Who Will Flip Take

[Lipoli390]

Listening to Flip both this morning on espn 1500 and this afternoon on the funkadelic has left with several take-aways:

1. Flip intends to keep Kevin Martin. Flip referred to him as a bargain at $7 million per year under the new CBA. Flip also talked about his ability to score and his potential as a scorer off the bench eventually for a number of years. Finally, he also talked about the need for some vets on the squad and mentioned Martin as one of those vets. So although anything can happen, don't expect Flip to trade Kevin Martin this summer.

2. Flip will probably trade Budinger this summer. IN his interviews today, Flip has named a number of draft prospects. He's also named or discussed KG and just about every player currently on the Wolves roster, including Martin, Rubio, Pekovic, Wiggins, LaVine, Dieng and Shabazz. Notably, Flip hasn't mentioned Budinger's name -- not every once in passing. Flip is pretty coy, but you can read him a bit based on what he doesn't say. Does he have a deal already in place for Budinger. I doubt it. But I suspect he has several possibilities in mind and, more importantly, has simply decided to move Chase this summer for the best value he can get.

3. Flip intends to give serious consideration to signing Bjelica this summer, but he also mentioned the possibility of trading him in combination with our second round picks to "move into the late lottery." I thought that was interesting. Maybe Flip trades Bjelica and our two 2nd rounders to get to a sport in the 1st round where he can nab a pure shooter like Devin Booker.

4. Flip has narrowed his choice to a top three consisting of Okafor, Towns and Russell. He let that slip pretty clearly on the funkadelic this afternoon. Can't remember his exact words, but it was clear he referred a couple times to "the three." He then went on to talk about three types of players that would fit well (a) a great low post scorer, obviously referring to Okafor, (b) a defensive big who can stretch the floor a bit on the offensive end as a shooter, obviously referring to Towns, and (c) a guard in the mold of Harden or Curry who can add a second ball-handler to the back court with Ricky and also score creating his own shot, obviously referring to Russell. Flip also mentioned Porzingis as "possibly the most talented player in the draft." But I get the sense based on some other things Flip said and the way he said them that he considers Porzingis too big a risk to take at #1. On the other hand, Flip said Porzingis is over 7'1, shoots like Nowitski and handles the ball like a guard.

5. I think Flip is currently leaning towards Okafor with an open mind to either Towns or Russell depending on what they see and hear from this point on. Flip went out of his way all day to say his hasn't made up his mind and he was particularly careful not to tip his hand between Towns and Okafor. But reading between the lines, I get the sense Flip is leaning slightly towards Okafor. He seemed a bit more enthusiastic in tone when referring to Okafor. And he talked about Okafor as a guy who could demand a double team down low, freeing up others for better looks from the perimeter. That's when Flip seemed most excited. Further, at one point, Flip referred to Okafor by name and then referred to Towns as "the other guy." It didn't seem like a big deal because Flip was talking very quickly and had already mentioned Towns by name a number of times. But he clearly had a brain lock that moment and it's interesting that the name he blocked on was Towns. I doing my amateur psychologist think right now, but that was my read.

6. Flip's not going to draft for position, which is why he's open to all three of what appear to be his favorites: Okafor,Towns and Russell. He said some of the biggest draft mistakes happened because those picks factored in position. But Flip did say the Wolves decision won't be based purely on a ranking of overall talent, but will turn significantly on how a particular prospect's talents will fit with the existing team. In that vein, he talked about giving different weight to different skill sets. That's when he again referred to Okafor's low post skills and how he would attract double teams, thereby helping Wiggins and others get better shots and better lanes to the hoop.

7, Flip has a very high opinion of WCS as a defensive player. Flip referred to him as the best defensive player in the draft -- not just the best defensive big. He referred to him as a guy who can guard all 5 positions.

8. No doubt Flip would have taken Porzingis if the Wolves had fallen to 4th. The only guy other than the aforementioned three singled out by Flip for repeated high praise was Porzingis. Flip mentioned him several times today as perhaps the most talented player in the draft. So assuming that Okafor, Towns and Russell would have been taken top three with the Wolves picking 4th, Flip was not going to take Mudiay, or Winslow. He would have taken Porzingis as another "home run swing."

But here's the good news: We don't have to speculate on who will be left when the Wolves are on the clock. We have the first pick. Flip had better make the most of it. In my view, it should be Towns.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Yep, he's going to take Okafor.

[60WinTim]

Yep, he's going to take Okafor.

Taking a page out of my book? Resign yourself to the worst, and be pleasantly surprised when the best happens!

[60WinTim]

Lip -- Another name we did not hear today was Bennett. He did mention Payne as a guy that can develop, but no mention of Bennett.

[Lipoli390]

Lip -- Another name we did not hear today was Bennett. He did mention Payne as a guy that can develop, but no mention of Bennett.

Good catch, Tim. Flip can be pretty transparent in what he leaves out. If I had to bet on a trade package Flip puts together to get a second lottery pick this summer, I'd bet on a package that includes Bjelica, Bennett and our two second round picks. Not sure whether that would be enough and, if so, how high we could get, but I can see that sort of package coming together in the next six weeks.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Lip -- Another name we did not hear today was Bennett. He did mention Payne as a guy that can develop, but no mention of Bennett.

Hehehe bye bye Bennett!

[TAFKASP]

Lip -- Another name we did not hear today was Bennett. He did mention Payne as a guy that can develop, but no mention of Bennett.

Good catch, Tim. Flip can be pretty transparent in what he leaves out. If I had to bet on a trade package Flip puts together to get a second lottery pick this summer, I'd bet on a package that includes Bjelica, Bennett and our two second round picks. Not sure whether that would be enough and, if so, how high we could get, but I can see that sort of package coming together in the next six weeks.

The issue with that deal is Bennett makes a ton, what are they going to have to take back to make the deal work?

[TRKO [enjin:12664595]]

Is Flip picking the guy that best compliments Wiggins, or is he going after the best overall player.

To me Towns helps us on defense, an area we sucked at. Having a great defending big man allows the rest of the team to play with aggression. Towns is the best fit for us. His athleticism is a better match as well. I think Flip is picturing Okafor and Wiggins as Kobe and Shaq.

[60WinTim]

Flip made a comment about defense on the 1500 interview, and I was trying to read between the lines, but couldn't come to a definitive conclusion.

He said that according to analytics, if the Wolves would have had 2 or 3 more stops per game, their defensive rating would have made the top 10, and so they need to figure out how to get those extra stops.

I find it hard to believe a mere 2 or 3 more stops would have given that much of a boost to what was the worst defense in the league. I have no idea what defensive rating he was referring to. He didn't say it was a reason to draft Towns, but us pro-Towns guys would love to read that between the lines!

[60WinTim]

Is Flip picking the guy that best compliments Wiggins, or is he going after the best overall player.

That's another whole topic. Flip does not rank guys 1, 2, 3, etc. He projects guys into boxes according to their potential: hall-of-famer, all-star, starter, rotation player, etc. He used the word "all-pro" in one of the interviews today. I don't know if that is another box, or just another name for all-star. When their pick comes around, he looks in highest ranking box that still has players in it. He can then pick the player from that box that is the best fit on the team. Or at least that is how I understand it.

Last year, Burke and Shabazz (and others) were in the same box. He made the trade with Utah because the box with players at #9 would still have players at #13.