Wolves vs Riendeer GDT

[AbeVigodaLive]

Abe's Early Morning DVR Review:

- I don't care who was playing or who was out. A 68 - 36 rebounding difference (after a season struggling to rebound) shows a fundamental flaw in the players on this team.

- It's too bad Jaden McDaniels was unavailable to play in this one. He would have been a big help.

- Are we sure Matt Ryan is an NBA player? Somebody would have to talk me into it, because I'm not seeing it.

- Weird game for Edwards. Stat line looks great (30 points, 10 rebounds, 4 stl, 2 reb). And then there was the odd injury sequence. Overall, I think he was impressive. BUT... he was 1 - 6 ft in the first half when the Timberwolves could have really gained separation. And then came out at the beginning of the 3rd quarter VERY passive for the first 7 minutes or so when the Bucks changed the vibe. Sure, I'm quibbling a bit, but it was noticeable nonetheless.

Also, if we're going to rip Kevin Love and Towns for complaining about calls, we have to group Edwards in the mix, too. He was stripped clean of the ball... stopped to argue anyway and didn't get back on defense. Fortunately, the Bucks threw the ball away instead of hitting the wide open three pointer. It's not an isolated incident.

- Austin Rivers gets a questionable whistle. We see it on offense as he's often the target for the NBA's new "point of emphasis" with traveling and we see it on defense.

- Luka Garza was in full form. He can score. He can't defend. (And apparently, he's not a great rebounder either. )

- The Bucks have two "I hate that guy... until he joins my team" guys. Bobby Portis' antics are so very predictable, as are Joe Ingles in a very different way. But both are savvy vets that know how to play and win. They swung the game.

[AbeVigodaLive]

There's zero chance I'd let Naz Reid leave in free agency without a concerted effort. Lock him up and shuffle other parts, if needed.

I agree, Cam! In my view, how they handle Naz will be a revealing test for this front office. They should absolutely lock him up. Naz is really good and will continue to get better as bigs his age typically do. Naz Reid is a highly talented (and multi-talented) player whose style of play and age match well with the age and style of our best player and one potential superstar, Anthony Edwards. And it should be clear that this franchise will rise or fall in the next few years on Ant's continued improvement along with what this front office does to build around him. Naz and McDaniels are my two key keepers for the Edwards era. I still like Nowell going forward and I still favor keeping KAT as our only other all-star caliber player. At age 27, KAT still has a lot of prime years left to be a key part of the Edwards era.

The Timberwolves will be paying the two guys playing ahead of Reid $77M and then $92M the next two years. I question doubling down on the two bigs... I would question tripling down on three bigs for two spots even more.

Now, if the Wolves think Reid could be a good enough facsimile for Towns... that's a different discussion, I guess.

Correct, Abe. The Wolves would have to move Rudy or KAT - and it should absolutely be Rudy! I think that's what Cam meant with his point about shuffling other parts in conjunction with locking up Naz.

Gotcha. I should read posts better. LOL.

Obviously, the Wolves wouldn't be able to recoup what they gave up for Gobert. But just how much would they lose? And in doing so, is Connelly and the Wolves willing to take the scorn and ridicule?

[Lipoli390]

There's zero chance I'd let Naz Reid leave in free agency without a concerted effort. Lock him up and shuffle other parts, if needed.

I agree, Cam! In my view, how they handle Naz will be a revealing test for this front office. They should absolutely lock him up. Naz is really good and will continue to get better as bigs his age typically do. Naz Reid is a highly talented (and multi-talented) player whose style of play and age match well with the age and style of our best player and one potential superstar, Anthony Edwards. And it should be clear that this franchise will rise or fall in the next few years on Ant's continued improvement along with what this front office does to build around him. Naz and McDaniels are my two key keepers for the Edwards era. I still like Nowell going forward and I still favor keeping KAT as our only other all-star caliber player. At age 27, KAT still has a lot of prime years left to be a key part of the Edwards era.

The Timberwolves will be paying the two guys playing ahead of Reid $77M and then $92M the next two years. I question doubling down on the two bigs... I would question tripling down on three bigs for two spots even more.

Now, if the Wolves think Reid could be a good enough facsimile for Towns... that's a different discussion, I guess.

Correct, Abe. The Wolves would have to move Rudy or KAT - and it should absolutely be Rudy! I think that's what Cam meant with his point about shuffling other parts in conjunction with locking up Naz.

Gotcha. I should read posts better. LOL.

Obviously, the Wolves wouldn't be able to recoup what they gave up for Gobert. But just how much would they lose? And in doing so, is Connelly and the Wolves willing to take the scorn and ridicule?

You're absolutely right about the Wolves recouping less - I'd say FAR LESS - than they gave up for Gobert. Your questions are the ones that keep going through my head.

Regarding what the Wolves could get back for Rudy, I think there are a two realistic possibilities: (1) a couple of top-five protected 1st round picks in the 2025-2029 time frame and some throw-in salary match players with expiring or near-expiring contracts; or (2) a solid rotation role player or two + one lottery-protected 1st.

The paltry return the Wolves would like get for Gobert leads right to your next question about whether TC and his front-office minions would be willing to accept the scorn that would come with a deal that inherently admits the stupidity of the deal they made. Trading Gobert for the sort of return they'd get would be an exercise in humility that would be too much for some (maybe for many). However, TC likes to project humility with self-effacing public comments - almost to the point where it sounds insincere. If the humble persona he likes to project truly reflects his nature (I have no reason to believe it doesn't), then I think he'd be willing to accept the scorn that would come with fixing his mistake. I'll add that, if he's truly smart, he'll be motivated to deal Gobert in spite of the criticism because it's a move that has to be made to get this train back on track.

I'm still assuming TC is a smart guy who made a dumb mistake. If he's just another typically dumb Wolves top executive whose success in Denver was a combination of luck and smart people below him, then TC won't deal Gobert and he'll probably end up compounding his last big mistake with more dumb desperate moves that won't work. TC recently expressed disappointment in this team and said the blame should be directed at him. If we take him at his word and believe he's as humble as the image he apparently likes to project, then I think he'll trade Gobert either this season or next summer in spite of the scorn. Of course, I'm a bit uneasy about taking TC at his word given the complete disconnect between the Gobert deal and TC's comments shortly before the deal about his intent to "stay out of the way and not mess things up after last season's success" or "not taking shortcuts."

Unless the Wolves really turn things around in the next 6 weeks, a sober assessment should compel the Wolves front office to move on from Rudy sooner rather than later and do a re-set that makes sense for this team as it continues to build around Ant, KAT and McDaniels. I don't see Gobert's value going up as he continues to advance into his 30s with an ever-increasing salary and he's one major injury away from having no value. The pain of ripping the bandaid off and draining the wound now will be better than the long-term impact of a festering infection.

I still have enough faith in TC's eye for young talent to believe he can get this thing back on track relatively soon after dealing Gobert. After all, it's not as if the cupboard would be bare without Gobert. Without him, the Wolves have Edwards, KAT, McDaniels, NAZ and DLO, all of them part of a core that finished 10 games over .500 last season. And at least three of those five still have considerable remaining upside. Meanwhile, Minott, Moore and Garza are three more really talented young guys in the organization.