PorkChop wrote:We're skeptical of DLO and sing the praises of Tyus Jones and Ricky Rubio at a time that perimeter scoring is at a premium. I just don't get it.
Rubio was accessible and made people think that if they were unathletic but still charismatic they could make it in the nba too. More talented players who haven't developed into perfect stars yet seem to get less leeway around here.
PorkChop wrote:We're skeptical of DLO and sing the praises of Tyus Jones and Ricky Rubio at a time that perimeter scoring is at a premium. I just don't get it.
Rubio was accessible and made people think that if they were unathletic but still charismatic they could make it in the nba too. More talented players who haven't developed into perfect stars yet seem to get less leeway around here.
Pork chop is pointing out some bias that I think is real. Tyus qns Rubio for various reasons are likable dudes and they are guys that are on the team and have likable qualities on the court.
I've always believed in Russell's talent. I thought parts of his Potential were undervalued. There have also been some reports about him going back to college about his attitude etc. How big of a deal was that coming out of college? Idk some people are basically saying it's a no-brainer to sign this guy to a max deal. Because of some of the reports in he past and the fact that weeks ago he rolled through the airport with a can full of weed like it was no big deal...I think that's enough to legitimately give you pause. It's not like he has been playing like an all star for 3 years or something. Of corse he hasn't always been in a great position as I outlined in a post a few days ago. Still he isn't a sure thing and again I believe in the talent but... of course the other hand is how often do you get a chance at a guy like this? It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
PorkChop wrote:We're skeptical of DLO and sing the praises of Tyus Jones and Ricky Rubio at a time that perimeter scoring is at a premium. I just don't get it.
Rubio was accessible and made people think that if they were unathletic but still charismatic they could make it in the nba too. More talented players who haven't developed into perfect stars yet seem to get less leeway around here.
If Wiggins looked like he cared half as much as Rubio he'd get more leeway too. Nothing Rubio can do about his athleticism but there is plenty Wiggins can do about his effort.
PorkChop wrote:We're skeptical of DLO and sing the praises of Tyus Jones and Ricky Rubio at a time that perimeter scoring is at a premium. I just don't get it.
Rubio was accessible and made people think that if they were unathletic but still charismatic they could make it in the nba too. More talented players who haven't developed into perfect stars yet seem to get less leeway around here.
If Wiggins looked like he cared half as much as Rubio he'd get more leeway too. Nothing Rubio can do about his athleticism but there is plenty Wiggins can do about his effort.
Rubio looked like he was trying but he had plenty of lapses on the court. Watching him get torched every night became painful by the end. I maintain that there were many who identified more closely with Rubio so his shortcomings were overlooked. If everyone in Minnesota were world class athletes like Wiggins and top draft picks maybe they would have responded differently, but those 5 draft spots and being traded for a star by Minnesota standards in Love seemed to make the difference to how the players have been judged. Rubio has been all the loser and bad statistical player Wiggins was and is, there really wasn't ever any reason to treat them differently other than perception.
If we are serious about dlo. Teague + covington remains the best and strongest chance for us to get him.
Teams that are losing a superstar in free agency are better of pushing for a sign and trade and get something in return. That is where I think covington and teague brings very good value.
For example, durant to nets and dlo coming here with cov and teague going to golden state.
A contending team like golden state would love to have covington and his contract. Teague is an expiring that can help their depth. It makes sense for golden state to add more depth and remain a playoff team with klay surely resigning and coming back in feb/march next season than losing durant for nothing.
Makes sense for durant to push for a sign and trade in that he gets more money and can add another year to his deal.
The nets may be the party that would not be interested as they need to pay more but it can be a goodwill sign from them towards durant if they are willing to pay him more. I suspect a protected 1st or a couple of 2nd would be needed for brooklyn to agree to this though.
worldK wrote:If we are serious about dlo. Teague + covington remains the best and strongest chance for us to get him.
Teams that are losing a superstar in free agency are better of pushing for a sign and trade and get something in return. That is where I think covington and teague brings very good value.
For example, durant to nets and dlo coming here with cov and teague going to golden state.
A contending team like golden state would love to have covington and his contract. Teague is an expiring that can help their depth. It makes sense for golden state to add more depth and remain a playoff team with klay surely resigning and coming back in feb/march next season than losing durant for nothing.
Makes sense for durant to push for a sign and trade in that he gets more money and can add another year to his deal.
The nets may be the party that would not be interested as they need to pay more but it can be a goodwill sign from them towards durant if they are willing to pay him more. I suspect a protected 1st or a couple of 2nd would be needed for brooklyn to agree to this though.
Yuck. I see little reason as to why Covington would be moved. Rosas didn't move him on draft night and I don't expect him to be moved this entire off-season.
worldK wrote:If we are serious about dlo. Teague + covington remains the best and strongest chance for us to get him.
Teams that are losing a superstar in free agency are better of pushing for a sign and trade and get something in return. That is where I think covington and teague brings very good value.
For example, durant to nets and dlo coming here with cov and teague going to golden state.
A contending team like golden state would love to have covington and his contract. Teague is an expiring that can help their depth. It makes sense for golden state to add more depth and remain a playoff team with klay surely resigning and coming back in feb/march next season than losing durant for nothing.
Makes sense for durant to push for a sign and trade in that he gets more money and can add another year to his deal.
The nets may be the party that would not be interested as they need to pay more but it can be a goodwill sign from them towards durant if they are willing to pay him more. I suspect a protected 1st or a couple of 2nd would be needed for brooklyn to agree to this though.
Yuck. I see little reason as to why Covington would be moved. Rosas didn't move him on draft night and I don't expect him to be moved this entire off-season.
Moving Teague and Gorgui plus some combination of picks gets us to the number. I don't see a need to move Covington especially when we're going to need him even more playing small.
I still don't see why DLO picks us over LA though unless he's bitter about how they treated him the first time.
worldK wrote:If we are serious about dlo. Teague + covington remains the best and strongest chance for us to get him.
Teams that are losing a superstar in free agency are better of pushing for a sign and trade and get something in return. That is where I think covington and teague brings very good value.
For example, durant to nets and dlo coming here with cov and teague going to golden state.
A contending team like golden state would love to have covington and his contract. Teague is an expiring that can help their depth. It makes sense for golden state to add more depth and remain a playoff team with klay surely resigning and coming back in feb/march next season than losing durant for nothing.
Makes sense for durant to push for a sign and trade in that he gets more money and can add another year to his deal.
The nets may be the party that would not be interested as they need to pay more but it can be a goodwill sign from them towards durant if they are willing to pay him more. I suspect a protected 1st or a couple of 2nd would be needed for brooklyn to agree to this though.
Yuck. I see little reason as to why Covington would be moved. Rosas didn't move him on draft night and I don't expect him to be moved this entire off-season.
Moving Teague and Gorgui plus some combination of picks gets us to the number. I don't see a need to move Covington especially when we're going to need him even more playing small.
I still don't see why DLO picks us over LA though unless he's bitter about how they treated him the first time.
Personal ego and friendship. Russell will be a primary option in Minnesota with the ball in his hands a lot. Also, should the Wolves become a contender, he'd likely be a pretty big reason why.
The obvious is the close relationship with his boy Towns. Those guys have been close since high school days -- Russell at Montverde Academy and Towns at St. Joseph's. In the past, Towns called Russell "one of the best human beings on this planet" and Russell said that Towns was "a guy I would let my daughter date if I had one." These two have done advertisements together. They've done YouTube videos together. They even flew in a private plane together to attend Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals together.
Playing with someone he's that close with in a situation that will best fit his game cannot be overstated. That's without including how in LA Russell will be the scapegoat for when things go wrong -- due his past history there and the two superstars ahead of him in pecking order -- and some guys just struggle playing with LeBron James. For as much as Russell wants the ball in his hands, and rightfully so, it's going to be a huge difference when he's standing in the corner while LeBron takes over possessions. I think Russell is a smart guy and knows all of this, so, if Rosas can clear the space and Brooklyn signs Kyrie Irving, I think Russell is in Minnesota this season and beyond.
