CoolBreeze44 wrote:One positive thing I've seen since the roster overhaul is that some of these new guys really care. Beasley cares, holdovers Reid and Okogie care, and Johnson cares a lot. It's refreshing to see and hopefully it can help lead to that culture change I've talked about.
I've noticed the same thing, Cool. It is truly refreshing and gives me some hope. It also just makes this team more enjoyable to watch.
Jester1534 wrote:I feel bad for PJ Tucker. Poor guy has to act like he's a 5 every night. His body has to be sore from the punishment of playing down low.
I do not feel bad for Tucker.
- He fouls on almost every possession... he's been doing this for many years, long before he arrived in Houston.
- He complains about EVERY foul call against him... even after getting by with fouls that are not called much more often than not.
- He's a flopper. In fact, he's one of the "worst/best" floppers in the NBA.
Those three things are entirely related and make him extremely unlikable as a player... despite otherwise doing the things that could make him a fan favorite otherwise.
Camden wrote:Nice steal and score from D-Lo to make it a 10-point game. Needs some help though.
Maybe he should stop turning the ball over. That assist to turnover ration, excuse me, in his case turnover to assist ratio isn't impressive.
Of all nights to go after the guy, tonight isn't the one. But do what you want.
Just dealing in facts
28 points on 8-15 from the floor, 5-12 from three, and 7-9 from the line. Six rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Yeah, he had an untypical score of turnovers (6) tonight, but the fact of the matter was that he was damn good.
Had Malik Beasley played up to his standards, or any other Wolves teammate stepped up a bit, this game could have been a surprising win on the back of D-Lo. And in that case you still wouldn't give him the proper credit.
Yes. Russell sucks on defense. He's simply... terrible. He was bailed out at least twice with steals when he completely took a wild gamble instead of playing legit sound defense. It's a problem. We all know it's a problem.
Yes. 6 TOs are too many.
But repeatedly/constantly going after him -- while ignoring bad outings from others such as Beasley who went 2 - 11 fg with 3 TOs and only 1 assist -- is just so disingenuous.
We all have narratives. What makes one more or less honest or noteworthy is when we choose to dwell on them. Do it too often... or EVERY game... while ignoring other even more glaring issues is pretty suspect.
Q12543 wrote:Nice to see Nowell get some spot minutes these last couple of games, but he has become the poster child of Wolves guards drafted that can't shoot, no matter how good they may have been previously. He's now 3-26 at the NBA level, despite being a 40%+ shooter in college and the G League. Incredible.
Having said that, he needs more run. I want an excuse - any excuse - to not sign Beasley for big money. I love the guy as a 6th man gunslinger. But now I see why Gary Harris started over him in Denver.
Obviously, Houston sold out to drive Beasley off the three point line.
I'm sure other teams noticed... or would take notice... if the Wolves were actually ever in a position to play meaningful games where teams had to gameplan against them.
He needs to improve his game off the drive. Multiple times, he was locked up by defenders going for the ball in the lane. He's simply not a natural driver, finisher or creator off the dribble. Can he get there? If not... how much is a 3-and-meh D guy worth?
Camden wrote:Nice steal and score from D-Lo to make it a 10-point game. Needs some help though.
Maybe he should stop turning the ball over. That assist to turnover ration, excuse me, in his case turnover to assist ratio isn't impressive.
Of all nights to go after the guy, tonight isn't the one. But do what you want.
Just dealing in facts
28 points on 8-15 from the floor, 5-12 from three, and 7-9 from the line. Six rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Yeah, he had an untypical score of turnovers (6) tonight, but the fact of the matter was that he was damn good.
Had Malik Beasley played up to his standards, or any other Wolves teammate stepped up a bit, this game could have been a surprising win on the back of D-Lo. And in that case you still wouldn't give him the proper credit.
Yes. Russell sucks on defense. He's simply... terrible. He was bailed out at least twice with steals when he completely took a wild gamble instead of playing legit sound defense. It's a problem. We all know it's a problem.
Yes. 6 TOs are too many.
But repeatedly/constantly going after him -- while ignoring bad outings from others such as Beasley who went 2 - 11 fg with 3 TOs and only 1 assist -- is just so disingenuous.
We all have narratives. What makes one more or less honest or noteworthy is when we choose to dwell on them. Do it too often... or EVERY game... while ignoring other even more glaring issues is pretty suspect.
Yeah, I'm the only guy who has singled out a player and gone after him after every game (in my case about every 3rd game). :rollseyes:
Q12543 wrote:Nice to see Nowell get some spot minutes these last couple of games, but he has become the poster child of Wolves guards drafted that can't shoot, no matter how good they may have been previously. He's now 3-26 at the NBA level, despite being a 40%+ shooter in college and the G League. Incredible.
Having said that, he needs more run. I want an excuse - any excuse - to not sign Beasley for big money. I love the guy as a 6th man gunslinger. But now I see why Gary Harris started over him in Denver.
Obviously, Houston sold out to drive Beasley off the three point line.
I'm sure other teams noticed... or would take notice... if the Wolves were actually ever in a position to play meaningful games where teams had to gameplan against them.
He needs to improve his game off the drive. Multiple times, he was locked up by defenders going for the ball in the lane. He's simply not a natural driver, finisher or creator off the dribble. Can he get there? If not... how much is a 3-and-meh D guy worth?
And I'd be fine with his struggles off the bounce if he were a great defender and helped on that end, but he doesn't. Right now he's a sniper, which is sight for sore eyes for us T-Wolves fans. Buuuuut, once you get over the sugar high, you realize he isn't much else but a sniper. And yes, I get that he cares and he's a competitor. Good shooting and a good demeanor ain't worth $15M per year if you can't do anything else.
We have multiple other guys in our player pool that can compete for minutes at the SG slot - Nowell, Culver, Okogie - at much lower cost. My hope is that Nowell gets his shit together from beyond the arc so that he gives our front office pause on Beasley.
Q12543 wrote:Nice to see Nowell get some spot minutes these last couple of games, but he has become the poster child of Wolves guards drafted that can't shoot, no matter how good they may have been previously. He's now 3-26 at the NBA level, despite being a 40%+ shooter in college and the G League. Incredible.
Having said that, he needs more run. I want an excuse - any excuse - to not sign Beasley for big money. I love the guy as a 6th man gunslinger. But now I see why Gary Harris started over him in Denver.
Obviously, Houston sold out to drive Beasley off the three point line.
I'm sure other teams noticed... or would take notice... if the Wolves were actually ever in a position to play meaningful games where teams had to gameplan against them.
He needs to improve his game off the drive. Multiple times, he was locked up by defenders going for the ball in the lane. He's simply not a natural driver, finisher or creator off the dribble. Can he get there? If not... how much is a 3-and-meh D guy worth?
And I'd be fine with his struggles off the bounce if he were a great defender and helped on that end, but he doesn't. Right now he's a sniper, which is sight for sore eyes for us T-Wolves fans. Buuuuut, once you get over the sugar high, you realize he isn't much else but a sniper. And yes, I get that he cares and he's a competitor. Good shooting and a good demeanor ain't worth $15M per year if you can't do anything else.
We have multiple other guys in our player pool that can compete for minutes at the SG slot - Nowell, Culver, Okogie - at much lower cost. My hope is that Nowell gets his shit together from beyond the arc so that he gives our front office pause on Beasley.
I still think there will be a strong effort to go get Devin Booker, and Minnesota might even pull that off. In that case, the worry about overpaying Malik Beasley goes away and we shift back to surrounding these guys with meaningful defenders. So, no matter what, that aspect will still be a focal point this summer and moving forward.
