Derrick Williams The X Factor

[60WinTim]

I agree, Lip. Those were some troubling comments from Flip.

This would seem to lock Brewer in as our starting SF, and hope Bud makes a return sooner than later. And I wonder if this increases Hummel's chances of nabbing that 15th roster spot?

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Very revealing, Lipoli...thanks for posting. I guess that intangible quality "motor" is something that just can't be developed or coached. You either have it or you don't, and it's pretty clear that Derrick doesn't.

I agree, Tim, that this news combined with Bud's injury clears the way for Brewer to start at the 3, although he likely would have anyway. More importantly, though, it opens up much more opportunity for Shabazz Muhammad. Many of us have picked apart his game...can't use his right hand, poor assist totals at UCLA, inefficient scoring, etc. But one quality that nobody can deny Shabazz has is his non-stop motor. It was clearly on display in Mankato, and Adelman, Flip and teammates have all commented on it. I sensed that some of the comments might have been intended to prod Williams a little, but I think that is futile. As I said before, an athlete is either blessed with a "motor" or he isn't, and he isn't likely to change.

All in all, I find the Williams/Muhammad Mankato reports encouraging. Although I am an endless dreamer and was hoping for a breakout season from Derrick, realistically his laid back style will always limit his effectiveness on the court. I sense that his role will be similar to last year...i.e. only getting minutes when injuries require it, and at some point he will leave the team with the Wolves not getting much in return. On the other hand, the reports on Muhammad remind me of why he has been a dominant player at every level, and may turn out to be a major draft steal (I know, I'm entering dream mode again). After summer league I evaluated Shabazz's performance and looked at the surplus of options at SF, and determined that he was destined for mop-up minutes or even the D-League. Now I see him as an important back-up to Corey, able to provide rebounding and offensive spark off the bench.

As I said, you can't coach "motor", but you can coach Muhammad up in some of the areas he is deficient. Let's hope the Shabazz we get this year is the Mankato Shabazz, not the Vegas Shabazz.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I didn't listen to the Flip interview, but I take his comments with a grain of salt. Derrick Williams has two things that Shabazz doesn't have - 2 years of actual NBA experience. And while I agree that you can't "teach" having a motor, you also can't teach the valuable lessons, especially defensively, of on-the-job training in the NBA. Even if you take Derrick's lackluster numbers from last season, he at least was competent defensively and began to find a bit more offensive rhythm near the end of the season.

I like the fact that Shabazz is competing hard for playing time, but I highly doubt he's leapfrogged Derrick on the depth chart just yet. And if Williams can start making some more of his outside shots, then he will absolutely be locked into that first forward off the bench for us.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I agree that Shabazz hasn't leapfrogged Williams yet, Q. More likely that Flip and Rick are trying to send Williams a strong warning message, and that they still want Derrick to be the first forward off the bench. Unfortunately, even if he hears the message loud and clear and steps up his effort for awhile, it doesn't seen to be in his nature to be able to sustain it. Derrick seems to be a wonderful guy and is enormously gifted, but as lip pointed out, similar things have been said about Wes Johnson in the past. In the long run, coaches are going to lose faith in the low-motor laid-back player, and turn more to the gritty competitor, even if he is less talented. I expect Shabazz to quickly replace Williams as first SF off the bench.

[bleedspeed]

So if we pick up his option is it for just next year? I just don't see him having any trade value at this point.

[Lipoli390]

Yes, Bleed. It would just be for next season (the 2014-15 season).

[thedoper]

I really like Williams at the 3 in the 2nd unit for the matchup problems it will cause. Toronto was forced to put Terrance Ross on him tonight, and although he didn't go off, he grabbed some nice boards over Ross and was still quick enough on the defensive end. If Derrick can really learn to make the hard cuts like Brewer he is going to be great as the 6th or 7th man. My only reservation is that he will get most of his minutes with Barea which will always be problematic for a scorer.