I did a simple Twitter search on my man, Shabazz.
Here’s what I found:
Top 5 Landing Spots for Shabazz Muhammad https://t.co/zaNmtoeVur via @dunkingwolvesFS pic.twitter.com/rMr2Knu6ub
— FanSided NBA (@FanSidedNBA) June 13, 2017
Grading the #Timberwolves’ Shabazz Muhammad https://t.co/D3kNX40BNc via @dunkingwolvesFS pic.twitter.com/U4h35cXiVA
— FanSided NBA (@FanSidedNBA) June 14, 2017
Alright…alright! I get it.
I can read between the lines. Shabazz is better off elsewhere.
I dont know how I feel about Shabazz Muhammad, to be honest with you. He’s been…i dont know…quiet around the media.
I find this funny. The Timberwolves blogosphere—welll, kinda—is talking about Shabazz like he doesn’t matter anymore.
Let me tell you, Timberwolves fans: he does matter. He matters to his agent who is behind the scenes right now, preparing a case on why teams should sign his client.
At any time now, he could be presenting a case to Thibs.
Let’s pretend it’s right now! Let’s say I’m Shabazz’s agent, and I am meeting with Thibs:
“Hi, how are ya?”
I would exchange pleasantries with Thibs so that he knows I am the primary contact for Shabazz moving forward.
Next, I would talk about Shabazz’s love for the Timberwolves—-“it’s the only franchise that he knows, really”—and admire his improvements as a player.
First, the Traditional stats throughout the years.
Second, the Advanced stats.
Okay, Thibs seems bored, in my mind, probably getting impatient.
Mm…if I were Shabazz’s agent, and I had to think on the fly, what would I do now?
How about this:
“So you see Thibs,” I would say. “Shabazz’s a great player. I’ll just get to the point: Thibs, you should resign Shabazz because you need him on the court.
You need Shabazz’s USG%. He’s played in 78 games and has the third highest.
21.4%. Higher than Dunn (14.2%). Higher than Gorgui (14.1%).
So Shabazz is the playmaker off the bench. He’s getting the ball and making the most of the team’s plays.
He’s not Ricky Rubio—no one will ever be—but Rubio’s not coming off the bench like Shabazz.”
[Pause for a split second]“And here’s another stat to consider: EFG%. 52.3% in 78 games, so Shabazz is banking over half of his field goals and three-pointers.
Oh, and did I mention he could sprint around the court? 97.93 PACE, second highest behind Omir Casspi who, by the way, joined the Timberwolves mid-season.
(So that makes Shabazz number one in that category)
If you’re going to install more fast breaks and transition offenses, imagine Shabazz in it.
Shabazz would fly! And dunk!”
While Thibs watches the highlight, I’ll pull out my smartphone and open the NBA app.
I would show him the Timberwolves wins and losses last year, emphasizing the losses by a close margin.
“You see those games?,” I would say. “Imagine this. Imagine if you had won those games. You would’ve been a 36-37 … 38, 39, 40-win team. You would have overtaken Portland for the 8th seed.
That’s a big deal! Those four games that Shabazz should have played would have made a difference!
His USG% and his EFG% would have helped you win more games.
So ask yourself, Thibs. Do u want to rebuild or do u want to make the playoffs next year?
If you do, and I know you do, I’d sign Shabazz to a backloaded deal—and throw in two player options because he’s your best avaliable sixth man—so you could reinvest your cap room towards win-now veterans.
*phone vibrates* oh, sorry about that.
Oh wait, that’s Shabazz!
He wants me to cancel the meetings with other teams. He wants to return to the Timberwolves.
So let’s close this deal. ASAP.
Let’s resign Shabazz and win more games next year.”
*Returning to reality…*
That was fun, heh. Let’s do it again some time.
Go Timberwolves! Get your howl on.
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