2nd best team at defending pick and roll.....that stat sure doesn't tell the whole story. Do you watch the games? Gobert backing up giving about the largest gap in the NBA between defender and the offense. A playoff team will crush that weak ass defense!
How about KAT's lack of effort impersonating a traffic cone as the other team blows by him, or KAT stuck in between switching and staying with his man looking lost.
Ever think your stat doesn't tell the whole story? They are 4-4 wins over OKC twice, LAL missing AD, and one win in three games VS SA.
Gobert for 4 years at that price is good? How?
I want this team to be good but it ain't gonna happen unless some major changes are made.
How’s that trade working?
Re: How’s that trade working?
I love Rudy. Think hes a great fit. Towns and Dlo are the players I am more worried about long term.
Re: How’s that trade working?
thedoper wrote:I love Rudy. Think hes a great fit. Towns and Dlo are the players I am more worried about long term.
I'm not worried about Towns or Gobert individually. I'm worried about Towns and Gobert together. I didn't think it was a good fit when the deal was made and I haven't seen anything to change my mind. I'm still open to the possibility that things might work out with the two of them together. But I just don't see this team gelling with DLO as the starting PG. That should be the Wolves primary focus right now - fixing the DLO problem. I don't know what they can do, but Connelly and his large front office team are paid a lot of money to figure those things out. This team also needs to add a Beverley/Vando/Rodman type. I don't know who that might be, but it's essential to get that sort of player in my view.
Re: How’s that trade working?
lipoli390 wrote:thedoper wrote:I love Rudy. Think hes a great fit. Towns and Dlo are the players I am more worried about long term.
I'm not worried about Towns or Gobert individually. I'm worried about Towns and Gobert together. I didn't think it was a good fit when the deal was made and I haven't seen anything to change my mind. I'm still open to the possibility that things might work out with the two of them together. But I just don't see this team gelling with DLO as the starting PG. That should be the Wolves primary focus right now - fixing the DLO problem. I don't know what they can do, but Connelly and his large front office team are paid a lot of money to figure those things out. This team also needs to add a Beverley/Vando/Rodman type. I don't know who that might be, but it's essential to get that sort of player in my view.
Im with you on the hustle guy. Slow mo has yet to have a good game. He tweaked his back pretty bad there so Im hoping its just that but hes been pretty inept.
Towns and Gobert is a puzzle, but Towns has always been a puzzle on his own. He doesnt play offense or defense like a traditional center but hes not quick enough to play other positions.
I have to assume Dlo is not part of the long term plan. Finch clearly is not a fan and Dlo's play has been deteriorating before our eyes. I dont think they could do anything now, but I would assume that hes gone by the trade deadline.
Re: How’s that trade working?
thedoper wrote:lipoli390 wrote:thedoper wrote:I love Rudy. Think hes a great fit. Towns and Dlo are the players I am more worried about long term.
I'm not worried about Towns or Gobert individually. I'm worried about Towns and Gobert together. I didn't think it was a good fit when the deal was made and I haven't seen anything to change my mind. I'm still open to the possibility that things might work out with the two of them together. But I just don't see this team gelling with DLO as the starting PG. That should be the Wolves primary focus right now - fixing the DLO problem. I don't know what they can do, but Connelly and his large front office team are paid a lot of money to figure those things out. This team also needs to add a Beverley/Vando/Rodman type. I don't know who that might be, but it's essential to get that sort of player in my view.
Im with you on the hustle guy. Slow mo has yet to have a good game. He tweaked his back pretty bad there so Im hoping its just that but hes been pretty inept.
Towns and Gobert is a puzzle, but Towns has always been a puzzle on his own. He doesnt play offense or defense like a traditional center but hes not quick enough to play other positions.
I have to assume Dlo is not part of the long term plan. Finch clearly is not a fan and Dlo's play has been deteriorating before our eyes. I dont think they could do anything now, but I would assume that hes gone by the trade deadline.
I get what you're saying about the Towns puzzle. But I think the best way to understand KAT's value is to look at Jokic. They are both very similar as gifted and unique offensive bigs who don't excel on the defensive side of the ball and can't really play other positions. Jokic is a better playmaker and smarter player than KAT. But KAT is an even more efficient scorer and the better three-point shooter between the two. The key with KAT has always been assembling the right talent around him. I think we had the right mix of talent around him last season, which resulted in 46 wins and taking 2nd seed Grizzlies to six games when Ant was still 20 years old in his second season and DLO played like crap. We needed to tweak the roster to improve the team's defense and rebounding but do so without disrupting the mix of players we had - a mix that surrounded KAT with fast, athletic, high energy players like Edwards, Vando, Beverley and Beasley.
As for Slow Mo, I'm a big fan of his game. But he was never going to be a Rodman/Vando/Beverley type. He's more of a methodical, high-IQ, fundamentally sound player. I liked the idea of adding him to what we already had. I thought he was one of those tweaks that would have significantly improved the team we had. But in my view, he's really not what we need with a KAT-Gobert tandem and no Vando or Beverley.
As for DLO, I hope you're right that he'll be moved by the deadline. But I'm not sure the Wolves can make that happen. We'd have to take back comparable salary in return. I'm wondering who that might be. This team really can't afford to take back a comparable multi-year contract. Trading DLO for another expiring contract would make sense if the Wolves could at least get a future 2nd-round pick out of the deal. I'm wondering if the Bulls would be interested in swapping Lonzo Ball for DLO. The Wolves would be taking on the risk of a 3-year commitment to Lonzo even though he's experiencing a knee problem that won't seem to go away. But perhaps the Wolves could leverage that risk into getting another valuable asset from the Bulls.
Re: How’s that trade working?
lipoli390 wrote:thedoper wrote:lipoli390 wrote:thedoper wrote:I love Rudy. Think hes a great fit. Towns and Dlo are the players I am more worried about long term.
I'm not worried about Towns or Gobert individually. I'm worried about Towns and Gobert together. I didn't think it was a good fit when the deal was made and I haven't seen anything to change my mind. I'm still open to the possibility that things might work out with the two of them together. But I just don't see this team gelling with DLO as the starting PG. That should be the Wolves primary focus right now - fixing the DLO problem. I don't know what they can do, but Connelly and his large front office team are paid a lot of money to figure those things out. This team also needs to add a Beverley/Vando/Rodman type. I don't know who that might be, but it's essential to get that sort of player in my view.
Im with you on the hustle guy. Slow mo has yet to have a good game. He tweaked his back pretty bad there so Im hoping its just that but hes been pretty inept.
Towns and Gobert is a puzzle, but Towns has always been a puzzle on his own. He doesnt play offense or defense like a traditional center but hes not quick enough to play other positions.
I have to assume Dlo is not part of the long term plan. Finch clearly is not a fan and Dlo's play has been deteriorating before our eyes. I dont think they could do anything now, but I would assume that hes gone by the trade deadline.
I get what you're saying about the Towns puzzle. But I think the best way to understand KAT's value is to look at Jokic. They are both very similar as gifted and unique offensive bigs who don't excel on the defensive side of the ball and can't really play other positions. Jokic is a better playmaker and smarter player than KAT. But KAT is an even more efficient scorer and the better three-point shooter between the two. The key with KAT has always been assembling the right talent around him. I think we had the right mix of talent around him last season, which resulted in 46 wins and taking 2nd seed Grizzlies to six games when Ant was still 20 years old in his second season and DLO played like crap. We needed to tweak the roster to improve the team's defense and rebounding but do so without disrupting the mix of players we had - a mix that surrounded KAT with fast, athletic, high energy players like Edwards, Vando, Beverley and Beasley.
As for Slow Mo, I'm a big fan of his game. But he was never going to be a Rodman/Vando/Beverley type. He's more of a methodical, high-IQ, fundamentally sound player. I liked the idea of adding him to what we already had. I thought he was one of those tweaks that would have significantly improved the team we had. But in my view, he's really not what we need with a KAT-Gobert tandem and no Vando or Beverley.
As for DLO, I hope you're right that he'll be moved by the deadline. But I'm not sure the Wolves can make that happen. We'd have to take back comparable salary in return. I'm wondering who that might be. This team really can't afford to take back a comparable multi-year contract. Trading DLO for another expiring contract would make sense if the Wolves could at least get a future 2nd-round pick out of the deal. I'm wondering if the Bulls would be interested in swapping Lonzo Ball for DLO. The Wolves would be taking on the risk of a 3-year commitment to Lonzo even though he's experiencing a knee problem that won't seem to go away. But perhaps the Wolves could leverage that risk into getting another valuable asset from the Bulls.
My point on Slow Mo wasn't his style of play, more the fact that he was supposed to be a defensive anchor by all accounts. He just hasn't done much of that or anything yet. Im theoretically a fan of his game too, Im just waiting for him to have a good game.
On a trade, the move I would try to make still would be for De'Aaron Fox. We immediately get a PG who can play at Finch's pace. The downside is that Dlo has no value right now and Sac isn't going to give us Fox for Dlo unless they become desperate to just get rid of him.
Re: How’s that trade working?
This article captures my thinking:
https://dunkingwithwolves.com/2022/11/07/trade-never-happened-haunt-minnesota-timberwolves/
https://dunkingwithwolves.com/2022/11/07/trade-never-happened-haunt-minnesota-timberwolves/