Game 50: Kings (24-24) @ Wolves (27-22)

FrenchMinnyFan · Post #81 » by **FrenchMinnyFan** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 3:34 am

wolves_89 wrote:Naz building the case that he should keep the starting job when Randle comes back.

+1 i still have hope we trade him for a PG (then Mike can come from the bench)and a good back up C.

winforlose · Post #82 » by **winforlose** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 3:38 am

I said coming into this stretch we needed 5-1 or 6-0. We are now 3-2. Bad loss, bad bench effort, terrible Ant game, went away from Naz early which is inexplicable. We badly need a PG, and Mike/Dilly are not it.

jpatrick · Post #83 » by **jpatrick** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 3:41 am

We need another big. I can’t see us trading for a guard when we have Conley, Dilly, DDV, NAW, Ant, and even Clark has been alright. We have no rim protection when Rudy is off. Plus, while Naz is great offensively, he’s not great defensively and he is a horrible rebounder for his size.

I’m watching the Jazz now. I wish there was a way to get Kessler back on this team. My real pipe dream would be a DDV for Jabari Smith Jr trade. But Houston not doing that.

FrenchMinnyFan · Post #84 » by **FrenchMinnyFan** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 3:50 am

jpatrick wrote:We need another big. I can’t see us trading for a guard when we have Conley, Dilly, DDV, NAW, Ant, and even Clark has been alright. We have no rim protection when Rudy is off. Plus, while Naz is great offensively, he’s not great defensively and he is a horrible rebounder for his size.

I’m watching the Jazz now. I wish there was a way to get Kessler back on this team. My real pipe dream would be a DDV for Jabari Smith Jr trade. But Houston not doing that.

I agree but still need a PG as well. Mike is good passer ( 9Ass-0 TO tonight) but his offense ( except the 3 part) is really down now and he should start from the bench. We need a 15PPG PG. Can DDV be this one? if Yes, then a big is the priority. Garza really not good enough. And we also have to be patient with Rob, he will be good, just 2 years from now.

FrenchMinnyFan · Post #85 » by **FrenchMinnyFan** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 3:51 am

I do love Clark effort . Hope he keep playing this way.

younggunsmn · Post #86 » by **younggunsmn** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 3:54 am

We're done. Not just now but for the next 7 years at least.
It's only going to get worse as the teams that didn't trade away all their future assets keep getting better and better.
It's 2005 repeating itself all over again.

Kings at the end of a 2 week road trip and just traded away their best player.

We're not only going to miss the playoffs, we're going to finish below .500, calling it now.

When your 1st year player on a 2 way is the only guy on the entire team intelligent enough to keep the ballhandler off of the spot they want to get to you have a team full of really dumb players.
Anthony Edwards got hunted mercilessly all game long.
The got to the middle of the paint easy peasy all game long, it was ridiculous.

Neeva · Post #87 » by **Neeva** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 3:57 am

Finch is a joke at inbound plays, at most things really, when will the fanbase demand better at the head coach position??

WolfAddict · Post #88 » by **WolfAddict** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 3:58 am

Neeva wrote:Finch is a joke at inbound plays, at most things really, when will the fanbase demand better at the head coach position??

Hi and welcome to the boards... :wink:

Jokes brother

A lot of posters in here have been calling for a Finch replacement for a while now

Neeva · Post #89 » by **Neeva** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 4:08 am

Not enough IMO, this team would easily be in hosting position if they had a coach better at lineups/drawing plays in crunch time. Just simple things every head coach should be good at Finch is a joke at and why his teams always lose to bad lotto teams/are never ready against bad lotto teams.

Post #90 » by **Klomp** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 4:12 am

This team drains even the most optimistic Timberwolves fan (aka me)

WolfAddict · Post #91 » by **WolfAddict** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 4:18 am

Klomp wrote:This team drains even the most optimistic Timberwolves fan (aka me)

Now I know we're in trouble...

Nick K · Post #92 » by **Nick K** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 4:56 am

Klomp wrote:This team drains even the most optimistic Timberwolves fan (aka me)

They've finally drained me Klomp and I've hardly missed a game since day 1. Sadly some apathy is setting in.

I've seen this schtick for 35 years.

winforlose · Post #93 » by **winforlose** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 5:26 am

I have to ask, during the offseason when we signed Luka, PJ, and Jingles, instead of real NBA vets of use, do you see why I was so upset? Has the point been proven that Luka should not be on this team? Or how about that depth matters?

ILC · Post #94 » by **ILC** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 8:13 am

This is just not a smart and not a consistent team. Most of the players are young so they're inconsistent and they do dumb stuff. The older guys are either washed like Mike or not creators like Rudy. You saw last game what a smart IQ player like Ingles can do, he just ran out of gas. Saw it last year with Mike too.

Too many times there are situations where they are down 9-10pts, go on a little run and make it a 1-2pt game, get a stop and have a chance to take the lead and instead of running their go-to play (whatever that is) they take a ridiculously bad/early shot whether it's Ant or Naz or Jaden or whoever. They don't have the discipline to say "I'm taking the best possible shot here, not the hero shot".

Sabonis had 4 fouls early in the 3rd quarter, Ant didn't attack him once, nobody did. Rob scored two quick layups in a row, next possession he has Sabonis on him and instead of taking him to the rim where he will either foul you for his 5th or other players will overhelp because they don't want him to get the 5th foul and you find an open man, Rob takes a step-back 3 which he already missed 3-4 times in the game. Idc that it ALMOST went in, you run a high% play in that moment. Next possession he drives into a crowd and turns it over.

Ant was drawing front iron all game because he's too tired and instead of playing decoy, drawing two on him and finding open shooters he took 3-4 horrendous stepback shots. Multiple times he was bringing the ball up with Murray or DDR on him and called a screen from Naz who had Ellis on him and ofc they just switched it every time. Call a **** postup for Naz and work off of it after they double him. Ant is head and shoulders above Ellis and didn't post him up ONCE last night, even after watching DeRozan torch them with the same play over and over again all 4th.

Just really simple stuff where you as a fan watching feel "ok this is a big possession, we need a GOOD shot here" and they do the dumbest thing possible. I despise him with all my soul and body, but with current CP3 on this team they're the 2nd seed AT LEAST.

FrenchMinnyFan · Post #95 » by **FrenchMinnyFan** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 10:57 am

ILC wrote:This is just not a smart and not a consistent team. Most of the players are young so they're inconsistent and they do dumb stuff. The older guys are either washed like Mike or not creators like Rudy. You saw last game what a smart IQ player like Ingles can do, he just ran out of gas. Saw it last year with Mike too.

Too many times there are situations where they are down 9-10pts, go on a little run and make it a 1-2pt game, get a stop and have a chance to take the lead and instead of running their go-to play (whatever that is) they take a ridiculously bad/early shot whether it's Ant or Naz or Jaden or whoever. They don't have the discipline to say "I'm taking the best possible shot here, not the hero shot".

Sabonis had 4 fouls early in the 3rd quarter, Ant didn't attack him once, nobody did. Rob scored two quick layups in a row, next possession he has Sabonis on him and instead of taking him to the rim where he will either foul you for his 5th or other players will overhelp because they don't want him to get the 5th foul and you find an open man, Rob takes a step-back 3 which he already missed 3-4 times in the game. Idc that it ALMOST went in, you run a high% play in that moment. Next possession he drives into a crowd and turns it over.

Ant was drawing front iron all game because he's too tired and instead of playing decoy, drawing two on him and finding open shooters he took 3-4 horrendous stepback shots. Multiple times he was bringing the ball up with Murray or DDR on him and called a screen from Naz who had Ellis on him and ofc they just switched it every time. Call a **** postup for Naz and work off of it after they double him. Ant is head and shoulders above Ellis and didn't post him up ONCE last night, even after watching DeRozan torch them with the same play over and over again all 4th.

Just really simple stuff where you as a fan watching feel "ok this is a big possession, we need a GOOD shot here" and they do the dumbest thing possible. I despise him with all my soul and body, but with current CP3 on this team they're the 2nd seed AT LEAST.

Just watch the replay a second time. I know i like to get hurt

. And you're absolutely right. We make the wrong play after a steal or TO from them 4 times this game and instead of scoring let's say 4 points, they score back 6...this is coaching issue. ANT is not smart enough right now, Mike has never been a vocal leader, neither is Rudy. Adjustment has to come from the coach but he does nothing to prevent dump play to happen..... we are definitely a 50% team and if we can sneak into the Play-in, we will be lucky.

What makes me really piss off is that each we play a good team and able to lock-i we can beat every single NBA team but as soon as we lose focus and discipline, we are a border lottery team. And unfortunately, we lose discipline more often than getting focus.

shrink · Post #96 » by **shrink** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 1:58 pm

Two games without Randle, two losses against very beatable teams.

Baseline81 · Post #97 » by **Baseline81** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 3:03 pm

shrink wrote:Two games without Randle, two losses against very beatable teams.

If there was a down-voting system, this post of yours would, at the very least, have double digits by now.

As if Randle is the key. :crazy:

What about in all the other losses when he did play, huh?

Post #98 » by **Domejandro** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 3:51 pm

Baseline81 wrote:
shrink wrote:Two games without Randle, two losses against very beatable teams.

If there was a down-voting system, this post of yours would, at the very least, have double digits by now.

As if Randle is the key.

What about in all the other losses when he did play, huh?

The open looks that Julius Randle generates for teammates off of his drives are exceptionally important for Minnesota's offense.

Guest84 · Post #99 » by **Guest84** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 4:21 pm

To be fair, in one of the games that Randle was out, wasn't Ant out too? Along with losing Naz during the game? They still could've and should've won though.

This team just isn't that consistent this year regardless of who is in or out. It sucks after the year they had last year but what can you do...

shrink · Post #100 » by **shrink** » Tue Feb 4, 2025 7:37 pm

Baseline81 wrote:
shrink wrote:Two games without Randle, two losses against very beatable teams.

If there was a down-voting system, this post of yours would, at the very least, have double digits by now.

As if Randle is the key.

What about in all the other losses when he did play, huh?

Well, we weren’t going to go undefeated. 27-21 with Randle, 0-2 without Randle.

This is not a slam on Naz. Both Randle and Naz had been playing a lot better over the last two months. What I think the problem is that we have a giant talent gap if our three best bigs aren’t healthy. Whether #4 is Garza, Minott or Ingles, losing any of those top three guys mean big backup minutes for far inferior talent.

I’ll go even farther. I like our top three bigs, and those three are better than most team’s top three. However, we can’t afford to lose a single one, or this team is in trouble.