Minnesota Sports Forum

kekgeek1 wrote:

WolvesFan21 wrote:There was some dude on here that defended Thibs as a good head coach, I don't know who that was though. :LOL:

It's still way to early. And I hope I'm wrong. Because I supported thibs. But Wiggins has had these stretches before.

First 18 games under thibs (1st 2 months):
23.4 pts 4 rebs 2 asts on 45/41/73 splits

First 10 games this year:
25.5pts 5 rebs 3 asts on 47/34/72 splits.

This is not to even bash Ryan or defend thibs. I'm just saying Wiggins has started seasons like this before. And everyone thought thibs got through to Wiggins 3 seasons ago. I really Wiggins can keep this up, but be has done this under thibs and couldn't sustain it. But it is huge for the wolves future he keeps this up and it's not just a Wiggins hot streak

Haven't seen as much Wolves this season. I haven't carved out room for it yet... BUT... Wiggins is statistically doing very well. And from what I've seen he looks better. It has to be among the best 10 game stretches of his career.

And while questions of more fools gold are warranted... what's happening now is better than the alternative. It's a lot better to have stretches like this than the general apathy and mediocrity of almost all of last season.

So let's enjoy it... whether it lasts for the rest of his contract... or the rest of the week.

kekgeek1 wrote:

WolvesFan21 wrote:There was some dude on here that defended Thibs as a good head coach, I don't know who that was though. :LOL:

It's still way to early. And I hope I'm wrong. Because I supported thibs. But Wiggins has had these stretches before.

First 18 games under thibs (1st 2 months):
23.4 pts 4 rebs 2 asts on 45/41/73 splits

First 10 games this year:
25.5pts 5 rebs 3 asts on 47/34/72 splits.

This is not to even bash Ryan or defend thibs. I'm just saying Wiggins has started seasons like this before. And everyone thought thibs got through to Wiggins 3 seasons ago. I really Wiggins can keep this up, but be has done this under thibs and couldn't sustain it. But it is huge for the wolves future he keeps this up and it's not just a Wiggins hot streak

I agree, there just was someone who was mad we fired Thibs. When it was clearly going nowhere with him. I also agree that Wiggins has had stretches of solid play before, I'm not buying the hype yet. I need to see more, a lot more.

I was more or less poking fun at whoever though Thibs was a good HC and we should have kept him.

I'm thinking Vanterpool might be having the biggest influence on Andrew. He just looks so much more confident and determined.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:I'm thinking Vanterpool might be having the biggest influence on Andrew. He just looks so much more confident and determined.

Vanterpool is quietly the real head coach, but Saunders is the show dog with the ideal name and aesthetics.

I think like always it is a little of everything mentioned, but I lean toward management and coaching as the single biggest contributors. Rosas clearly laid out the goals for the season, and the system they wanted to play. Getting Ryan to bench Wiggins early on (as I have suggested for three seasons) seems to be a motivating factor as well.

I think getting Wiggins more involved in the offense each trip down the floor has helped to keep him focused on the game rather than floating off into the corner. Wiggins clearly worked on his handle in the off season as well as his left hand, and seems to be gaining more confidence as the games go by. I am curios to see how he responds after having a few bad games. I have to believe Pop will have something in store for him on Wednesday.

Camden wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:I'm thinking Vanterpool might be having the biggest influence on Andrew. He just looks so much more confident and determined.

Vanterpool is quietly the real head coach, but Saunders is the show dog with the ideal name and aesthetics.

I don't think that's fair Cam. At practice Vanterpool may have a relatively large role, but Ryan is the game manager and clear leader of the team.

kekgeek1 wrote:

WolvesFan21 wrote:There was some dude on here that defended Thibs as a good head coach, I don't know who that was though. :LOL:

It's still way to early. And I hope I'm wrong. Because I supported thibs. But Wiggins has had these stretches before.

First 18 games under thibs (1st 2 months):
23.4 pts 4 rebs 2 asts on 45/41/73 splits

First 10 games this year:
25.5pts 5 rebs 3 asts on 47/34/72 splits.

This is not to even bash Ryan or defend thibs. I'm just saying Wiggins has started seasons like this before. And everyone thought thibs got through to Wiggins 3 seasons ago. I really Wiggins can keep this up, but be has done this under thibs and couldn't sustain it. But it is huge for the wolves future he keeps this up and it's not just a Wiggins hot streak

Exactly Kekgeek, this is why I'm not quite buying it yet. Wiggins has had some very impressive stretches of play in the past. I'd argue his entire 2nd season was a pretty damn good year relative to the regression that followed. Not all-star worthy, but we have definitely seen "aggressive Wiggins" before.

Let's hope this time is different in that he actually sustains this level of play. We'll see.

Camden0916 wrote:

jester1534 wrote:

Camden0916 wrote:

jester1534 wrote:

Camden0916 wrote:Teague isn't going anywhere just yet.

What's the date we can trade for Russel?

December 14th.

Realistically what would it take trade for him? I guess I don't know the value of guy like Covington compared to MLB players.

Anything from Teague + Covington to Teague + Culver is realistic. Golden State will likely try to pry Covington and one of Culver or Okogie. That is a complete no-go for Minnesota.

Just to chime in here Jester on Covington's value. He has a very good contract and is locked in for a couple more years so I think just by himself if you put him on the market you would easily get offers of 2 lottery protected picks or 1st round picks from good teams you expected to be good so that's what they would be outside the lottery. It would be interesting to know what the Wolves would be willing to give up to get Russell. Whether GS would do this deal likely depends on whether they wanted to compete now or build something even more long term. Covington would be a hell of a piece to add to the guys they have if the other guys were healthy. I see Russell put up two 30 point games after the 50 he dropped on the wolves. After 3 very good games his season stats look quite sexy. Lol

monsterpile wrote:

Camden0916 wrote:

jester1534 wrote:

Camden0916 wrote:

jester1534 wrote:

Camden0916 wrote:Teague isn't going anywhere just yet.

What's the date we can trade for Russel?

December 14th.

Realistically what would it take trade for him? I guess I don't know the value of guy like Covington compared to MLB players.

Anything from Teague + Covington to Teague + Culver is realistic. Golden State will likely try to pry Covington and one of Culver or Okogie. That is a complete no-go for Minnesota.

Just to chime in here Jester on Covington's value. He has a very good contract and is locked in for a couple more years so I think just by himself if you put him on the market you would easily get offers of 2 lottery protected picks or 1st round picks from good teams you expected to be good so that's what they would be outside the lottery. It would be interesting to know what the Wolves would be willing to give up to get Russell. Whether GS would do this deal likely depends on whether they wanted to compete now or build something even more long term. Covington would be a hell of a piece to add to the guys they have if the other guys were healthy. I see Russell put up two 30 point games after the 50 he dropped on the wolves. After 3 very good games his season stats look quite sexy. Lol

Thanks for chiming in. I guess to me it seems like a no brainer for GSW. They get elite role player to go with Curry and Draymond and then money is off the books for Russel. Seems like a win win for both teams. Do you think they should add Kiriloff to the deal? lol :)

Camden wrote:

thedoper wrote:

CoolBreeze44 wrote:My biggest takeaway is the improvement in Wiggins handle. It's not just a little better, the difference is stark. So much for not being able to teach an old dog new tricks.

I think this year is proving that Wiggins is coachable. Ryan (and Rosas?) clearly gave him some objectives to look at and he's changed his strategy. The "just go out there and work harder" mantra of Thibs didnt work on Wiggins. Maybe he has a brain and has to be given a rationale for where he's placing his effort?

So, just to be clear, you think Ryan Saunders is the only coach that has worked with Andrew Wiggins to tell him to focus his attention on getting by his defender and attacking the rim versus settling for contested jumpers? That would be pretty damning on some highly-regarded basketball minds. I'm not so sure I can believe that...

I think what's more likely is that Wiggins became an adult/professional this off-season and really worked on improving his game -- evident by a noticeably better handle although with still room to grow -- as well as getting a better understanding on his own of what shots to take and what shots he should pass up.

I think you're jumping the gun on what I'm saying. I'm not sure what the other coaches said to him or did with him. What I am sure of is that what the coaches are doing with him and saying to him is getting through to him. That is a sign of good communication by the coaching staff and an affirmation that Andrew is teachable.. It wouldn't surprise me at all that his previous coaches were poor communicators to someone like Andrew. It's not a knock on Thibs. I actually think that Thibs is a good coach. I am a firm believer that certain coaches work for certain personality types (like any teacher), and that Ryan and his team are showing skill in this area by the marked difference in how Andrew is strategically manifesting his game.

If Thibs wanted a drastic change in Andrew's shot selection I don't remember that being a public mantra. It has pretty much all Ryan has been talking about since he took over in regard to Wiggins. So there's that and the actual change on court.