Xavier Henry

[Lipoli390]

Xavier Henry was highly touted as a lottery pick three years ago. But he's had three dismal NBA seasons. Suddenly this preseason and in the regular season opener tonight Henry has looked like the player most thought he'd be coming out of college. He had 20 points and 5 boards on the Lakers' opening game victory tonight. He looked very good.

So why my interest as a Wolves fan? Three reasons. First I'm also an NBA fan. Second I'm sitting here wishing we had signed Henry. But third and most of all, Henry's play thus far this preseason and tonight reminds us that giving up on a talented young player can be a big mistake. Most NBA players show you who they are by their second or at least their third season. But there are some from time to time who take slightly longer. Entering his 4th season, it looks like Henry may have suddenly found his game. And as a Wolves fan, I'd like to believe we'll see something similar from Derrick Williams as he enters his third season starting tomorrow. The talent is there. He's had time to learn and adapt. Now, from this point on, it's all about Derrick's desire and willingness to work. If he truly wants to be great and puts in the relentless level of work it takes to be a really good NBA player, then we'll all be very happy Flip decided to stick with Derrick for at least one more season.

[Lipoli390]

Of course, then there's smiling Wes Johnson. He was 1-11 tonight. I wouldn't expect a
breakout season from Wes this year or any other year in our lifetime.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Was just thinking this for different reasons. Glad you made the thread so I didn't have to. :)

I won't lie about it. I had zero interest in signing Henry this offseason. None whatsoever. Can you blame me, though? Guy couldn't find minutes on a not so good NO team and hadn't shown much in his three years of NBA time. It got me thinking, though, that D-Will AND/OR Shabazz could eventually turn into the bench scorer we need. D-Will needs to take that role this year or else it's likely a fairwell for him at the deadline or the next off-season. Shabazz has time to grow, obviously, but I still want him to scratch and claw for every minute this year. The kid is talented. People can hate on his birth certificate fiasco, his freshman year at UCLA, his draft selection, etc. Can't say he doesn't have skills, though. As long as he continues to work on his craft and get a feel for the NBA game, why couldn't he amount to something? Maybe even scratch the surface of his once-thought high ceiling.

81 games left in front of us so I won't say that Henry is reborn, but he's looked significantly better in purple and gold than he has anywhere else. Good for him. Some guys it just takes a little longer.

Wes Johnson is a bum. There's no getting better for that guy. He's a nice guy, but he was never worth a 4th overall selection and I'm still bitter that Sota took him over Cousins. I'll never be a Wes Johnson fan. I'm glad he stunk up a storm tonight.

Wouldn't it be something if Hummel starting vs the Magic and put on a great performance? We sure could use a gift after all these past failures at SF. ;)

[WildWolf2813]

It's one game. Let's not go nuts over one game. Let's not be this reactionary this soon.

[bleedspeed]

I see D-Will is an insurance policy. If Love leaves he is good to have. If he doesn't we need to move him. I think the SF experiment needs to end. It is not making him a better player.

[mjs34]

I see D-Will is an insurance policy. If Love leaves he is good to have. If he doesn't we need to move him. I think the SF experiment needs to end. It is not making him a better player.

Maybe you should start the experiment before ending it!

[Lipoli390]

[indent] [/indent]Cam - I will also admit I had absolutely no interest on Henry this off-season. As you said, you just never know for sure if/when a talented young player will find his game. Good point about Shabazz.

Wildwolf -- I think it's time you went reactionary. :)

[bleedspeed]

I see D-Will is an insurance policy. If Love leaves he is good to have. If he doesn't we need to move him. I think the SF experiment needs to end. It is not making him a better player.

Maybe you should start the experiment before ending it!

I am guessing Shazbazz will have a better career at SF then D-Will. So why keep trying to force him into something he is not.

[bleedspeed]

As for Henry. I feel he is the perfect kind of player for a team to take a flier. If I was a GM I would want 10 core players under contract and then bottom 5 on 1 year deals. You can keep flexibility and take chances on some of these players.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Is this the place where we start listing all the players who struggled for their first 3 seasons... and kept struggling in season 4 and beyond?