Game Report - Wolves v. Kings

[Lipoli390]

It's Christmas Eve and all thoughts should be joyous. So I'll have to cut this report unusually short because nothing about last night's result was joyous, although I'll admit the game it was fun to watch. It was a decent size crowed and pretty loud.

Simply put, it was another bad loss. We should not be losing games at home to the likes of the Kings if we have any hope of a playoff appearance or even if we're just trying to establish an upward trajectory for this team.

I'll sum up the reason for our loss in one word (or rather one name): Wiggins. The Wolves are not going to win game when Andrew Wiggins shoots 31% on 19 shots with only 4 foul shots, zero rebounds, zero steals and 1 assist. And what doesn't show up in the box score is how the offense stalled and fell apart when he handled the ball and ran the offense at the beginning of possessions. Nor does the box score reflect loose balls that he had a chance to snag but never pursued. He's not supposed to be a fringe player or even a major role player. He's supposedly a core player with star potential. But now more than 2.3 years into his NBA career with lots of minutes and opportunities he's looking like anything but a core player and certainly not guy destined for allstar appearances much less superstar status.

We had a group of six relatives from Milwaukee with us at the game last night. One guy -- a big hockey fan and casual basketball fan had never seen the Wolves play before. He comment to me without hearing anything from me was "that Wiggins guy never hustles." Interesting observation from a neutral first-time observer.

Another interesting tidbit from a guy sitting in front of us who got a pass to sit in the first row right behind Thibs last night. He said Thibs never stops talking and almost every outburst is laced with profanity. I don't have a problem with that, but I thought it was interesting.

Zach was incredible last night -- scoring and also rebounding. His defense on Afflalo was very solid. Gorgui competed hard as usual and did some good things. KAT continues to struggle with his shooting -- both inside and out. He missed some big opportunities, but he grabbed 13 rebounds and as bad as his shooting was he shot over 46% -- a lot better than Wiggins. And I loved KAT's effort points under the basket. His defense still needs a LOT of work. Ricky struggled a bit early, but really came on late. He made some key shots after missing several opens ones. His effort, as usual, was stellar. The guy is all heart.

The bench didn't come thought. Dunn ws 1-4 and made some defensive mistakes, but I loved his blocked shot. Bazz was Bazz. Just attacking with blinders every time he gets the ball. Belly just seemed to be going through the motions. Very disappointing performance from him last night.

I can't blame Thibs for last night's loss, although I do blame him for stubbornly continuing to have Wiggins occasionally run the offense. The worst last night was at the end of the 3rd quarter when he had Wiggins run the last possession of the quarter even though Ricky's shooting had caught fire just before that moment. Of course, we got no points out of what turned out to be a horrible possession. I guess Thibs really wants to see if it can work. I don't like it, but it won't last much longer.

That's it for now. Merry Christmas everyone!!

[Monster]

Thanks for the report Lip.

It sucks that the Wolves didn't win this game since now the Kings are at the top of what I am going to start calling "the heap" of teams with a losing record. the things is the Kings just beat the Jazz the previous game and Portland the game before that...of course they lost to Dallas embarrassingly the game before that. So the Kings aren't that good, but they also aren't good either. Sounds like the Wolves right? It sucks to lose a game at home against a team you are going to be fighting for for that playoff spot. I'll say what I said in the game thread I think in general the effort was there and despite them taking a step back in defense I see them as having made progress in that area with a some good defensive possessions. If the game last night was a poor one for the Wolves...they are still headed in the right direction.

I think you had a lot of good comments on Wiggins, but I will say he made a few hustle plays and made some good plays defensively. He also had that block on a PG. He was also a part of keeping a few balls alive that didn't show up on the box score but lead to possessions for the Wolves. Was Wiggins good in the game? No. Was he the reason they lost? Eh there were some bad turnovers but there there other guys that didn't make plays. After that one bad turnover he had he came down and showed some emotion slamming the ball to the floor in frustration. There are aspects of Wiggins game I don't like but I think some people misread the guy because of his personality. It's up to him to change people's minds because some of the angst is deserved. I believe in Wiggins completely. I believe the guy is serious about the game and wants to be better and will become a very good 2 way player. Again Lip I appreciate your observations and reports on Wiggins and all you see at the games I'm just offering a bit of a counterpoint here but I think what you reported was pretty much spot on in this game when it came to him.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Thanks for the report Lip.

It sucks that the Wolves didn't win this game since now the Kings are at the top of what I am going to start calling "the heap" of teams with a losing record. the things is the Kings just beat the Jazz the previous game and Portland the game before that...of course they lost to Dallas embarrassingly the game before that. So the Kings aren't that good, but they also aren't good either. Sounds like the Wolves right? It sucks to lose a game at home against a team you are going to be fighting for for that playoff spot. I'll say what I said in the game thread I think in general the effort was there and despite them taking a step back in defense I see them as having made progress in that area with a some good defensive possessions. If the game last night was a poor one for the Wolves...they are still headed in the right direction.

I think you had a lot of good comments on Wiggins, but I will say he made a few hustle plays and made some good plays defensively. He also had that block on a PG. He was also a part of keeping a few balls alive that didn't show up on the box score but lead to possessions for the Wolves. Was Wiggins good in the game? No. Was he the reason they lost? Eh there were some bad turnovers but there there other guys that didn't make plays. After that one bad turnover he had he came down and showed some emotion slamming the ball to the floor in frustration. There are aspects of Wiggins game I don't like but I think some people misread the guy because of his personality. It's up to him to change people's minds because some of the angst is deserved. I believe in Wiggins completely. I believe the guy is serious about the game and wants to be better and will become a very good 2 way player. Again Lip I appreciate your observations and reports on Wiggins and all you see at the games I'm just offering a bit of a counterpoint here but I think what you reported was pretty much spot on in this game when it came to him.

- If we're at the point where we have to sugarcoat Wiggins' performance with those types of platitudes in nearing the midway point of Year 3... something has gone very very wrong in his development.

- LaVine looks so pretty shooting. And he seems to be less than horrific defensively? Or at least sorta, kinda figuring out where to be?

- The Wolves "seem" to take so many more difficult shots than their opponents. Is there a stat out there that measures it? I really hate Wiggins preferring the 18 - 21 foot jump shot early and often and late and often in games when almost the entire rest of the league identifies it as a bad shot.

- Statistically, Rubio had a Rubio-esque game. Good and bad. So we're beating glue at this point, but teams are daring him to shoot and in doing so, it's clogging the offense at critical times. I think he scored all his points in the 3rd, right? For the people ripping Thibs use of him off the ball, Peterson had a couple of thoughts on why it's done and noted that it doesn't play to Rubio's strengths. It's a tough position for everybody.

- Towns continues to struggle with his outside shot, as noted.

- The Wolves lost this one in the 4th quarter... again. Outscored by 11. AGAIN... once a team puts in its best effort defensively, the Wolves don't have the defensive chops to match it. AGAIN.

- The bench. The Wolves bench hit 3 buckets. Sacramento hit 16... including 8 three pointers. The problem is that it's more pronounced when the starters are only playing about even vs. the other teams starters.

- Rudy Gay didn't play. And he's arguably the Kings 2nd best player. The Wolves are battling for the most ping pong balls despite a healthy team almost all season.

- Sacramento has been tougher... mentally... in both games this season and made a 2nd half comeback in both. Matt Barnes seems like a vile person. But dammit... if he doesn't end up starting for every team he plays for and usually making the playoffs with them. There is nobody on the Wolves roster even remotely like that guy. I think it's time.

- Bah humbug.

- Merry Christmas. Enjoy some family time and appreciate the Timberwolves socks you get.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Just finished the replay. Zach was magnificent throughout the game, but he also played off the ball most of the game and got a lot of help from Ricky.

So what happens when we make a stop with 45 seconds left and down 1? As Ricky brings the ball up the court with a chance to take the lead, Thibs wildly motions him to give the ball up to Zach and get in the corner where he belongs. Seriously???? And was anyone really surprised when Zach turned the ball over and torpedoed any chance of a win that we desperately needed? For the love of God, why change what's been working all game but putting Zach and Ricky in roles they aren't as comfortable? I just don't get it.

Will the Thibabobos out there please defend his coaching at that critical part of the game?

[AbeVigodaLive]

Just finished the replay. Zach was magnificent throughout the game, but he also played off the ball most of the game and got a lot of help from Ricky.

So what happens when we make a stop with 45 seconds left and down 1? As Ricky brings the ball up the court with a chance to take the lead, Thibs wildly motions him to give the ball up to Zach and get in the corner where he belongs. Seriously???? And was anyone really surprised when Zach turned the ball over and torpedoed any chance of a win that we desperately needed? For the love of God, why change what's been working all game but putting Zach and Ricky in roles they aren't as comfortable? I just don't get it.

Will the Thibabobos out there please defend his coaching at that critical part of the game?

To be fair, Thibs is now the second high-profile coach to "misuse" Rubio in 4th quarters. Remember, Adelman was ripped for not trusting him either and playing Barea instead.

Eventually, the Wolves will get a good coach in here. It's been what... 8 lousy ones in the past 11 seasons?

[Duke13]

Abe, I loved Jim Pete's honest talking about Rubio and the Conundrum of playing him on or off the ball. He brought up some very valuable points as to the negative aspects of having the ball in his hands running PnR. Teams don't have to react to that action like they would if he were a scoring threat, shooting or driving.

Ideally out of PnR action you cause the defense to rotate creating gaps in the defense, doesn't happen with Rubio.

Again I really enjoy Pete's honesty and objective insight.

[Coolbreeze44]

Just finished the replay. Zach was magnificent throughout the game, but he also played off the ball most of the game and got a lot of help from Ricky.

So what happens when we make a stop with 45 seconds left and down 1? As Ricky brings the ball up the court with a chance to take the lead, Thibs wildly motions him to give the ball up to Zach and get in the corner where he belongs. Seriously???? And was anyone really surprised when Zach turned the ball over and torpedoed any chance of a win that we desperately needed? For the love of God, why change what's been working all game but putting Zach and Ricky in roles they aren't as comfortable? I just don't get it.

Will the Thibabobos out there please defend his coaching at that critical part of the game?

All I can tell you is that in the situation you are referring to, you are likely to end up with a Rubio 20 footer up against the shot clock. That's why Thibs gets the ball out of his hands in those possessions.

[Monster]

Just finished the replay. Zach was magnificent throughout the game, but he also played off the ball most of the game and got a lot of help from Ricky.

So what happens when we make a stop with 45 seconds left and down 1? As Ricky brings the ball up the court with a chance to take the lead, Thibs wildly motions him to give the ball up to Zach and get in the corner where he belongs. Seriously???? And was anyone really surprised when Zach turned the ball over and torpedoed any chance of a win that we desperately needed? For the love of God, why change what's been working all game but putting Zach and Ricky in roles they aren't as comfortable? I just don't get it.

Will the Thibabobos out there please defend his coaching at that critical part of the game?

All I can tell you is that in the situation you are referring to, you are likely to end up with a Rubio 20 footer up against the shot clock. That's why Thibs gets the ball out of his hands in those possessions.

Let's see I am coaching a basketball game and it's near the end and I have a multidimensional player that has been magnificent most of the game putting the ball in the basket. Yeah I'll give him the ball and see what he can do. You could have CP3 on your team and a coach may have given the ball to Lavine late last night as the guy was rollin most of the game.

[Lipoli390]

LST -- I think I was probably a little soft in my evaluation of Thibs' coaching last night. I liked his substitutions and I think he made some nice calls coming out of timeouts. But his misuse of Rubio is mystifying and really frustrating as was his technical early in the game. Take away the technical and not having Wiggins run the offensive at all last night might have been the difference between a win and a loss.

There's no sugar-coating Wiggins' horrific play last night. It might be possible to simply say that Andrew had "one of those games." But his performance last night was all too typical over more than two full seasons. His ridiculously bad stats last night were all the worse viewed alongside his all too typical lack of hustle. I guess he did have a hustle play or two, but watching live it was incredibly frustrating to see him stand passitively and watch balls caroming off the rim or deflecting off other players. Zach's play stands in stark contrast to Wiggins from a hustle or intensity standpoint. Zach repeatedly flew into the paint to retrieve rebounds that might have otherwise gone to the Kings. Not surprisingly he ended up with around 6 boards as I recall. I'm truly at my wits end with Wiggins.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I don't disagree that Wig was terrible last night and a major factor in the loss. Lip. I contrast the way Wig goes after loose balls with the way Ricky does, and there is no comparison. I love many things about Wig's relaxed personality and enormous physical gifts, but I am frustrated that he is by far our most underachieving player...and I don't blame Thibs for that.

But I do blame Thibs for his end of game decisions, and see them as even more of a factor in our woeful start than his overworking our stars. What frustrates me most is that I think Thibs has the potential to be the best coach in the league with just some very minor changes...three in particular (one of which I see some improvement in). I agree with Cam that Thibs deserves a lot of credit for the usual good starts to games...his exceptional work ethic and knowledge of the game gets this team very well prepared. And the offense seems to click invariably in the 1st half. But I'm equally baffled by both his decision to take the ball out of Ricky's hands at crunch time as well as the unwavering support he receives from some posters here for that decision. Yes, Zach was our most effective offensive player last night, but he was effective as a SG, not a PG. Why change everything when there are 45 seconds left in the game, especially when it is so obvious that the strategy has been so ineffective. Come on, thibs...dance with the girl you brung!

I am the biggest Thibs detractor on this board, but if he makes some minor adjustments and the team starts winning, I may become his biggest cheerleader...no in between for this boy!