kekgeek1 wrote:Legit question isn't Thabo just another Brandon Rush. I see Thabo is barley getting run for the Hawks in the playoffs. I know he used to be an above average role player but is he still.
Nope. Thabo is a great defender and Rush is a bad defender since he blew out his knees.
thedoper wrote:We're already talking ourselves into 3rd tier guys. It hurts. Why not Milsap or Ibaka? Either makes us a much better team with no financial impact beyond making Glen spend luxury tax which he has been saving since Cassel left.
4 years for max or near max money is why some people would take lesser players for less money shorter contracts. Yes it sucks but sometimes the lesser signings end up being better than expected and there are plenty of times teams spends that big money for good players and it doesn't work out.
Why are we worried about Glens money? A shorter contract won't give us flexibility because KAT is going to max us out anyway. We need to strike now while we have the space.
Um I'm more just living in reality. So you know for sure those guys in year 3 and 4 are still gonna be good? Being way over the lux tax can hurt you because it still limits being able to add players later.
thedoper wrote:We're already talking ourselves into 3rd tier guys. It hurts. Why not Milsap or Ibaka? Either makes us a much better team with no financial impact beyond making Glen spend luxury tax which he has been saving since Cassel left.
Doper -- I think it's a matter of being realistic. We could offer Millsap a max contract, but we wouldn't be the only team, including his current team which has already established itself as a playoff team. The odds of Millsap leaving the Hawks AND coming to the Wolves seem remote. And I'm not sure Millsap is worth a max deal for the Wolves given what he brings and his age, although I do like his defense, rebounding and toughness. Ibaka seems less of a long-shot to sign here, but some of us have some misgivings about him given his steady statistical decline and bouncing through 3 teams in 3 seasons. Yes, he's playing well the last couple games, but that's not enough to erase the concerns. Moreover, even if Thibs thinks it's worth the risk to pursue him, it seems likely the Raptors would offer at least as much to keep him after having traded for him.
I'd be OK if we ended up signing either Millsap or Ibaka as a FA, even if it required a max contract. But I just don't see either one signing here. Hence, it's on to the next tier, or the tier below that, which leads to names like JJ Redick, Thabo Sefolosha, PJ Tucker, Tony Allen, Illyasova, Taj Gibson, Amir Johnson, Zaza Pachulia, Kyle Korver, Patrick Patterson, and Tyreke Evans
Can't we just wait till Thibs strikes out to let that Minnesota realism kick in? It's only April. :)
kekgeek1 wrote:Legit question isn't Thabo just another Brandon Rush. I see Thabo is barley getting run for the Hawks in the playoffs. I know he used to be an above average role player but is he still.
Now granted, it's amazing how vet players like Rush come to Minnesota and suddenly the bottom falls out and they put up career low numbers. Perhaps that happens with Thabo too. The difference is defense seems like something harder to "go cold" on than offense and that's why we'd get Thabo.
I actually liked Brandon Rush at first. He even made an occasional highlight reel chase-down block. But damn, it's amazing how little he did while on the floor.
Some people overrated Rush's D because of those splash plays and how the defense took off there for a while. He started getting exposed a bit also. Part of that was he struggles a bit with quicker guard especially combo guards. I think Rush as a defender is decent maybe even average maybe even a little above average especially if you are bringing him off the bench and putting him in advantageous spots. He clearly had a clue what to do within the team defensive scheme. I don't think there is any doubt that Prince was a better defender last year than Rush was this year. I can't imagine Rush will have tons of offers this year I would like to bring him back because the guy is solid and it would be nice to have some continuity.
CoolBreeze44 wrote:Been enjoying reading this discussion. I have my own opinion on most of these guys, but I like the arguments made for Jamychal Green so far.
Almost a perfect fit. Blue collar guy not afraid to mix it up. Comes from the type of culture that is the exact opposite of what we have in Minnesota: Toughness, defense, and winning.
I agree that Green would be a great addition. But he's a restricted FA and I don't see Memphis failing to match any offer we make unless it's an insane offer that we shouldn't make. In fact, it's generally unrealistic to expect to sign any restricted FA unless it's a player who shouldn't be pursued or the player's current team needs cap space. I don't see any realistic options among this year's restricted free agents. Otherwise, there are two restricted FAs I'd love to pursue. Green is one of them. The other is DeWayne Dedmon.
If we're going to sign a FA outright, then I still think it's going to be an unrestricted FA. And the only realistic options worth pursuing in my view would be Redick, Illyasova, Pachulia, Amir Johnson, and Kyle Korver. Redick and Illyasova would probably cost the most in this group. Gibson is a realistic option, but I'd prefer one of the others I listed. I wouldn't pursue Tony Allen because of his age and a body that always seems on the brink of breaking down.
I see Millsap and Ibaka as two unrestricted FAs worth pursuing even though getting them seems unrealistic.
lipoli390 wrote:I don't see any realistic trades that would bring a needle-moving player here without giving up assets that would negate most if not all the deal's value. But I'd be interested in any ideas.
Any interest in trading the 6th pick to Denver for Kenneth Faried? Wouldn't help with floor spacing, but he's a tough, relentless rebounder.
What about the 6th pick to Boston for Jae Crowder? Literally the perfect 3 and D player to have mixed in with LaVine and Wiggins. Boston then flips both first rounders and Avery Bradley for Jimmy Butler/Paul George.
6th pick for Tobias Harris? Provides floor spacing. Detroit may want to shuffle the roster a bit.
Swing a trade for John Henson? Would provide rim protection. On a good contract. Don't think it would take much with the emergence of Thon Maker.
Just spitballin' ideas. Any of these interest anyone?
Some interesting ideas, Brightside. But I don't think I'd go for any of them if I were Thibs. I've always been a big fan of Faried. But he's been having back trouble lately. That scares me. Back issues rarely get better, especially in a big athlete approaching age 30. You'll note his minutes have declined in recent years. So I'd pass on any Faried deal. Harris is intriguing as a potential scorer, but I don't like his defense. If
CoolBreeze44 wrote:Been enjoying reading this discussion. I have my own opinion on most of these guys, but I like the arguments made for Jamychal Green so far.
Almost a perfect fit. Blue collar guy not afraid to mix it up. Comes from the type of culture that is the exact opposite of what we have in Minnesota: Toughness, defense, and winning.
I agree that Green would be a great addition. But he's a restricted FA and I don't see Memphis failing to match any offer we make unless it's an insane offer that we shouldn't make. In fact, it's generally unrealistic to expect to sign any restricted FA unless it's a player who shouldn't be pursued or the player's current team needs cap space. I don't see any realistic options among this year's restricted free agents. Otherwise, there are two restricted FAs I'd love to pursue. Green is one of them. The other is DeWayne Dedmon.
If we're going to sign a FA outright, then I still think it's going to be an unrestricted FA. And the only realistic options worth pursuing in my view would be Redick, Illyasova, Pachulia, Amir Johnson, and Kyle Korver. Redick and Illyasova would probably cost the most in this group. Gibson is a realistic option, but I'd prefer one of the others I listed. I wouldn't pursue Tony Allen because of his age and a body that always seems on the brink of breaking down.
I see Millsap and Ibaka as two unrestricted FAs worth pursuing even though getting them seems unrealistic.
CoolBreeze44 wrote:Been enjoying reading this discussion. I have my own opinion on most of these guys, but I like the arguments made for Jamychal Green so far.
I have a couple concerns with Green. He's not young so I don't think we can expect much more improvement. I think he'll be 28 soon. Memphis almost certainly would resign him since he's restricted and I don't think he's the guy I want to make a crazy offer for. If we are trying to poach restricted free agents, Otto Porter is a much better player and is three years younger. I'd also go after restricted free agent Covington before Green since he is a much better defender than Green and can shoot 3s and is also more than 2 years younger.
PS: Did some digging on Green and saw that he got suspended three times in college (conduct detrimental to the team).
CoolBreeze44 wrote:Been enjoying reading this discussion. I have my own opinion on most of these guys, but I like the arguments made for Jamychal Green so far.
Almost a perfect fit. Blue collar guy not afraid to mix it up. Comes from the type of culture that is the exact opposite of what we have in Minnesota: Toughness, defense, and winning.
I agree that Green would be a great addition. But he's a restricted FA and I don't see Memphis failing to match any offer we make unless it's an insane offer that we shouldn't make. In fact, it's generally unrealistic to expect to sign any restricted FA unless it's a player who shouldn't be pursued or the player's current team needs cap space. I don't see any realistic options among this year's restricted free agents. Otherwise, there are two restricted FAs I'd love to pursue. Green is one of them. The other is DeWayne Dedmon.
If we're going to sign a FA outright, then I still think it's going to be an unrestricted FA. And the only realistic options worth pursuing in my view would be Redick, Illyasova, Pachulia, Amir Johnson, and Kyle Korver. Redick and Illyasova would probably cost the most in this group. Gibson is a realistic option, but I'd prefer one of the others I listed. I wouldn't pursue Tony Allen because of his age and a body that always seems on the brink of breaking down.
I see Millsap and Ibaka as two unrestricted FAs worth pursuing even though getting them seems unrealistic.
Q12543 wrote:I kinda forgot about Dudley, but he would be a great target for us (trade, right? I don't believe he's an UFA). He's actually a pretty solid defender and hits the 3-ball at an above average clip (well, above average by Wolves standards, that's for sure). He'd be an excellent fit.
Tucker, Thabo, Dudley....liking that list of options.
Dudley was one of my top targets last year and I thought the dollar amount was fine. So we need to sign this year's version of Dudley in free agency. James Johnson, Sefolosha and Tucker are probably the closest matches off the top of my head.
I would be fine with johnson or tucker but both probably going to make in the 14-20 mil dollar range. What is fine with me. Thabo contact is probably going to be about 10 mil. So my question is the difference between rush and Thabo that great to pay an extra 5 mil for? (Legit question not trying to say he is or isn't)
Thabo has been a key guy for perennial playoff teams. There are some pretty loud rumblings about an injury (as pundits wonder why he isn't playing right now)...
