Detroit @ Minnesota game thread

[ilikecb4]

As an outsider looking in, I would say Beasley is playing well. He'll get better.

The most underrated aspect of him as a player on Minnesota is that he improves on and off court
chemistry.

I know that he's been real tight with Love since highschool

Darko seems to be blending in too....he still doesn't shoot the ball...

[Gunny]

I like what Beasley did with his hair.

The whole samurai, top-knot thing was driving me insane.

[Gobble]

I think Beasley is a respectable passer right now. He's not Garnett, but Garnett was a freak of nature. In this last game for instance, Beasley had a nice pass to Love which got him the ball at the rim resulting in 2 free throws, and he got Brewer a wide-open 3 in the 1st half (which being Brewer, he bricked).

[Foye]

I like what Beasley did with his hair.

The whole samurai, top-knot thing was driving me insane.

I like them as well.

[younggunsmn]

Nick, you haven't been watching wolves games all year and you see a fraction of what we've seen. The game is more than statistics and soundbytes. And 21.5 PPG on 18.5 FGA, 47% FG and 40% 3PT are pretty nice numbers for a player in a new role in a new system. He needs to shoot better at the line (70%) and improve the defense and assist/TO ratio. But your argument is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

You need talented players with Beasley's energy and enthusiasm, when channeled positively (and Beasley has been NOTHING but positive) it's infectious to the rest of the team. Kevin Garnett brought that same energy and enthusiasm to this team when he was Beasley's age. We've watched nice guys like Ryan Gomes fade into the wallpaper for years now. And you want to trade him because of a bad assist ratio over a small sample size. This team has brought a consistent, hard effort every night for the first time in years and Beasley has a LOT to do with that.

In his 4th year out of high school Beasley has been asked by Rambis to become an A-1 scorer. All those Beasley shots are BY DESIGN. We are constantly running wing ISO's and screens for him. There have been a ton of great plays to go with some ugly shots and charges, but Beasley is 20 games into that role and this offense, and a learning curve is more than expected. He is going to learn what works and what doesn't, what to do with a double team, and where to find open teammates when the defense rotates. He will learn to find better shots and to get to the line 7-8 times a game. We are more than happy to take the good with the bad at this point.
It's scary putting it in the hands of one player at the end of games, but if we want Beasley to grow we need to give him the opportunity. There will be successes (daggers vs clips and knicks) and failures (TO's vs Bobcats). Having an A-1 scorer is invaluable against teams that play great team defense, like SA and Boston because you can ISO him when they put the clamps down on your offense.

He's learning to defend SF, and he's got a long ways to go there, but give him some time. A-1 scorers are the rarest breed in this league, and Beasley has that potential. Webster and Wes is a great fallback option, but you don't trade a more talented player because you have a nice fallback option.

I've been a little frustrated with Rambis's early rotations and affection for small ball, but I have to give him a ton of credit for having the team playing hard every night, and especially for giving his young players the room and freedom to grow and learn from their mistakes, which is a very hard thing for a coach to do.

[Rolf]

Re: Nick, & Beasley being a black-hole:

There was a play late in the OKC game earlier this week when the Wolves were down 2, Beas got the ball at the top of the key, drove into the lane (right into triple coverage), and pulled up for a jumper that bounced badly off the rim. Love scooped up the offensive board and put it in for an easy layup. The crowd erupted, and while running back up the court, Beasley was pumping his fists in the air, clapping his hands, celebrating as if he had just hit the crucial shot...

...It reminded me of a passage in The Book of Basketball where Simmons asked Bill Walton what the "secret to success in basketball" was. Walton said that the secret to basketball is the same as the secret to life (which was a very Walton-esque thing to say). He said it's about accepting the fact that another person's success can bring you happiness.

Beasley's still young, he makes a ton of mistakes, and he's still learning about how to take over a game and when to pass up a shot. But it's crazy to just look at the stats and conclude that he's selfish, that he's a ballhog, he's not good for team chemistry. He may or may not figure it all out, but his body language makes it clear that he cares about the team. I'm excited that the Wolves finally have a guy who has the physical tools to take over a game, is willing to take that responsibility, but still finds happiness when someone else hits the big shot.

[Piecake]

Another good example of that Rolf was that he was cheering on the team at the end of the pistons game, even though he was benched with foul trouble, and just not put in since the team was doing so well. His joking around and having fun in the locker room seems to indicate that he didnt have a real problem with that either and was happy we won.

So, based on that, I think he can improve his team play because of his disposition, talent, and willingness to learn

[LOBO 7]

I like what Beasley did with his hair.

The whole samurai, top-knot thing was driving me insane.

I like them as well.

I couldn't disagree more.

[LOBO 7]

Another good example of that Rolf was that he was cheering on the team at the end of the pistons game, even though he was benched with foul trouble, and just not put in since the team was doing so well. His joking around and having fun in the locker room seems to indicate that he didnt have a real problem with that either and was happy we won.

So, based on that, I think he can improve his team play because of his disposition, talent, and willingness to learn

Yeah, Rambis mentioned in his postgame interview that Beasley was the happiest guy in the locker room, because they got a win, and he was saying that that is a great sign for the chemistry of this team going forward.

[horaceworthy]

First to 100!

And guess what!

NOT TELEVISED! Telly can't watch it and thus can't work his magic. WOLVES WILL WIN!!!! AROOOOOOO!!!!!!

Calinks FTW!

Passed out midway through the 2nd quarter. Looks like I missed a great game

Isn't that about the time the Wolves took control of the game? Coincidence?

[horaceworthy]

Its good to be patient. But a 48fga to 1assist ratio is shocking.

Compare that to Carmelo Anthony...a guy not exactly known for being gun shy and who isn't considered a player that enjoys passing all that much....he has a 5.5fga/assist ratio.

Just be aware, that's all I'm saying. And btw, as cute as his act seems, I will bet you that by season's end people in the organization will grow tired of it. Call it a premonition of mine.

I see where you're coming from a bit, that type of gregarious, constantly chattering personality can wear on some. However, it's been a great boon to the Wolves so far. As odd as it sounds, Beasley came in and helped change the culture around the team, and was integral in raising the collective expectations they had for themselves.

Last year, Love was starting to show a tendency toward making excuses and pointing fingers. The whole team went into games with a bevy of excuses as to why they couldn't win. This year, Beasley came in expecting to win games, took accountability for the shortcomings that led to his trade, and accepted responsibility when the team lost or he played poorly. Then, when Love got shutout and played his worst game of the year against the Lakers, one where last year he almost certainly would have expressed frustration with the offensive system or something, the only finger Love pointed was at himself. He promised he'd do better the next time out, and since then he's grabbed 15 rebounds or more in 9 straight games and only scored less than 21 points once. I'm not sure he would have reacted that way last year.

Beasley still may wear out his welcome, but he deserves credit for helping to bring about the change in Minnesota's locker room, and his energy has breathed some life into to what has been a pretty moribund franchise for the past half decade or so.

He still has work to do on his game, although the lack of assists isn't completely indicative of his passing ability. He probably throws the best entry pass on the team, and is the only wing who shows a consistent understanding of the post/repost concept.

The low assists are partially a function of how he's used (as others have mentioned, the Wolves run a lot of isos on the wing for him), and partially due to how he keeps settling for midrange jumpers. He'd be helped if the Wolves gave him the ball more in situations involving screen action, or sent guys towards the basket when he caught the ball on the wing. He'd also help himself more if he attacked the basket first, then checked to see if he had his jumper going later, as opposed to seeing if his shot is falling and then choosing to drive if it isn't.

He might never polish some of the rough edges to his game, and his tendency towards mental lapses may keep him from becoming a legit scorer, but he's shown enough so far that giving him the chance to work on his game here is the correct option.

[shangrila]

Nice post HW