BAZZ RISING

[bleedspeed]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2288593-shabazz-muhammad-rising-above-bust-label-for-minnesota-timberwolves

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Thanks for posting, bleed, although I take issue with the author's assertion that Muhammad was a bust his rookie year. Guys that get drafted 13th aren't counted on to provide much, and yet Muhammad led all other rookies in points per minute. Sure he wasn't in the shape he is in this year and looked lost on defense half the time, but I would argue that his biggest drawback last year was a coach who wouldn't play him.

[thedoper]

Everyone has seen improvement but his stats in limited are undeniably awesome. Someone pointed out how laughable Flip's criticism that he is clogging up the offense is at this point. What fucking offense. It we can only put up 77 against Philly what are we clogging?

[bleedspeed]

Dieng got some love from David Thorpe. (as did Bennett, but said he needs to play more in the paint)

[Monster]

Bazz playing well is about the only real positive the last few days of this team. Quite honestly if he keeps playing like he has so far this year another 10 games I'm gonna say his positives are real they won't go away and it can only go up from where he is at now. One thing he has clearly improved on is his ball handling. He has a long way to go there but last year it was pretty brutual from what I remember. If he can make another decent jump in that area to make him somewhere around a decent wing ball handler it could really make him a possible nightmare to defend. Other things he is better at is defense again not hard to be better than last year and his passing seems severely underrated cause the assumption is he never does it. I'm pleased where he is at in that area especially where he was last year. Right now Bazz looks like a guy that could be one of those dynamite 6th man types coming off the bench to score but he also absolutely has the upside to be a starter too. I was pulling for Bazz and he has a ways to go with his awareness at times but he has been pretty impressive and I'm thrilled with his progress despite his faults.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

What Bazz is doing is most likely sustainable. It's not like a Mo Williams scenario where what we witnessed in the pre-season was a hot shooting streak that inevitably would regress closer to his average career numbers. Rebounding, hard basket cuts, and inside scoring are very repeatable things and less likely to experience the variable ups and downs of outside shooting.

That being said, I'm still not quite ready to say that he is a net asset on the floor. I think he's gone from a negative to being neutral. But considering he's still early in his second season, I would hope he can eventually be an overall plus for us.

[bleedspeed]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11982370/best-second-year-players

[bleedspeed]

Although the 2013 draft class was not pegged as special by many basketball experts, we have seen players from this group look special from month to month. It just hasn't always been the same guys each month.

Still, a dozen or so look like impact players in their second NBA season, ranging from solid rotation players to potential All-Stars. The man who leads them all after a month of games is the same guy who exploded onto the scene late last season.

Here's the current top 10:

9. Anthony Bennett, Timberwolves
Like Muhammad, Bennett changed his body and now sports a terrific frame for an NBA power forward. He can now make athletic plays and owns many of the Wolves' dunking highlights from this season. His great hands also help him on the defensive glass, though he isn't involved enough in offensive rebounding because he likes to float on the perimeter. He's still too quick to shoot jumpers, but at least he's making more shots from all parts of the court and not just looking for 3s.

He still shows significant upside as a power player and now needs to value making more of his living in the paint with occasional forays to the perimeter. If that happens, Minnesota has its power forward of the future and a perfect complement to its future center (Dieng) and small forward (Andrew Wiggins).

3. Shabazz Muhammad, Timberwolves
After transforming his body into a smaller version of a typical power forward, Muhammad is shaping up to be a "power guard." He is simply too strong for many wings to deal with, and his leaner frame still allows him to make very athletic plays at the rim. He is the top small forward in the NBA in offensive rebound rate thanks to his strength and eagerness to attack the glass.

Muhammad has a little lefty hook that he uses effectively and his midrange jump shot is better, as well. His overall ballhandling, passing and defense are still a work in progress, but the Wolves can envision their future with Muhammad playing an important role as a sixth-man type of scorer.

1. Gorgui Dieng, Timberwolves
After a terrific run at the end of his rookie season, Dieng is showing his significant talent again with Nikola Pekovic out with a wrist injury. He is finishing more than 65 percent of his rim shots and is one of the better passing centers in the game right now. That is a unique combination for a second-year player (even though he's almost 25 years old). And although he isn't shooting well from the perimeter now, he looks like he could become a good shooter, too.

In addition, Dieng is one of the top offensive rebounding centers in the league thanks to his strong hands and long arms -- physical talents that also make him a decent shot-blocker (an area of his game that should improve even more over time). Total it all up and Dieng can be a strong starting center with the potential to be an upper-tier center one day.

[bleedspeed]

More
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11982482/nba-chicago-bulls-nikola-mirotic-tops-rookie-readiness-scale

Has Wiggins as 5th most read Rookie and Rookie with highest upside. LaVine has the 6th highest upside in the class behind Wiggins, Parker, Exum, Gordon, and Mirotic,

[WildWolf2813]

What Bazz is doing is most likely sustainable. It's not like a Mo Williams scenario where what we witnessed in the pre-season was a hot shooting streak that inevitably would regress closer to his average career numbers. Rebounding, hard basket cuts, and inside scoring are very repeatable things and less likely to experience the variable ups and downs of outside shooting.

That being said, I'm still not quite ready to say that he is a net asset on the floor. I think he's gone from a negative to being neutral. But considering he's still early in his second season, I would hope he can eventually be an overall plus for us.

Slowly but surely you're starting to see the light.