Flip's Forum Tonight
Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 10:07 pm
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.
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.