FIBA qualifying Bennett hype Thread

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Towns has it. That much I'm sure of.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Towns has it. That much I'm sure of.

How do others feel about this? I love Towns' skills and upside, but I'm definitely not as sure as Cam that Towns has it...I worry that he may be similar to Wiggins when it comes to fire in the belly. The jury is out on this one, I think. The Wolves have a tendency to lean towards "nice guys" in the draft (Wiggins, Jonny Flynn, Wes Johnson), and Karl definitely fits into the "nice guy" category. We should learn pretty quickly what kind of personality type he is going to be on court.

While he struggled a lot in Vegas, I actually saw some signs that he may have some competitive fire...I hope he can continue to show it.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I think a winning team can accommodate all sorts of personalities and styles. To me, we have two guys on the roster that exude the alpha dog leadership quality: Rubio and KG. KG's influence can only go so far given the fact he's well past his peak and can't even play many minutes anymore. So that really leaves just Rubio. Until Shabazz decides that he wants to defend as hard as he plays offense, he doesn't qualify.

Wiggins is a mixed bag to me. In some ways, he seems very mature beyond his years. I love the fact he didn't automatically compete in the dunk contest last year even though he probably could have given LaVine a run for his money. It was a smart move given the load he was carrying for the team.

In other ways, I agree that he doesn't seem like a "gamer", meaning that when all the marbles are on the line, his demeanor and pace is no different than if he were playing in a scrimmage. Has anyone here ever seen Andrew Wiggins all out sprint down the floor? I've seen Corey Brewer do it. I've seen Shabazz do it. I've seen Pekovic do it. I've never ever seen Wiggins go full throttle. That's troubling to me.

[bleedspeed]

I am also not as sure about Towns. Lets face it we are building a team around Wiggins and Towns and neither of them have shown they are the leaders and most important players on their college teams. They might have for flashes, but not constantly.

[Lipoli390]

What I'm talking about doesn't necessarily mean leadership or 4th quarter heroics. It shows itself in other ways too. Consistently running the floor full throttle. Going to the floor for loose balls. Not letting guys blow by you when you're quick and strong enough to stop them. Wanting the ball when the game's on the line. Always having a game face at least while on the court and usually when on the bench too. The list goes on. Q already noted never seeing Wiggin in an all-out spring down the court. I've noticed other things as well.

As for Towns, I just haven't seen enough to form an opinion. Based on watching him in Summer League, I lean towards Cam's assessment. Towns seemed engaged and intense every minute he was on the court. And I like how he didn't back down while teams consistently threw double and triple teams at him. It actually seemed to energize him. But we will see.

In the meantime, here's to the development of Wiggins' frontal lobe. :).

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

I'm getting a kick of out these comments, jumping to conclusions about a couple 20 year olds on their future leadership potential.

I guess it's the slow time of the year.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I'm getting a kick of out these comments, jumping to conclusions about a couple 20 year olds on their future leadership potential.

I guess it's the slow time of the year.

Maybe, Lloyd...but then again, I think reviewing a 20 year old's leadership potential or competitiveness is as relevant a topic as reviewing their athleticism or basketball skills. I think what we are saying is that the truly great players in the game possess both great basketball skill and competitive fire, and it seems legitimate to discuss how our young talent measures up in both areas. This doesn't mean a player can't change...that is, develop skills or a competitive spirit. But still, there are certainly indicators in place at 20 that allow for some projection of what that player is going to be like at 28.

I remember KG at 19, and he was already showing the same fire in the belly that he has now at 39. On the other side of the coin, I think we all knew pretty early what we had in Wes Johnson. Wiggins and Towns are remarkably gifted basketball players. but we just don't know yet if they have the competitive drive to become superstars...hence, the discussion.

I agree with the consensus here, and tend to worry more about Wiggins' passion than Towns'. I watched Karl-Anthony closely in Vegas from great seats, and while he was overpowered sometimes physically, I never questioned his competitiveness. He never took a play off, and was on the floor a few times diving for balls. I brought up the topic earlier of what Towns' on-court personality will be like, because he is so easy going and congenial off-court. But I tend to lean toward Cam and Lip's take...that he does seem to be the kind of guy who will usually give everything he has on the court.

Wiggins' performance in the FIBA Americas tournament makes a discussion of his competitive consistency relevant, because his effort was clearly up and down. His ceiling is so incredibly high, it would be a shame if he didn't get everything out of his enormous gifts that he can. By most measures, he had a good rookie season, and all of us are hoping that he can build on it and improve in his sophomore year. But I suspect his consistency of effort will be closely scrutinized and analyzed on this board, and I think that is relevant.

[TheFuture]

[youtube]tzbwhrv2Jmo[/youtube]

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[Coolbreeze44]

I'm getting a kick of out these comments, jumping to conclusions about a couple 20 year olds on their future leadership potential.

I guess it's the slow time of the year.

Lloyd, you've been around long enough to know that's what happens here. Sometimes opinions change game to game.

The one thing I will tell you about Wiggins is this: not one person on this board has any clue that he lacks fire from within. It's all speculative bullshit. He's just a pup who has a lot of mental and physical maturing to do. I'm not going to worry about Andrew Wiggins, he's the least of our problems at this point.

[worldK]

[youtube]tzbwhrv2Jmo[/youtube]

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Thanks for the link!