CoolBreeze44 wrote:Yeah, Wiggins handle sure does suck - give me a break
Yeah, that whole thread on Wiggins looks real lame now. But in defense of all those skeptics, Wiggins was in a slump at the time...
Barely 30 games into his career his slump was somehow seen as predictive of his future. I really don't think those skeptics should be getting a defense.
Amen. The rookie of the year to be is the reason to watch the team despite our poor record.
Tough loss. Would have loved to see wiggins hit that one.
1. Young's first half performance was comically bad. Besides not scoring or rebounding. He wasn't moving the ball and was taking such dumb shots. It was terrible in every way. Every rip on him here (and there have been literally hundreds in the last few weeks) seemed completely justified.
2. What happened at halftime? It's not like Young was great in the 2nd half or anything. But it was a night-and-day performance. He attacked the rim a bit smarter. But more importantly, he moved the ball pretty well and actually (gasp!) made a hustle play. I'm eager to see Rubio back if for nothing else to see if Young really is this much of a dog wanting out, or if it's been a bit circumstantial.
3. Phoenix stole a game they walked through for 3 quarters. Second night of a back-to-back with Memphis and SA coming up on the road, you could tell this game wasn't the focus of the Suns' road trip. The first half looked like the Portland game last month. The Suns were taking some horrible shots and missing so many of them. And the Wolves were gaining confidence as a result. You could see the switch being lit in the 4th.
4. Gerald Green... I have empathy for Jeff Hornacek. Hey, he helped the Suns win the game. It was crazy when he got hot. But those shots... they were so terrible. So very terrible.
5. Those Morris twins seem close. Is there such a thing as too close? I know they even share the same tattoos. I only hope they have their own hobbies... or girlfriends.
6. Dragic is fun to watch. So herky jerky yet smooth at the same time. Thomas is so good around the hoop for a little guy. I thought Bledsoe played poorly for the most part. But I dig him as a player overall.
7. Wiggins looks good. I mentioned a couple of things above. Those things coupled with his smooth stroke and efficiency... and this is a great stretch.
8. Did Marcus Morris get benched after yelling at Hornacek? I was wondering how Hornacek was going to react after seemingly being shown up by an emotional player. Or, did he get back in? Or, was that his usual rotation pattern?
9. If Williams is out... we get 30+ minutes of LaVine running point next game? God bless us all.
That Thad Young in the second half is the guy that was a good player in Philadelphia and the PF that I stuck my neck out for numerous times. You could see the effort was heightened. He showed off his patience and pivots in the post. Also dropped in some floaters as well as making key hustle plays and a big three-pointer to extend the game under a minute left to play. Why we don't get that guy every night just proves to me that he's uninterested and unmotivated rather than a poor basketball player. Hopefully tonight sparks some good play from him moving forward.
This was also a good night for Bennett. Had his head on a swivel on defense, walled up in the post and cleaned up on the glass. Still settles for long jumpwrs , but I like that he stuck his nose in the paint for some layups and dunks. Every 15 games he has a good game. Will be interesting to see his next performance.
PS: Wiggins is proving me wrong, and man am I happy to see him flip the switch and attack. 55 seconds left, he takes the inbound and instead of letting Williams walk it up, he races down to the other end, spins and lays it in. Also had a strong drive early where he kept the defender pinned in front of him, caught the post entry and then gave Plumlee the body for separation, made the bucket and got the whistle. Got me pumped.
Mo Williams kept us in the game all night. So many big shots. So many answers after a Phoenix score. Hope he isn't injured. Looked like a serious limp under a minute left to play.
And just because I loved the play, LaVine had a nice take in the 3rd quarter I think. Realized Thomas was too small to stop him. Basically backed him down twice until he was under the rim, pump faked and made a drop-off to Bennett for the slam.
Fun game to watch regardless of the outcome. When Wiggins shot the last three ball, I fully believed it was going in. Lined up, just a little too strong. Maybe next time.
Camden wrote:That Thad Young in the second half is the guy that was a good player in Philadelphia and the PF that I stuck my neck out for numerous times. You could see the effort was heightened. He showed off his patience and pivots in the post. Also dropped in some floaters as well as making key hustle plays and a big three-pointer to extend the game under a minute left to play. Why we don't get that guy every night just proves to me that he's uninterested and unmotivated rather than a poor basketball player. Hopefully tonight sparks some good play from him moving forward.
This was also a good night for Bennett. Had his head on a swivel on defense, walled up in the post and cleaned up on the glass. Still settles for long jumpwrs , but I like that he stuck his nose in the paint for some layups and dunks. Every 15 games he has a good game. Will be interesting to see his next performance.
PS: Wiggins is proving me wrong, and man am I happy to see him flip the switch and attack. 55 seconds left, he takes the inbound and instead of letting Williams walk it up, he races down to the other end, spins and lays it in. Also had a strong drive early where he kept the defender pinned in front of him, caught the post entry and then gave Plumlee the body for separation, made the bucket and got the whistle. Got me pumped.
Mo Williams kept us in the game all night. So many big shots. So many answers after a Phoenix score. Hope he isn't injured. Looked like a serious limp under a minute left to play.
And just because I loved the play, LaVine had a nice take in the 3rd quarter I think. Realized Thomas was too small to stop him. Basically backed him down twice until he was under the rim, pump faked and made a drop-off to Bennett for the slam.
Fun game to watch regardless of the outcome. When Wiggins shot the last three ball, I fully believed it was going in. Lined up, just a little too strong. Maybe next time.
I think we both agree that we hope to see the Young we got in the second half (still has some faults) and the Bennett that we got tonight (still has some faults) more consistently. I know Bennett has his faults and he has some big ones but I don't want to give up on him, he shows enough flashes to me to keep him in, at the very least he is a good rebounded, I hope rubio can make both Thad and Bennett solid players.
Im really looking forward to see the 3 vets come back later this month.
Their absense has lead to opportunities and exposure to the young guys and rapid development for wiggins, dieng and bazz but its time we start winning some games with the young guys.
Hopefully mo is not hurt and we start seeing later this month the rubio/mo rotation at pg that i was high on. Pek gives us the much needed big and space eater inside that can score
Martin gives us our best volume 3pt shooter. Add that to the continued improvement of the rookie of the year to be in wiggins and bazz and dieng' solid play, i can see us picking up some wins that would be good for the teams development. Hopefully thad, with a reduced role starts playing like the smart and professional vet that we thought we where going to get.
Really fun game to watch...and what a good look for Wiggins at the end of the game. Thought he was going to knock it down.
I agree that we saw the Young I thought we were going to get tonight, and that Bennett showed glimpses of what he can offer. I fear that it's fools gold though, and that PF will continue to be a big problem. Robson suggested this after the game when he tweeted the Wolves have two glaring weaknesses: point guard defense and power forward ruggedness.
One of these weaknesses will be alleviated in a couple weeks...the other will continue to be a problem.
Didn't get to watch but good to hear Bennett played better, and also Wiggy keeping up his solid rookie pace. I hope Flip isn't wearing him down, do you guys think he's playing too many minutes?
BizarroJerry wrote:Didn't get to watch but good to hear Bennett played better, and also Wiggy keeping up his solid rookie pace. I hope Flip isn't wearing him down, do you guys think he's playing too many minutes?
Wiggins seems to be thriving right now. So, whatever Flip is doing... keep doing it.
BizarroJerry wrote:Didn't get to watch but good to hear Bennett played better, and also Wiggy keeping up his solid rookie pace. I hope Flip isn't wearing him down, do you guys think he's playing too many minutes?
Wiggins seems to be thriving right now. So, whatever Flip is doing... keep doing it.
His minutes have been getting up there, which I think for a kid his age can be good and bad. Athletically he has stood up to the rigors so far and doesn't seem to be showing signs of wear or slowing down, but as Martin and Rubio return we should see his minutes dip to a more reasonable and sustainable level. At least I hope.
I believe it was David Thorpe who recently said something along the lines of running a young guy out for 30+ minutes isn't necessarily advantageous to his development. Quality over quantity of minutes still rules the day, and if the sheer quantity cuts into his durability or longevity of his career, that's where the problem lies.
BizarroJerry wrote:Didn't get to watch but good to hear Bennett played better, and also Wiggy keeping up his solid rookie pace. I hope Flip isn't wearing him down, do you guys think he's playing too many minutes?
Wiggins seems to be thriving right now. So, whatever Flip is doing... keep doing it.
His minutes have been getting up there, which I think for a kid his age can be good and bad. Athletically he has stood up to the rigors so far and doesn't seem to be showing signs of wear or slowing down, but as Martin and Rubio return we should see his minutes dip to a more reasonable and sustainable level. At least I hope.
I believe it was David Thorpe who recently said something along the lines of running a young guy out for 30+ minutes isn't necessarily advantageous to his development. Quality over quantity of minutes still rules the day, and if the sheer quantity cuts into his durability or longevity of his career, that's where the problem lies.
Maybe. But I'm not seeing too many bad habits forming even amid all the losing. The unsufferable losing. He's still letting the game come to him, with more flashes of making a concerted effort when it does. For now, run with it.
I wouldn't worry about Wiggins 10 years down the line at this point, not in today's marketplace. It's about getting him ready for next season and the following season... when the Wolves (hopefully) start making their way into relevancy.
