Minnesota Sports Forum

When KAT comes back, Dieng needs to be in the floor with him.

lipoli390 wrote:When KAT comes back, Dieng needs to be in the floor with him.

I don't think it is going to happen. Even today wolves didn't play 2 bigs. They just split the center minutes 3 ways

Great defensive effort once again. Culver still can't shoot but he is coming along

we can defend with wiggs back.

Can we defend with kat back? That will be the most important question we need to answer regarding this teams future.

Make all the trades we want to bring in an elite playmaker, but this team is going nowhere if KAT cant anchor this team at an average level, especially since we will play with only 1 big.

.5 game back of the playoffs

Gorgui is Hakeem. We will look back to this day 4 years from now and be thankful for his time with the wolves.

crazy-canuck wrote:we can defend with wiggs back.

Can we defend with kat back? That will be the most important question we need to answer regarding this teams future.

Make all the trades we want to bring in an elite playmaker, but this team is going nowhere if KAT cant anchor this team at an average level, especially since we will play with only 1 big.

The right move is to play more than one big. Right now that means pairing KAT with Gorgui or Vonleh. Eventually that means adding a defensive big to the roster. Meanwhile, any defensive improvement from KAT would be welcome gravy.

But note that our defense hasn't improved solely because KAT's been out. Napier is a step up defensively over Teague. And the whole team has stepped up defensively.

Not sure how long it lasts, but Napier should be starting untill he stops producing.

I think the problem with G and Kat playing together on d is that they're both bigs who like to play help defense and shotblock, but aren't particularly good in PNR or against true physical post players. And I think we'd get killed in transition.

lipoli390 wrote:

crazy-canuck wrote:we can defend with wiggs back.

Can we defend with kat back? That will be the most important question we need to answer regarding this teams future.

Make all the trades we want to bring in an elite playmaker, but this team is going nowhere if KAT cant anchor this team at an average level, especially since we will play with only 1 big.

The right move is to play more than one big. Right now that means pairing KAT with Gorgui or Vonleh. Eventually that means adding a defensive big to the roster. Meanwhile, any defensive improvement from KAT would be welcome gravy.

But note that our defense hasn't improved solely because KAT's been out. Napier is a step up defensively over Teague. And the whole team has stepped up defensively.

I agree to an extent but Jeff Teague has a defensive rating according to cleaning the glass of 113.4 what is not good (22nd percentile) but in lineups without Kat what is about 40% of his possessions his defensive rating jumps to 107.2. What is above average (67th percentile). It is pathetic when Teague and Kat are on the court it's 118.2 what is pathetic (4th percentile).

It's a really bad look for KAT that the wolves are #1 in the NBA in defense when Kat dosen't play and percieved bad defenders in Teague and Wiggins have been above average with Kat off the court and pathetic with him on it.