Updates on former Wolves

life_saver · Post #741 » by **life_saver** » Thu Nov 1, 2018 4:54 pm

Read on Twitter

Crazy-Canuck · Post #742 » by **Crazy-Canuck** » Thu Nov 1, 2018 10:48 pm

upriser7 wrote:

Read on Twitter

Now this is a coach that knows how to use bazz

TheDominator273 · Post #743 » by **TheDominator273** » Fri Nov 2, 2018 3:26 am

upriser7 wrote:

Read on Twitter

The most impressive part (for Bazz) is the 5 assists

m2002brian · Post #744 » by **m2002brian** » Fri Nov 2, 2018 3:40 am

lbj273 wrote:
upriser7 wrote:

Read on Twitter
The most impressive part (for Bazz) is the 5 assists

He was probably afraid that if he passed it a couple times, that he’d be benched.

Jedzz · Post #745 » by **Jedzz** » Sat Nov 3, 2018 2:06 am

Sounds like an amazing chance for players to make a good living outside the NBA. I just wonder how easy it is to play without speaking the language. I don't know how long it would take me to learn the language and then the language in basketball flow. I'm thinking they started by teaching him the Chinese words for Pass the Ball.

PharmD · Post #746 » by **PharmD** » Sat Nov 3, 2018 5:32 am

Maybe the teams speak English?

We're talking about a league where Jimmer Fredette is the scoring champion and MVP. Of course Bazz is gonna dominate.

derek360 · Post #747 » by **derek360** » Sat Nov 3, 2018 2:34 pm

PharmD wrote:Maybe the teams speak English?

We're talking about a league where Jimmer Fredette is the scoring champion and MVP. Of course Bazz is gonna dominate.

I live in China and follow the league a little. They usually have a translator for the players. Most of the Chinese players speak a little English, enough to small talk with the foreign players.

Don't know if Stephon Marbury has been mentioned, but he wanted to play another year for the team that he helped win three championships (Beijing Ducks) but the Beijing team wanted him to retire and go into coaching/owner..He moved to the other Beijing team last year and retired. He now has his Chinese Green Card and is loving life here.

minimus · Post #748 » by **minimus** » Sun Nov 11, 2018 6:33 pm

Two great articles related to Thibs coaching and Bjelica.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/11/11/18084790/timberwolves-jimmy-butler-trade-saric-covington

The Butler trade could allow Thibs to modernize his approach. Saric has been struggling this season, but he established himself as one of the better small-ball 4s in the NBA last season, averaging 14.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, while shooting 39.3 percent from 3 on 5.1 attempts per game. He’s a better version of Nemanja Bjelica, who has been one of the key pieces in Sacramento’s turnaround after spending the last two seasons in the doghouse in Minnesota. Thibs played Bjelica at the 3 next to two traditional big men (Towns and Taj Gibson) instead of using him to open up the floor at the 4. Saric, who is tougher and more defensive-minded than Bjelica, should have an easier time getting on Thibodeau’s good side.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/11/6/18066284/sacramento-kings-start-marvin-bagley

Even the Kings might not have seen their early success coming. With a 6-4 record and a net rating of plus-0.3, they have been one of the most pleasant surprises in the NBA. Sacramento has only one win over a team with a record above .500, and it is coming off a 35-point home loss to the best team it has faced all season (Milwaukee), but its performance in the first 10 games isn’t all smoke and mirrors.

The key has been moving to a four-out offense with a new-look starting lineup. The Kings have a net rating of plus-16.4 in 165 minutes when De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Nemanja Bjelica, and Willie Cauley-Stein are all on the floor. It’s basic, modern basketball, with Bjelica and Hield spreading the floor for pick-and-rolls between Fox and Cauley-Stein. For the first time in years, their best players are all in roles that fit their games. Iman Shumpert, whom they acquired at the trade deadline last season, and Justin Jackson, the no. 15 overall pick in last year’s draft, have alternated in the fifth spot as 3-and-D players.

Bjelica, whom Sacramento signed to a three-year, $20.5 million contract in the offseason, has been the difference-maker. His shooting ability opens up the floor for his new teammates. A former EuroLeague MVP who never clicked with Tom Thibodeau in Minnesota, the 30-year-old has thrived as a full-time NBA starter. He is averaging 14.4 points on 56.1 percent shooting, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. Even as his ridiculous 3-point shooting numbers (53.8 percent on 3.9 attempts per game) regress, the threat of his shot will still stretch out the defense.

P.S. Someone can still label me as Thibs/Butler hater and Rubio/Bjelica/Tyus fan. I'm okay with it.

Post #749 » by **Klomp** » Sun Nov 11, 2018 6:42 pm

minimus wrote:Two great articles related to Thibs coaching and Bjelica.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/11/11/18084790/timberwolves-jimmy-butler-trade-saric-covington

The Butler trade could allow Thibs to modernize his approach. Saric has been struggling this season, but he established himself as one of the better small-ball 4s in the NBA last season, averaging 14.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, while shooting 39.3 percent from 3 on 5.1 attempts per game. He’s a better version of Nemanja Bjelica, who has been one of the key pieces in Sacramento’s turnaround after spending the last two seasons in the doghouse in Minnesota. Thibs played Bjelica at the 3 next to two traditional big men (Towns and Taj Gibson) instead of using him to open up the floor at the 4. Saric, who is tougher and more defensive-minded than Bjelica, should have an easier time getting on Thibodeau’s good side.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/11/6/18066284/sacramento-kings-start-marvin-bagley

This is only when injuries prompted it. Most of the last two years, Bjelica was a PF.

minimus · Post #750 » by **minimus** » Sun Nov 11, 2018 6:45 pm

Klomp wrote:
minimus wrote:Two great articles related to Thibs coaching and Bjelica.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/11/11/18084790/timberwolves-jimmy-butler-trade-saric-covington

The Butler trade could allow Thibs to modernize his approach. Saric has been struggling this season, but he established himself as one of the better small-ball 4s in the NBA last season, averaging 14.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, while shooting 39.3 percent from 3 on 5.1 attempts per game. He’s a better version of Nemanja Bjelica, who has been one of the key pieces in Sacramento’s turnaround after spending the last two seasons in the doghouse in Minnesota. Thibs played Bjelica at the 3 next to two traditional big men (Towns and Taj Gibson) instead of using him to open up the floor at the 4. Saric, who is tougher and more defensive-minded than Bjelica, should have an easier time getting on Thibodeau’s good side.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/11/6/18066284/sacramento-kings-start-marvin-bagley

This is only when injuries prompted it. Most of the last two years, Bjelica was a PF.

If not injuries Bjelica would not get any consistent playing time because Thibs did not believe in as starting stretch 4

Post #751 » by **Klomp** » Sun Nov 11, 2018 6:54 pm

minimus wrote:If not injuries Bjelica would not get any consistent playing time because Thibs did not believe in as starting stretch 4

How many DNP-CDs did he get? I don't recall any. He got consistent playing time, it just wasn't as many minutes as you wanted.

Post #752 » by **Calinks** » Sun Nov 11, 2018 6:57 pm

upriser7 wrote:

Read on Twitter

Mah boy getting it in! Shabazz has too much energy to not ball, he is just awful at focusing that energy efficiently lol.

minimus · Post #753 » by **minimus** » Sun Nov 11, 2018 7:09 pm

Klomp wrote:
minimus wrote:If not injuries Bjelica would not get any consistent playing time because Thibs did not believe in as starting stretch 4

How many DNP-CDs did he get? I don't recall any. He got consistent playing time, it just wasn't as many minutes as you wanted.

According to:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bjeline01/splits/2018

Last season as bencher he got 14.3 mpg. So without injuries of starters Bjelica would average whooping 15mpg.

You are attacking me with:

it just wasn't as many minutes as you wanted.

But this season Bjelica averages just 26 mpg and he is difference maker. So this is what I wanted to see.

life_saver · Post #754 » by **life_saver** » Thu Nov 15, 2018 5:48 am

Looks like Ricky seems to have had an atrocious start to season so far

Rookie-Mistake · Post #755 » by **Rookie-Mistake** » Thu Nov 15, 2018 6:48 am

upriser7 wrote:Looks like Ricky seems to have had an atrocious start to season so far

He has. He is absolutely flogging my fantasy team to smithereens

mplsfonz23 · Post #756 » by **mplsfonz23** » Thu Nov 15, 2018 3:08 pm

So is this the thread to come to when we want to bash/praise Butler?

Looked like he was trying to defer last night when they needed his hero ball. Only 2 shots in the 4th? :crazy:

PharmD · Post #757 » by **PharmD** » Thu Nov 15, 2018 3:44 pm

Rookie-Mistake wrote:
upriser7 wrote:Looks like Ricky seems to have had an atrocious start to season so far

He has. He is absolutely flogging my fantasy team to smithereens

ouch!

He hurt his finger on opening night and is playing with his right index and middle fingers taped together. That can't help. You should probably jump ship.

life_saver · Post #758 » by **life_saver** » Thu Nov 15, 2018 3:54 pm

mplsfonz23 wrote:So is this the thread to come to when we want to bash/praise Butler?

Looked like he was trying to defer last night when they needed his hero ball. Only 2 shots in the 4th?

that's expected imo...remember our first 10 games last season? Jimmy was mainly taking backseat in offense

PharmD · Post #759 » by **PharmD** » Thu Nov 15, 2018 3:57 pm

upriser7 wrote:
mplsfonz23 wrote:So is this the thread to come to when we want to bash/praise Butler?

Looked like he was trying to defer last night when they needed his hero ball. Only 2 shots in the 4th?

that's expected imo...remember our first 10 games last season? Jimmy was mainly taking backseat in offense

I really loved that team when Jimmy was in facilitate mode. We were 7-1 with Facilitate Jimmy and looked so good. Then he decided to let everyone know "The G stands for Gets" and went into selfish mode that made everything gum up and look like ****. JimME ftl.

mplsfonz23 · Post #760 » by **mplsfonz23** » Thu Nov 15, 2018 4:49 pm

PharmD wrote:
upriser7 wrote:
mplsfonz23 wrote:So is this the thread to come to when we want to bash/praise Butler?

Looked like he was trying to defer last night when they needed his hero ball. Only 2 shots in the 4th?

that's expected imo...remember our first 10 games last season? Jimmy was mainly taking backseat in offense

I really loved that team when Jimmy was in facilitate mode. We were 7-1 with Facilitate Jimmy and looked so good. Then he decided to let everyone know "The G stands for Gets" and went into selfish mode that made everything gum up and look like ****. JimME ftl.

Yeah but he was brought in to close out games in Philly. Facilitate? He only had 2 asst. His stat line looks terrible. Fouls, TO's and only one trip to the line.

Yeah it's a knee jerk reaction, but I really hope it's a trend. Lets see if losing brings out the diva jimmy.
Poor season, poor PO's and his contract is much smaller than he expects.