Minnesota Sports Forum

Flip loves Shabazz. And that's more than an educated guess. So I have no doubt that Shabazz won't be traded this summer and that Flip will give him every possible chance to succeed next season.

With what playing time Lip? We still have Wiggins/Martin/Brewer/Bud on the wings and possibly Lavine as well playing some 2. Curious to see what time Flip thinks will be available for Bazz to play. I don't see any time available for Bazz unless Flip wants to kick one of his vets to the bench which doesn't really fit his mentality of not wanting to trade any of them this summer.

khans2k5 wrote:With what playing time Lip? We still have Wiggins/Martin/Brewer/Bud on the wings and possibly Lavine as well playing some 2. Curious to see what time Flip thinks will be available for Bazz to play. I don't see any time available for Bazz unless Flip wants to kick one of his vets to the bench which doesn't really fit his mentality of not wanting to trade any of them this summer.

Good point, Kahns. I'm not sure exactly what Flip has in mind regarding what appears to be a log jam at SF when Wiggins gets here. All I can say is that Flip is very high on Shabazz.

I've said this before but I won't be surprised to see Bazz get minutes as a small ball PF. Its not like his measurables are that different from Bennett. :) I think Bazz is gonna get chunks of minutes on nights when Flip wants a boost off the bench in scoring and intensity. There will be nights when he doesn't play.

This team has a lot of wings but they potentially all bring something a little different. Flip may be willing to tinker with playing different guys based on matchups and need possibly to start games or throughout the game. Adelman prefered a set rotation which was frustrating at times.

monsterpile wrote:I've said this before but I won't be surprised to see Bazz get minutes as a small ball PF. Its not like his measurables are that different from Bennett. :) I think Bazz is gonna get chunks of minutes on nights when Flip wants a boost off the bench in scoring and intensity. There will be nights when he doesn't play.

This team has a lot of wings but they potentially all bring something a little different. Flip may be willing to tinker with playing different guys based on matchups and need possibly to start games or throughout the game. Adelman prefered a set rotation which was frustrating at times.

How long was Craig Smith? Shabazz has to be at least his size.

bleedspeed177 wrote:

monsterpile wrote:I've said this before but I won't be surprised to see Bazz get minutes as a small ball PF. Its not like his measurables are that different from Bennett. :) I think Bazz is gonna get chunks of minutes on nights when Flip wants a boost off the bench in scoring and intensity. There will be nights when he doesn't play.

This team has a lot of wings but they potentially all bring something a little different. Flip may be willing to tinker with playing different guys based on matchups and need possibly to start games or throughout the game. Adelman prefered a set rotation which was frustrating at times.

How long was Craig Smith? Shabazz has to be at least his size.

Bazz is a little shorter but has longer arms. Obviously Craig Smith had a lot more girth but Bazz seems strong enough.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Craig-Smith-133/

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Shabazz-Muhammad-6270/

Can't believe Smith is playing in the D league. Why not sign him as our third PF. The guy was pretty effective when he was with us years back, and sounds like he has improved his conditioning since then. He had a knack for getting the ball in the hole even though he was significantly undersized, and held position well down low.

sjm34 wrote:Can't believe Smith is playing in the D league. Why not sign him as our third PF. The guy was pretty effective when he was with us years back, and sounds like he has improved his conditioning since then. He had a knack for getting the ball in the hole even though he was significantly undersized, and held position well down low.

SIn't he only 30? I would rather have him on the team then Hummel.

bleedspeed177 wrote:

sjm34 wrote:Can't believe Smith is playing in the D league. Why not sign him as our third PF. The guy was pretty effective when he was with us years back, and sounds like he has improved his conditioning since then. He had a knack for getting the ball in the hole even though he was significantly undersized, and held position well down low.

SIn't he only 30? I would rather have him on the team then Hummel.

Craig Smith is still one of my favorite players I've ever seen in a Wolves uniform. His ability to score the ball as a short beastly PF with guard skills in the paint of Tony parker was a joy to watch. Why isn't he on an NBA roster?

1. It looks like his once solid rebounding rate has fallen off beginning with his last year with the Wolves. I don't know why but it has.

2. His defense is lacking because his overall length and underwhelming hops can't be negated by his strength and nimble feet. He isn't aan absolute liability against some guys but yeah.

3. The league has gone to stretch 4's and Smith isn't that.

4. Smith is basically good for scoring and he is like that combo guard that you throw in there and see what he can do. Smith's game is very odd for a PF I'm sure only so many coaches would know what to do with him. I bet McHale has made a case for him but I bet was turned down.

Overall at this point I would imagine there are so many guys out there people would take over Craig Smith. I'd take Dante, Brand, probably and probably 10 other guys currently without contracts before Smith. I hate saying that because I'd love to have him back but I just don't see it happening. I think I'd rather see Bazz (or even Hummel) play minutes at PF and see what could do.

I'm still hopeful of getting this thread to 1000 posts, so I'll put this here.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11345215/2014-nba-summer-forecast-rookie-year

ESPN picks Parker over Wiggins for ROY (Noel is third). Not a bad pick, but I see Wiggins as prevailing in the end. Incredible talent, likely big minutes plus chip on shoulder=ROY.