Thorpe's Sophomore ratings

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Flip is taking a beating on our board today, and the black cloud contingent is out in force...a loss to the 76ers has a tendency to do that! I have to admit that even though I'm on balance a Flip supporter, I agree with several of the criticisms. He did blow the Pek transaction. He does have an unhealthy aversion to the 3-point shot. And I don't think he is giving enough minutes to Muhammad and Bennett. But I'm still not feeling the gloom and doom others are feeling, and Thorpe's article about the sophomore class is one reason why. I can't post ESPN insider, but here's a link to a rubechat discussion about it:

http://rubechat.kfan.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=292914&sid=7f19b28156546a0b42851874c7d20b73

He has our three second year guys ranked 1 (Dieng), 3 (Muhammad) and 9 (Bennett). Granted it is widely considered to be a poor draft class, but to have 3 of the top ten players from the class, and to be able to combine them with the November player of the month from this year's crop of rookies (Wiggins) is cause for a lot of optimism I believe. Just think...Flip turned the 9th pick of the 2013 draft into 2 players who are now ranked best in the class and third best. That's good in and of itself, but if it's any indication of Flip's ability to discern talent, it makes me think more positively about Zach LaVine also.

I just thought I would lob out a ray of sunshine in the hours before another blowout loss!

[thedoper]

Has he been watching the games this year? No way I rank Gorgui ahead of Bazz based on performance this year. But overall potential I could hear the argument. I do remember getting laughed off the board when I had said that I wanted Bazz way more than Oladipo at draft time. Time will tell but I do think we got the better player there. It does look like Flip can evaluate talent. But Dieng, Lavine and Bennet all seem pretty rough still. With Bazz and Wiggins right behind them in rounding out their games.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I question if he's seen Dieng get eaten alive on the inside defensively. Even his rebounding is starting to tail off.

Dieng is an enticing player on paper. He does have a fairly unique set of skills in terms of his ability to block shots and get steals, while also being able to do some things offensively, including an emerging ability to facilitate the offense. That shows up on stat sheets. But I'm not sure how much Thorpe has actually watched Dieng play, because that's the only way he could see the defensive issues.

[Phenom]

Yea Dieng has cooled off from last seasons late surge. He still has flashes but not much consistency. But hey let's trade Pek just to say we got out from under his contract.

[Carlos Danger]

Well, it would be nice to think we have three of the top 10 guys from that draft, but I don't think that's the case as of this moment. Based on current totals, none of our guys are in the top ten with regard to: Games, Minutes, Points or Assists. Dieng is #6 in rebounds and Win Shares, so I could see a case being made for him to be in the top 10 - but not #1. I guess I'm not sure what metrics Thorpe is using for his rankings. Certainly, Bazz and Bennett have shown flashes this year and still could become good players. But neither guy is starting on what is a terrible, injury riddled Wolves team. That should sort of indicate where they are at in the whole scheme of things. Things may look different at the end of this year IF Bazz/Bennett develop into bigger roles. But as of right now, Dieng is the only guy I'd point to as a top ten guy from that draft. He's really been a terrific surprise IMO and I believe he will keep getting better.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Just to add some perspective, it's increasingly clear that last year's draft class was as advertised...not very good. And rankings of players are always subject to challenge. But still, Thorpe's job is to evaluate 1st and 2nd year players for ESPN...that's what he does, so it's logical to assume he has watched these guys as closely as anyone. Plus as an ex-coach, it's clear that he has a solid understanding of the game. So for him to have three of our players in the top ten, and two in the top three, is really promising. I agree that Deing tends to get pushed around in the paint, but every player on the list has flaws...heck, Antetokounmpo is #2 and, while he has great promise, he is a work-in-process. The only guy on the list with a higher PER than Dieng and Muhammad is Dennis Schroeder, and I have to admit I haven't seen him this year...he sure wasn't very good last year.

I'm just going to sit back and enjoy this bit of good news.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Schroeder's been good this year. Looks like a completely different player from last year, imo.