CoolBreeze's 2 Things I Didn't Like Tonight Plus 1

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I was at the game last night with my son...had a terrific time until we got stuck at 84 points for what seemed like a decade.

First, it was nice to see a relatively large, boisterous crowd...so different than the tomb I was in a week ago for the Knicks game. No tickets available on the street so we had to pay full fare at the window, but it was worth it to see a crowd that was enjoying the show. And the athleticism was on display in full force for one of the few times this season...Bazz, Drew, Corey, AB and Zach were all flying around the court and soaring above the rim. Really exciting to see them playing loose like that.

Also amazing that we played the Bucks even for three quarters with only one center and really no legitimate PG's. Zach shot the ball surprisingly well and also displayed some quick feet on defense from time to time, but showed little aptitude for running an offense. Even though Brewer backed the ball down the court the way Sid Lowe used to do in such a maddening fashion, I think Britt Robson was correct when he tweeted that the offense looked much more fluid with Corey at the point than Zach...wow, now that's an indictment. Many of you guys have been saying that Zach is a SG, not a PG, and that was really on display last night. That said, I'm still on the fence about going out and getting another PG, especially if it means getting rid of Bud, Ronny or somebody else. Frankly, not having a second center was a more critical issue last night than not having PG play. Hummel had a very poor game defensively, but can we really blame him when he is asked to defend centers?


The game was close to even with about 10 minutes left, despite 2 of our starters (Dieng and Young) having about 6 points total between the two of them. Fortunately, our bench was scoring again last night, and that allowed us to stay close. Bazz and AB scored 25 points in 37 minutes, leaving only one question in the minds of most Wolves fans...why only 37 minutes for the two of them? Sure they each had some defensive lapses, but I would argue that everyone on the team did last night. And both of them were on the court during two notable defensive stands (yes, except for a couple Dieng blocks, I only remember two defensive sequences that stand out.

Thad worked hard, but clearly wasn't ready for the minutes Flip gave him. I wish I could un-see the 3-pointer that Bud airmailed about five feet long, because other than that, he was efficient and effective on offense.
I hate to say it, though, but he's the only player on our roster whose effort I question on defense...he need to pick it up and not take occasional plays off.

While I agree with Cool's assessment that it is a pleasure to watch Corey play basketball...I really find it hard to criticize him, even when he deserves it...his drunken dribbling and poor shot selection was on display last night. Robson is correct...when he didn't try to do too much, our offense did run smoother with him at the point. But why Flip continues to allow him to work to get open for three pointers when he doesn't allow a pure shooter like Bennett to take any is beyond me. Flip is a wise coach, and I think we will begin to see him limiting Corey's long-distance shooting when we get our hurt guys back. Until that moment, I don't know that it matters much...we're not going to beat anyone other than the worst 4-5 teams in the league with only one center and PG, and while missing our high scorer.

A lot of fun last night, but as Cool says, a very predictable result. Our depleted roster was playing out of position, and just ran out of gas.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Just got back to Philly after an awesome Thanksgiving week in Minnesota. Boy, it's nice traveling on Friday instead of Saturday or Sunday!

Like LST, I was at the game too on Wednesday. It was a really good game with a rambunctious crowd until the 4th quarter happened. I think everyone else already recapped things pretty thoroughly, but needless to say, it was a disappointing way to end what was a great game for 3 1/2 quarters.

Let's hope for a better outcome tonight, but I'm not counting on it....