Wolves vs Suns GDT

[Porckchop]

Defenses can definitely load up on him...especially when he's on the court with 3 players that can't score

quote="Camden0916"]

Yet another game where KAT is a distant 2nd or 3rd best player on the floor. Last night it was Beal. Tonight it's Booker. You gotta have that perimeter stud to win games.

Even when DLO is back is hard to be outmatched at point guard ever single night.

Booker and Paul are so much more of upgrade from Rubio and Okogie. Compared to Towns to Kamanski. Basically the difference making towns makes up in his match up is not enough to overcome that.

Exactly. KAT has to work like hell just to get a post entry pass while Booker just sails around the court and off screens to squeeze off 15 footers which he can make blind-folded all night. Same thing with Beal. We've seen how easily Edwards can get a shot off. The difference is the other guys make them. But it is so much easier in today's NBA to take over a game as a perimeter player. Embiid and Jokic are exceptions and KAT isn't in their class.

Meh. He's definitely not in that tier this season, but he's been in that same tier or better than both of them at various parts in their careers. It's also tough to say that when those two have always had significantly more help than Towns has had. The situations are at completely different ends of the spectrum. Give Towns a Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris or a Jamal Murray and Paul Millsap plus depth. Towns got Jimmy Butler for a year and was a top-four seed for most of that season. Surround the guy with some fucking talent.

[Lipoli390]

Yet another game where KAT is a distant 2nd or 3rd best player on the floor. Last night it was Beal. Tonight it's Booker. You gotta have that perimeter stud to win games.

Even when DLO is back is hard to be outmatched at point guard ever single night.

Booker and Paul are so much more of upgrade from Rubio and Okogie. Compared to Towns to Kamanski. Basically the difference making towns makes up in his match up is not enough to overcome that.

Exactly. KAT has to work like hell just to get a post entry pass while Booker just sails around the court and off screens to squeeze off 15 footers which he can make blind-folded all night. Same thing with Beal. We've seen how easily Edwards can get a shot off. The difference is the other guys make them. But it is so much easier in today's NBA to take over a game as a perimeter player. Embiid and Jokic are exceptions and KAT isn't in their class.

Meh. He's definitely not in that tier this season, but he's been in that same tier or better than both of them at various parts in their careers. It's also tough to say that when those two have always had significantly more help than Towns has had. The situations are at completely different ends of the spectrum. Give Towns a Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris or a Jamal Murray and Paul Millsap plus depth. Towns got Jimmy Butler for a year and was a top-four seed for most of that season. Surround the guy with some fucking talent.

I agree, Cam. Again, the evidence supports your view. We have a test season - the one when Butler was here. The Wolves not only made the playoffs, but were positioned to finish in the top 4 or 5 if Butler hadn't missed the last 15 games of the season. And KAT was only 21 years old then. Since then he's been surrounded by junk. I get that he's not a LeBron or MJ who can carry a team to the playoffs without another all-star on the roster. But you put Jokic or Embiid on this team with the exact same roster, same number of missed games as KAT, same coaches and the same Gersson Rosas philosophy - you'd have the same result.

[Coolbreeze44]

Yet another game where KAT is a distant 2nd or 3rd best player on the floor. Last night it was Beal. Tonight it's Booker. You gotta have that perimeter stud to win games.

Even when DLO is back is hard to be outmatched at point guard ever single night.

Booker and Paul are so much more of upgrade from Rubio and Okogie. Compared to Towns to Kamanski. Basically the difference making towns makes up in his match up is not enough to overcome that.

Exactly. KAT has to work like hell just to get a post entry pass while Booker just sails around the court and off screens to squeeze off 15 footers which he can make blind-folded all night. Same thing with Beal. We've seen how easily Edwards can get a shot off. The difference is the other guys make them. But it is so much easier in today's NBA to take over a game as a perimeter player. Embiid and Jokic are exceptions and KAT isn't in their class.

Meh. He's definitely not in that tier this season, but he's been in that same tier or better than both of them at various parts in their careers. It's also tough to say that when those two have always had significantly more help than Towns has had. The situations are at completely different ends of the spectrum. Give Towns a Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris or a Jamal Murray and Paul Millsap plus depth. Towns got Jimmy Butler for a year and was a top-four seed for most of that season. Surround the guy with some fucking talent.

Nope, those guys are complete players that are also mentally tough. Not in the same class.

Heavily disagree with this, but we aren't changing each other's minds on anything.

You saw tonight how easy it is to get inside KAT's head. He still lacks a certain maturity needed to be in that Embiid, Joker tier. I'm not saying KAT isn't a very good player, he is. I'm not trying to change your mind, I know that's futile. Just sharing an opinion on the topic.

[Coolbreeze44]

Hot take:

Jarrett Culver will be an assistant coach at Texas Tech within 5 years.

Worst of Rosas' questionable moves.

I can think of at least one that was worse.

[kekgeek]

Before I take a break from the Wolves for a bit.

Positive:
- Ant was very solid tonight, he can't hit jumpers but he was solid
- Layman was good
- jmac was solid

Negatives
- Wolves 1-7 now with Kat and without Dlo
- Nowell was bad
- Wolves can't hit jumpers
- McDaniels is now out of the rotation???
-Rubio is just there
- Culver has been bad since his return

[Coolbreeze44]

Before I take a break from the Wolves for a bit.

Positive:
- Ant was very solid tonight, he can't hit jumpers but he was solid
- Layman was good
- jmac was solid

Negatives
- Wolves 1-7 now with Kat and without Dlo
- Nowell was bad
- Wolves can't hit jumpers
- McDaniels is now out of the rotation???
-Rubio is just there
- Culver has been bad since his return

Taking McDaniels out of the rotation in favor of some of these guys is like the most Timberwolves thing ever.

[Lipoli390]

Before I take a break from the Wolves for a bit.

Positive:
- Ant was very solid tonight, he can't hit jumpers but he was solid
- Layman was good
- jmac was solid

Negatives
- Wolves 1-7 now with Kat and without Dlo
- Nowell was bad
- Wolves can't hit jumpers
- McDaniels is now out of the rotation???
-Rubio is just there
- Culver has been bad since his return

Taking McDaniels out of the rotation in favor of some of these guys is like the most Timberwolves thing ever.

No kidding. And what does that say about Chris Finch?

[kekgeek]

Before I take a break from the Wolves for a bit.

Positive:
- Ant was very solid tonight, he can't hit jumpers but he was solid
- Layman was good
- jmac was solid

Negatives
- Wolves 1-7 now with Kat and without Dlo
- Nowell was bad
- Wolves can't hit jumpers
- McDaniels is now out of the rotation???
-Rubio is just there
- Culver has been bad since his return

Taking McDaniels out of the rotation in favor of some of these guys is like the most Timberwolves thing ever.

No kidding. And what does that say about Chris Finch?

I don't want to overreact to one game. He could be banged up. Did McDaniels anger get the best of him. Did he not show up on time to something.

If this is a constant ill be worried

[FNG]

Seems like this game has put most of the board over the edge...kek has said he's taking a break, and I expect many of us are feeling the same way. Fortunately (and as a lifelong Wolves and NBA fan, I never thought I'd say this), the All-Star break is coming and we get 8 days off after the Hornets game. Thank God.

Kek listed three positives, but I think he is stretching. I thought J-Mac played poorly...better than Ricky tonight is way too low a bar. And despite 24 points, I found Ant short of "solid". There were 4 or 5 times when a coach like Popovich would have lost patience and put his ass on the bench. His decision-making and forced shots early in the clock were agonizing to watch, and resulted in 2-8 on threes and 4 TOs. The Suns announcers agree with kek, because they were drooling over Ant tonight. But I just found him difficult to watch. The good news...at least he did what Finch is asking him to do and limited his threes to 1/3 of his total shots. And he had 6 free throws and made them all. Both of those are good. But many of his 2-point shots were not good shots, and we just aren't going to be competitive if Ant takes 1/4 of our total shots and only makes 36% of them. Further, he simply can't be taking 6 more shots than KAT. Ant is 19 so I give him somewhat of a pass, and instead blame the coaching. Ryan didn't hold him accountable in Pop-like fashion, and Finch seems to be doing it even less. Come on, Finch...do something to develop this enormously high-ceiling kid.

Yes, Layman was terrific tonight, but even typing those words make me unhappy. He looked like our best player tonight, and any night that is true is a very sad night for the Timberwolves. But that said, let's give Sunshine his due. He ran the floor well, was active in the half court, used his athleticism on defense, and made his shots. He deserved the 30 minutes he got tonight, but that's not a good thing...Jake is not the future of this franchise.

And I concur with the choir here that 9 minutes for McDaniels just didn't make sense. The only reason to watch this team is KAT and the young energy guys (Ant, Vando and McDaniels), and it's difficult to understand why he was limited to 9 minutes. Maybe he was hurt. What I do know is that he flashed his potential again in the limited minutes he was given. It's sad that a 19-year-old late first rounder exhibits by far the best defensive lateral movement on the team (seriously, who is even second?)

So the best news I guess is we only have to watch this team once in the next 11 days. Ricky said the team needs a break, and I do too. No conclusions on Finch until end of season, but we should point that 3 of his 4 losses have been double digit, while we had none the previous 13 games.

[FNG]

Jarrett Culver hitting corner three after corner three practicing after the game...why can't he make his open looks in games?

And why the F was he yelling "Zach Harper" after every shot attempt? Any idea?