Rudy Gobert to the Timberwolves

[Monster]

For the record, I hate this trade, hated Butler trade and hated DLo trade. This might even be the worst one of the bunch. What the fkk happened to "no shortcuts." Timmy getting paid $8 million to make garbage trades like this. Geez, I might be done with this team as I don't think I'll ever live to see them win anything. Go Warriors!

You do know Rudy is a better player then KAT right? There is a thing called defense and the Wolves just got it done. They are also banking on those picks being late 1st rounders, with Ant here who legitimately could be a top 5 player in a few years those odds are fairly likely as well.

I love the trade. The Wolves are now Championship contenders.

Man you are so good at this.
1. What a shock that a guy who cuts-and-pastes wikipedia pages from 60-year-old events and posts 30-year-old TV clips has a problem with the concept of "regressing with age".
2. Rudy Gobert is a 30 year old man who has had a tremendous career as a defensive player. KAT is 25, should be used a more-athletic Dirk (which no one seems to figure out), and is finally playing for a good coach.
3. For Ant to develop, his usage rate actually has to increase SLIGHTY. So between Ant and Kat, the guy who Bitched constantly about Donovan Mitchell taking too many shots is now going to be OK?

Dirk won a championship at 32 playing next to a lengthy rim protector. The Wolves added the best rim protector in the game and is now going to play Towns more as a PF. Based on this point I conclude Jason clearly LOVES this trade!! Lol

[JasonIsDaMan [enjin:7981157]]

For the record, I hate this trade, hated Butler trade and hated DLo trade. This might even be the worst one of the bunch. What the fkk happened to "no shortcuts." Timmy getting paid $8 million to make garbage trades like this. Geez, I might be done with this team as I don't think I'll ever live to see them win anything. Go Warriors!

You do know Rudy is a better player then KAT right? There is a thing called defense and the Wolves just got it done. They are also banking on those picks being late 1st rounders, with Ant here who legitimately could be a top 5 player in a few years those odds are fairly likely as well.

I love the trade. The Wolves are now Championship contenders.

The guy plays amazing D when half the league is coasting. Come playoff time he becomes unplayable. You want to pay 40 mil for a guy who is targeted when things get real? This is stupid.

The Wolves just got played.

I like that we are in a disagreement. We'll see how it plays out. :D

Future raises some good points. Here's a full breakdown:
RG's minutes against DAL were similar to his RegSea minutes, but their was a huge dropoff in PER, and DAL is not exactly known for their post play. DM wasn't great either, but DAL is better at guard than they are in the post, and more importantly, NO ONE HAS TRADED FOUR PICKS AND A SWAP TO GET HIM!!!!!!!!!!!

[JasonIsDaMan [enjin:7981157]]

For the record, I hate this trade, hated Butler trade and hated DLo trade. This might even be the worst one of the bunch. What the fkk happened to "no shortcuts." Timmy getting paid $8 million to make garbage trades like this. Geez, I might be done with this team as I don't think I'll ever live to see them win anything. Go Warriors!

You do know Rudy is a better player then KAT right? There is a thing called defense and the Wolves just got it done. They are also banking on those picks being late 1st rounders, with Ant here who legitimately could be a top 5 player in a few years those odds are fairly likely as well.

I love the trade. The Wolves are now Championship contenders.

You do know KAT is the best big man shooter in NBA history right?

They are opposites, one is great on D, the other is great on O. The paring is fine as long as they can avoid teams getting them in a spin cycle. They gave up massive draft capital, which is the problem IMO.

Rudy can hang low in the paint. If teams go 5 small then we might give up some 3's. But I see us also punishing teams on the other end. We got twin towers who can out rebound teams even on the offensive glass.

Playing defense, rebounding both offensively and defensively isn't sexy, but it wins. I want to see teams go small.

What a shock that you like small. DAL didn't exactly run Boban at him in the playoffs, and it didn't go well.

[JasonIsDaMan [enjin:7981157]]

For the record, I hate this trade, hated Butler trade and hated DLo trade. This might even be the worst one of the bunch. What the fkk happened to "no shortcuts." Timmy getting paid $8 million to make garbage trades like this. Geez, I might be done with this team as I don't think I'll ever live to see them win anything. Go Warriors!

You do know Rudy is a better player then KAT right? There is a thing called defense and the Wolves just got it done. They are also banking on those picks being late 1st rounders, with Ant here who legitimately could be a top 5 player in a few years those odds are fairly likely as well.

I love the trade. The Wolves are now Championship contenders.

You do know KAT is the best big man shooter in NBA history right?

They are opposites, one is great on D, the other is great on O. The paring is fine as long as they can avoid teams getting them in a spin cycle. They gave up massive draft capital, which is the problem IMO.

I'm not concerned about the draft capital as long as those picks are late 1sts. Very rarely do late 1st rounders even pan out to be starters. Jaden McDaniels is a rarity. Look at the last 10 years of picks from 20-32 and tell me you are concerned. Usually only about 10% of those guys pan out. The odds are very low.

I believe you mean "Rudy Gobert is a rarity", since he was the 27th pick in his draft. It's even on his Wikipedia page. So how about their $8mm-per "POBO" keeps the picks, drafts his own Goberts, and trades them all for four picks?

[D-Mac [enjin:19736340]]

So Minott might as well get the Gupta special and Knight might as well make the team as the third big.


Now they need backcourt help. Big time. There's nothing there at guard outside of Edwards/Nowell/Russell/McLaughlin

The hope is that there will be vets seeing what is happening here and be ready to jump aboard.

And don't forget about Moore. Our roster was getting bloated. This trade helped thin it and added a pretty amazing player. He is a star BTW. Just not a high volume scorer. But his contributions everywhere else are off the charts!

He's a guy who turned 30 a week ago who had a really productive career who thought COVID wasn't real and constantly fought with Mitchell about touches.

Tim, I agree that the roster was getting bloated, but it's not like we had to look at releasing these guys. There were other more productive ways to "Un-bloat" the roster. I think some combo of bev, Beasley, vando and bolmaro could have easily netted us two future firsts (protected) and I would have released Naz and kept Kessler. I think we really gave up the equivalent of 7-8 first round picks in this deal (and yes, I agree with the person who said the lakers gave up more for Davis). Although they probably could have returned a couple picks, I don't care that much about the first four players we gave up. I do see Kessler becoming a really nice player and I don't like losing him.

[Monster]

For the record, I hate this trade, hated Butler trade and hated DLo trade. This might even be the worst one of the bunch. What the fkk happened to "no shortcuts." Timmy getting paid $8 million to make garbage trades like this. Geez, I might be done with this team as I don't think I'll ever live to see them win anything. Go Warriors!

You do know Rudy is a better player then KAT right? There is a thing called defense and the Wolves just got it done. They are also banking on those picks being late 1st rounders, with Ant here who legitimately could be a top 5 player in a few years those odds are fairly likely as well.

I love the trade. The Wolves are now Championship contenders.

You do know KAT is the best big man shooter in NBA history right?

They are opposites, one is great on D, the other is great on O. The paring is fine as long as they can avoid teams getting them in a spin cycle. They gave up massive draft capital, which is the problem IMO.

I'm not concerned about the draft capital as long as those picks are late 1sts. Very rarely do late 1st rounders even pan out to be starters. Jaden McDaniels is a rarity. Look at the last 10 years of picks from 20-32 and tell me you are concerned. Usually only about 10% of those guys pan out. The odds are very low.

I believe you mean "Rudy Gobert is a rarity", since he was the 30th pick in his draft. It's even on his Wikipedia page. So how about their $8mm-per "POBO" keeps the picks, drafts his own Goberts, and trades them all for four picks?

Maybe you should start copying and pasting from Wikipedia.

[JasonIsDaMan [enjin:7981157]]

I'm unopinionated on the trade, but am going to love it in the short term. The bad and the good...

The bad...
-Wolves gave up 4 1sts (3 unprotected, 1 top 5 protected)
-Wolves gave up Kessler (1st this year)
-Pat Beverley was the heart of this team last year
-Beasley still had positive value, so was more than just a throw in
-Vanderbilt, our energizer bunny and another fan favorite gone.
-A lot of the salary cap tied up in a frontcourt in a time when backcourt is highlighted in the NBA.
-If it doesn't work out, those picks could hurt. I'm particularly concerned about the 2027 and 2029 picks (as you never know what the team looks like by then)

Now for the good...
-WE ARE IN A CHAMPIONSHIP WINDOW! Wolves are a contender for the 1st time in 20 years. Not making a bold move means probably just being a 1st round and out again and again. Sometimes you have to swing for the fences.
-The picks seem like a lot, but the Wolves core should be a playoff team for the forseeable future. A pick at/below 20 for 4 years is tolerable, especially when you consider they can, and probably will, be able to regain a pick or two along the way.
-Typically in massive trades, the team that gets the best player wins in the end. The Wolves got the best player.
-Rudy Gobert is the best defensive player in the NBA, our rebounding has been fixed instantly, our rim protection has been fixed instantly and suddenly our perimeter defense isn't quite as important (due to having a human eraser).
-Gobert is one of the best lob threats in the NBA as well
-Gobert is one of the few bigs that actually has stayed pretty healthy
-If we're trying to be a championship contender, eventually you need to take this type of swing.
-We are a matchup nightmare for a lot of teams now.
-Beasley's value to the Wolves was far lower given Ant basically takes up playing time he needed to succeed.

There are very few NBA players who move the needle all by themselves. Gobert may not be a great offensive player, but he instantly gives us one of the best defenses in the NBA. It's time to get past the trade and start imagining what this looks like, and it looks exciting. I've always been a big Gobert guy, and we HAVE seen Towns with a similar teammate in the past in Willie Cauley-Stein back at Kentucky so we've seen Towns work with a guy like that...Didn't they almost go undefeated? Guess what, Gobert is basically WCS on steroids.

I'm excited.

Another country heard from
1. GOBERT was one of those "below 20" picks.
2. So not Marcus Smart? And is that happening until they get picks again?
3. "Lob threat"? Lobs happen when a post leaves his guy to stop a drive. Who, besides Ant, is driving?
4. One of the problems with a getting a guy with high minutes in his 20's is that he's more susceptible to breakdown later.
5. If one were to watch Boston play Golden State, one might think that you can build a champion thru winning your draft picks (like GS) or getting some idiot team to hand you picks for your past-his-prime star (like BOS). And which one is the Wolves again?
6. Just like Gobert was a matchup nightmare for Dallas?
7. If Beas/Bev were so without value, why didn't Utah just take DLO?
8. Is this the most WCS has been mention on one message board since like '15?!?!?!?!

[JasonIsDaMan [enjin:7981157]]

I'm all in on this trade.

Wolves got an All NBA player, a 3x DPOY, fixes all the wolves main weakness and didn't give up their top 3 assets and top 4 players.

Also if it fails they can recoup picks by trading Kat

So you've already decided that 5 years from now some team is giving up 2 decent expirings, 3 young players of varied development, 4 firsts, and a pick swap, for 30 year old Kat? Do you have that POBO's name, and is this a court-ordered thing or will they have a choice? Will that POBO do it of his own free-will, or will it be to impress his wanna-be owners, one of which refuses to admit why he had a productive athletic career well into his 30's?

[JasonIsDaMan [enjin:7981157]]

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?

So that's how you define success? Drafting #20 for 10 straight years? And wouldn't a better post have been "Guys available at #20 for the last 10 years" or would that have gone poorly for you, especially when you would have listed Rudy Gobert in 2013?

[D-Mac [enjin:19736340]]

We'll have to agree to disagree on that particular point. Like I've said repeatedly, I wouldn't have made this trade, but Tim Connelly agreeing to such a deal is no easy decision. I don't understand how you both think that he took the easy way out.

For starters, it's extremely difficult to acquire elite talent in the NBA. There has to be the right circumstances for both teams and meeting in the middle, in terms of price, is always a challenge. Furthermore, Connelly has always relied on the draft and had great success in doing so. Do you really think it was easy for him to pull the trigger on losing four future first-round picks? I certainly don't. And with a deal of this magnitude there's always increased discussion and speculation about the man who pulled the trigger and what his fate will be if it goes south. Connelly has essentially put his reputation and future career in jeopardy with this trade because if it indeed doesn't work out to ownership's liking he could be without a job. The easy thing to do would have been to keep everything as it was and simply rely on internal growth, which most of us would have been fine with. Going all-in takes guts. It takes confidence. Confidence in his star players. Confidence in his current accumulation of young talent and depth. And perhaps most importantly, confidence in himself and the front office he's assembled to continue to find young talent as well as role-playing veterans through more difficult avenues. If anything, this was the much harder road to go, but one that gives Minnesota the best chance at a championship.

I totally disagree that this was the harder road for him. TC essentially borrowed someone else's chips to go all in with. If we win a title or even make a finals and another WCF, he's the hero. But if this deal goes completely south (injuries, chemistry issues, bad fit on the court or just general underperformance), he's gone by 2025 and doesn't have to deal with a potentially mediocre team missing 3 of its next 5 first round picks, along with a pick swap on the 4th. This was a low risk/high reward move TC personally, and apparently there's no one else in the organization (owners or business side) that wanted to hold him accountable.

Uhh, you're contradicting yourself here. If this deal goes south, Tim Connelly likely doesn't have a job here anymore, which you even acknowledged. How do you find that to be "low risk" for him? Putting your career on the line isn't risky?

Also, as I already mentioned, it's Connelly who will be operating without those first-round picks. He's the one who's going to have to be creative in adding supplemental talent. He's going to be held responsible for replenishing the roster with young talent despite having less resources to do so (because he spent them on Rudy Gobert). Again, that's a calculated risk by him and the front office he assembled that they'll be capable.

In one breath you're suggesting that Connelly took the easy road -- that he took a low-risk, high-reward move, personally. And in another you acknowledge that if it doesn't work out he'll be fired, essentially ruining his golden reputation because of this singular trade. In reality, it's a high-risk, high-reward move for Connelly despite Gobert's steady greatness as a player. If it works out, he's a stud and will receive the credit. If it doesn't, then he's the fool and will likely be fired.

Hey, just because you can't comprehend what's being said, doesn't mean I'm contradicting myself. My argument is that if it doesn't work out, he's gone in three years with his 40 million and there will be another job waiting for him somewhere else. How is that a loss for him personally? His reputation will take a small hit in the league, but he'll probably go back to Denver or somewhere else he'd rather be. It's really almost a win/win for him personally. Make a big splash in Minnesota, and if it doesn't work out, he heads home with a boatload of Minnesota's money (I'm surprised more people aren't seeing this). That's why I'd almost rather have this type of move made by someone who was more invested in our franchise. This is why you've always rubbed me the wrong way, Camden... stubborn, arrogant and thinking you're smarter than you are. I'll keep reading, but I think I need a break from responding to you.