Some positives.....

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Trying to find some positives after a tough loss......

- Four of our losses add up to a combined 11-point differential. Only Golden State won by a healthy margin.

- We are still 5th in the NBA in Offensive Rating and 6th in Defensive Rating. That's incredibly good. The close losses and blowout wins means we're doing better on a cumulative basis than our record reflects. Unfortunately, playoff positioning doesn't take this into account! But still, hopefully we get a few bounces that come our way and we end up on the winning side of these close games in the future.

- The bench is coming around. Robbie Hummel now sports a WS/48 of .135. Average is considered .100, so he has been more than just a "serviceable" backup of late. He's making positive contributions because he knocks down 3's, hits the defensive glass, and doesn't turn the ball over. This is EXACTLY what we need from our backup wing position. If this keeps up, it might mean a rusty Budinger finds himself having a hard time displacing Hummel from the rotation.

- Rubio is shooting 42% from 3. This continues the trend of his shooting uptick that began late last season and continued into the Europe tournament and then preseason. Now, he simply doesn't take enough 3's for this to have a meaningful impact on his overall efficiency, and his 2-pt shooting percentage is horrific, but I'll take any sliver of good news when it comes to Rubio's offense.

- Our starting 5 has remained healthy and no one is playing an ungodly amount of minutes.


There are still a ton of games left to be played. Our cumulative numbers appear to be fantastic. It's about executing down the stretch in close games, especially on the road. That's something that can improve.

[thedoper]

Trying to find some positives after a tough loss......

- Four of our losses add up to a combined 11-point differential. Only Golden State won by a healthy margin.

- We are still 5th in the NBA in Offensive Rating and 6th in Defensive Rating. That's incredibly good. The close losses and blowout wins means we're doing better on a cumulative basis than our record reflects. Unfortunately, playoff positioning doesn't take this into account! But still, hopefully we get a few bounces that come our way and we end up on the winning side of these close games in the future.

- The bench is coming around. Robbie Hummel now sports a WS/48 of .135. Average is considered .100, so he has been more than just a "serviceable" backup of late. He's making positive contributions because he knocks down 3's, hits the defensive glass, and doesn't turn the ball over. This is EXACTLY what we need from our backup wing position. If this keeps up, it might mean a rusty Budinger finds himself having a hard time displacing Hummel from the rotation.

- Rubio is shooting 42% from 3. This continues the trend of his shooting uptick that began late last season and continued into the Europe tournament and then preseason. Now, he simply doesn't take enough 3's for this to have a meaningful impact on his overall efficiency, and his 2-pt shooting percentage is horrific, but I'll take any sliver of good news when it comes to Rubio's offense.

- Our starting 5 has remained healthy and no one is playing an ungodly amount of minutes.


There are still a ton of games left to be played. Our cumulative numbers appear to be fantastic. It's about executing down the stretch in close games, especially on the road. That's something that can improve.

We seem to be really streaky. Our deficiencies seem to still be the same. Whenever we need a tough basket which is outside of Adelman's system we struggle. Love has been brilliant but will never have the athleticism to separate enough in sloppy iso situations. We are going to be statistically great all season because we will be carried our hot streaks. I do think we the toughness at crunch time is going to be a continued issue though. That is something that comes with learning to stay focused.

[bleedspeed]

I really don't get the end of the game situations. Just put the ball in Ricky's hands and let him find the best shot for the team. It makes more sense then running a simple ISO play with the Kevin's.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I really don't get the end of the game situations. Just put the ball in Ricky's hands and let him find the best shot for the team. It makes more sense then running a simple ISO play with the Kevin's.

But with his shooting, that enables the opposition to overplay any pass and force Rubio to shoot a mid-range or deeper shot on the move or as a secondary option.

EVERY team in the NBA would choose that over Martin or Love having the ball.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Thanks for the list of positives, q. I was more discouraged after the Clippers loss than the Wizards loss (need to hide from my LA friends today!), so I needed a little optimism.

I agree that the emergence of Hummel may make it difficult for a recovering Budinger to get minutes. Let's remember that Robbie was a much more heralded college player than Bud before his knee issues, and from the looks of his quickness and hops, those knee issues appear to be behind him. Watching Robbie effortlessly drain threes pre-game is a thing of beauty (frankly, only JJ hits them at a comparable rate), and he is a stronger rebounder and more reliable ballhandler. One thing that Bud brings, though, is his ability to move without the ball. I see him working well with Ricky and the new assist-happy Love.

Your comment about our close losses is true, but it also cuts both ways. When do we have to acknowledge that we have an issue with winning close games? All of our wins have been by eight points or more, but only our Golden State loss was by more than 4 points. This leads to a very favorable point differential, which is the primary element in Stein and Hollinger's team rankings, and reflects our offensive proficiency. I also like the fact that we seem to have the ability to battle back from double digit deficits. But it's troubling to me that we are 0-5 in close games. I'm afraid that is a comment on the effectiveness of our half-court offense at crunch time. Yes, our bench is an issue, but I am more worried about the ability of our "stars" to score when it really matters. We just don't seem to have a Chris Paul (I want to put a "yet" at the end of that sentence, but I don't think I can).

[60WinTim]

Is this you, Q?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Aae3PTlWNs

:)

[bleedspeed]

I really don't get the end of the game situations. Just put the ball in Ricky's hands and let him find the best shot for the team. It makes more sense then running a simple ISO play with the Kevin's.

But with his shooting, that enables the opposition to overplay any pass and force Rubio to shoot a mid-range or deeper shot on the move or as a secondary option.

EVERY team in the NBA would choose that over Martin or Love having the ball.

It is easier to guard Ricky with the ball out of his hands then in it. You put it in his hands and all of a sudden you have to risk him shooting or passing to an open Love, Martin, Pek, or Brewer. He actually seems to be pretty clutch at the end of games. It would be interesting to see his stats on shots at the end of games over his career.

I think no matter what happens defense will collapse on him when he gets in the lane which means someone is going to be open.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Is this you, Q?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Aae3PTlWNs

:)

Wow, what a great video, Tom...my bbiq just went up 5%! It was nice to hear the positive comments about the Wolves' defense, and especially our ability to rotate and defend the three. So different from last year, and a major reason we are 8th in defending the three.
He also highlighted the beauty of our offense...it really is a thing of beauty when its clicking...but also how a tight end-of-game defense can stop it. I remember that Martin/Love exchange at the end of the Washington game, and that I was thinking we don't look very good when the defense tightens up. That's when you need a Chris Paul, who essentially makes the defense irrelevant.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Is this you, Q?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Aae3PTlWNs

:)

Heh. Actually, I learned a lot watching this breakdown. It really is a movement-oriented offense.

I'm coaching my son's basketball team this winter. I may take a pointer or two from this guy! Or may be not....May be a little too complex for 11 year-olds!

[markkbu [enjin:6588958]]

Is this you, Q?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Aae3PTlWNs

:)

Excellent find Tim. If you have other gems like this, please share them.

Q, keep posting the videos, they are great!