Bazz Wants Out

[Lipoli390]

Shabazz Muhammad has been one of the more unlikable Wolves players I can remember.

Might be a nice guy off the court... I dunno. But he's one of the most selfish players I've ever seen while on it.

The thing about Bazz though is that in spite of his many weaknesses he'll always give you 110%, which itself can be a weakness. I can't help but cheer for a guy who gives it his all, even if I may prefer to cheer for him playing for another team!

I agree. He's been one of my favorite players on the team based on his effort. But he hasn't developed and, as most know, I wasn't happy we drafted him in the first place. I ranted about what a bad pick Bazz was in my email to Flip that resulted in my 90-minute lunch with Flip. He defended Bazz vociferously at our lunch. To be fair to Flip, Thibs really liked him too, even offering him $10 million per year to stay. Thankfully Bazz turned that offer down. Thibs looked downright giddy when he told a group of us late last summer that he thought Bazz might return.

There's something about collective wisdom. When you see the entire NBA passing on a young player who plays hard and was drafted a few years back in the first round, you should question your own positive assessment of that player. Bazz doesn't have the usual red flags like substance abuse, laziness or overall bad attitude. He's just lacking key skills for his position and his basketball IQ seems a bit on the low side. I hope he finds a place in the NBA where he can succeed. But it's clear it won't be here.

[Leado01]

Shabazz Muhammad has been one of the more unlikable Wolves players I can remember.

Might be a nice guy off the court... I dunno. But he's one of the most selfish players I've ever seen while on it.

The thing about Bazz though is that in spite of his many weaknesses he'll always give you 110%, which itself can be a weakness. I can't help but cheer for a guy who gives it his all, even if I may prefer to cheer for him playing for another team!

I agree. He's been one of my favorite players on the team based on his effort. But he hasn't developed and, as most know, I wasn't happy we drafted him in the first place. I ranted about what a bad pick Bazz was in my email to Flip that resulted in my 90-minute lunch with Flip. He defended Bazz vociferously at our lunch. To be fair to Flip, Thibs really liked him too, even offering him $10 million per year to stay. Thankfully Bazz turned that offer down. Thibs looked downright giddy when he told a group of us late last summer that he thought Bazz might return.

There's something about collective wisdom. When you see the entire NBA passing on a young player who plays hard and was drafted a few years back in the first round, you should question your own positive assessment of that player. Bazz doesn't have the usual red flags like substance abuse, laziness or overall bad attitude. He's just lacking key skills for his position and his basketball IQ seems a bit on the low side. I hope he finds a place in the NBA where he can succeed. But it's clear it won't be here.

"Key skills missing" isn't the only available outcome assessment  alternative... the fit of the skills to a system also matter. Under Flip, Bazz was more efficient. We know he has a great work ethic. He will get picked up.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

100% agree regarding his effort in part because he looked like a 7th grader  getting his 1st minutes of basketball  when he would Sprint in transition. Bazz  Has a skill set that belongs in the NBA, but I don't think he fits in with Tom thibadeau's system.

His fundamentals with isolation and team defense had improved, but advanced analytics worked against him.

That's too bad, hes one of my favorite players.

My advice to Bazz, learn to take your box move right efficiently...your offensive efficiency will improve when you learn to react the hips and feet of your defender facing up and back to the basket . . . Happy to work with you on that!!

In what way does his skill set belong in today's NBA? Please educate me. I'm not seeing it.

[Leado01]

#1. He's an effective scorer in transition
#2. His rebounding #'s, especially on the offensive end (and his impact on off rebounding) are outstanding for a wing
#3. There is a direct corelation between his utilization and his offensive efficiency. As a go to scorer off the bench he is efficient, but as a 3rd or 4rth option,  he is ineffective.
#4. He's a positive influence in the locker room.

I would bet (name the dollar amount) that he's still in the NBA in 2021.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

#1. He's an effective scorer in transition
#2. His rebounding #'s, especially on the offensive end (and his impact on off rebounding) are outstanding for a wing
#3. There is a direct corelation between his utilization and his offensive efficiency. As a go to scorer off the bench he is efficient, but as a 3rd or 4rth option,  he is ineffective.
#4. He's a positive influence in the locker room.

I would bet (name the dollar amount) that he's still in the NBA in 2021.

Maybe one of the more savvy posters can find the statistics for Muhammad in transition, but my gut feeling is that he's not good, or "effective" as you say. Turnovers and wild shots galore.

Today's NBA does not place precedence on offensive rebounding from a wing. His job is to get back on defense. It's fun when he gets a putback, but I'm certain this is just one reason why our defense goes in the shitter when he's on the floor.

He seems like a decent guy, and several of his teammates hang out with him often (Snapchat), but how much influence does he really have? My guess is not much.

I have PayPal. We can make this bet happen; that's free money. There is practically zero chance he's still playing NBA ball at that time. He didn't have many suitors this past off-season. And after his play this year, it's unlikely he'll be pursued at all.

[kekgeek]

#1. He's an effective scorer in transition
#2. His rebounding #'s, especially on the offensive end (and his impact on off rebounding) are outstanding for a wing
#3. There is a direct corelation between his utilization and his offensive efficiency. As a go to scorer off the bench he is efficient, but as a 3rd or 4rth option,  he is ineffective.
#4. He's a positive influence in the locker room.

I would bet (name the dollar amount) that he's still in the NBA in 2021.

Maybe one of the more savvy posters can find the statistics for Muhammad in transition, but my gut feeling is that he's not good, or "effective" as you say. Turnovers and wild shots galore.

Today's NBA does not place precedence on offensive rebounding from a wing. His job is to get back on defense. It's fun when he gets a putback, but I'm certain this is just one reason why our defense goes in the shitter when he's on the floor.

He seems like a decent guy, and several of his teammates hang out with him often (Snapchat), but how much influence does he really have? My guess is not much.

I have PayPal. We can make this bet happen; that's free money. There is practically zero chance he's still playing NBA ball at that time. He didn't have many suitors this past off-season. And after his play this year, it's unlikely he'll be pursued at all.

Just off a quick NBA.com search on transition opportunities. Bazz is dead last on Points per possession on Transition, he is last in EFG% on the team, and he is second in on our team in opportunities % on the fast break.

With that said I thought Bazz was a steal for the min. this offseason, thought he could play a role on this team, he new the system and he was still relatively young. But he really played himself out of the rotation. For Bazz to be successful a team needs to run their whole second unit through him on the block and his offense is not good enough to make a positive impact. He never learned to hit the 3 consistently and he didn't become a good passer out of the post what could have made him a valuable player. I think he has talent but what teams look for in todays game Bazz game does not translate. I wish him the best I would be surprised if he is in the league next year because nobody wanted to pay him this offseason over the min. and now Bazz will be coming off his worst year of his career.

Like I have said a lot this year, MGH or any wing for that matter who does "nothing" is more valuable than Bazz because they don't have the chance to waste possessions. I wish him the best, I think he will have a very successful overseas career if he wants to go that route, I liked his hustle but he did not improve in areas that could make him a successful NBA career, so I wish him the best.

[Monster]

#1. He's an effective scorer in transition
#2. His rebounding #'s, especially on the offensive end (and his impact on off rebounding) are outstanding for a wing
#3. There is a direct corelation between his utilization and his offensive efficiency. As a go to scorer off the bench he is efficient, but as a 3rd or 4rth option,  he is ineffective.
#4. He's a positive influence in the locker room.

I would bet (name the dollar amount) that he's still in the NBA in 2021.

Maybe one of the more savvy posters can find the statistics for Muhammad in transition, but my gut feeling is that he's not good, or "effective" as you say. Turnovers and wild shots galore.

Today's NBA does not place precedence on offensive rebounding from a wing. His job is to get back on defense. It's fun when he gets a putback, but I'm certain this is just one reason why our defense goes in the shitter when he's on the floor.

He seems like a decent guy, and several of his teammates hang out with him often (Snapchat), but how much influence does he really have? My guess is not much.

I have PayPal. We can make this bet happen; that's free money. There is practically zero chance he's still playing NBA ball at that time. He didn't have many suitors this past off-season. And after his play this year, it's unlikely he'll be pursued at all.

Just off a quick NBA.com search on transition opportunities. Bazz is dead last on Points per possession on Transition, he is last in EFG% on the team, and he is second in on our team in opportunities % on the fast break.

With that said I thought Bazz was a steal for the min. this offseason, thought he could play a role on this team, he new the system and he was still relatively young. But he really played himself out of the rotation. For Bazz to be successful a team needs to run their whole second unit through him on the block and his offense is not good enough to make a positive impact. He never learned to hit the 3 consistently and he didn't become a good passer out of the post what could have made him a valuable player. I think he has talent but what teams look for in todays game Bazz game does not translate. I wish him the best I would be surprised if he is in the league next year because nobody wanted to pay him this offseason over the min. and now Bazz will be coming off his worst year of his career.

Like I have said a lot this year, MGH or any wing for that matter who does "nothing" is more valuable than Bazz because they don't have the chance to waste possessions. I wish him the best, I think he will have a very successful overseas career if he wants to go that route, I liked his hustle but he did not improve in areas that could make him a successful NBA career, so I wish him the best.

Good post. Thanks for looking up those numbers to confirm what i thought also.

[AbeVigodaLive]

"#4. He's a positive influence in the locker room."

Career loser... asks to be traded the first season the team has a winning record. Ummmmm.... Sounds like a great locker room guy?

[Monster]

"#4. He's a positive influence in the locker room."

Career loser... asks to be traded the first time the season has a winning record. Ummmmm.... Sounds like a great locker room guy?

That's a good point there. I tend to think he isn't a negative in the locker room but I certainly don't think I would go so far in saying he is a positive there either. I noticed from an instagram post someone retweeted he was playing dominos with Brooks and Jimmy at the Super Bowl today in the Wolves suite. My favorite pic that I saw may have been with Belly in the background of one photo just standing there with his plate in a sweater looking like this was just some regular get together that the company does a couple times a year.

[crazy-canuck [enjin:18955461]]

Count me in as a guy that thought bazz was a steal for the minimum.

Last year, he looked pretty good with that corner 3 ball and his defense looked better. I assumed he would continue that path, but boy was I wrong.

I think that goofed contract negotiation and with no interest from other teams in the off season - got into his head. I think he went out looking to prove his worth by trying to do more than he was capable of rather than trying to do the small things to help him stay on the court.