Minnesota Sports Forum

bleedspeed177 wrote:I think people are expecting way to much out of Dunn.

Tyus Jones averaged 15.5 mpg last season...

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

bleedspeed177 wrote:I think people are expecting way to much out of Dunn.

Tyus Jones averaged 15.5 mpg last season...

And what does that mean? He only got to play in 37 total games and basically didn't see action until after Miller was traded.

bleedspeed177 wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

bleedspeed177 wrote:I think people are expecting way to much out of Dunn.

Tyus Jones averaged 15.5 mpg last season...

And what does that mean? He only got to play in 37 total games and basically didn't see action until after Miller was traded.

I don't think expecting 14 minutes for the 22-year-old #5 pick is expecting "way too much."

He wasn't billed as a project. So if he's turned into one... that's on Thibs. EVERY lottery pick from last season played more than that.

AbeVigodaLive wrote:
I don't think expecting 14 minutes for the 22-year-old #5 pick is expecting "way too much."

He wasn't billed as a project. So if he's turned into one... that's on Thibs. EVERY lottery pick from last season played more than that.

I was think 32 minutes a game. He will land somewhere between Foye and Flyyn for rookie,

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

bleedspeed177 wrote:I think people are expecting way to much out of Dunn.

Tyus Jones averaged 15.5 mpg last season...

Yes. for Sam Mitchell. In contrast, even though he came into the league after 3 years of college and a hard-nosed defender, Butler only played 8.5 MPG for Thibs his rookie year.

I'm a little troubled by the narrative in this thread that Thibs is going to give Dunn a lot of minutes because he drafted him and it will look like his failure if Dunn doesn't have a breakout year. I hope that's not true, but if it is, it's exactly why Glen (and many of us) don't think the POBO and coach should be the same guy.

But I think Thibs is better than that, and is going to play the guys that give us the best chance to win...and I think that means 36 minutes of Ricky. Thibs has a long-term contract and seems pretty oblivious to fan criticism, so I don't see him worrying too much if fans complain about a rookie not playing enough.

longstrangetrip wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

bleedspeed177 wrote:I think people are expecting way to much out of Dunn.

Tyus Jones averaged 15.5 mpg last season...

Yes. for Sam Mitchell. In contrast, even though he came into the league after 3 years of college and a hard-nosed defender, Butler only played 8.5 MPG for Thibs his rookie year.

.

I'll repeat stuff I already wrote... and add more context:

- Butler was the #30 pick in the draft. Was the public clamoring for the unknown #30 pick to get more run?
- He joined an established team coming off a 62 - 20 season that ended in the ECF. For the second straight season, they had a league-best record (50 - 16) his rookie season.
- It was the lockout season. There were no preseason games and only a two-week training camp before games started.

- The Wolves LOST 53 games last season. They aren't competing for a title like the Bulls were.
- Dunn was picked #5. Expectations between the #5 pick and #30 are huge... especially when the higher pick is joining a much worse team.

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

longstrangetrip wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

bleedspeed177 wrote:I think people are expecting way to much out of Dunn.

Tyus Jones averaged 15.5 mpg last season...

Yes. for Sam Mitchell. In contrast, even though he came into the league after 3 years of college and a hard-nosed defender, Butler only played 8.5 MPG for Thibs his rookie year.

.

I'll repeat stuff I already wrote... and add more context:

- Butler was the #30 pick in the draft. Was the public clamoring for the unknown #30 pick to get more run?
- He joined an established team coming off a 62 - 20 season that ended in the ECF. For the second straight season, they had a league-best record (50 - 16) his rookie season.
- It was the lockout season. There were no preseason games and only a two-week training camp before games started.

- The Wolves LOST 53 games last season. They aren't competing for a title like the Bulls were.
- Dunn was picked #5. Expectations between the #5 pick and #30 are huge... especially when the higher pick is joining a much worse team.

Yeah, it's a no brainer. He's getting at least 18 minutes per game this season as Rubio's primary backup (assuming Rubio is still here) and potentially more if we don't sign a free agent 2-guard like Courtney Lee.

....but this is one of the problems being a perennial lottery team. You are almost always obligated to get those guys a fair amount of run right away. And since almost every rookie is a drag on team performance - even ones that do fairly well in the traditional box score stats - it sacrifices short-term wins. And the biggest problem of all is that half of them don't work out, so you put them in big roles either off the bench or as starters, sacrifice short-term performance, and then ultimately don't bear any fruit over the long run (see Foye, Brewer, Flynn, Williams, Johnson......).

I'm not complaining at all about the Kris Dunn pick, just stating one of the constraints these high picks put on a franchise that selects them. Hopefully Dunn's age and experience will fast-track his development as a plus-level contributor in the NBA.

I think Dunn plays all of Jones' minutes and Jones never sees the floor.

That's right. I'm controversial.

PG B/R/R 32 Dunn 16 Jones 36 (in Des Moines)
SG Wiggins 20 Lavine 28
SF Wiggins 12 Bazz 25 Belly 11

Q12543 wrote:....but this is one of the problems being a perennial lottery team. You are almost always obligated to get those guys a fair amount of run right away. And since almost every rookie is a drag on team performance - even ones that do fairly well in the traditional box score stats - it sacrifices short-term wins. And the biggest problem of all is that half of them don't work out, so you put them in big roles either off the bench or as starters, sacrifice short-term performance, and then ultimately don't bear any fruit over the long run (see Foye, Brewer, Flynn, Williams, Johnson......).

I'm not complaining at all about the Kris Dunn pick, just stating one of the constraints these high picks put on a franchise that selects them. Hopefully Dunn's age and experience will fast-track his development as a plus-level contributor in the NBA.

And let's face it... how much pressure do the Wolves really have to "win now?"

Sure, expectations are raised. But nobody is losing their job if this team fails to make the playoffs this season. In fact, anything above 35 wins can be spun as a step in the right direction with savvy franchise speak about promise and improvement and new regimes and growth and all that.

In fact, adding a rookie to a 2nd year guy and two 3rd year guys as the core plays right into that narrative.