Sophomore Rankings

[bleedspeed]

2. Gorgui Dieng, Timberwolves
Dieng continues to play like the kind of center Minnesota hopes to feature when its younger players develop. He has already proven to be capable of putting up big scoring, rebounding and shot-blocking numbers.

However, his consistency in terms of effort is not where it needs to be, standing in stark contrast to guys like Joakim Noah and Marc Gasol, who aim to impact every defensive play. One easy fix for Dieng in this area, something he is getting better at currently, is to keep his arms up while sliding and moving, before talling up as the shot is taken. Getting the arms up earlier helps to prevent some shots from even being taken, especially for a player with his wingspan. Talling up on a shot, meanwhile, makes it more difficult for the offensive player to finish the shot.

Dieng ranks low on the list of centers who force opponents to miss paint shots mostly because of this one area of deficiency.

5. Shabazz Muhammad, Timberwolves
One of the players who has benefited greatly from the injuries in Minnesota, Muhammad has proved to be a good scorer and a dominant offensive rebounder. Long and powerful, he can overwhelm opponents on the glass. But he's doing that only on the offensive end.

Muhammad has been a poor defensive rebounder, in fact, looking to hang out on the perimeter in preparation for a run out if his team gathers a missed shot. But his rebounding talent should transfer to the defensive end as easily as it does on the other end. Minnesota ranks among the bottom teams in defensive rebound rate; it sorely needs Muhammad to engage on that end.

[Brandon BassHole [enjin:8183321]]

I saw that article too. Was this the one with the highlights with Dieng having his arms glued too his waist? Those highlights were disturbing for an NBA starting center SMH.

Side note great SVG vine right here : https://vine.co/v/OpWnEmnIKBi

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

For those of us who rip PBO Flip for certain moves (in my case, the Pek and Bud signings), it's fair to pause once in awhile to applaud him for what he did in the 2013 draft. Yes, he could have taken Troy Burke at 9, or he could have taken CJ McCollum...the "experts" wouldn't have had a problem with either of those moves. But instead he turned the pick into 2 guys who are now ranked 2nd and 5th in the class...truly an amazing feat! Combine that with his making a deal for the guy who will be rookie of the year this year, and it's easy to get excited about this team's prospects.

[Brandon BassHole [enjin:8183321]]

Rookie Sophmore game this year should be all wolves depending how they do it. Last year I think Shaq and Charles Barkley did a draft and mixed up the teams.

Rookie team: Wiggins. Maybe Lavine?

Sophomore: Shabazz and Dieng. I wish Bennett would make it. sigh*

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Dieng, Muhammad and Wiggins can pretty much expect to be there. I'd bet on LaVine making it for his entertainment factor. No defense in the game, lots of dunks, etc. That's where he could get a lot of hype.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Yeah, I think Zach is a lock to play in the rookie game. I agree that this is the kind of game he can really shine in. But more significantly, there just aren't that many quality rookies available with all the injuries to the lottery picks...5-6 of the players picked ahead of him are out.

[TAFKASP]

For those of us who rip PBO Flip for certain moves (in my case, the Pek and Bud signings), it's fair to pause once in awhile to applaud him for what he did in the 2013 draft. Yes, he could have taken Troy Burke at 9, or he could have taken CJ McCollum...the "experts" wouldn't have had a problem with either of those moves. But instead he turned the pick into 2 guys who are now ranked 2nd and 5th in the class...truly an amazing feat! Combine that with his making a deal for the guy who will be rookie of the year this year, and it's easy to get excited about this team's prospects.

The negatives with Flip you almost have to give him a pass on. They had a mostly veteran team with some talent and one star on the verge of leaving and a hall of fame coach, rebuilding wasn't really an option year one. He took some swings for the fence, questionable as they may have been.

And of those questionable decisions Martin could possibly be a valuable trade asset should he come back healthy, Bud will be an expiring contract next season, and Pek, yeah, that sucks. Overall I'm very happy with Flip the GM!