Schedule another Wolves loss in Orlando?

[bleedspeed]

Dunn frightens me.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Did I inadvertently start my first GDT? Nice!

Wolves looked great offensively. Making shots can do that for a team. And Wiggins is on a roll right now and LaVine is playing well.

Dunn...

He's played 33 minutes over the past 2 games. The performances were similar... he's "just out there."

1 - 4 fg
5 reb
5 ast

Meh. As noted by others, he's woefully behind offensively. Best case scenario for him is that he can come off the bench as an energy guy disruptive force when Rubio returns. He won't need as much of a clear position... or hand-holding.

I've never been super high on him, but was fine with the pick. Let's get him to the Marcus Smart level first... then see what he can become from there. (That's not a rip on Marcus Smart)

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

It's pretty clear that Thibs is increasingly taking the ball out of the hands of his PGs - even when Tyus was out there in the 4th quarter. This is the first time I've seen Wiggins bring the ball up the court and initiate the offense multiple times since he was drafted. It kinda worked too!

This is a good thing in my opinion from a pure offensive diversification perspective. We want to have multiple guys that are a threat with the ball in their hands.

The irony here is that it appears Thibs' influence has thus far affected our offense far more than our defense!

[bleedspeed]

Could he be a backup SG? Is he worse at PG then LaVine?

[AbeVigodaLive]

It's pretty clear that Thibs is increasingly taking the ball out of the hands of his PGs - even when Tyus was out there in the 4th quarter. This is the first time I've seen Wiggins bring the ball up the court and initiate the offense multiple times since he was drafted. It kinda worked too!

This is a good thing in my opinion from a pure offensive diversification perspective. We want to have multiple guys that are a threat with the ball in their hands.

The irony here is that it appears Thibs' influence has thus far affected our offense far more than our defense!

That shift can't bode well for Rubio though. And it makes the Dunn selection an interesting one considering just how poor he looks as a shooter.

[Wile E Coyote [enjin:17432808]]

I watched Dunn during the summer league and preseason games. I think right now he is a combo guard. He can defend PGs and smaller SGs just fine. He can bring the ball up and do some basic things on offense. But he is not a floor general.

Dunn's lack of shooting makes some really basic plays difficult if he is the PG. If you try to pick & roll, they can safely go under the pick.

If Rubio returns shortly, I wouldn't be surprised to see Tyus as the backup PG and Dunn as the backup SG. He has good ball skills and can drive to the hoop.

Thibs needs to find some bench guys he actually trusts to play minutes. Our big 3 guys are playing too many minutes. Belly has been mostly invisible, Cole has been up and down (decent D, poor hands on O), Bazz has been meh, and Rush can't even get off the bench.

I would not be surprised in December to see Shabazz on a different team. He is going to want a bigger role somewhere and a big contract next summer. The Wolves could use some steady vets coming off the bench.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

It's pretty clear that Thibs is increasingly taking the ball out of the hands of his PGs - even when Tyus was out there in the 4th quarter. This is the first time I've seen Wiggins bring the ball up the court and initiate the offense multiple times since he was drafted. It kinda worked too!

This is a good thing in my opinion from a pure offensive diversification perspective. We want to have multiple guys that are a threat with the ball in their hands.

The irony here is that it appears Thibs' influence has thus far affected our offense far more than our defense!

That shift can't bode well for Rubio though. And it makes the Dunn selection an interesting one considering just how poor he looks as a shooter.

indeed. that is the irony. Thibs could ultimately reduce his dependence on Rubio, yet his potential replacement is a guy that has the exact same weakness!

I suppose it is too early to give up on Dunn's ability to eventually knock down open shots. But we definitely can't bank on that becoming a reality yet. I think we need to stay the course with our current trio of PGs for now.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I watched Dunn during the summer league and preseason games. I think right now he is a combo guard. He can defend PGs and smaller SGs just fine. He can bring the ball up and do some basic things on offense. But he is not a floor general.

Dunn's lack of shooting makes some really basic plays difficult if he is the PG. If you try to pick & roll, they can safely go under the pick.

If Rubio returns shortly, I wouldn't be surprised to see Tyus as the backup PG and Dunn as the backup SG. He has good ball skills and can drive to the hoop.

Thibs needs to find some bench guys he actually trusts to play minutes. Our big 3 guys are playing too many minutes. Belly has been mostly invisible, Cole has been up and down (decent D, poor hands on O), Bazz has been meh, and Rush can't even get off the bench.

I would not be surprised in December to see Shabazz on a different team. He is going to want a bigger role somewhere and a big contract next summer. The Wolves could use some steady vets coming off the bench.

Funny though how Rubio has managed to successfully run halfcourt offenses despite this same issue. I just think his passing and handles are so advanced that he's figured out ways to exploit little seams in the defense created even when people go under screens.

I'm VERY disappointed in Rush. Here is a guy plugged into Golden State's starting lineup for a fairly lengthy stretch last season and they didn't miss a beat. He comes here in a fairly limited bench role and so far falls flat on his face. Argh!

[AbeVigodaLive]

I watched Dunn during the summer league and preseason games. I think right now he is a combo guard. He can defend PGs and smaller SGs just fine. He can bring the ball up and do some basic things on offense. But he is not a floor general.

Dunn's lack of shooting makes some really basic plays difficult if he is the PG. If you try to pick & roll, they can safely go under the pick.

If Rubio returns shortly, I wouldn't be surprised to see Tyus as the backup PG and Dunn as the backup SG. He has good ball skills and can drive to the hoop.

Thibs needs to find some bench guys he actually trusts to play minutes. Our big 3 guys are playing too many minutes. Belly has been mostly invisible, Cole has been up and down (decent D, poor hands on O), Bazz has been meh, and Rush can't even get off the bench.

I would not be surprised in December to see Shabazz on a different team. He is going to want a bigger role somewhere and a big contract next summer. The Wolves could use some steady vets coming off the bench.

Funny though how Rubio has managed to successfully run halfcourt offenses despite this same issue. I just think his passing and handles are so advanced that he's figured out ways to exploit little seams in the defense created even when people go under screens.

I'm VERY disappointed in Rush. Here is a guy plugged into Golden State's starting lineup for a fairly lengthy stretch last season and they didn't miss a beat. He comes here in a fairly limited bench role and so far falls flat on his face. Argh!

To be fair... teammates matter.

He was getting some WIDE OPEN looks with some good and savvy players in GSW.

[Coolbreeze44]

It looks like we have a nine man rotation now with Bazz the first one off the bench, Wig playing some two, and then Zach coming for Andrew. So there is no room for Dunn to be a backup SG, not that it is a good idea anyway.

Quite frankly, the most effective players are going to play. If Tyus gives us more than Dunn, you may see Dunn relegated to a spot minute role to take on certain offensive point guards. We need Ricky to play 30 minutes and the remaining PG minutes are up for grabs.