No Butler or Crawford GDT...

[Duke13]

And regarding Wig, to me a game like this doesn't surprise me one bit, he's a scorer, he better have games like this. But it shows little growth in his overall game in my opinion. I will agree with some observations about his overall engagement and awareness on defense has gotten much better. But it's still no where close to elite level, and the established baseline in that department was so low, where else could it go.

[Shumway]

...the established baseline in that department was so low, where else could it go.

Sideways was a distinct possibility, so improvement is a genuine positive that shouldn't just be dismissed.

[Wolvesfan21]

I watching the 2nd half right now. Haven't read the thread, so someone may have commented on Jim Peterson's commentary tonight. He was very critical and honest with his assessments/analysis tonight. Very critical of Teague, Bazz, and Wig tonight. In the 1st half he was praising the Raps and Casey for their willingness to change philosophy with playing faster, less ISO, shooting more 3's and playing smaller. It almost felt like he was being critical of the wolves while saying this. I thought he was spot on. Wondering if anyone else noticed this.

It's almost as if he reads these boards. I notice he says a lot of things that I point out about previous games, but I'm sure it's just coincidence.

MGH was the player of the night. Even Bazz was a little productive getting to the line 8 times. Towns was awesome in the second half. Wiggins was solid in the first half.

That Wiggins rebound at the end was astonishing. Why can't he hustle like that all game?

Step up man.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Bring back Robbie Hummel.

[Big O [enjin:13874644]]

and now a word from a Wiggins detractor...
He clearly can play up to his ability when he plays certain teams or is the first option like tonight when Butler is out and KAT is in foul trouble. But can he ever be effective as the third option? Even last night, when he was great in the first half, his game slipped as soon as KAT was back in and playing well. To contend in this league you need a big three that plays well together. Wiggins needs to figure out how to impact the game when playing with the rest of our stars. It may be an Xs and Os issue or his pride but we need this Wiggins every night. When that happens I will be happy to hear "I told you so".

[Monster]

and now a word from a Wiggins detractor...
He clearly can play up to his ability when he plays certain teams or is the first option like tonight when Butler is out and KAT is in foul trouble. But can he ever be effective as the third option? Even last night, when he was great in the first half, his game slipped as soon as KAT was back in and playing well. To contend in this league you need a big three that plays well together. Wiggins needs to figure out how to impact the game when playing with the rest of our stars. It may be an Xs and Os issue or his pride but we need this Wiggins every night. When that happens I will be happy to hear "I told you so".

It's worth noting that while Wiggins didn't get a bunch of buckets in the 2nd half the Wolves scored 61 points including 20 or whatever from Towns and the Wolves erased an 8 point deficit from one of the best teams in the league and won the game without one of the top players in the league.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Wow, we beat Toronto without Jimmy! So it is possible, just like other teams can, to win that way. Well done boys and Thibs to rebound nicely from that ugly Orlando loss.

[Lipoli390]

I watching the 2nd half right now. Haven't read the thread, so someone may have commented on Jim Peterson's commentary tonight. He was very critical and honest with his assessments/analysis tonight. Very critical of Teague, Bazz, and Wig tonight. In the 1st half he was praising the Raps and Casey for their willingness to change philosophy with playing faster, less ISO, shooting more 3's and playing smaller. It almost felt like he was being critical of the wolves while saying this. I thought he was spot on. Wondering if anyone else noticed this.

It's almost as if he reads these boards. I notice he says a lot of things that I point out about previous games, but I'm sure it's just coincidence.

MGH was the player of the night. Even Bazz was a little productive getting to the line 8 times. Towns was awesome in the second half. Wiggins was solid in the first half.

That Wiggins rebound at the end was astonishing. Why can't he hustle like that all game?

Step up man.

Fan21 -- Yes, that Wiggins rebound was tremendous. Flashes like that continue to set us up for disappointment because they remind us of his tremendous talent and what he could be if he had a consistently high level of drive and intensity. Wiggins had a lot of fight in him last night and we saw the result. He's a max player if he brings that fighting spirit to the court for 35 minutes every game.

Speaking of Wiggins, I'll have to watch the replay because I'm surprised that Jim Pete was critical of him. I thought Andrew's overall game was terrific. Even when his scoring fell off in the second half I thought his defense remained strong. Teague, however, was putrid.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

and now a word from a Wiggins detractor...
He clearly can play up to his ability when he plays certain teams or is the first option like tonight when Butler is out and KAT is in foul trouble. But can he ever be effective as the third option? Even last night, when he was great in the first half, his game slipped as soon as KAT was back in and playing well. To contend in this league you need a big three that plays well together. Wiggins needs to figure out how to impact the game when playing with the rest of our stars. It may be an Xs and Os issue or his pride but we need this Wiggins every night. When that happens I will be happy to hear "I told you so".

Our big 3 has been together for a whopping 48 games. It's gonna take time for our team to play with full continuity and we're a half game out of 3rd while figuring it out. First Butler flipped the switch after about 15 games. Then KAT flipped the switch with his defense about 3 months into the season. I would expect Wiggins to take the longest just from the standpoint that he is taking the biggest hit in role. We saw last night he's best in a top role so learning to still be good in a reduced role is a big adjustment for a volume guy. He may or may not get there, but we should give him a lot more time that what this board has been willing to give him at this point to get there.

[Coolbreeze44]

This is just astonishing. The board has become boorish. Whether he plays well or poorly, the board becomes an Andrew bashfest after every game. It wouldn't be so bad if some new thoughts or points were brought up every once in a while. But it's the same stale takes time and time again. I can't speak for anyone else but I get it, he has poor handles, bad hands, doesn't rebound, checks out during games, is inconsistent, and plays below average defense. Do we need to focus on these things every night?