60WinTim wrote:Well, this could be helpful to the Wolves cause...
Shams Charania @ShamsCharania 31m
Pelicans All-Star Zion Williamson - sidelined since Jan. 2 with hamstring strain - re-aggravated the injury and is expected to miss additional weeks after All-Star break, David Griffin says.
Sure does. Love Zion and feel bad for him, but I love my Wolves in the playoffs more!
Lip summarizes things pretty well above, but I wouldn't feel very confident about AD staying healthy if I were a Laker fan...he hasn't played more than 40 games since before we ever knew what Covid 19 was, and my math tells me he's not getting any younger. Neither is LeBron, and he's already 38. Yes, some key injuries to other teams we're competing with help the Wolves, but the key thing is to get a healthy KAT back.
60WinTim wrote:Well, this could be helpful to the Wolves cause...
Shams Charania @ShamsCharania 31m
Pelicans All-Star Zion Williamson - sidelined since Jan. 2 with hamstring strain - re-aggravated the injury and is expected to miss additional weeks after All-Star break, David Griffin says.
Sure does. Love Zion and feel bad for him, but I love my Wolves in the playoffs more!
Lip summarizes things pretty well above, but I wouldn't feel very confident about AD staying healthy if I were a Laker fan...he hasn't played more than 40 games since before we ever knew what Covid 19 was, and my math tells me he's not getting any younger. Neither is LeBron, and he's already 38. Yes, some key injuries to other teams we're competing with help the Wolves, but the key thing is to get a healthy KAT back.
Good points, FNG. I agree with you that it comes down to KAT - when he returns, how quickly he ramps up and whether he stays healthy. Unfortunately, there's another question mark surrounding KAT's return. How well will he mesh with Gorbert. The 20+ game preview we had earlier in the season suggests the answer is "not very well." Let's hope things are different this team. Having Conley instead of DLO might help those two mesh. Also, Gobert seems more comfortable with the team generally.
I think the key to getting the most out of KAT when he returns is to tell him to just be himself and not worry about fitting with Rudy. I'd tell KAT to just play his game like he did last season. Let Rudy be responsible for Rudy - figuring out how he can best fit with KAT and the rest of the team. Rudy should focus on his strengths - defense and rebounding. On offense he should focus on setting picks and dunking offensive rebounds. I'd like to see more plays for McDaniels as a third scorer behind Ant and KAT. I believe there's so much more game to unlock in McDaniels' game. Zion's re-injury opens the door for the Wolves to finish 7h if KAT comes back soon, strong and permanently. But I still don't see the Wolves overtaking the Clippers, Suns, Mavs, Kings, Grizzlies or Nuggets. That means the Wolves will have to play their way into the playoffs. The only caveat is the healthy of Durant. If he can't stay healthy and on the court down the stretch, that's the Wolves opportunity to secure a 6th place finis and playoff birth.
I don't know, Lip, as daunting as our remaining schedule looks, the Kings is just as bad, if not more so. The KOM says they are about to embark on 9-game losing streak. Of course, that means they have lots of opportunities for anti-klunkers! :)
60WinTim wrote:I don't know, Lip, as daunting as our remaining schedule looks, the Kings is just as bad, if not more so. The KOM says they are about to embark on 9-game losing streak. Of course, that means they have lots of opportunities for anti-klunkers! :)
Clippers have the 2nd toughest remaining schedule, Kings 4th, Suns 5th, Wolves 12th, Warriors 13th.
Kings and Suns face off 3 more times. Clippers have 3 vs Memphis, 2 vs each of Phx and Kings.
There will be plenty of losses coming to help the Wolves cause. I expect this cluster will go to the very end.
Kat and Rudy didn't mesh well at the beginning of the season, but it wasn't because KAT wasn't trying. He was making a concerted effort to make Rudy comfortable. I think if he hadn't gotten hurt it would have eventually panned out for the better. Now it's going to be a sprint to the finish and I'm guessing they won't be on the floor much together. But when they are they need to make each other better.
CoolBreeze44 wrote:Kat and Rudy didn't mesh well at the beginning of the season, but it wasn't because KAT wasn't trying. He was making a concerted effort to make Rudy comfortable. I think if he hadn't gotten hurt it would have eventually panned out for the better. Now it's going to be a sprint to the finish and I'm guessing they won't be on the floor much together. But when they are they need to make each other better.
I thought KAT had developed more chemistry with Rudy than else at the time KAT went down. I think it will re-develop quickly once KAT gets back. It remains to be seen just how much time they are able to spend on the floor together against various teams.
CoolBreeze44 wrote:Kat and Rudy didn't mesh well at the beginning of the season, but it wasn't because KAT wasn't trying. He was making a concerted effort to make Rudy comfortable. I think if he hadn't gotten hurt it would have eventually panned out for the better. Now it's going to be a sprint to the finish and I'm guessing they won't be on the floor much together. But when they are they need to make each other better.
I thought KAT had developed more chemistry with Rudy than else at the time KAT went down. I think it will re-develop quickly once KAT gets back. It remains to be seen just how much time they are able to spend on the floor together against various teams.
The problem was that they as a team were prioritizing Rudy Gobert's fit above their normal offense. Way too many times our natural scorers would be caught thinking of how to get the ball to Gobert in the paint instead of either taking the open shot they had or creating one themselves. That simply cannot happen. The other issue was of course Gobert's clumsy, stone hands and lack of touch near the rim.
Most of us envisioned Gobert filling a Jarred Vanderbilt-like role offensively where plays weren't drawn for him. He got his offense from putbacks, wide open dunks/layups, and pick-and-roll finishes. That needs to be how Gobert eats -- not feeding him in the post and on repeated duck-ins that clog the lane. And when he does get the ball he gets to dunk it instead of trying to finish with finesse. He doesn't have that in his game. He's not a post scorer, and that's okay!
CoolBreeze44 wrote:Kat and Rudy didn't mesh well at the beginning of the season, but it wasn't because KAT wasn't trying. He was making a concerted effort to make Rudy comfortable. I think if he hadn't gotten hurt it would have eventually panned out for the better. Now it's going to be a sprint to the finish and I'm guessing they won't be on the floor much together. But when they are they need to make each other better.
I thought KAT had developed more chemistry with Rudy than else at the time KAT went down. I think it will re-develop quickly once KAT gets back. It remains to be seen just how much time they are able to spend on the floor together against various teams.
The problem was that they as a team were prioritizing Rudy Gobert's fit above their normal offense. Way too many times our natural scorers would be caught thinking of how to get the ball to Gobert in the paint instead of either taking the open shot they had or creating one themselves. That simply cannot happen. The other issue was of course Gobert's clumsy, stone hands and lack of touch near the rim.
Most of us envisioned Gobert filling a Jarred Vanderbilt-like role offensively where plays weren't drawn for him. He got his offense from putbacks, wide open dunks/layups, and pick-and-roll finishes. That needs to be how Gobert eats -- not feeding him in the post and on repeated duck-ins that clog the lane. And when he does get the ball he gets to dunk it instead of trying to finish with finesse. He doesn't have that in his game. He's not a post scorer, and that's okay!
Exactly, Cam! That was my point about what KAT needs to do when he gets back. KAT as well as Edwards and the rest of the team have to stop trying to make things work for Rudy. Instead, they need to play to their respective strengths as they did last season. Rudy needs to fit in and accept a more limited role that plays to his strengths and provides this team what it needs most from him. Cool is absolutely right that KAT "was making a concerted effort to make Rudy comfortable." My point (and I think you point, Cam) is that KAT needs to stop making that concerted effort and, instead, play his game. Let Rudy adapt to the team, not vice versa. I think Rudy's a team-oriented guy who will do just that. Then this team can make a nice push down the stretch.
