Hawks@Wolves - "So you're tellling me there's a chance!?" GDT

[KG4Ever]

Wolves look like a bunch of G-Leaguers. The Wolves without KAT are utterly unwatchable. Thankfully, I have NBA League Pass and can watch other NBA games.

[kekgeek]

Good:
Nowell was 4-4 for 9pts in OT

Bad:
Everything else

Nowell is going to get his shot at some point with this team. He has almost zero glaring flaws unlike nearly every other player on the roster. He's obviously not a super high upside player either, but he can play.

I like Nowell, just think he is like every young player we have can that play when they get extended minutes. Naz, Jmac, McDaniels, Edwards, Culver, Vanderbilt all get heavy minutes lately all showed flashes when they started playing. All have regressed (obviously some players are better then others)

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Good:
Nowell was 4-4 for 9pts in OT

Bad:
Everything else

Nowell is going to get his shot at some point with this team. He has almost zero glaring flaws unlike nearly every other player on the roster. He's obviously not a super high upside player either, but he can play.

I like Nowell, just think he is like every young player we have can that play when they get extended minutes. Naz, Jmac, McDaniels, Edwards, Culver, Vanderbilt all get heavy minutes lately all showed flashes when they started playing. All have regressed (obviously some players are better then others)

Don't disagree, but I think he's a better all around player than either Edwards or Culver, meaning he could be an upgrade to our regular bench rotation if either of those two get hurt or sit out due to health protocols.

[Coolbreeze44]

He played more like the rookie he is tonight, but McDaniels has so much that you can't teach. I have no doubt he could be a top 50 player in the league someday. But I am really concerned about both he and Edwards being indoctrinated into the league under this regime. McDaniels is the type of player who Popovich would turn into a star. With this dysfunctional team he could never come close to his potential. I hope he spends his time with the few professionals we have on our team and learns the right habits.

[Lipoli390]

He played more like the rookie he is tonight, but McDaniels has so much that you can't teach. I have no doubt he could be a top 50 player in the league someday. But I am really concerned about both he and Edwards being indoctrinated into the league under this regime. McDaniels is the type of player who Popovich would turn into a star. With this dysfunctional team he could never come close to his potential. I hope he spends his time with the few professionals we have on our team and learns the right habits.

I agree completely, Cool.

[Lipoli390]

He played more like the rookie he is tonight, but McDaniels has so much that you can't teach. I have no doubt he could be a top 50 player in the league someday. But I am really concerned about both he and Edwards being indoctrinated into the league under this regime. McDaniels is the type of player who Popovich would turn into a star. With this dysfunctional team he could never come close to his potential. I hope he spends his time with the few professionals we have on our team and learns the right habits.

Just a couple more thoughts,Cool. I agree with you on McDaniels' talent. And I share your concern about the impact of the Wolves' environment on McDaniels and Edwards. However, the key problem remains the draft choices made by Rosas and his predecessors. Those choices are, in my view, far more important than the influence of culture once they're here.

There were reasons McDaniels fell so far in the draft in spite of his obvious gifts. Those reasons had something to do with what goes on between Jaden's ears. Popovich wouldn't have turned him into a star because the Spurs never would have drafted him. They'd found gems low in the first round over the years, but not guys with question marks pertaining to their basketball IQ, temperament or character. Quite the opposite.

And what have we seen from Edwards after his first few games got us excited? We've seen the player we saw in college, namely a highly inefficient shooter who doesn't lock in on the defensive end. It's worse now because he's up against much better players in the NBA than he faced in college. He's another guy the Spurs wouldn't have drafted if had the top pick. And the Warriors wouldn't have taken Edwards either. There's no doubt the Warriors would have taken Wiseman with the first pick, and I suspect that if we had taken Wiseman they would have passed on Edwards. The top organizations don't draft guys like McDaniels and Edwards. The top basketball executives are smitten over a draft prospect's smile or all giddy when he parrots management's description of their "system" in a pre-draft workout.

This team's front offices have made two really good first round draft selections - KAT and KG. Both of those picks became perennial all-star caliber players and did so pretty quickly in their careers. KG became a star headed to the hall-of-fame. KAT is probably the best offensive big in the NBA today and he's showing signs of being decent defensively as well this season. He's at least arguably a superstar. KG was great when here and great when he left. KAT is great here and, sadly, he'll likely end up elsewhere and be a star there as well.

But then you have first round picks like Wes Johnson, Derrick Williams, Justin Patton, Shabazz and Kris Dunn. They were bad here and went on to be bad players elsewhere. There's no evidence that the time spend here made them bad. They were fundamentally flawed from the beginning. They were draft-day mistakes. All NBA franchises make draft-day mistakes. The problem with the Wolves is that the draft picks they've made over the years have almost always been mistakes. The result is what we're seeing now, which is sadly what we're used to seeing from this franchise.

I haven't given up all hope for Edwards our McDaniels. But they both had red flags coming out of college that concern me. I'm actually more optimistic about McDaniels than Edwards. We'll see. Blind squrrels occasionally find a nut or two, so maybe Rosas found an all-star or two in Edwards and McDaniels. I actually think Nowell is the best prospect of all, but for some reason this organization is reluctant to give him anything close to the opportunity they've given Edwards, Culver, Okogie, Naz Reid and JMac.