CoolBreeze44 wrote:I hate to say it, but you could almost blame last night's loss exclusively on Wiggins. Like I said in the game thread, I almost hope he was sick or had something else going on. Because that effort was embarrassing and non-professional. The only thing we don't know is if the things we don't see on non-game days are sapping these guys of their energy. All I know is something isn't right.
Lavine going 0-7 is pretty tough considering one of the things this team has done well was take and make 3's. Should Zach have drove to the basket more? Probably but I think you also don't mind him thinking he will make the next shot espcially when it's a wide open corner 3. Those misses later in the game on good offense were tough. If Zach makes two 3's they probably win the game. I'm not saying all the blame is on Zach but man I don't think he hit a jumper all game and that's unexpected.
CoolBreeze44 wrote:I hate to say it, but you could almost blame last night's loss exclusively on Wiggins. Like I said in the game thread, I almost hope he was sick or had something else going on. Because that effort was embarrassing and non-professional. The only thing we don't know is if the things we don't see on non-game days are sapping these guys of their energy. All I know is something isn't right.
Lavine going 0-7 is pretty tough considering one of the things this team has done well was take and make 3's. Should Zach have drove to the basket more? Probably but I think you also don't mind him thinking he will make the next shot espcially when it's a wide open corner 3. Those misses later in the game on good offense were tough. If Zach makes two 3's they probably win the game. I'm not saying all the blame is on Zach but man I don't think he hit a jumper all game and that's unexpected.
There are good jumpers... and bad jumpers. The two corner threes were great looks. He just missed them. It happens. He's a good shooter and I expect those to go in next time.
But the 26 foot fadeaways off a pindown set is a bit more unsettling because they are basically wasted possessions when it happens.
I'm willing to give LaVine more of a pass than the other guys last night. I think it's pretty clear, at least to me, that he's playing through something right now. You can see him grimacing after shots. I don't wanna call it an injury because I'm not a medical expert or behind the scenes. I think it was reported that he had tendinitis. That may be it or it's something else. Either way, he's gutting it out.
I would love to have an excuse for Wiggins, but unfortunately him showing up only to be invisible isn't rare at all. It's a problem that goes all the way back to his days at Kansas. Even his rookie season here the late Flip Saunders -- God rest his soul -- talked about it. You can't be a superstar in the NBA and take nights off. That's what separates the great from good and the OKAY -- consistency.
Yeah, I've noticed Zach grimacing at times since his return too, and when your game is based so much on explosiveness, a knee injury has to be especially limiting. Most of the night Zach had little Avery Bradley guarding him, so I really hoped he was poised for a big night.
Zach is a tough kid and really wants to play, but the Wolves looked pretty good in the games he missed. I wonder whether Thibs needs to sit him for a few days until he is back at full strength. Perhaps Wig seeing Bradley trying to defend him last night would have been just the potion he needed to get going. I don't know how hurt Zach is and a lot of this is Monday morning quarterbacking, but it might have been a great night to rest Zach and go big.
Abe you are right Zach takes some contested shots and that one fade away was a bad shot. Some of his other contested 3's this season it seems like he is making. I think some of those shots are ok takes (he sets them up and takes them) some he should probably lay off but out of 7 3's you kinda expect one of them to go down. That's all.
I was kinda paying attention to Zach last night and I didn't see any issues physically. He was grimacing from when someone whacked him in the face after a drive but other than that he seemed fine. I'll keep paying attention though you guys may have seen something I may have missed because I was expecting to see what you guys have said so I was pleasantly surprised to not have noticed issues. Overall I thought Zach played fine he just missed some shots which is unexpected. That one finish against Horford at the rim was a thing of beauty.
I didn't see a Wiggins who took the night off against Boston. I saw a guy that just didn't hit some shots. I saw the same guy we have seen battling on the boards. There were at least a couple plays I remember where he was in there tipping the ball out to someone else. He also had a play late in the 2nd half where he again would have drawn a foul on a bigger player getting a rebound but there was another loose ball foul they called. What about the pretty move where he went behind his back the defender way back on their heels and then the wide open jumper just didn't fall when a shot like that this season has been money for him? People say he just wilted and was passive. He took 18 shots in this game which is right at his season average in attempts. He missed shots including 3's. Roast him for missing shots and not being able to beat the Boston on ball defenders late but saying he just didn't show up? That personally is not what I saw.
Also there hasn't been enough talk about Rubio's game last night. We have been saying he hasn't been good enough lately. Last night was more what we have seen from him in the past. 7 points 8 rebounds 9 assists hit all his FTs and had zero turnovers. Sure he went 1-7 from the field so it wasn't all good but if we get that Rubio we will be in pretty good shape.
monsterpile wrote:
I didn't see a Wiggins who took the night off against Boston. I saw a guy that just didn't hit some shots. I saw the same guy we have seen battling on the boards. .
I honestly don't know what you could have been watching Monster. Hey, nobody likes the guy as much as I do, but his effort in the 2nd half was deplorable. He must have had a half dozen chances to stop fast breaks by at least committing a foul to avoid a layup but he continually backed off. He had no energy in the 4th quarter, took some ridiculous shots, and of course missed just about everything he threw up.
I'll be the first to praise him when he does great, but I can't overlook what I saw last night. And what sucks is he just seemed to turn the corner to legitimate star. I can excuse the off shooting night in Memphis, but last night he flat out didn't compete.
monsterpile wrote:
I didn't see a Wiggins who took the night off against Boston. I saw a guy that just didn't hit some shots. I saw the same guy we have seen battling on the boards. .
I honestly don't know what you could have been watching Monster. Hey, nobody likes the guy as much as I do, but his effort in the 2nd half was deplorable. He must have had a half dozen chances to stop fast breaks by at least committing a foul to avoid a layup but he continually backed off. He had no energy in the 4th quarter, took some ridiculous shots, and of course missed just about everything he threw up.
I'll be the first to praise him when he does great, but I can't overlook what I saw last night. And what sucks is he just seemed to turn the corner to legitimate star. I can excuse the off shooting night in Memphis, but last night he flat out didn't compete.
Thanks for sharing the details you saw. I appreciate coming here to this board and getting different perspectives from others and sharing what I perceived.
Wait Zach gets a pass for playing horrible and Wiggins doesn't? No passes. Were they both tired and hurting? Probably. But Zach took a couple of moving fadeaway 3s in the 4th. That shot shouldn't be taken when you're healthy. Zach can make up for his bone-headed decision making with his talent often but let's not let one off the hook because of percieved injury. If you make the choice to play you're accountable for your performance. That's on Wiggins and Zach.
