Giving Tim a day off for rest- Spurs/Wolves GDT

[rapsuperstar31]

The trade deadline will be interesting. The starters plus NAZ and Bones seem like something TC would not want to mess with (no matter how much I might gripe at times!). Clark does some good things. Mike seems unable to do a lot of good things. It sure seems like his salary added to Dilly's salary could bring back what the Wolves are looking for...

It's tempting but I really hate the idea of moving Mike after the hand shake no trade.

It's silly, but I have to imagine players would really hate seeing that and this is one of tightest locker rooms I've ever seen

I mean do we know for sure he has a handshake agreement, I think it was Doogie that said it when Mike signed it. He's not always correct.

[Leado01]

Wemby was a +17, but NAZ was a +23....so much for plus minus

[FNG]

Wemby was a +17, but NAZ was a +23....so much for plus minus

Ha, true. Like any stat, it can be meaningless in a small sample size. But tonight there was no question that Wemby was far and away the Spurs' best player. And even thought Ant and Ju were the crunch time heroes, they wouldn't had the chance to shine without the spark that Naz provided in the second half...and Bones too!

[AbeVigodaLive]

Abe's well that was unexpected DVR Review:

- Everything is a struggle. Good looks get passed up for worse looks. There's no cohesion. Just fighting it... but I don't really know what the fight's against...

- Wemby and Gobert both were looking for highlights early as both know they'll get extra attention.

- Just a rough rough grind in this one. I don't think it's a lazy wolves game... but something just hasn't clicked. The crowd feels it. They're quiet.

- AND THEN DONTE DIVENCENZO HAPPENED!
It was clear that there was something going on between Donte and the young Spurs guards. Chirping? A little extra physicality? It's like they're challenging him... and he's in a "I'm not a chump" mode. There was real energy there and maybe it was more noticeable because so little of substance was happening elsewhere.

Anyway, I'm starting to see Divencenzo staking claim to being the pulse of this team.

- I went into a time machine in the 3rd quarter... and watched the 34-year-old Anthony Edwards battle vs. the Spurs. He looked a step slow, unable to get past the young spurs guys, and then hesitant on almost everything. He looked unsure... or even injured?

- The energy was building... and then right around 73 - 83, and around the flagrant on Rudy... the intensity level changed completely. One of the crazier, more obvious shifts of energy/intensity/excitement both on the court and off it I can remember.

At one point, I thought to myself that they started playing like a team that knows it's playing the next game without Rudy AND Edwards... while facing a 3-game losing streak just when they started feeling better about themselves...

- We've all sat/stood through a lot of those types of games that fall short. It's part of our mystique in a way. It's always fun when they turn out like tonight.

I thought of the Malik Sealy game for some reason right after the Wolves closed it out...

[FNG]

We probably aren't talking about Donte enough here. While his 3-point shooting hasn't been as good as some other years, he's scoring much better in the paint than last year. And his defense has been a huge surprise for me...his energy has been there every night, and he has become a plus defender. We can only hope that he isn't included in any trade deadline deals that might happen.

[Q-is-here]

Abe's well that was unexpected DVR Review:

- Everything is a struggle. Good looks get passed up for worse looks. There's no cohesion. Just fighting it... but I don't really know what the fight's against...

- Wemby and Gobert both were looking for highlights early as both know they'll get extra attention.

- Just a rough rough grind in this one. I don't think it's a lazy wolves game... but something just hasn't clicked. The crowd feels it. They're quiet.

- AND THEN DONTE DIVENCENZO HAPPENED!
It was clear that there was something going on between Donte and the young Spurs guards. Chirping? A little extra physicality? It's like they're challenging him... and he's in a "I'm not a chump" mode. There was real energy there and maybe it was more noticeable because so little of substance was happening elsewhere.

Anyway, I'm starting to see Divencenzo staking claim to being the pulse of this team.

- I went into a time machine in the 3rd quarter... and watched the 34-year-old Anthony Edwards battle vs. the Spurs. He looked a step slow, unable to get past the young spurs guys, and then hesitant on almost everything. He looked unsure... or even injured?

- The energy was building... and then right around 73 - 83, and around the flagrant on Rudy... the intensity level changed completely. One of the crazier, more obvious shifts of energy/intensity/excitement both on the court and off it I can remember.

At one point, I thought to myself that they started playing like a team that knows it's playing the next game without Rudy AND Edwards... while facing a 3-game losing streak just when they started feeling better about themselves...

- We've all sat/stood through a lot of those types of games that fall short. It's part of our mystique in a way. It's always fun when they turn out like tonight.

I thought of the Malik Sealy game for some reason right after the Wolves closed it out...

Nice review Abe!

[Q-is-here]

We probably aren't talking about Donte enough here. While his 3-point shooting hasn't been as good as some other years, he's scoring much better in the paint than last year. And his defense has been a huge surprise for me...his energy has been there every night, and he has become a plus defender. We can only hope that he isn't included in any trade deadline deals that might happen.

I just can't imagine the front office trading anyone in the starting lineup at this point.

Edit: At least not this season...the offseason could be different of course depending on how the playoffs go.

[Q-is-here]

Wemby was +17 on the court, -18 on the bench. But when the game was on the line, Ju bullied him despite giving up 7 inches. Ju also cleared the way for Ant's winning drive to the basket. He had a terrible box score, but he was there when we needed him.

Hes such an interesting player because he does this every once in a while on defense where he can just put people in hell on that end in isolation cause he's so fucking strong.
It's nice to at least know that is there when you need it

Julius basically PJ Tucker-ed Wemby. PJ was notorious for using his bulk and low center of gravity to jostle, wrestle, and hand check guys into off-balance shots that just look uncomfortable. Lu Dort is the guard version of the same thing.

We're lucky the refs let 'em play in the 4th quarter. I can guarantee you if PJ Tucker was guarding KAT that way a few years ago we'd be crying about it! Of course KAT would also flail his arms and get the offensive foul instead....

[FNG]

Wemby was +17 on the court, -18 on the bench. But when the game was on the line, Ju bullied him despite giving up 7 inches. Ju also cleared the way for Ant's winning drive to the basket. He had a terrible box score, but he was there when we needed him.

Hes such an interesting player because he does this every once in a while on defense where he can just put people in hell on that end in isolation cause he's so fucking strong.
It's nice to at least know that is there when you need it

Julius basically PJ Tucker-ed Wemby. PJ was notorious for using his bulk and low center of gravity to jostle, wrestle, and hand check guys into off-balance shots that just look uncomfortable. Lu Dort is the guard version of the same thing.

We're lucky the refs let 'em play in the 4th quarter. I can guarantee you if PJ Tucker was guarding KAT that way a few years ago we'd be crying about it! Of course KAT would also flail his arms and get the offensive foul instead....

So much fun to watch Ju take on Wemby last night. It almost makes me wonder if Finchy might let Ju guard him when we play them next week. The problem is I don't know who Rudy guards then. It actually might be interesting to put Rudy on Castle and dare him to shoot threes.

[Q-is-here]

Hes such an interesting player because he does this every once in a while on defense where he can just put people in hell on that end in isolation cause he's so fucking strong.
It's nice to at least know that is there when you need it

Julius basically PJ Tucker-ed Wemby. PJ was notorious for using his bulk and low center of gravity to jostle, wrestle, and hand check guys into off-balance shots that just look uncomfortable. Lu Dort is the guard version of the same thing.

We're lucky the refs let 'em play in the 4th quarter. I can guarantee you if PJ Tucker was guarding KAT that way a few years ago we'd be crying about it! Of course KAT would also flail his arms and get the offensive foul instead....

So much fun to watch Ju take on Wemby last night. It almost makes me wonder if Finchy might let Ju guard him when we play them next week. The problem is I don't know who Rudy guards then. It actually might be interesting to put Rudy on Castle and dare him to shoot threes.

Houston, OKC, and SAS all have multiple shooting vulnerabilities (< 33% from 3) in their core rotations that can be exploited in the playoffs, where teams are much more focused on bespoke defensive schemes for their opponent. Playing Rudy against Castle is a great example.

San Antonio - Castle (26% 3pt), Fox (32%), Harper (25%). I'd even argue that you give Wemby that shot since it's much more preferable to him getting deep in the paint. You just live with it if he hits a few.

Houston - Amen (19%), Sengun (31%), Capela (n.a.), Adams (n.a.), Okogie (39% on low volume, but does that hold up in the playoffs???)

OKC - Dort (32%), Caruso (31%), Jalen Williams (28%), Jaylin Williams (30%)