Minutes Issue

[zigzag22 [enjin:6591633]]

I know the Wolves only rostered 11 healthy bodies tonight, but at some point Flip needs to address the minutes he is playing guys. In a meaningless game (yes, that's what this was), Flip played Wiggins 41, Martin/Rubio 39, and Pek 34. It's just silly to be playing our highest paid guys (who are also our biggest injury prone players) that much in these meaningless games.

I don't want to sound like a hack because I don't favor tanking, but it's nights like this where you have to truly criticize Flip for some of the moves he has made. Giving away bench players like Brewer and Mo have resulted in our starters being dogged extra minutes, and the data/science shows that long-term that has DRASTIC effects on a player's body. Play those guys those long minutes when we are competing for something.

[Coolbreeze44]

I agree Ziggy. Wiggins should get 35 - 38 and that should lead the team. Martin and Pek just can't handle 39 and 34 respectively.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

To be fair we only got back into the game by giving our starters those big minutes. Flip is trying to win right now so expect any night where we have a shot to win to involve big minutes for guys like Ricky, Martin, Wiggins and Pek. I was surprised Flip didn't pull guys quicker once the lead grew back to double digits in the last couple minutes tonight. The difference between the starters and bench guys is back to level it was last year with no Bazz or a true backup PG. I don't agree with it, but it is the nature of coaching when you have players like Rubio and soon to be KG on the team not giving up until the final buzzer.

[Porckchop]

So the highest paid players should be playing less ? Is it silly they play so much or silly theit paid so much. How do u justify their paychecks if their playing less than others. What would we be saving guys like Martin and Pek for? if anything they should be playing to build trade value. IMO

[zigzag22 [enjin:6591633]]

It would be nice if the GM (the long-term thinker of an organization) could pull aside the coach (the short-term thinker of the organization) and explain that decreasing minutes for guys like Pek/Martin/Rubio and increasing minutes for Lavine/Dieng/GRII actually goes a long way towards building a consistent, competitive team.

Maybe those two members will get together soon and figure it out.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Zig, I hear your point about the minutes played last night, but with 4 guys out Flip just didn't have many options. He had to play GR3, he had to play LaVine, he had to play Bud and he had to play Brown a little....just to give his starters a blow. And when he substituted in one of these not-ready-yet guys, you know he was ripped by Wolves fans everywhere who want to win. because none of those four guys gives us a better chance to win.

I think Flip saw a legitimate chance to steal a win last night, and thus played Ricky, Drew, Pek and Martin more minutes than he wanted, You could see how gassed Pek was having to play that many minutes, and Gorgui and Payne looked tired to me also. the result was Jones was able to rebound at will against our tired front line, and that had a lot to do with the outcome. As I have said before, I blame KG's not playing last night for this loss. 20 minutes from him would have gone a long way toward keeping our bigs fresh. Shame on him, and on Flip for allowing it. But in the grand scheme of things, it's only one meaningless loss.

While I believe in the need to limit minutes for Pek, and maybe Rubio, to reduce the possibility of injury. I don't see the need to limit Wiggins. He's young, healthy, and critical to our efforts on both sides of the game. Look at how McHale uses Harden...he's averaging 36.5 minutes per game this year, and that has much to do with the Rockets' success. In contrast, Wiggins is only averaging 34.7. I agree that Flip played four starters more than optimal last night, but I thought it was necessary...he didn't have many options with only 10 guys, 3 of whom haven't played much at all this year, 1 who consistently looks overmatched on the court and especially when he plays PG, and one who just doesn't play basketball very well anymore. I think Flip will get the minutes more balanced once KG and Neal are ready to go, and even more so when AB returns.

[bleedspeed]

I think the problem is every night Flip thinks he can steal a win. I think it is fine to do it at home, but should avoid it on the road when you have practice and a game still coming up this week.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

"I don't see the need to limit Wiggins. He's young, healthy, and critical to our efforts on both sides of the game."

And we want to keep him healthy. Putting these meaningless miles on him early could no doubt fuck us over when we hit our peak as a team. Look at what KD's going through. LeBron even had a rough patch early in the year. Do I dare say Derrick ROse? I say limit Wiggins to 30-35 MAX a game, In his last 30 games, he's averaged north of 38 MPG. Inching towards 40 MPG over his last 15. Flip needs to pull back the reigns a bit and think about the kid's future as well as the franchise's.

Let's all remember something. THESE games don't matter. The playoffs in three-five years are what needs to be taken into consideration.

[TheGrey08]

Martin and Pek need to cap out about 30. Rubio and Wiggins probably 30-35. IMO. He actually played Lavine at SG next to Rubio for a few minutes. I was wondering when he'd start doing that considering he mentioned looking forward to that when Rubio was about to come back.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I'm not aware of any medical evidence that concludes that playing 38 minutes a night impacts a body significantly different than 33 minutes. Common sense and review of the history of some of the game's greats tells me that there is no difference. Everyone is different. and coaches need to allocate minutes accordingly. Brittle players like Pek have shown that they can't handle even 25 minutes a night, while players like Harden have no problems logging more minutes than Wiggins is. Michael Jordan averaged over 38 minutes per game his entire career, and over 40 his most productive years, and played in all 82 games more than half of his seasons. Bryant has averaged 36.5, and much more in his early years around 38 when he was Drew's age). Even a big body like Shaq was generally over 37 a game until he got up in his 30s, and Jabbar averaged more than 40 his first 7 seasons! And these guys had long careers and won multiple championships. And before the "He's not Jordan" police get their pitchforks out, I'm not saying he is. I'm just saying that Wiggins has the potential to be something special, and if the Wolves can surround him with the right pieces, the kind of guy who can lead them to championships. But like Jordan, O'Neal, Jabbar and Bryant, if he is going to be the man, he is going to have to log big minutes to get there, And what better time to begin this process than when he is 20 and in terrific physical shape. Monitor Old Man KG and Brittle Pek, to be sure, but let Wiggins be the guy he has the potential to be.