After Luke Walton went down with a foot injury earlier this week, Jackson started Trevor Ariza in his place Sunday against the Trail Blazers.
But tonight, it’s back to the bench for Ariza, the place he actually prefers, as Phil Jackson told reporters before the game that Vladimir Radmanovic would return to the starting lineup to face the New Orleans Hornets.
There are a few obvious reasons why Jackson’s making the switch: Vladi prefers to start, and Ariza would rather come off the bench; Vladi spreads the floor better than Ariza, who’s struggled a bit with his outside shot - this is important early in games for the offense; Vladi scored a season-high 16 points, 15 of which came in the second half, against Portland; Ariza’s most likely going to close the game, and his having rested legs can only help.
Another reason, at least in my opinion, is that Ariza may slide over to Chris Paul in the second half as he did in New Orleans a few weeks ago, and that’s a task requiring a good bit of effort and focus.
Check back for the running diary, where we’ll keep an eye on the ever-interesting small forward position.
