Rudy Gobert to the Timberwolves

[Q-is-here]

Well, if you are only playing them 32 minutes a piece (conservative, I know), that means they are potentially only sharing the court for 16 minutes -- a third of the game.

Very true. And I think in crunch time we may very well see Gobert on the bench at times. That's where I wince a bit at this trade. Gobert doesn't play a position that can impact games as much in crunch time.

I think that particular aspect is entirely dependent on how Karl-Anthony Towns performs defensively at the four spot. However, you absolutely need and want Rudy Gobert on the floor late in games for the rim protection and rebounding alone. It makes no difference to have Towns and [fill in the blank] out there if they can't secure the rebound and effectively end the possession.

But I feel like we have a better chance at doing that with SloMo at the 4 in crunch time versus Prince or McDaniels at the 4. Anderson is a legit good defensive rebounder. In crunch time last year we had to sit Vando and that meant sliding Jaden or Taurean to the 4. Those guys just aren't good enough on the glass. SloMo is stepwise better than both those guys as a 4.

[D-Mac [enjin:19736340]]

This is laughable. Beyond stupid. That offer doesn't get you KD or Ayton?

Yeah I think this trade shows TC to be both lazy and irresponsible. I think we could have got Ayton for two firsts and he would have been just as good, for longer and also he would be cheaper. I like ayton. He's not as good on defense (still very good) but I think he's better than Rudy on offense. Instead we basically gave up six firsts (that pick swap will likely be worth a first). Besides Ayton, I think there were other ways to get a similar result too (capella for example) I like bold moves, but not when they come off as the lazy and easy answer. I mean did we really have to pay someone 8 mil a year to make his trade for Gobert? TC got taken to the cleaners here. Sure, we'll be a better team next year, and sure I'll still enjoy watching them next year but this was irresponsible.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

Drew, I'd expect to see some creative zone defenses used from Chris Finch at times in the regular season and playoffs. Minnesota could cause some real havoc/problems in a 2-1-2 zone with their length and athleticism. Theoretically, they'd be capable of protecting the rim and the corners with both Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert playing on either side of baseline. The real key is Jaden McDaniels ability to man the middle and take away entry passes to cutters with his length and anticipation, as well as providing help should Anthony Edwards or D'Angelo Russell get beat at the top. Finch will have a plethora of options schematically that he'll be able to tinker with and he's shown that he can pull the right strings when needed. He'll just have to do that in more pressure-intense spots as it pertains to the post-season.

Ooooooh, I didn't even think about the zone possibilities. Yeah, we've got some real length now. That could be pretty interesting for key stretches.

And good point Tim that KAT and Gobert will likely be staggered for a decent amount of time. I don't know about a full 16 minutes with only one of the on the floor, but I could see 12-14 maybe in the regular season. Hopefully we're building up such huge leads they can get some rest!

And in crunch time, I agree that maybe we may need to sit Gobert if another team is just really successful at beating us by stretching the floor. The Clippers could be a real problem there. If so, I do like the rest of our squad. I'm not opposed to doing that if and when needed. I also assume that many other times we'll have a distinct advantage over other teams, and perhaps build up some big leads because just like other teams can try to force matchup problems for us, we'll be forcing a lot of matchup problems for them with our length.

And when teams do try to go small, I think with a lot of the adjustments we've been talking about on both offense and defense (I brainstormed some based on that good video back on page 16, and I've seen some other good ideas here, including the zone Cam mentioned), we might be able to punish teams for trying to just spread the floor and keep Gobert out there. I'm confident that we're better-equipped on both sides of the ball than Utah was to compliment him out there.

I'm not saying there won't be problems. There will definitely be growing pains. But I think the national media is being way too negative on the possibilities here. I'm looking forward to stomping a bunch of teams and shoving some of these comments back in people's faces. How many "D" grades have you guys seen in which people just vaguely comment about the playoffs, but when they actually break it down, they're convinced this team will be better? I'm actually a teacher, and that's like telling a student their essay is really good and giving them a D. That's lazy grading. There were legitimate issues with Rudy in Utah in the playoffs, but I think they're overblown and there's reason to think we're in a good position to avoid those problems.

[D-Mac [enjin:19736340]]

Connelly was always drafting players and having to worry about trading them for value because the depth of his roster. He alleviated that problem. Lol

Does Naz Reid make more sense to this roster now with Gobert on it?

I am not sure about Naz. Seems like we will surely add another big, maybe even two if we keep Knight.

But does Naz even get much playing time? In theory, one of Gobert or KAT should be on the floor at all times. That wouldn't leave much room for Naz, but guys like SloMo, Prince and/or Jaden would be the more likely partner in the front court when Gobert and KAT are not sharing the floor.

I think Naz is now even more pointless on this team. I wouldn't be surprised to see him traded or even released before his contract becomes guaranteed

[Q-is-here]

This is laughable. Beyond stupid. That offer doesn't get you KD or Ayton?

Yeah I think this trade shows TC to be both lazy and irresponsible. I think we could have got Ayton for two firsts and he would have been just as good, for longer and also he would be cheaper. I like ayton. He's not as good on defense (still very good) but I think he's better than Rudy on offense. Instead we basically gave up six firsts (that pick swap will likely be worth a first). Besides Ayton, I think there were other ways to get a similar result too (capella for example) I like bold moves, but not when they come off as the lazy and easy answer. I mean did we really have to pay someone 8 mil a year to make his trade for Gobert? TC got taken to the cleaners here. Sure, we'll be a better team next year, and sure I'll still enjoy watching them next year but this was irresponsible.

Gobert is >>Ayton. It's not even close really.

[FNG]

This is laughable. Beyond stupid. That offer doesn't get you KD or Ayton?

Yeah I think this trade shows TC to be both lazy and irresponsible. I think we could have got Ayton for two firsts and he would have been just as good, for longer and also he would be cheaper. I like ayton. He's not as good on defense (still very good) but I think he's better than Rudy on offense. Instead we basically gave up six firsts (that pick swap will likely be worth a first). Besides Ayton, I think there were other ways to get a similar result too (capella for example) I like bold moves, but not when they come off as the lazy and easy answer. I mean did we really have to pay someone 8 mil a year to make his trade for Gobert? TC got taken to the cleaners here. Sure, we'll be a better team next year, and sure I'll still enjoy watching them next year but this was irresponsible.

Gobert is >>Ayton. It's not even close really.

Difficult to have them even in the same conversation, I think. One is a certain future HOFer, the other a good NBA center who struggles to stay on the court.

Their comparative stats show how different they are:

https://stathead.com/basketball/pcm_finder.cgi?player_id2=aytonde01&p1yrfrom=2022&player_id1=goberru01&p2yrfrom=2022&sum=0&request=1

[D-Mac [enjin:19736340]]

10 years of 20th pick in the NBA Draft:

2019 Matisse Thybulle, Washington - Boston Celtics
2018 Josh Okogie, Georgia Tech - Minnesota Timberwolves
2017 Harry Giles, Duke - Portland Trail Blazers
2016 Caris LeVert, Michigan - Indiana Pacers
2015 Delon Wright, Utah - Toronto Raptors
2014 Bruno Caboclo, Brazil - Toronto Raptors
2013 Tony Snell, New Mexico - Chicago Bulls
2012 Evan Fournier, France - Denver Nuggets
2011 Donatas Motiejunas, Lithuania - Minnesota Timberwolves
2010 James Anderson, Oklahoma State - San Antonio Spurs

Is there any 5 of those you wouldn't trade for a top tier NBA player?

Weird that you randomly picked the #20 pick... why didn't you randomly pick #27 ? (Gobert) :) I get your point, but I just think we gave up too many picks (including Kessler) for a 30 year old Gobert. I think I'd be good with this trade for a 26 year old Gobert.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Well, if you are only playing them 32 minutes a piece (conservative, I know), that means they are potentially only sharing the court for 16 minutes -- a third of the game.

Very true. And I think in crunch time we may very well see Gobert on the bench at times. That's where I wince a bit at this trade. Gobert doesn't play a position that can impact games as much in crunch time.

I think that particular aspect is entirely dependent on how Karl-Anthony Towns performs defensively at the four spot. However, you absolutely need and want Rudy Gobert on the floor late in games for the rim protection and rebounding alone. It makes no difference to have Towns and [fill in the blank] out there if they can't secure the rebound and effectively end the possession.

But I feel like we have a better chance at doing that with SloMo at the 4 in crunch time versus Prince or McDaniels at the 4. Anderson is a legit good defensive rebounder. In crunch time last year we had to sit Vando and that meant sliding Jaden or Taurean to the 4. Those guys just aren't good enough on the glass. SloMo is stepwise better than both those guys as a 4.

No real disagreement there, but I wouldn't take Rudy Gobert off the floor to replace him with Kyle Anderson, Taurean Prince, or whoever. And you're obviously not taking Karl-Anthony Towns off the floor either. Whatever increase you might get from a more mobile lineup doesn't offset the elite rim protection and rebounding you get from Gobert. Chris Finch is going have to make it work and I think there are multiple ways that it can.

In short, I don't want Anderson on the floor in crunch time at the expense of Gobert. We're going to see teams have to adjust to Minnesota's size next season, not the other way around.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

This is laughable. Beyond stupid. That offer doesn't get you KD or Ayton?

Yeah I think this trade shows TC to be both lazy and irresponsible. I think we could have got Ayton for two firsts and he would have been just as good, for longer and also he would be cheaper. I like ayton. He's not as good on defense (still very good) but I think he's better than Rudy on offense. Instead we basically gave up six firsts (that pick swap will likely be worth a first). Besides Ayton, I think there were other ways to get a similar result too (capella for example) I like bold moves, but not when they come off as the lazy and easy answer. I mean did we really have to pay someone 8 mil a year to make his trade for Gobert? TC got taken to the cleaners here. Sure, we'll be a better team next year, and sure I'll still enjoy watching them next year but this was irresponsible.

Deandre Ayton is no where near as productive nor does he impact winning like Rudy Gobert. If you can prove otherwise, I'd be willing to listen.

We can probably agree that the price to acquire would have been less and the contractual obligations are going to be cheaper for Ayton, but Gobert is the significantly better player, and an overall better fit with this core. The Timberwolves would not be contenders with Ayton. I believe that they are with Gobert. And if I had to choose between the two, I would go with Gobert even with the overpay.

[TheFuture]

This is laughable. Beyond stupid. That offer doesn't get you KD or Ayton?

Yeah I think this trade shows TC to be both lazy and irresponsible. I think we could have got Ayton for two firsts and he would have been just as good, for longer and also he would be cheaper. I like ayton. He's not as good on defense (still very good) but I think he's better than Rudy on offense. Instead we basically gave up six firsts (that pick swap will likely be worth a first). Besides Ayton, I think there were other ways to get a similar result too (capella for example) I like bold moves, but not when they come off as the lazy and easy answer. I mean did we really have to pay someone 8 mil a year to make his trade for Gobert? TC got taken to the cleaners here. Sure, we'll be a better team next year, and sure I'll still enjoy watching them next year but this was irresponsible.

People talk about fitting the time-line. Gobert fits that? Ayton was perfect. He plays D, can keep up with the more agile big game, can rebound, is durable, has shooting touch, is in the midst of forcing his way out, and is 24!