Wolves vs Heat GDT

[Wolvesfan21]

Trading D'Angelo Russell doesn't fix this roster. I hate to break that to you and everyone else who feels similarly. The glaring issues still exist plus now you have even less shot creation and perimeter shooting -- depending on what you get back in return, which I wouldn't expect to be much considering Russell's status as an expiring contract.

They'd be better off doing absolutely nothing and giving this group the entire season to play through it together than to panic and sell off parts for... different parts. Either Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert will be an effective pairing or they won't.

It wouldn't hurt, because DLO to Gobert should be an easy pass but it's too difficult for DLO which is odd.

Don't care about the KAT Gobert on court pairing. That is and will be fine. I'm more concerned about the parts around them. I do think KAT could get traded still in the offseason if things don't go well. But he is still better as a 4 in my head. I've seen enough to see him as too big a liability playing the 5 full time. It didn't work, we saw it long enough!!!

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Trading D'Angelo Russell doesn't fix this roster. I hate to break that to you and everyone else who feels similarly. The glaring issues still exist plus now you have even less shot creation and perimeter shooting -- depending on what you get back in return, which I wouldn't expect to be much considering Russell's status as an expiring contract.

They'd be better off doing absolutely nothing and giving this group the entire season to play through it together than to panic and sell off parts for... different parts. Either Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert will be an effective pairing or they won't.

It wouldn't hurt, because DLO to Gobert should be an easy pass but it's too difficult for DLO which is odd.

Don't care about the KAT Gobert on court pairing. That is and will be fine. I'm more concerned about the parts around them. I do think KAT could get traded still in the offseason if things don't go well. But he is still better as a 4 in my head. I've seen enough to see him as too big a liability playing the 5 full time. It didn't work, we saw it long enough!!!

That first comment isn't worth responding to. Watch the games.

Also, the Towns/Gobert pairing isn't supposed to be just fine. That's where approximately $80-million of future annual cap/resources is allocated. It needs to be much better than fine. They need to be a formidable frontcourt duo to justify keeping them together. You probably should care about that.

The parts around those two (and Edwards) are secondary parts and supportive pieces. They won't drive winning as much as those two so if that duo can't be what it was expected to be then the lesser parts and interchanging them won't really matter. You can fantasize about trading Russell all you want to, but a move like that just won't make a difference if the core of this roster is incompatible.

[Q-is-here]

Connelly should be run out of town. The only thing he was maybe decent at was drafting, and he traded that all away. Maybe to hide that wasn't him and more the Nuggets scouting team? The Bulls sought Karnisovas for what he did with the Nuggets and look how odd that Bulls team is.

Go look at some of his other trades with the Nuggets. Nurkic and a First for Plumlee. The pick that ended up being Mitchell for Trey Lyles and some other washout. The pick that became Gobert for pick #46 and cash.

His crowning jewel is that he picked Jokic in the 2nd round. Who he also passed on twice prior in that draft.

He passed on trading Barton for KCP and filler. Look how great KCP now looks there as the POA defender.

On and on.

I do not trust him to be able to fix this. I just pray Ant does not ask out early into his next extension.

You're basically picking everything he did wrong. I'm not saying he is awesome but this post does not represent the entirety of Connelly's work accurately.

Also this season isn't even over yet. I wonder what Celtics fans thought about Brad Stephens a year ago at this time. That team ended up in the NBA finals. I'm not suggesting the Wolves will be in the Finals but I don't think we can say for certain whether the Gobert trade is or isn't going to work out. I get why people say it won't though.

I do agree the wolves have to see this roster, fully healthy, out through this whole season and assess from there. Can't go full TC yet.

I am worried about a team in the playoffs just employing the 5 out offense against this team just as they did to Utah. Cause ya know, you don't need a true big to guard Gobert on offense.

Wait, after all your ranting and raving you suddenly decide its prudent to see out the rest of the season with the full roster? I thought your torch was lit, with Lip right behind you with a pitchfork, ready to burn down Target Center and chase TC and Gobert out of town ASAP!

[Lipoli390]

Trading D'Angelo Russell doesn't fix this roster. I hate to break that to you and everyone else who feels similarly. The glaring issues still exist plus now you have even less shot creation and perimeter shooting -- depending on what you get back in return, which I wouldn't expect to be much considering Russell's status as an expiring contract.

They'd be better off doing absolutely nothing and giving this group the entire season to play through it together than to panic and sell off parts for... different parts. Either Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert will be an effective pairing or they won't.

It wouldn't hurt, because DLO to Gobert should be an easy pass but it's too difficult for DLO which is odd.

Don't care about the KAT Gobert on court pairing. That is and will be fine. I'm more concerned about the parts around them. I do think KAT could get traded still in the offseason if things don't go well. But he is still better as a 4 in my head. I've seen enough to see him as too big a liability playing the 5 full time. It didn't work, we saw it long enough!!!

KAT played the C position full time last season and this team finished 10 games over .500. And who were KAT's teammates last season? DLO along with Edwards and McDaniels in only their second NBA season. Towns should be lionized for finishing 10 games over .500 and seriously challenging the 2nd seed Grizzlies in the playoffs with DLO and two second year players as his key rotation teammates. The Wolves wouldn't have been within sniffing distance of the playoffs last season without KAT. The only other time KAT has had any semblance of decent talent around him was the season Butler was here. And what happened? Well, the Wolves made the playoffs even though KAT was only 22 years old at the time - playing center. As for the rest of the roster that season - Jeff Teague, Jamaal Crawford - really underwhelming.

Bottom line is that KAT is a great player and he's proven to be great at the center position. He's not a good defender, but neither is Jokic. He paired well with a PF named Vanderbilt who is highly mobile, a good defender and very good rebounder. A better version of Vando is what KAT needs - someone who's a bit longer and stronger while also being more of a scoring threat than Vando. Actually, one might say he needs the Vando of this season. :). Neither KAT nor the position he plays is the problem with the Wolves this season and trading him would not be part of a viable solution; it would simply be an act of desperation that probably would not end well for this franchise. I'm not a big DLO fan, but I'll echo Cam in saying that DLO isn't the problem either. Fact is, this team didn't have a problem at the end of last season when KAT, DLO, Edwards, McDaniels, Beverly and Beasley were the main rotation players. The team simply needed to continue on the development path it was one with a couple tweaks. Connelly and his front office minions CREATED a problem with the Gobert deal, which disrupted a team that shouldn't have been disrupted, sapped it of its identity and left the Wolves rotation with a sub-optimal mix of players.

It's amazing how it's often so much harder to see the elephant when we're really close by. Obviously, the elephant is Rudy Gobert. The rest of the League sees it and actually saw it back when TC made the deal last summer. Gobert wasn't a good fit for this team when KAT was playing and it's obvious he's not a good fit with KAT out. KAT, Edwards and DLO were fine together. But KAT, DLO Edwards and Rudy Gobert? Not so good. We'll be better when KAT gets back, but not good enough to crack the top five in the West or win a playoff series. Hopefully by that time fans, and more importantly, the Wolves front office will see the elephant and take care of the problem.

[Sundog]

Under the stress of a poor start, with significant players out for extended periods, everyone is just returning to their priors... I dont think anyone should be coming to any particular conclusions about the trade or player fit. You can't *know* anything about those things yet. I think Gobert has been solid. KAT and he barely got to play together so I don't think I can judge their fit yet. Dlo has been good, Ant has been nearly great, Reid has been terrific, Kyle has been as advertised, Rivers better than that. I hope the front office doesn't make any knee-jerk moves based on what we've seen to date.

[Wolvesfan21]

Trading D'Angelo Russell doesn't fix this roster. I hate to break that to you and everyone else who feels similarly. The glaring issues still exist plus now you have even less shot creation and perimeter shooting -- depending on what you get back in return, which I wouldn't expect to be much considering Russell's status as an expiring contract.

They'd be better off doing absolutely nothing and giving this group the entire season to play through it together than to panic and sell off parts for... different parts. Either Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert will be an effective pairing or they won't.

It wouldn't hurt, because DLO to Gobert should be an easy pass but it's too difficult for DLO which is odd.

Don't care about the KAT Gobert on court pairing. That is and will be fine. I'm more concerned about the parts around them. I do think KAT could get traded still in the offseason if things don't go well. But he is still better as a 4 in my head. I've seen enough to see him as too big a liability playing the 5 full time. It didn't work, we saw it long enough!!!

KAT played the C position full time last season and this team finished 10 games over .500. And who were KAT's teammates last season? DLO along with Edwards and McDaniels in only their second NBA season. Towns should be lionized for finishing 10 games over .500 and seriously challenging the 2nd seed Grizzlies in the playoffs with DLO and two second year players as his key rotation teammates. The Wolves wouldn't have been within sniffing distance of the playoffs last season without KAT. The only other time KAT has had any semblance of decent talent around him was the season Butler was here. And what happened? Well, the Wolves made the playoffs even though KAT was only 22 years old at the time - playing center. As for the rest of the roster that season - Jeff Teague, Jamaal Crawford - really underwhelming.

Bottom line is that KAT is a great player and he's proven to be great at the center position. He's not a good defender, but neither is Jokic. He paired well with a PF named Vanderbilt who is highly mobile, a good defender and very good rebounder. A better version of Vando is what KAT needs - someone who's a bit longer and stronger while also being more of a scoring threat than Vando. Actually, one might say he needs the Vando of this season. :). Neither KAT nor the position he plays is the problem with the Wolves this season and trading him would not be part of a viable solution; it would simply be an act of desperation that probably would not end well for this franchise. I'm not a big DLO fan, but I'll echo Cam in saying that DLO isn't the problem either. Fact is, this team didn't have a problem at the end of last season when KAT, DLO, Edwards, McDaniels, Beverly and Beasley were the main rotation players. The team simply needed to continue on the development path it was one with a couple tweaks. Connelly and his front office minions CREATED a problem with the Gobert deal, which disrupted a team that shouldn't have been disrupted, sapped it of its identity and left the Wolves rotation with a sub-optimal mix of players.

It's amazing how it's often so much harder to see the elephant when we're really close by. Obviously, the elephant is Rudy Gobert. The rest of the League sees it and actually saw it back when TC made the deal last summer. Gobert wasn't a good fit for this team when KAT was playing and it's obvious he's not a good fit with KAT out. KAT, Edwards and DLO were fine together. But KAT, DLO Edwards and Rudy Gobert? Not so good. We'll be better when KAT gets back, but not good enough to crack the top five in the West or win a playoff series. Hopefully by that time fans, and more importantly, the Wolves front office will see the elephant and take care of the problem.

The Wolves started the year terrible because DLO was terrible and shooting horribly, along with Nowell too. That is a fact. If he plays up to his contract as a max player, remember he is a max player not a role player salary, then the Wolves would be above .500 right now. Nowell is not a max player so his terrible shooting to start the year is a little less annoying.

JMac on the other hand despite also shooting poor was running the offense well. That is sad that JMac was outplaying both Nowell and DLO considering his contract and lack of playing time.

As far as KAT in the playoffs he melted down, couldn't defend and stay on the floor and the team was getting whacked on the boards. That is why they lost. They couldn't defend and rebound. KAT is who he is at this point. He cannot play the 5 full time and succeed in the playoffs. As far as DLO he was benched and terrible too. We lost in the playoffs because the two max players were shit. KAT had at least a few great nights but you need to bring it every night to win a series, not every other.

I'm still concerned about the playoff future of both DLO and KAT. Neither has proven effective.

So in the end the reason TC made the move for Gobert was because they couldn't defend the paint and rebound, he has largely fixed that when he is on the floor, though we still need better rebounding from all 5. One guy can't do it all, thats ridiculous to expect. Gobert does need to be better too, he hasn't been playing to his standard either.

[AbeVigodaLive]

The Timberwolves have a plus rating with Gobert on the bench And a negative rating with him on the floor.

When you give up THAT much draft capital and THAT many players... at team shouldn't have to change so many things just to make things easier for the new guy. The new guy should be great enough to fit into any lineup with anybody and make them better. Instead, we keep reading about excuses why Gobert isn't thriving.

Meanwhile, we see other players all over the league thriving in less-than-ideal situations. Throughout NBA history, the best players have proven they can still thrive with bad coaches and with any teammates. They don't require the perfect storm to be effective.

The Gobert is just a bigger, better Vanderbilt so the team will be better narrative is inherently false if the team has to jump through hoops to make things perfect for Gobert on the court.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I have a sneaky suspicion that we'll be hearing some rumblings from players (Edwards, Towns) this summer if the season doesn't turnaround about how they were mostly kept in the dark, had to compromise their own games, missed team chemistry, etc. by bringing in Gobert. After all, Gobert was a polarizing player -- even among NBA players -- prior to the trade. Making concessions for him that hurt your own stats without the team success won't sit well with today's type of NBA player.

There is a chance that the Wolves rebound when everybody returns and this is all moot. But I'd say there's an equal chance that this experiment gets really ugly.

[Lipoli390]

Trading D'Angelo Russell doesn't fix this roster. I hate to break that to you and everyone else who feels similarly. The glaring issues still exist plus now you have even less shot creation and perimeter shooting -- depending on what you get back in return, which I wouldn't expect to be much considering Russell's status as an expiring contract.

They'd be better off doing absolutely nothing and giving this group the entire season to play through it together than to panic and sell off parts for... different parts. Either Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert will be an effective pairing or they won't.

It wouldn't hurt, because DLO to Gobert should be an easy pass but it's too difficult for DLO which is odd.

Don't care about the KAT Gobert on court pairing. That is and will be fine. I'm more concerned about the parts around them. I do think KAT could get traded still in the offseason if things don't go well. But he is still better as a 4 in my head. I've seen enough to see him as too big a liability playing the 5 full time. It didn't work, we saw it long enough!!!

KAT played the C position full time last season and this team finished 10 games over .500. And who were KAT's teammates last season? DLO along with Edwards and McDaniels in only their second NBA season. Towns should be lionized for finishing 10 games over .500 and seriously challenging the 2nd seed Grizzlies in the playoffs with DLO and two second year players as his key rotation teammates. The Wolves wouldn't have been within sniffing distance of the playoffs last season without KAT. The only other time KAT has had any semblance of decent talent around him was the season Butler was here. And what happened? Well, the Wolves made the playoffs even though KAT was only 22 years old at the time - playing center. As for the rest of the roster that season - Jeff Teague, Jamaal Crawford - really underwhelming.

Bottom line is that KAT is a great player and he's proven to be great at the center position. He's not a good defender, but neither is Jokic. He paired well with a PF named Vanderbilt who is highly mobile, a good defender and very good rebounder. A better version of Vando is what KAT needs - someone who's a bit longer and stronger while also being more of a scoring threat than Vando. Actually, one might say he needs the Vando of this season. :). Neither KAT nor the position he plays is the problem with the Wolves this season and trading him would not be part of a viable solution; it would simply be an act of desperation that probably would not end well for this franchise. I'm not a big DLO fan, but I'll echo Cam in saying that DLO isn't the problem either. Fact is, this team didn't have a problem at the end of last season when KAT, DLO, Edwards, McDaniels, Beverly and Beasley were the main rotation players. The team simply needed to continue on the development path it was one with a couple tweaks. Connelly and his front office minions CREATED a problem with the Gobert deal, which disrupted a team that shouldn't have been disrupted, sapped it of its identity and left the Wolves rotation with a sub-optimal mix of players.

It's amazing how it's often so much harder to see the elephant when we're really close by. Obviously, the elephant is Rudy Gobert. The rest of the League sees it and actually saw it back when TC made the deal last summer. Gobert wasn't a good fit for this team when KAT was playing and it's obvious he's not a good fit with KAT out. KAT, Edwards and DLO were fine together. But KAT, DLO Edwards and Rudy Gobert? Not so good. We'll be better when KAT gets back, but not good enough to crack the top five in the West or win a playoff series. Hopefully by that time fans, and more importantly, the Wolves front office will see the elephant and take care of the problem.

The Wolves started the year terrible because DLO was terrible and shooting horribly, along with Nowell too. That is a fact. If he plays up to his contract as a max player, remember he is a max player not a role player salary, then the Wolves would be above .500 right now. Nowell is not a max player so his terrible shooting to start the year is a little less annoying.

JMac on the other hand despite also shooting poor was running the offense well. That is sad that JMac was outplaying both Nowell and DLO considering his contract and lack of playing time.

As far as KAT in the playoffs he melted down, couldn't defend and stay on the floor and the team was getting whacked on the boards. That is why they lost. They couldn't defend and rebound. KAT is who he is at this point. He cannot play the 5 full time and succeed in the playoffs. As far as DLO he was benched and terrible too. We lost in the playoffs because the two max players were shit. KAT had at least a few great nights but you need to bring it every night to win a series, not every other.

I'm still concerned about the playoff future of both DLO and KAT. Neither has proven effective.

So in the end the reason TC made the move for Gobert was because they couldn't defend the paint and rebound, he has largely fixed that when he is on the floor, though we still need better rebounding from all 5. One guy can't do it all, thats ridiculous to expect. Gobert does need to be better too, he hasn't been playing to his standard either.

KAT melted down and couldn't stay on the floor?? Seriously, you're in some alternative reality. KAT led the Wolves in scoring and rebounding in last year's playoff series. He averaged 37 minutes, 22 points and 11 rebounds per game. At 37 minutes per game, he obviously stayed on the floor and he was highly productive as always. He had only one bad game with 8 points and 5 rebounds. But he did have 5 blocks in that game. He was tremendous in the other five games, averaging 24.6 points and 12 rebounds in those games.

Clearly, KAT wasn't the problem in last year's playoff series - not the problem with the team's rebounding for sure. Not surprisingly, the Gobert trade hasn't improved the Wolves rebounding this season. But as you noted, "one guy can't do it all...". Well, duh. That's why you don't give up what TC gave up for ONE GUY - especially a role player. Yes, Rudy is a role player. He's excellent in his role, but that's it.

It's certainly fair to put a lot of blame of DLO for last season's series loss to the Grizzlies. But DLO was also the key to winning the play-in game against the Clippers. And let's not forget that the Grizzlies were the #2 seed in the West last season. They're top three again this season so far. In other words, they're a really, really good team. No shame in losing to the Grizzlies in six games last season. The key was keeping the group together and improving incrementally around KAT, Edwards and McDaniels. I've always been open to moving DLO, but I've never come up with a deal for him that would definitely make the team better.

[Wolvesfan21]

Trading D'Angelo Russell doesn't fix this roster. I hate to break that to you and everyone else who feels similarly. The glaring issues still exist plus now you have even less shot creation and perimeter shooting -- depending on what you get back in return, which I wouldn't expect to be much considering Russell's status as an expiring contract.

They'd be better off doing absolutely nothing and giving this group the entire season to play through it together than to panic and sell off parts for... different parts. Either Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert will be an effective pairing or they won't.

It wouldn't hurt, because DLO to Gobert should be an easy pass but it's too difficult for DLO which is odd.

Don't care about the KAT Gobert on court pairing. That is and will be fine. I'm more concerned about the parts around them. I do think KAT could get traded still in the offseason if things don't go well. But he is still better as a 4 in my head. I've seen enough to see him as too big a liability playing the 5 full time. It didn't work, we saw it long enough!!!

KAT played the C position full time last season and this team finished 10 games over .500. And who were KAT's teammates last season? DLO along with Edwards and McDaniels in only their second NBA season. Towns should be lionized for finishing 10 games over .500 and seriously challenging the 2nd seed Grizzlies in the playoffs with DLO and two second year players as his key rotation teammates. The Wolves wouldn't have been within sniffing distance of the playoffs last season without KAT. The only other time KAT has had any semblance of decent talent around him was the season Butler was here. And what happened? Well, the Wolves made the playoffs even though KAT was only 22 years old at the time - playing center. As for the rest of the roster that season - Jeff Teague, Jamaal Crawford - really underwhelming.

Bottom line is that KAT is a great player and he's proven to be great at the center position. He's not a good defender, but neither is Jokic. He paired well with a PF named Vanderbilt who is highly mobile, a good defender and very good rebounder. A better version of Vando is what KAT needs - someone who's a bit longer and stronger while also being more of a scoring threat than Vando. Actually, one might say he needs the Vando of this season. :). Neither KAT nor the position he plays is the problem with the Wolves this season and trading him would not be part of a viable solution; it would simply be an act of desperation that probably would not end well for this franchise. I'm not a big DLO fan, but I'll echo Cam in saying that DLO isn't the problem either. Fact is, this team didn't have a problem at the end of last season when KAT, DLO, Edwards, McDaniels, Beverly and Beasley were the main rotation players. The team simply needed to continue on the development path it was one with a couple tweaks. Connelly and his front office minions CREATED a problem with the Gobert deal, which disrupted a team that shouldn't have been disrupted, sapped it of its identity and left the Wolves rotation with a sub-optimal mix of players.

It's amazing how it's often so much harder to see the elephant when we're really close by. Obviously, the elephant is Rudy Gobert. The rest of the League sees it and actually saw it back when TC made the deal last summer. Gobert wasn't a good fit for this team when KAT was playing and it's obvious he's not a good fit with KAT out. KAT, Edwards and DLO were fine together. But KAT, DLO Edwards and Rudy Gobert? Not so good. We'll be better when KAT gets back, but not good enough to crack the top five in the West or win a playoff series. Hopefully by that time fans, and more importantly, the Wolves front office will see the elephant and take care of the problem.

The Wolves started the year terrible because DLO was terrible and shooting horribly, along with Nowell too. That is a fact. If he plays up to his contract as a max player, remember he is a max player not a role player salary, then the Wolves would be above .500 right now. Nowell is not a max player so his terrible shooting to start the year is a little less annoying.

JMac on the other hand despite also shooting poor was running the offense well. That is sad that JMac was outplaying both Nowell and DLO considering his contract and lack of playing time.

As far as KAT in the playoffs he melted down, couldn't defend and stay on the floor and the team was getting whacked on the boards. That is why they lost. They couldn't defend and rebound. KAT is who he is at this point. He cannot play the 5 full time and succeed in the playoffs. As far as DLO he was benched and terrible too. We lost in the playoffs because the two max players were shit. KAT had at least a few great nights but you need to bring it every night to win a series, not every other.

I'm still concerned about the playoff future of both DLO and KAT. Neither has proven effective.

So in the end the reason TC made the move for Gobert was because they couldn't defend the paint and rebound, he has largely fixed that when he is on the floor, though we still need better rebounding from all 5. One guy can't do it all, thats ridiculous to expect. Gobert does need to be better too, he hasn't been playing to his standard either.

KAT melted down and couldn't stay on the floor?? Seriously, you're in some alternative reality. KAT led the Wolves in scoring and rebounding in last year's playoff series. He averaged 37 minutes, 22 points and 11 rebounds per game. At 37 minutes per game, he obviously stayed on the floor and he was highly productive as always. He had only one bad game with 8 points and 5 rebounds. But he did have 5 blocks in that game. He was tremendous in the other five games, averaging 24.6 points and 12 rebounds in those games.

Clearly, KAT wasn't the problem in last year's playoff series - not the problem with the team's rebounding for sure. Not surprisingly, the Gobert trade hasn't improved the Wolves rebounding this season. But as you noted, "one guy can't do it all...". Well, duh. That's why you don't give up what TC gave up for ONE GUY - especially a role player. Yes, Rudy is a role player. He's excellent in his role, but that's it.

It's certainly fair to put a lot of blame of DLO for last season's series loss to the Grizzlies. But DLO was also the key to winning the play-in game against the Clippers. And let's not forget that the Grizzlies were the #2 seed in the West last season. They're top three again this season so far. In other words, they're a really, really good team. No shame in losing to the Grizzlies in six games last season. The key was keeping the group together and improving incrementally around KAT, Edwards and McDaniels. I've always been open to moving DLO, but I've never come up with a deal for him that would definitely make the team better.

If Rudy is a role player Durant is a role player. You have to consider that defense is 50% of the game. I don't think you are giving him credit for being the best defender in the NBA for the last 5 years.

I honestly like the strong defender then the strong scorer too. But considering that Rudy on offense if properly worked in is arguably the best screen and roller in the NBA and the best finisher in the NBA (has the stats to back it up). Rudy is actually elite on both ends IF used properly.

Think if a good-great PG like Chris Paul was this teams PG right now, how many easy dunks a game would Rudy be getting?

Instead we have DLO who is unable to screen and role and Ant who is a work in progress but shows tremendous upside still. Nowell who has work to go for sure as a passer.

If anyone should be succeeding now with Gobert it is DLO. He should have 4-5 assist lob dunks a game.