Minnesota Sports Forum

I just attended a season ticket holder breakfast with coach Thibs. No major revelations. A few fairly interesting tidbits:

1. Someone actually asked Thibs to comment on the fact that he's alway yelling from the bench. Thibs response was essentially the following almost verbatim: "You have to be true to who you are as a coach and that's who I am. Players know when you're being phony and when you're real. I'm not saying it's the right way to coach, but that's the way I coach. Other coaches are more stoic. But it's the same with players. Some are more vocal or extroverted like KAT while others are more stoic like Wiggins. But believe me, Wiggins is highly competitive as is KAT. They're just different in how they show it. Same with our coaching staff with some more quiet and stoic than others." That was pretty much it.

2. The Wolves are not going to trade Wiggins for Kyrie. Thibs didn't exactly say that, but you didn't have to do much reading between the lines to get the message. When asked about the possibility, Thibs said (almost verbatim): "It's a compliment to the state of our organization that good players want to come here and that we're the subject of rumors like this. But we know how good Wiggins and KAT are and we're excited about what those two will do with Butler. And we're about to sign Wiggins to an extension pretty soon." He had a big smile on his face the whole time he answered this question. Note also that Thibs went out of his way to say Wiggins is highly competive as part of his answer to the question about his coaching style. Everytime he mentions Wiggins he smiles. Mark my words, and I know I'm not out on too far of a limb, Thibs is NOT trading Andrew Wiggins.

3. The Wolves are looking to add at least one more wing (more of a SF type) to the roster. When asked whether Bazz might be back, Thibs got a huge smile on his face and said, "Yes, we're talking to him right now." My take-away is that Thibs really wants Bazz back and that's there's a decent chance it can happen. I'd be thrilled. Bring back Bazz then sign Aaron Brooks and Dunleavy as free agents. Then call it a summer.

4. He was asked what his most pleasant surprise and biggest disappointment were from last season. His answer: Most pleasant surprise would be that the young guys he inherited are even more talented than he thought are all great workers - the kinds of players who get better. "His biggest disappointment was the team's failure to close out games. He said that fact that we got so many good leads tells you how good this team can be. But they have to learn how to close out games.

5. KAT is in town working out today. All the players will be in right after Labor Day to work out individually and as a team. Thibs said the trip to China will be a great opportunity for the team to bond and create both off-court and on-court chemistry before the season.

That's pretty much it. Again, nothing earth-shattering, but I thought I'd share some of what we hearing from Thibs this morning.

Thanks for sharing Lip.

So Thibs smiles??? This is BIG news right?!? :) I'm listening to Wolfson's latest podcast and Sms Mitchell said something like every time you get to sign one of these very talented guys like Wiggins you just get a huge smile on your face. He said he felt that way when Dieng was signed and would feel that way about Wiggins Towns and Lavine too if he was still here.

It's interesting that he said they are actually talking to a Bazz. If he can bring him back that would be pretty nifty. I think it would be interesting to see if with a more vet roster they could actually utilize his skills more when he is in there. Heck just pairing him with Tyus instead of Dunn would probably help. Could Bazz actually be one of the mystery options that is keeping the Wolves from reportedly making offers to other guys? That actually makes some sense. Like Milhouse on the Simpsons my hopes are already up!!! Lol

Good stuff Lip, thanks for sharing.

I like Thibs' answer to the "always yelling" question. It still doesn't sit well with me stylistically, but I really can't argue with his answer.

Glad to hear he is and Glen have so much confidence in Wiggins. I've always been the first to point out his flaws, but there is no question the potential he represents is tantalizing.

On Bazz, I was simply not a fan of bringing him back because I didn't think he was worth the price he'd command (which I thought would be at least $8+ Million). But I never anticipated the market would dry up like this. He is certainly worth re-signing for a much smaller deal. His defense improved last year, although the rest of his game plateaued. Still....he'd give us an NBA-caliber 4th wing. Right now we only have three of them!

Q12543 wrote:Good stuff Lip, thanks for sharing.

I like Thibs' answer to the "always yelling" question. It still doesn't sit well with me stylistically, but I really can't argue with his answer.

Glad to hear he is and Glen have so much confidence in Wiggins. I've always been the first to point out his flaws, but there is no question the potential he represents is tantalizing.

On Bazz, I was simply not a fan of bringing him back because I didn't think he was worth the price he'd command (which I thought would be at least $8+ Million). But I never anticipated the market would dry up like this. He is certainly worth re-signing for a much smaller deal. His defense improved last year, although the rest of his game plateaued. Still....he'd give us an NBA-caliber 4th wing. Right now we only have three of them!

I'm still thinking that Bazz will sign elsewhere for around $4-5 million per year on a one or two year deal. But I have a little more hope of signing him here for the vet minimum after hearing from Thibs. I like Bazz's intensity and toughness. And he's a scorer who can put up 20 points in 25 minutes off the bench. His improved defense last season was enough to consider him a two-way player. Although he plateaued offensively last season, I think it was a temporary plateau. I still expect him to become a good 3-point shooter to go along with his inside scoring. And he's a good rebounder, especially on the offensive end.

For what it's worth... Michael Beasley just signed for $2.1M.

Beasley:
16.7 mpg / 9.4 ppg / 53.2% fg / 41.9% 3fg / 3.4 reb / 0.9 ast / 17.8 PER

Muhammad:
19.4 mpg / 9.9 ppg / 48.2% fg / 33.8% 3fg / 2.8 reb / 0.4 ast / 14.9 PER

Granted, Muhammad has four years on Beasley... but what does that really matter on a short deal? And even with Beasley's checkered past, it's not like Muhammad has a history of proven success in helping a team win.

Based on what we've seen with other guys... I think Muhammad is looking at a similar deal? I'm sure he's angling for more... and if stuck at the $2.1M mark... will he prefer/choose a spot where he can get more run and try to earn more next summer on a multi-year deal?



[Note: I hate watching Muhammad play. Too selfish for it to be aesthetically pleasing. And he's not a great or even good three point shooter. But he can score and that contract is a lot less than most of us expected...]

Lip, I'm curious as to who asked the coaching style question. I'm good friends with a long time season ticket holder, I actually think the longest ticket holder (since the inaugural season), friends with his son actually. Sits court side right next to wolves bench. I was talking to him a couple weeks ago, he mentioned he wasn't happy with tibs deamenor on the sidelines and was going to ask him about it. He told me he's talked to Taylor about this before also.

AbeVigodaLive wrote:For what it's worth... Michael Beasley just signed for $2.1M.

Beasley:
16.7 mpg / 9.4 ppg / 53.2% fg / 41.9% 3fg / 3.4 reb / 0.9 ast / 17.8 PER

Muhammad:
19.4 mpg / 9.9 ppg / 48.2% fg / 33.8% 3fg / 2.8 reb / 0.4 ast / 14.9 PER

Granted, Muhammad has four years on Beasley... but what does that really matter on a short deal? And even with Beasley's checkered past, it's not like Muhammad has a history of proven success in helping a team win.

Based on what we've seen with other guys... I think Muhammad is looking at a similar deal? I'm sure he's angling for more... and if stuck at the $2.1M mark... will he prefer/choose a spot where he can get more run and try to earn more next summer on a multi-year deal?



[Note: I hate watching Muhammad play. Too selfish for it to be aesthetically pleasing. And he's not a great or even good three point shooter. But he can score and that contract is a lot less than most of us expected...]

Yeah, his tunnel vision and inability to make a pass other than the most basic swing pass is pretty stunning for a wing. But....put him out there with two real guards in Jones and Crawford that know how to handle and pass off the bench, then may be he's "good enough" for us given the lack of other options we have at this point. I'd still prefer a purist defender (Tony Allen) or shooter (Mike Dunleavy), but they are far from guarantees.

Duke13 wrote:Lip, I'm curious as to who asked the coaching style question. I'm good friends with a long time season ticket holder, I actually think the longest ticket holder (since the inaugural season), friends with his son actually. Sits court side right next to wolves bench. I was talking to him a couple weeks ago, he mentioned he wasn't happy with tibs deamenor on the sidelines and was going to ask him about it. He told me he's talked to Taylor about this before also.

I know Steve Terry (the TSR Injury guy that sponsors the Jon K/Souhan podcasts) has courtside seats near Taylor and has been pretty vocal about how disconcerting it is for him and others to witness Thibs' verbal tirades and profanity.

Q12543 wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:For what it's worth... Michael Beasley just signed for $2.1M.

Beasley:
16.7 mpg / 9.4 ppg / 53.2% fg / 41.9% 3fg / 3.4 reb / 0.9 ast / 17.8 PER

Muhammad:
19.4 mpg / 9.9 ppg / 48.2% fg / 33.8% 3fg / 2.8 reb / 0.4 ast / 14.9 PER

Granted, Muhammad has four years on Beasley... but what does that really matter on a short deal? And even with Beasley's checkered past, it's not like Muhammad has a history of proven success in helping a team win.

Based on what we've seen with other guys... I think Muhammad is looking at a similar deal? I'm sure he's angling for more... and if stuck at the $2.1M mark... will he prefer/choose a spot where he can get more run and try to earn more next summer on a multi-year deal?



[Note: I hate watching Muhammad play. Too selfish for it to be aesthetically pleasing. And he's not a great or even good three point shooter. But he can score and that contract is a lot less than most of us expected...]

Yeah, his tunnel vision and inability to make a pass other than the most basic swing pass is pretty stunning for a wing. But....put him out there with two real guards in Jones and Crawford that know how to handle and pass off the bench, then may be he's "good enough" for us given the lack of other options we have at this point. I'd still prefer a purist defender (Tony Allen) or shooter (Mike Dunleavy), but they are far from guarantees.

Not really interested in Dunleavy. I don't like reading injury reports on deep bench guys.

AbeVigodaLive wrote:For what it's worth... Michael Beasley just signed for $2.1M.

Beasley:
16.7 mpg / 9.4 ppg / 53.2% fg / 41.9% 3fg / 3.4 reb / 0.9 ast / 17.8 PER

Muhammad:
19.4 mpg / 9.9 ppg / 48.2% fg / 33.8% 3fg / 2.8 reb / 0.4 ast / 14.9 PER

Granted, Muhammad has four years on Beasley... but what does that really matter on a short deal? And even with Beasley's checkered past, it's not like Muhammad has a history of proven success in helping a team win.

Based on what we've seen with other guys... I think Muhammad is looking at a similar deal? I'm sure he's angling for more... and if stuck at the $2.1M mark... will he prefer/choose a spot where he can get more run and try to earn more next summer on a multi-year deal?



[Note: I hate watching Muhammad play. Too selfish for it to be aesthetically pleasing. And he's not a great or even good three point shooter. But he can score and that contract is a lot less than most of us expected...]

I like you brought up Beasley as a comp. We will see how things go with the Knicks but credit to him to be able to play well in a limited role. How many times have we seen guys fall off especially in their efficiency when they don't get the big minutes anymore? His last 2 stints in the NBA his per 36 min numbers look as good or better than any point of his career. Beasley's 3 point percentage looks good but he doesn't take very many. Also was Hornacek the coach when he flamed out with the Suns?

I mentioned in another thread the options for Bazz having better opportunities might limited to a handful of teams. Does he want to go to one of those teams or stay here where Thibs has seemed to put some actual value on him? Idk but he did play the 6th most minutes on the Wolves last year and had regular rotation minutes. Another thing to consider is it's possible he has offers to play elsewhere. Ty Lawson just signed for 3 million to play in China. Bazz as a 5th year player the vet min for him would be just over 1.7 million. Could he get more than that playing in another league AND then come back here and sign with an NBA team? If he came back and signed a deal with the Wolves this season after playing in China they would have his Bird rights next offseason and therefore could pay him a decent contract. Even if he doesn't get a bigger contract playing part of an NBA season would up his service time and bump up that vet min money a bit more. Going back to Beasley compared to Bazz. Which guy fits better in the new NBA? Probably Beasley because he can score from anywhere and can actually handle the ball same. The one reason Bazz fits the new NBA is he scores a lot near the basket and is at least willing to fling up 3's. Bazz is a weird/unique player in his strengths and my guess is some teams just don't see a huge amount of value in what he can bring when the consider the whole picture unless they really think he can hit 3's consistently. I doubt too many teams would be willing to bank too much on that hope though and I wouldn't blame them.