thedoper wrote:Shouldn't KAT be expected to have some immaturity issues? Jimmy's immaturity should have the real scrutiny here. He's the vet, who is a petulant child. Jimmy has no reason to have any issue with anyone based on maturity after coming out with his reason for this tirade. The guy is a baby and needs a spanking and a timeout.
Well said, Doper.
To those who say KAT passes up shots or "didn't want the looks" I'd say they haven't watched KAT enough Wolves basketball or haven't paid much attention to KAT. He loves to shoot and is constantly calling for the ball in the post. Thibodeau's criticisms of KAT on the offensive end was failure to pass and make players around him better. KG was a guy who passed up a lot of shots he could and should have taken. KAT has never had that problem. There's an unfortunate false narrative developing around KAT. He has plent of faults that include poor judgment and missed assignments on the defensive end as well as an overly rehearsed public persona, but not wanting shots is not among them. KAT's offensive and rebounding production throughout his still short career have been outstanding and speak for themselves. And his durability is amazing as he NEVER misses games. His durability is all the more amazing as you watch him game after game live at Target Center get pounded by the biggest, strongest players in the NBA.
Now let's be clear. KAT still has a lot to learn and at age 23 entering his 4th season that shouldn't be surprising. Further, KAT hasn't shown himself to be an alpha. Maybe he will eventually, but at this point I see him as an outstanding #2 (a Scottie Pippen equivalent) on a championship caliber team. His talent is clearly worthy of building around, but the team needs an alpha #1 if it's going ultimately for a championship. Butler was Thibodeau's stab at pairing KAT with an alpha #1. Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, it was a poor choice given Butler's age relative to KAT, his injury propensity and his personality. This teams needs to continue to load up with young talent around KAT over the next couple years, get a modern elite head coach and see how things develop.