longstrangetrip wrote:Thibs was at the fair yesterday and Zgoda provided details of the session in a column this morning. Almost all was positive, but I guess you have to expect that...let's hope reality is as good as what Thibs was saying.
He dismissed reports of team discord, and said there was nothing to it. He said this was the best place for Butler, and "it's up to us to show him the reasons why". I hope that's true. He also said that none of the comments attributed to Butler had come from him, but rather from sources close to him. He said his experience with Butler was if he had something to say, he would say it directly. I hope he is right about this, but there is a lot of evidence to say he is wrong. It would be so simple for Butler to say the discord rumors were a lot of BS...the face that he hasn't tells most of us that there is something there.
The most positive comments Thibs had were in regard to Patton. He said he was coming along well, and that he should be ready by the start of training camp. That's the first time I've heard him say that, so it was quite encouraging. He also said he was excited about Patton's "huge upside". Good to hear...if Patton can contribute at center this year, that will be a big boost to this team.
I wouldn't expect Thibodeau to say anything negative or acknowledge anything bad about his boy, Butler. Thibodeau acknowledges that the comments come from sources "close to" Butler. To anyone with common sense, that means the comments are coming from Butler. But I wouldn't expect Thibodeau to acknowledge that. And of course, the fact that Butler hasn't denied or repudiated any of those comments in spite of ample opportunity to do so should leave no doubt that Butler is the source. But at this point, I don't care. I would have traded Butler already, but Thibodeau won't trade his pride and joy. So we all need to hope that the talent on this team shines through and that the team plays up to its potential. If so, we're looking at 50+ wins and winning is the ultimate cure for bad chemistry.
I don't have enough confidence in Butler's durability or Thibodeau's coaching to believe that the team will do that well this season. But there are enough additional potential bright spots in Okogie, KBD, Nunnally and Tolliver along with the upside of Towns and Wiggins to have legitimate hope.
As for Patton, I'm highly skeptical after his mediocre play at the G-League level last season. But a break-through second season for him with the Minnesota Wolves would be a huge lift for the team. Unfortunately, even at his best there is nothing in his past to suggest he'll provide a big lift on the defensive side of the ball.
