Woj: DLo to Minny for Wiggins

[BongBoyKlay]

please spare us these kinds of ridiculous hot takes.

Everybody, i mean EVERYBODY, on this forum has been reminding Wolves fans how terrible his advanced metrics are across the board for nearly six years. He doesnt pass any eye test - unless you count that one time he was at the Dmv renewing his drivers license. smdh

How is that a hot take? Minnesota fans will soon find out how bad DLO's defense is, and he doesn't even have the athleticism to improve much even if he started trying on that end. Russell's defensive numbers are poor, and the eye test is even worse on that end. There are a lot of people that would agree that Russell isn't worth that contract as he really isn't an all-star caliber PG. He made the all star team as a replacement in the east. He isn't even a top 10 player at his own position, and you can make an argument that he doesn't even crack the top 15 depending on who you include in that category.

Just because Wiggins didn't pass the eye test or metrics test while playing for a terribly run franchise doesn't mean that he is any worse than DLO. On top of that, the Warriors got a likely lottery pick in the 2021 draft that is projected to be very good.

The real test for Wiggins will be how he plays next year. But, in the three games he's played so far for the Warriors he's making it look like they would have won the trade even if the pick wasn't included.

Wiggins is easily worse than D'Angelo Russell. Also, did you just say it doesn't matter if he is bad according to the eye test and metrics - then by what else is there to go by?

Russell is a better scorer and significantly better playmaker, and he can actually shoot. Saying that Russell is a bad defender but because he's a bad athlete it is worse than Wiggins being a bad defender makes little sense. Wiggins has bad basketball IQ, that is not easy to fix - it's not just because he's lazy.

Wiggins had a season where he had Jimmy Butler and Karl Towns on his team and he was still bad, so making it seem like nothing counts because he was on the Timberwolves is weak.

Russell is younger and better than Wiggins, and has put up better numbers than Wiggins when he was playing winning basketball and also put up better numbers than when he was playing bad basketball. Implying that the Warriors have won the trade on a 3 game sample size is ridiculous levels of hommerism. This time next year you'll be begging to get rid of Wiggins just like you did with Russell.

I'm saying it doesn't matter because of how poorly that Timberwolves team is run. He was stuck in a terrible system, so we will see how the change of scenery impacts him. There are countless times when hopeless players are stuck playing for a poorly run organization, but when they leave for a better organization suddenly they become much better. Playing with Butler and Towns doesn't make the organization any better, it just means the team had better players. Having 4 different coaches over a 5 year time period isn't a good environment for a player just coming into the league.

Russell's shooting percentages look decent, but if you actually watch him play his shot is pretty inconsistent similar to players like JR Smith. He can get very hot in some games and make 3s in bunches but a lot of games he shoots a pretty poor percentage.

As for defense, I am saying that at least Wiggins has some potential on that end. Even if the Timberwolves got Russell to try his hardest on that end(which probably won't happen), he would still be a below-average defender. If the Warriors got Wiggins to play even 3/4 of his hardest, he would be at least a league-average defender just based on his athleticism.

I am also not saying that they won the trade off a three-game sample size. I am just saying this is what the first three games have shown since this is the only thing that anyone can judge the trade on, hence why I said next season will be the real test. This season doesn't matter, so it's not possible to get an accurate read on him.

I guess we'll see, but Russell's slow methodical game was such a poor fit for the Warriors that I'm just happy we got rid of him before we tanked his value even more.

[BongBoyKlay]

But, in the three games he's played so far for the Warriors he's making it look like they would have won the trade even if the pick wasn't included.

This is from a Bay Area station after Monday's game.

Andrew Wiggins' up-and-down night
The knock on Wiggins entering his tenure in Golden State was his lack of motor in games. He showed that quality in the first half, making just one shot in 16 minutes and failing to make an impact as the Warriors went down big.

However, he showed life in the third quarter, scoring 14 of his 17 points in the frame to help the Dubs get back into the game. Still, he disappeared once again in the fourth quarter, taking just two shots as the Heat blew the game back open.

At the moment, Golden State's biggest challenge is keeping Wiggins consistently engaged. Time will tell if that goal actually will be met.

This is Wiggins in a nutshell. He was awesome for Minnesota when we started the season. Seemed engaged. Then Fortnite took over. That's his love.

I get that, which is why I said the real test is next year, and I'm not going to make any determination on who won the trade until then. His mindset is what really worries me, but I'm hoping that the Warriors culture and coaching will help him mature. They have a good track record of doing this in the past, so I'm hoping that this is another one of those cases.

[Quentin]

But, in the three games he's played so far for the Warriors he's making it look like they would have won the trade even if the pick wasn't included.

This is from a Bay Area station after Monday's game.

Andrew Wiggins' up-and-down night
The knock on Wiggins entering his tenure in Golden State was his lack of motor in games. He showed that quality in the first half, making just one shot in 16 minutes and failing to make an impact as the Warriors went down big.

However, he showed life in the third quarter, scoring 14 of his 17 points in the frame to help the Dubs get back into the game. Still, he disappeared once again in the fourth quarter, taking just two shots as the Heat blew the game back open.

At the moment, Golden State's biggest challenge is keeping Wiggins consistently engaged. Time will tell if that goal actually will be met.

This is Wiggins in a nutshell. He was awesome for Minnesota when we started the season. Seemed engaged. Then Fortnite took over. That's his love.

I get that, which is why I said the real test is next year, and I'm not going to make any determination on who won the trade until then. His mindset is what really worries me, but I'm hoping that the Warriors culture and coaching will help him mature. They have a good track record of doing this in the past, so I'm hoping that this is another one of those cases.

You said in the three games he's played. Monday's game is showing his true colors. It's exactly the way he played for the Wolves.

[ClutchUp]

This is from a Bay Area station after Monday's game.



This is Wiggins in a nutshell. He was awesome for Minnesota when we started the season. Seemed engaged. Then Fortnite took over. That's his love.

I get that, which is why I said the real test is next year, and I'm not going to make any determination on who won the trade until then. His mindset is what really worries me, but I'm hoping that the Warriors culture and coaching will help him mature. They have a good track record of doing this in the past, so I'm hoping that this is another one of those cases.

You said in the three games he's played. Monday's game is showing his true colors. It's exactly the way he played for the Wolves.

By playing more off the ball?

[BongBoyKlay]

This is from a Bay Area station after Monday's game.



This is Wiggins in a nutshell. He was awesome for Minnesota when we started the season. Seemed engaged. Then Fortnite took over. That's his love.

I get that, which is why I said the real test is next year, and I'm not going to make any determination on who won the trade until then. His mindset is what really worries me, but I'm hoping that the Warriors culture and coaching will help him mature. They have a good track record of doing this in the past, so I'm hoping that this is another one of those cases.

You said in the three games he's played. Monday's game is showing his true colors. It's exactly the way he played for the Wolves.

Did you actually watch the game? The first half was just a bad game for the team as a whole. That Warriors offense was completely outmatched and couldn't get anything going. It's not surprising that the worst team in the NBA had a bad game against a contender that has one of the best defenses in the league.

The paint was clogged with Chriss down there being guarded by Bam, so Wiggins didn't have any driving lanes. He was still moving without the ball a lot and making good cuts, but he just wasn't open due to the defense. He missed some threes, but you can't expect him to have a good shooting night every game. He still didn't take any dumb shots or try to force anything and was playing within the flow of the offense, which is what the Warriors are going to want from him next season.

[johanliebert]

Why do people think Wiggins is great? We've had 6 years of data to tell is otherwise. What is this being based on?

When Curry/Klay are back I'd expect Wiggins to put up 12/5/3. He will be similarly effective as Will Barton. What are the expectations of others?

nobody expects him to be great.

18-20ppg is more realistic with KD gone there will be a lot of shots around even with a healthy klay/curry.

[YourBuddy]

I'm really excited to revisit these early opinions after he plays half a season with the Warriors, and not just 3 games, and his numbers across the board are nearly identical to his time with the Wolves. Will they blame "the system" that is supposed to make him so much better or Wiggins?

[whatisacenter]

I'm not going to get out over my skis and try determine what type of player Wiggins will be for the Warriors but he hasn't done anything in the three games he has played to make me hate the trade at all. I'm going to give him a clean slate and not hold anything against him for what he did playing in Minny. Time will tell if he is playing more motivated on defense because he just got traded or if he is trying to turn over a new leaf with a new team. I'm rooting for the guy.

[GordanFreeman]

I think it's becoming clear that Wiggins just doesn't love basketball. His mother was an Olympic athlete and his father a pro baller. So while he's been gifted with great physical traits it seems that he was pushed to play ball.

[floppymoose]

I'm late to this party. So far I can tell you that the Warriors are significantly better off post-trade. Wiggins has been decent, but the real thing to understand is that DLo was very bad as a Warrior. Wiggins RAPM this year to date is -0.9. DLo's is -1.73. He's having a better year than DLo was, he fits GS needs better, and GS got what I expect to be a good 2021 draft pick. Financially it's basically even with no trade. So I'm really liking it so far for my Warriors. Hopefully it works out for Minny too.

[giberish]

There's really nothing Wiggins can do the rest of this year to prove much of anything. Everyone knows he can score a lot for a bad team, and the Warriors roster for the rest of the season will be too badly flawed for even the best-case scenario of Wiggins to lift them to very many wins.

The challenge will all come next season, when the Warriors will ask Wiggins to do three things he's never done in the NBA. Play effectively without dominating the ball on offense, play at least average defense, and bring a high level of 'give a damn' every game. Personally I'm not optimistic as players who've come and/or gone from GS have played about the same with GS as they have with other teams.

[Tha King]

27 points (9/14)/5 assists/4 rebounds/4 blocks/2 steals and +9 vs. Suns
18 points (6/14)/4 assists/2 rebounds and +9 vs. Heat
24 points (8/12)/3 assists/2 rebounds/5 steals/1 block and -2 vs. Lakers

Although his rebounding numbers are still too low for a player with his physical gifts, he's off to a solid start with the Warriors filling up the box score and playing solid defense.

[dc]

Personally I'm not optimistic as players who've come and/or gone from GS have played about the same with GS as they have with other teams.

Guys like Matt Barnes, Javale McGee and Marquese Chriss were one step from being out of the league before the Warriors salvaged those guys' careers. Barnes and McGee (still a rotation player in the league) went on to have staying power for several more seasons. A 22 year old Chriss looks like the next guy in line to have his career salvaged by a stop in GS.

Don't forget Baron Davis was basically given to the Warriors for free from New Orleans. They were done with him.

[Quentin]

I get that, which is why I said the real test is next year, and I'm not going to make any determination on who won the trade until then. His mindset is what really worries me, but I'm hoping that the Warriors culture and coaching will help him mature. They have a good track record of doing this in the past, so I'm hoping that this is another one of those cases.

You said in the three games he's played. Monday's game is showing his true colors. It's exactly the way he played for the Wolves.

Did you actually watch the game? The first half was just a bad game for the team as a whole. That Warriors offense was completely outmatched and couldn't get anything going. It's not surprising that the worst team in the NBA had a bad game against a contender that has one of the best defenses in the league.

The paint was clogged with Chriss down there being guarded by Bam, so Wiggins didn't have any driving lanes. He was still moving without the ball a lot and making good cuts, but he just wasn't open due to the defense. He missed some threes, but you can't expect him to have a good shooting night every game. He still didn't take any dumb shots or try to force anything and was playing within the flow of the offense, which is what the Warriors are going to want from him next season.

You sound like Wolves fans when they were trying to defend him too.

[DaPessimist]

Not gonna lie he's looked pretty good so far. Maybe he just didn't like the cold.

[giberish]

Personally I'm not optimistic as players who've come and/or gone from GS have played about the same with GS as they have with other teams.

Guys like Matt Barnes, Javale McGee and Marquese Chriss were one step from being out of the league before the Warriors salvaged those guys' careers. Barnes and McGee (still a rotation player in the league) went on to have staying power for several more seasons. A 22 year old Chriss looks like the next guy in line to have his career salvaged by a stop in GS.

Don't forget Baron Davis was basically given to the Warriors for free from New Orleans. They were done with him.

Baron and Matt Barnes predate the current regime. McGee was a limited, spot minutes big. He still is. Chriss is a min salary emergency depth guy for any team trying to win - you'll notice no one claimed him off waivers for even his current min salary deal. He's still marginal to be in the league.

The expectation that guys will come to GS and start playing much better isn't based on anything.

[dc]

Personally I'm not optimistic as players who've come and/or gone from GS have played about the same with GS as they have with other teams.

Guys like Matt Barnes, Javale McGee and Marquese Chriss were one step from being out of the league before the Warriors salvaged those guys' careers. Barnes and McGee (still a rotation player in the league) went on to have staying power for several more seasons. A 22 year old Chriss looks like the next guy in line to have his career salvaged by a stop in GS.

Don't forget Baron Davis was basically given to the Warriors for free from New Orleans. They were done with him.

The expectation that guys will come to GS and start playing much better isn't based on anything.

I just named 4 examples, and this current regime is better than the previous. Given that nobody else claimed Chriss, him being successful would make the Warriors look even better.

[BayWarrior]

Wiggins will get plenty of open looks on offense and should be fine on that end as long as he keeps moving. It's the defensive side that is critical. He either tries or doesn't and he doesn't need Klay or Curry on the court to show if he will. The rest of this season with Draymond is his defensive audition. I hope he gives that effort.

DLo is what he is, a gifted scorer who should thrive in the PnR with Towns. Maybe Minny should just try to outscore everyone like Houston. This was not a great trade or a bad trade for either team, it was just fair which is pretty boring truthfully. GS is happy DLo is gone an Minny is happy Wiggin's is gone.

[BongBoyKlay]

You said in the three games he's played. Monday's game is showing his true colors. It's exactly the way he played for the Wolves.

Did you actually watch the game? The first half was just a bad game for the team as a whole. That Warriors offense was completely outmatched and couldn't get anything going. It's not surprising that the worst team in the NBA had a bad game against a contender that has one of the best defenses in the league.

The paint was clogged with Chriss down there being guarded by Bam, so Wiggins didn't have any driving lanes. He was still moving without the ball a lot and making good cuts, but he just wasn't open due to the defense. He missed some threes, but you can't expect him to have a good shooting night every game. He still didn't take any dumb shots or try to force anything and was playing within the flow of the offense, which is what the Warriors are going to want from him next season.

You sound like Wolves fans when they were trying to defend him too.

That's because Minnesota had a terrible supporting cast around him. Other than when they had Butler their offensive scheme was terrible. Their gameplan is try to get Towns a three or post up and if that doesn't work have Wiggins try to create something in an iso play. What else was Wiggins supposed to do? He had to settle for those contested midrange shots more out of necessity. They literally had nobody that could create outside of Wiggins and Towns.

[dantheman74]

I know KD wanted out, but ending up with an overpaid and low motor player like Wiggins is going to get a few people fired. Maybe they just wanted someone that Draymond can bully and playact as their leader.