The battle for Minneapolis: Lakers at Wolves (7 pm)

[KGdaBom]

Wolves did a great job beating the referees, um I mean Lakers tonight.
League tried so hard to get the Lakers their first win.
So many blatantly awful calls against Ant and Jaden, who played PHENOMENAL d on old man Lebron.

Rudy showed his value in closing out games tonight, ending defensive possessions and bailing out bad offensive possessions with offensive rebounds. Ant was guilty of some very bad hero ball tonight. That has to change.
His shots were falling in the first half, but the kind of shot selection he had tonight is going to cost us games if it continues.
They had no paint presence whatsoever, and with more patience and ball movement we could have blown the game wide open with more paint points and FTs.

Liked the adjustment of KAT catching the ball facing the basket and hanging on the left side of the perimeter. Much easier for him to pass out of the double if he is facing the basket and not away from it.
I don't ever want to see him demanding a post pass outside of 10-12 feet ever again.
He made some nice passes, didnt force his own offense, and stayed calm. More of this please.

Russell gets roasted as a point of attack defender. He moved the ball well on offense.

McDaniels was incredible on D again and didn't deserve those last 2 awful foul calls. Maybe when he makes the All-Defense team he will get more respect. He and Rudy are absolutely carrying this team on the defensive end this year, which is why teams with 5 capable offensive players on the floor give us more problems than teams with 1 or 2 superstars.

Sad to see Westbrook so washed. The loss of athleticism is one thing, but he used to be an 80% plus FT shooter too, and his FT shooting has been terrible for several years now.

The Lakers are in trouble, with or without Davis. The lack of depth on that team is staggering.

No hero ball. We don't need it.

[winforlose]

You are a tough cowd AIJ.

It was a business like win. We took care of business and played well down the stretch. We're not going to beat every team by 25. Plus, we covered the 7 pt spread which I didn't expect.

Ant with 29 and 4. Rudy with 22 and 21, 8 of 12 from the line. Kat was 21-8 and 7.

I'll take it.

Nick, they were missing AD, Bryant, and Schroder. They turned the ball over 21 times to our 10. This game should not have been in controversy. If we play any good team we lose by double digits tonight. Ant put on a clinic in how not to play Chris Finch basketball. No passing, drive into the teeth of the defense, or pull up and shoot a contested triple. KAT and Nowell and others followed suit after losing the trust they would get the ball back if they moved it. Listen to the Dane Moore pod from yesterday talking about how much better our defense is when we move the ball on offense. Not to mention how much better our shot selection and shooting percentage is. We were ice cold for a chunk of the game. We played hero ball that let them get out and run a lot. We made Westbrook look 25 again in the first half. There is was so little good about tonight outside of the win. While I grant you a WIN IS A WIN, we are in sooo much trouble this season. At this point not even Finch can fix it. Maybe losing 10 winnable games will wake Ant up. Short of that he is gonna put up great numbers and lose us a lot of games.

You keep worrying about how we win. I don't give a rat's ass about how we win. A win is a win.

We play at the Spurs on Sunday, then we play at the Suns and home to the Bucks. We can probably get away with this type **** against the Spurs as long as we run and play defense. But against winning teams, I am very afraid. Maybe we play up to our level, instead of down to opponents levels. I don’t know. But that 3rd quarter was a mess. Which is par for the course of us being the worst 3rd quarter team in the league. This is our chance to fix **** and we aren’t doing it.

[KGdaBom]

Nick, they were missing AD, Bryant, and Schroder. They turned the ball over 21 times to our 10. This game should not have been in controversy. If we play any good team we lose by double digits tonight. Ant put on a clinic in how not to play Chris Finch basketball. No passing, drive into the teeth of the defense, or pull up and shoot a contested triple. KAT and Nowell and others followed suit after losing the trust they would get the ball back if they moved it. Listen to the Dane Moore pod from yesterday talking about how much better our defense is when we move the ball on offense. Not to mention how much better our shot selection and shooting percentage is. We were ice cold for a chunk of the game. We played hero ball that let them get out and run a lot. We made Westbrook look 25 again in the first half. There is was so little good about tonight outside of the win. While I grant you a WIN IS A WIN, we are in sooo much trouble this season. At this point not even Finch can fix it. Maybe losing 10 winnable games will wake Ant up. Short of that he is gonna put up great numbers and lose us a lot of games.

You keep worrying about how we win. I don't give a rat's ass about how we win. A win is a win.

We play at the Spurs on Sunday, then we play at the Suns and home to the Bucks. We can probably get away with this type **** against the Spurs as long as we run and play defense. But against winning teams, I am very afraid. Maybe we play up to our level, instead of down to opponents levels. I don’t know. But that 3rd quarter was a mess. Which is par for the course of us being the worst 3rd quarter team in the league. This is our chance to fix **** and we aren’t doing it.

IMO you need to chill. We will deal with the Spurs and Suns when we play the Spurs and Suns. We didn't play either of those teams tonight. We took care of business.

[karch34]

Brain droppings:

Last year was a slog the first 15 or so as was the Butler year. It’s going to take a bit to get the chemistry which is true for any team with major changes. Particularly those that had one preseason game with their main players available. We have this up and down in December I’m more worried.

All of our starters need to be involved and Nowell is going to want his touches in his contract year. We need to find the balance. 3rd quarter Ant and 4th quarter Towns ipcoukd be start of the blueprint.

JMac is an important piece and I think Kyle Anderson is too.

Westbrook isn’t what he used to be. Move to bench is new and appears to have had at least 2 quarters of positive impact. The fit was always in doubt IMO and he’s always been polarizing. That said he’s a HOF player and I give him credit for being a guy who never wanted to bail on a team and went hard every minute. Father Time is undefeated though and I think we saw he can still bring it but there’s been a lot of wear and tear for major minutes.

This wasn’t pretty but I feel it was gutsy against a hungry team when we’re still trying to figure it out.

[m2002brian]

Ant wasn’t playing hero ball, he was going for 30. He was at 27.
Took two threes near the end, missed both. Drove got fouled, hit one of two. With about 10 seconds left got intentionally fouled hit one of two.

Those threes were all about 30, not being a hero.

Probably shouldn’t be doing that with such a small lead.

Overall some sloppy moments and dead spots, but the energy and vibe from the team was good. KAT looked really happy out there, saw him smiling and laughing quite a bit. That could be game changer, if he learns to laugh off the refs calls/non-calls and just play, that would awesome.

A few guys made some boneheaded plays, situations where an O board should be kicked out instead of taken back up through 3 4 guys. Passes that were just not well timed or placed.

Beverly got a huge ovation at introductions and was fairly playful with the his old mates throughout.

Wish Nowell could have shown out more earlier when KATs shot was off, but maybe KAT needed those shots to find his shot?

Refs were horrible. Ant had a couple of nice moments that should have been jump balls and that was not a 6th foul on Jaden.

[winforlose]

Ant wasn’t playing hero ball, he was going for 30. He was at 27.
Took two threes near the end, missed both. Drove got fouled, hit one of two. With about 10 seconds left got intentionally fouled hit one of two.

Those threes were all about 30, not being a hero.

Probably shouldn’t be doing that with such a small lead.

Overall some sloppy moments and dead spots, but the energy and vibe from the team was good. KAT looked really happy out there, saw him smiling and laughing quite a bit. That could be game changer, if he learns to laugh off the refs calls/non-calls and just play, that would awesome.

A few guys made some boneheaded plays, situations where an O board should be kicked out instead of taken back up through 3 4 guys. Passes that were just not well timed or placed.

Beverly got a huge ovation at introductions and was fairly playful with the his old mates throughout.

Wish Nowell could have shown out more earlier when KATs shot was off, but maybe KAT needed those shots to find his shot?

Refs were horrible. Ant had a couple of nice moments that should have been jump balls and that was not a 6th foul on Jaden.

I agree about Refs, Nowell, and Beverly. I have said many times that Minnesota loves Pat Bev and that he is always welcome here.

Where I disagree is Ant. We had 18 assists on 21 made baskets in the first half. We didn’t shoot great, but we passed well and used good shot selection. In Q3 Ant took 11 of 25 shots. We had 3 assists total on 9 made baskets. In that stretch Ant played all 12 minutes. In the fourth we had 6 assists on 11 makes. The big difference is Ant played 8:13 and attempted 5 shots. Ant is not playing winning basketball. Scoring on 6 of 11 is nice. But when you deny your teammates the ball you kill their rhythm. You disengage them from the game and they play worse defense as well. You said he was going for 30 and not playing hero ball, but he was clearly playing hero ball in the third. Finch has all but begged guys to move the ball. I wonder at what point you emphasize the principle and bench him until he learns. Maybe don’t start or finish with him the next game as a way to hold him accountable. This only worked out because the Lakers shot 4 of 16 from deep in the 2nd half.

[m2002brian]

Ant wasn’t playing hero ball, he was going for 30. He was at 27.
Took two threes near the end, missed both. Drove got fouled, hit one of two. With about 10 seconds left got intentionally fouled hit one of two.

Those threes were all about 30, not being a hero.

Probably shouldn’t be doing that with such a small lead.

Overall some sloppy moments and dead spots, but the energy and vibe from the team was good. KAT looked really happy out there, saw him smiling and laughing quite a bit. That could be game changer, if he learns to laugh off the refs calls/non-calls and just play, that would awesome.

A few guys made some boneheaded plays, situations where an O board should be kicked out instead of taken back up through 3 4 guys. Passes that were just not well timed or placed.

Beverly got a huge ovation at introductions and was fairly playful with the his old mates throughout.

Wish Nowell could have shown out more earlier when KATs shot was off, but maybe KAT needed those shots to find his shot?

Refs were horrible. Ant had a couple of nice moments that should have been jump balls and that was not a 6th foul on Jaden.

I agree about Refs, Nowell, and Beverly. I have said many times that Minnesota loves Pat Bev and that he is always welcome here.

Where I disagree is Ant. We had 18 assists on 21 made baskets in the first half. We didn’t shoot great, but we passed well and used good shot selection. In Q3 Ant took 11 of 25 shots. We had 3 assists total on 9 made baskets. In that stretch Ant played all 12 minutes. In the fourth we had 6 assists on 11 makes. The big difference is Ant played 8:13 and attempted 5 shots. Ant is not playing winning basketball. Scoring on 6 of 11 is nice. But when you deny your teammates the ball you kill their rhythm. You disengage them from the game and they play worse defense as well. You said he was going for 30 and not playing hero ball, but he was clearly playing hero ball in the third. Finch has all but begged guys to move the ball. I wonder at what point you emphasize the principle and bench him until he learns. Maybe don’t start or finish with him the next game as a way to hold him accountable. This only worked out because the Lakers shot 4 of 16 from deep in the 2nd half.

Best 3rd Q we’ve all all year thus far. Sure Finchy is looking for ways to combat the locker room lull. Feed the hot hand and Ant got hot. Those 4th q shots near the end could have been passes. KAT got his shot cooking.

[Neeva]

DPOY Jaden McDaniels is up to 1.8 bpg and 1.6 spg

His scoring needs to get going though. Hopefully he just is a slow starter offensively like last season.

Is there something wrong with a little over 11 PPG as our 5th or 6th option?

Ugh he should be the 4th option.

[winforlose]

Ant wasn’t playing hero ball, he was going for 30. He was at 27.
Took two threes near the end, missed both. Drove got fouled, hit one of two. With about 10 seconds left got intentionally fouled hit one of two.

Those threes were all about 30, not being a hero.

Probably shouldn’t be doing that with such a small lead.

Overall some sloppy moments and dead spots, but the energy and vibe from the team was good. KAT looked really happy out there, saw him smiling and laughing quite a bit. That could be game changer, if he learns to laugh off the refs calls/non-calls and just play, that would awesome.

A few guys made some boneheaded plays, situations where an O board should be kicked out instead of taken back up through 3 4 guys. Passes that were just not well timed or placed.

Beverly got a huge ovation at introductions and was fairly playful with the his old mates throughout.

Wish Nowell could have shown out more earlier when KATs shot was off, but maybe KAT needed those shots to find his shot?

Refs were horrible. Ant had a couple of nice moments that should have been jump balls and that was not a 6th foul on Jaden.

I agree about Refs, Nowell, and Beverly. I have said many times that Minnesota loves Pat Bev and that he is always welcome here.

Where I disagree is Ant. We had 18 assists on 21 made baskets in the first half. We didn’t shoot great, but we passed well and used good shot selection. In Q3 Ant took 11 of 25 shots. We had 3 assists total on 9 made baskets. In that stretch Ant played all 12 minutes. In the fourth we had 6 assists on 11 makes. The big difference is Ant played 8:13 and attempted 5 shots. Ant is not playing winning basketball. Scoring on 6 of 11 is nice. But when you deny your teammates the ball you kill their rhythm. You disengage them from the game and they play worse defense as well. You said he was going for 30 and not playing hero ball, but he was clearly playing hero ball in the third. Finch has all but begged guys to move the ball. I wonder at what point you emphasize the principle and bench him until he learns. Maybe don’t start or finish with him the next game as a way to hold him accountable. This only worked out because the Lakers shot 4 of 16 from deep in the 2nd half.

Best 3rd Q we’ve all all year thus far. Sure Finchy is looking for ways to combat the locker room lull. Feed the hot hand and Ant got hot. Those 4th q shots near the end could have been passes. KAT got his shot cooking.

But that is just it, we didn’t feed the hot hand. Feeding implies passing. Dane Moore was spot on when he talked about how guys stop passing in response to this because they don’t trust they will get the ball back. KAT caught fire, but he also didn’t move the ball as much. He wanted to get his numbers, and he was going to get them one way or the other. Finch talks all the time about ball movement creating better shots, and not attacking the heart of the defense. Ant hit 6 of 11, but how many of those were easy open shots. True superstars run the offense and trust the teammates to help them. I don’t mind Ant taking 11 of 25 shots in the quarter. I mind only 3 assists on 9 makes.

[winforlose]

His scoring needs to get going though. Hopefully he just is a slow starter offensively like last season.

Is there something wrong with a little over 11 PPG as our 5th or 6th option?

Ugh he should be the 4th option.

He needs to be more consistent in iso before becoming the fourth option. Everyone but Rudy and MCD can create for themselves. Rudy often gets mismatches because of the defensive gravity Ant and KAT require. This is a form of creation. He just stands there and either catches and dunks (first play of the game,) or jumps for the lob dunk, or puts it right in. MCD is much more a rhythm and flow player. He is better attacking off the dribble when the defender is slightly off balance from rotating back to him. Less so when the defender is set and in front of him. Same with catch and shoot vs spot up. Making him climb the priority ladder is about making him more able to score without help, or running more plays to give him the help he needs.

[m2002brian]

I agree about Refs, Nowell, and Beverly. I have said many times that Minnesota loves Pat Bev and that he is always welcome here.

Where I disagree is Ant. We had 18 assists on 21 made baskets in the first half. We didn’t shoot great, but we passed well and used good shot selection. In Q3 Ant took 11 of 25 shots. We had 3 assists total on 9 made baskets. In that stretch Ant played all 12 minutes. In the fourth we had 6 assists on 11 makes. The big difference is Ant played 8:13 and attempted 5 shots. Ant is not playing winning basketball. Scoring on 6 of 11 is nice. But when you deny your teammates the ball you kill their rhythm. You disengage them from the game and they play worse defense as well. You said he was going for 30 and not playing hero ball, but he was clearly playing hero ball in the third. Finch has all but begged guys to move the ball. I wonder at what point you emphasize the principle and bench him until he learns. Maybe don’t start or finish with him the next game as a way to hold him accountable. This only worked out because the Lakers shot 4 of 16 from deep in the 2nd half.

Best 3rd Q we’ve all all year thus far. Sure Finchy is looking for ways to combat the locker room lull. Feed the hot hand and Ant got hot. Those 4th q shots near the end could have been passes. KAT got his shot cooking.

But that is just it, we didn’t feed the hot hand. Feeding implies passing. Dane Moore was spot on when he talked about how guys stop passing in response to this because they don’t trust they will get the ball back. KAT caught fire, but he also didn’t move the ball as much. He wanted to get his numbers, and he was going to get them one way or the other. Finch talks all the time about ball movement creating better shots, and not attacking the heart of the defense. Ant hit 6 of 11, but how many of those were easy open shots. True superstars run the offense and trust the teammates to help them. I don’t mind Ant taking 11 of 25 shots in the quarter. I mind only 3 assists on 9 makes.

If I remember correctly. It wasn’t just a bunch of ant bring ball up and shoot. The ball was going to Nowell but then to Ant. It’s just ant would dribble drive and after enough dribbles it would negate an assist.

One shot ant made was off a DLo assist and another assist came from ant driving and dishing to Rudy.
There were passes and touches for other guys but it was a lot more pressure from LA to put the ball on the floor and create. Part of why we’ve struggled in previous 3rd quarters is we’re presented with the pressure but we’re not going to Ant. I think this was a Finchy plan to feature Ant this game coming out of the half.

[winforlose]

Best 3rd Q we’ve all all year thus far. Sure Finchy is looking for ways to combat the locker room lull. Feed the hot hand and Ant got hot. Those 4th q shots near the end could have been passes. KAT got his shot cooking.

But that is just it, we didn’t feed the hot hand. Feeding implies passing. Dane Moore was spot on when he talked about how guys stop passing in response to this because they don’t trust they will get the ball back. KAT caught fire, but he also didn’t move the ball as much. He wanted to get his numbers, and he was going to get them one way or the other. Finch talks all the time about ball movement creating better shots, and not attacking the heart of the defense. Ant hit 6 of 11, but how many of those were easy open shots. True superstars run the offense and trust the teammates to help them. I don’t mind Ant taking 11 of 25 shots in the quarter. I mind only 3 assists on 9 makes.

If I remember correctly. It wasn’t just a bunch of ant bring ball up and shoot. The ball was going to Nowell but then to Ant. It’s just ant would dribble drive and after enough dribbles it would negate an assist.

One shot ant made was off a DLo assist and another assist came from ant driving and dishing to Rudy.
There were passes and touches for other guys but it was a lot more pressure from LA to put the ball on the floor and create. Part of why we’ve struggled in previous 3rd quarters is we’re presented with the pressure but we’re not going to Ant. I think this was a Finchy plan to feature Ant this game coming out of the half.

I need to watch it again to be sure, but I remember very clearly Jim Pete talking about how three straight possessions Ant was the only one to touch the ball. I also remember at least 2 Ant brings it up and attacks the teeth of the defense. You are correct that at one point Ant did try to force it into Rudy and got his assist that way. Jim Pete kept tap dancing talking about how fans might want to see ball movement but as long as Ant is scoring he is okay. Finchy wants Ant to shoot, I want Ant to shoot, everyone who loves the Wolves wants Ant to shoot. But shot selection, running the offense, and shot maximization (shooting from your spots, in your preferred manner (catch and shoot vs pull up, ect…) is still VERY important.) I promise you if Ant went 2 of 11 instead of 6 of 11 in the 3rd, we would be having a very different conversation.

Let me ask it this way. If KAT takes a bunch of shots you don’t like but they go in, does that make them good shots. If KAT refuses to pass to Ant for 6 minutes but hits half his shots, was he right to play keep away? Smart basketball requires smart ball movement. Ant needs to learn to play within the offense. I promise you, he will still get plenty of shots and points.

[KGdaBom]

His scoring needs to get going though. Hopefully he just is a slow starter offensively like last season.

Is there something wrong with a little over 11 PPG as our 5th or 6th option?

Ugh he should be the 4th option.

The Big 3 and Russell was a previous all star and Nowell is a microwave.

[m2002brian]

But that is just it, we didn’t feed the hot hand. Feeding implies passing. Dane Moore was spot on when he talked about how guys stop passing in response to this because they don’t trust they will get the ball back. KAT caught fire, but he also didn’t move the ball as much. He wanted to get his numbers, and he was going to get them one way or the other. Finch talks all the time about ball movement creating better shots, and not attacking the heart of the defense. Ant hit 6 of 11, but how many of those were easy open shots. True superstars run the offense and trust the teammates to help them. I don’t mind Ant taking 11 of 25 shots in the quarter. I mind only 3 assists on 9 makes.

If I remember correctly. It wasn’t just a bunch of ant bring ball up and shoot. The ball was going to Nowell but then to Ant. It’s just ant would dribble drive and after enough dribbles it would negate an assist.

One shot ant made was off a DLo assist and another assist came from ant driving and dishing to Rudy.
There were passes and touches for other guys but it was a lot more pressure from LA to put the ball on the floor and create. Part of why we’ve struggled in previous 3rd quarters is we’re presented with the pressure but we’re not going to Ant. I think this was a Finchy plan to feature Ant this game coming out of the half.

I need to watch it again to be sure, but I remember very clearly Jim Pete talking about how three straight possessions Ant was the only one to touch the ball. I also remember at least 2 Ant brings it up and attacks the teeth of the defense. You are correct that at one point Ant did try to force it into Rudy and got his assist that way. Jim Pete kept tap dancing talking about how fans might want to see ball movement but as long as Ant is scoring he is okay. Finchy wants Ant to shoot, I want Ant to shoot, everyone who loves the Wolves wants Ant to shoot. But shot selection, running the offense, and shot maximization (shooting from your spots, in your preferred manner (catch and shoot vs pull up, ect…) is still VERY important.) I promise you if Ant went 2 of 11 instead of 6 of 11 in the 3rd, we would be having a very different conversation.

Let me ask it this way. If KAT takes a bunch of shots you don’t like but they go in, does that make them good shots. If KAT refuses to pass to Ant for 6 minutes but hits half his shots, was he right to play keep away? Smart basketball requires smart ball movement. Ant needs to learn to play within the offense. I promise you, he will still get plenty of shots and points.

Hey man. I gave KAT my props. Held it together, didn’t commit a single O foul or Tech. Really didn’t over force his offense or make bad passes.

We going to over analyze the fact that we finally won a 3rd quarter? Then I can’t win for losing.

[winforlose]

If I remember correctly. It wasn’t just a bunch of ant bring ball up and shoot. The ball was going to Nowell but then to Ant. It’s just ant would dribble drive and after enough dribbles it would negate an assist.

One shot ant made was off a DLo assist and another assist came from ant driving and dishing to Rudy.
There were passes and touches for other guys but it was a lot more pressure from LA to put the ball on the floor and create. Part of why we’ve struggled in previous 3rd quarters is we’re presented with the pressure but we’re not going to Ant. I think this was a Finchy plan to feature Ant this game coming out of the half.

I need to watch it again to be sure, but I remember very clearly Jim Pete talking about how three straight possessions Ant was the only one to touch the ball. I also remember at least 2 Ant brings it up and attacks the teeth of the defense. You are correct that at one point Ant did try to force it into Rudy and got his assist that way. Jim Pete kept tap dancing talking about how fans might want to see ball movement but as long as Ant is scoring he is okay. Finchy wants Ant to shoot, I want Ant to shoot, everyone who loves the Wolves wants Ant to shoot. But shot selection, running the offense, and shot maximization (shooting from your spots, in your preferred manner (catch and shoot vs pull up, ect…) is still VERY important.) I promise you if Ant went 2 of 11 instead of 6 of 11 in the 3rd, we would be having a very different conversation.

Let me ask it this way. If KAT takes a bunch of shots you don’t like but they go in, does that make them good shots. If KAT refuses to pass to Ant for 6 minutes but hits half his shots, was he right to play keep away? Smart basketball requires smart ball movement. Ant needs to learn to play within the offense. I promise you, he will still get plenty of shots and points.

Hey man. I gave KAT my props. Held it together, didn’t commit a single O foul or Tech. Really didn’t over force his offense or make bad passes.

We going to over analyze the fact that we finally won a 3rd quarter? Then I can’t win for losing.

I see what you did there . I said above A WIN IS A WIN. I said in a previous thread that I hate lakers a lot for 03-04. They played dirty and stole our moment. Anytime we beat them I am happy. Rudy put on a clinic which I always love to see. There are reasons to smile. I hope you guys are right and this stuff works itself out. If you go back and read you will see I am probably the most gung-ho member of this board toward this season. Maybe it is because I see the true potential, buried under all the rust, and clunk, and funk. I want us to set the franchise record for most wins in a season. I want us to be the #1 seed in the west. I want us to win the WCF, then THE FINALS. We have the most talented team in the entire league. We just need to realize that this abundance of talent is like a weapon. With mastery we will be unstoppable. But, without technique we can die by that same sword.

[life_saver]

Wolves now have 5th best defensive rating and 16th best offensive rating. Overall 8th best net rating

[winforlose]

Wolves now have 5th best defensive rating and 16th best offensive rating. Overall 8th best net rating

Gotta love the MCBear.

[TwolvesFanRome]

AROOOOOOOOO!!

Great Win!! The best way to celebrate my birthday!! Thanks Twolves!!

[shrink]

I got home late, avoided the news, so I could enjoy the game on my DVR. Very glad I did!

[KGdaBom]

Wolves now have 5th best defensive rating and 16th best offensive rating. Overall 8th best net rating

Nice. Top 5 defensive ratings seem to go wherever Rudy goes. Must be a coincidence.