Minnesota Sports Forum

60WinTim wrote:It seems each side is perceiving the other side as extremists...

There is absolutely no arguing that Towns is an amazing talent. We are damn lucky to have him. And those of us that approve of the KG acquisition believe KG has a direct influence on the accelerated growth Towns is having. Those that didn't approve of the KG acquisition want to belittle KG's influence on Towns growth. And it seems neither side is going to be convince the other side one way or another. Which means it's probably somewhere inbetween.

But my side likes this quote from KAT tonight...

Timberwolves PR ?@Twolves_PR 1h1 hour ago Denver, CO
More KAT says he had a long chat with KG about the little things, and just tried to implement them tonight #at wolves

shocking that quote came from the TIMBERWOLVES PUBLIC RELATIONS! Those guys aren't bias at all

alexftbl8181 wrote:

60WinTim wrote:It seems each side is perceiving the other side as extremists...

There is absolutely no arguing that Towns is an amazing talent. We are damn lucky to have him. And those of us that approve of the KG acquisition believe KG has a direct influence on the accelerated growth Towns is having. Those that didn't approve of the KG acquisition want to belittle KG's influence on Towns growth. And it seems neither side is going to be convince the other side one way or another. Which means it's probably somewhere inbetween.

But my side likes this quote from KAT tonight...

Timberwolves PR ?@Twolves_PR 1h1 hour ago Denver, CO
More KAT says he had a long chat with KG about the little things, and just tried to implement them tonight #at wolves

shocking that quote came from the TIMBERWOLVES PUBLIC RELATIONS! Those guys aren't bias at all

Actually the quote came directly from KAT in a post game interview, and it was unprompted (there was no BS leading question like "How much has KG helped you?". KAT was asked for his thoughts on how he played, and he talked about how KG has been talking to him and teaching him "little things that help me get to the basket easier". He often said he is playing with a lot of confidence, and said he attributed that to playing next to KG...again unsolicited. Hmm...KAT's ability to put the ball on the floor has dramatically improved since Summer League, and he talks about how that is an area KG has been working with him on. I wonder if there could be any connection there...Nahhhhhhh, just coincidence!

Good god, how much more evidence of KG's positive impact do you need before you are willing to buy in just a little? This denial is beginning to border on pathological!

Where is Cool's 2+1? Is he still sleeping?

If you listened to Towns enough, you'd know how humble and polite he is. He gives credit to everyone but himself. When he was at Kentucky, he credited Willie Cauley-Stein and John Calipari for almost everything defensively, and then he'd credit the Harrison twins for putting him in position to score, although they rarely did more than a simple post entry pass. That's the type of guy Karl-Anthony is. Him giving KG all this credit in interviews isn't much different. He knows mentoring is primarily why KG is here and so he piggybacks on that instead of saying, "I've put in all the work. I've worked on my game. I've been blessed with the talent I have and I'm making the most of it." He's not self-centered enough to say it, but that's all true.

Towns is pretty much a kiss ass in all of his interviews, but he is clearly improving pretty dramatically since SL. He played a solid game in LA against a decent front line, and was fantastic last night against a very weak front court. He clearly has talent, but I didn't see this intensity last season. KG is definitely having a positive influence, but how much, nobody knows. I'd be thrilled to see the game in LA as his baseline, and anything more this season is a bonus.

Guess you guys didn't watch much Kentucky basketball last year, but that doesn't really surprise me.

Camden wrote:Guess you guys didn't watch much Kentucky basketball last year, but that doesn't really surprise me.

I can't speak for the others, but I watched a lot of Kentucky basketball last year. I knew that we were going to be a lottery team, and was intrigued by the possibility of adding a guy like Towns. Right from the start, I was impressed with his skills. But I also had some toughness concerns, and detected some inconsistency in motor, strength and ability to hold his position. And I wasn't alone in my thoughts. You don't have to search too hard to find a lot of observations by those who do this for a living that matched mine. Here are just a couple sources I found in 5 minutes (among many others) that questioned his toughness and intensity.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Karl-Towns-61831/

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/nba-scout-karl-anthony-towns-has-to-embrace-kevin-garnett/ar-BBmgiEO





Wow, lo and behold the second article actually suggests KAT could learn a lot from KG in continuing his development!

No player is perfect, and several of us mentioned these potential soft areas for KAT in the pre-draft period, but most of us still thought he was the clear choice and were delighted when Flip selected him. Then when he got pushed around in SL by Tariq Black, Bobby Portis and others, many of us were not too surprised and it was natural that some of us were concerned that some of the weaknesses pundits cited in KAT were on display in Vegas. But something happened to Karl during training camp, and he seems like a much tougher, driven player than most of us saw in Vegas or at Kentucky. Who knows what the reasons are for his transformation. Maybe he just became a different player through hard work on his own, as you and some others have suggested. Or maybe, he has been driven to become a better, tougher player by watching and listening to a coach who can be tough on players and a future HOFer that he clearly admires and emulates. It really doesn't matter...the key thing is that he is playing basketball at a much higher level than he was just two months ago, and that's a very good thing.

You belives that everything he is doing now was on display at Kentucky, and I don't...that's okay, we're all entitled to our own opinions. Try not to be so defensive when somebody suggests that things are not exactly the way you see them. It's okay, and actually more fun, to have differing opinions!

BizarroJerry wrote:Where is Cool's 2+1? Is he still sleeping?

Yeah a little late today, but it's up.

Q12543 wrote:

Carlos Danger wrote:

khans2k5 wrote:

Camden0916 wrote:

I certainly don't think KG has hurt Towns that's for sure, but to attribute Towns play as a direct byproduct of KG is a massive disservice to Towns.

BINGO. Completely agreed, Q.

I guess I don't understand why you and Cam are on a mission to prove Towns is doing it on his own with little help. Why is it so bad to say he's ahead of schedule because he has really good help? You act like that belittles what he's done somehow when it doesn't. It helps him be better, quicker which makes him look a lot better at the end of the day.

Half the posts on this forum are about posters proving themselves to be "right". I'm guilty too - so not trying to be a hypocrite . But I think that's what's going on here (both sides of the argument). At the end of the day - who friggin cares if it's KG mentoring or his own talent. He's playing great so far and that's all that really matters - right?

I'm sure KG is of help, but I'm sorry, KG doesn't mentor a guy into what we saw tonight. That's God-given talent and years of hard work.

No guys. Years of talent and inherent athleticism is irrelevant... as long as he got in a few good practices with his mentor.

As I noted before... Sam Mitchell didn't make Kevin Garnett who he was/is. Kevin Garnett did. Either you have the talent AND the mindset to be a good or great or elite NBA player or you don't. Mentors can offer random nuggets, but they're doing just as much off the court to be a "mentor." They're there for guidance, not for propping up guys.

Let's put it this way. If Garnett is such a mentor, why isn't Anthony Bennett still here? Why hasn't Adrien Payne progressed? Or even been serviceable?

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

Q12543 wrote:

Carlos Danger wrote:

khans2k5 wrote:

Camden0916 wrote:

I certainly don't think KG has hurt Towns that's for sure, but to attribute Towns play as a direct byproduct of KG is a massive disservice to Towns.

BINGO. Completely agreed, Q.

I guess I don't understand why you and Cam are on a mission to prove Towns is doing it on his own with little help. Why is it so bad to say he's ahead of schedule because he has really good help? You act like that belittles what he's done somehow when it doesn't. It helps him be better, quicker which makes him look a lot better at the end of the day.

Half the posts on this forum are about posters proving themselves to be "right". I'm guilty too - so not trying to be a hypocrite . But I think that's what's going on here (both sides of the argument). At the end of the day - who friggin cares if it's KG mentoring or his own talent. He's playing great so far and that's all that really matters - right?

I'm sure KG is of help, but I'm sorry, KG doesn't mentor a guy into what we saw tonight. That's God-given talent and years of hard work.

No guys. Years of talent and inherent athleticism is irrelevant... as long as he got in a few good practices with his mentor.

As I noted before... Sam Mitchell didn't make Kevin Garnett who he was/is. Kevin Garnett did. Either you have the talent AND the mindset to be a good or great or elite NBA player or you don't. Mentors can offer random nuggets, but they're doing just as much off the court to be a "mentor." They're there for guidance, not for propping up guys.

Let's put it this way. If Garnett is such a mentor, why isn't Anthony Bennett still here? Why hasn't Adrien Payne progressed? Or even been serviceable?

You are absolutely correct -- the player has to have the tools, skill and drive to become a great player. And all your points about what KG can be a mentor for are correct as well, although a lot your points should also be covered by a good agent.

But isn't it possible that KG has helped put Towns in the fast lane of his development curve (along with the overall team's development as well)? That is the point that Flip had hoped for, and many of us believe we are witnessing.