Minnesota Sports Forum

longstrangetrip wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:Flip certainly believed in Payne. So maybe we've all been way to harsh in our critiques of Payne. Perhaps all he needed was a top notch coaching staff and more time. Just one game, but what a lift it would be if Payne could consistently give us games like tonight's, reminiscent of his impressive college career at MSU.

I'm probably Payne's biggest supporter on this board, Lip, because I thought he was such a do-everything guy at MSU...but even I have been enormously unhappy with his play. Last night was completely different...he didn't have any "Payne moments". Maybe Thibs can get more out of him than Flip/Sam could, but I think we all look at that with skepticism...after all, he really only saw the court last night because 3 guys were out. But his length at PF can be game changing if he can play under control, so I'm still hopeful.

Speaking of length, that was the highlight last night. There were times (particularly when Mosgov was out) that we were taller than the Lakers at every position, and that really makes a difference. Most of us have had the experience of playing against a longer opponent, and we know how frustrating it can be...on both ends of the court. Wig especially looked like a wild animal that had just been let out of his cage...you could tell he really savored the opportunity to play most of the game at SG. The Wolves lack bulk and what will hurt us some nights. But if Thibs can be confident in putting longer lineups out there, I think that will create some matchups that we can really exploit. My optimism level is back after last night.

Only two disappointments last night: KAT's tendency to force things (he should not have taken more shots than Wig last night) and the crowd. The good news about KAT is that he plays hard, but sometimes I think he needs to take a deep breath and dial it back a bit...his passing skills are so good I think he can easily be a 5 APG guy if he looks to pass first. Finally, I was really disappointed with the Sunday night crowd...almost nobody upstairs and lots of empty seats downstairs. Such a poor crowd for a 6pm game against the Lakers (who still draw because of the mystique) shows this town doesn't believe in this team yet. A few more games like last night will turn that around quickly.

Q12543 wrote:

Duke13 wrote:Wow, this is moving fast. Lavine scores 37 a couple games again and is playing beautifully. Yea he still has strides to make in defense but now everyone wants him coming off the bench or moved to make room for Wig at the 2. It's one game. Btw, Wig was scoring pretty well prior to last game and efficiently also.

I know I've been quick to make judgements, most recently with Dunn. But cmon, Zach and Wig are a great pairing. Talk about jumping to conclusion on thier ability to play defense together. It's been 6-7 games under a new coach for a pair of 20-21 year olds.

I think it's more spit balling versus torches and pitchforks demanding a change.

The fact is we suck defensively and are especially vulnerable to teams that are bigger and stronger. We get pushed around easily. It's easy to see why someone might speculate on the notion of moving LaVine to the bench in order to make our starting lineup bigger and stronger.

I doubt Thibs makes any immediate changes, nor should he. I agree it's too early, but speculation is what we do here....

Duke13 wrote:Wow, this is moving fast. Lavine scores 37 a couple games again and is playing beautifully. Yea he still has strides to make in defense but now everyone wants him coming off the bench or moved to make room for Wig at the 2. It's one game. Btw, Wig was scoring pretty well prior to last game and efficiently also.

I know I've been quick to make judgements, most recently with Dunn. But cmon, Zach and Wig are a great pairing. Talk about jumping to conclusion on thier ability to play defense together. It's been 6-7 games under a new coach for a pair of 20-21 year olds.

Mstermisty wrote:I was against Wiggs at the 2 last season, but after seeing his improvement this year at ball handling and especially 3 point shooting, now it seems like a viable option. And since Zach is still only 21, while meanwhile Belly is in his physical prime at 28, you have to consider switching Zach and Belly's roles at least this season. The main question is this: can Belly duplicate or at least give us a lesser version, consistently, of what he did last night? One great game is meaningless if he starts next game and disappears.

I'd give the same starting lineup another look on Tuesday, and maybe beyond if the team thrives. But if Zach is ready and starts again I'm good with that too. I'm putting my trust in Thibs. He already got more out of Payne than I would have ever guessed.