Yes it was a loss, but every Wolves fan should be excited by this first game. This is a lot better basketball team than a lot of the pundits think. Since it's opening night I thought I would do this a little different tonight. Since there are so many new players, I will comment on every player who appeared in the game before getting into the 2 + 1:
Thad Young - If he can give us anything close to this on a nightly basis, the pain surrounding the loss of Love will be tolerable. Great to have a young vet that can help lead.
Andrew Wiggins - I wish they would have done more to get him involved early. I will say this - He has a gigantic ceiling. Much more so than my friend Q thinks.
Pek - Losing the way we did with Pek playing like he did should give us hope. He was terrible tonight.
CoBrew - I know he's not everybody's cup of tea but I love the guy. Every team can use a guy like Corey.
Ricky - I think his play leaves room for optimism. His shot looks better and went in at a decent rate. He didn't get a real chance to get out and run tonight. I hope they address that.
Gorgui - He can look ordinary during the summer league. He can have a non descript preseason. He can be a so-so practice player. But turn on the bright lights and Gorgui turns it on too. Nothing to worry about here.
Mo Will - Anybody miss JJ? Enough said.
Shabazz - The improvement is obvious. He has a unique skill set that if, he's willing to accept a role, he can be a very good player for us. I'm excited about him this year.
Bennett - Are you kidding me? As great as Wiggins can be, this guy is someone to be REALLY excited about. He's a much better athlete than I first thought. And he is on a mission. He's going to be a very good player.
Bud - Not sure what you guys are all seeing, but looks like the same Bud to me. Just brutal.
Did not Like:
1) Our carelessness with the basketball. No reason for some of those turnovers. Again with 23, how did we stay so close?
2) As usual, the refs played way to big of a role in an NBA game. How did they not see that Rubio got the ball poked away. Biggest play of the night was by the guys in the striped shirts. Happens way to often, and it went a long way to determining the outcome of the game. Some things never change.
+1 - I took the Twolves +7.5 tonight and pocketed some cash!!!!
And that's CoolBreeze's 2 things I Didn't Like Tonight + 1
CoolBreeze's 2 Things I Didn't Like Tonight Plus 1
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Coolbreeze44
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Re: CoolBreeze's 2 Things I Didn't Like Tonight Plus 1
So you're buying tonight?!? ;-)
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Q12543 [enjin:6621299]
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Re: CoolBreeze's 2 Things I Didn't Like Tonight Plus 1
I think Wiggins' ceiling is Paul George. It's tough to get much higher than that without getting into Top 5 territory. We saw tonight how Flip had to draw up some plays for him in the 2nd half to get him some touches. He's just not a guy that has a natural nose for scoring. I think that's OK for now, but it will need to change at some point if he ever wants to be a superstar.
One thing I like about Bennett is that he's more active defensively than I thought he would be. He hedges really hard on screen and roll and gets back to his man quickly. Let's hope he stays healthy, because I agree, there are encouraging signs there.
Gasol absolutely schooled Pek on both sides of the floor. Let's hope Pek rounds into form eventually like he did last year. That was a pretty embarrassing game by the big man tonight.
One thing I like about Bennett is that he's more active defensively than I thought he would be. He hedges really hard on screen and roll and gets back to his man quickly. Let's hope he stays healthy, because I agree, there are encouraging signs there.
Gasol absolutely schooled Pek on both sides of the floor. Let's hope Pek rounds into form eventually like he did last year. That was a pretty embarrassing game by the big man tonight.
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Coolbreeze44
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Re: CoolBreeze's 2 Things I Didn't Like Tonight Plus 1
Q12543 wrote:I think Wiggins' ceiling is Paul George. It's tough to get much higher than that without getting into Top 5 territory. We saw tonight how Flip had to draw up some plays for him in the 2nd half to get him some touches. He's just not a guy that has a natural nose for scoring. I think that's OK for now, but it will need to change at some point if he ever wants to be a superstar.
One thing I like about Bennett is that he's more active defensively than I thought he would be. He hedges really hard on screen and roll and gets back to his man quickly. Let's hope he stays healthy, because I agree, there are encouraging signs there.
Gasol absolutely schooled Pek on both sides of the floor. Let's hope Pek rounds into form eventually like he did last year. That was a pretty embarrassing game by the big man tonight.
I noticed how hard Bennett popped out as well. Looked real good.
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longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]
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Re: CoolBreeze's 2 Things I Didn't Like Tonight Plus 1
Congrats on the bet cover, cool. Serious gamblers like to look at the referee's tendencies, and I mentioned in the game thread that two of the three refs tonight were serious home town callers (not unusual, since they are young...i.e easily intimidated by a loud crowd). Even more impressive that the Wolves covered, since they were playing 5 on 8 a lot.
I agree that Bud was terrible tonight, but I thought he looked good preseason. Kind of the reverse of Gorgui, who was terrible preseason, and great tonight.
I agree that Bud was terrible tonight, but I thought he looked good preseason. Kind of the reverse of Gorgui, who was terrible preseason, and great tonight.
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Mstermisty [enjin:6864008]
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Re: CoolBreeze's 2 Things I Didn't Like Tonight Plus 1
No shame in the loss tonight, but painful none-the-less. Like last season way too many times, it felt like we found a way to lose this game. I'm not sure why Ricky decided to get into Vince Carter's chest on that last play, it looked like he had him defensed perfectly and Vince was about to throw up a bad shot.
Really liked Shabazz's game tonight. Every team needs a guy who plays like him--like a hungry dog seeing a piece of meat. What a huge bonus it would be if he had a breakout year.
Was nice to see Bennett come on strong after the his deer in the headlights start. Just wish he wouldn't have taken the one ill-advised long two pointer late in the game. If I remember right Bud took one the next possession that was just as bad.
One of the worst games I have seen Pek play on both ends of the floor. With Love's offense gone, we need much more from Pek if we want to beat better teams. Hopefully he'll bounce back tomorrow.
Gorgui was awesome. On both ends of the court. It's only one game but it's hard not to think that he would be a much better fit playing with vertically challenged Thad (who was also very good tonight offensively, but defensively and on the boards he got owned.).
Really liked Shabazz's game tonight. Every team needs a guy who plays like him--like a hungry dog seeing a piece of meat. What a huge bonus it would be if he had a breakout year.
Was nice to see Bennett come on strong after the his deer in the headlights start. Just wish he wouldn't have taken the one ill-advised long two pointer late in the game. If I remember right Bud took one the next possession that was just as bad.
One of the worst games I have seen Pek play on both ends of the floor. With Love's offense gone, we need much more from Pek if we want to beat better teams. Hopefully he'll bounce back tomorrow.
Gorgui was awesome. On both ends of the court. It's only one game but it's hard not to think that he would be a much better fit playing with vertically challenged Thad (who was also very good tonight offensively, but defensively and on the boards he got owned.).
Re: CoolBreeze's 2 Things I Didn't Like Tonight Plus 1
Overall I give the wolves a B, to think we almost beat the grizzlies, one of the worst matchups for the wolves, and missing probably going to be their leading scorer in Kmart.
Re: CoolBreeze's 2 Things I Didn't Like Tonight Plus 1
It's pretty sad when it looks like Pek can't carry Kaman's jockstrap (who looks better tonight than I have seen him play in years!).
And it's a bummer knowing Pek needs about a month before he starts being effective. Come on Dieng!
And it's a bummer knowing Pek needs about a month before he starts being effective. Come on Dieng!
Re: CoolBreeze's 2 Things I Didn't Like Tonight Plus 1
I just finished watching the game glad I remembered NBA broadband is free for little while to start the season.
Randolph used the Wolves and Thad, but Thad was a beast in his own way tonight. He isn't gonna go off like that every night, but guys like Zach are gonna have a hard time guarding him all over the floor.
Rubio's shot is different its more out in front he used to have it almost back behind his head which leads to a longer windup and can have more of a hitch in his shot. Its more tight now and may give him a better feel. I'm not getting carried away, but it looks more like a legit jumper and they are clearly looking at building up his shot before having him take 3's thats a VERY smart strategy.
Speaking of long 2's Bennett clearly had the green light to take those long 2's and thats gonna drive Q nuts. Q I think part of letting Bennet take those is to later have him take 3's some of those times but they want him to build up his shot. People say Thad and Bennett are really different, but they are actually to me really similar in alot of ways. They are pretty much the same height and length, but Bennett has that PF beef. They both are really skilled guys that can do alot more on the floor than your typical PF which is good becasue they are undersized. Bennett really does get after it on D and I saw it in SL, but he is lighter and in better shape and he really is moving well. Where they are REALLY different is rebounding. Bennett looks like a guy that can be at least an average rebounder and maybe alot better than that while Thad isn't even average becasue of the way he plays the game and I think his physical limitations do hurt him there. I'll say this Bennett is a bizzilion times better than Derrick Williams ever was but thats not much of a standard. Those 2 dunks Bennettt had were quite nice.
Bazz. If anyone was wonder who on this team will do the dirty work bang around to pick up the slack at rebounding Bazz is part of that. He still does his thing despite being lighter and he does look like he has most spring going up for those rebounds than before. He looked realty good in this game. Its just one game, but he was impressive.
Mo played well he won't keep this up, but he is gonna be an upgrade from JJ and I think an upgrade over what Luke gave this team when he was here.
Dieng. His man defense where did that come from? It was worlds better than anything I saw in SL or the one game I saw in preseason. Not sure what happened, but it was alot better. He still needs work, but tonight he played well. His rebounding is quite impressive.
Bud, I think physically he looked fine I think he was a little lost in figuring out where to get his shots up. I wonder if he will fit this frenetic pace as much as some other guys. Of course I don't think every game is going to be this up and down either. If Bud is healthy he will figure it out. He made some plays going for rebounds etc that he looked healthy so thats a positive.
Pek, well man he struggled, bu Gasol looks terrific him losing weight makes him quicker and quite frankly I think he is the best all-around center in the league. He can do everything. Pek will get things figured out.
Tons of turnovers which Flip teams are known for being careful with the ball. The thing I liked though is there was alot of good passing and guys were clearly looking to get the ball to each other. Guys won't be getting called for some travels a few games down the road or whatever becasue they will not shuffle their feet etc. The Wolves got the the line pretty good tonight so that was a positive. Personally I thought he officiating was just fine. They missed calls at both ends. I thought the Wolves were getting calls early which really helped them. Bottom line is the Wolves were missing their likely top scorer, Pek was a poor factor on offense they turned the ball over, got abused by Zach and Marc and somehow still were right in this game. Its one game, but man I can live with efforts like that. I might even plop down the $$$ for the NBA broadband pass afterall. lol
Wiggins...well he was aggressive on D and he got in foul trouble. He didn't have a good game, but he still put up some decent stats. That one postup where the defender overplayed hi and he spun and seemed almost instantly at the rim en-capsules his offensive game really well. His physical length makes him tough to guard and then when eh beat the guy he only had to make like one stride and take off. Of course he actually lost the ball before the guy even fouled him so it was good he got fouled, but he absolutely created that situation. I think Wiggins can be a heck of a player he does need to clean up some things, but they mentioned how he is only 80 days older than KG when he made his debut. I think he is raw but I think he can make improvements in his game and I think physically some of the things he can do is insane. Basically physically nothing is going to hold him back its skill hard work etc. Even tonight I liked what I saw. I'm glad I'll get to see him develop into whatever it is that he will be becasue I think its going to be fun to watch even if he isn't a superstar.
Randolph used the Wolves and Thad, but Thad was a beast in his own way tonight. He isn't gonna go off like that every night, but guys like Zach are gonna have a hard time guarding him all over the floor.
Rubio's shot is different its more out in front he used to have it almost back behind his head which leads to a longer windup and can have more of a hitch in his shot. Its more tight now and may give him a better feel. I'm not getting carried away, but it looks more like a legit jumper and they are clearly looking at building up his shot before having him take 3's thats a VERY smart strategy.
Speaking of long 2's Bennett clearly had the green light to take those long 2's and thats gonna drive Q nuts. Q I think part of letting Bennet take those is to later have him take 3's some of those times but they want him to build up his shot. People say Thad and Bennett are really different, but they are actually to me really similar in alot of ways. They are pretty much the same height and length, but Bennett has that PF beef. They both are really skilled guys that can do alot more on the floor than your typical PF which is good becasue they are undersized. Bennett really does get after it on D and I saw it in SL, but he is lighter and in better shape and he really is moving well. Where they are REALLY different is rebounding. Bennett looks like a guy that can be at least an average rebounder and maybe alot better than that while Thad isn't even average becasue of the way he plays the game and I think his physical limitations do hurt him there. I'll say this Bennett is a bizzilion times better than Derrick Williams ever was but thats not much of a standard. Those 2 dunks Bennettt had were quite nice.
Bazz. If anyone was wonder who on this team will do the dirty work bang around to pick up the slack at rebounding Bazz is part of that. He still does his thing despite being lighter and he does look like he has most spring going up for those rebounds than before. He looked realty good in this game. Its just one game, but he was impressive.
Mo played well he won't keep this up, but he is gonna be an upgrade from JJ and I think an upgrade over what Luke gave this team when he was here.
Dieng. His man defense where did that come from? It was worlds better than anything I saw in SL or the one game I saw in preseason. Not sure what happened, but it was alot better. He still needs work, but tonight he played well. His rebounding is quite impressive.
Bud, I think physically he looked fine I think he was a little lost in figuring out where to get his shots up. I wonder if he will fit this frenetic pace as much as some other guys. Of course I don't think every game is going to be this up and down either. If Bud is healthy he will figure it out. He made some plays going for rebounds etc that he looked healthy so thats a positive.
Pek, well man he struggled, bu Gasol looks terrific him losing weight makes him quicker and quite frankly I think he is the best all-around center in the league. He can do everything. Pek will get things figured out.
Tons of turnovers which Flip teams are known for being careful with the ball. The thing I liked though is there was alot of good passing and guys were clearly looking to get the ball to each other. Guys won't be getting called for some travels a few games down the road or whatever becasue they will not shuffle their feet etc. The Wolves got the the line pretty good tonight so that was a positive. Personally I thought he officiating was just fine. They missed calls at both ends. I thought the Wolves were getting calls early which really helped them. Bottom line is the Wolves were missing their likely top scorer, Pek was a poor factor on offense they turned the ball over, got abused by Zach and Marc and somehow still were right in this game. Its one game, but man I can live with efforts like that. I might even plop down the $$$ for the NBA broadband pass afterall. lol
Wiggins...well he was aggressive on D and he got in foul trouble. He didn't have a good game, but he still put up some decent stats. That one postup where the defender overplayed hi and he spun and seemed almost instantly at the rim en-capsules his offensive game really well. His physical length makes him tough to guard and then when eh beat the guy he only had to make like one stride and take off. Of course he actually lost the ball before the guy even fouled him so it was good he got fouled, but he absolutely created that situation. I think Wiggins can be a heck of a player he does need to clean up some things, but they mentioned how he is only 80 days older than KG when he made his debut. I think he is raw but I think he can make improvements in his game and I think physically some of the things he can do is insane. Basically physically nothing is going to hold him back its skill hard work etc. Even tonight I liked what I saw. I'm glad I'll get to see him develop into whatever it is that he will be becasue I think its going to be fun to watch even if he isn't a superstar.
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longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]
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Re: CoolBreeze's 2 Things I Didn't Like Tonight Plus 1
Very entertaining game, and encouraging that the Wolves played the Griz dead even on their court. I agree with kekgeek's B grade.
What I liked:
Shabazz: Many of us wondered how he was going to fit into the rotation, and Martin's absence gave him the chance to get into the game in the first quarter...and he shined. He showed the same toughness and intensity that he showed last year, but so much of his game has improved. First, his offseason training has made him so much quicker, and it really shows on defense. I focused on him often last night on the defensive end, and I hardly recognized last year's Bazz...he was very effective. Last year he only seemed interested in grabbing rebounds if they were on the offensive side. Last night, he had more defensive rebounds than offensive, and most of them were contested. And while he will always look for his shot, the new Bazz also gets rid of the ball quickly and looks to get others involved. I honestly didn't think he had this defense, rebounding and distributing in him, but he now has two consecutive games where he has been a complete player. I love the new Bazz, and look for him now to get a lot of minutes if he can keep it up.
Williams: While he cooled off late in the game, for most of the game I found myself thinking "Does this guy ever miss?". He has an uncanny ability to find his shot, and make it. And similar to the Bulls game, he worked hard on defense. Williams turns the ball over too much and is prone to defensive lapses, and when he's missing his shot, I predict he will be a target of criticism on this board this year (like he was in Portland last year), but he played like a star last night.
Young: He is what he is on defense and on the boards, but I love his offensive versatility. He can score in so many ways, and all were on display last night...26 points on only 18 shots in 34 minutes. I was very happy with his offensive game last night, and think he will work with Rubio very well this year.
Dieng: Was this even the same guy we watched in preseason this year? While his offense was smooth and effective, his defense was better than I ever saw last year...3 blocks and countless altered shots. And his 8 rebounds in only 18 minutes was very impressive...he didn't look at all physically overmatched by Gasol. Hopefully his finger is okay, and Flip gives him more minutes as Pek searches for his game.
Rebounding: Are we really this good of a rebounding team? 47-33 against Memphis with Thad Young playing 34 minutes. What we seem to have is a team where everyone sees it as their responsibility to rebound...of the 9 guys who played last night, everyone but Williams had at least 3. The reserves in particular were phenomenal on the boards. The jury is still out, but early returns are favorable.
What I didnt like:
Rubio: I posted that Rubio looked good on the game thread, bui on further review, it was not a great game for him. Yes, his defense and shooting were excellent, but we need Rubio to distribute and protect the ball, and last night he was subpar...7 turnovers are way too many, and 7 assists are too few.
Bud: I loved him in preseason, but except for his rebounding, last night he looked like last year's version. If he's not hitting his open shots, he will find minutes harder to get.
Corey: Love the guy, but I thought Flip went with him too long last night. His gambling defense hurt us, his drunken dribbling was on display, and he didn't finish at the rim as well as he normally does. Not a good game for Corey.
But all in all, a very satisfying opening night. Memphis is a 50-win team, and we played them even. The balance and depth on this team is extraordinary, and allows Flip to go with the hot hand down the stretch. Yes, we lost another close one, but I didn't feel that we were as afraid at the end of the game as we looked last year. We are going to win more than our share of close games this year.
What I liked:
Shabazz: Many of us wondered how he was going to fit into the rotation, and Martin's absence gave him the chance to get into the game in the first quarter...and he shined. He showed the same toughness and intensity that he showed last year, but so much of his game has improved. First, his offseason training has made him so much quicker, and it really shows on defense. I focused on him often last night on the defensive end, and I hardly recognized last year's Bazz...he was very effective. Last year he only seemed interested in grabbing rebounds if they were on the offensive side. Last night, he had more defensive rebounds than offensive, and most of them were contested. And while he will always look for his shot, the new Bazz also gets rid of the ball quickly and looks to get others involved. I honestly didn't think he had this defense, rebounding and distributing in him, but he now has two consecutive games where he has been a complete player. I love the new Bazz, and look for him now to get a lot of minutes if he can keep it up.
Williams: While he cooled off late in the game, for most of the game I found myself thinking "Does this guy ever miss?". He has an uncanny ability to find his shot, and make it. And similar to the Bulls game, he worked hard on defense. Williams turns the ball over too much and is prone to defensive lapses, and when he's missing his shot, I predict he will be a target of criticism on this board this year (like he was in Portland last year), but he played like a star last night.
Young: He is what he is on defense and on the boards, but I love his offensive versatility. He can score in so many ways, and all were on display last night...26 points on only 18 shots in 34 minutes. I was very happy with his offensive game last night, and think he will work with Rubio very well this year.
Dieng: Was this even the same guy we watched in preseason this year? While his offense was smooth and effective, his defense was better than I ever saw last year...3 blocks and countless altered shots. And his 8 rebounds in only 18 minutes was very impressive...he didn't look at all physically overmatched by Gasol. Hopefully his finger is okay, and Flip gives him more minutes as Pek searches for his game.
Rebounding: Are we really this good of a rebounding team? 47-33 against Memphis with Thad Young playing 34 minutes. What we seem to have is a team where everyone sees it as their responsibility to rebound...of the 9 guys who played last night, everyone but Williams had at least 3. The reserves in particular were phenomenal on the boards. The jury is still out, but early returns are favorable.
What I didnt like:
Rubio: I posted that Rubio looked good on the game thread, bui on further review, it was not a great game for him. Yes, his defense and shooting were excellent, but we need Rubio to distribute and protect the ball, and last night he was subpar...7 turnovers are way too many, and 7 assists are too few.
Bud: I loved him in preseason, but except for his rebounding, last night he looked like last year's version. If he's not hitting his open shots, he will find minutes harder to get.
Corey: Love the guy, but I thought Flip went with him too long last night. His gambling defense hurt us, his drunken dribbling was on display, and he didn't finish at the rim as well as he normally does. Not a good game for Corey.
But all in all, a very satisfying opening night. Memphis is a 50-win team, and we played them even. The balance and depth on this team is extraordinary, and allows Flip to go with the hot hand down the stretch. Yes, we lost another close one, but I didn't feel that we were as afraid at the end of the game as we looked last year. We are going to win more than our share of close games this year.