Dude's been pretty good these last few games! I like his defense and he can do some things with the ball too. If you've just been checking box scores and haven't watched the full games, you should really watch some of these games to see the little stuff he does, especially on D. You could say he's a bit of a flopper, or you could say he's a bit crafty, but either way, he seems to be able to bait offensive players into bad situations and he can turn up the intensity and slide his feet well, knock balls away, and stuff like that. He's a bit like a longer PatBev. Then offensively, he's pretty versatile too.
Along with Prince, I feel pretty good about having him out there with a bench unit. It's just so important to be able to have guys that can defend guards and wings who can handle the ball, and yet also give us a little something on the offensive end. Theoretically, Rivers could give us a bit of that too, but he just has fouled a bit too much this year and is really not shooting the ball well. If his shot came along, that would be great, but with NAW playing like he is now, assuming it continues, we have the luxury of not really needing it to. At this point, NAW looks like he could be earning playoff minutes (assuming we make it).
And with him, Prince, Ant, and Anderson all able to bring the ball up, it gives us the luxury of leaving Conley and JMAC on the bench if needed for stretches. Of course, he could also serve as Prince injury insurance.
Conley, JMAC
Ant, NAW (Nowell???)
Jaden, Prince
KAT, SloMo
Gobert, Naz
Honestly, if and when we get KAT back, I'm not sure I want to see Nowell on the floor. We should be able to squeeze enough offense out of the rest of those guys, and frankly, I don't feel like Nowell brings much else to the floor. The he brings us in offense, I think he basically gives up in defense. I wouldn't count on NAW to score as much for sure, but if and when we get KAT back, would we really need that offense? I hope not.
I could be overreacting, but I think it's good to have a guy like him.
NAW
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Carlos Danger
- Posts: 2402
- Joined: Wed Jul 24, 2013 12:00 am
Re: NAW
Good post. I think he could be a sneaky part of the trade. But I just looked him up though and as far as I can see he's a FA after this year? So possibly they auditioning him vs. Nowell and pick the best one for the team next year? Not sure their plans...but I doubt both would be back. Maybe neither - we will see.
Re: NAW
NAW is so athletic, he deserves this thread. I love his energy out there, and he has shown some surprisingly good moves to get to the hoop. And while I've noticed some off-ball issues with him on defense, he seems to have all the tools to be a great defender. And (small sample size alert) currently the Wolves give up an absurdly fewer 15.3 points per 100 possessions when he is on the court.
He came out of the box making three-pointers, but I've said before that his shooting form tells me he's not going to be a great 3-point shooter. That said, he was a decent 3-point shooter in college, so I hope I'm wrong about this.
This will be a minority opinion, but I'm still holding out more hope for Nowell than NAW. I liked 2021-22 Nowell better than NAW. But I agree that likely only one of them will be back next year in the role of scorer off the bench, and the final 18 games could be a nice audition for this (provided Jaylen Nowell's knee is OK).
He came out of the box making three-pointers, but I've said before that his shooting form tells me he's not going to be a great 3-point shooter. That said, he was a decent 3-point shooter in college, so I hope I'm wrong about this.
This will be a minority opinion, but I'm still holding out more hope for Nowell than NAW. I liked 2021-22 Nowell better than NAW. But I agree that likely only one of them will be back next year in the role of scorer off the bench, and the final 18 games could be a nice audition for this (provided Jaylen Nowell's knee is OK).
Re: NAW
Ahh.. I have a bit of internet access on my way to Montevideo!
Nowell is an unrestricted FA, so we have no control over him, and he can't be happy with how this season has unfolded, so I doubt we will see him return.
NAW on the other hand is a restricted FA if the Wolves extend the qualifying offer in excess of 7 mil. That's Prince-like money, so it's unclear if the Wolves would go that route. But if he keeps getting minutes and is productive, showing he can be part of the rotation, then it could be a win-win for him to return to the Wolves on a new deal.
Of course, Lip has already written him off, so there is that...
Adios!
Nowell is an unrestricted FA, so we have no control over him, and he can't be happy with how this season has unfolded, so I doubt we will see him return.
NAW on the other hand is a restricted FA if the Wolves extend the qualifying offer in excess of 7 mil. That's Prince-like money, so it's unclear if the Wolves would go that route. But if he keeps getting minutes and is productive, showing he can be part of the rotation, then it could be a win-win for him to return to the Wolves on a new deal.
Of course, Lip has already written him off, so there is that...
Adios!
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BloopOracle
- Posts: 3348
- Joined: Mon Jul 08, 2013 12:00 am
Re: NAW
60WinTim wrote:Ahh.. I have a bit of internet access on my way to Montevideo!
Nowell is an unrestricted FA, so we have no control over him, and he can't be happy with how this season has unfolded, so I doubt we will see him return.
NAW on the other hand is a restricted FA if the Wolves extend the qualifying offer in excess of 7 mil. That's Prince-like money, so it's unclear if the Wolves would go that route. But if he keeps getting minutes and is productive, showing he can be part of the rotation, then it could be a win-win for him to return to the Wolves on a new deal.
Of course, Lip has already written him off, so there is that...
Adios!
I refuse to believe another member here comes to SW Minnesota
Re: NAW
60WinTim wrote:Ahh.. I have a bit of internet access on my way to Montevideo!
Nowell is an unrestricted FA, so we have no control over him, and he can't be happy with how this season has unfolded, so I doubt we will see him return.
NAW on the other hand is a restricted FA if the Wolves extend the qualifying offer in excess of 7 mil. That's Prince-like money, so it's unclear if the Wolves would go that route. But if he keeps getting minutes and is productive, showing he can be part of the rotation, then it could be a win-win for him to return to the Wolves on a new deal.
Of course, Lip has already written him off, so there is that...
Adios!
Tim - I'm writing NAW back in. :). It's a small sample size, but so far NAW's defense has been terrific every minute he's been on the court for the Wolves. And he's also been decent on the offensive end. Recall that I wanted the Wolves to draft him, so I'm definitely pulling for him to prove I was right. :).
Seriously, I thought including NAW in the DLO deal was meaningless. But you can now label me intrigued based on what we've seen so far. I still believe Nowell is far more talented than NAW and I'm with FNG is believing the real Nowell is the one we saw last season, not this season. Having said that, I'm all disappointed in Nowell this season and his status as an unrestricted FA makes me wonder whether the Wolves will have much choice in the matter. Is NAW worth the $7 million it would take to make him a restricted free agent? I'd say no if I'm basing my answer solely on his play. But I still see untapped upside and he brings some qualities - defense, energy, toughness - the this team needs. Also, with no cap room, NAW's status gives the Wolves an opportunity to keep him without using their MLE or BAE.
Re: NAW
I don't recall the logistics, but I think the Wolves can extend the qualifying offer, but retract it if NAW says he wants to take it. (maybe monster can clarify this)
If so, then the Wolves can keep him restricted, but still sign him to a smaller deal if he doesn't find any takers on the open market.
If so, then the Wolves can keep him restricted, but still sign him to a smaller deal if he doesn't find any takers on the open market.
Re: NAW
60WinTim wrote:I don't recall the logistics, but I think the Wolves can extend the qualifying offer, but retract it if NAW says he wants to take it. (maybe monster can clarify this)
If so, then the Wolves can keep him restricted, but still sign him to a smaller deal if he doesn't find any takers on the open market.
We'll need our resident capologist, Monster, to clarify this one for us.
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Camden [enjin:6601484]
- Posts: 18065
- Joined: Tue Jul 09, 2013 12:00 am
Re: NAW
If the organization extends the qualifying offer, the player is free to sign it at the amount guaranteed for one year and become an unrestricted free agent the following season.
The organization can either choose not to offer it or retract it before the player signs it, but the player will become an unrestricted free agent immediately. They can still work out a deal, but they won't have the ability to match another team's offer sheet.
However, Minnesota also owns Bird Rights on Nickeil Alexander-Walker so they can sign him above the cap without using their mid-level exception. That has value.
I think it's more likely the two sides agree to a multi-year deal and bypass the qualifying offer entirely.
The organization can either choose not to offer it or retract it before the player signs it, but the player will become an unrestricted free agent immediately. They can still work out a deal, but they won't have the ability to match another team's offer sheet.
However, Minnesota also owns Bird Rights on Nickeil Alexander-Walker so they can sign him above the cap without using their mid-level exception. That has value.
I think it's more likely the two sides agree to a multi-year deal and bypass the qualifying offer entirely.
Re: NAW
If NAW is regularly more of a plus player than Nowell that is an underrated pickup for Connelly in that he upgraded a position of need with a throw in. Not that Nowell has set a high bar to get over, but this was big for our short term, and ideally long term needs if NAW can keep that consistent edge. I certainly believe it would be a wake up call for him to realize that if he doesn't always play with an edge he would be in danger of no longer being in the league after multiple trades.