monsterpile wrote:Look at how many 2nd round and undrafted guys are playing in these Finals in just the first half. Those types of guys can be found and developed and the Wolves need to be a team that has some of these guys even if they aren't starters. We should have something besides hometown and fatalistic feelings about guys that fit this description that come through this organization. We should have some legit hope a guy like Cam Reynolds or KBD or whoever could actually be worthwhile.
I was thinking the same thing, Monster. Fred VanVleet is a short (5'11) PG from a mid-major program who went undrafted. Toronto signed him as an undrafted free agent. Toronto's leading scorer in tonight's game, Siakam, was the 27th pick in the draft. Both players have been key to Toronto's success in the playoffs.
Player development, of course, starts with getting the right players who have both the potential and the characteristics needed to reach that potential. Siakam was the 27th pick. Klay Thompson was the 11th pick in the 2011 draft. Wouldn't it be great if the Wolves could have similar success with their 11th pick this June? Kawhi Leonard was the 15th pick in that draft. Kyle Lowry was the 24th pick. Draymond Green was the 35th pick in 2012. Danny Green was the 46th pick in 2009.
I think the Wolves actually got it right with our two picks last summer. So if the Wolves are serious about player development, they should focus on Okogie and KBD. Both are very talented and young. And both showed flashes of really high level potential last season. I'll evaluate this new regime on player development based largely on the play and success of these two players.
Assuming you have the right young players, player development depends on part on good teaching by the coaching staff in practice. But it hinges even more on allocating adequate, consistent playing time and allowing young players to play through bad stretches and make mistakes. Ultimately, player development requires patience and an approach that instills confidence.
Don't forget that the Raptors used the D-league/G-league to get these guys playing time. Look at a guy like Quinn Cook for the Warriors or Mikinnie. How about Norman Powell for the Raptors? He is going to outlast some of his buddies from UCLA in the league. Kyle Lowry #24 pick in the 2006 draft. How many guys are even still in the league from that draft like 7? Someone on Twitter noted they saw Patrick O'Bryant in a pic helping out with one of the draft workouts...so he is still around the game I guess lol
lipoli390 wrote:A couple more thoughts on getting the right players as the foundation for player development. Consider Siakam. He dropped all the way to 27 in the draft. Yet, as a sophomore, he averaged 20 points and 11.6 rebounds per game in 34 minutes. How do you get overlooked by 26 NBA teams with those stats. Was it because he played for New Mexico State? And how did the Raptors end up signing VanVleet? They Raptors organization should get a lot of credit. I'm sure they were hearing all the negatives -- only 5'11, was already old as as college senior, played for a mid-major team. But obviously someone in the Raptors' organization saw something in him that caused them to sign him as a FA. And then they had the patience to keep him and develop him.
Lip did you see this old draft workout video of Siakam that draft express tweeted out today? It's a workout video but...yeah he looked pretty good.
monsterpile wrote:Look at how many 2nd round and undrafted guys are playing in these Finals in just the first half. Those types of guys can be found and developed and the Wolves need to be a team that has some of these guys even if they aren't starters. We should have something besides hometown and fatalistic feelings about guys that fit this description that come through this organization. We should have some legit hope a guy like Cam Reynolds or KBD or whoever could actually be worthwhile.
I was thinking the same thing, Monster. Fred VanVleet is a short (5'11) PG from a mid-major program who went undrafted. Toronto signed him as an undrafted free agent. Toronto's leading scorer in tonight's game, Siakam, was the 27th pick in the draft. Both players have been key to Toronto's success in the playoffs.
Player development, of course, starts with getting the right players who have both the potential and the characteristics needed to reach that potential. Siakam was the 27th pick. Klay Thompson was the 11th pick in the 2011 draft. Wouldn't it be great if the Wolves could have similar success with their 11th pick this June? Kawhi Leonard was the 15th pick in that draft. Kyle Lowry was the 24th pick. Draymond Green was the 35th pick in 2012. Danny Green was the 46th pick in 2009.
I think the Wolves actually got it right with our two picks last summer. So if the Wolves are serious about player development, they should focus on Okogie and KBD. Both are very talented and young. And both showed flashes of really high level potential last season. I'll evaluate this new regime on player development based largely on the play and success of these two players.
Assuming you have the right young players, player development depends on part on good teaching by the coaching staff in practice. But it hinges even more on allocating adequate, consistent playing time and allowing young players to play through bad stretches and make mistakes. Ultimately, player development requires patience and an approach that instills confidence.
Don't forget that the Raptors used the D-league/G-league to get these guys playing time. Look at a guy like Quinn Cook for the Warriors or Mikinnie. How about Norman Powell for the Raptors? He is going to outlast some of his buddies from UCLA in the league. Kyle Lowry #24 pick in the 2006 draft. How many guys are even still in the league from that draft like 7? Someone on Twitter noted they saw Patrick O'Bryant in a pic helping out with one of the draft workouts...so he is still around the game I guess lol
Before signing with gsw, mckinnie contacted and wanted to play for the wolves. But ultimately thibs felt they didnt need him.
I wonder if and thats a big if the Raptors win the NBA title that the Klaw would leave them for the Clippers or something. It could be somewhat of a PR nightmare. I think for his sake, if he wants to leave that they end up losing.
WolvesFan21 wrote:I wonder if and thats a big if the Raptors win the NBA title that the Klaw would leave them for the Clippers or something. It could be somewhat of a PR nightmare. I think for his sake, if he wants to leave that they end up losing.
I don't know about that.
I've heard some comments that everything would be justified with a championship. That's why he was brought there... so it would be a "everything was worth it" type of situation.
James bolted Cleveland TWICE for greener pastures and he's still a lifelong hero because of 2016.
WolvesFan21 wrote:I wonder if and thats a big if the Raptors win the NBA title that the Klaw would leave them for the Clippers or something. It could be somewhat of a PR nightmare. I think for his sake, if he wants to leave that they end up losing.
I don't know about that.
I've heard some comments that everything would be justified with a championship. That's why he was brought there... so it would be a "everything was worth it" type of situation.
James bolted Cleveland TWICE for greener pastures and he's still a lifelong hero because of 2016.
I guess I can see it both ways. If you thought Kawhi was always a rental then you'd be more than happy with a title.
But on the other side I could see, oh you won a title here but you hate Toronto a, blah blah blah, that could be a position I see a lot of fans taking.
I can't think of one superstar who left directly after a championship win though. In really any sport. There are probably a couple examples.
I just think that everything is skewed a bit in the modern NBA... where speculation about where guys will play often trumps how they're actually playing.
This behavior is actively encouraged by the media folks who write about the NBA... because it's good year-round business for them. And the NBA embraces it because that's year-round business for the league.
Sure, a few fans are not quite happy about this... but who cares.* The casual fans are what drive the NBA. And whether it's a chicken or the egg scenario... they're eating it up.
For them, a championship in Toronto will be worth it if it means a summer of Kawhi Leonard speculation and the next situation where a star goes to a team amid a ton of uncertainty.
* I care. But I don't matter. I don't buy much merchandise. I don't go to many games. And I'm an NBA lifer. I'm already on the hook as an NBA fan.
crazy-canuck wrote:Danny green is playing so friggin well right now.
Yep. Green really came through for the Raptors tonight. It's amazing how talented the Warriors are. They lose Durant, Thompson and Looney. But they still have Curry, Iggy, Green and Cousins. But that's not enough to beat the Raptors as we saw tonight.
I still think the Warriors can win this series if Durant comes back before the series is over. Toronto should have won game 2. I went back and watching that game again. The Raptors missed two wide open, completely unchallenged 3-point attempts in the first minute of the game, then missed two more completely unchallenged 3-point attempts in the second quarter. If they had hit just one of those four, they probably would have won that game.
