The highs and lows of bench mobs

With the league's third-lowest payroll, the Thunder get the most out of their bench. (AP)

The Suns did something rare last season: They played a true five-man bench unit for extended stretches of important games. Fans often talk about benches as cohesive units, but NBA teams generally don’t operate that way, even in the regular season. Coaches mix and match a few bench players with one or two starters, hoping to find the right mix to win the early parts of the second and fourth quarters.

But the Suns are doing the five-man thing again this season, according to Michael Schwartz of the Suns-themed blog Valley of the Suns. It’ll be a bit different this year, as the bench group lacks a true power forward with Lou Amundson now in Golden State. But the Suns are hoping the athleticism and shooting of the Goran Dragic-Josh Childress-Hedo Turkgolu (or Hakim Warrick)-Jared Dudley-Channing Frye group can cause the same sorts of problems the Dragic-Dudley-Amundson-Frye-Leandro Barbosa unit caused during the playoffs last season.

Rating benches is tricky, and not just because some coaches still haven’t settled on a starting lineup with just five days to go until the season tips. The larger issue is payroll. If a team is going to blow past the luxury tax, it should have a good bench. If it’s going to leave cap room unused, it probably won’t be able to go 10 deep, unless it has a solid foundation of players on rookie deals. In other words, you have to grade on something of a curve.

Here are some benches that excite, concern and intrigue me, divided (sort of) by team payroll:

BIG MONEY, DEEP BENCH

Orlando Magic
The easy choice for the deepest team, and the Magic should be deep — their payroll is hovering around $95 million, right there with the Lakers for the league’s highest salary. The Magic have 11 legit rotation players, and one of Stan Van Gundy‘s biggest challenges will be sorting out minutes between a quality of group of forwards while deciding how often he wants to play Rashard Lewis at small forward. With Brandon Bass giving Orlando quality preseason minutes, it looks as if all 11 guys have bought into the system.

Boston Celtics
Another luxury-tax payer, another ultra-deep bench. The Celtics will have three quality big men coming off the pine once Kendrick Perkins returns, and the addition of Delonte West gives them another ball-handler who can create his own shot. Even if all the wild cards (Von Wafer, Semih Erden and two rookies) founder, the Celtics have enough depth to make a run at an 18th banner.

BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK

Oklahoma City Thunder
No surprise here, as the Thunder, with the league’s third-lowest payroll, will be able to assign backup roles to James Harden, Eric Maynor (stolen from the Jazz last season), Serge Ibaka, charge-drawing extraordinaire Nick Collison, rookie center Cole Aldrich and Daequan Cook. Former Heat swingman Cook could provide some of the three-point shooting the Thunder really needed last season.

BIG MONEY, BENCH WORRIES

Utah Jazz
The Jazz are above the tax line — once unthinkable in Utah — but they don’t have reliable depth to show for it, at least not as the season starts. With Mehmet Okur recovering from an Achilles tear, the frontcourt foursome of Paul Millsap, Andrei Kirilenko, Al Jefferson and Francisco Elson will have to play heavy minutes. Utah will also be relying on a collection of unproven youngsters and one aging vet (Raja Bell) to provide some wing scoring behind C.J. Miles and Kirilenko. And the fact that Earl Watson has passed Ronnie Price on the point guard depth chart is not a good sign for Utah’s future behind Deron Williams.

Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs have the league’s third-highest payroll, and they are deep with big-name veterans and one electrifying second-year player (Roddy Beaubois) who is recovering from a broken foot. But there is reason to worry here, at least a bit. They lack depth at center behind Brendan Haywood and Tyson Chandler (always an injury risk), unless you think Alexis Ajinca and Ian Mahinmi are ready to be steady contributors. The backcourt depth consists of J.J. Barea, Beaubois, rookie Dominique Jones and (most likely) Jason Terry. Terry is 33, and though he’s aged well, his game took a step back last season.

There’s always a risk that one of the Terry-Shawn Marion-Caron Butler group (two of whom will start) will continue to decline with age. Lots of talent here, and lots of potential to go in either direction. Beaubois must get healthy and contribute significant minutes.

Denver Nuggets
Another taxpayer with significant depth questions, especially in the frontcourt. Chris Andersen, the Nuggets’ top frontcourt sub over the last two years, will start the season injured, leaving Al Harrington, Shelden Williams and perhaps Renaldo Balkman to fill the void. One of those three is a trustworthy rotation guy.

On the bright side, Ty Lawson and J.R. Smith provide quality depth at guard, and the Nuggets will be deep enough when it counts if Bird Man and Kenyon Martin get healthy.

Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks are a tad below the luxury tax, but their bench remains shallow. They fortified their back line behind Zaza Pachulia by signing a series of borderline rotation players on the cheap: Josh Powell, Etan Thomas and Jason Collins. In the backcourt, they are left to hope that Jamal Crawford can duplicate what was likely a career season; that Jeff Teague might be able to play a significant role at point guard in his sophomore campaign; and that Jordan Crawford, their first-round pick, can contribute some minutes.

In other words, the starters are going to play a ton in Atlanta.

New Orleans Hornets
Perhaps the shallowest team in the league among those approaching the luxury tax and, so far, discussed as a playoff contender. The starting lineup is nice, but if you’re depending on some combination of Aaron Gray, D.J. Mbenga, Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Jason Smith to emerge as key front-line reserves, well, good luck.

SOMEWHAT PRICEY, BUT INTRIGUING

Houston Rockets
The Rockets have a strong backup point guard (Kyle Lowry) earning twice as much as their starter (Aaron Brooks); a 2-guard who started in the Finals two seasons ago (Courtney Lee); a second-year guy who may or may not be ready to be a significant contributor (Chase Budinger); a declining center who loves Rick Adelman‘s system (Brad Miller); and a tough rookie the Rockets drafted because he fits their system (Patrick Patterson). Also, Chuck Hayes is still here. So are Jordan Hill and Jared Jeffries.

I have no idea how this is going to turn out, but it’s going to be fun.

Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks will have a serious front line coming off the bench, between Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Jon Brockman, Ersan Ilyasova (an underrated rebounder), Drew Gooden and the flailing combination of arms and legs and fouls that is rookie Larry Sanders. Toss in a scorer (probably Corey Maggette) and a decent backup point guard (Keyon Dooling), and the Bucks are in my regular League Pass rotation.

Detroit Pistons
The Pistons probably have more money coming off the bench than any team in the league, with big-money 2009 acquisitions Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon both slotted into backup roles for now. Will Bynum, should he come off the bench, will provide quickness and scoring, and I can’t wait to watch Greg Monroe work his high-post passing into an NBA rotation. Oh, and Tracy McGrady plays for the Pistons.

CHEAP PAYROLL … AND IT SHOWS

Los Angeles Clippers
One of eight teams under the cap, the Clippers will rely on a collection of rookies; two big men who could very well be out of the league if not for Donald Sterling‘s strange desire to sign them (Brian Cook, Jarron Collins); and two young-ish, productive veterans who drew limited interest around the league this summer (Randy Foye, Craig Smith).

There is talk of the Clippers as a candidate for the last playoff spot in the West. It won’t happen unless they get more than anticipated from their bench.

Cleveland Cavaliers
Another team under the cap with very little reliable bench talent unless it shifts Antawn Jamison into a sixth-man role. On the bright side, Ramon Sessions is a quality point guard who should see some time with the starters (shifting Mo Williams to the 2), and Christian Eyenga will provide an amazing highlight at some point. And I’ll always root for Leon Powe.