Wolves vs Nets GDT

[kekgeek]

Watched the extended highlights and then the box score. I'll watch an entire Wolves game but tonight I watched another terrific NFL game.

Kyrie was absolutely hitting bonkers shots but the Wolves were always up when they showed the score. It looks like some of the guys that need to play good or slid like Prince and McDaniels played well. Naz had some blocked shots. We don't need some of those guys to be awesome just average versions of themselves and it will be an improvement. Price not missing a shot in this game was NICE.

I was kinda thinking watching the highlights that Nowell kinda reminds me of Will Barton. Barton is more of a wing and Nowel is more of a guard but Barton has actually played a PG role for Denver at teams the last few years and isn't actually a huge volume 3 guy. Nowell looks like a REALLY awesome 6th man type because on offense he can do a lot of things. Play as a solid PG type and handle the ball. Get some buckets at all 3 levels. He can also play with a PG also it looks like he played with Russell a decent chunk in this game. I'm trying not to get my hoes up too high on him but if he turns into a solid version of the player I've always envisioned he could be that would be a pretty big development.

In the highlights I saw it looked like this was a game where Towns kept his cool. Is that accurate?

KAT totally kept his cool. He wasn't playing a super physical team team and he was getting his fair share of calls too.

Nowell is the real deal, and yes, it's a big development. This is about 15 or 16 games now of regular playing time and very consistent production. I like that he attacks a lot more now than his prior stints of NBA playing time. He is hitting his 3s, but he is far more likely to try to get into the paint and hit one of his little mid-range shots or get all the way to the rim.

Thanks for the reply Q. I wonder if Finch has given him more rope to attack. Dane Moore has had a few podcasts in the past where he has talked about how the Wolves didn't allow players (except Russell) to play some of that in between game. I think to some extent people saying that was a problem overstate it a bit but I also think it's a really excellent point. I thought Dane and at least one guest on his podcast that discussed it laid it out really well. It was discussed significantly in the podcast this summer about Bolmaro because he is also a guy that gets into some of that in between game as well. There was a lot of talk about if the Wolves were bad for Culver because they didn't let him do anything but 3's and get to the rim. Maybe Culver figures out how to be a solid NBA player but it seems like there was something else not right with him...I mean that shot was a pretty big deal. I think personally there was something mentally that kept Culver from progressing which is obvious but I have a feeling that maybe the Wolves didn't help him but I don't think they like broke him either. Anyway back to my point...I really think Finch is much more flexible and plays to players strengths than Saunders was especially since Saunders seemed kinda dictated to do certain things by Rosas even if that's what Ryan may have thought was the right thing to do as well. Like I've said before Finch seems more of a modern coaching version of McHale than a rigid only do some sort of system type coach.

I think multiple things are in play when it comes to development. I think the G-League has been huge. Nowell, Naz and Vando have been massive success from the Wolves G-League (Jmac to some success also).

Like you mentioned i think Finch is excellent at letting players play free. It's not so structured like thibs but the Wolves have a purpose on offense unlike with Saunders. Also everyone on the team has the green light, even a player I don't love in Okogie is shooting the corner 3 so much more quickly this year even though it's not falling. Each player has their roll on the team but they are not just forced to stick in that roll.

I know Bill Simmons complains about the Celtics a lot about he doesn't know if Langford or Nesmith are good or not but the Celtics haven't don't them any favors by just sticking them in the corner they are not allowed to do anything else.

Each Wolves player has the ability to attack with freedom. What I love from this team.

[Q-is-here]

Watched the extended highlights and then the box score. I'll watch an entire Wolves game but tonight I watched another terrific NFL game.

Kyrie was absolutely hitting bonkers shots but the Wolves were always up when they showed the score. It looks like some of the guys that need to play good or slid like Prince and McDaniels played well. Naz had some blocked shots. We don't need some of those guys to be awesome just average versions of themselves and it will be an improvement. Price not missing a shot in this game was NICE.

I was kinda thinking watching the highlights that Nowell kinda reminds me of Will Barton. Barton is more of a wing and Nowel is more of a guard but Barton has actually played a PG role for Denver at teams the last few years and isn't actually a huge volume 3 guy. Nowell looks like a REALLY awesome 6th man type because on offense he can do a lot of things. Play as a solid PG type and handle the ball. Get some buckets at all 3 levels. He can also play with a PG also it looks like he played with Russell a decent chunk in this game. I'm trying not to get my hoes up too high on him but if he turns into a solid version of the player I've always envisioned he could be that would be a pretty big development.

In the highlights I saw it looked like this was a game where Towns kept his cool. Is that accurate?

KAT totally kept his cool. He wasn't playing a super physical team team and he was getting his fair share of calls too.

Nowell is the real deal, and yes, it's a big development. This is about 15 or 16 games now of regular playing time and very consistent production. I like that he attacks a lot more now than his prior stints of NBA playing time. He is hitting his 3s, but he is far more likely to try to get into the paint and hit one of his little mid-range shots or get all the way to the rim.

Thanks for the reply Q. I wonder if Finch has given him more rope to attack. Dane Moore has had a few podcasts in the past where he has talked about how the Wolves didn't allow players (except Russell) to play some of that in between game. I think to some extent people saying that was a problem overstate it a bit but I also think it's a really excellent point. I thought Dane and at least one guest on his podcast that discussed it laid it out really well. It was discussed significantly in the podcast this summer about Bolmaro because he is also a guy that gets into some of that in between game as well. There was a lot of talk about if the Wolves were bad for Culver because they didn't let him do anything but 3's and get to the rim. Maybe Culver figures out how to be a solid NBA player but it seems like there was something else not right with him...I mean that shot was a pretty big deal. I think personally there was something mentally that kept Culver from progressing which is obvious but I have a feeling that maybe the Wolves didn't help him but I don't think they like broke him either. Anyway back to my point...I really think Finch is much more flexible and plays to players strengths than Saunders was especially since Saunders seemed kinda dictated to do certain things by Rosas even if that's what Ryan may have thought was the right thing to do as well. Like I've said before Finch seems more of a modern coaching version of McHale than a rigid only do some sort of system type coach.

I think multiple things are in play when it comes to development. I think the G-League has been huge. Nowell, Naz and Vando have been massive success from the Wolves G-League (Jmac to some success also).

Like you mentioned i think Finch is excellent at letting players play free. It's not so structured like thibs but the Wolves have a purpose on offense unlike with Saunders. Also everyone on the team has the green light, even a player I don't love in Okogie is shooting the corner 3 so much more quickly this year even though it's not falling. Each player has their roll on the team but they are not just forced to stick in that roll.

I know Bill Simmons complains about the Celtics a lot about he doesn't know if Langford or Nesmith are good or not but the Celtics haven't don't them any favors by just sticking them in the corner they are not allowed to do anything else.

Each Wolves player has the ability to attack with freedom. What I love from this team.

I haven't watched much Celtics, but the game I did watch was basically Tatum and Brown taking turns playing Iso ball....mostly Tatum. It was butt-ugly to watch.

[FNG]

Chris Finch says Anthony Edwards told him he's "straight"

Kinda odd for him to tell his coach that after a game, but I'm sure Ant's girlfriend is relieved to hear he's straight ;-) !

Just finished watching this terrific win and reading the game thread, and while I agree that almost everyone contributed to this win, Cam's post about Jaden McDaniels summed up the game for me. Harden is one of the most adept players in the association in drawing fouls, and Jaden is one of the most foul-prone players. So who would have thought Jaden would have played all of his 28 minutes guarding Harden, and only commit one foul while forcing James into 4-13 shooting! Just a remarkable job of defending a sometimes unstoppable offensive force, and certainly a key factor in this win.

Even with Brooklyn missing two starters (including one HOFer), they still had marvelous Kyrie Irving and Harden on the floor, and they are so deep they can withstand injuries more than any other team in the league.

The bench was very good tonight, and especially surprising Taurean Prince and Jaylen Nowell (who almost seemed to be channeling Kyrie with his amazing mid-range game). But I give the second game ball to D'Angelo. While I agree with Kekgeek that his defense was not up to the standard we have enjoyed watching tonight, I thought his offensive game was near perfect. Dane Moore tweeted something about DLo that I've noticed recently...we both love how he motions a player to come set a screen (often Vando) only to have the player instead go backdoor for an easy basket...brilliant!

One more thing. Just noticed that Vando had 5 steals. I watched this game closely, and had no idea he had that many. This may be premature, but I might call Vando the greatest "do shit" player in Wolves history...he's unique and extraordinary. Not to mention 9 points on only 3 shots...that's efficiency!

[Wolvesfan21]

Watched the extended highlights and then the box score. I'll watch an entire Wolves game but tonight I watched another terrific NFL game.

Kyrie was absolutely hitting bonkers shots but the Wolves were always up when they showed the score. It looks like some of the guys that need to play good or slid like Prince and McDaniels played well. Naz had some blocked shots. We don't need some of those guys to be awesome just average versions of themselves and it will be an improvement. Price not missing a shot in this game was NICE.

I was kinda thinking watching the highlights that Nowell kinda reminds me of Will Barton. Barton is more of a wing and Nowel is more of a guard but Barton has actually played a PG role for Denver at teams the last few years and isn't actually a huge volume 3 guy. Nowell looks like a REALLY awesome 6th man type because on offense he can do a lot of things. Play as a solid PG type and handle the ball. Get some buckets at all 3 levels. He can also play with a PG also it looks like he played with Russell a decent chunk in this game. I'm trying not to get my hoes up too high on him but if he turns into a solid version of the player I've always envisioned he could be that would be a pretty big development.

In the highlights I saw it looked like this was a game where Towns kept his cool. Is that accurate?

KAT totally kept his cool. He wasn't playing a super physical team team and he was getting his fair share of calls too.

Nowell is the real deal, and yes, it's a big development. This is about 15 or 16 games now of regular playing time and very consistent production. I like that he attacks a lot more now than his prior stints of NBA playing time. He is hitting his 3s, but he is far more likely to try to get into the paint and hit one of his little mid-range shots or get all the way to the rim.

I don't know the stats at all, but he looks super efficient in that short little midrange area and around the rim. Nowell finally coming around has been huge. DLO playing the best ball of his life has been mind blowing.

Some posters on here were like, DLO sucks, the trade was terrible, yada, yada. I was net neutral on the trade. I actually predicted the trade and I also said there is a chance DLO could return to his 1 season in Brooklyn form. He played decent defense then. He could again IF the team is competitive (he had lots of losing teams in his career and he certainly played half ass during those seasons. toot toot my horn. lol

I'm still leary on can DLO continue this play in the longterm. I would bet that he can if he's in the right situations. Guys like Beverly and Vando have really got this defense turned up a notch. I mean everyone loved the Beverley signing, we needed a gritty tough get n your face defender to rub off on the other guys like DLO, KAT and Ant. Such a great trade.

[FNG]

Trend lines on Nowell are exceptional. We all knew he was a good shooter in college (Pac 10 player of the year) and the G League, so as fun as the Eye Chart bit was, it was also puzzling. But look at his TS% numbers:

2020: 47.1%
2021: 52.8%
2022: 57.7%

This progression plus his ability to create his own shot makes me wonder how high his ceiling might be. Now we need Beasley to get hot from 3-point land. He's one of our only potentially valuable trade chips that we're willing to give up (nope, still nobody wants Jake), and the emergence of Nowell makes him expendable.

[Wolvesfan21]

Trend lines on Nowell are exceptional. We all knew he was a good shooter in college (Pac 10 player of the year) and the G League, so as fun as the Eye Chart bit was, it was also puzzling. But look at his TS% numbers:

2020: 47.1%
2021: 52.8%
2022: 57.7%

This progression plus his ability to create his own shot makes me wonder how high his ceiling might be. Now we need Beasley to get hot from 3-point land. He's one of our only potentially valuable trade chips that we're willing to give up (nope, still nobody wants Jake), and the emergence of Nowell makes him expendable.

Yeah the stats don't lie for sure. Love it!!!

[Coolbreeze44]

Watched the extended highlights and then the box score. I'll watch an entire Wolves game but tonight I watched another terrific NFL game.

Kyrie was absolutely hitting bonkers shots but the Wolves were always up when they showed the score. It looks like some of the guys that need to play good or slid like Prince and McDaniels played well. Naz had some blocked shots. We don't need some of those guys to be awesome just average versions of themselves and it will be an improvement. Price not missing a shot in this game was NICE.

I was kinda thinking watching the highlights that Nowell kinda reminds me of Will Barton. Barton is more of a wing and Nowel is more of a guard but Barton has actually played a PG role for Denver at teams the last few years and isn't actually a huge volume 3 guy. Nowell looks like a REALLY awesome 6th man type because on offense he can do a lot of things. Play as a solid PG type and handle the ball. Get some buckets at all 3 levels. He can also play with a PG also it looks like he played with Russell a decent chunk in this game. I'm trying not to get my hoes up too high on him but if he turns into a solid version of the player I've always envisioned he could be that would be a pretty big development.

In the highlights I saw it looked like this was a game where Towns kept his cool. Is that accurate?

KAT totally kept his cool. He wasn't playing a super physical team team and he was getting his fair share of calls too.

Nowell is the real deal, and yes, it's a big development. This is about 15 or 16 games now of regular playing time and very consistent production. I like that he attacks a lot more now than his prior stints of NBA playing time. He is hitting his 3s, but he is far more likely to try to get into the paint and hit one of his little mid-range shots or get all the way to the rim.

I don't know the stats at all, but he looks super efficient in that short little midrange area and around the rim. Nowell finally coming around has been huge. DLO playing the best ball of his life has been mind blowing.

Some posters on here were like, DLO sucks, the trade was terrible, yada, yada. I was net neutral on the trade. I actually predicted the trade and I also said there is a chance DLO could return to his 1 season in Brooklyn form. He played decent defense then. He could again IF the team is competitive (he had lots of losing teams in his career and he certainly played half ass during those seasons. toot toot my horn. lol

I'm still leary on can DLO continue this play in the longterm. I would bet that he can if he's in the right situations. Guys like Beverly and Vando have really got this defense turned up a notch. I mean everyone loved the Beverley signing, we needed a gritty tough get n your face defender to rub off on the other guys like DLO, KAT and Ant. Such a great trade.

DLO is growing on me. I hated the trade, and even though we lost it, have come to appreciate him as a player. My biggest problem with the trade was also the area I was most mistaken. I thought he was a terrible teammate and not the brightest bulb in the tanning bed. I was totally wrong on both accounts. He's a great teammate and one of the smartest players we've had. He's not as good as his current play would suggest, but he's also not nearly as bad as his early season play showed. Fungo has kept alive the narrative that he has played good defense this season. I haven't seen that, but recognize he has given more effort in team concepts and isn't dragging the defense down like he has in the past. If we can make the playoffs, it will be interesting to see how he holds up during a 7 game series as teams isolate him in the half court. It may be a problem that he will need to balance by his performance on the offensive end. All in all he's been very good this year. Not sure he can be a #3 on a championship team, but he's a vital cog in our quest to become relevant. And in case you're wondering, my temperature is normal and I'm feeling just fine.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Timberwolves had 31 free throws. Brooklyn, with Harden and Irving, only had 15.

Whoa.

[DNatagal]

DLO looks better on defense because the Wolves have 3 better defenders on the court at most times ( Vando, McDaniels, Ant) that can guard the players that DLO cannot. Last nite was a prime example. DLO would take whichever player was in the short corner and everyone else covered Harden, Irving, etc. DLO missed more than a few rotations as he was caught too far away from his man.

[Q-is-here]

Timberwolves had 31 free throws. Brooklyn, with Harden and Irving, only had 15.

Whoa.

Also, how about all the cheap fouls LMA got!? I mean, that was KAT-like stuff being called on him. The difference is LMA mostly brushed it off whereas KAT goes into his martyrdom routine.

We probably need to look back at this game for some balance the next time we get totally screwed by the refs.