GDT Bucks vs. Wolves

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

JJ was really good last night. He had a brief 4-minute stint that several of us here noticed where he played poorly like he did so often last year, but he was terrific the rest of the night. I don't mind the 2 for 8 shooting if he gets his teammates involved in a controlled fashion, and that's what he did with 9 assists and only one turnover. Last night you could see why Flip has called him his best player at times this pre-season. Flip and Sid Lowe are both PGs, and maybe they have had an impact on JJ in getting him to be a distributor rather than just looking for his shot every time. There's also the theory that Adelman had no confidence in the reserves who were often on the court with JJ last year, and told him that he needed to be the scorer...Jim Peterson suggested this last night, and his takes are usually pretty solid.

Yesterday I said that Flip seemed to have settled into a 10-man roster, and that Ronny, Bazz, JJ, Zach and Robbie/GR3 were going to be odd men out when the team was healthy. Then, all except Ronny played well, and Bazz and JJ especially showed they were deserving of regular minutes. making my knee-jerk conclusion seem foolish. This roster lacks a star, to be sure, but it is the most balanced roster 1 through 15 that we have ever seen, and I don't think Flip is reluctant to play anyone. It's going to be interesting to see how he works his rotations when everyone is healthy.

It was almost impossible to recognize the Shabazz we saw last night. Yes, he scored at his normal high rate, but more importantly he played within the team system for the first time in my memory. Bazz has probably never been asked to pass much, and he has not shown any passing skills at all...until last night. When he got the ball last night, he quickly looked for his shot, but if there was no scoring opportunity available, he got rid of the ball in a hurry in a manner that helped the offense. This was a big change from his usual pattern of looking for his shot, holding the ball for 5 seconds, and then harmlessly returning the ball to the player he received it from. It was the first time he actually looked interested in getting the ball to a teammate in a position to score. Two plays really stood out for me in suggesting there is potential for a "new Shabazz". Moments after scoring on his patented move on the left block, he received the ball there again, but this time attracted three defenders. Rather than Bazz-forcing the shot, instead he found Thad wide open at the top of the key for a three. Another time he got the ball near the three point line in the right corner and quickly threw a bullet to Dieng under the basket. It should have been an easy dunk, but Gorgui didn't handle the pass. Still, it was a great look and pass.

Bazz never loafs on defense, but last night his effort was more effective than usual. His man (and zone for a short period) defense was solid, and he also looked to help his teammates. 2 steals and a block.

We have seen too much of the "bad Bazz" to think he has turned things around in one night. But there is no disputing the fact that he was a different player last night, and one who deserves regular minutes if he can keep it up. Really an encouraging night.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Rubio 6 assists and JJ with 7. Five guys in double figures scoring. They really spread it around now without Love.

This. The reason I know we are going to be .500+ is because we have the talent to spread around Love's production. And while we may not totally replace his offensive efficiency, the defensive effort this squad is able to exert completely squashes that one negative.

Tim, is there any room on this .500+ bandwagon if I sit in the back? The last two nights have really made me look at this team in a new light, with two almost 20 point victories. Granted it's only pre-season and our opponents were not very good, but to me it seemed like our opponents were playing the game like a regular season game...playing their healthy players rather than selectively resting them like Flip. But no matter who Flip put out there was effective. I saw a Wolves team playing unselfishly on the offensive side, hitting the boards much better than I would have expected, and being totally disruptive on defense. It's fun to watch the joy on the bench as they watch their teammates. Thad Young has been a terrific acquisition to the roster as a teammate. He seems to keep things loose, and has even brought Pek out of his shell. It's fun to watch the normally quiet Pek yukking it up on the bench with Thad, Ronny, Corey and Mo. It's not that they are not interested in the game, because they are watching intently. They're just keeping everyone loose. It's a big difference from last year when the team generally played in a joyless and tight fashion. I think Flip, Thad and Mo have made a big impact on the personality of this team.

The West is still a brutally tough conference, and there will be a lot of losses as this team develops. I hope they don't lose the personality they are showing now when the inevitable losses come, but rather continue to play loose. They are going to be a lot of fun to watch, and should blow away that 26 1/2 wins over/under.

[bleedspeed]

JJ was really good last night. He had a brief 4-minute stint that several of us here noticed where he played poorly like he did so often last year, but he was terrific the rest of the night. I don't mind the 2 for 8 shooting if he gets his teammates involved in a controlled fashion, and that's what he did with 9 assists and only one turnover. Last night you could see why Flip has called him his best player at times this pre-season. Flip and Sid Lowe are both PGs, and maybe they have had an impact on JJ in getting him to be a distributor rather than just looking for his shot every time. There's also the theory that Adelman had no confidence in the reserves who were often on the court with JJ last year, and told him that he needed to be the scorer...Jim Peterson suggested this last night, and his takes are usually pretty solid.

Yesterday I said that Flip seemed to have settled into a 10-man roster, and that Ronny, Bazz, JJ, Zach and Robbie/GR3 were going to be odd men out when the team was healthy. Then, all except Ronny played well, and Bazz and JJ especially showed they were deserving of regular minutes. making my knee-jerk conclusion seem foolish. This roster lacks a star, to be sure, but it is the most balanced roster 1 through 15 that we have ever seen, and I don't think Flip is reluctant to play anyone. It's going to be interesting to see how he works his rotations when everyone is healthy.

It was almost impossible to recognize the Shabazz we saw last night. Yes, he scored at his normal high rate, but more importantly he played within the team system for the first time in my memory. Bazz has probably never been asked to pass much, and he has not shown any passing skills at all...until last night. When he got the ball last night, he quickly looked for his shot, but if there was no scoring opportunity available, he got rid of the ball in a hurry in a manner that helped the offense. This was a big change from his usual pattern of looking for his shot, holding the ball for 5 seconds, and then harmlessly returning the ball to the player he received it from. It was the first time he actually looked interested in getting the ball to a teammate in a position to score. Two plays really stood out for me in suggesting there is potential for a "new Shabazz". Moments after scoring on his patented move on the left block, he received the ball there again, but this time attracted three defenders. Rather than Bazz-forcing the shot, instead he found Thad wide open at the top of the key for a three. Another time he got the ball near the three point line in the right corner and quickly threw a bullet to Dieng under the basket. It should have been an easy dunk, but Gorgui didn't handle the pass. Still, it was a great look and pass.

Bazz never loafs on defense, but last night his effort was more effective than usual. His man (and zone for a short period) defense was solid, and he also looked to help his teammates. 2 steals and a block.

We have seen too much of the "bad Bazz" to think he has turned things around in one night. But there is no disputing the fact that he was a different player last night, and one who deserves regular minutes if he can keep it up. Really an encouraging night.

Great write up! I was mostly watching him last night. Game started off with Rubio telling him where to go but he got into the flow pretty quickly. I don't think he has the making of a bench guy.

[bleedspeed]

I think we are going to see lots of match up type rotations. Last night Flip started Shabazz at SG to match up with the freak. I think you will see a lot of fresh bodies this year. He might play only 10 guys a night, but one night that someone might play 20 minutes a game and the next night not play at all based mostly on matchups. I am not sure if that means the starters will get mixed up or just the reserves. I really think this team will go as far as Rubio and Pek take it. They really setup everything for everyone else. Pek is just so strong and Rubio knows how to set him up. They make a great combo on the floor.

[Monster]

Did anyone else read the article via Startribune about Flip's 3 point club? It seems a little rigid but I really don't mind. Listening to what Flip was talking about getting good shots no matter where they are on the floor I now know for certain why George Karl didn't even get a phone call from Flip about the job.

Why? Last year Karl and Shaw argued last year about what was a good shot Shaw was saying get a good shot and that wildly jacking up 3's and driving to the rim wasn't good offense which is what Karl's basic premise was and then Karl got mad etc it went back and forth a bit. I thought Karl's offensive philosophy wasn't a fit with Flip but this absolutely confirms it. Personally I'm glad we didn't hire Karl despite his accomplishments. Notice nobody else hired him either despite A LOT of openings.

I'd be interested to know who so far is in Flip's 3 point club. Its probably no surprise who is and isn't in it. Its not set in stone so if there is someone not in it they can earn their way on. Sounds good to me.

[bleedspeed]

I am sure Pek is in the 3pt club because he likely won't take it and who is going to tell him no.

[mjs34]

Did anyone else read the article via Startribune about Flip's 3 point club? It seems a little rigid but I really don't mind. Listening to what Flip was talking about getting good shots no matter where they are on the floor I now know for certain why George Karl didn't even get a phone call from Flip about the job.

Why? Last year Karl and Shaw argued last year about what was a good shot Shaw was saying get a good shot and that wildly jacking up 3's and driving to the rim wasn't good offense which is what Karl's basic premise was and then Karl got mad etc it went back and forth a bit. I thought Karl's offensive philosophy wasn't a fit with Flip but this absolutely confirms it. Personally I'm glad we didn't hire Karl despite his accomplishments. Notice nobody else hired him either despite A LOT of openings.

I'd be interested to know who so far is in Flip's 3 point club. Its probably no surprise who is and isn't in it. Its not set in stone so if there is someone not in it they can earn their way on. Sounds good to me.

I haven't read the article, but this is what worried me about Flip coming back. His system isn't built for the PO's. It is why the wolves struggled to get out of the first round for 7 years. Jump shooting teams only win when their shots are falling. Hopefully, we have enough athleticism to continue to draw fouls to offset the long 2's that Flip's system seems to embrace.

Karl doesn't believe in "wildly jacking up 3's", but he does realize that an open 3pt shot is a better shot than a long 2. He also realizes that driving to the hoop draws fouls, which accomplishes two things. Getting the other team into foul trouble, as well as getting to the line and scoring at a much more efficient rate.

Monster, I think Karl couldn't land a job due to his age and previous health issues, more than his offensive philosophy. It seems the league is embracing Karl's offense more each year.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Rubio 6 assists and JJ with 7. Five guys in double figures scoring. They really spread it around now without Love.

This. The reason I know we are going to be .500+ is because we have the talent to spread around Love's production. And while we may not totally replace his offensive efficiency, the defensive effort this squad is able to exert completely squashes that one negative.

Tim, is there any room on this .500+ bandwagon if I sit in the back? The last two nights have really made me look at this team in a new light, with two almost 20 point victories. Granted it's only pre-season and our opponents were not very good, but to me it seemed like our opponents were playing the game like a regular season game...playing their healthy players rather than selectively resting them like Flip. But no matter who Flip put out there was effective. I saw a Wolves team playing unselfishly on the offensive side, hitting the boards much better than I would have expected, and being totally disruptive on defense. It's fun to watch the joy on the bench as they watch their teammates. Thad Young has been a terrific acquisition to the roster as a teammate. He seems to keep things loose, and has even brought Pek out of his shell. It's fun to watch the normally quiet Pek yukking it up on the bench with Thad, Ronny, Corey and Mo. It's not that they are not interested in the game, because they are watching intently. They're just keeping everyone loose. It's a big difference from last year when the team generally played in a joyless and tight fashion. I think Flip, Thad and Mo have made a big impact on the personality of this team.

The West is still a brutally tough conference, and there will be a lot of losses as this team develops. I hope they don't lose the personality they are showing now when the inevitable losses come, but rather continue to play loose. They are going to be a lot of fun to watch, and should blow away that 26 1/2 wins over/under.

I think you and Tim are still too optimistic. It's still only preseason games.

The number 1 positive takeaway in preseason for me is that we have remained healthy. If we can come out of preseason without any major injuries or health setbacks, that is success in my book.

[thedoper]

I haven't read the article, but this is what worried me about Flip coming back. His system isn't built for the PO's. It is why the wolves struggled to get out of the first round for 7 years. Jump shooting teams only win when their shots are falling. Hopefully, we have enough athleticism to continue to draw fouls to offset the long 2's that Flip's system seems to embrace.

Karl doesn't believe in "wildly jacking up 3's", but he does realize that an open 3pt shot is a better shot than a long 2. He also realizes that driving to the hoop draws fouls, which accomplishes two things. Getting the other team into foul trouble, as well as getting to the line and scoring at a much more efficient rate.

Monster, I think Karl couldn't land a job due to his age and previous health issues, more than his offensive philosophy. It seems the league is embracing Karl's offense more each year.

Not totally fair. The reason we never got out of the 2nd round is because of the teams we had around Garnett. Once Marbury left it was really a miracle that we even made the playoffs. Sam and Spree were such a huge upgrade over Wally and Terrell Brandon. I think Flip was quite creative to try and make the most of what he had. Garnett, Brandon and Wally were all jump shooters. Now we have some guys who are obviously more suited to transition, I believe Flip will adapt. He never struck me as a rigid system guy.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

On the 3 pointer vs. 2 pointer issue and Flip's "club", this is definitely an area of concern for some of the more analytical-minded fans, as Zgoda points out in the article.

A made basket is worth two points from 0 feet all the way out to 23 feet and some change. Then suddenly the reward of a made shot goes up 50%, to 3 points. That is statistically a huge leap. Why on earth would Flip give a player permission to shoot a 22-foot open 2-point shot, but not a 24-foot open 3-point shot, when there is THAT much of a premium to a made shot!? Even a FG% of 40% from 22 feet is considered really good. All a player needs to do is hit 27% of their 3 pointers to achieve the same level of efficiency.

I guess the devil is in the details. If Flip is saying to certain players, in general, I don't want you taking 3 pointers AND long 2-pointers until you first demonstrate the ability to knock them down consistently in practice and drills, then fine. But if he draws the proverbial line in the sand at the 3-point arc, that makes absolutely no sense what so ever. I would rather see Anthony Bennett taking open 3 pointers on pick and pops than open 22 footers. The risk/reward ratio is tilted way in favor of the reward.