Camden wrote:LaVine isn't ready to play minutes, but we're supposed to play Mbah a Moute, Muhammad and Hummel instead? Riiight.
You mis-quoted me. Go back and read what I actually wrote. What I said was that I don't see LaVine playing big minutes next year. I didn't say he would play zero minutes or that he should be in the D-league or that he should go be Robbie Hummel's water boy. I absolutely think Flip will give him some burn. If for some reason Martin and Shved are out of the picture, that leaves platooning from among the bevy of small forwards we have to fill significant minutes at the 2.
Camden wrote:"But I start to get the cold sweats when I try to imagine Wiggins defending James or Anthony. I understand that most defenders struggle against these guys, but Wiggins would be giving up 60 pounds, and that would be a complete mismatch."
Why can't Andrew Wiggins guard those players if Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Trevor Ariza, Thabo Sefalosha can? Those guys are roughly 20 pounds heavier than Wiggins, but like all great defenders, they play with leverage and they take advantage of their length. Wiggins does that while having elite lateral quickness. I think he'd be fine on defense against any wing.
In comparison, Andre Iguodala and Nic Batum are the same weight as Wiggins. Both are considered very good defenders and matchup with the elite wings every opportunity they get.
Excellent points on Iggy and Batum, cam...I agree that both of them find a way to compensate for their small frames and still be elite defenders against SF's. I think Wiggins has such great defensive potential that he will eventually be effective against SF's and SG's. I just have an easier time visualizing him defending SG's as a rookie. I just did some research on "Wiggins: SG or SF", and it looks like the majority of pundits see him as eventually playing SF, but more likely playing SG early in his career. Ultimately, he will maximize his value as a player if he can be exceptional at both wing positions.
Since long mentioned oladipo. I think dipo is a good reference to wiggins as far as how one can improve his handles. Dipo has suspect handles coming into the league. Couldnt dribble with his left but last year, the magic made him handle the ball and even play some pg. It resulted in a lot of to's but dipo did improved his handles.
