Dancing with Wolves - A Re-Do of Life After KG

[TheDominator273]

It was the matchup every Wolves fan had circled on their calendar since the news broke on July 31st that Kevin Garnett, Da Kid, The Big Ticket, the best player in franchise history, was being shipped to the Boston Celtics in what felt like Kevin McHale doing his ol' buddy Danny Ainge a favor. On this blustery Saturday night in Minnesota however, the players sent from the Celtics to the Wolves were determined to show that they were more than a bag of cast off parts as the Wolves stormed to a huge first half lead ead by a balanced scoring attack and a block party by Al Jefferson.

Not to be outdone by his former Celtic now Timberwolf teammates, Corey Brewer was a lockdown defender as he hounded Paul Pierce all game long, holding the star wing to 15 points on a poor 6-15 shooting performance. Brewer continues to show an all around game, playing hounding defense, grabbing rebounds, distributing the ball, and taking shots within his current capabilities *cough* fast break dunks *cough*.

The battle that did not disappoint and was the clear headline on the night was the low post battle between Kevin Garnett and Al Jefferson. Garnett won the war, but Jefferson won plenty of battles along the way, tallying 2 blocks against the former Timberwolf star. However down the stretch it was Garnett who was able to score consistently while leading the Celtics back from a 23 point deficit, bringing his new team 1 point deep in the 4th quarter. The game saving play belonged to the man known as Big Al, as the plodding center not known for his defense, picked up his 4th block of the game with 20 seconds to play on a Rajon Rondo layup attempt.

After the game it had to warm the hearts of Wolves fans to see KG embrace Jefferson at half court and have what appeared to be a conversation with some words of wisdom that finished with KG patting Big Al on the head and butt in what Timberwolves fans can only hope was the passing of the torch.

[TheDominator273]

John Calipari was honest with his team when it was about to start overtime.

"I told them, 'This is very painful to sit here and be in this,'" the coach of No. 2 Memphis told his team after 40 minutes against Southern California (No. 24 AP) produced a 54-54 tie.

The 8,300 fans at the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night had the same painful feeling Calipari did.

Play didn't improve in the overtime, but the Tigers had enough to beat the Trojans 62-58.

The game was billed as a matchup of star freshmen, Rose for Memphis and Mayo for Southern Cal, but both struggled. Rose was 3-for-9 from the field and had five turnovers.

"The hype sometimes you want to be that person but that comes with the territory," Rose said. "You want all the hype. You just go out and play hard and you'll get it but you've got to make sure you don't get too big headed when you get it."

Mayo was 6-for-20 from the field -- including missing seven straight shots over the last 14 minutes of regulation and the first 4:45 of overtime.

"I'm just trying to get better as a player," Mayo said. "I'm not perfect, but I strive to be perfect. Nobody plays perfect but I just try to get better."

Rose gave Memphis the lead for good with two free throws 39 seconds into overtime and Douglas-Roberts made it 58-54 with a putback.

Mayo's basket with 15 seconds left was Southern Cal's first field goal in 12:38 and made it 61-58.

Rose made one of two free throws with 12 seconds left for the final margin.








Derrick Rose, the 6'3" Freshman PG from Memphis is well regarded as the consensus #1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, and although he had an off night overall its easy to see the skillset that scouts are in love with.

Strengths
- Great size for the position
- Incredible speed and athleticism
- Strong finisher around the rim
- Displays solid vision and passing ability when attacking the rim

Weaknesses
- Jumpshot mechanics are not fluid, not a great shooter overall
- Flashy dribbler, but not great handles overall. Creates space with athleticism over deception and solid ball handling
- Leadership ability is questionable. Appears to coast through games

Player Comparison - Dwayne Wade
Wade was just like Rose when he came out of Marquette. Both have bigger bodies for guards, and can score and play defense. Their primary way of scoring is getting to the hole, so the similarities continue there as well.

Whether Rose will be able to enhance his game at the next level remains to be seen, but the two have definite parallels.





Strengths
- Explosive, microwave scorer
- Plays with confidence and swagger, will shoot himself out of slumps
- Possesses great shooting range, 3 pt shooting at the NBA level won't be a problem
- Unorthodox but successful dribble moves paired with elite vertical allow him to get shot off whenever he wants

Weaknesses
- Undersized for a SG yet not a playmaker to play PG
- Doesn't possess elite first step, paired with undersized for playing off ball leads to settling for long jumpers too often
- Can play good defense when locked in, but this happens to infrequently

Player Comparison - Ben Gordon
Just like Gordon, Mayo has the confidence to hoist up a lot of shots, but just like Gordon, Mayo is a streaky shooter who might shoot too much sometimes. Both are cocky, but Mayo carries much more baggage than Gordon ever has.





*note*
Game recap pulled from ESPN article
Strengths/Weaknesses from NBADraft.net
Player Comparison from Bleacher Report

[TheDominator273]

I've had a run of rather non competitive games that haven't been worth posting recaps for, so wanting to keep up the articles I decided to do some more draft prospect profiles. All prospects are being rated along the lines of how they were thought of at the time, not just on what they became. The strengths and weaknesses and player comparisons all come from articles in 2007/08.




Michael Beasley - 6'8" 239 lb PF/SF

Strengths
- Threat to score from anywhere on the court
- NBA ready body
- Can finish with either hand
- Deadly Mid-post ISO game

Weaknesses
- Tweener in terms of position. Pushed around by larger 4s, too slow to guard 3s
- Struggles to attack off the dribble to the right
- Can turn into a black hole offensively

Player Comparison: Rasheed Wallace

Beasley can score both inside and outside, and gets up and down the floor very well for a big guy. There’s no doubting his skill. He has the chance to be even better than Sheed, if he can put all his skills to use and remain focused throughout an entire game.




Brook Lopez - 7'0" 260 lb C

Strengths
- Excellent touch within 15 feet
- Strong array of post moves
- Decent shot blocker

Weaknesses
- Not fluid athletically
- Poor shot selection
- Struggles to guard quicker Centers

Player Comparison: Samuel Dalembert

Although Dalembert is most-known for his ridiculous contract, he’s actually a really good center. He averaged a double-double this season, and I can’t stop thinking of Lopez as the white version. They’re both skinnier players that move well.




Kevin Love - 6'9" 255 lb PF

Strengths
- Strong and gifted bigman with high BBIQ
- Combines advanced post moves with patience to be a threat on the low block
- Feathery soft touch around the rim
- Ferocious rebounder and superb outlet passer

Weaknesses
- Undersized at 6'9" and not great athletically to make up the difference
- Appears out of shape and easily winded
- Struggles to score vs height

Player Comparison: David West

They’re similar sizes and have similar skill sets. Love might be a better passer, and can score both in and around the basket. Too small to play the center, I think Love can still be a great post player, just like West.



Eric Gordon - 6'3" 222 lbs SG

Strengths
- Aggressive, explosive scorer
- Attacks rim aggressively without fear of contact
- Demonstrates ability to know where to be on the court at all times

Weaknesses
- Streaky shooter
- Takes shots early in shot clock too often
- Displayed limited playmaking ability

Player Comparison: Cuttino Mobley

Gordon can score, like Mobley could in his prime. They’re both bigger guards who can get to the basket, and shoot as well.




DeAndre Jordan - 6'11" 250 lb C

Strengths
- Extremely athletic, especially for his size
- Tenacious rebounder
- Runs well in transition
- Will put anyone on a poster on a moments notice

Weaknesses
- Lacks touch outside of 3 feet
- Over aggressive in seeking out blocks

Player Comparison: Nene

They have similar builds and similar games. Nene has shown flashes of great talent and was playing well earlier this season before dealing with a cancer diagnosis. They both play predominantly in the post, and have the muscle to bang down low.




DJ Augustin - 5'11" 172 lbs PG

Strengths
- True pass first point guard that excels in setting up teammates
- Capable shooter out to NBA range
- Plays with swagger and displays leadership not usually seen in a player as young as he is

Weaknesses
- Undersized for the NBA
- Ok defender, but needs to add strength to deal with larger NBA guards

Player Comparison: Mike Bibby

Both players are smaller guards that can score as well as pass while not being much to write home about defensively. In addition, both were winners coming out of college.




Russell Westbrook - 6'3" 192 lbs PG/SG

Strengths
- Elite athleticism, among fastest players in the NCAA
- Great length for PG
- Finishes well at the rim, which he attacks relentlessly.
- Shows great anticipation defensively

Weaknesses
- Needs to develop PG skills to be a true PG in the NBA
- Needs to add muscle to his frame
- Free throw shooting is a hindrance, and doesn't bode well for his 3 point shooting ever developing into a strength

Player Comparison: Randy Foye

I am making this comparison based on the assumption that Westbrook develops decently. Not to his full potential, but also doesn’t bust. He has been compared to stars such as Dwayne Wade, but also could end up like Fred Jones.

Regardless of who he’s compared to, Westbrook should be able to bring size, speed, and scoring to whatever team drafts him, just like Foye brings to the Wolves.




Danilo Gallinari - 6'9" 220 lbs SF

Strengths
- Long and crafty player with a knack for scoring
- Can light it up from deep
- Vast array of stepbacks and fadeaways

Weaknesses
- Athleticism is a question mark compared to NBA athletes
- Struggles off the dribble vs physical defenders
- Defensive liability

Player Comparison: Andrea Bargnani

Well, I’m not gonna compare this guy to Dirk. I haven’t even seen him play. Every scouting report and rumor I’ve heard say he’s got a game that revolves around shooting and finesse, so I’m going with Bargnani.




Joe Alexander 6'8" 220 lbs SF

Strengths
- Talented wing with a high motor
- Above the rim athlete who finishes well in traffic
- Soft touch around the rim
- Polished turnaround jumper

Weaknesses
- Outside shot is inconsistent
- Needs to improve ability to create off the dribble
- Sloppy ball handler prevents him from getting to his spots

Player Comparison - Shawn Marion

Like the Matrix, Alexander is a great athlete with a surprising touch in the mid range area. If he can develop a more consistent outside shot and tighten up his handles he can develop into a special player.

[dfsJunkie]

This is as dope as it gets, awesome stuff man! Where did you get those screens for the college class?

[TheDominator273]

Quote: Originally Posted by dfsJunkie

This is as dope as it gets, awesome stuff man! Where did you get those screens for the college class?

I created a separate MyLeague and rebranded teams to fit the appropriate teams, then I used the Player DNA to import the player. Loaded up a game and played until I got the screenshots I needed.

Kevin Love and DeAndre Jordan I created from YouTube videos since they had distinctly different looks in college than they have now. I had to create Joe Alexander from scratch

[saintrules]

Ah, back in the good ole days of NCAAB where guys actually played more than one year and didn't all join the same five programs.

Great win up there against Boston, I'd even say KG won the battle, but Big Al & the 'Wolves won the war. Keep it up man & these draft profiles are fire. Derrick Rose, what was & what could have been, probably the craziest ups and downs of any NBA player I've seen play.

[TheDominator273]

Quote: Originally Posted by saintrules

Ah, back in the good ole days of NCAAB where guys actually played more than one year and didn't all join the same five programs. Great win up there against Boston, I'd even say KG won the battle, but Big Al & the 'Wolves won the war. Keep it up man & these draft profiles are fire. Derrick Rose, what was & what could have been, probably the craziest ups and downs of any NBA player I've seen play.

Thanks man! I'm finding the player comparisons so funny based on who the players actually turned into. Like Westbrook to Randy Foye is super lol worthy.

This draft class was also so deep, looking through the names and only a handful of first round picks haven't carved out long careers in the NBA.

[dmwendel]

Always love retro dynasties, good luck!