FNG wrote:Yep, I gotta agree Abe...KAT is our most efficient scorer, and he needs more than 18 shots per game (although last night was one more than his career average of 17).
That portion of the game to talk about was dreadful, I will agree. But as a rebuttal, I would offer that KAT's post-game comments about wondering whether the game should be cancelled or not makes me wonder if he showed up ready to play. He seemed lethargic at the start of the game, and despite not getting him the ball, the offense was clicking against a pretty good defensive team (Zeller is not a pushover, by any means)...59 first half points. As the game progressed, it seemed to me that KAT got more engaged as he perhaps left his Covid fears behind, and we got the ball into his hands more and more. We need more of that. He needs to touch the ball more frequently early in the shot clock.
At the end of the day though, we're 6-20. We're not losing regularly by 20 or more like we were when KAT was out, but still a loss is a loss. My positive feeling about last night's game is probably more due to the fact that it was the first game I had seen in close to a month and I saw some things I liked from our young guys. But I get the pessimism from you guys who have been watching a lot more blowout losses than I have.
True. Maybe the Wolves are finally getting closer to when games are close into the 4th quarter and then the better team mostly sleepwalking pulls away 4 out of every 5 games.
That's a pattern Wolves fans know well. We just haven't been able to get there without Towns this season.
[Note: I fully expect the Wolves to win more games the 2nd half of the season. Enough that we will be sold the "SEE! WE TOLD YOU THESE GUYS WORK. AND THE SYSTEM WORKS!" company line. And we'll fall for it. Meanwhile, we'll be asked to forget yet another lost season because there's so much hope for the future. And if/when next year doesn't play out much differently (without that #1 pick)... we'll be told another company line about promise and hope. And we'll believe that one, too. We're Timberwolves fans. That's what we do.]
kekgeek1 wrote:Is Dlo more important then Kat we now have a better winning % when Kat is out compared to when Dlo is out (I'm kidding on the conclusion)
There is some truth to what you say though. It's less about DLO and more about how KAT can only do so much to help the team as an offensive big. He can't bring the ball up. He can't be the ball handler in pick and roll. The post up game is mostly dead these days. Etc.
If embiid and Jokic didn't win at a high level i would agree a little more
Embid is a legit 2-way big, KAT is not. Embid can physically dominate people. Jokic is a better passer than KAT and, just as importantly, a better screen setter. His screening and their ability to run DHO and curls off of him are things the Wolves just can't do. I hate to say it, but those two are just plain better.
Again, not ripping KAT. He's a legit star and by far our best player. But he can't take over a game.
I disagree with this. Both the Sixers and Nuggets run their offense through Embiid and Jokic, respectively. I have yet to see the Wolves do such a thing with Towns consistently and it's not because of his ability, but rather the coach's own ideology. I've mentioned it in the past, but can you imagine if Rick Adelman was coaching this team? You'd see a much more dominant version of Towns. We actually got to see how he used Kevin Love and I don't think it's a stretch to say that Towns is the superior player and talent between the two. Towns would get way more touches at the elbow and in the post, he'd be running off screens for three-point attempts, he might even be handling the ball in some pick-and-roll action. He'd also have more cutters to pass to. It seems like this team rarely has anything happening away from the ball because they're all spotting up for three. For all the talk about building around the guy they never actually have given him the keys to the castle on offense.
Karl Anthony Towns would be perfect in adelman's corner offense. Too bad we are making him a stretch 5 to space the floor for rubio and okogie. The current system does not maximize the franchise player's skill. That is why Towns can't impact the game in w/l more than he should. He is being used as a role player who put up big numbers in "the system" while "the system" with the dribble handoffs actions and drive and kicks to offensively challenged shooters is the number 1 priority.
We just saw ant drive and draw defenders and pass out to the strong side to the open rubio, who swing it to the corner to the open okogie for the open and missed corner 3. Towns was never in position to get a pass because he is stationed on the weakside. A lot of the plays our system produced end up like these.
Right it's not the system sucks, the players do. You cannot play Rubio or Okogie or anyone who hits open corner 3's at 20%. The defense will just leave them open and play 5 on the other 4. Your space is working against you by leaving them wide open. lol
kekgeek1 wrote:Is Dlo more important then Kat we now have a better winning % when Kat is out compared to when Dlo is out (I'm kidding on the conclusion)
There is some truth to what you say though. It's less about DLO and more about how KAT can only do so much to help the team as an offensive big. He can't bring the ball up. He can't be the ball handler in pick and roll. The post up game is mostly dead these days. Etc.
If embiid and Jokic didn't win at a high level i would agree a little more
Was going to say this exact same thing. Those two teams can both figure out how to do it, why can't we?
kekgeek1 wrote:Is Dlo more important then Kat we now have a better winning % when Kat is out compared to when Dlo is out (I'm kidding on the conclusion)
There is some truth to what you say though. It's less about DLO and more about how KAT can only do so much to help the team as an offensive big. He can't bring the ball up. He can't be the ball handler in pick and roll. The post up game is mostly dead these days. Etc.
If embiid and Jokic didn't win at a high level i would agree a little more
Embid is a legit 2-way big, KAT is not. Embid can physically dominate people. Jokic is a better passer than KAT and, just as importantly, a better screen setter. His screening and their ability to run DHO and curls off of him are things the Wolves just can't do. I hate to say it, but those two are just plain better.
Again, not ripping KAT. He's a legit star and by far our best player. But he can't take over a game.
I disagree with this. Both the Sixers and Nuggets run their offense through Embiid and Jokic, respectively. I have yet to see the Wolves do such a thing with Towns consistently and it's not because of his ability, but rather the coach's own ideology. I've mentioned it in the past, but can you imagine if Rick Adelman was coaching this team? You'd see a much more dominant version of Towns. We actually got to see how he used Kevin Love and I don't think it's a stretch to say that Towns is the superior player and talent between the two. Towns would get way more touches at the elbow and in the post, he'd be running off screens for three-point attempts, he might even be handling the ball in some pick-and-roll action. He'd also have more cutters to pass to. It seems like this team rarely has anything happening away from the ball because they're all spotting up for three. For all the talk about building around the guy they never actually have given him the keys to the castle on offense.
Exactly this. Was going to say the Adelman example too
kekgeek1 wrote:Malik Beasley made it clear in his postgame comments that he wants to play more
"I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life. I feel like I need to be used more... I know that I can play more"
Beasley played 37 minutes tonight but that was only his 7th time this season of 35+
One guy who would definitely be on Malik's side on this discussion would be Terry Rozier...I think he would have liked to have Beas out there for all 48!
kekgeek1 wrote:Is Dlo more important then Kat we now have a better winning % when Kat is out compared to when Dlo is out (I'm kidding on the conclusion)
There is some truth to what you say though. It's less about DLO and more about how KAT can only do so much to help the team as an offensive big. He can't bring the ball up. He can't be the ball handler in pick and roll. The post up game is mostly dead these days. Etc.
If embiid and Jokic didn't win at a high level i would agree a little more
Embid is a legit 2-way big, KAT is not. Embid can physically dominate people. Jokic is a better passer than KAT and, just as importantly, a better screen setter. His screening and their ability to run DHO and curls off of him are things the Wolves just can't do. I hate to say it, but those two are just plain better.
Again, not ripping KAT. He's a legit star and by far our best player. But he can't take over a game.
I disagree with this. Both the Sixers and Nuggets run their offense through Embiid and Jokic, respectively. I have yet to see the Wolves do such a thing with Towns consistently and it's not because of his ability, but rather the coach's own ideology. I've mentioned it in the past, but can you imagine if Rick Adelman was coaching this team? You'd see a much more dominant version of Towns. We actually got to see how he used Kevin Love and I don't think it's a stretch to say that Towns is the superior player and talent between the two. Towns would get way more touches at the elbow and in the post, he'd be running off screens for three-point attempts, he might even be handling the ball in some pick-and-roll action. He'd also have more cutters to pass to. It seems like this team rarely has anything happening away from the ball because they're all spotting up for three. For all the talk about building around the guy they never actually have given him the keys to the castle on offense.
Exactly this. Was going to say the Adelman example too
I would take Adelman or Sam in a second right now.
