Minnesota Sports Forum

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:Abe -- I don't think Bazz's two-way play will ever be his "calling card." But right now he is a one-way only player who can score and rebound. If he develops into any sort of two-way player and becomes more consistent as an elite scorer and rebounder off the bench, then that puts him in the running for most improved. Thibs seems to think he can become a two-way player so that makes it credible for me.

The fun part is that we get to find out in a few weeks.

Excitement is building...

Fun time to be a pro hoops fan in MN. Finally.

Good posts here. Kinda like Lip said I have a bit of hope I feel that may be justified of Bazz improving to at least maybe being somewhat serviceable defensively because he is being taught by Thibs. That's quite a bit better instruction than anything Bazz has had in his time in the league. In addition it may not hurt he will be playing with some bigs that actually provide rim protection and his teammates should be improved themselves. I remember Rip Hamilton and Chancey Billups were widely considered turn styles before they got to Detroit and then they were part of a terrific defensive team. Towns might not be Ben Wallace but Rip was too skinny only cared about scoring etc. I'm not suggesting Bazz is going to be terrific on that end (that Postons team was a bunch of exceptions to the rule) but there hasn't been too much in Bazz favor to develop on that end either. So yeah I have a little optimism there. Like you said Abe we will get to see soon enough. The thing I like about Bazz is he is at least good at a couple of things. At worst he can be a worthwhile flawed player like Corey Brewer but with a different game although but guys bring it in a way that's kinda fun and also a bit maddening. They aren't wallflowers.

I expect Bazz to be improved, but where is he going to get the minutes to showcase those improvements?

Zach, Wiggs and [KAT/Dieng] get the bulk of the minutes from 2 thru 4. Bazz, Rush and Belly will be scratching and clawing for the rest of those meager backup minutes, plus Dunn is fighting for some extra minutes at the 2. And one of Thib's common call-to-arms is "sharing the ball"! From a minutes standpoint, Bazz could be the 9th or 10th guy seeing the floor, which will make it pretty tough to make a case for "most improved"...

60WinTim wrote:I expect Bazz to be improved, but where is he going to get the minutes to showcase those improvements?

Zach, Wiggs and [KAT/Dieng] get the bulk of the minutes from 2 thru 4. Bazz, Rush and Belly will be scratching and clawing for the rest of those meager backup minutes, plus Dunn is fighting for some extra minutes at the 2. And one of Thib's common call-to-arms is "sharing the ball"! From a minutes standpoint, Bazz could be the 9th or 10th guy seeing the floor, which will make it pretty tough to make a case for "most improved"...

This begs the question Tim do you have to get big minutes and stats to be the most improved?

My guess is Bazz will be a pretty key bench player probably one of the first guys off the bench and if some of these bench guys actually play well maybe Thibs doesn't play the starters much more than 30mpg which would give those other guys more opportunities. It wouldn't shock me but it also would obviously be a pleasant surprise for a number of reasons.

Worth revisiting

At roughly the midpoint of the year, I am going with KAT. I thought he was really frustrating for the first month+ of the year. He dribble-attacked too much and didnt see double teams, shot too many 3s, seemed out to get 'his,' and seemed lost. I feel like he has really settled in and is not forcing the issue and focusing on his strengths (jump hooks, a few open jumpers, and offensive rebounds and putbacks). Wiggins might get the call when the game is on the line but KAT does a lot for this team! He is still improving!

PorkChop wrote:Worth revisiting

Our first choice Wig has definitely improved...better clutch play and slightly better handle. But his underachieving on defense eliminates him, I think.

At the halfway point my runner up choice is Shabazz. I watched him closely Monday night, and you guys are right...he has clearly improved his defense. It was astonishing to me how much more effective he was defending the little SG (forgot his name) than Zach was. He still has his head down and neglects passing too much though.

My winner is an odd choice because of his few minutes...Tyus Jones. I can think of very few moments when I have been disappointed in his play, and the Wolves actually have a winning record in games in which he plays more than 10 minutes...which is even more impressive because he rarely sees the court unless a starter has been injured and we are "disadvantaged". He is poised and even aggressive on offense, and his smarts and quick hands make him adequate on defense.

I give Thibs some credit for the Bazz turnaround, especially since Bazz himself has. But I fault Thibs for all of Tyus' DNP-CD's...this kid is a winner and needs to see the court more.

There is in-season improvement and year-over-year improvement. As kurrdog mentioned, KAT along with Shabazz and Rubio have probably had the most in season improvemen when you compare what they have done over the last 10-20 games versus the first part of the season.

I'm not sure anyone has taken a big step forward year over year. Rubio is now about where he was this time last year. KAT has improved, but not by a ton (and again, he was very good offensively to begin with, so he's trying to improve on what was already impressive numbers). Defensively, he makes the occasional sexy play, but more often than not is a step slow or hesitant to challenge people at the rim.

LaVine is the most obvious candidate when you look at the numbers, but I question how much improvement is due to playing SG full time versus honest-to-goodness "organic" improvement. His numbers last year were artificially suppressed by Mitchell's insistence of playing him at PG the first half of the season. How much has he improved as a shooting guard? Not much in my opinion.

Wiggins has improved some pockets of his game - his 3-point shot is marginally better but still not a big part of his game and his ball-handling is better. But he still has defensive lapses, shoots fairly inefficiently, and struggles to make plays for team mates.

Shabazz probably deserves the vote simply because his defense has been markedly better all season vs. last season. But no one has had a total "break out" year in my opinion.

longstrangetrip wrote:

PorkChop wrote:Worth revisiting

Our first choice Wig has definitely improved...better clutch play and slightly better handle. But his underachieving on defense eliminates him, I think.

At the halfway point my runner up choice is Shabazz. I watched him closely Monday night, and you guys are right...he has clearly improved his defense. It was astonishing to me how much more effective he was defending the little SG (forgot his name) than Zach was. He still has his head down and neglects passing too much though.

My winner is an odd choice because of his few minutes...Tyus Jones. I can think of very few moments when I have been disappointed in his play, and the Wolves actually have a winning record in games in which he plays more than 10 minutes...which is even more impressive because he rarely sees the court unless a starter has been injured and we are "disadvantaged". He is poised and even aggressive on offense, and his smarts and quick hands make him adequate on defense.

I give Thibs some credit for the Bazz turnaround, especially since Bazz himself has. But I fault Thibs for all of Tyus' DNP-CD's...this kid is a winner and needs to see the court more.

I think Tyus is a good pick, but it's hard for me to give him my vote given his sporadic play (due to no fault of his own). But yeah, there is no question he has been pretty impressive almost every time he takes the floor.

IU like Shabazz. The bench is a mess without him.

Good points, Q...I agree there have been no break out years for any player on the roster.

For those intending to weigh in, my intention was year over year improvement, not in-season improvement...although Bazz would be a contender for either award.