TeamRicky wrote:Thibs was interviewed at the Combine by ESPN. He was asked what the needs were and he said "shooting and defense". http://www.nba.com/video/channels/draft/2016/05/12/20160512-draft-combine-thibodeau.nba/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Tough to identify a guy near the top that does both well, that's for sure. Simmons does neither well. Ingram is too skinny and young to be an NBA-caliber defender at this stage. Murray and Hield can shoot, but don't project well defensively.
Kris Dunn is intriguing because he has great potential defensively and has showed signs of being able to shoot, but the sample size on 3's isn't great and his FT % (which can often be a proxy for long-range shooting potential) is very mediocre. Oh, and he turns the ball over a bunch, which Thibs also keeps emphasizing.
Luwawawu or Baldwin perhaps? Seem like we draft too high for them.
From a positional need perspective, we do need another SG. I could see Hield or Murray being the pick because they definitely check the shooting box and provide depth behind LaVine and Wiggins (if we go out and get a vet SF). But can you imagine a Tyus Jones/Jamal Murray/Shabazz perimeter trio off the bench? Yikes that is god-awful defensively.
Ingram and Bender should be very good on both sides of the ball. Dunn can play two ways, but he does have to reduce his turnovers and improve his shooting. Jaylen Brown has the physical tools to do well on both sides, but he is still pretty raw. Luwawu has good two way potential, but he too is a bit raw. Wade Baldwin had a great combine in terms of testing and had better than expected measurements including wingspan and hand size. Some people think Baldwin might even crack the top ten now.
Just my opinion I don't think anything that we learn at the combine should move players in rankings
I disagree a little bit depending on height and overall length measurements. For example when I saw the height and reach of Glenn Robinson III I still wanted him but wasn't quite as enamoured with him because he wasn't really that impressive physically especially for the type of player I thought he would excell at being. Some bigger players have lost a little shine when you find out they are really only like 6'8" would you thought they were like 6'10" etc. I stayed true to the thought that I don't think a couple inches is a deal breaker but it can't just be dismissed either.
I agree should have said if there is a bit difference in height it matters some but not a ton to me more of a confirmation. Like when ricky said that wade might go in the top ten now because of how he did at the combine in my opinion a player shouldn't move closer to 10 spots because of combine
I don't know that Wade Baldwin cracks top ten, but I have read some people think he might. Even before the combine there were some who thought Baldwin was a top 14 pick. I think 10-16 is the range I see him going.
I am not saying you are the one who is increasing his value. Just my opinion a guy shouldn't move up multiple picks because of the combine. I do think the combine serves a purpose but I think the value the info provides from the combine should be move of a confirmation/need a second look than a actual moving tool
I think we are all in agreement here but I will say Baldwin was a guy that seems to have been trending upward for a while before the draft and part of it was anticipating some of these measurements so yeah now they are confirmed. If there isn't much separating a few guys it doesn't take a lot to jump from say 18 to 11. It's always fun to see all the movement on the draft boards from now till the final picks.
Baldwin is my guy, an athlete, great defender, good shooter at the 1. Just what we need as far as I see it. I think he is a surefire player at the pro level. I'd personally take him over Dunn.
thedoper wrote:Baldwin is my guy, an athlete, great defender, good shooter at the 1. Just what we need as far as I see it. I think he is a surefire player at the pro level. I'd personally take him over Dunn.
Calling him a great defender may be your wishful thinking. Defending is mostly about the mindset, not just physical tools, otherwise Wiggins would be a great defender too. And he's only good at catch & shoot, but at the 1 shooting off the dribble is more important and Baldwin is inconsistent there.
thedoper wrote:Baldwin is my guy, an athlete, great defender, good shooter at the 1. Just what we need as far as I see it. I think he is a surefire player at the pro level. I'd personally take him over Dunn.
Calling him a great defender may be your wishful thinking. Defending is mostly about the mindset, not just physical tools, otherwise Wiggins would be a great defender too. And he's only good at catch & shoot, but at the 1 shooting off the dribble is more important and Baldwin is inconsistent there.
I didn't say great shooter, just good. I like his D at the college level. I think it will project to the NBA. I watched him a lot this year. He is inconsistent in a lot of ways I agree with that, but I like his progress so far. I have no reason to think it won't continue in the league.
TeamRicky wrote:Thibs was interviewed at the Combine by ESPN. He was asked what the needs were and he said "shooting and defense". http://www.nba.com/video/channels/draft/2016/05/12/20160512-draft-combine-thibodeau.nba/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
TeamRicky wrote:Jerry Zgoda ?@JerryZgoda
Add big men Jakob Poeltl from Utah and Stephen Zimmerman from UNLV to list of players interviewed by Minnesota in Chicago.
TeamRicky wrote:Jerry Zgoda ?@JerryZgoda
Add big men Jakob Poeltl from Utah and Stephen Zimmerman from UNLV to list of players interviewed by Minnesota in Chicago.
I want nothing to do with Poelti in the top 10.
I agree! I've never been impressed the few times I've seen Poeltl play. Sabonis dominated him when they went head to head this past season. His stats were good, but nothing stood o it as exceptional. For example, 9.1 boards per game is good, but for a 7-footer in college in his conference it doesn't stand out as something that suggests he'll be a particularly good rebounder in the NBA. Contrast that with Saboinis's nearly 12 boards per game. Then I noticed that Poeltl's overhead reach is only 8'9.5. That's really deficient for an NBA center or even an NBA PF. At a height of 7'0 he clearly has extremely short arms. I'll be very disappointed if we end up with Poeltl. Trading down and taking Saboinis is something that intrigues me, depending on who we get as part of the trade.
If a big man cant play with the athleticism and swagger of Steven Adams, then the Wolves need to stay away from them. The slow footed C is a dying breed and Poeltl is on the verge of this.
STEVEN ADAMS [user avatar="https://assets-cloud.enjin.com/users/6588206/avatar/small.1400109970.png" name="KiwiMatt"]6588206[/user]
My vote is to trade back into the early teens if we get a 4-6 pick and get some Ammo and get Thon Maker.
