Game Report - Wolves vs. Knicks

[WildWolf2813]

Bare with me as I'm coming home so I don't have every stat in front of me.


There's a saying that goes like this: "When a man shows you who he is, believe him." Therefore I can't say this team isn't anything other than losers because that is all they've shown us. Tonight as I feel I've mentally checked out from this season, I see this team and I see those Clippers teams with Odom, Brand, Miles and Q Rich, a team with wasted potential together. I don't see anything that leads me to think the change will happen and the impact will be sudden.


I wanna highlight the bench. Their defense was poor but that goes without saying. They played inspired ball offensively. I wish the bench scored more like this. Bjelica was shooting with conviction all night long. Dunn didn't totally embarrass himself tonight and earned the PT tonight. Bazz was a spark plug. They did stupid stuff but this L isn't on them.


I pin this loss on two guys specifically: Towns and LaVine. When the game got close, Towns settled for threes instead of going to his bread and butter. The game got tight and so did this team. Everyone settled for threes instead of doing what got them back into the game. I still hate how Thibs uses Rubio. Would it be nice if he could shoot? Sure. But leaving him in a corner is a coaching mistake. They scored 114 points tonight. Ricky scored 3. I don't buy the idea that we'd be this unstoppable scoring machine with a shooting threat at PG (if they have to score 120+ a night just to be competitive they'll never succeed.)

LaVine's errors were like a QB throwing picks in the red zone. It wasn't time for jump passes, alley-oops and one on three attacks, but apparently he did. Thibs is making the same mistake Adelman made: he's trying to make guys something they're not and something they'll never be.

If I were Wiggins I'd be really scared if this team actually did have a scoring PG because if they did, he'd be useless here.

This team has the mental toughness of an abused pitbull. We've seen this before. They just don't have what it takes despite everyone else thinking it's a matter of time. The Wolves have debunked the idea of "there's nowhere else to go but up." The team decided to go with the logic of making the basement their room. The sad part is we're waiting for a turning point that doesn't seem to be coming. Might as well scout draft prospects but I feel bad for the next rookie they'll subject to this.


Side note: Melo had a long convo with Wiggins outside the team bus and Thibs seemed very happy. I watched the team leave on their bus and stopped to salute me so that was cool.

[Monster]

Bare with me as I'm coming home so I don't have every stat in front of me.


There's a saying that goes like this: "When a man shows you who he is, believe him." Therefore I can't say this team isn't anything other than losers because that is all they've shown us. Tonight as I feel I've mentally checked out from this season, I see this team and I see those Clippers teams with Odom, Brand, Miles and Q Rich, a team with wasted potential together. I don't see anything that leads me to think the change will happen and the impact will be sudden.


I wanna highlight the bench. Their defense was poor but that goes without saying. They played inspired ball offensively. I wish the bench scored more like this. Bjelica was shooting with conviction all night long. Dunn didn't totally embarrass himself tonight and earned the PT tonight. Bazz was a spark plug. They did stupid stuff but this L isn't on them.


I pin this loss on two guys specifically: Towns and LaVine. When the game got close, Towns settled for threes instead of going to his bread and butter. The game got tight and so did this team. Everyone settled for threes instead of doing what got them back into the game. I still hate how Thibs uses Rubio. Would it be nice if he could shoot? Sure. But leaving him in a corner is a coaching mistake. They scored 114 points tonight. Ricky scored 3. I don't buy the idea that we'd be this unstoppable scoring machine with a shooting threat at PG (if they have to score 120+ a night just to be competitive they'll never succeed.)

LaVine's errors were like a QB throwing picks in the red zone. It wasn't time for jump passes, alley-oops and one on three attacks, but apparently he did. Thibs is making the same mistake Adelman made: he's trying to make guys something they're not and something they'll never be.

If I were Wiggins I'd be really scared if this team actually did have a scoring PG because if they did, he'd be useless here.

This team has the mental toughness of an abused pitbull. We've seen this before. They just don't have what it takes despite everyone else thinking it's a matter of time. The Wolves have debunked the idea of "there's nowhere else to go but up." The team decided to go with the logic of making the basement their room. The sad part is we're waiting for a turning point that doesn't seem to be coming. Might as well scout draft prospects but I feel bad for the next rookie they'll subject to this.


Side note: Melo had a long convo with Wiggins outside the team bus and Thibs seemed very happy. I watched the team leave on their bus and stopped to salute me so that was cool.

That's a cool story Wild. It makes me think a bit about this team as some really good dudes. That's a good thing...but they have to find a bit of toughness about them. That's part of why I like Bazz he will just go at someone knock them over and go to the FT like it was nothing. I think each of the young 3 has a certain toughness about their game but mentally they certainly aren't there and their bodies aren't there to help them out. Cole has no issue knocking people around. Dieng needs to quit thinking he is weak because he is stronger now and play more like it. Tyus plays tougher than his size athletic ability etc suggests that's for sure. Dunn doesn't have swagger offensively but you can see it could be there and defensively he is gonna be after it and unlike Rubio who has the instincts and length and desire Dunn also has a physical presence which I think was part of the reason why NBA folks like him so much and probably got Thibs excited about him. I just think part of the issue really is these young guys don't know yet how to play tough. It takes time. Thibs and his staff will help them get there.

[Mstermisty [enjin:6864008]]

Good recap, I think you summed things up well. Towns needs to get away from that 3 point line in the 4th quarter, unless the shot is in the rhythm of the offense. Dunn really showed something tonight, despite faltering a bit in the end. Hopefully he can build on this and maybe at some point can start looking like the starting point guard he was drafted to be. His defensive ceiling is 1st team all NBA, he just needs to settle down and figure out how to run the team. Tonight was a good sign though that he can get there. For the first time in a while I wasn't pissed he was playing over Tyus.

I think you can boil this game down to the 1st quarter though. Towns and Wiggins were both no-shows. Towns especially was disappointing. It's like he has forgotten how to pass this season. Early in the game he had two chances to make a simple pass to an open teammate and didn't do it. Wiggins is another story. He's feast or famine. He feasted early in the year, now he is too often famine. Both these guys played a better 2nd half, but by then the damage was done.

Until these "Big 3" show any kind of consistency, they will continue to operate more like 1 and a half each night. Combine that with shoddy defense from all 3 and it just isn't gonna get it done.

[Lipoli390]

Wild - Thanks for the first-hand take on the game, including the great post-game story outside the arena. I agree with your take on Thibs' misuse of some of our players. I also agree that LaVine made a few bone-headed players tonight. But I can't lay the blame entirely on the two players you mentioned. I can't look at Zach's three bone-headed players without also looking at his complete game, which included a lot of good things. He stepped up tonight and kept us from falling behind by over 20 in the first half. I can't see singling him out as one of two players responsible for the loss when Zach scored 23 points on high volume 50% shooting, going 3 for 3 from the line along with 3 assists and a steal. KAT had a bad game that included atrociously low pecentage shooting for a C or PF and included a number of boneheaded decisions with the ball. But he really gave us a lift in the 3rd quarter and played hard. I saw tonight's game as a collective failure of our starters of which Zach was clearly the best.

For me the worst part of the night was a Wes Johnson moment. It was the during the comeback by our bench that gave us a 1-point lead in the 4th. The starters on the bench looked excited and fully into it. But then, during play, the camera panned to Wiggins on the bench. He had that happy contented day-dreamy look on his face. Then he turned to Tyus and the two started giggling like a little boys. I really can't stand that. This team has been losing pathetically and the bench guys have just made a heroic comeback to put the game within reach after Wiggins and his teammates on the starting unit embarrassed themselves. And yet Wiggins, one of our supposed stars, was sitting on the bench giggling. Andrew's talent is amazing. But I honestly don't see him becoming a main cog on a championship contending team.

[Mstermisty [enjin:6864008]]

Interesting observation Lip. Wiggins to me at this point is an enigma. Super talented, ultra-athletic, but of the "Big 3" he is the guy you have to really question if he can become an alpha player, much less a #2 on a great team. He was SOOOO good early in the season. Everybody knew he would come back down to earth, but not only has he done that but he has crashed through the ground. When he doesn't score the ball, he might as well be invisible. The difference between him and Lavine right now is Lavine looks more like a creator, Wiggins is robotic. Wiggs has go-to moves (which you can see he worked his ass off during the summer), but now those moves are being scouted and he's trying to figure it out what else to do. No surprise he's at his best when he's driving to the hoop and forcing the issue. Same thing can be said for Towns--his game is best near the hoop.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Again, I'm not watching the games these days, so I appreciate this board more than ever to provide a little color to the box score. My disappointment level for this team is so high that it's difficult for me to pass up other more rewarding activities in order to watch them...first time in franchise history that has been true. But when you're on pace for 21 wins after finishing arguable the easiest 19-game part of your schedule, and you just lost consecutive games to an Eastern playoff bubble team missing half of its starting lineup, it's difficult to muster up any enthusiasm for this squad.

I will report that, at least for one game, Thibs did take my advice and didn't work the team's butts off the day before last night's game. I got a reliable inside report that Thibs had long video sessions Thursday and Friday, but no full court...didn't work, but a step in the right direction I think. Well, maybe it did work, because in a extremely rare occurrence this year, I note that we outscored our opponent by 6 points in the second half...legs must have been fresher.

I read the GDT and noted a lot of critical talk about Belly. I'm trying to understand this, because he scored 17 points on only 13 shots in 21 minutes, added 7 rebounds and 3 assists (only one turnover) and led the team with a plus 18. Looks like he was really effective, so reconcile the negative comments to his production please.

[Monster]

Again, I'm not watching the games these days, so I appreciate this board more than ever to provide a little color to the box score. My disappointment level for this team is so high that it's difficult for me to pass up other more rewarding activities in order to watch them...first time in franchise history that has been true. But when you're on pace for 21 wins after finishing arguable the easiest 19-game part of your schedule, and you just lost consecutive games to an Eastern playoff bubble team missing half of its starting lineup, it's difficult to muster up any enthusiasm for this squad.

I will report that, at least for one game, Thibs did take my advice and didn't work the team's butts off the day before last night's game. I got a reliable inside report that Thibs had long video sessions Thursday and Friday, but no full court...didn't work, but a step in the right direction I think. Well, maybe it did work, because in a extremely rare occurrence this year, I note that we outscored our opponent by 6 points in the second half...legs must have been fresher.

I read the GDT and noted a lot of critical talk about Belly. I'm trying to understand this, because he scored 17 points on only 13 shots in 21 minutes, added 7 rebounds and 3 assists (only one turnover) and led the team with a plus 18. Looks like he was really effective, so reconcile the negative comments to his production please.

6 of his points came on 2 three pointers when the game was basically over. There were at least 3 plays that were frustrating espcially late in the game. He was part of tiebreaks mother had a chance to win the game though so...again a mixed bag actually some really good things and some really bad. He obviously isn't as ultra talented as the young 3 but he has the skill set
To do a lot of stuff and sometimes his ability to play like a guard hurts him when he should be playing like a big.

[60WinTim]

Probably because Belly's turnover sealed the loss. And it was completely unnecessary.

Towns is the only guy I am completely disappointed in. Until he realizes his primary job should be to make others better, we will suck. Draw double teams and find the open guy. We will get a better shot and everyone will feel better about themselves and the team. It would snowball into wins. But he clearly doesn't get it, at least not consistently.

But it will come.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Thanks for that, monster...sometimes the box score doesn't give the right impression, but his plus 18 in 21 minutes jumped off the page for me. But from your post and some of the quite negative comments about Belly last night in this thread tells me that Thibs blundered again in playing him so many minutes.

[60WinTim]

Thanks for that, monster...sometimes the box score doesn't give the right impression, but his plus 18 in 21 minutes jumped off the page for me. But from your post and some of the quite negative comments about Belly last night in this thread tells me that Thibs blundered again in playing him so many minutes.

Well, the only reason Belly was even on the floor at crunch time was due to Dieng picking up his 5th foul...