Game 79: Minnesota Timberwolves (31-47) @ Utah Jazz (48-30) - 9:00 PM ET

[Nick K]

Wiggins needs to go. He really isnt very good. He's an athlete that plays basketball, he's not a basketball player.

Sorry Ace, That's one of the most stupid comments I've ever read.

[Nick K]

Throw whatever money we can offer at Hayward this offseason. Dude's a freaking baller.

I would go all out on Hayward for our PF. Utah will not let him go. I think he's happy there.

Towns gets hammered so much without getting to the line.....abomination!

[Nick K]

That blatant blown goaltend no call changed this game.

Yep and Yep to the time outs too!

[Calinks]

So 5 game improvement is the best we can hope for over last season? Damn.

RIP my 38 win prediction. RIP Smitch being destroyed by a real coach.

[Ace_Rockola]

Wiggins needs to go. He really isnt very good. He's an athlete that plays basketball, he's not a basketball player.

Sorry Ace, That's one of the most stupid comments I've ever read.

How different would our record be if Shabazz was given all the opportunities wiggins gets? At least Shabazz tries to rebound.

[Mattya]

Wiggins needs to go. He really isnt very good. He's an athlete that plays basketball, he's not a basketball player.

Sorry Ace, That's one of the most stupid comments I've ever read.

How different would our record be if Shabazz was given all the opportunities wiggins gets? At least Shabazz tries to rebound.

Shabazz rebounds per 36 this season is nearly identical to the number of rebounds Wiggins got tonight.

[Nick K]

Wiggins needs to go. He really isnt very good. He's an athlete that plays basketball, he's not a basketball player.

Sorry Ace, That's one of the most stupid comments I've ever read.

How different would our record be if Shabazz was given all the opportunities wiggins gets? At least Shabazz tries to rebound.

You can't be serious but to a small degree I understand what you're saying. Don't get carried away there. Wiggins is 100 times the player Bazz will ever be. Bazz is so limited in what he does. Personally. I'd like to keep him if we can get him under 10 mil. If someone wants to give him 16 or 18 I'd say adios.

[Ace_Rockola]

Wasn't directly comparing Wiggins to shabazz, I just feel shabazz could put up similar numbers of given the go ahead. At the end of the game I yelled "why is Wiggins the inbound passer?!?!" Then he proceeded to throw it away. Wiggins also has terrible hands. Maybe I should blame thibs for forcing the terrible Wiggins iso to continually lose games for the wolves.

[NewWolvesOrder]

So 5 game improvement is the best we can hope for over last season? Damn.

RIP my 38 win prediction. RIP Smitch being destroyed by a real coach.

Thibs is fake hustle He yells all the time because he really doesn't know what to do. Getting exposed out there.

[Nick K]

So 5 game improvement is the best we can hope for over last season? Damn.

RIP my 38 win prediction. RIP Smitch being destroyed by a real coach.

Thibs is fake hustle He yells all the time because he really doesn't know what to do. Getting exposed out there.

Right.

We have lost 22 games this year after leads of 10 points or more. Usually 15 points or more. Thibs says he needs to take a look at it this summer to see how to fix it. I can't believe he said that. It tells me he has no clue.

I wanted other coaches hired here but after much convincing by others I went all in on Thibs. What the hell was I thinking?!

[Mattya]

So 5 game improvement is the best we can hope for over last season? Damn.

RIP my 38 win prediction. RIP Smitch being destroyed by a real coach.

Thibs is fake hustle He yells all the time because he really doesn't know what to do. Getting exposed out there.

Right.

We have lost 22 games this year after leads of 10 points or more. Usually 15 points or more. Thibs says he needs to take a look at it this summer to see how to fix it. I can't believe he said that. It tells me he has no clue.

I wanted other coaches hired here but after much convincing by others I went all in on Thibs. What the hell was I thinking?!

Is he supposed to say that he isn't going to fix the issues this summer?

[Sugarless]

Thibs is fake hustle He yells all the time because he really doesn't know what to do. Getting exposed out there.

Right.

We have lost 22 games this year after leads of 10 points or more. Usually 15 points or more. Thibs says he needs to take a look at it this summer to see how to fix it. I can't believe he said that. It tells me he has no clue.

I wanted other coaches hired here but after much convincing by others I went all in on Thibs. What the hell was I thinking?!

Is he supposed to say that he isn't going to fix the issues this summer?

I think since he's the coach he's supposed to look for a solution between games 1 and 22. Maybe ask the POBO for some help too.

[Sugarless]

Just another game lost to awful defense, with yet another All-Star wing molesting Wiggins, who's becoming one of the most overrated guys in the league. Just an inefficient scorer who can't pass, can't make his FTs, is usually the opposite of clutch, can't and won't defend, can't rebound, hasn't improved his handle one bit since he left high-school... Yep, basically the same some of us were saying right around this point last year, which is the biggest knock on him beyond any other particular flaw in his game: he just doesn't get better. He simply shoots more, and that's about it.

[Mattya]

Right.

We have lost 22 games this year after leads of 10 points or more. Usually 15 points or more. Thibs says he needs to take a look at it this summer to see how to fix it. I can't believe he said that. It tells me he has no clue.

I wanted other coaches hired here but after much convincing by others I went all in on Thibs. What the hell was I thinking?!

Is he supposed to say that he isn't going to fix the issues this summer?

I think since he's the coach he's supposed to look for a solution between games 1 and 22. Maybe ask the POBO for some help too.

I'm not sure what coaching general manager decisions he was supposed to make during the season to turn it around. The team has had flaws in each little definable stretch of the season. The team just doesn't have enough quality players throughout the season after the core to be able to make the playoffs. Our best stretch we had Wiggins, Towns, LaVine, Shabazz, Rubio, Dieng and Bejlica contributing. For most of the season though Bjelica and Bazz were not contributing. Then we had injuries, cold stretches for players and the players and coaches adjusting to each other. Thibs didn't want to overspend on the players in last free agency and it took its toll. He needs to find those players to complement the roster this offseason.

If Rubio keeps up this type of scoring, with LaVine returning, and hopefully Bjelica playing like he did before he got injured, this team will make strides just with that. This team right now, while flawed, is still competing with very few quality players.

[urinesane]

Are they supposed to be winning a lot now without Belly and Lavine?

[Krapinsky]

Just another game lost to awful defense, with yet another All-Star wing molesting Wiggins, who's becoming one of the most overrated guys in the league. Just an inefficient scorer who can't pass, can't make his FTs, is usually the opposite of clutch, can't and won't defend, can't rebound, hasn't improved his handle one bit since he left high-school... Yep, basically the same some of us were saying right around this point last year, which is the biggest knock on him beyond any other particular flaw in his game: he just doesn't get better. He simply shoots more, and that's about it.

Read on Twitter

[Sugarless]

Is he supposed to say that he isn't going to fix the issues this summer?

I think since he's the coach he's supposed to look for a solution between games 1 and 22. Maybe ask the POBO for some help too.

I'm not sure what coaching general manager decisions he was supposed to make during the season to turn it around. The team has had flaws in each little definable stretch of the season. The team just doesn't have enough quality players throughout the season after the core to be able to make the playoffs. Our best stretch we had Wiggins, Towns, LaVine, Shabazz, Rubio, Dieng and Bejlica contributing. For most of the season though Bjelica and Bazz were not contributing. Then we had injuries, cold stretches for players and the players and coaches adjusting to each other. Thibs didn't want to overspend on the players in last free agency and it took its toll. He needs to find those players to complement the roster this offseason.

If Rubio keeps up this type of scoring, with LaVine returning, and hopefully Bjelica playing like he did before he got injured, this team will make strides just with that. This team right now, while flawed, is still competing with very few quality players.

I've never liked coaches or GMs that just stand pat for the sake of it, not when they're losing. The team lacks quality players? That's on Thibs. He had a high pick, money, roster spots and a few valuable pieces last summer, and decided to create a roster that's barely better than last season's (despite all of the young guys having one more year of experience), and one that has even less high-character veterans. He also hasn't done anything to strengthen the roster or even shake it a bit during the season except for signing two FAs coming off injuries. And he hasn't done anything either from a coaching standpoint, other than finally taking Rubio off a corner. He's just kept the same systems, same style and mostly the same rotations all year long (except when forced by injuries), even as the team kept losing and wasting double digit leads.

Since the moment he signed nearly a year ago, and despite the extremely evident strengths and weaknesses of the roster at that point, Thibs hasn't done anything that sticks out, he's been happy to make just a few ordinary, bland moves or no moves at all. He's decided to stay stuck in mediocrity, and the results have been exactly as predicted. I don't like mediocrity, not after 13 years of it (or worse than that). I know some people will keep making excuses for not taking any chances neither before nor during the season (just like every single year), but like or not, he's the coach and president of basketball operations of this team, he gets a few million dollars every year to succeed, and when we continue to suck instead, the first one to blame is him.

[Sugarless]

Just another game lost to awful defense, with yet another All-Star wing molesting Wiggins, who's becoming one of the most overrated guys in the league. Just an inefficient scorer who can't pass, can't make his FTs, is usually the opposite of clutch, can't and won't defend, can't rebound, hasn't improved his handle one bit since he left high-school... Yep, basically the same some of us were saying right around this point last year, which is the biggest knock on him beyond any other particular flaw in his game: he just doesn't get better. He simply shoots more, and that's about it.

Read on Twitter

Not to pick on that guy Lucas, but...

- PPG: Shooting volume. Unless it's accompanied by better efficiency, it means nothing.
- 3PA: Same.
- 3PM: Same.
- 3PT%: Finally, accuracy. So his 3PM increasing actually have value, unlike most of these other stats. Only true improvement.
- AST%: His career average is 10.1%, he's at 10.6%. Career best? Please...
- APG: Once again, the same. Unless it's due to a higher assist %, it's all based in volume / usage rate. And yet, his career average is 3.0 AST per 100 poss, this year he's at 3.1. Big improvement.
- TO: 3.1 per 100 career average. 3.1 per 100 this season.
- A/TO: Career average 3AST to 3.1 TO per 100 poss. This season he's at 3.1AST to 3.1 TO. Yet another great career high.
- +/-: team dependent
- NRTG: again, team dependent, and even so according to basketball reference it's actually not his career high (it is according to NBA.com, they usually differ on how they measure this).
- eFG%: when looking at scoring efficiency, go to a fully comprehensive stat like TS%, cause FTs count. A lot. Again not a career high (in TS% = efficiency)
- USG%: I don't know why anyone would consider this a positive. This is the single biggest increase in his stats this season other than his 3PT%, and being a fairly inefficient scorer who can't pass and doesn't take care of the ball, the higher the usage, the worst.

We have a guy that's basically averaging the same that he's done through his 3-year career, hasn't added anything to his game other than being more accurate from outside, hasn't progressed in any particular facet of the game other than taking more and more shots each season and holding onto the ball for more seconds, and has actually regressed defensively from what he showed the first couple of months as a rookie, when it looked like he still gave a damn on that end. But yeah, he's averaging one full extra assist per one *thousand* possessions.

[Mattya]

I've never liked coaches or GMs that just stand pat for the sake of it, not when they're losing. The team lacks quality players? That's on Thibs. He had a high pick, money, roster spots and a few valuable pieces last summer, and decided to create a roster that's barely better than last season's (despite all of the young guys having one more year of experience), and one that has even less high-character veterans. He also hasn't done anything to strengthen the roster or even shake it a bit during the season except for signing two FAs coming off injuries. And he hasn't done anything either from a coaching standpoint, other than finally taking Rubio off a corner. He's just kept the same systems, same style and mostly the same rotations all year long (except when forced by injuries), even as the team kept losing and wasting double digit leads.

Since the moment he signed nearly a year ago, and despite the extremely evident strengths and weaknesses of the roster at that point, Thibs hasn't done anything that sticks out, he's been happy to make just a few ordinary, bland moves or no moves at all. He's decided to stay stuck in mediocrity, and the results have been exactly as predicted. I don't like mediocrity, not after 13 years of it (or worse than that). I know some people will keep making excuses for not taking any chances neither before nor during the season (just like every single year), but like or not, he's the coach and president of basketball operations of this team, he gets a few million dollars every year to succeed, and when we continue to suck instead, the first one to blame is him.

So, would you prefer the alternative where Thibs added Loul Deng and Courtney Lee? There are all these criticisms, but I have yet to hear any real solutions to any of the problems. Thibs also has Rubio playing the best of his career, but he won't get any credit for that, but will get all the credit for Rubio's play at the beginning of the season. It has only been a single season with Thibs in charge, I would prefer him being patient instead of doing silly things that limit this team going forward. I would advise maybe waiting another offseason before coming to conclusions on what type of job Thibs is doing. You can be critical, but to say nothing has improved is silly.

[Crazy-Canuck]

i think thibs didn't make big moves because this year was an evaluation period you see what he had.

Its clear by now that we lack depth and defense. Right now, both Kat cant anchor and wiggins cant cover their best players consistently. And no one else aside from Ricky is a passable defender.

Lack of depth is killing us down the stretch. Losing lavine, bjelly, etc.. was big because they were one of the only handful of guys that thibs actually plays.