Scrimmage thread

[Monster]

Any thoughts on Lorenzo Brown? He was about the only guy I dont think you mentioned other than Nick Wiggins and the big dude.

[Lipoli390]

I was there tonight. I think Long's report is spot on.

I'm not as down on Wiggins. While he didn't assert himself offensively as much as I might have liked, he seemed more controlled with a much improved handle. He looked like he was holding himself back to get his teammates more involved. He had a couple nice assists. He didn't look taller and almost looked thinner. But I liked what I saw of him overall.

I sat in the first row directly behind the white team's bench. A couple observations from that perspective. First, there weren't any Wes Johnsons on the white team bench. Second, there wasn't any mentoring going on there either. Absolutely NONE. Prince and Miller said not a word to any of the young guys on the bench. They both looked sullen and disinterested.

As for Miller, he looks really old up close. He looked like an old man in a pick-up game at the YMCA. He wore his shirt out, hanging down to his thighs. He had the big fro and looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple days. He also looked completely over-matched by the rookie from Duke. I didn't see much left in Miller's tank and he didn't seem interested in being there tonight. Prince's shirt was tucked in and he was clean-shaven. But his tank looked emptier than Miller's and his interest level seemed even lower.

Although guarded by grandpa Miller, I was pleasantly surprised by Jones. I was particularly pleased with his 3-point shooting. As I recall, he nailed all but one of his open three opportunities. He showed poise and held his ground defensively against the old man.

I absolutely loved what I saw from Towns. He displayed a number of his many talents tonight. Perhaps his most impressive display was when he stole the ball (from Miller I think) and drove to the bucket for a layup.

As for Belly, I'll underscore Long's point that it looked like Belly didn't want to shoot. But he did show that he's a player. He appears to have great court vision and his passes are crisp and on the money.

The all out effort award goes to Payne. He's not the brightest bulb on the court, but I do love the way he competes. And his effort yields results. He gets rebounds and intimidates a bit on defense.

Dieng seemed pissed off the entire game. He argued every foul call whistled against him. You get the sense he's not happy about Towns coming in as the anointed young star about to leap frog him on the depth chart. But he's not sulking. Instead he's battling and playing angry. Towns is clearly the superior talent, but Dieng's play tonight was a reminder that he has some game.

Shabazz looked incredibly athletic tonight. His teammates, especially his geriatric PG did a terrible job getting the ball to him. And of course he was limited by the complete lack of imagination in the offense of the squad coached by Sidney Lowe. Shabazz exploded to the hole s

[bleedspeed]

I wonder if there is a chance that Prince and Miller don't make the final team. If they practice like the scrimmaged last night I would think it could be possible they don't.

[Carlos Danger]

As for Miller, he looks really old up close. He looked like an old man in a pick-up game at the YMCA. He wore his shirt out, hanging down to his thighs. He had the big fro and looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple days.

Thank you. I thought the exact same thing when I watched their first practice online. I was shocked. He looked some mid-40's dude they pulled off the street vs. a professional athlete. I had no problem with the signing. But if Ty Jones comes in and shows he's ready to play right away, then I'd rather keep LoBro than Miller.

[Carlos Danger]

Appreciate the reports Lip and LST. Very interesting stuff for a fan base starved for info.

[bleedspeed]

http://www.canishoopus.com/2015/10/6/9458349/scrimmage-scribbles

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Excellent report, Lip. I especially appreciate the observation about Gorgui. Until last night, I was an advocate for him starting ahead of Towns, but Towns looked ready to be a starter last night (unlike in Summer League) and he is much more talented than G. Lip, I know you are a fan of Dieng's character, and so am I, and I think being a reserve will spur him to performing better rather than discouraging him. He may be a nice backup C option until Pek is ready to contribute (if ever).

That's discouraging to hear your Prince report, but it's what I saw on the court also. He's a Flip guy, and maybe isn't happy playing for Mitchell...I don't know, just a theory. I think he makes the team, but I don't see him getting any minutes from Sam unless we are devastated by injuries.

Miller was also disinterested as you noted. How do you let an unathletic late first round rookie outplay you? Having said that, if you read some of my comments about his pre-practice solo workout, you know that I was impressed with him. He knows how to play the game, and since athleticism has never been an asset, age doesn't diminish his game as much as others. I think he will be fine as our backup PG, but last night showed how much we need Rubio. I chuckled at your physical description of him. I told my buddy that he looked like Richard Pryor after a tough night!

I'm glad you gave a shout out to Wiggins' and Bjelica's handles. Even though both were too deferential in looking for their shot, their ball handling was a pleasant surprise. Wiggins has said he has been working on it, and it showed...he made some nice passes. and Bjelica's ability to drive and kick out is extraordinary...amazing court vision. I think one of Sam's toughest choices will be deciding who backs up KG. Bjelica is the more skilled player, but you know that Sam is going to appreciate Payne's rebounding and motor. I'm curious to see how that plays out.

I'm glad I went, and stayed for the entire game. Both the teams' promise and weaknesses were on display, but for the most part, everyone except Prince and Miller played hard all night...nice to see.

[Monster]

Brown had 12 points but nobody has talked about him. It sounds like everyone was pleased with how Rudez looked but Brown must have done something worth mentioning.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Any thoughts on Lorenzo Brown? He was about the only guy I dont think you mentioned other than Nick Wiggins and the big dude.

Ha, forget about little Wig and Cleon! But Brown is in the mix for 15th man, so he deserves discussion. He was largely what we know he is. He managed the game well but didn't create easy looks for his teammates. He scored well, but a lot of his points were in the last couple minutes of garbage time. He did have one of the best individual moves of the night, though, when he jocked someone (Tyus?) on a clever baseline move. I think Rudez is slightly ahead of him for the 15th spot, but he didn't do anything to hurt his chances last night.

Here are Sam's biggest decisions right now, along with his current thinking ( I think):

1) Payne over Bjelica for backup PF. This is Sam's toughest call right now, I think , because both have strengths and weaknesses. The Canis Hoops article raves about NB's passing, and they're right, but Payne's non-stop motor led to last night's only double double, and I thought his defense looked improved over last year (and better than NB's). The fact that Sam had him playing with Miller, Martin, Bazz and Gorgui tells me he is in the lead for the backup 2, but it couldn't be any closer.

2) LaVine over Martin for starting SG. Zach may have been the best overall player on the court last night, but it's difficult to overlook Kevin's elite 3-point shooting. Zach's overall game has him ahead here.

3) Towns over Gorgui for starting center. BTW, Towns also had some effective minutes at PF when Cleon was in the game at center.

4) Rudez over Brown for 15th man. I was surprised at two things last night about Rudez...his ability to move the basketball quickly when his shot wasn't there, and his camaraderie with the team (including KG). I saw a comfort level that I wasn't anticipating, and it told me he may have had a good week of practice. I don't love his game (how can someone that big have NO interest in rebounding), but you can't ignore his 3-point skills.

[bleedspeed]

I really like Rudez and Bjelica playing forward together. I think that helped setup Zach and make playing PG easier for him.

Team looks more like a grind out wins team which is what this team will need to do.