Minnesota Sports Forum

I'll keep this one pretty short. The Wolves lost a game they absolutely should have won. They lost to a very good team, but it is still a team without their second best player and allstar, Jamaal Murray. And they got into Minneapolis at 4 a.m. after playing last night. Meanwhile, the Wolves were rested and at home in front of a big and raucous crowd - definitely the best crowd of the season so far. The Wolves started strong and led through most of the game. The Wolves team we saw tonight was closer to a 36-win team than the 46-win team I projected them to be.

However, let me offer a few positives. First, a few of our bench players, namely Beasley, Beverley, and Reid, played well. It was great to see Beasley break out of his shooting slump. And I love his moxie. Although DLO was frustrating tonight, I thought he played well defensively and hit some big shots. I'd say he was the only starter who wasn't terrible.

There are so many negatives I'd be up writing all night to discuss them. So I'll focus on the two biggest negatives I saw tonight.

Negative #1: KAT. His performance tonight was why Cool has referred to him as a loser. He started out playing well and actually outplaying Jokic. But then Jokic got inside KAT's head and KAT started playing like the boy with something to prove. So instead of continuing to take Jokic out on the perimeter and hit threes, which Jokic couldn't stop, Towns kept attacking inside and frantically flailing and pushing in what looked like an effort to show he's tougher than Jokic. Well, Towns is NOT tougher than Jokic and he not nearly as smart. It's clear Towns has been watching to many gorilla videos, so perhaps Finch should remind him this is basketball, not a Gorilla cage match. Jokic is a punk, but he's smart and like like Embiid, he gets inside KAT's head. Once he did that tonight, Towns was pathetic. There's no doubt that KAT is a tremendous player. He has a terrific combination of size and skill. And I do love his passion, which is something I appreciate after watching Wiggins for so many years. KAT's problem is between his ears. He's not very smart and he what my wife referred to tonight as "weak-minded." At first I thought she was talking about me, but she was referring to KAT. :). I still don't think KAT's a loser. But I think tonight's game was a reminder of why he can't be the best player on a championship caliber team. He can be a really good #2. But even then, Finch has to get through to KAT that he has to stop getting so easily manipulated and that he has to play his game, not his opponent's game and show some poise. KAT has been in the League for six years now so he should be better than that.

Negative #2: Nathan Knight and Vanderbilt. In the closing 4 minutes of the 4th quarter with the game on the line, the team struggling to maintain a shrinking lead and fans intensely watching and screaming their lungs out, I took a look at the Wolves bench not to far in front of me. I saw Wolves players listing to the head coach and looking focused. But I also Knight and Vanderbilt standing off to the side laughing and joking around. At one point Knight broke into a dance and the two of them just kept talking as if they didn't have a care in the world. It was almost surreal watching them carry on as if they were at a party. It was an unhappy reminder of the smiling Wes Johnson days. If I were Gupta, that would be it for me with Knight. He'd be gone and I'd find someone else for that second 2-way deal. Obviously, I wouldn't send Vanderbilt packing. But I'd bring it up at the next team meeting and then I'd tell Finch to deal with it as I'm leaving the room. Vanderbilt was part of a starting unit that sucked tonight. The game was on the line in the 4th and he should have been totally focused on what was happening on the court and in the huddle. It's really not too much to ask players to focus on their job for 48 minutes every other night, or at least in tense, highly competitive 4th quarter moments in games when the outcome is in the balance like it was tonight. I didn't expect to see this sort of thing from Vanderbilt. I never want it see it again. The players all seem to like Finch. I wonder if he's a bit too nice. Watching Malone on the Nuggets bench was a reminder that he's a real SOB. I was to see some SOB in Finch.

I'm going to give a game ball tonight to both Naz Reid and Malik Beasley. I'll give my Smiling Wes Game of Shame Award to both Nathan Knight and Jarred Vanderbilt. I'll give my Baby Huey Time to Grow Up Award to Karl Anthony Towns.

I think KAT is just enormously frustrated (and probably jealous) of Jokic's success. They both came into the league at the same time and early on it appeared that KAT would be the better player. But instead, Jokic has grown into the best all-around big man in the game and probably one of the best three players in the league. He's that good.

The contrast between KAT and Jokic in the level of poise each played with was a microcosm of the contrast between the two teams as a whole. One played in a rushed, disconnected manner and the other played in a calm, clinical manner. The calm and clinical team won.

Q12543 wrote:I think KAT is just enormously frustrated (and probably jealous) of Jokic's success. They both came into the league at the same time and early on it appeared that KAT would be the better player. But instead, Jokic has grown into the best all-around big man in the game and probably one of the best three players in the league. He's that good.

The contrast between KAT and Jokic in the level of poise each played with was a microcosm of the contrast between the two teams as a whole. One played in a rushed, disconnected manner and the other played in a calm, clinical manner. The calm and clinical team won.

KAT's issues with Jokic might have something to do with some feelings of jealousy. He reacts the same way against Embiid. Whether jealousy is part of it or not, KAT just appears to play like he has something to prove and that's what takes him out of his game. I get the sense he doesn't realize how good he is and then tries to do things he can't do well against players like Jokic and Embiid. I'd characterize it as a lack of confidence. KAT was doing just fine against Jokic in the 1st quarter when he continued to play within himself with the calm focus he displayed in the Milwaukee game. But you could see Jokic talking and shoving to the point where it eventually seemed to trip KAT's trigger. That's when the pre-Bucks game KAT returned and it didn't go well. Jokic is a great player, but I think Giannis is the best player in the League. It's interesting that Giannis did not trip KAT's trigger the way Jokic did last night or the way Embiid always does. I actually think KAT is as talented as Jokic. KAT's problem is that he has a hard time staying out of his own head and being driving by childish feelings of inferiority and persecution. There's never been an issue with KAT's talent or his effort. He just has to play smarter.

That's disappointing to hear about Vanderbilt joking around, Knight I don't really care about they can cut him or send him down to the G League but we need Vandy locked in. As bad as the starters played it was good sign that our bench could keep us in the game. Beasley was impressive and if he, Dlo, Prince, and Jaden can shoot close to 3 pt percentages they shot last year we are undefeated right now. We need them to find their shot, and of course Ant to maybe slow down a tenth of a second at the rim to ensure he is making the layups. He makes some unbelievably tough layups where the refs just aren't making foul calls anymore for any team but than he'll miss a few of the easier ones.

Let's not forget that earlier in his career Jokic was a guy that fouled out often and plenty of guys could get under his skin.

I'm not taking any blame play from Edwards for not understanding the shot clock and remaining game time at the end, but I feel like the shot clock operator should be ashamed of himself as well. There was time to reset that multiple times over

monsterpile wrote:Let's not forget that earlier in his career Jokic was a guy that fouled out often and plenty of guys could get under his skin.

Right, and unlike KAT, he's since matured and continues to get better and better. There was no comparison between the two last night.

lipoli390 wrote:

Q12543 wrote:I think KAT is just enormously frustrated (and probably jealous) of Jokic's success. They both came into the league at the same time and early on it appeared that KAT would be the better player. But instead, Jokic has grown into the best all-around big man in the game and probably one of the best three players in the league. He's that good.

The contrast between KAT and Jokic in the level of poise each played with was a microcosm of the contrast between the two teams as a whole. One played in a rushed, disconnected manner and the other played in a calm, clinical manner. The calm and clinical team won.

KAT's issues with Jokic might have something to do with some feelings of jealousy. He reacts the same way against Embiid. Whether jealousy is part of it or not, KAT just appears to play like he has something to prove and that's what takes him out of his game. I a sense, he doesn't seem to realize how good he is and then tries to do things he can't do well against players like Jokic and Embiid. I'd characterize it as a lack of confidence. KAT was doing just fine against Jokic in the 1st quarter when he continued to play within himself and with the calm focus he displayed in the Milwaukee game. But you could see Jokic talking and shoving, which eventually seemed to trip KAT's trigger. That's when the pre-Bucks game KAT returned and it didn't go well. Jokic is a great player, but I think Giannis is the best player in the game. It's interesting that Giannis did not trip KAT's trigger the way Jokic did last or the way Embiid always does. I actually think KAT is as talented as Jokic. KAT's problem is that he has a hard time staying out of his own head and being driving by childish feelings of inferiority and persecution. There's never been an issue with KAT's talent or his effort. He just has to play smarter.

Giannis didn't trigger KAT because they usually don't play the same position and aren't really linked to each other in the same way KAT is linked to a guys like Jokic and Embiid.

It's these very matchups against the likes of JoVal, Jokic, and Embiid that we need a true Center starting next to KAT and allow him to start games at PF. We've seen this for years now and nothing has changed. He gets out-muscled and outplayed by these bigger, stronger Centers every single time and he almost always loses his composure somewhere along the way. No amount of weightlifting or gorilla videos is going to change the outcome in these matchups for KAT.

Q12543 wrote:

monsterpile wrote:Let's not forget that earlier in his career Jokic was a guy that fouled out often and plenty of guys could get under his skin.

Right, and unlike KAT, he's since matured and continues to get better and better. There was no comparison between the two last night.

I agree. As I indicated, KAT has the talent to be every bit as good as Jokic. He just has to grow up and play like grown ass man. He's a great player. He needs to play like a great player and not like a child trying to prove his tougher than his opponent. Play your game, KAT, and not the game you think you need to play based on some Gorilla cage-match fights you've apparently been watching!!

Lip you change your mind a Kat a lot but that's ok. The Jokic is a punk comment isn't congruent with the events in the court last night at all. Kat was the initiator last night and pretty much all the time with Jokic. The little scuffle where they both picked up fouls was completely Kat's fault. Kat hooked his arms around him. Again Kat didn't argue as much last night but for whatever reason he puts his 1:1 matchup with Jokic ahead of the teams. Sad really.