Timberwolves front office thread

[rapsuperstar31]

Before the season, I was on board with giving Sachin Gupta the job and responsibility of leading this franchise. Having a full season under his belt, I'm less confident in my initial feelings. I didn't appreciate Gupta allowing a fixable and noticeable issue with the roster to linger -- lack of size and rebounding -- from start to finish. There were avenues to improving this area and he either could not or would not make the necessary deals to correct the problem. Media members that cover this team must like him, however, because most if not all of them lauded his decision to sit and do absolutely nothing. Head-scratching to me.

I now lean towards the position of Gupta being someone I'd value highly in my front office, but not someone I'd want running the show and calling the shots. I obviously haven't worked with the man, but my view from a distance is that I don't think he has the basketball savvy or deal-making skills to thrive in that role.

I'd prefer trying to pry Calvin Booth back away from Denver or Justin Zanik away from Utah with Danny Ainge lingering in some weird executive role and Dennis Lindsey in an advisory role there. Too many chefs in the kitchen.

Cam - I hear what you're saying and I share your disappointment in Gupta allowing the size/rebounding problem to linger. But I haven't reached the point yet where I'm leaning towards replacing Gupta in the top position. As we all know, the size/rebounding problem was created by Rosas who stubbornly refused to acknowledge the need for size as he pursued his vision of a Rockets-like small-ball team. It's true that Gupta failed to address that problem via trade before the February deadline. And perhaps he could have addressed it via free agency shortly after the trade deadline. Then again, who knows what trade or free agency opportunities he really had. No telling who he could have acquired in a trade or what the Wolves would have had to give up. I remember that you and I wanted Gupta to pick up a rebounding big like Moses Brown shortly after the deadline, but there was a luxury tax concern and we can't know for sure what/when the tipping point was for that concern. I think he waited too long to sign Monroe, but I'm not sure how much an earlier signing would have impacted the Wolves playoff position.

My gut tells me that you're right about Gupta not having the basketball savvy or deal-making skills to thrive in the top position and that he's best suited as the #2. But my head is telling me to wait for more evidence before I lean one way or the other.

Cam I think your position based on their lack of adding a player to the frontcourt is a fair. I listened to a few different podcasts yesterday so I can't remember who said this but someone was like if there was even .002 percent chance that Prince got those incentives you don't sign anyone because if he hits them and the Wolves go into the luxury tax and not only have to pay in but then don't get the millions of Lux tax payments from the league and you have to call Glen and ownership that...well that's probably the end of Gupta's chance at the job. That might be going a little too far but I mean...yeah. Being so close to the luxury tax was a pretty big factor in what the Wolves could or couldn't do.

I'll say this let's also see what value they can get for having multiple 2nd rounders. If they are able to utilize them for some sort worthwhile of value before or during the draft then it may make sense to some extent they held off on doing a deal. If they end up just selling even one for cash...then it's easy to say they should have done something even minor that could have opened up salary to sign a guy or make a deal earlier. This is complete speculation and I don't think it's likely but maybe Gupta had a sense that there are teams that value getting back into the 2nd round this year that don't have a pick.

It sounds like they planned to sign Monroe earlier than they did but he signed the 10-day it's Utah which netted Monroe more money than if the Wolves had signed him a few days earlier for the rest of the season.

Ultimately where we ware sitting now the Wolves had a good season made the playoffs (so to some extent whether we added a big in the regular season doesn't matter) and so to me the biggest question now is whether or not a move that could have been made would have helped them in the Memphis series. Would making a Montrezl Harrell deal have been the difference in the series? Maybe idk it does feel like he would have been helpful. They also didn't know at the trade deadline who they were going to be playing. For example how much would he play in the playoffs if they were facing the warriors? Can they sign someone that good or better to a mid-level deal this offseason or would it have made sense to make a trade and be able to sign someone like Harrell for a little more than that? I like Harrell but he probably isn't the answer next to Towns but he would certainly be an upgrade for the roster.

As for your list of possible options Calvin Booth might be a guy that Gupta would want to work with...or he might think I'm just as qualified as he is or more. Grabbing a liger guy from Utah sounds good and Zanik might be like...I'll let someone else figure what to do with that Utah roster.

One thing I'll mention here is that it looks like the luxury tax is calculated at the end of the last game so the Wolves or other teams are able to make deals before the draft and during it without worry about that. That means the Wolves could use the 4 million trade exception they got in the Rubio deal before or during a draft day deal or before it expires before the end of the league year. There is all sorts of ways the Wolves could use that. They could try and get a young player on a rookie deal that a team is willing to move on from. The Wolves could take on salary from a team with salary cap concerns and or a roster crunch like Dallas and maybe get something for it. Adding that player might even help in a separate deal later to help match salaries. With almost 30 million under the Lux tax and some various assets the Wolves have some flexibility to make moves this offseason. Is Gupta the right guy for the job? Will they actually hire someone else? The draft a little more than a month away are they going to be able to really hire someone from another team before then?

I personally would have rolled the dice on that .002% chance Prince got those incentives, you could have always waived Layman and stretched out his salary over the next few years in an emergency.

[Monster]

I'll add that when it comes to Gupta meeting and speaking to the media I think he has done a solid job. That was one question I had about him. Obviously the first time he spoke after getting the job it was an awkward situation so I wasn't going to judge him on that (he did fine all things considered) but I think since then he has come off reasonably well. Is he wildly exciting? No but he seems thoughtful and engaging enough and doesn't seem scared to speak with people. He has seemed willing to let his guard down a little and show some of his personality too. Not a lot but enough to make me think he is a human. I'm moot saying he has knocked it out of the park just that I think he has done enough for me to not be worried about that. If he gets the job it's a very public position so he needs to be able to engage and be willing to engage with media, fans and others. It seems like he is likely to be able to do that. It also helps that Finch is a pretty engaging guy. There are a lot of NBA top executives that are not exactly super engaging personalities but they do their actual job well and show up and answer the questions and give thoughts etc. I think we are all more concerned with the results but you would have to be REALLY good to do the job and not have reasonably competence in that regard.

I also feel like whether Gupta is the right guy for the job or not may remain to be seen but I think he is absolutely qualified for the job. This isn't a oh he is a nice dude and he is already here, knows Finch etc thing he is a legit candidate and would likely be a guy on the list of options if he was working for another franchise.

[Monster]

Before the season, I was on board with giving Sachin Gupta the job and responsibility of leading this franchise. Having a full season under his belt, I'm less confident in my initial feelings. I didn't appreciate Gupta allowing a fixable and noticeable issue with the roster to linger -- lack of size and rebounding -- from start to finish. There were avenues to improving this area and he either could not or would not make the necessary deals to correct the problem. Media members that cover this team must like him, however, because most if not all of them lauded his decision to sit and do absolutely nothing. Head-scratching to me.

I now lean towards the position of Gupta being someone I'd value highly in my front office, but not someone I'd want running the show and calling the shots. I obviously haven't worked with the man, but my view from a distance is that I don't think he has the basketball savvy or deal-making skills to thrive in that role.

I'd prefer trying to pry Calvin Booth back away from Denver or Justin Zanik away from Utah with Danny Ainge lingering in some weird executive role and Dennis Lindsey in an advisory role there. Too many chefs in the kitchen.

Cam - I hear what you're saying and I share your disappointment in Gupta allowing the size/rebounding problem to linger. But I haven't reached the point yet where I'm leaning towards replacing Gupta in the top position. As we all know, the size/rebounding problem was created by Rosas who stubbornly refused to acknowledge the need for size as he pursued his vision of a Rockets-like small-ball team. It's true that Gupta failed to address that problem via trade before the February deadline. And perhaps he could have addressed it via free agency shortly after the trade deadline. Then again, who knows what trade or free agency opportunities he really had. No telling who he could have acquired in a trade or what the Wolves would have had to give up. I remember that you and I wanted Gupta to pick up a rebounding big like Moses Brown shortly after the deadline, but there was a luxury tax concern and we can't know for sure what/when the tipping point was for that concern. I think he waited too long to sign Monroe, but I'm not sure how much an earlier signing would have impacted the Wolves playoff position.

My gut tells me that you're right about Gupta not having the basketball savvy or deal-making skills to thrive in the top position and that he's best suited as the #2. But my head is telling me to wait for more evidence before I lean one way or the other.

Cam I think your position based on their lack of adding a player to the frontcourt is a fair. I listened to a few different podcasts yesterday so I can't remember who said this but someone was like if there was even .002 percent chance that Prince got those incentives you don't sign anyone because if he hits them and the Wolves go into the luxury tax and not only have to pay in but then don't get the millions of Lux tax payments from the league and you have to call Glen and ownership that...well that's probably the end of Gupta's chance at the job. That might be going a little too far but I mean...yeah. Being so close to the luxury tax was a pretty big factor in what the Wolves could or couldn't do.

I'll say this let's also see what value they can get for having multiple 2nd rounders. If they are able to utilize them for some sort worthwhile of value before or during the draft then it may make sense to some extent they held off on doing a deal. If they end up just selling even one for cash...then it's easy to say they should have done something even minor that could have opened up salary to sign a guy or make a deal earlier. This is complete speculation and I don't think it's likely but maybe Gupta had a sense that there are teams that value getting back into the 2nd round this year that don't have a pick.

It sounds like they planned to sign Monroe earlier than they did but he signed the 10-day it's Utah which netted Monroe more money than if the Wolves had signed him a few days earlier for the rest of the season.

Ultimately where we ware sitting now the Wolves had a good season made the playoffs (so to some extent whether we added a big in the regular season doesn't matter) and so to me the biggest question now is whether or not a move that could have been made would have helped them in the Memphis series. Would making a Montrezl Harrell deal have been the difference in the series? Maybe idk it does feel like he would have been helpful. They also didn't know at the trade deadline who they were going to be playing. For example how much would he play in the playoffs if they were facing the warriors? Can they sign someone that good or better to a mid-level deal this offseason or would it have made sense to make a trade and be able to sign someone like Harrell for a little more than that? I like Harrell but he probably isn't the answer next to Towns but he would certainly be an upgrade for the roster.

As for your list of possible options Calvin Booth might be a guy that Gupta would want to work with...or he might think I'm just as qualified as he is or more. Grabbing a liger guy from Utah sounds good and Zanik might be like...I'll let someone else figure what to do with that Utah roster.

One thing I'll mention here is that it looks like the luxury tax is calculated at the end of the last game so the Wolves or other teams are able to make deals before the draft and during it without worry about that. That means the Wolves could use the 4 million trade exception they got in the Rubio deal before or during a draft day deal or before it expires before the end of the league year. There is all sorts of ways the Wolves could use that. They could try and get a young player on a rookie deal that a team is willing to move on from. The Wolves could take on salary from a team with salary cap concerns and or a roster crunch like Dallas and maybe get something for it. Adding that player might even help in a separate deal later to help match salaries. With almost 30 million under the Lux tax and some various assets the Wolves have some flexibility to make moves this offseason. Is Gupta the right guy for the job? Will they actually hire someone else? The draft a little more than a month away are they going to be able to really hire someone from another team before then?

I personally would have rolled the dice on that .002% chance Prince got those incentives, you could have always waived Layman and stretched out his salary over the next few years in an emergency.

I just looked this up and actually after September 1 the player's salary is locked in for the season so stretching Layman's salary this season was not an option. You can waive and stretch a guy in season with remaining years and those years will be stretched out over a longer period of time but this season's salary isn't affected.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Monster, respectfully, I don't buy that as a legitimate excuse as to why roster improvements weren't made mid-season. Those incentives weren't necessarily a surprise inclusion in his contract either. The front office knows about those details months in advance so they can prepare for them accordingly. Letting players' contractual incentives, especially the ones that are improbable of triggering, hold you back from upgrading the roster or improving a weakness is poor management, in my opinion. That falls on Gersson Rosas for creating the situation and Sachin Gupta for allowing the situation to handcuff the team as they were trying to make a push into the top-six.

More specifically, I question the trade activity, or lack thereof. There were a handful of meaningful and cost efficient trades processed at or near the deadline that Minnesota arguably could have and should have been involved in. It was reported that the Wolves were really only looking at making a move for Montrezl Harrell as a legitimate trade candidate.

To conclude, I'm just not impressed with what I've seen from Sachin Gupta one year into the job. I don't think an executive should ever really be praised for inactivity nor do I think the moves he's made to this point are real resume builders -- adding Greg Monroe on a hardship waiver when the NBA required teams to add players, extending Patrick Beverley on a one-year deal, and signing Steve Senior to be assistant GM. I have nothing against these moves in particular, but that's what I have to judge Gupta on in addition to him sitting on his hands leading up to the deadline. For example, do you know who could have done the same exact thing? Scott Layden. I think Gupta's more intelligent and more deserving of the job than Layden, obviously, but the job he's done to this point doesn't spark much confidence.

[Lipoli390]

Monster, respectfully, I don't buy that as a legitimate excuse as to why roster improvements weren't made mid-season. Those incentives weren't necessarily a surprise inclusion in his contract either. The front office knows about those details months in advance so they can prepare for them accordingly. Letting players' contractual incentives, especially the ones that are improbable of triggering, hold you back from upgrading the roster or improving a weakness is poor management, in my opinion. That falls on Gersson Rosas for creating the situation and Sachin Gupta for allowing the situation to handcuff the team as they were trying to make a push into the top-six.

More specifically, I question the trade activity, or lack thereof. There were a handful of meaningful and cost efficient trades processed at or near the deadline that Minnesota arguably could have and should have been involved in. It was reported that the Wolves were really only looking at making a move for Montrezl Harrell as a legitimate trade candidate.

To conclude, I'm just not impressed with what I've seen from Sachin Gupta one year into the job. I don't think an executive should ever really be praised for inactivity nor do I think the moves he's made to this point are real resume builders -- adding Greg Monroe on a hardship waiver when the NBA required teams to add players, extending Patrick Beverley on a one-year deal, and signing Steve Senior to be assistant GM. I have nothing against these moves in particular, but that's what I have to judge Gupta on in addition to him sitting on his hands leading up to the deadline. For example, do you know who could have done the same exact thing? Scott Layden. I think Gupta's more intelligent and more deserving of the job than Layden, obviously, but the job he's done to this point doesn't spark much confidence.

I just don't believe that short span leading up to and immediately following the February trade deadline provides nearly enough information from which we can form reliable conclusions about Gupta's competence in his current position. The best executives I've worked with over the years have tended to take the long view and show patience. I think Gupta was doing just that -- i.e., keeping his powder dry to preserve the fullest range of options for this offseason. He probably made the reasonable judgment that the Wolves weren't going to compete for a championship this season and that there was little he could do in that short window he had to reliably and meaningfully move the needle on the outcome of this year's season. Because of his patience, the Wolves enter the offseason with all their draft picks, all the players who have meaningful trade value and lots of space under the luxury tax threshold. He has the full MLE because he kept the team under the luxury tax threshold through the end of the season.

As I indicated, I'm not sure Gupta has the savvy to be the top guy in the organization. But that's just a gut feeling. The evidence doesn't tell me that and, in fact, his patient approach thus far could be viewed as evidence that he's the right guy for the job. After the dust has settled on this offseason I'll feel comfortable making a judgment on Gupta. Until then, I remain on the fence and hopeful.

[KG4Ever]

I like what I've seen from Gupta so far, but its too early to tell if he should get the job long term. Rosas was making a lot of noise regarding a Ben Simmons deal and Gupta didn't bite. We now see with Simmons injury and year long holdout, that trading a bunch of future assets for Simmons likely would have been a huge mistake. Gupta seems the antithesis of Rosas, quiet and calculated. I'm waiting to see how he handles the draft and free agency before I form any further conclusions.

[kekgeek]

Doogie said that wolves are going big game hunting for a GM and will even look at others teams gms. Wolves might give up draft compensation to get it done. Over the last few weeks he has mentioned brand and fields as possibilities. I would be pissed

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Doogie said that wolves are going big game hunting for a GM and will even look at others teams gms. Wolves might give up draft compensation to get it done. Over the last few weeks he has mentioned brand and fields as possibilities. I would be pissed

I actually do hope that ownership looks outside the organization for talent, especially in terms of finding a President of Basketball Operations. Ideally, I think they pursue some of the more accomplished executives that have experience as a scout, coach, player, or agent. I feel like those backgrounds tend to transfer well in those respective positions, especially when it comes to prospect evaluation. Additionally, I think you retain Sachin Gupta as the Vice President, which was his role before taking over the interim job.

With that said, I would not endorse Elton Brand. That would be a significant misstep, in my opinion.

[kekgeek]

Doogie said that wolves are going big game hunting for a GM and will even look at others teams gms. Wolves might give up draft compensation to get it done. Over the last few weeks he has mentioned brand and fields as possibilities. I would be pissed

I actually do hope that ownership looks outside the organization for talent, especially in terms of finding a President of Basketball Operations. Ideally, I think they pursue some of the more accomplished executives that have experience as a scout, coach, player, or agent. I feel like those backgrounds tend to transfer well in those respective positions, especially when it comes to prospect evaluation. Additionally, I think you retain Sachin Gupta as the Vice President, which was his role before taking over the interim job.

With that said, I would not endorse Elton Brand. That would be a significant misstep, in my opinion.

Agree with your statement. I don't like giving up locks though for front office people off their names aren't Presti or Massi

[KG4Ever]

Doogie said that wolves are going big game hunting for a GM and will even look at others teams gms. Wolves might give up draft compensation to get it done. Over the last few weeks he has mentioned brand and fields as possibilities. I would be pissed

I have never heard of giving up draft compensation for a GM. Why would we even need to consider doing so? I would be pissed if we gave up a first round pick for a new GM. Sure, there are a handful of GMs that I would prefer over Gupta, but most are old and the teams aren't going to let the top ones go even for a first round pick.