Minnesota Sports Forum

Duke13 wrote:

kekgeek1 wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

Duke13 wrote:Perfect environment, he's the 5th-6th best player on the team. He's best suited as a role player with the ability to have a big game every so often. The media, fans and teammates have a couple days to sing his praises then we won't notice him for another month. Let's not herald Wigs as a "bright lights" players.

Ridiculous

Do you think it is really that ridiculous though. Like Wiggins could be an All star game starter, win the 1st ever WCF MVP award, win a title (who knows maybe finals MVP) and then based on rumors be traded this offseason in a salary dump so they can sign Poole long term or have Wiggins take a massive pay cut on his next contract. I do think it is fair that Wiggins will at least be somewhat productive in playoff games and that is huge for him going forward in terms of his value going forward, unlike a player like Derrick White who is straight no showing.

I am happy for Wiggins hope he wins the title this year and would not be opposed to him returning to MN in a year when he is a FA and the Wolves have cap space.

I don't really care to get into a debate about Wiggins, so shame on me for taking the bait. NBA all star appearances are so meaningless, haven't watched an all star game since I was 14 years old probably but Wig getting the starting nod has to take the cake as far as most undeserving ever.

I have zero doubt the Warriors value Poole over Wig and it's more likely then not he not long for their team. This off-season will be interesting and his next contract will tell you a lot.

I agreed with you, I think the Warriors value Wiggins as their 5th best (curry, green, Thompson, Poole) player and probably their 6th or 7th best asset (added kuminga and wiseman).

I was just saying Wiggins is literally could get 3 good accolades this season (All star, WCF MVP and title) and then be salary dumped in the offseason

AbeVigodaLive wrote:Wiggins as the 6th best Warriors player is a stretch. 5th best is mostly a stretch, too.

BUT... check out that team...

Curry (superstar in every way)
______
Green (his impact cannot be understated)
______
Thompson (clearly not what he once was. So him being "better" right now is including a lot of reputation.
Poole (depends what series we're watching. The NBA is about matchups and the Mavs/Doncic hunting offense is not good for Poole. But ask people after the first two rounds... and there's more than a strong case for Poole > Wiggins)
_____
Looney (what an unheralded player. Always steady but seemingly meh... he started this run with 22 rebs in Game 6 vs. Memphis. He's 18 - 23 fg in this series. He's guarding Doncic in space. He even has 10 assists to only 2 TOs.)

Wiggins fits in there somewhere. It's more than fair to argue as high as #3. He's a key part of the team, and might be instrumental in a title run. But let's be honest, he's only in the conversation because he doesn't have to be the #1 or #2 and not even #3 guy the vast majority of the time in GS... all roles he failed in while in Minnesota.

Agree with every thing you said.

My opinion on Wiggins going forward is he can hamper lower to middling tier teams if they pay him next year (like when he was a wolf) and can really increase a team title chances on higher end teams. Dlo is sort of the opposite I think Dlo can really increase a lower and middling team but hamper a team that is trying to win a title.

kekgeek1 wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:Wiggins as the 6th best Warriors player is a stretch. 5th best is mostly a stretch, too.

BUT... check out that team...

Curry (superstar in every way)
______
Green (his impact cannot be understated)
______
Thompson (clearly not what he once was. So him being "better" right now is including a lot of reputation.
Poole (depends what series we're watching. The NBA is about matchups and the Mavs/Doncic hunting offense is not good for Poole. But ask people after the first two rounds... and there's more than a strong case for Poole > Wiggins)
_____
Looney (what an unheralded player. Always steady but seemingly meh... he started this run with 22 rebs in Game 6 vs. Memphis. He's 18 - 23 fg in this series. He's guarding Doncic in space. He even has 10 assists to only 2 TOs.)

Wiggins fits in there somewhere. It's more than fair to argue as high as #3. He's a key part of the team, and might be instrumental in a title run. But let's be honest, he's only in the conversation because he doesn't have to be the #1 or #2 and not even #3 guy the vast majority of the time in GS... all roles he failed in while in Minnesota.

Agree with every thing you said.

My opinion on Wiggins going forward is he can hamper lower to middling tier teams if they pay him next year (like when he was a wolf) and can really increase a team title chances on higher end teams. Dlo is sort of the opposite I think Dlo can really increase a lower and middling team but hamper a team that is trying to win a title.

Kek - That's a great insight into the difference between Wiggins and DLO. I'd never thought of it that way, but it makes sense.

One more thought about Wiggins comes to mind. I remember a Jimmy Butler quote when he was here. He said that "Wiggins was the most talented player on the team and Towns was the best player..." Butler went on to say that he (Jimmy Butler) was the hardest worker on the team. I never doubted at the time that Jimmy was right. That was the frustration with Wiggins. He had all that talent, but the effort was sporadic. Towns has his issues - mainly immaturity and stupidity. But his effort is almost always there and he has been one of the League's most consistent high-level offensive producers every single game from the moment he arrived in the League.

While here, it was a common sight to see Wiggins disengaged on the court. It was common to see him missing free throws, wide open looks and even layups because of what was obviously a lack of mental focus. That's what makes what Wiggins has done in this playoff series and earlier this season so maddening. It simply underscores Jimmy's point. Wiggins has always had phenomenal talent. But the effort and mental focus have often been missing. That's on him. And that's why I'm content that he's gone in spite of his recent success with the Warriors. I wish him the best because he seems like a good guy and there's no good reason to wish him ill. But I don't want to see the Wolves draft or acquire any more players who lack the competitive fire that drives them to give their all and remain intense in every game they play. They owe it to their teammates and the fans who collectively make them rich. And they owe it to themselves to make the most of the talents they're blessed with. Maybe Wiggins has turned a corner and what we've seen recently will define him for the rest of his NBA career. If so, then good for him.

Kek, your observation is absolutely spot on. The key to Wiggins is keeping his usage down. If you keep his usage down below 25% and ensure you have a couple other guys that can carry the offense, he becomes a super valuable 3&D starting level forward that can also do some slashing. But if you are relying on him to be your #1 or #2 shot creator, then things won't end well.

The funny thing is that we really needed Wiggins to play the role he's playing now back in 2017-18 when KAT and Butler were clearly our two best players and shot makers. Instead, he did the opposite to what he's doing now - lackluster defense, mediocre outside shooting, and super inefficient.

Could he have evolved into the type of valuable 3&D wing/slasher that he is now while with the Wolves? I highly doubt it since it literally took the PERFECT set of circumstance for him to turn into this kind of player. I'd say Miami might be the only other franchise that could have done this, but then I take that back immediately since Butler plays for them, LOL.

lipoli390 wrote:One more thought about Wiggins comes to mind. I remember a Jimmy Butler quote when he was here. He said that "Wiggins was the most talented player on the team and Towns was the best player..." Butler went on to say that he (Jimmy Butler) was the hardest worker on the team. I never doubted at the time that Jimmy was right. That was the frustration with Wiggins. He had all that talent, but the effort was sporadic. Towns has his issues - mainly immaturity and stupidity. But his effort is almost always there and he has been one of the League's most consistent high-level offensive producers every single game from the moment he arrived in the League.

While here, it was a common sight to see Wiggins disengaged on the court. It was common to see him missing free throws, wide open looks and even layups because of what was obviously a lack of mental focus. That's what makes what Wiggins has done in this playoff series and earlier this season so maddening. It simply underscores Jimmy's point. Wiggins has always had phenomenal talent. But the effort and mental focus have often been missing. That's on him. And that's why I'm content that he's gone in spite of his recent success with the Warriors. I wish him the best because he seems like a good guy and there's no good reason to wish him ill. But I don't want to see the Wolves draft or acquire any more players who lack the competitive fire that drives them to give their all and remain intense in every game they play. They owe it to their teammates and the fans who collectively make them rich. And they owe it to themselves to make the most of the talents they're blessed with. Maybe Wiggins has turned a corner and what we've seen recently will define him for the rest of his NBA career. If so, then good for him.

Personally whether it was lack of drive or whatever Wiggins lakes and still lacks the skills to be that guy offensively. He still doesn't get t the line and he is a poor FT shooter for a guy with his skills especially now that he actually can shoot a good percentage from 3. To some extent there isn't anything wrong with this. It takes something to be THAT guy. I know that's not me and I'm cool with it. My guess is part of why he isn't that guy is why he is well liked by everyone even the people frustrated with him for not living up to his talent. That's honestly kinda impressive.

Kek makes a good point and I agree with Q that keeping his usage down is a key to his success. I don't remember anybody ever saying he was an alpha or someone you could build a team around. Why can't we just tip our hat to him for playing well in these playoffs and being a key contributor to a potential title team? I don't believe they would be in this position without him. We don't need to talk about where he ranks on the team. I mean who really cares? Wolves fans who couldn't accept him for the salary he was making are always going to underrate him. Most of the rest of NBA followers see him for what he really is. I'm just happy for the guy, and I'm pulling for the Warriors to win it all, even though it would suck to see Kerr win again.

Here's a hypothetical question for everyone:

Putting cap space and salary aside completely and judging only off of age/potential/production, who would you rather have on the Wolves roster for the next 5 years - Wiggins or McDaniels?

Q-was-here wrote:Here's a hypothetical question for everyone:

Putting cap space and salary aside completely and judging only off of age/potential/production, who would you rather have on the Wolves roster for the next 5 years - Wiggins or McDaniels?

Easy, McDaniels. I expect a big leap for Jaden this year.

Q-was-here wrote:Here's a hypothetical question for everyone:

Putting cap space and salary aside completely and judging only off of age/potential/production, who would you rather have on the Wolves roster for the next 5 years - Wiggins or McDaniels?

I'll take Jaden McDaniels. I don't recall questioning his motor or desire to compete on a night to night basis. I also think McDaniels has an understanding of his role and what's been asked of him, and in turn I expect McDaniels to develop his game around that role, which should be beneficial to the Wolves and McDaniels' bank account. I also think his physical tools might actually exceed what Andrew Wiggins has to work with when you consider that McDaniels might be closer to 6'11 than the 6'9 he's listed at. We've seen him matched up with Ja Morant, to Luka Doncic, to Kevin Durant, to James Harden, etc. Wiggins has versatility as a defender, but McDaniels has even more.

The key will be McDaniels being able to shoot from the perimeter with some sort of consistency. If he's able to do that respectably, then he'll be a quality player in the NBA for a long time. It's just never a guarantee that guys find their shot for this franchise.