Minnesota Sports Forum

Cool, that was fun to see the coaches give Zach a standing O the one time he attacked the basket. Flip told Barreiro this morning that the coaches are encouraging Zach to use his physical gifts and get more aggressive, but it's clear to me that Zach is more interested right now in playing cautious and limiting turnovers...only 2 last night in his first NBA start. I like that the coaches are encouraging him to be aggressive and essentially giving him permission to fail. Quite unlike what LaVine had to put up with last year at UCLA with Alford, or the way Adelman coached last year for that matter. I think the attitude of Flip and his staff is going to accelerate this kid's development. It might be good if he has a game soon in which he takes a chance on aggressive passes and tries to get to the rim. He may have 7-8 turnovers, but Flip sounds like he will be okay with that, and it will aid his development.

A couple guys have called out posters whose opinion of Kevin Martin fluctuates game to game. I'm guilty as charged, but I'm more than comfortable with my fluctuating opinion of him because my opinion has nothing to do with how well he is shooting...Kevin is an elite shooter, but I accept that he is going to have off nights. I was very complimentary of Kevin for his play most of the Orlando game, even though he missed a game-wining shot and went 3-11 on threes...shit happens. My criticism of Kevin is when he clearly doesn't show up, and last night was one of those nights. One of the things I am enjoying about this year's team is that most of the guys are leaving it all on the court every night...and for most of the early season, that has included Kevin. But not last night, on offense or defense. I saw it, and I suspect Flip saw it also, because he only gave him 29 minutes compared to 42, 38 and 36 his previous 3 games. If Kevin is playing hard, like he was his first three games, I'll be in his corner. But when he's not, I'll be the first to rip him, because he really stands out on those nights next to his teammates who are busting their asses. And I suspect that Flip will not be as tolerant of Kevin taking plays off as Adelman was last season. He has lots of wing options to turn to, and I'm guessing he will continue to reward the guys who are working the hardest...like last night.

What drives me nuts, and I dunno if others noticed, but all of our players have the worst habit of always jumping before they pass it. Lavine did it a bunch, Brewer did it a lot and turned it over, Rubio does it all the time. I remember Shved doing it a lot too. Drives me nuts, it's almost always a turnover

alexftbl8181 wrote:What drives me nuts, and I dunno if others noticed, but all of our players have the worst habit of always jumping before they pass it. Lavine did it a bunch, Brewer did it a lot and turned it over, Rubio does it all the time. I remember Shved doing it a lot too. Drives me nuts, it's almost always a turnover

I noticed that last night too, alex, and certainly we used to see it with Shved. It bothered me a little last night, but I also see it as a bad habit that tends to go away as a player gains more experience. For instance, I don't agree with your premise that Rubio does it all the time...I see it as a rare occurrence for him, as reflected in his excellent assist to turnover ratio. But I'm afraid we're going to see a lot from Zach over the next couple months...part of the development process.

Martin had one bad game, and it was on the tail end of a tough back to back. Prior to that he has been playing well and shooting the ball at a respectable clip. No doubt about it he plays better next to Rubio, but who doesn't? The problem is Martin is our best perimeter scorer and teams realise this and defend him accordingly.

LeVine played well considering it was his first start and game involving significant minutes. Flip would have told him to play conservatively and to facilitate, a job he did well. The highlight real dunks will come.

It's not Martin's ability that is the problem. It's his attitude and lack of mental toughness that bothers me. If he wasn't in the way we might be able to try Bazz at the 3 and Wiggins at the 2. It would make us really long and improve our rebounding greatly.

An efficient 20 PPG scorer that's in the way. I've seen it all.

Camden wrote:An efficient 20 PPG scorer that's in the way. I've seen it all.

You play defense 50% of the time. How efficient is his D? Or doesn't that matter? How efficient is he when he's out with one of his many ailments? Does he do anything besides score? I think you only see what you want to see.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

Camden wrote:An efficient 20 PPG scorer that's in the way. I've seen it all.

You play defense 50% of the time. How efficient is his D? Or doesn't that matter? How efficient is he when he's out with one of his many ailments? Does he do anything besides score? I think you only see what you want to see.

I said he's not a perfect player by any means, but to say he's in the way or ignore the value he brings to a team is ludicrous, especially on a team that needs guys that can score.

Camden wrote:I said he's not a perfect player by any means, but to say he's in the way or ignore the value he brings to a team is ludicrous, especially on a team that needs guys that can score.

I tend to agree with this. With Love gone, this team has an extreme need for pure scorers and Martin fits the bill. In fact, Martin might end with career highs this year if he can stay healthy. Don't get me wrong - I want to see the young guys like Bazz play a lot too. But they need to earn it vs. having it handed to them. Best case scenerio, Martin puts up career numbers and we can deal him at peak value when/if the young guys prove ready.

On a side note, Miami on a BTB destroyed the Mavs in Dallas tonight...

The bright side of Zach starting is when Rubio does come back, Zach should be a legit combo guard off the bench, and a legit alternative to Mo.