Flip's Forum Tonight

[Lipoli390]

I attended a season ticket holder forum with Flip Saunders tonight. It was basically a pep talk session. But Flip answered a number of questions. Here are some highlights or take-aways from the forum:

1. Flip couldn't talk about the KG deal because of League rules since the deal wasn't official yet. But he answered a number of questions hinting at the deal and his answers made it clear that KG is not just being acquired for the rest of this season. Flip's answer to question about a hypothetical deal like the reported KG deal was the following: "Every deal we do now is for the future and not the present." Flip went on to talk about the value of mentorship. Seems clear to me that Flip acquired KG for mentorship and expects to sign him for at least a year if not more beyond this season.

2. Flip's answer on how good Wiggins can be was blunt and unequivocal: His answer was "superstar; top 10 player in the League." He said the first Cleveland game was when Wiggins actually realized he can be a great player. He acknowledged that Wiggins sometimes gets passive on the offensive end, in Flip's words, "standing in the corner and jogging up the court." Pretty revealing.

3. He discussed Anthony Bennett. Said he is a tremendous talent whose only problem is confidence. He said he and the coaching staff are really looking forward to working with him over the summer.

4. Regarding Payne he said the two important things he brings are pick & roll defense and toughness. Said he's been the team's best P&R defender in the team's two practices since the all-star break. Said he's also been the toughest player. Said he's the first player who didn't back down when guarding Pek in practice. Flip said it was the first time anyone has ever made Pek mad in practice. Sounds encouraging.

5. Responding o a question about why he's beeing playing LaVine at PG, he explained that he wants players who can play multiple positions and believes LaVine can play both guard positions. He added that playing PG prepares you to play both guard positions but not the other way around. He added that a lot of Zach's struggles at PG resulted from the lack of talent and experience around him, including teammates not being where they were supposed to be or not cutting sharply or fast enough. When asked if Zach can be a lock-down defender, he answered yes. That reminded me of my lunch with Flip last June 2 weeks before the draft when he told me they were going to take Zach if available. Flip told me then that the players guarded by Zach collectively shot 25% from the field. He said Zach will get a lot stronger and will be a lot better next season.

6. Flip was asked if he planned to play Dieng and Payne together. He said it depends on matchup. But then he went on to say that who plays together up front will depend, in Flip's words, "on how lucky we are in the draft." Not too hard to interpret that comment.

7. When asked about his dual role as coach and GM regarding long-term versus short-term, Flip said that's easy, saying "I look in the mirror and instantly say long term."

Overall, the forum was interesting and upbeat.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Great read out Lip. Man we're lucky to have you part of this forum.

I guess there is something to like for about everyone here. For those of us who have always been on board with mixing vets and youngsters and trying to stay competitive, Flip still has Martin, Pekovic, and now added KG to the mix. All these guys will get their fair share of minutes.

For those of you who want to go all-in on the youth movement, Flip clearly isn't giving up on Bennett yet, is all-in on Zach LaVine, and obviously thinks highly of Wiggins.

[Coolbreeze44]

Thanks Lip, great stuff. Needed to hear some of that.

[60WinTim]

Thanks, Lip!

The change in culture bringing in KG is what I like most. Getting rid of Thad, who was not part of the future, to free up his minutes for others was right up there for me, too.

And I firmly believe most everyone here will end up owing Flip an apology for blasting the Payne pickup. But that's only after they finish wiping the egg off their face!

[maelstrom11 [enjin:6599701]]

Excellent post Lip...Thanks for sharing. I still believe in FLIP! He'll figure this thing out and get us back to the playoffs soon!

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Terrific report, Lip...I found it very encouraging!

First, we know that Izzo has said that Payne was his best PnR defender, but to hear that he has jumped right in and demonstrated it in his first two practices is really good to hear. And I haven't used "toughness" as an attribute of Payne's when stating my support for the deal, because I felt he sometimes drifted outside the 3-point line too often his senior year. Great to hear Flip talk about him going toe to toe with Pek. I continue to think Flip has made a good deal for Payne.

I concur that AB's issue is confidence, not talent. Anyone with any basketball knowledge who watched him at UNLV knows he is exceptionally gifted. I hope Flip and his staff are talented enough to bring that out. AB has been such a disappointment to me this year that I am going to reserve judgment on this one until I actually see some results.

Thanks for giving us another inside look, Lip!

[bleedspeed]

I think if KG can impact the team like he has the opportunity to do he will be better future then any young talent we could have gotten from trading Young.

I just rewatched this behind the glory video from 2004 on KG. I am not sure how much he has changed as a man, but he brings something that the kids have not had. I also think he gives this team a dimension we have not had here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrI-wtErkeg

[WildWolf2813]

my main concern is that he doesn't go after a big in the draft because of Payne and Bennett, guys who aren't good enough to justify passing up talents like Towns.

My big fear is that he wants Mudiay since he wanted Eric Bledsoe so much

[Coolbreeze44]

my main concern is that he doesn't go after a big in the draft because of Payne and Bennett, guys who aren't good enough to justify passing up talents like Towns.

My big fear is that he wants Mudiay since he wanted Eric Bledsoe so much

It's not complicated, other than where we might be picking in the draft. You simply take the best player on the board when it comes to your turn. We have no other choice. If it's a big great. If you don't see value when you pick, you try and trade down. But hopefully this will be the last high pick we will have for a while, you can't miss by focusing only on position. You HAVE to get the best player.

[Lipoli390]

I'm not a fan of the KG deal, but KG has the attitude I like in a player. I've talked in the past about a player's game face. At one extreme is Wes Johnson or a Ricky Davis -- laughing, joking, smiling or just day-dreaming on the bench while his teammates are battling in a tight game or getting their asses kicked in a blow-out. At the other end of the spectrum is KG. Always into the game every minute. Standing and cheering for his teammates while on the bench. Always intense on and off the court. If at least some of that attitude rubs off permanently on some or all of the young guys, then the deal can't be called a failure.

So while I wouldn't have made the deal, I'm ready to get excited about it and see what it brings to this young team over the next year.