Towns needs waaayy more minutes

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Can we get more than three games into the season before jumping to conclusions?

But I must admit, I like this one:

david b. thorpe ?@coachthorpe 17m17 minutes ago
i know it's just been 3 games against non-playoff teams, but I have seen enough to suggest that Karl Anthony Towns has more upside than AD.

Yeah I just saw this a few minutes ago too Tim. Ok so this seems crazy but how crazy? Towns looks like an incredible talent right now no doubt about it.

It's not hyperbole though. I don't know if he'll get to AD's level ultimately, but the sheer diversity of his skill-level is super impressive for a 19 year old.

Rebounding? Good, could eventually be great as he physically matures
Shot blocker? Elite (or darn close to elite)
Defensive range? Elite
Post game? Good, will eventually be great
Passing? Good, will eventually be elite
Outside shot? Good, will likely eventually be an elite 3-point shooter (by NBA big man standards)
Dribble drive? Good
Free throws? Elite

He literally has shown no weaknesses yet from a pure skill perspective. Yes, he makes some mental errors here and there and surely he will have some off nights and occasionally get manhandled by bigger, stronger men (remember, he's still a teenager). But the early signs point to a big man with literally no holes in his base of skills and elite level skills in certain areas.

Stay healthy Big KAT!!!!

[Porckchop]

With recent history of bigs having lingering injuris I'm pretty content to ease him in slowly . What's there to gain by throwing a ton of minutes at him? I get the instant gratification but he's not gonna take this team to a championship this year.. Let's take a long term approach with this guy please. He's a 19 year old kid that's used to playing 30 game seasons in high school and college against much smaller competition .
If any team should be concerned with injuries to key players it's this one .

[bleedspeed]

I am fine with the minutes he is getting. It is November we have a long season ahead of us.

[kurrdog53 [enjin:7013678]]

I totally agree with your takes on KAT, monster. He has the skill level and has proven to be a winner. I just hope he has the drive, fire, and desire (maybe all the same thing) to be great in this league. If he puts the time and effort into his game and body, he could avoid the injury bug that has plagued this franchise. He has said the right things, but he has to continue to take his game to higher and higher levels. I worry about Wiggins taking the next step.

I do think KAT is very raw offensively right now, but his unwillingness to back down to big defenders, his diversified skill, and his length could put him in an AD category within 1-3 years. Very exciting.

[Monster]

I totally agree with your takes on KAT, monster. He has the skill level and has proven to be a winner. I just hope he has the drive, fire, and desire (maybe all the same thing) to be great in this league. If he puts the time and effort into his game and body, he could avoid the injury bug that has plagued this franchise. He has said the right things, but he has to continue to take his game to higher and higher levels. I worry about Wiggins taking the next step.

I do think KAT is very raw offensively right now, but his unwillingness to back down to big defenders, his diversified skill, and his length could put him in an AD category within 1-3 years. Very exciting.

KAT seems to have plenty of drive from what I can see. His offense looks pretty polished to as well (Its even made Q gush) but to keep it in perspective by far the best and experienced defender he has faced in the regular season is Hibbert and Towns can pull him away from the basket. It will be interesting to see what he does going against some other real starting centers as the season goes on.

[BloopOracle]

22 minutes only last night....disgusting

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

22 minutes only last night....disgusting

I don't know, bloop...KAT had enough minutes last night to jack up 13 shots, even though he only made three of them. I read the game thread and saw Gorgui getting ripped, but at least in the box score, it looks like G was more productive than KAT last night. Maybe Sam didn't like KAT having to spend too many minutes against Whiteside.

What I don't get is Ricky only getting 24 minutes last night. I didn't see the game, but was there something going on that caused that? This team isn't going to win many games without Ricky getting close to 35 minutes.

[Coolbreeze44]

22 minutes only last night....disgusting

I don't know, bloop...KAT had enough minutes last night to jack up 13 shots, even though he only made three of them. I read the game thread and saw Gorgui getting ripped, but at least in the box score, it looks like G was more productive than KAT last night. Maybe Sam didn't like KAT having to spend too many minutes against Whiteside.

What I don't get is Ricky only getting 24 minutes last night. I didn't see the game, but was there something going on that caused that? This team isn't going to win many games without Ricky getting close to 35 minutes.

Yes LST, the cause is that Sam is a moron.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

22 minutes only last night....disgusting

I don't know, bloop...KAT had enough minutes last night to jack up 13 shots, even though he only made three of them. I read the game thread and saw Gorgui getting ripped, but at least in the box score, it looks like G was more productive than KAT last night. Maybe Sam didn't like KAT having to spend too many minutes against Whiteside.

What I don't get is Ricky only getting 24 minutes last night. I didn't see the game, but was there something going on that caused that? This team isn't going to win many games without Ricky getting close to 35 minutes.

First off, I don't have a problem with throttling back a little on Rubio's minutes. Injury prevention is a big deal to me and keeping minutes down is one of the reasons Golden State cites for their healthy playoff run last season (no one else they played against was fully healthy, but I attribute that to incredible good luck too).

But 24 minutes is inexcusable. Here is what happened:

1st Half minutes:
- Rubio subbed out for LaVine at the 3:44 mark of Q1. Score - Wolves down 16-11
- Rubio subbed back in for LaVine at 7:00 mark of Q2. Score - Wolves down 30-28
Total: 15:16 minutes.

2nd Half minutes:
- Rubio subbed out for LaVine at 4:43 mark of Q3 - Wolves down 61-51
- Rubio subbed back in for Lavine at the 5:16 mark of Q4 - Wolves down 90-72
- Rubio subbed out for Miller at the 3:59 mark of Q4 - Wolves down 21 pts
Total: 8:34

I think the 1st half was fine. I bolded the two parts that I find incredibly questionable. How in the hell to you leave the best player on your team on the bench for nearly 12 minutes!?! Then to add insult to injury, he brings him in with only 5 minutes left in the game, only to sub him out for Miller one minute later. WTF?

Even if Rubio played the entire 4th quarter after being subbed out at the 4:43 mark of the 3rd, he still would have played less than 35 minutes!

Now I don't know if we would have won the game or not, but still, don't you at least want to try?

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

KAT shouldn't get more than 30 MPG this year and if we want a long career for him we really should keep him at a max of 32 MPG's during the regular season that can go up during the playoffs when needed. The days of playing guys 36+ MPG's should just be over to keep these guys healthy and extend their careers. Regular season wins just aren't worth it.