Wolves at Knicks GDT

[WildWolf2813]

Frustrating.

If nothing else, JMac is showing he should get more PT. He singlehandedly spurred us on to getting back in the game.


Naz was a no-show. Finch didn't do a great job today. This mighta been a good time to have used Milton considering how many times he's seen them, but oh well.

Sometimes Finch has to know early on when someone ain't got it. If that means digging deeper into the bench, so be it. It's not a permanent thing. It just might be what the team needs that day. Tough loss, but all in all we split with the Knicks and one less game off this stretch that's neverending.

Ran into KAT and the family before the game. That dude signs EVERY piece of merch, paper, whatever. He's incredibly gracious to fans. Much of the team is honestly.

[Q-is-here]

Frustrating.

If nothing else, JMac is showing he should get more PT. He singlehandedly spurred us on to getting back in the game.


Naz was a no-show. Finch didn't do a great job today. This mighta been a good time to have used Milton considering how many times he's seen them, but oh well.

Sometimes Finch has to know early on when someone ain't got it. If that means digging deeper into the bench, so be it. It's not a permanent thing. It just might be what the team needs that day. Tough loss, but all in all we split with the Knicks and one less game off this stretch that's neverending.

Ran into KAT and the family before the game. That dude signs EVERY piece of merch, paper, whatever. He's incredibly gracious to fans. Much of the team is honestly.

Good stuff Wildwolf. Glad you could see a game in person and interact with KAT. I've never heard a bad thing about the guy off the court.

Lip, have you ever seen KAT's Dad throw T-shirts into the crowd during timeouts? I swear when I was at the game I saw his Dad taking part in the T-shirt frenzy as one of the throwers. That's pretty cool if he does that regularly.

[Q-is-here]

I didn't catch this game, but it's about freakin' time JMac got some solid minutes. Let's hope it continues.

I think the really good thing about all these games against playoff-caliber competition is that it really shines a light on what we need to improve on as we get ready for a potential run in the playoffs. I thought it was more 3-point shooting before this stretch of games, but my mind has changed since then.

I don't know if JMac is the right answer as Conley's primary backup come playoff time, but he at least gives Finch and the front office some time to evaluate how much of a difference it makes to have a real backup PG in the rotation before the trade deadline.

[Lipoli390]

Frustrating.

If nothing else, JMac is showing he should get more PT. He singlehandedly spurred us on to getting back in the game.


Naz was a no-show. Finch didn't do a great job today. This mighta been a good time to have used Milton considering how many times he's seen them, but oh well.

Sometimes Finch has to know early on when someone ain't got it. If that means digging deeper into the bench, so be it. It's not a permanent thing. It just might be what the team needs that day. Tough loss, but all in all we split with the Knicks and one less game off this stretch that's neverending.

Ran into KAT and the family before the game. That dude signs EVERY piece of merch, paper, whatever. He's incredibly gracious to fans. Much of the team is honestly.

Good stuff Wildwolf. Glad you could see a game in person and interact with KAT. I've never heard a bad thing about the guy off the court.

Lip, have you ever seen KAT's Dad throw T-shirts into the crowd during timeouts? I swear when I was at the game I saw his Dad taking part in the T-shirt frenzy as one of the throwers. That's pretty cool if he does that regularly.

Yep, I’ve seen KAT’s dad throw t-shirts into the crowd. He used to sit just across the aisle from me and I had the chance to talk to him. He’s a super nice guy. I friend of mine has gotten to know KAT’s dad really well. My friend got seriously ill and missed a bunch of games. I was talking to that friend during shoot-around before the Laker game and KAT’s dad came all the way from the other side of the arena to give my friend 啊hug and talk to him. The member of the Towns family, including KAT, are great people and that’s part of why I appreciate KAT so much and have never liked the idea of trading him.

[Lipoli390]

You’re not going to win many games in today’s NBA scoring 106 points. This Wolves team lacks offensive firepower. That reality is catching up with us and will only get worse. We only have three really good shooter/scorers - Ant, KAT and Naz - on our 14-man roster. That’s not going to get this team into the Western Conference Finals, much less the NBA finals. Jaden simply hasn’t progressed beyond being a great defender who can hit open Js and fouls a lot. NAW can hit some shots, but he’s mainly a defender. Slo Mo can score in the paint but has no shooting range and isn’t really an offensive weapon.

[Q-is-here]

Frustrating.

If nothing else, JMac is showing he should get more PT. He singlehandedly spurred us on to getting back in the game.


Naz was a no-show. Finch didn't do a great job today. This mighta been a good time to have used Milton considering how many times he's seen them, but oh well.

Sometimes Finch has to know early on when someone ain't got it. If that means digging deeper into the bench, so be it. It's not a permanent thing. It just might be what the team needs that day. Tough loss, but all in all we split with the Knicks and one less game off this stretch that's neverending.

Ran into KAT and the family before the game. That dude signs EVERY piece of merch, paper, whatever. He's incredibly gracious to fans. Much of the team is honestly.

Good stuff Wildwolf. Glad you could see a game in person and interact with KAT. I've never heard a bad thing about the guy off the court.

Lip, have you ever seen KAT's Dad throw T-shirts into the crowd during timeouts? I swear when I was at the game I saw his Dad taking part in the T-shirt frenzy as one of the throwers. That's pretty cool if he does that regularly.

Yep, I’ve seen KAT’s dad throw t-shirts into the crowd. He used to sit just across the aisle from me and I had the chance to talk to him. He’s a super nice guy. I friend of mine has gotten to know KAT’s dad really well. My friend got seriously ill and missed a bunch of games. I was talking to that friend during shoot-around before the Laker game and KAT’s dad came all the way from the other side of the arena to give my friend 啊hug and talk to him. The member of the Towns family, including KAT, are great people and that’s part of why I appreciate KAT so much and have never liked the idea of trading him.

Ok, it must have been him then, thanks for confirming. Seems like a great guy.

[Q-is-here]

You’re not going to win many games in today’s NBA scoring 106 points. This Wolves team lacks offensive firepower. That reality is catching up with us and will only get worse. We only have three really good shooter/scorers - Ant, KAT and Naz - on our 14-man roster. That’s not going to get this team into the Western Conference Finals, much less the NBA finals. Jaden simply hasn’t progressed beyond being a great defender who can hit open Js and fouls a lot. NAW can hit some shots, but he’s mainly a defender. Slo Mo can score in the paint but has no shooting range and isn’t really an offensive weapon.

It's debatable whether they need another shooter/scorer Lip. Miami got to the Finals last year with Butler and Bam as the only two guys that could create a shot (if you recall, Herro was hurt during the playoffs). Their 3rd leading scorer in the playoffs was Gabe Vincent (!), who averaged 12.7 PPG.

A couple years ago when Boston lost in the Finals, it was Tatum and Brown without much else in terms of shot creators. Marcus Smart was their 3rd leading scorer in the Playoffs, but it was quite a drop off from the other two.

Granted, these teams did lose in the Finals, so may be not the best examples, but I think we'd all be ecstatic if they made it to that stage!

The reality is that KAT and Ant will be playing 35+ minutes each in the playoffs and they will never both be off the floor at the same time unless KAT is in foul trouble. But even then, Naz would be on the floor in his place.

The question is can a pass-first type PG like Jordan McLaughlin help spark better team offense by increasing the pace and ball movement while limiting turnovers?

[AbeVigodaLive]

Late Night DVR Review of Late Afternoon Game:

- That makes EIGHT failed alley oops to Gobert over the past two games. It reminds me of last season when the Wolves went out of their way to feed him looks.

- Randle vs. Minnesota the past two seasons:

14 - 24 fg (2 - 6 3FG). 39 points.
19 - 29 fg (8 - 14 3FG). 57 points.
9 - 16 fg (8 - 13 3FG). 31 points.

42.3 ppg | 61% fg | 55% 3FG

- The Timberwolves are a very large team. They were outrebounded by 15. They were simply outhustled in this one.

- The Wolves were in NYC on New Year's Eve. Hmmmm...

- Naz Reid was awesome vs. LAL. But he's scored in single digits in 5 of the past 6 games.

- Good to see McLaughlin make a difference by simply playing sound, smart basketball. The 5 assists in the first half was abysmal.

- There's always something with officiating that confuses me... today was the charge on Towns. On replay, it was clear that he was fouled prior to any potential charge and that the guy who fouled him was actually the one to hit Brunson. Yet, for the 2nd time I can remember in confusing officiating in a Wolves game, the officials came back with "there was contact but not enough contact for a foul." Meanwhile, I present 417 fouls vs. Joel Embiid this season as contrary evidence that "there was contact but not enough for a foul."

Towns is a spaz... but seriously... the whistle he gets is usually only reserved for third string foreign rookie centers.

[Lipoli390]

You’re not going to win many games in today’s NBA scoring 106 points. This Wolves team lacks offensive firepower. That reality is catching up with us and will only get worse. We only have three really good shooter/scorers - Ant, KAT and Naz - on our 14-man roster. That’s not going to get this team into the Western Conference Finals, much less the NBA finals. Jaden simply hasn’t progressed beyond being a great defender who can hit open Js and fouls a lot. NAW can hit some shots, but he’s mainly a defender. Slo Mo can score in the paint but has no shooting range and isn’t really an offensive weapon.

It's debatable whether they need another shooter/scorer Lip. Miami got to the Finals last year with Butler and Bam as the only two guys that could create a shot (if you recall, Herro was hurt during the playoffs). Their 3rd leading scorer in the playoffs was Gabe Vincent (!), who averaged 12.7 PPG.

A couple years ago when Boston lost in the Finals, it was Tatum and Brown without much else in terms of shot creators. Marcus Smart was their 3rd leading scorer in the Playoffs, but it was quite a drop off from the other two.

Granted, these teams did lose in the Finals, so may be not the best examples, but I think we'd all be ecstatic if they made it to that stage!

The reality is that KAT and Ant will be playing 35+ minutes each in the playoffs and they will never both be off the floor at the same time unless KAT is in foul trouble. But even then, Naz would be on the floor in his place.

The question is can a pass-first type PG like Jordan McLaughlin help spark better team offense by increasing the pace and ball movement while limiting turnovers?

I think it’s a combination of things, Q. But I do think personnel is part of it. Without Naz Reid’s scoring off the bench, the Wolves would have lost to the Lakers on Saturday night. Last night, Naz was cold and the Wolves lost. The Miami Heat had Duncan Robinson coming off the bench in the playoffs shooting 44% from behind the arc in 18 minutes per game. Gave Vincent and Caleb Martin were also hitting close to 40%

[Lipoli390]

You’re not going to win many games in today’s NBA scoring 106 points. This Wolves team lacks offensive firepower. That reality is catching up with us and will only get worse. We only have three really good shooter/scorers - Ant, KAT and Naz - on our 14-man roster. That’s not going to get this team into the Western Conference Finals, much less the NBA finals. Jaden simply hasn’t progressed beyond being a great defender who can hit open Js and fouls a lot. NAW can hit some shots, but he’s mainly a defender. Slo Mo can score in the paint but has no shooting range and isn’t really an offensive weapon.

It's debatable whether they need another shooter/scorer Lip. Miami got to the Finals last year with Butler and Bam as the only two guys that could create a shot (if you recall, Herro was hurt during the playoffs). Their 3rd leading scorer in the playoffs was Gabe Vincent (!), who averaged 12.7 PPG.

A couple years ago when Boston lost in the Finals, it was Tatum and Brown without much else in terms of shot creators. Marcus Smart was their 3rd leading scorer in the Playoffs, but it was quite a drop off from the other two.

Granted, these teams did lose in the Finals, so may be not the best examples, but I think we'd all be ecstatic if they made it to that stage!

The reality is that KAT and Ant will be playing 35+ minutes each in the playoffs and they will never both be off the floor at the same time unless KAT is in foul trouble. But even then, Naz would be on the floor in his place.

The question is can a pass-first type PG like Jordan McLaughlin help spark better team offense by increasing the pace and ball movement while limiting turnovers?

I think it’s a combination of things, Q.

But I do think personnel is part of it. Without Naz Reid’s scoring off the bench, the Wolves would have lost to the Lakers on Saturday night. Last night, Naz was cold and the Wolves lost. The Miami Heat had Duncan Robinson coming off the bench in the playoffs shooting 44% from behind the arc in 18 minutes per game. Gave Vincent and Caleb Martin were also hitting close to 40% of their threes in the playoffs. In any event, they were an anomaly, finishing in the bottom half of the standings and then getting hot.

I agree a better pass-first PG like JMac will help (better spacing, ball-movement and ball-protection).

Ultimately, having Rudy on the floor will continue to be a challenge for the offense. He can save the day with put-backs, but he also negatively impacts spacing. Abe makes a good observation about the lob attempts last night. It looks like we’re reverting to last season’s tendency to force the ball too often to Rudy. This team needs to discipline itself to rely on Rudy for screens and put-backs in the offense - nothing more.

Part of the problem is that we’re not a physically or mentally tough team. Opponents have taken note and are getting more physical with us and it’s working. Conley can handle it, but he needs help. Ant is tough, but he’s careless with the ball and has a lot to learn. Towns is physically tough, but not mentally strong. Rudy is simply not tough at all. He gets knocked around and the ball get knocked out of his hands pretty easily. Jaden lacks mental toughness as well. He’s easily frustrated and that leads to his continuing propensity to commit silly fouls.

Another issue with this team is that we’re not very fast, which results in getting beat to loose balls too often. In the Laker game I recall watching Vando beat Jaden to a loose ball from the circular to half court even though Jaden had a head start. It wasn’t lack of hustle by Jaden; Vando was simply much faster. Conley’s always been quick, but at age 36 he’s clearly not as fast as he used to be. Rudy, KAT and Jaden are all on the slow side at their respective positions. Conley used to be among the faster PGs, but now he’s about average. Our only starter who’s as fast or faster than his peers at his position is Ant. Among our bench players, Naz is the only one who is particularly fast compared to his peers, although Troy Brown Jr is pretty fast.

We’re a big but not very fast team. The weird thing about this team is that it’s big but not tough. That’s a strange combo. We lack offensive firepower outside of Ant, KAT and Naz. And we don’t have optimal spacing with the Rudy/KAT combo. Yet, we’re still in first place. I think we’re finish in 4th or 5th and win one playoff round unless we correct at least some of our issues. Simply cleaning up the turnovers could help keep us in the top 2 or 3. Integrating JMac into the rotation will be an important step.