Shit, Gordon was probably the Bulls 2nd best player for a few years there, and he came off the bench.

But Waiters coming off the bench last year was really just a technicality. Scoop Jardine was a 5th year senior who had already been starting and Brandon Triche had been starting since his freshman year, so they were both locked into those spots before Waiters got there. Even though Waiters had surpassed both by last year and it was obvious very early in the season, Boeheim didn't mess with it and just left it alone, and given that they went 34-3, there was no reason to make a change when his philosophy is it doesn't matter who starts anyway.

Also, the 5 who started the game were not always the 5 who started the second half. Boeheim's gotten big on that "doesn't matter who starts, it matters who finishes" thing in recent years, and 2 or 3 "bench players" often played more than some starters and were on the court in crunch time.