Shabazz/Dieng vs. McCollum

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

We have had ample opportunities as Timberwolves fans to analyze certain either/or decisions management has made...the two most prominent ones arguably being Roy/Foye and Love/Mayo. The 2013 decision ultimately probably won't have the same impact as the aforementioned, but we all love a debate, so it should be fun to revisit this one as the year progresses.

Flip had several options when his turn came up at #9, but I want to frame this discussion as a choice between what he did (trading the pick for what ultimately turned into Shabazz and Dieng) or the most likely alternative decision (CJ McCollum). We have had a chance to see all three players in Vegas Summer League, so what is the early consensus about which of the alternatives would be more valuable to the Wolves: Shabazz and Dieng, or McCollum?

I have been quite critical of Muhammad's performance in Vegas, but I'm going to go a different direction here and say that, based on Summer League alone, Flip's choice looks pretty good right now. CJ McCollum led the summer league in scoring and provided some highlight reel moments, but I would argue he had a lot to do with the 0-4 record of his team in the games in which he played. CJ was never a great distributor in college, and struggled as a facilitator in Vegas too, only averaging 3.4 assists despite his ample minutes. And defensively he consistently struggled, whether he was assigned to a point guard or a bigger SG. I don't think Portland can count him for either assists or defense, so his contribution is going to have to come as a shooter. His point totals were impressive, but his efficiency was terrible. In his four games, he shot a very poor 36.6% and only 31.3% on threes. With his other limitations, this is not going to cut it for CJ. Now I predicted that he would struggle at first in Summer League because the defenders were going to be so much bigger and faster than what he saw in his years in the Patriot League, so I expect to see some improvement as he gets used to the pace of the NBA game. But on the other hand, the defenders he will see when the regular season starts will likely be much better than what he saw this past week.

Dieng and Muhammad had their own struggles. There were times when Dieng looked lost, but there were other times where you could see that he will be am immediate improvement over Steamer. And he has an enormous upside, with his physical gifts and only having played basketball for 5 years. Many of us have expressed our dissatisfaction with Muhammad's performance, and his production was much less than what I was expecting. Defensively, he showed an impressive motor and effort, but lacked discipline at times and seemed lacking in some basic defensive concepts. Like in college, he again averaged less than an assist per game, but he displayed much more interest in getting his teammates involved. He has a nice touch on his drop bounce passes inside, and as others have said, he deserved to have a couple more assists per game if his big men had caught the ball better. And his shooting percentages were much better than CJ's, averaging 41% from the floor with a respectable 38.3 % on threes. I know this is Summer League only, but Adelman would be thrilled if Shabazz could duplicate those numbers this season.

I say round one clearly goes to the tag team of Shabazz and Dieng. I suspect that there will be some differences of opinion on this one, so let's start the discussion.

[KGdaBom [enjin:6632523]]

How about the option of Picking Olynyk with #9. We traded back because we thought we could get him or Shabazz. Maybe McCollum was never on the radar.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Fair point, kg. In terms of summer league play and potential, I would say Olynyk>Dieng/Shabazz>CJ. but I don't think Olynyk would fill an immediate need for the Wolves like the other options do. I see Olynyk as a PF in the NBA...extremely skilled, but not possessing the physicality to be an NBA center. I have heard that Flip liked him, but he also talked about 3-point shooting and rim-protecting as immediate needs, and Kelly was not going to help in either.

[Jakapoo [enjin:6588675]]

Guys, enough with Olynyk. He would not have been picked at 9. You are all being preposterous with hindsight.

[Jakapoo [enjin:6588675]]

To answer the question, I pick Shabazz and Deing. Even if Shabazz busts, Deing will be adequate. CJ would not have been a great fit here at all in my opinion.

[Riverside_Viking [enjin:6662498]]

McCollum is the second coming of the JET decent scorer and 6th man off the bench, but that's it.... Personally I really like Dieng's potential and I think Shabazz is like a Nick Young not great but decent scorer off the bench.

[colvillhoops [enjin:6641266]]

longstrangetrip,

First off, I like the way you framed the question. Deng would not have been there at 26.

Second. Its only summer league. We all know how Randy Foye dominated summer league.

I like Deng. Seems to have very good hands. Got a number of deflections below chest level. An upgrade over steamer and cheaper too for now. Want to see him play with Ricky!

I remember a Flip quote. "Its not what position you play. It's what position you can defend. CJ cannot defend" taller 2 guards, imho.

[TravisT [enjin:6669699]]

I'm not a big CJ fan, so I was happy with how things played out for the Wolves. Like I said in another post, Flip has been around more NBA talent than any of us so I trust his judge of character. There's a reason why he didn't take CJ who was right there for us, but in the end felt he wasn't worth the #9 pick. Shabazz has a lot of work to do, but the nice thing is he won't be asked to step in right away and asked to contribute. We have depth at the 2 and 3 positions so the pressure is off for the time being. Hopefully he continues to work hard at his craft and learns a lot from a great coaching staff along with the veterans on the squad. I see him being a solid role player for us 2 years from now.

I think most agree that Dieng will be an immediate upgrade over Steamer so that's a plus. He brings a defensive presence in the middle that we needed along with the added athleticism. He's the yang to Pek's ying.

[Crazysauce]

Really would like to know what it is exactly that shows any of you posters that flip knows his NBA talent. It absolutely drives me crazy when I hear this. Is there something I just slept through? I would say just the opposite as this was the guy who traded, the #5 pick, which could be anyone from take your pick, but Ricky Rubio, Steph Curry, or Jonny Flynn if you like for ...... The Legendary Randy Foye and a broken down Mike Miller. Now obviously Flynn sucks but you traded two guys who are the tenth men off the bench for Rubio or Curry? That is plain stupidity. No other way to call it. Now what exactly is it that makes Flip at all know what the hell he is doing? I am really interested to hear this one.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

Most draft predictors had Dieng there at 26, so it's not really fair to ask us to compare McCollum to both Shabbazz and Dieng. You could more strongly argue that the real comparison should be between McCollum and Shabbazz and some cash, which is what they traded the 26h pick for.