Bennett out at least 2 weeks

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Well, that didn't take very long. I remember the hand-wringing some folks here did after acquiring Payne and wondering if we could possibly give him the minutes he needs "so that the Wolves can see what they've got" (translation: "So us fans can see what we've got!").

It's very rare for a rotation of bigs to go injury free over a lengthy period of time, so I was never worried about our young bigs getting minutes. And like clockwork, one of them goes down. It's an unfortunate break for AB, but now Payne will have a chance to play significant minutes. If he's as NBA-ready as Flip thinks he is (he just turned 24!), it shouldn't take him too long to adjust and start producing. We'll see.

[alexftbl8181 [enjin:6648741]]

Another one bites the dust.

Does anyone think KG is going to last with this training staff and bad injury mojo?.

My guess is that he gets blinded by a laser during his first pregame introduction

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I feel bad for the kid. He had to get excited when Thad got traded knowing that his minutes might increase, and then there was that tweet from Jay-Z about him going to gym at 10:30 to shoot jumpers. Then he comes out dominating on the glass starting the game last night and hits his first jumper, and ends up hurt. What a snakebit team.

But I am happy for Payne. He's a good guy with some promise who hasn't played much at all this year...more minutes last night than he had played all year. There will be some growing pains with him, but we will never question his effort and we will notice a defensive pickup right away.

As I said in another thread Da Faux Punk needs to play Monday night now that AB is out. He's going to be there anyway, so there is no reason to play Pek, Payne and Dieng extra minutes just to make KG's first game back a home game. Come on, flip...give him 15-20 minutes backing up Payne.

You certainly make it sound well. I'll give you that. He had four rebounds in his nine minutes, and two of them were from him missing his own layup while one was a defensive rebound where everyone conceded the ball to him, including teammates. I'm not discounting that he got those four boards, but "dominating the glass" is a mighty stretch on your part. (We'll also keep it quiet that he got badly torched in the P&R twice defensively)

I noticed Payne's effort. He played revved up and determined to make a solid debut. Couldn't question the effort, but his defense was not an upgrade by any measure. He left his feet at almost every sight of a shot or pump fake and several times he found himself out of the play defensively from not reading the play correctly. One play he hedged far too hard and found himself in no man's land as he couldn't find the big he was supposed to come back to. He also got absolutely bullied under the rim by Alex Len for a layup one time. He is a rookie, and one that was making his first real debut so I'm not holding him to these mistakes forever, but "we will notice a defensive pickup right away"? Sorry, LST, but no. That's not true.

I'm just quoting the coach, cam...he said Payne was already our best PnR defender after seeing him for two practices. I don't see Payne as a rim protector, so I think last night's blocks were a mirage...although one was spectacular. But KG and Payne will be a big upgrade over what we have seen in the 4 spot this season, or last season for that matter.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

LST - where did you see the note that KG would be with the team in Houston? I have not seen that...

I wasn't expecting it either, Tim, but in Youngblood's game article in the Strib this morning, he said Garnett would join the team Monday, but not play until Wednesday. He didn't mention Houston specifically, but joining the team Monday has to mean he's in Houston. He should be there, and there's no reason for him to sit out another game...especially with AB out.

[alexftbl8181 [enjin:6648741]]

LST - where did you see the note that KG would be with the team in Houston? I have not seen that...

I wasn't expecting it either, Tim, but in Youngblood's game article in the Strib this morning, he said Garnett would join the team Monday, but not play until Wednesday. He didn't mention Houston specifically, but joining the team Monday has to mean he's in Houston. He should be there, and there's no reason for him to sit out another game...especially with AB out.

There is a reason, because KG was brought in for PR reasons, not basketball reasons. We can't ruin the suspense by playing him on Monday!

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

"I'm just quoting the coach, cam...he said Payne was already our best PnR defender after seeing him for two practices. I don't see Payne as a rim protector, so I think last night's blocks were a mirage...although one was spectacular. But KG and Payne will be a big upgrade over what we have seen in the 4 spot this season, or last season for that matter."

What did you see, though? That's what actually matters. Part of Flip's job is to hype up his guys and even instill some confidence in them. Him saying Payne plays the P&R well is like Cleveland saying Bennett plays the P&R well. It means nothing if the on court evidence says otherwise.

I agree, Payne is not a rim protector, so instead he needs to stay grounded and wall up rather than leave his feet like a guy at the park playing pickup. We already have Dieng who does that. Actually, there was a play last night where they both left their feet and it resulted in a drop-off pass for a layup. It's incredible how bad defense results in easy offense...

KG likely will be an upgrade on defense (not offense). Payne, on the other hand, likely won't be.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

"I'm just quoting the coach, cam...he said Payne was already our best PnR defender after seeing him for two practices. I don't see Payne as a rim protector, so I think last night's blocks were a mirage...although one was spectacular. But KG and Payne will be a big upgrade over what we have seen in the 4 spot this season, or last season for that matter."

What did you see, though? That's what actually matters. Part of Flip's job is to hype up his guys and even instill some confidence in them. Him saying Payne plays the P&R well is like Cleveland saying Bennett plays the P&R well. It means nothing if the on court evidence says otherwise.

I agree, Payne is not a rim protector, so instead he needs to stay grounded and wall up rather than leave his feet like a guy at the park playing pickup. We already have Dieng who does that. Actually, there was a play last night where they both left their feet and it resulted in a drop-off pass for a layup. It's incredible how bad defense results in easy offense...

KG likely will be an upgrade on defense (not offense). Payne, on the other hand, likely won't be.

Yeah, I think I threw something at my screen when I saw that. Smh....Payne has the excuse of being a rookie, but Dieng has been burned so often, you would think he would have learned by now. Wall the eff up and stay grounded!

I play in a regular pick-up game with guys ranging from their mid 30s to early 50s. One of the best defenders is a guy in his early 50s. He lost his athleticism a long time ago so he never even bothers to jump. The result is that he NEVER bites on a pump fake, and when he contests a shot, it's a hand in the face (not up near the ball). He's just really tough to get a clean look off of.

[TheGrey08]

LST - where did you see the note that KG would be with the team in Houston? I have not seen that...

I wasn't expecting it either, Tim, but in Youngblood's game article in the Strib this morning, he said Garnett would join the team Monday, but not play until Wednesday. He didn't mention Houston specifically, but joining the team Monday has to mean he's in Houston. He should be there, and there's no reason for him to sit out another game...especially with AB out.

I believe they said he was going to get settled in Minnesota. I like the idea of his debut being at home, but certainly wouldn't mind seeing him in Houston. That said, they are keeping Bazz out too.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

"I'm just quoting the coach, cam...he said Payne was already our best PnR defender after seeing him for two practices. I don't see Payne as a rim protector, so I think last night's blocks were a mirage...although one was spectacular. But KG and Payne will be a big upgrade over what we have seen in the 4 spot this season, or last season for that matter."

What did you see, though? That's what actually matters. Part of Flip's job is to hype up his guys and even instill some confidence in them. Him saying Payne plays the P&R well is like Cleveland saying Bennett plays the P&R well. It means nothing if the on court evidence says otherwise.

I agree, Payne is not a rim protector, so instead he needs to stay grounded and wall up rather than leave his feet like a guy at the park playing pickup. We already have Dieng who does that. Actually, there was a play last night where they both left their feet and it resulted in a drop-off pass for a layup. It's incredible how bad defense results in easy offense...

KG likely will be an upgrade on defense (not offense). Payne, on the other hand, likely won't be.

I mentioned in another thread that I didn't see much that impressed me about Payne's defense last night, other than his intensity (which I expected) and his sensational block (which I did not expect). But I also wasn't watching his defense that closely. It did seem like Morris had success regardless of which of three guys was guarding him.

I did watch Payne a lot the past two years, partly because I'm a Big 10 fan and partly because I was intrigued by Gary Harris as a potential Wolves draft choice (man, he hasn't showed anything in the pros yet). As I watched MSU, I found myself concentrating more and more on Payne and less on Harris. I loved his intensity and 3-point range, but especially his defense. I didn't see him as a sexy pick for the Wolves last year, but with Love certain to leave, I would have been fine with Flip drafting him. Everything Izzo has said about his defense matched what I saw in him in college. But I wasn't overwhelmed last night.

And I agree that Flip's job is to hype his players, but I can't recall offhand one time that he raved about either Thad Young's or AB's defense, so I think that Flip agrees with me that we have significantly upgraded our defense at PF this week. We're going to find out pretty quickly, because with the AB injury and need to limit KG's minutes, we'll be seeing Payne for 30 minutes a night, and probably more in Houston if KG is still on vacation.

[60WinTim]

I thought Flip said KG would arrive in Minneapolis on Monday. I don't think he's catching up with the team in Houston, but I would love to be wrong...