Minnesota Sports Forum

With the small sample size, it's a very thin line at this point. If, and I know it's a big IF, we had won 2 of the 3 games we had a big lead in, the narrative would be completely different at this point. We would be 3-2 and everybody would be talking about how this team is ready to take off. Let's get 20 games in and see where we are. I for one am disappointed, but far from panicking.

monsterpile wrote:

Q12543 wrote:

Mikkeman wrote:

TheSP wrote:

60WinTim wrote:

Q12543 wrote:

papalrep wrote:Q- I think his passing and trust in team mates will come, but I am far more concerned with his contribution to the weak interior paint presence defensively. He's got to become a two-way player.

Has he ever been one? At Kentucky, he platooned with a defensive stud. May be we need to trade with SAC and get his old team mate.

Our issue is strength/bulk, something our entire front line of KAT, Dieng, and Wiggins lacks. I'm not sure WCS helps that situation. Theoretically, Aldrich was supposed to help out more on the big bulky Centers, but he was an absolute sieve last night against Kanter.

Yeah, how come Aldrich seemed so much bigger with the Clippers last season?!?

Because you watched him against G and rookie KAT.

Surprisingly Aldrich had his best games last year against Whiteside (19pts, 7rbs 50% FG%in 24 minutes), Cousins (19pts, 10rbs, 3blk 57% FG% in 28 minutes) and Gobert (21pts, 18rbs, 57% FG% in 39 minutes) and he basically won each of these matchups. So based on this really small sample size it looked like that wouldn't have had last year that much problems against big centers.

Well, it's the classic "Oh, I'm a Timberwolf now, therefore I must play below the level I did with my prior team" syndrome. I don't have a scientific study on this, but I swear to God nearly every veteran we sign or trade for automatically gets worse the second they cross the state line! I thought this applied only to 3-point shooters, but apparently it applies to erstwhile defensive stoppers too!

Maybe I shouldn't be nitpicking after this game but this just isn't true Q although it SEEMS that way. There are plenty of Wolves FAs that have had success (including from the 3 point line) in their first seasons as wolves.

JJ
Ridnour
Tolliver
Ryan Hollins
Brewer
Mo Williams
Kevin Martin

That's just guys off the top of my head.

Mayor Hoiberg was pretty good as I recall.

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

monsterpile wrote:

Q12543 wrote:

Mikkeman wrote:

TheSP wrote:

60WinTim wrote:

Q12543 wrote:

papalrep wrote:Q- I think his passing and trust in team mates will come, but I am far more concerned with his contribution to the weak interior paint presence defensively. He's got to become a two-way player.

Has he ever been one? At Kentucky, he platooned with a defensive stud. May be we need to trade with SAC and get his old team mate.

Our issue is strength/bulk, something our entire front line of KAT, Dieng, and Wiggins lacks. I'm not sure WCS helps that situation. Theoretically, Aldrich was supposed to help out more on the big bulky Centers, but he was an absolute sieve last night against Kanter.

Yeah, how come Aldrich seemed so much bigger with the Clippers last season?!?

Because you watched him against G and rookie KAT.

Surprisingly Aldrich had his best games last year against Whiteside (19pts, 7rbs 50% FG%in 24 minutes), Cousins (19pts, 10rbs, 3blk 57% FG% in 28 minutes) and Gobert (21pts, 18rbs, 57% FG% in 39 minutes) and he basically won each of these matchups. So based on this really small sample size it looked like that wouldn't have had last year that much problems against big centers.

Well, it's the classic "Oh, I'm a Timberwolf now, therefore I must play below the level I did with my prior team" syndrome. I don't have a scientific study on this, but I swear to God nearly every veteran we sign or trade for automatically gets worse the second they cross the state line! I thought this applied only to 3-point shooters, but apparently it applies to erstwhile defensive stoppers too!

Maybe I shouldn't be nitpicking after this game but this just isn't true Q although it SEEMS that way. There are plenty of Wolves FAs that have had success (including from the 3 point line) in their first seasons as wolves.

JJ
Ridnour
Tolliver
Ryan Hollins
Brewer
Mo Williams
Kevin Martin

That's just guys off the top of my head.

Mo Williams was only here 41 games. His shooting went down from his previous season. But gave us that memorable 50+ game to break a long losing streak! Shot 40.3%.

JJ Barea did about the same with MN as in DAL. Shot only 40.0%. But his 3s went up to 37%.

Corey Brewer shot a career high 48% his first season back in MN.

Tolliver shot a career high from everywhere (for what that's worth) his first season in MN.

Kevin Martin's stats went down. But spacing leaving Durant/Westbrook might be the culprit. And he's been even worse since he left.

Luke Ridnour shot a career high 44% on three pointers his first season. He was worthless after he left.

Didn't bother to look up Ryan Hollins.



By the way... SUCCESS is a very relative term in this case...

Thanks for looking all that up and posting the findings. I agree success is a relative term especially since the team didn't succeed during the time those players were with the team although at least that 40-42 team was mediocre which was sadly a drastic improvement...yay.

Bah! You guys and your data are hurting my narrative! Here are a few other data points:

Damjan Rudez - Shot 40% from 3 the year before joining the Wolves. Shot only 34% with the Wolves. When your ONLY job in life is to make 3's, you gotta knock them down at a better rate than that.

Troy Daniels - Career 3pt % of 42%.....shot 33% in his short stint with the Wolves. Same applies to him as to Rudez. It's his sole purpose for making an NBA team.

Budinger - 40% the season prior to joining the Wolves; shot 32% in his first season with the Wolves

Mike Miller - Shot 42% on 7 attempts per game prior to the Wolves; shot 37% on 5 attempts per game with the Wolves, turning down open jumpers in order to be a facilitator. Idiot.

I think my broader point is that we have a hell of a time identifying, grooming, and keeping great 3-point shooters. LaVine is the most promising volume 3-point shooter we've had since Martin.

Q12543 wrote:Bah! You guys and your data are hurting my narrative! Here are a few other data points:

Damjan Rudez - Shot 40% from 3 the year before joining the Wolves. Shot only 34% with the Wolves. When your ONLY job in life is to make 3's, you gotta knock them down at a better rate than that.

Troy Daniels - Career 3pt % of 42%.....shot 33% in his short stint with the Wolves. Same applies to him as to Rudez. It's his sole purpose for making an NBA team.

Budinger - 40% the season prior to joining the Wolves; shot 32% in his first season with the Wolves

Mike Miller - Shot 42% on 7 attempts per game prior to the Wolves; shot 37% on 5 attempts per game with the Wolves, turning down open jumpers in order to be a facilitator. Idiot.

I think my broader point is that we have a hell of a time identifying, grooming, and keeping great 3-point shooters. LaVine is the most promising volume 3-point shooter we've had since Martin.

Mike Miller was one of the most disappointing Wolves of all time for me.

He was a proven player. He had a key role. And he shit the bed by refusing to play the same way he did everywhere else.

Q12543 wrote:Bah! You guys and your data are hurting my narrative! Here are a few other data points:

Damjan Rudez - Shot 40% from 3 the year before joining the Wolves. Shot only 34% with the Wolves. When your ONLY job in life is to make 3's, you gotta knock them down at a better rate than that.

Troy Daniels - Career 3pt % of 42%.....shot 33% in his short stint with the Wolves. Same applies to him as to Rudez. It's his sole purpose for making an NBA team.

Budinger - 40% the season prior to joining the Wolves; shot 32% in his first season with the Wolves

Mike Miller - Shot 42% on 7 attempts per game prior to the Wolves; shot 37% on 5 attempts per game with the Wolves, turning down open jumpers in order to be a facilitator. Idiot.

I think my broader point is that we have a hell of a time identifying, grooming, and keeping great 3-point shooters. LaVine is the most promising volume 3-point shooter we've had since Martin.

Yes Q your broader point I think is a real problem and I agree with that narrative. An addition layer has been finding guys that are volume 3 point shooters not just guys that shoot it well but just let it fly.

Also cause it's fun let's look at some more data points.

Budinger in his 2nd and 3rd seasons with the Wolves shot over 35% from 3. 2 years before joining the Wolves he shot 32.5% so...it's not like he was amazing every year before the Wolves. Obviously the reality is Budinger wasn't a success regardless of the numbers because he was always coming off of an injury which leads us to...

Martell Webster who shot over 40% from 3 his first season with the Wolves and a not completely awful 33.9%. But he was basically in the same boat as Bud was. He wasn't effective because of injury. He was healthy for a season with the wizards and hey he was a nice rotation player.

Rudez and Daniels are your data points? Come on man they played a combined 52 games total. Talk about sample size! Lol Just giving you a hard time bringing them up is somewhat worthwhile because hey why not play those guys a bit more or utilize their skills more right?

This is why Dubljevic as a guy with a strong base although not that long but also can shoot the 3 sounds really intriguing to me as a possible rotation big.

Dubs is off to another strong start in Europe. He certainly seems to be able to score the ball, but I have absolutely no clue how he is defensively.

Q12543 wrote:Dubs is off to another strong start in Europe. He certainly seems to be able to score the ball, but I have absolutely no clue how he is defensively.

Yeah tough to say. Here is a highlight of him and his teammate and former Wolves shooting star Justin Hamilton!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_ignndK6svY