What will be different under Saunders?

[Monster]

Ryan all but totally confirmed that it will be a 10-man rotation once Rose is back. I guess the question to me is whether he starts Rose or Okogie at the 2. I would hope he starts Okogie with that first group and Rose pairs up with Tyus, as I think they go together better than Rose and Teague.

Indeed. Teague and Rose seems like a terrible pairing. I don't think NBA basketballs can withstand that much dribbling within 24 seconds...

I thought they paired together better last year. It hasn't seemed that good this year but how many minutes have they actually played together? The Pace (getting up the floor would be pretty good though with both guys. I think the main thing about a 10 man rotation is keeping Rose's minutes to a more reasonable number. Hell Keeping Teague's minutes down doesn't seem like a bad idea either.

They have been together on 635 possessions. They are a +1.4 pts per 100 possessions (57th percentile), when they are on the court together they have one of the best offensive teams in the NBA when they are together 120.8 pts/100 (98th percentile) but they are one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA 119.4 pts/100 (2nd percentile)

How many minutes is that? It seems like a chunk of those were before the Butler trade but maybe I am remembering wrong. I mean this is like 3 seasons and we are only halfway through! Lol

Cleaning the glass does possessions not minutes so I am not sure of the 635 possessions only 59 were with Jimmy Butler

Thanks for those numbers. I was thinking they played together when Butler wasn't available to play.

[Monster]

It's a time measured in hours but as askmeoenthat was uncertain if Ryan Saunders was ready he has come off as a guy up to the task. The times he has spoke to media he has been rock solid at worst and he has thrown in some fun sense of humor also. The is talking like a guy that's open hard working inclusive and highly communicative. He is following Thibs not some widely beloved coach or someone with an amazing record as Wolves coach (who does?). I think the timing of Glen Firing Thins when he did was actually A decent stop for Ryan. Firing Thibs and bringing on Ryan right after the Butler deal would have just been an absolute zoo. I think that would have been just a lot to ask. Things have relatively stabilized and the Wolves are still in the playoff hunt. I don't know if the coach Ryan Saunders is up to the take but so far so good. He is acting outwardly like a guy that's up to the moment. It's obviously pretty easy to cheer for a positive outcome. I think this roster is a good one for him also. Younger players and very solid vets that are gonna help him.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

It's a time measured in hours but as askmeoenthat was uncertain if Ryan Saunders was ready he has come off as a guy up to the task. The times he has spoke to media he has been rock solid at worst and he has thrown in some fun sense of humor also. The is talking like a guy that's open hard working inclusive and highly communicative. He is following Thibs not some widely beloved coach or someone with an amazing record as Wolves coach (who does?). I think the timing of Glen Firing Thins when he did was actually A decent stop for Ryan. Firing Thibs and bringing on Ryan right after the Butler deal would have just been an absolute zoo. I think that would have been just a lot to ask. Things have relatively stabilized and the Wolves are still in the playoff hunt. I don't know if the coach Ryan Saunders is up to the take but so far so good. He is acting outwardly like a guy that's up to the moment. It's obviously pretty easy to cheer for a positive outcome. I think this roster is a good one for him also. Younger players and very solid vets that are gonna help him.

Yeah, seems like all the right pieces are in place now for good team/organizational harmony and chemistry, for the rest of this season at least.

So, with all the noise out of the way - both figuratively and literally - it's on the players to me. We go as far as KAT, Wiggins, Okogie, Tyus, Saric, and the mix of vets takes us. That normally goes without saying, but we really have eliminated all of the distractions and excuses at this point.

[mjs34]

It's a time measured in hours but as askmeoenthat was uncertain if Ryan Saunders was ready he has come off as a guy up to the task. The times he has spoke to media he has been rock solid at worst and he has thrown in some fun sense of humor also. The is talking like a guy that's open hard working inclusive and highly communicative. He is following Thibs not some widely beloved coach or someone with an amazing record as Wolves coach (who does?). I think the timing of Glen Firing Thins when he did was actually A decent stop for Ryan. Firing Thibs and bringing on Ryan right after the Butler deal would have just been an absolute zoo. I think that would have been just a lot to ask. Things have relatively stabilized and the Wolves are still in the playoff hunt. I don't know if the coach Ryan Saunders is up to the take but so far so good. He is acting outwardly like a guy that's up to the moment. It's obviously pretty easy to cheer for a positive outcome. I think this roster is a good one for him also. Younger players and very solid vets that are gonna help him.

Yeah, seems like all the right pieces are in place now for good team/organizational harmony and chemistry, for the rest of this season at least.

So, with all the noise out of the way - both figuratively and literally - it's on the players to me. We go as far as KAT, Wiggins, Okogie, Tyus, Saric, and the mix of vets takes us. That normally goes without saying, but we really have eliminated all of the distractions and excuses at this point.

I don't believe the players will necessarily maintain a higher level of play than they did under Thibs. I think they will naturally regress back to their norm. The difference will come from a change in rotations/substitutions and offensive/defensive schemes. Ryan needs to prove he is simply more than a players coach. He needs to show he is capable of creating solid game plans and making adjustments throughout the game.

I would also like to see a development plan for young players moving forward. Sam Mitchell was setting that up at the of his season of coaching, but I am sure Thibs just shredded all of that.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

It's a time measured in hours but as askmeoenthat was uncertain if Ryan Saunders was ready he has come off as a guy up to the task. The times he has spoke to media he has been rock solid at worst and he has thrown in some fun sense of humor also. The is talking like a guy that's open hard working inclusive and highly communicative. He is following Thibs not some widely beloved coach or someone with an amazing record as Wolves coach (who does?). I think the timing of Glen Firing Thins when he did was actually A decent stop for Ryan. Firing Thibs and bringing on Ryan right after the Butler deal would have just been an absolute zoo. I think that would have been just a lot to ask. Things have relatively stabilized and the Wolves are still in the playoff hunt. I don't know if the coach Ryan Saunders is up to the take but so far so good. He is acting outwardly like a guy that's up to the moment. It's obviously pretty easy to cheer for a positive outcome. I think this roster is a good one for him also. Younger players and very solid vets that are gonna help him.

Yeah, seems like all the right pieces are in place now for good team/organizational harmony and chemistry, for the rest of this season at least.

So, with all the noise out of the way - both figuratively and literally - it's on the players to me. We go as far as KAT, Wiggins, Okogie, Tyus, Saric, and the mix of vets takes us. That normally goes without saying, but we really have eliminated all of the distractions and excuses at this point.

I don't believe the players will necessarily maintain a higher level of play than they did under Thibs. I think they will naturally regress back to their norm. The difference will come from a change in rotations/substitutions and offensive/defensive schemes. Ryan needs to prove he is simply more than a players coach. He needs to show he is capable of creating solid game plans and making adjustments throughout the game.

I would also like to see a development plan for young players moving forward. Sam Mitchell was setting that up at the of his season of coaching, but I am sure Thibs just shredded all of that.

You may end up being correct about players regressing back to their norm, but I'm going to argue they will not regress. First of all, I'm not ready to define their play under Thibs as their norm...basketball, after all, is a game that these guys love, but Thibs was so joyless I would argue he sucked all the enthusiasm out of the arena and caused players to not reach their peaks. I'm a big believer in attitude and effort ultimately being more important than schemes, and I think we can expect players to put in more consistent effort under Ryan than Thibs.

But rotations and schemes will be important too, and I believe Ryan will be a step up from Thibs in these areas also. I found his game management in the OkC game to be far superior to Thibs...the only mistake I saw him make was not getting the time out before the Tyus travel (although in all fairness he was trying to call one).

We're all curious to see how Ryan incorporates Rose back into the lineup tonight. He has hinted he may use a 10-man rotation, and I think that is probably a good idea. I also am not too concerned about who he starts among Teague, Rose, Tyus and Josh (I suspect it will be Teague and Rose, and I think that is just fine). More important to me is that he limits minutes (especially Rose returning from an injury) both in terms of total and in terms of consecutive minutes on the court. With a roster this deep, there's no way anyone has to play more than 36 minutes. Spreading the minutes will ensure fresh legs to implement the up tempo pace Ryan wants.

Edit: Rose and Saunders had a very un-Thibs like conversation and decided to limit Rose's minutes to 30 tonight. Maybe starting Okogie at the 2 might help manage Rose's minutes. I now think he starts Teague and Josh.

[Monster]

It's a time measured in hours but as askmeoenthat was uncertain if Ryan Saunders was ready he has come off as a guy up to the task. The times he has spoke to media he has been rock solid at worst and he has thrown in some fun sense of humor also. The is talking like a guy that's open hard working inclusive and highly communicative. He is following Thibs not some widely beloved coach or someone with an amazing record as Wolves coach (who does?). I think the timing of Glen Firing Thins when he did was actually A decent stop for Ryan. Firing Thibs and bringing on Ryan right after the Butler deal would have just been an absolute zoo. I think that would have been just a lot to ask. Things have relatively stabilized and the Wolves are still in the playoff hunt. I don't know if the coach Ryan Saunders is up to the take but so far so good. He is acting outwardly like a guy that's up to the moment. It's obviously pretty easy to cheer for a positive outcome. I think this roster is a good one for him also. Younger players and very solid vets that are gonna help him.

Yeah, seems like all the right pieces are in place now for good team/organizational harmony and chemistry, for the rest of this season at least.

So, with all the noise out of the way - both figuratively and literally - it's on the players to me. We go as far as KAT, Wiggins, Okogie, Tyus, Saric, and the mix of vets takes us. That normally goes without saying, but we really have eliminated all of the distractions and excuses at this point.

I don't believe the players will necessarily maintain a higher level of play than they did under Thibs. I think they will naturally regress back to their norm. The difference will come from a change in rotations/substitutions and offensive/defensive schemes. Ryan needs to prove he is simply more than a players coach. He needs to show he is capable of creating solid game plans and making adjustments throughout the game.

I would also like to see a development plan for young players moving forward. Sam Mitchell was setting that up at the of his season of coaching, but I am sure Thibs just shredded all of that.

You may end up being correct about players regressing back to their norm, but I'm going to argue they will not regress. First of all, I'm not ready to define their play under Thibs as their norm...basketball, after all, is a game that these guys love, but Thibs was so joyless I would argue he sucked all the enthusiasm out of the arena and caused players to not reach their peaks. I'm a big believer in attitude and effort ultimately being more important than schemes, and I think we can expect players to put in more consistent effort under Ryan than Thibs.

But rotations and schemes will be important too, and I believe Ryan will be a step up from Thibs in these areas also. I found his game management in the OkC game to be far superior to Thibs...the only mistake I saw him make was not getting the time out before the Tyus travel (although in all fairness he was trying to call one).

We're all curious to see how Ryan incorporates Rose back into the lineup tonight. He has hinted he may use a 10-man rotation, and I think that is probably a good idea. I also am not too concerned about who he starts among Teague, Rose, Tyus and Josh (I suspect it will be Teague and Rose, and I think that is just fine). More important to me is that he limits minutes (especially Rose returning from an injury) both in terms of total and in terms of consecutive minutes on the court. With a roster this deep, there's no way anyone has to play more than 36 minutes. Spreading the minutes will ensure fresh legs to implement the up tempo pace Ryan wants.

Edit: Rose and Saunders had a very un-Thibs like conversation and decided to limit Rose's minutes to 30 tonight. Maybe starting Okogie at the 2 might help manage Rose's minutes. I now think he starts Teague and Josh.

Well...Thibs said the same things about Rose's minutes and in true Thibs fashion didn't always adhere to it. I'd actually be surprised if Thibs and Rose didn't actually talk about his minutes.

If Wes Matthews is the SG it doesn't make much sense to me to have Rose as the starter in this one. Save Rose for when Dallas goes with their little guys in the back court.

Edit: Back to Ryan and Rose I didn't mean to downplay Ryan meeting with Rose. I think that's a big key to both guys being on the same page. I don't think Ryan connecting with Rose is a top long term priority in the grand scheme BUT if Rose plays well stays healthy and wants to come back and play for Ryan and signs a reasonable deal to do so it could be a pretty big win. We will see how it plays out and if Rose has the wild autonomy tha he had under Thibs. I'd guess he wouldn't mind be reined in a bit.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

We're three games into the Saunders era, and I think changes have been much more dramatic and early than I would have thought. It hasn't been easy for Ryan with three nail-biters...leaving the game last night I said to my gal that Ryan could easily be 3-0, and she replied that he could just as easily be 0-3. She's right...these have been 3 enormously entertaining games that all could have gone either way. We lose the OkC game if Josh doesn't make that huge late 3-pointer, we win the Dallas game if he secures the ball and doesn't try the heroic behind the back pass to Taj, and we lose the Pels game if KAT doesn't put up an absurd 27-27. But all these things did happen, and we are 2-1. The differences have been easy to spot:
1) The team is playing hard and joyously every night...I thought I saw it on TV in the first 2 games, but it couldn't have been any more obvious in person last night. This team likes and respects Ryan and is emotionally invested in his success, and that is reflected in the way they are playing.
2) Ryan obviously embraces the modern era and the 3-point shot more than his predecessor. The Wolves never took more than 35 three-pointers during the Thibs Dark Ages...last night they took 38!
3) We also seem to be improving in defending the 3-point line, and it looks like Ryan is going to make this a priority. I didn't see it in Ryan's first two games and found our perimeter defense as bad as it was under Thibs, but last night I saw a concerted effort to try to contest all threes. I challenge anyone to find one game during the Dark Ages when the Wolves took 14 more threes than their opponent! Timberwolves fans...welcome to the modern NBA!
4) The personal touch Ryan shows to his players is obviously different than what we saw from Thibs. Ryan said he met individually with every player after he was named interim coach, and I enjoy watching his interaction with the players during games...it's a refreshing change. Saric was clearly slumping recently, but Ryan didn't get down on him or give him the Thibs scowl...instead he sought him out after he missed some big shots and told him he was confident he would make those shots the next time he called on him. We don't know that Saric's nice game last night was due to Ryan's supportive style, but it certainly didn't hurt.
5) Ryan has been much more creative with his rotation. I haven't agreed with all his moves and criticized some of the lineups he put out there in the Dallas game, but I applauded all the moves he made last night (except for continuing to play Wig too much early in games like Thibs did). Despite having 2 key players out with injuries, he played 10 players...including Luol Deng! The only players who didn't see the floor were KBD, Terrell and Bayless, but I'm convinced they will all see the court in blowouts when Thibs would continue to have his starters on the floor. He's using his bench...sure, he ran Josh into the ground last night, but he's young and only played 23 minutes the night before.
6) There are some smart assistant coaches sitting on the bench, and Ryan uses them while their only role under Thibs seemed to be reminding him of how many fouls a player had and talking to Marnie. The coaches are empowered to actually offer suggestions to Ryan, and that's a good thing. Last night I saw Larry Greer grab Ryan's arm and say something to him and Ryan nodded...and the next thing was Luol Deng taking off his jersey and providing some much-needed veteran leadership during a rocky period of the game. Ryan confers with and listens to his coaches at the start of time outs, and in turn, the players listen closely to what Ryan is saying to them. I can't emphasize enough how different both of these things are from what I have seen the last two long years.

I'm looking forward to the next game...this team is fun to watch

[AbeVigodaLive]

2) Ryan obviously embraces the modern era and the 3-point shot more than his predecessor. The Wolves never took more than 35 three-pointers during the Thibs Dark Ages...last night they took 38!
3) We also seem to be improving in defending the 3-point line, and it looks like Ryan is going to make this a priority. I didn't see it in Ryan's first two games and found our perimeter defense as bad as it was under Thibs, but last night I saw a concerted effort to try to contest all threes. I challenge anyone to find one game during the Dark Ages when the Wolves took 14 more threes than their opponent! Timberwolves fans...welcome to the modern NBA!

I guess I'll take the challenge? You're wrong on your stats.

The Wolves took 45 three pointers vs. GSW earlier this season. 43 vs. Milwaukee. 41 vs. San Antonio. 40 vs. LAL.

The Spurs took exactly 14 fewer three pointers in that game.

The Wolves shot only 24 in one of the games under Saunders.



[Note: I fully expect the Wolves to shoot more than previously moving forward. From what I've heard (not my own assumptions) Saunders seems to be trying to weed out the long two pointers a bit. And, it's true that the Wolves progressively shot fewer 3s under Thibs as the season wore on. But let's see that play out before we make false claims.]

[MikeAz [enjin:6636981]]

I've been pleasantly surprised so far both in style of play and on court attitude. It just seems like a weight has been lifted off everyone's shoulders. They are playing without Covington too, and DRose last night. Hopefully, it continues as I'd love to see Ryan get the full time gig.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

2) Ryan obviously embraces the modern era and the 3-point shot more than his predecessor. The Wolves never took more than 35 three-pointers during the Thibs Dark Ages...last night they took 38!
3) We also seem to be improving in defending the 3-point line, and it looks like Ryan is going to make this a priority. I didn't see it in Ryan's first two games and found our perimeter defense as bad as it was under Thibs, but last night I saw a concerted effort to try to contest all threes. I challenge anyone to find one game during the Dark Ages when the Wolves took 14 more threes than their opponent! Timberwolves fans...welcome to the modern NBA!

I guess I'll take the challenge? You're wrong on your stats.

The Wolves took 45 three pointers vs. GSW earlier this season. 43 vs. Milwaukee. 41 vs. San Antonio. 40 vs. LAL.

The Spurs took exactly 14 fewer three pointers in that game.

The Wolves shot only 24 in one of the games under Saunders.



[Note: I fully expect the Wolves to shoot more than previously moving forward. From what I've heard (not my own assumptions) Saunders seems to be trying to weed out the long two pointers a bit. And, it's true that the Wolves progressively shot fewer 3s under Thibs as the season wore on. But let's see that play out before we make false claims.]

Whoops. I misread Dane Moore's tweet where he said the Wolves never took more than 35 3-pointers in a game "during Thibs' first two seasons"...didn't notice that Dane wasn't including this season. Thanks for the correction. although I still find it interesting that Ryan did something in his third game that Thibs didn't do in two years. Also thanks for taking the "14 more three pointers challenge". I will point out though that the Spurs take fewer 3-pointers than any team in the league, so we should be taking a lot more against them. I also expect the increased 3-pointer trend to continue.