monsterpile wrote:About Dennis Smith's motor and other issues...Does anyone have any links to articles about Dennis Smith's motor or issues in HS? I looked around last night and I can't find anything specific. I wonder if some of that is based on the fact that he was doing some acting for Empire and stuff like that.
What I did find when reading is that he actually liked school had a 3.9 GPA in HS and when he was in the hospital after surgery realized he should graduate early so he would be able to go to NC State early to get a head start on school have a higher level of help recovering and also of course get a head start preparing to be on the team his first year. He took 18 credits his first semester and again really enjoyed it. His college coach said he is extremely competitive and that goes into the classroom also. One article said that one of the events he went to during the summer or whatever he and his dad weren't happy with it because there was no structure it was just glorified pickup games.
It's hard to sift though all this stuff because most articles say good stuff but this guy wasn't a top recruit his entire like but kinda burst onto the scene in HS and then had to rehab the ACL (doctor said he had an extra ligament like AP does he is an athletic freak) so he has already faced some adversity. I'm not saying this guy doesn't have issues but I really wish there was something more to go off of than some draft profile that said some vague stuff about questions about him in HS.
The motor police having shifting criteria. For them motor issues are like pornography, hard to define but they know it when they see it.
Doper, If Lip, myself, and others on this board were the only ones concerned about Wiggins' motor, you might actually have a point. Unfortunately, there are plenty of others close to the Wolves that share the same observation. And by the way, there is nothing new here. Apparently, the "motor police" includes the folks at Draft Express when they were scouting Wiggins at Kansas:
But I suppose we are all just imagining things and missed all the charges he's taken, the chase down blocks he's made, the loose balls he's recovered, and the times he's sprawled out on the floor tying someone up for a jump ball. I guess I just need to watch harder.
lipoli390 wrote:I'd be shocked if Monk went in the top 6. Right now, I see the following as the likely top 6 picks in the draft.
1. Fultz - Boston won't pass on the near consensus best player in the draft
2. Ball -- I think Ball's the best player in the draft. He wants to be a Laker and he will be
3. Jackson -- Sixers will take this guy or Isaac. I think they'll opt for the more NBA-ready Josh.
4. Isaac -- The Suns are rebuilding and nowhere near the playoffs. They'll go for high upside.
5. Fox -- Some think he's the best PG in the draft. Kings want a PG and they'll take Fox
6. Tatum -- Orlando is in full rebuild mode. I don't think they'll pass on the talented Tatum
I'm sure the Wolves would love to get Jackson, Isaac or Tatum but that's not likely in my view. Here are the guys I'd consider -- some of them by trading down:
1. Zach Collins
2. Markkenan
3. Monk
4. Ntilikina
5. Anunoby
6. Giles
7. John Collins
8. Ike Anigbogu
9. Adebayo
10. Jonathan Jeanne
Lip, like you I think that scenario is likely, however, I think there is probably at least a 33% chance of one of the wings falling to 7, and maybe its Tatum. I wonder what it would cost us to trade up to the fifth spot to ensure we get one of the top wings. Sac could use help almost everywhere and if the price were low enough I"d do it. If it only took Dubs, Bazz (sign and trade), Tyus or cash, I'd do it. I remember we moved back a spot one year and only got cash back (Roy/Foye).
lipoli390 wrote:I'd be shocked if Monk went in the top 6. Right now, I see the following as the likely top 6 picks in the draft.
1. Fultz - Boston won't pass on the near consensus best player in the draft
2. Ball -- I think Ball's the best player in the draft. He wants to be a Laker and he will be
3. Jackson -- Sixers will take this guy or Isaac. I think they'll opt for the more NBA-ready Josh.
4. Isaac -- The Suns are rebuilding and nowhere near the playoffs. They'll go for high upside.
5. Fox -- Some think he's the best PG in the draft. Kings want a PG and they'll take Fox
6. Tatum -- Orlando is in full rebuild mode. I don't think they'll pass on the talented Tatum
I'm sure the Wolves would love to get Jackson, Isaac or Tatum but that's not likely in my view. Here are the guys I'd consider -- some of them by trading down:
1. Zach Collins
2. Markkenan
3. Monk
4. Ntilikina
5. Anunoby
6. Giles
7. John Collins
8. Ike Anigbogu
9. Adebayo
10. Jonathan Jeanne
Lip, like you I think that scenario is likely, however, I think there is probably at least a 33% chance of one of the wings falling to 7, and maybe its Tatum. I wonder what it would cost us to trade up to the fifth spot to ensure we get one of the top wings. Sac could use help almost everywhere and if the price were low enough I"d do it. If it only took Dubs, Bazz (sign and trade), Tyus or cash, I'd do it. I remember we moved back a spot one year and only got cash back (Roy/Foye).
Good question, Ricky. I do t have a feel for what it would take to move up
monsterpile wrote:About Dennis Smith's motor and other issues...Does anyone have any links to articles about Dennis Smith's motor or issues in HS? I looked around last night and I can't find anything specific. I wonder if some of that is based on the fact that he was doing some acting for Empire and stuff like that.
What I did find when reading is that he actually liked school had a 3.9 GPA in HS and when he was in the hospital after surgery realized he should graduate early so he would be able to go to NC State early to get a head start on school have a higher level of help recovering and also of course get a head start preparing to be on the team his first year. He took 18 credits his first semester and again really enjoyed it. His college coach said he is extremely competitive and that goes into the classroom also. One article said that one of the events he went to during the summer or whatever he and his dad weren't happy with it because there was no structure it was just glorified pickup games.
It's hard to sift though all this stuff because most articles say good stuff but this guy wasn't a top recruit his entire like but kinda burst onto the scene in HS and then had to rehab the ACL (doctor said he had an extra ligament like AP does he is an athletic freak) so he has already faced some adversity. I'm not saying this guy doesn't have issues but I really wish there was something more to go off of than some draft profile that said some vague stuff about questions about him in HS.
The motor police having shifting criteria. For them motor issues are like pornography, hard to define but they know it when they see it.
Doper, If Lip, myself, and others on this board were the only ones concerned about Wiggins' motor, you might actually have a point. Unfortunately, there are plenty of others close to the Wolves that share the same observation. And by the way, there is nothing new here. Apparently, the "motor police" includes the folks at Draft Express when they were scouting Wiggins at Kansas:
But I suppose we are all just imagining things and missed all the charges he's taken, the chase down blocks he's made, the loose balls he's recovered, and the times he's sprawled out on the floor tying someone up for a jump ball. I guess I just need to watch harder.
Close to the Wolves other than the coaching staff or Jim Pete. It seems like those closest to the Wolves don't have a problem with his motor. Maybe when they start singing your tune I'll buy it. Highly subjective measure any way you look at it, motorness. I don't have a problem with people being totally subjective. It's that so many here expect something so subjective to be accepted as empirical, gospel truth.
khans2k5 wrote:I would hope we could find a trade partner for Dennis Smith Jr. Maybe the 76ers or Kings depending on their first pick. Fultz and Ball are the only two PG's I would keep from this draft. I don't see the rest as clear upgrades to Dunn to draft and keep them. I'd honestly rather draft Monk to be our 6th man scoring guard next to Dunn than take any of the PG's at 7 outside of Fultz and Ball.
I like this idea, Kahns.
Interesting take Kahns. So apparently you still have faith in Dunn? I still have hope for him too actually.
Their latest Mock. Isaac goes 6 and Kennard has jumped up to 11 and Collins dropping to 13. We still have weeks to go but this is really the first glimpse of some guys rising and falling in a few weeks.
khans2k5 wrote:I would hope we could find a trade partner for Dennis Smith Jr. Maybe the 76ers or Kings depending on their first pick. Fultz and Ball are the only two PG's I would keep from this draft. I don't see the rest as clear upgrades to Dunn to draft and keep them. I'd honestly rather draft Monk to be our 6th man scoring guard next to Dunn than take any of the PG's at 7 outside of Fultz and Ball.
I like this idea, Kahns.
Interesting take Kahns. So apparently you still have faith in Dunn? I still have hope for him too actually.
I have a lot of hope in Dunn still. He plays hard. He's a good kid. I think his role really hurt how he looked coming out of the gate because he went from the guy at Providence to barely any usage here. He needs to tighten up his handle, but I think that will help him start getting to the rim more which would be big for us to finally have a guy who can get to the rim and have a history of making good passes out of it when the shot isn't there. He's big and long for a PG so having a tight handle will allow him to do a lot of things offensively to take advantage of his athleticism.
Honestly I wish we would have given him more offensive leash last year for the bench unit. Playing next to Belly and Bazz should have warranted letting him drive and penetrate in the PnR and then find them off cuts or as a fader off the PnR. I think PG's the toughest position in the league to play well early. It's a new system that you have to run and be a leader with the ball. And frankly a lot of his time on offense was pass the ball off and go to a corner. I'm really excited to see what he does in summer league because he has the potential to dominate a couple games physically and leave early and put a few more people at ease about the pick.
khans2k5 wrote:I would hope we could find a trade partner for Dennis Smith Jr. Maybe the 76ers or Kings depending on their first pick. Fultz and Ball are the only two PG's I would keep from this draft. I don't see the rest as clear upgrades to Dunn to draft and keep them. I'd honestly rather draft Monk to be our 6th man scoring guard next to Dunn than take any of the PG's at 7 outside of Fultz and Ball.
I like this idea, Kahns.
Interesting take Kahns. So apparently you still have faith in Dunn? I still have hope for him too actually.
I have a lot of hope in Dunn still. He plays hard. He's a good kid. I think his role really hurt how he looked coming out of the gate because he went from the guy at Providence to barely any usage here. He needs to tighten up his handle, but I think that will help him start getting to the rim more which would be big for us to finally have a guy who can get to the rim and have a history of making good passes out of it when the shot isn't there. He's big and long for a PG so having a tight handle will allow him to do a lot of things offensively to take advantage of his athleticism.
Honestly I wish we would have given him more offensive leash last year for the bench unit. Playing next to Belly and Bazz should have warranted letting him drive and penetrate in the PnR and then find them off cuts or as a fader off the PnR. I think PG's the toughest position in the league to play well early. It's a new system that you have to run and be a leader with the ball. And frankly a lot of his time on offense was pass the ball off and go to a corner. I'm really excited to see what he does in summer league because he has the potential to dominate a couple games physically and leave early and put a few more people at ease about the pick.
I agree with a lot of what you have said. As for summer league I want to see him play the whole thing and it would be great to see him go on a run like they did with Tyus last year. Let him do his thing even if it's next to Tyus they work well together and just get some run doing things.
I've said it a couple of times I think Dunn was told to play a certain role but I also think he is a good kid and sometimes deferred too much trying to be a good PG like Rubio. He clearly had a hard time figuring out when to set up guys and when to look for his own more. His loose handle was the biggest problem though. He has a few really good dribble moves to free himself up but it's like he doesn't know when to use them or really finish things off once he does them. I thought his jumper was encouraging as the season went on. If he can get that crossover into a 17' jumper or whatever that could be a nice weapon to score and to set up going to the basket.
Also the more I look into it I think this draft is a bit overrated on the high end. I still want to keep our pick (unless there is a really good trade down offer) but it seems like the hype we have heard for months is...idk not what it was.
The StarTrib's Michael Rand proved again today that all Strib sports writers read this board by writing about how Isaac is the Wolves' pick in most mock drafts. Unfortunately, he's a day late and a dollar short, because the landscape has changed a lot since I teed up this thread, and Isaac is no longer as available at 7 as he was just a few days ago. Draftexpress now has him going at 6 as does Ford, along with a few others. That's what many of us have been saying for weeks, but it looks like the rest of the world is finally catching up to us. Too bad...he's really the only guy possibly available at 7 that I can get excited about.
