will make a huge difference in the Clippers’ rotation and performance. There’s still plenty of focus on MMorris, holding onto his starting spot and not playing in the 4th quarter in the last two games, after the trade deadline, going down to 23/19 minutes (with Covington, only 584 total season minutes, getting two DNPs). Leaving finishing lineups aside (Gordon/NormP/TMann/Batum vs. Morris), no one has mentioned how Plumlee is already in the process of grabbing MMorris minutes by the handful, and making a lot out of them.

Warm salute to Moses Brown as he heads out–he greatly exceeded expectations, could have done even more, and did yeoman service as a luxury tax placeholder as we waited patiently for the new plum to reach perfect ripeness.