Minnesota Sports Forum

My apologies to the board for missing reports over the last two games. For some reason, I couldn't post from my home computer. But my work machine seems to work just fine. It sucked because I had a lengthy report on Friday night that was erased. So I'll try to capture my thoughts from the weekend games in a combined post today:

1) I want to caution all of us not to react too decisively to individual games this season. There's a tendency to react with certainty where none exists. I am breaking the season down into 20 game segments. I think we will know some after 20 games, more after 40, and by the end of the year should have a pretty good idea what we have. The key is to focus on the process and not individual game results. By taking this Belichickian approach, I think it allows us as fans to be objective. I hope the players can also focus on the process. I'm concerned about what this early portion of the season has done to the psyche of Zach. He needs to focus on improvement game by game and be able to put the bad games behind him.

2) One thing the Wolves need to be much better at is getting out on the break. Now I know it's difficult to fast break when you are constantly taking the ball out of your own basket, but this team should be taking advantage of these opportunities. Too often we are banging our heads against the wall in half court sets. I can hardly remember any situations where we got the rebound, kicked the ball out to the wing, and ran a structured "fill the lanes" fast break. I know we are limited without Ricky, but even when he was healthy this was a problem. With our athletes, it's an absolute must to take advantage of fast break chances. Flip needs to kick up the tempo a bit.

Plus 1 - Andrew Wiggins is going to be a superstar. And the reason I say that is this: As he becomes more and more aggressive to the basket, I hope you are all noticing what is happening. He is either getting to the rim, or he is getting fouled on the way there. He's not perfected the art of finishing yet, but that should come with time. But here is what is clear: He is not guardable when he takes the ball to the whole. The league cannot contend with his athleticism and explosiveness. Much like Michael Jordan was, Andrew is a physical mismatch no matter who is guarding him. Like Jordan he is going to live at the free throw line whether he actually gets fouled or not. Defenders are going to have to back off from him to protect against the drive, and then he is going to have open jump shots that he can take at anytime. Couple all this with his prowess on the defensive end and you have superstar qualities. Wait until he gets his man strength. That is going to be something to see.

And that's CoolBreeze's 2 things I didn't like this weekend Plus 1

Interesting. I've also had trouble posting the last few days. Just like you wrote, I typed up a few notes and then it just was gone when I tried to post it. I thought it might have had something to do with Internet Explorer (I'm moving over to Firefox)

Good points here. As disappointing as this season has been with all the injuries, close losses, etc., it all comes down to Wiggins for me.

After seeing him play in person the other night for the first time, it's shocking to see just how fluid he is on the court. He is so quick and covers so much ground, defenders look like they are moving in slow motion. No doubt he got some great basketball genes from his dad, but even more important might be the world class speed and agility he got from his mom.

All the talk has been about how he is too passive at times, etc. But ironically I think his temperament might turn out to be a huge asset. This is not a guy who gets rattled or backs down. He played 41 minutes the other night and was taking it to the Kings in the 4th quarter, and doing it against an experienced veteran in Rudy Gay. He's not playing like that every night simply because he is still finding his way. And he seems smart enough to know he isn't ready to be "the man" yet. But that time is coming. Soon.

Our record is going to stink, but I'm excited to see what we can do when Ricky returns. Between Ricky and Wiggins, the foundation finally exists for this team to not only be good, but possibly great (unlike last year's team which had a ceiling of "good"). Of our remaining young players, I think Dieng is the 3rd piece that will be crucial going forward. But other guys like AB, Bazz, and Lavine also have a chance to be key parts.

But again, it's all about Wiggins right now. This is a player the franchise has never had before (even Garnett was not this type of a player). I'm excited.

Mstermisty wrote:Good points here. As disappointing as this season has been with all the injuries, close losses, etc., it all comes down to Wiggins for me.

After seeing him play in person the other night for the first time, it's shocking to see just how fluid he is on the court. He is so quick and covers so much ground, defenders look like they are moving in slow motion. No doubt he got some great basketball genes from his dad, but even more important might be the world class speed and agility he got from his mom.

All the talk has been about how he is too passive at times, etc. But ironically I think his temperament might turn out to be a huge asset. This is not a guy who gets rattled or backs down. He played 41 minutes the other night and was taking it to the Kings in the 4th quarter, and doing it against an experienced veteran in Rudy Gay. He's not playing like that every night simply because he is still finding his way. And he seems smart enough to know he isn't ready to be "the man" yet. But that time is coming. Soon.

Our record is going to stink, but I'm excited to see what we can do when Ricky returns. Between Ricky and Wiggins, the foundation finally exists for this team to not only be good, but possibly great (unlike last year's team which had a ceiling of "good"). Of our remaining young players, I think Dieng is the 3rd piece that will be crucial going forward. But other guys like AB, Bazz, and Lavine also have a chance to be key parts.

But again, it's all about Wiggins right now. This is a player the franchise has never had before (even Garnett was not this type of a player). I'm excited.

Great take. Add in there drafting another lottery big man this year and we should be poised for a real chance to make some noise.

Great comments about Wiggins, guys. I sometimes forget that he's only 19, but now that he is getting to the line so often, we get a lot of close ups...and it's clear that he is just a kid. I credit the coaching staff for his increased assertiveness. You can see them encouraging him on the sidelines, and that has to build his confidence. Interesting take, misty, about how his understated demeanor might be an asset for him...you may be right. Anyway, it's exciting to think about this guy at 26. Talk about a high ceiling!

Yeah, I also wasn't able to post over the weekend, but today I can. Too bad...I had some incredible insights that could have turned the season around, but now I've forgotten all of them.

longstrangetrip wrote:Great comments about Wiggins, guys. I sometimes forget that he's only 19, but now that he is getting to the line so often, we get a lot of close ups...and it's clear that he is just a kid. I credit the coaching staff for his increased assertiveness. You can see them encouraging him on the sidelines, and that has to build his confidence. Interesting take, misty, about how his understated demeanor might be an asset for him...you may be right. Anyway, it's exciting to think about this guy at 26. Talk about a high ceiling!

Yeah, I also wasn't able to post over the weekend, but today I can. Too bad...I had some incredible insights that could have turned the season around, but now I've forgotten all of them.

Hahahahaha - good stuff LST. Same for you Misty and Doper. I can't wait until the next game and it really has little to do with winning or losing.

Agree with cool completely on wiggins. Once his body develops and matures into where it needs to be, watch out. The guy has natural gifts that you cant teach. Add that he is well grounded, works hard, good character and very coachable, we definitely has a superstar in the making on our hands.

I should add that I couldn't be happier about this team right now. Even though we are not winning, there is not a player on this roster which I don't like. Whereas in the past I couldn't say the same about Love, Barea and Dante. All useful players, and in Love's case essential and amazingly talented. But each had frustrating traits which would make me pull my hair out. And then to throw Adelman's strict preference for these players it was too much for me. We have had young teams in the past, but I find myself really pulling for these guys even when it seems like we have no chance in a game.

And I feel compelled to add I have been pulling for Shabazz since before his draft day, so I may sound like a broken record but I have to say I can't remember a player on this team that worked and played as hard as him (KG?). He is a totally unique player. The lefty jumphook is awesome and basically unstoppable (glad he got a shoutout from Zach Lowe in his column). But most of all the diving for loose balls and fighting for rebounds was not something I expected when looking at his college games and reputation. Yes he has tons of work on so many aspects of his game but if he only settles as a bench player he will still easily be one of my favorites just because of his noticeable effort he puts out there on the floor. He has been doing hustle plays that seem to have been ignored for the most part in the modern NBA.