Summer League Game Report - Wolves v Nuggets

[Lipoli390]

Lip thanks for your report on interactions. What seems weird to me is that if Russell was the guy going into the locker room with the SL guys why would he be ignoring his head coach? If he was actually unhappy it seems like he might not even be around (my guess some NBA players really like being at SL though) but it would seem unlikely he would be invested in the summer league players. Again I'm not questioning what you saw I just thought it was weird when I thought about it more a few mins later. It will be interesting to see if any of the MN reporters chat with Russell at some point.

As I noted, that brief interaction between DLO and Finch wasn't alarming. It was subtle and could be totally meaningless. But my friend and I both noticed it independent, so I thought it was worth including in my report. The key for me is that DLO was there watching the entire game. And he went back into the locker room with the team as well. If I learned anything about DLO last season is that he's a really good teammate. He doesn't whine or complain. He's always talking to his teammates and pumping them up.

[FNG]

Here ya go, Lip!

Jonathan Givony
@DraftExpress
·
May 18
Memphis's Josh Minott official measurements from the NBA Combine: 6'8.75 in shoes, 6'11.75 wingspan, 8'11.5 standing reach, 197.2 lbs with 4.7% body fat

Lip is trying to get confirmation on the report that Minott is still growing. I know he was disappointed he didn't get a measurement at the beginning of Summer league to compare to the measurement he hopes to get at the end to compare. :)

I'm kind of old school, so I'm going to rely on the eye test. I saw some highlights of him in the 4th quarter last night, and ...not sure... but he looked a little bigger than he did in his first quarter highlights.

[Lipoli390]

I can now confirm that Minott grew exactly 1.374 inches between last nights tip-off and the final buzzer.

[Monster]

Here ya go, Lip!

Jonathan Givony
@DraftExpress
·
May 18
Memphis's Josh Minott official measurements from the NBA Combine: 6'8.75 in shoes, 6'11.75 wingspan, 8'11.5 standing reach, 197.2 lbs with 4.7% body fat

Lip is trying to get confirmation on the report that Minott is still growing. I know he was disappointed he didn't get a measurement at the beginning of Summer league to compare to the measurement he hopes to get at the end to compare. :)

I'm kind of old school, so I'm going to rely on the eye test. I saw some highlights of him in the 4th quarter last night, and ...not sure... but he looked a little bigger than he did in his first quarter highlights.

I went back and used my iPhone ruler/measure app and pointed at Minott on screen before and after the game and I can confirm what your eye test told you. Technology is amazing isn't it!?

[Lipoli390]

Thanks for the report Lip. You will get those measurements on Minott next game!

I just finished watching this game. And here are my thoughts:

Denver looks to have found a couple nice players themselves In Watson and Braun. I was a little surprised at how high both were taken but I actually really liked Braun and he was impressive in his SL debut.

The Wolves overall talent aside from their draft picks looked pretty blah. Matt Lewis is a solid player and Harris certainly made his presence felt later in the game. It's just the first game but it doesn't look like a very impressive group. They did defend their butts off and play hard which is a big reason they won this game. Guys played pretty aggressive on defense.

Spagnolo looks like a nice player. He just looks like he knows how to play and has a nice skill set. He is only 19. That one play where the guy got an easy bucket I thought it could have easily been called an offensive foul. I'm glad that he is able to play in SL I'm looking forward to seeing more. For a late 2nd round stash pick I thought there was plenty to be interested in.

Moore was a bit of a mixed bag. When it comes to him playing PG I compare him in how he plays as more of a Tyus Jones than a guy breaking down a D and whipping passes to people. Obviously I'm not suggesting he has the PG savvy of Tyus but I think that's more of his game. Meanwhile he shot the ball well and yes he got beat on D. I also think while he has physical tools he will be better playing where he knows what guys around him are doing on D. Still he made a couple reads that looked really good. Regardless Moore looked like the guy I thought he would be and what he was picked for. He is a versatile player that can do a lot of stuff.

Minott. I was hoping for something good from him but wowzers. I thought his FT shooting was solid anyways but his shot looked extremely smooth there. His one 3 that he took that looked ugly he clearly rushed it and it was ugly. Do I believe in his 3 point shot? Not exactly but I may believe in it a little more than I did. Regardless if he can do all the other stuff make his FTs over 70% it would be a good pick. This game where he was easily one of the best players on the floor after being a reserve in college makes you want to see more.

I'm not sure I would even consider Kevin Harris on a 2-way but I'll have to keep looking. I didn't specifically see his defense but quite frankly the Wolves had various guys that were getting after it but he is physically put together. It seems like he looks stronger than I remember when I watched a few clips of him. He played more as an off guard and I didn't see much from him that suggests he is much of a combo guard but it's one game.

Anyway it was a good start for the Wolves overall. I am looking forward to the next game and I think someone else on the roster will emerge as someone that is more worthwhile at least as a SL player.

Lip what made Hagens stand out?

Monster - Harris actually made his presence felt throughout the game on the defensive end. I'm not sure you can tell on video just how big he is. He's big, physical, really quick and relentless defensively. He was making life hell on earth for Denver. He's limited offensively, except that he has a nice handle along with the quickness and power to take it to the hole as we saw with his monster dunk.

Hagens stood out with his defense. Of all the players I saw here yesterday, he stood out as the best defender. But Minott and Harris also stood out defensively compared to all the others I saw in the games I watched. The Wolves aren't playing today, but I'll be out there for a few games anyway.

Based on the one Spurs game I saw yesterday I'd say San Antonio had a really good draft. Wesley is really quick and athletic with a tremendous handle. If he develops a consistent perimeter shot, he'll be one of those players that a lot of teams will really regret passing up. Branham was also impressive in a more understated way. I was surprised he fell to #20 and was hoping the Wolves would nab him at 19 before trading down. Watching him yesterday, I'd say he's someone we'll eventually realize shouldn't have fallen that far. He's really steady and seems almost impossible to stop in the mid-range area. What I saw fit the draft analysis I saw about a player who is really good at hitting highly contest mid-range shots.

[Tactical unit]

Damn...wanted to watch the replay this morning, but somehow I didn't record last night. So I really appreciate the in-person review, Lip. I also appreciate the reports on player interaction...I spend a lot of time at games analyzing that too. You're correct that we can't read too much into the DLo/Finch thing, but it certainly needs to be put into the "watch" category". It's a situation that some of us have been concerned about since the end of the playoffs. A max player like DLo understandably has a lot of pride, and being benched at a critical playoff moment followed by a summer of having to read every day that your team is trying to move him can't sit too well with him. I appreciated TC and Finch's positive comments about DLo this summer, but Russell appears to be one of the smarter guys on the roster, and he likely sees them as mere platitudes. So yeah, maybe nothing, but more likely possibly something. I need DLo to listen to Finchie as the coach tries to maximize his value to the team, and if this is an indication of some tension between them, that's not good. But in Finchie and TC I trust, so if there is a rupture, I think it increases the chances TC will continue to find a suitable way to move him...if not this summer, at least by the mid-season deadline. This is one we're going to have to watch closely.

Anyway, I loved the box score and report on Minott. I see us as a championship contender this year, so we shouldn't expect much contribution from a rookie project like Minott, but it sure sounds like he is fun to watch and might be a factor in the future. Did TC find a real diamond in the rough here? Time will tell.

I believe it was his coach Penny Hardaway that spoke highly of Minott. Who on MN's roster at PF has a similar skillset to Minott? I guess Jaden would be the closest? I think if he keeps showing out like last game he has a good shot to make the roster because he offers something different than the rest. Watch Minott interview and his gameplay and it seems like he has a chip on his shoulders being taken in the 2nd round.

[Tactical unit]

I figured out the supposed DLO & Finch thing. Finch had some killer coffee breath and DLO didn't want to be rude backing away a little.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I figured out the supposed DLO & Finch thing. Finch had some killer coffee breath and DLO didn't want to be rude backing away a little.

That would make more sense than whatever suggested beef there would be between them.

[Monster]

Thanks for the report Lip. You will get those measurements on Minott next game!

I just finished watching this game. And here are my thoughts:

Denver looks to have found a couple nice players themselves In Watson and Braun. I was a little surprised at how high both were taken but I actually really liked Braun and he was impressive in his SL debut.

The Wolves overall talent aside from their draft picks looked pretty blah. Matt Lewis is a solid player and Harris certainly made his presence felt later in the game. It's just the first game but it doesn't look like a very impressive group. They did defend their butts off and play hard which is a big reason they won this game. Guys played pretty aggressive on defense.

Spagnolo looks like a nice player. He just looks like he knows how to play and has a nice skill set. He is only 19. That one play where the guy got an easy bucket I thought it could have easily been called an offensive foul. I'm glad that he is able to play in SL I'm looking forward to seeing more. For a late 2nd round stash pick I thought there was plenty to be interested in.

Moore was a bit of a mixed bag. When it comes to him playing PG I compare him in how he plays as more of a Tyus Jones than a guy breaking down a D and whipping passes to people. Obviously I'm not suggesting he has the PG savvy of Tyus but I think that's more of his game. Meanwhile he shot the ball well and yes he got beat on D. I also think while he has physical tools he will be better playing where he knows what guys around him are doing on D. Still he made a couple reads that looked really good. Regardless Moore looked like the guy I thought he would be and what he was picked for. He is a versatile player that can do a lot of stuff.

Minott. I was hoping for something good from him but wowzers. I thought his FT shooting was solid anyways but his shot looked extremely smooth there. His one 3 that he took that looked ugly he clearly rushed it and it was ugly. Do I believe in his 3 point shot? Not exactly but I may believe in it a little more than I did. Regardless if he can do all the other stuff make his FTs over 70% it would be a good pick. This game where he was easily one of the best players on the floor after being a reserve in college makes you want to see more.

I'm not sure I would even consider Kevin Harris on a 2-way but I'll have to keep looking. I didn't specifically see his defense but quite frankly the Wolves had various guys that were getting after it but he is physically put together. It seems like he looks stronger than I remember when I watched a few clips of him. He played more as an off guard and I didn't see much from him that suggests he is much of a combo guard but it's one game.

Anyway it was a good start for the Wolves overall. I am looking forward to the next game and I think someone else on the roster will emerge as someone that is more worthwhile at least as a SL player.

Lip what made Hagens stand out?

Monster - Harris actually made his presence felt throughout the game on the defensive end. I'm not sure you can tell on video just how big he is. He's big, physical, really quick and relentless defensively. He was making life hell on earth for Denver. He's limited offensively, except that he has a nice handle along with the quickness and power to take it to the hole as we saw with his monster dunk.

Hagens stood out with his defense. Of all the players I saw here yesterday, he stood out as the best defender. But Minott and Harris also stood out defensively compared to all the others I saw in the games I watched. The Wolves aren't playing today, but I'll be out there for a few games anyway.

Based on the one Spurs game I saw yesterday I'd say San Antonio had a really good draft. Wesley is really quick and athletic with a tremendous handle. If he develops a consistent perimeter shot, he'll be one of those players that a lot of teams will really regret passing up. Branham was also impressive in a more understated way. I was surprised he fell to #20 and was hoping the Wolves would nab him at 19 before trading down. Watching him yesterday, I'd say he's someone we'll eventually realize shouldn't have fallen that far. He's really steady and seems almost impossible to stop in the mid-range area. What I saw fit the draft analysis I saw about a player who is really good at hitting highly contest mid-range shots.

I think this was a pretty deep draft but watching Branham in the tourney I just thought he had some it factor and just was really skilled with plenty of athletic ability. At that time he was supposed to be a 2nd round pick. He rose up quite a bit from that. Like you I kinda wanted to grab him at #19 but basically getting 2 picks for 1 I can't argue with at all.

Interesting that Hagens was so good defensively. That was his thing coming out of that draft. Up until now he was basically the guy the Rosas FO seemed to really miss on when it came to a 2-way deal and I thought he was a worthwhile signing when they got him. I saw his box score and was like well that didn't go well.

[Monster]

Damn...wanted to watch the replay this morning, but somehow I didn't record last night. So I really appreciate the in-person review, Lip. I also appreciate the reports on player interaction...I spend a lot of time at games analyzing that too. You're correct that we can't read too much into the DLo/Finch thing, but it certainly needs to be put into the "watch" category". It's a situation that some of us have been concerned about since the end of the playoffs. A max player like DLo understandably has a lot of pride, and being benched at a critical playoff moment followed by a summer of having to read every day that your team is trying to move him can't sit too well with him. I appreciated TC and Finch's positive comments about DLo this summer, but Russell appears to be one of the smarter guys on the roster, and he likely sees them as mere platitudes. So yeah, maybe nothing, but more likely possibly something. I need DLo to listen to Finchie as the coach tries to maximize his value to the team, and if this is an indication of some tension between them, that's not good. But in Finchie and TC I trust, so if there is a rupture, I think it increases the chances TC will continue to find a suitable way to move him...if not this summer, at least by the mid-season deadline. This is one we're going to have to watch closely.

Anyway, I loved the box score and report on Minott. I see us as a championship contender this year, so we shouldn't expect much contribution from a rookie project like Minott, but it sure sounds like he is fun to watch and might be a factor in the future. Did TC find a real diamond in the rough here? Time will tell.

I believe it was his coach Penny Hardaway that spoke highly of Minott. Who on MN's roster at PF has a similar skillset to Minott? I guess Jaden would be the closest? I think if he keeps showing out like last game he has a good shot to make the roster because he offers something different than the rest. Watch Minott interview and his gameplay and it seems like he has a chip on his shoulders being taken in the 2nd round.

Larry Brown was the coach that really talked up Minott.