Minnesota Sports Forum

It was a fun night at Thomas & Mack! I got there about halfway through the Toronto/Sac-Town game because I sensed there would be a big Laker crowd and I needed to save 4 seats...I'm glad I did, because the stadium was already filling up. Very few people were actually watching the game (tough to get excited about a game where Cauley-Stein is the big name), but occasionally a big cheer would erupt when a Laker or ex-Laker would walk into the arena. By the time the Wolves game started, it was Staples East in there with all the Lakers jerseys...and sold out and loud. The place was really rocking during the first half, but the crowd became glum as we pulled away late. I think the Laker fans thought they were the class of this tournament, so the loss hit them hard. I suspect we will see them again next week in the tournament though.

I think this was a big wake up game for Towns. Tonight was a lot different than the soft scrimmage last Wednesday...this was a man's game, and Towns got pushed around a little. I suspect he will be sore for the Bulls game tomorrow. Tariq Black took advantage of all of his 10 fouls, and several of them were hard fouls on Towns. As a result, I thought Karl played soft, and was ineffective on the boards. But I was still pleased with his overall game. He passed well out of frequent double teams, and actually led the team in assists...impressive for his first game. He also flashed am effective post game at times. Finally, although Black and Upshaw aren't offensive forces, I was pleased with Karl's overall defense. I think he's going to live up to his #1 status.

But because it was a man's game, Adreian Payne was crucial to tonight's win. I was critical of him after Wednesday's scrimmage, but tonight he played the tough guy role that Towns was reluctant or unable to play. Payne was largely ineffective on offense again, but his intensity on defense and on the boards helped win the game. The Lakers are really excited about how Randle has looked in practices this week, but Payne dominated him on the boards and shut him down offensively until Randle beat him with a nice baseline move late in the game. All in all, Payne looked much more like the guy we saw at MSU.

LaVine had a terrific offensive game...4 for 8 on threes, some of them from well beyond the arc, and a couple highlight reel plays too. He is playing with much more confidence than his rookie year and is poised for a productive year. His defense is a different story though...I didn't see any improvement tonight over last year's subpar defense. Clarkson is a nice player, but not nearly as good as Zach made him look tonight. I still am hoping that Zach picks up his defense this year, and with his athleticism, he has the potential to be a really good defender. I would like to see him be our starting SG, but right now I don't see him as an upgrade over Martin.

LoBrow had another solid game and is making a strong case to make the roster as our backup PG. I'm intrigued to see if he can keep it up over the next few games. He clearly has been working on his shot and is much more confident with it. He also looks confident and comfortable running the offense, and his defense on Russell was very good.

I share other's thoughts that Tyus lacked effort tonight. In college the game seemed to come easily to him, and sometimes he was successful without seeming to put in much effort. But this is a different level, and he is going to have to bring it every night. One area I disagree with some of the comments on the board tonight though is Tyus's defense...I actually thought he was pretty solid defensively tonight. He tried to fight through screens and was successful a couple times. He also has quick hands and got his hands on a few balls, although he was only credited with 1 steal. His offense was poor tonight though, and I'm hoping he can bounce back tomorrow.

That's it for tonight. I'm guessing the arena won't be nearly as full tomorrow for the Bulls game, so I'll try to get a seat closer to the bench to see if I can pick up some things that might not be showing up on TV.

Thanks for the report. I actually agree with you about Tyus on the defensive end.

I have said this before but towns reminds me of marc gasol

ty for the report. Man i dont know what to think now, i hoped KAT is more NBA ready. Yesterday he had the word project written all over the face. All reports about him being already great shooter and first 3pt shot is airball with bad spin and terrible arc, come on. But i am still excited about him as a project, he has feel for the game and sees the floor well. And yes he needs to play harder, 3 boards? Come on man, you can do better than that.

And Russel? Oh lord, imagine him playing against average NBA defender (as our gards were much worse than that), that kid is having really tough year coming his way, feel sorry for him and Lakers.

m4gor wrote:ty for the report. Man i dont know what to think now, i hoped KAT is more NBA ready. Yesterday he had the word project written all over the face. All reports about him being already great shooter and first 3pt shot is airball with bad spin and terrible arc, come on. But i am still excited about him as a project, he has feel for the game and sees the floor well. And yes he needs to play harder, 3 boards? Come on man, you can do better than that.

And Russel? Oh lord, imagine him playing against average NBA defender (as our gards were much worse than that), that kid is having really tough year coming his way, feel sorry for him and Lakers.

I wouldn't call KAT a project, I think some have unreal expectations. He's a rookie and looked like one getting his feet wet but a project is something you really have to put work into. KAT is gonna be rotational from day one and like almost all rookies he could use more weight / strength. Not all players are going to be an all-star from day one but he has the talent to grow into one.

I agree on Russell he was never athletic enough for me, he seems like a better version of C.J. Mccollom to me. Much more solid player than star and Mudiay interested me way more than Russell.

A 19 year old big who wasn't a full time player in his one year in college is definitely going to have rough spurts. Towns was drafted because of his skills and long term upside. He will need to add strength and refinement to his game.

Thanks for the report LST. I was at a bar and they were showing some summer league highlights on foxsports1 and of course they were all Lakers highlights. I was shocked!

But more importantly, what , um, establishments have you been patronizing out there?

I saw this on the Kfan board

[URL=http://s201.photobucket.com/user/monsterpile/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsr7ecppc2.jpg.html][/URL]

Thanks for posting Monster. Good to see Towns and Payne lead in that category. I think these stats are more transferable to the real NBA games, along with rebounding and assists. Just as a reminder of what the Hustle Stat consists of, here is a breakdown:

2-Point FG Contested (C2FGA) - Defensive players will be assigned a 2-point FG Contested if they make their presence felt by raising a hand to contest a shot inside the three-point line prior to the release of the ball without fouling or blocking the shot attempt. A 2-Point FG Contested will still be awarded even if the offensive player makes the shot, another player also contests the shot (leading to both players being assigned a 2-Point FG Contested), or the ball is never actually released from the shooter's hands due to the contest (provided the offensive player demonstrated a clear intent to shoot as opposed to simply pump faking).

3-Point FG Contested (C3FGA) - The same rules of a 2-Point Field Goal Contested apply to a 3-Point Field Goal Contested, except the Field Goal Attempt must be outside the three-point line.

Deflection (DEFL) - A defensive player shall be assigned a deflection upon redirecting the intended flight of the basketball through intentional physical contact on any non-field goal attempt. A deflection is separate from a steal, and does not require either control of the basketball or a change in possession. A kick ball also results in the defending player being awarded a deflection.

Loose-Ball Recovered (LBR) - A player shall be assigned a Loose-Ball Recovered upon gaining sole possession of a live "50/50" ball not controlled by either team. A loose-ball recovery can occur after a deflection, a block, a field goal attempt, or any other situation in which players must exert effort to gain possession of a live ball not directly in their individually controlled area (i.e. the ball does not come directly towards them or the recovery is contested). A loose ball recovery that leads to a jump ball results in half a Loose-Ball Recovered for both players involved in the jump.

Charge (CHRG DR) - The defensive player shall be assigned a Charge Drawn if the offensive player dribbling the basketball charges into an opponent that has established a legal guarding position. This occurrence will be directly called by an official on the floor.


Payne especially will need to excel in these stats to earn playing time, as I don't see him being particularly good in any of the traditional box score and efficiency metrics. Rebounding seems to be the one thing he's at least average at.

Thanks for posting the breakdowns of those stats. I'm a little stumped about the shot contest stats though. The way it's written just seems like hey play defense we wil give you a point for. It just standing there. Ok not that simple and I know it osnt that simple but if anyone cares to elaborate on how they take that I would be interested. By the eye test payne and Towns were contesting a lot of shots so these stats make sense I just don't get the definition.