P.J. Carlesimo on the Nets playoffs rotation: 'I think it will probably be more nine than 10'

With the Nets first round playoff series against the Bulls starting this Saturday, much of the focus has been about the health of Derrick Rose, who as of now has yet to be ruled out by Chicago's head coach Tom Thibodeau. With that out of the way, the focus on the Nets side of things is on the rotation.

And as the New York Post's Tim Bontemps notes, the typically constant rotation of 10 may possibly shrink down to nine players throughout the playoffs.

From his piece:

The Nets have been playing a fairly consistent 10-man rotation all season. Nevertheless, Carlesimo said that number likely will shrink by at least one during the playoffs.

"No, I think it will probably be more nine than 10, but we’ll see," he said.

As he notes, it's certain that we'll see the same starting five, with Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson, Reggie Evans and Gerald Wallace, while it's also expected that C.J. Watson, Andray Blatche, Kris Humphries and Keith Bogans are likely locked into the rotation.

(Correction: As Bontemps notes, Jerry Stackhouse also will be a factor, meaning Stack, Hump and Bogans will likely fight for two of the final three spots in the rotation.)

This leaves guys like MarShon Brooks and Mirza Teletovic on the outside looking in.

However, Carlesimo did leave the door open based on player performance.

• Bulls won't rule out Rose return - Tim Bontemps - NY POST
• The Bulls' Wild Card: Derrick Rose - Alex Raskin - WSJ