GDT: Minnesota vs. Brooklyn (Preseason)

[D-Mac [enjin:19736340]]

Some things never change on this board.

Haha, couldn't agree more Cam. Crazy!! But you gotta laugh a little. I'll wait a couple more games to cut Ant and demote McDaniels.

Enjoyed Dlo's last two games a lot. More of that please Dlo.

You're right... what was I thinking discussing my wolves lineup thoughts on twolves board :)

[D-Mac [enjin:19736340]]

FNG - You're right about DLO. He bears a lot of responsibility of the Wolves lack of ball movement last night, which was as you characterized it - unwatchable. I'll not that we shouldn't be surprised. My biggest issue with him has always been how he slows the offensive. But he did shoot well and gave a great effort defensively even thought he's just not particularly gifted on that end of the floor. My thought on DLO is that he just doesn't fit well next to Edwards. Ant needs a pure facilitator next to him in the backcourt - someone like JMac. DLO's turnovers were inexcusable, but all too familiar. He just seems to have a lot of mental lapses where he loses his concentration or focus. Maybe it's too much weed over the years. :).

But there were some brights spots in addition to DLO's shooting. One was KAT's quickness and ability to play the PF position well on both ends. I agree that Kyle Anderson was another bright spot last night.

I think we really missed Beverley and Vando last night. We were sluggish, a step slow and got beat repeatedly to loose balls. Those problems can be attributed directly to not having DLO or Vando. Perhaps Ant's regression this preseason can be indirectly attributed to the absence of Beverley. And our second unit definitely missed JMac.

Speaking of JMac, what kept him out of last night's game?

At this point I think we're in need of a "pass first" starting PG. I agree that Ant plays better next to someone like that.

[Q-is-here]

I watched a regular season Boston game last year and it was basically Tatum and Brown taking turns pounding the ball into the floor and trying to get the right matchup on switches. It was boring and ugly to watch on offense. Two months later they were in the Finals competing for a title.

I guess what I'm saying is we need to accept Ant for what he is. He is never going to be ping-ponging the ball around and making perfectly timed cuts. We actually need someone that can play great isolation ball on this roster. I just think it's about picking his spots and growing into his role this season.

[Q-is-here]

Just looking at the box score of this game again....KAT, Forbes, and Nowell went 1-13 from 3. I mean, that is your three best shooters on the roster probably. If those guys go 5-13 the game is tied.

My point is we weren't THAT bad last night. In fact, the defense really buckled down in Q3 and held Brooklyn to 22 points and Kyrie and Durant were still playing at that point.

[Lipoli390]

I watched a regular season Boston game last year and it was basically Tatum and Brown taking turns pounding the ball into the floor and trying to get the right matchup on switches. It was boring and ugly to watch on offense. Two months later they were in the Finals competing for a title.

I guess what I'm saying is we need to accept Ant for what he is. He is never going to be ping-ponging the ball around and making perfectly timed cuts. We actually need someone that can play great isolation ball on this roster. I just think it's about picking his spots and growing into his role this season.

Q - I think you're generally right about accepting Ant for what he is, but two thoughts in response. First, I still think he can and should moderate his iso ball tendencies a little just as MJ had to do for the Bulls to become a championship team. Second and more importantly, I think accepting Ant as he is raises the question about whether he and DLO fit well together. Having one guard with sticky fingers is fine, but having two when one of them is your PG can be problematic. That's especially true when you have a third scorer on your team - i.e., KAT - who needs the ball. That is the looming question for me. And it's a question I haven't even resolved yet in my own mind. I want things to work out with DLO because he's here and he's talented. I'm also intrigued by DLO's P&R potential with Gobert. But I have concerns.

Meanwhile, the Wolves will have to figure out how to maximize the Gobert-KAT pairing. Sam Mitchell raised the concern about Gobert impeding the team's spacing, which allowed KAT last season to thrive on the offensive end. Sam agreed that KAT is an elite three-point shooter, but he also stressed that what makes KAT special is the fact he's also a great low-post scorer and a terrific dribble drive scorer. Gobert's only value on the floor offensively is in the paint and that seems to constrain KAT's ability to apply the full measure of his main offensive talents. That's what Sam said and I agree. Sam rightly emphasized that the Wolves will have to figure that out to make the Gobert deal pay off.

So this will be an interesting season. Key questions in my mind:

1. Will Ant take a big step forward and blossom into a consistently dominant all-star caliber player or star?

2. Will McDaniels take a significant step forward to at least become a reliable 3&D guy who hits his threes consistently and defends without fouling?

3. Will KAT and DLO stay healthy and be on the court for 70+ games - something they haven't been able to do the last couple seasons?

4. Will the team, without Beverley and Vando, be able to effectively defend the perimeter and not end up depending too much on Gobert's paint protection like we saw with the Jazz?

5. Will Ant and especially DLO moderate their tendencies and ultimately mesh well together offensively?

6. Will the team be able to play Gobert and KAT together for most of each game without constraining the full beneficial range of KAT's offensive talents? Perhaps a high-low passing scheme between the two will actually unlock more of KAT's passing talent. I'm actually pretty confident that KAT will be able to handle defending power forwards. The new trimmed down version of KAT this season seems plenty quick and agile on the defensive end. So I'm actually fairly confident that the KAT-Gobert pairing will work on the defensive end.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Where did the idea that "D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards don't mesh well offensively" come from? Was that theory presented with any statistical data or is it merely speculation?

I was curious and decided to look into it since I keep seeing it mentioned here lately, especially in regards to how Minnesota so badly needs a pass-first point guard.

Anthony Edwards [and Karl-Anthony Towns] was statistically worse last season in minutes played without D'Angelo Russell, which makes sense considering the latter is a high-level shot creator and playmaker.

Edwards WITH Russell: 44.0 FG%, 37.4 3P%, 56.3 TS%, 46.6% Assisted FG, 117.5 ORtg, 110.2 DRtg, +7.3 NetRtg

Edwards WITHOUT Russell: 44.2 FG%, 34.1 3P%, 55.8 TS%, 41.3% Assisted FG, 113.7 ORtg, 113.8 DRtg, 0 NetRtg

Towns WITH Russell: 55.6 FG%, 41.1 3P%, 65.9 TS%, 63.7% Assisted FG, 52.4% Points in Paint, 118.8 ORtg, 110.9 DRtg, +7.9 NetRtg

Towns WITHOUT Russell: 49.1 FG%, 40.5 3P%, 61.6 TS%, 58.8% Assisted FG, 45.1% Points in Paint, 115.5 ORtg, 113.7 DRtg, +1.8 NetRtg

So, respectfully, what's the basis of this theory? Because I'm looking at data that suggests both of Minnesota's premier players play much better individually alongside Russell than when they don't. They score more efficiently, more easily [on more assisted buckets], and have a more positive impact when sharing the court with Russell.

[Coolbreeze44]

Where did the idea that "D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards don't mesh well offensively" come from? Was that theory presented with any statistical data or is it merely speculation?

I was curious and decided to look into it since I keep seeing it mentioned here lately, especially in regards to how Minnesota so badly needs a pass-first point guard.

Anthony Edwards [and Karl-Anthony Towns] was statistically worse last season in minutes played without D'Angelo Russell, which makes sense considering the latter is a high-level shot creator and playmaker.

Edwards WITH Russell: 44.0 FG%, 37.4 3P%, 56.3 TS%, 46.6% Assisted FG, 117.5 ORtg, 110.2 DRtg, +7.3 NetRtg

Edwards WITHOUT Russell: 44.2 FG%, 34.1 3P%, 55.8 TS%, 41.3% Assisted FG, 113.7 ORtg, 113.8 DRtg, 0 NetRtg

Towns WITH Russell: 55.6 FG%, 41.1 3P%, 65.9 TS%, 63.7% Assisted FG, 52.4% Points in Paint, 118.8 ORtg, 110.9 DRtg, +7.9 NetRtg

Towns WITHOUT Russell: 49.1 FG%, 40.5 3P%, 61.6 TS%, 58.8% Assisted FG, 45.1% Points in Paint, 115.5 ORtg, 113.7 DRtg, +1.8 NetRtg

So, respectfully, what's the basis of this theory? Because I'm looking at data that suggests both of Minnesota's premier players play much better individually alongside Russell than when they don't. They score more efficiently, more easily [on more assisted buckets], and have a more positive impact when sharing the court with Russell.

You asked in the other thread why there is always so much scrutiny on DLO. Well what you did above is a major reason for that. You go to extraordinary lengths to incessantly prop him up. And by doing that, you invite the counterpoints that so many people make. If you really don't want the negativity, you would be best served to root for the name on the front of the jersey, and stop focusing so much on ONE on the back. In my opinion your, propagation of DLO is the reason the board focuses on him so much. You post more than anyone else, and a large portion of them are Pro-DLO. I think if you back off some on the DLO rhetoric, the board would follow suit. I'll take your word on whether that's what you want.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

You asked in the other thread why there is always so much scrutiny on DLO. Well what you did above is a major reason for that. You go to extraordinary lengths to incessantly prop him up. And by doing that, you invite the counterpoints that so many people make. If you really don't want the negativity, you would be best served to root for the name on the front of the jersey, and stop focusing so much on ONE on the back. In my opinion your, propagation of DLO is the reason the board focuses on him so much. You post more than anyone else, and a large portion of them are Pro-DLO. I think if you back off some on the DLO rhetoric, the board would follow suit. I'll take your word on whether that's what you want.

What I did above? You mean by asking where that unsupported rhetoric stemmed from and then providing a counterargument supported by data? I hardly see how THAT is the problem here. Should we instead just nod our heads in unison at baseless claims? That seems to be where society as a whole is headed, but I thought we were collectively more intellectual than that. And if there was legitimate reason for the above claim, I'd like to know and learn more about it.

Also, what you may see as "propping up" is my idea of providing resistance to the numerous posts -- far more than whatever my total would be -- that paint D-Lo as something he's not. And I do think he's better than most people here think he is so I try to share evidence of why I think that versus "my eyes told me."

You've made this same accusation towards me before regarding my posts, but yet you conveniently leave out that I'm almost always replying to others who have already initiated that conversation. Why is my response the main focus instead of the countless others on the opposing end of the debate?

[SameOldNudityDrew]

One thing I will say is that Ant has looked pretty good defensively thus far this preseason. He'll get better offensively, but the question has always been whether he'd be able to mentally lock in on defense. He's shown flashes of excellence, especially against Ja in the playoffs last year. Good to see he's still making good effort on that end.

[FNG]

file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/85/05/8C68453F-FA35-43B1-B761-5DA8BF2EBCA2/IMG_7913.mov

Our dance team has certainly evolved. They have their first male dancer. Turns out he's by far the best dancer on the squad. Most but not all of that is a comment on the quality of the women dancers. :)

I was talking to the guy next to me at halftime, when my gal hit me on the arm and said "OMG!". Then she pointed to the male ginger spinning around on his head. Other than Ant, he might have been the best athlete on the court Friday night. You're right...he's an extraordinary dancer!

(as a confirmed heterosexual though, I'll probably still spend more time looking at the other dancers though...but only out of the corner of my eye when my gal isn't watching me)