Minnesota Sports Forum

So now that Mbah a Moute is set to become a Timberwolf, I've began reading and watching a ton of material on him. I've always had an idea of his game and knew the labels placed on him, but it's always been just opinion of mine when I had talked about his game with buddies in the past. I never really read too many articles from Bucks fans and writers about what they had to say about him.

On the "Derrick Williams Trade" page, I posted some of the YouTube links where Mbah a Moute was matched against top wing scorers in the NBA like Kobe, Durant, LeBron, Granger, etc.

Now, I'm reading the articles from the same guy who made those videos. He made a series of articles where he analyzed Mbah a Moute's defense on those top scoring threats. I think they're all good, interesting reads and if you have the time, you should read them. Start with the intro. Don't just skip it because it's an intro lol.

*Intro article: http://www.brewhoop.com/2012/9/25/3302827/milwaukee-bucks-nba-luc-mbah-a-moute/in/3174115

*Luc Vs LeBron: http://www.brewhoop.com/2012/9/26/3411060/lebron-james-luc-mbah-a-moute/in/3174115

*Luv Vs Durant: http://www.brewhoop.com/2012/10/1/3426602/kevin-durant--oklahoma-city-thunder-luc-mbah-a-moute

*Luc Vs Melo: http://www.brewhoop.com/2012/10/3/3429738/carmelo-anthony-new-york-knicks/in/3174115

*Luc Vs Granger: http://www.brewhoop.com/2012/10/5/3452228/danny-granger-indiana-pacers-2012/in/3174115

*Luc Vs Kobe: http://www.brewhoop.com/2012/10/10/3482284/kobe-bryant-lakers-luc-mbah-a-moute/in/3174115

Mbah a Moute is the real deal. I think we'll really appreciate his defensive presence as a Timberwolf. I also feel really confident in our defensive 1-3 when we NEED stops. Rubio, Brewer and Mbah a Moute is really, really solid. Good trade.

Thanks for posting, Cam! This is great stuff.

lipoli390 wrote:Thanks for posting, Cam! This is great stuff.

Not a problem.

Just as a personal thought, after Mbah a Moute gets accustomed to Adelman's offensive system maybe 20 games further into the year (or sooner), wouldn't it make sense to move him into the starting lineup to take further advantage of his defensive skill? That way he'd be matched up on a Durant/LeBron/George/Melo/J.Johnson.

We'd also be able to move Brewer back to the bench where Flip and Adelman orignally envisioned him. A spark off the bench that can provide a fine pairing with Budinger at the wing once he returns. I actually see this as a really nice option. Yes, I realize Brewer brings value in fastbreaks, but he can do that with the second unit too.

Could go:

Rubio/Barea
Martin/Brewer
Mbah a Moute/Budinger (when healthy), Hummel for now as end of rotation guy
Love/Cunningham
Pekovic/Turiaf (when healthy)

Just something to think about.

Let's not forget that Mbah a Moute played with Love at UCLA for the 2007-08 season. Hopefully they had a good relationship that year. :D

Yes, another post on this thread from just me... Sorry.

Watch this small clip of his post defense. Just another snippet of the type of defense this guy brings. I feel like I'm really gonna love this guy as a Timberwolf. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afu1Oyz_PO4

In this video, he plays superb post defense on the likes of LeBron, Tobias Harris (?), Melo, Pau Gasol and Joe Johnson. I was extremely surprised to see how well he held his ground against Pau considering the height/weight disadvantage. Mbah a Moute's base looks really strong and his ability to contest shots is automatic.

well i think this is kind of player we actually really need, without rim protector we need player who can stop elite scorers from penetration and that is exactly what LRMAM brings to the table, he has some serious length and is able to contest shots, it is a good pickup

also value of DW is really low and defensive specialists are much cheaper, as it is i doubt that we could get scorer for second unit straight up for DW(unless it is risky guy on a bad contract), and we are top5 offense anyway, so if everything checks out i would be happy to see LRMAM in wolves uniform

one more thing to consider is also that maybe with Jamal Crawford type of guy we would probably have chance to score more wins in regular season as he could single handedly blow up some thresh teams, however with LRMAM we should be much more formidable opponent for 7 game series in playoffs

Seems like a good dude:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAdGR_BWCTs

Hope he can stay healthy.

i like this older interview, that is really rare to see a guy to speak about defense with so much passion :-D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZhnUyBrAdQ

It's just too bad that neither of our defensive wings have a 3-point shot. The best type of role playing wing you can get is a 3 & D guy. Think Shane Battier, Thabo Sefolosha, and Bruce Bowen - guys that can both slow down the opposing team's best wing while also spacing the floor and knocking down 3-pointers. Neither Brewer or Luc give us this look. Well, Brewer fashions himself as a 3-point shooter, but he really isn't one. Luc knows his limitations and doesn't even bother to try. Shooting will continue to be a gaping hole for this squad.