Great article by Britt

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Love this guy's stuff. Tough to disagree with anything he writes here, although I would not start Hummel or Shabazz at the 4 and instead crank up Adrien's minutes as our starting 4/backup 5.

http://www.minnpost.com/sports/2015/01/seasons-dysfunctional-carnage-doing-more-harm-good-wolves-youngest-players?utm_content=buffera8cc2&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[SameOldNudityDrew]

If Flip REALLY wants to send a message, he should start Adrien and Hummel along with Dieng, Wiggins, and . . . Mo, I guess. Not sure how he'd do that, and I'm not even sure if I'd do it, but Adrien and Hummel are two of the only guys besides Dieng who look like they're really playing all out out there. I'm not as critical of Young as Britt, I've noticed plenty of plays where he's actually giving more effort than other guys, but it's not always smart (going for steals instead of rebounds). But Adrien is a beast. I'm surprised Britt didn't talk him up more.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Q, as I noted before, I'm not a big fan of the Dieng/Adrien pairing. I think there's spacing/scoring issues (remember, the Wolves suck offensively, too... just not historically bad). But can either of them defend in space? Let's play small ball. If nothing else, it forces us to shoot more three pointers by default, right?

I know we all have ripped Saunders for being behind the times on offense. But it Sam Mitchell really the defensive guru for this team? I read that earlier. I've always viewed Mitchell as more of a locker room character leader than a guy who uses Xs and Os to his advantage. In today's NBA, a guy shouting for effort isn't enough. Look around the league, the good defensive teams have schemes and identities that make them so good defensively. In fact, NBA defenses are at an all-time high for sophistication. With the Wolves retreads in charge (Lowe, Mitchell, Saunders), I see the dreaded "country club" attitude taking over. Sticking with something from the past...

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Abe, We've effectively been playing small-ball with Young as our starting PF since the beginning of the season. And Dieng has the girth of most PFs (albeit good length for a C).

We could trot Shabazz at the 4 as Britt suggests, but that takes away one of our key matchup advantages. Most PFs can match up against Shabazz pretty easily since he isn't great off the dribble. So his post game gets taken away, while not being able to blow by PFs. That leaves him simply floating out on the perimeter, which is kind of what he did the other night against Utah when Ingles was on him.

[Coolbreeze44]

Having Adrien in the starting lineup would instantly upgrade our defense because Dieng won't have to cheat as much. Dieng IS a good defender but he's not being allowed to play proper defense because he has to cover for our PF's so much. Adrien is never going to be a long term solution, but until we can get that guy on the roster he would help shore up the D. Of course Rubio is going to help also.

[GymRat [enjin:6592663]]

Having Adrien in the starting lineup would instantly upgrade our defense because Dieng won't have to cheat as much. Dieng IS a good defender but he's not being allowed to play proper defense because he has to cover for our PF's so much. Adrien is never going to be a long term solution, but until we can get that guy on the roster he would help shore up the D. Of course Rubio is going to help also.

I'm in agreement with this sentiment about Dieng. Not only is he being pulled to help out underperforming PF's, but he's also charged with picking up the trash for all the terrible PnR defense by our guards. He's on an island out there. A few times a game we give up an offensive put back because he's trying to weak side help, leaves his man down low, but can't get the block. It's maddening. And sadly, I see it happen a lot because Young is playing post D, and goes for a half-hearted attempt at a steal, freeing his man for an open look.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I've been one of Dieng's biggest cheerleaders since we drafted him. I absolutely loved his unique combination at Louisville of rebounder/shotblocker + high post passer/shooter. And while I think he has been stretched to the limit by the shortcomings at PF, as Cool and GymRat mention, I think he unfortunately is also part of our problem defensively. He spends way too much time either sprawled out on the ground or too far underneath the basket. He has a super high center of gravity that renders him nearly helpless against anyone that puts a shoulder into him, including guys that aren't even bigger than him.

We'll see if we ever get a chance to see him next to a legit PF if he can be more effective, but I worry that he may not be the long-term answer at Center. Centers are typically a team's defensive anchor. Anchor implies weightiness, strength, and stability. We're not getting that from him.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Good points on Dieng, q. When pek went down, I saw a real opportunity for AB to be that wide body presence next to dieng at pf, but it looks like so far he doesn't want that responsibility.

[TheGrey08]

Dieng can still bulk up a bit. That doesn't worry me that much especially if he's paired with a strong PF. Who cares about PF spacing if the dude can't hit shots. I'd rather have a strong PF that can rebound and be solid defensively.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Dieng can still bulk up a bit. That doesn't worry me that much especially if he's paired with a strong PF. Who cares about PF spacing if the dude can't hit shots. I'd rather have a strong PF that can rebound and be solid defensively.

Grey, the spacing thing gets oversold. There are still more traditional power forwards in the NBA than stretch 4's. Hell, look at tonight. Faried, Mozgov, Nurkic, and Hickson are a bunch of smash-mouth bangers. Nene and Gortat for Washington. Randolph and Gasol for Memphis. Drummond and Monroe for Detroit (who are on a nice hot streak since getting rid of Smith by the way).

Dieng operates a lot now out of the high post and has shown the ability to hit cutters and guys ducking in for quick low post touches. I think he can eventually be a reliable mid-range shooter too based on what appears to be a naturally good touch (look at his FT%, which is pretty good for a Center).