The Manu Effect: Where Your Starters Are Not Your Best Five

Conventional wisdom is that you would start your best five players on the court, setting the tone, giving your team a comfortable lead before turning things over to the second unit while they rested.

However, Greg Popovich and the man for whom this article derives his name from changed that, by starting with Michael Finley, allowing Manu to provide the spark off the bench while playing starter minutes on court.

Now a week into the new season, it seems that more teams are adopting this tactic and leaving some of their players on the bench.

Here, we are not going to include great players who are on the bench simply because there is a better starter in front of them like Rodney Stuckey (assuming AI starts at point) and James Posey.

Rather, the Manu effect is about players who are probably the best at their position(s) but do not start because of strategic fit. Players who are giving Manu competition for Sixth Man of the Year.

1) Lamar Odom

When Phil Jackson first announced he was toying with the idea of starting with Odom on the bench, many observers assumed it was another of the Zen Master's mind games. Odom initially bristled at that suggestion but soon reconciled with his coach.

Three games and nil starts later, it is proving to be a brilliant idea. Odom's length and versatility allows either Gasol or Bynum to get some rest without giving up any rebounds without a fight.

In addition, his speed and passing enables him to mesh perfectly with Farmar, Vujacic and Ariza to provide that speed that led Jackson to dub them the 'minute men'.

By starting a shooter (albeit a streaky one) like Radmanovic, the floor is more spaced for Gasol and Bynum to operate in the paint without duplicating the skills of Odom. The nagging question is, in a contract year, how long will Odom go along with this 'demotion'?

2) Andrei Kirilenko

AK47 has been regressing for two years. He is now the fourth option behind D-Will, Boozer and Okur and does not get many touches.

Problem is, he is still their highest paid player with more than adequate skills. The wily Jerry Sloan moved him to the bench where he can continue to do damage alongside the likes of Harpring and Milsap while defending the opponent's top offensive strength.

Thirty mins per game is definitely starter minutes, however you look at it, and AK47 would be happy to be the focal point of the second unit's offense.

3) Jason Terry

Is he a point guard or a shooting guard? You could make the case that since Kidd is around and Terry is a definite upgrade over Stackhouse you could play Terry at the two.

Whatever the case, he is getting more minutes than Stack and made the most of it. This is not set in stone though since Carlise may start him eventually once he is done tinkering but Terry gives the Mavs a third option behind Dirk and Howard and a 20 point threat.

4) Grant Hill

Yes, he is old. Yes, he should have his private surgical theatre. There is no denying the obvious talent (I would like to say athleticism but I am thinking of his Detroit and Orlando years) of this multiple all-star.

At very least, he is better than Matt Barnes. In any case, he gives Leandro Barbosa some competition for the first man off the bench for the Suns and a useful two-way threat.

5) Rudy Fernandez

He may be a rookie on a talent loaded squad and his natural position is the same as their franchise player. Nevertheless, Fernandez could easily slide over to the three to form a wing that no team would relish facing. Instead Nicholas Batum starts and Fernandez is their not-so-secret weapon off the bench that earns the oohs and aahs from the crowd.

Twenty-seven miutess and 14 points per game would keep Rudy Fernandez on the Rookie of the Year charts while everyone awaits the second/third coming of Greg Oden.

6) Ben Gordon

Although he has been on the bench since drafted, he has been their top scorer through the good (2006-2007) and the bad (2007-2008).

Contract disputes aside, he is better than Kirk Hinrich and Thabo Sefelosha when it comes to putting the ball in the net. He is not much on defense and turnover prone (2.42 per game), but career averages of 17.9 points a game and 41.7 percent three point shooting would be a legitimate reason to start, on another team.

With his contract expiring next season, he might well start on another team.

There you have it, the Top Six challengers to Manu's throne this year.