Lower-Tier Free Agent Targets

[Lipoli390]

Yeah, tough to see Jones back at these prices, but at some point the money runs out, no?

BTW, it's incredible how Teague tanked his value last year with his "dribbling to nowhere" and reluctance to shoot the damn 3. Leave it to the Wolves to sign a well-regarded NBA PG and turn him into a negative asset in the course of two seasons.

No kidding! Leave it to Thibodeau who turned out to be the master of reducing the trade value of the players he coached. Add Wiggins, Gorgui and Butler along with Teague.

He turned Wiggins and Gorgui into negative assets by giving them contracts far exceeding their value on the court. In the case of Gorgui, he gave a lucrative long-term contract to the antithesis of the modern NBA big. But who said Thibodeau knew anything about the modern NBA game? He further devalued Gorgui by signing and then starting Taj; hence marginalizing Gorgui. If Thibodeau thought Gorgui wasn't good enough to be his starting PF, then he shoudn't have giving him that huge contract. Finally, we have Butler. Jimmy was disgruntled before the season even ended to the point where he did't fly back with the rest of the team after the final playoff loss. Jimmy was telling Thibodeau he wanted out back in May of last year. But old stubborn Thibodeau just put his head in the sand as the draft came and went. Then as the season approached, a frustrated Butler publicly demanded a trade and started acting out as only Jimmy can. The result? Butler's trade value markedly declined.

As for Teague. Well, when you implement a 19th Century offense predicated on your PG handling the ball incessently and running down the clock and when you discourage the 3-point shoot in favor of the midrange, you get the Teague we all saw with the Wolves. Thibodeau signed Teague in lieu of Rubio in an effort to recreate his glory days with the Bulls who relied on Derrick Rose to dominate the ball and look to score first. It worked with Rose because he was at the time one of the greatest scoring PGs to ever play in the NBA. Teague wasn't. The result was predictable.

[Monster]

Yeah, tough to see Jones back at these prices, but at some point the money runs out, no?

BTW, it's incredible how Teague tanked his value last year with his "dribbling to nowhere" and reluctance to shoot the damn 3. Leave it to the Wolves to sign a well-regarded NBA PG and turn him into a negative asset in the course of two seasons.

Q it's more like classic Wolves PG not staying healthy that hurt is value more than anything.

Mmm, he didn't exactly have a game-changing injury and if you look at his 2-year track record, it's not THAT bad compared to other PGs (Conley for example). I think had he adapted his game to shoot more 3's and make quicker decisions with the ball, things would have been different.

Let's see what happens with the Heat moving Dragic to compare to what may have happened moving Teague. Do they have to pay someone to take him? I value him more highly than Teague regardless of the last 2 years for both guys.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Yeah, tough to see Jones back at these prices, but at some point the money runs out, no?

BTW, it's incredible how Teague tanked his value last year with his "dribbling to nowhere" and reluctance to shoot the damn 3. Leave it to the Wolves to sign a well-regarded NBA PG and turn him into a negative asset in the course of two seasons.

No kidding! Leave it to Thibodeau who turned out to be the master of reducing the trade value of the players he coached. Add Wiggins, Gorgui and Butler along with Teague.

He turned Wiggins and Gorgui into negative assets by giving them contracts far exceeding their value on the court. In the case of Gorgui, he gave a lucrative long-term contract to the antithesis of the modern NBA big. But who said Thibodeau knew anything about the modern NBA game? He further devalued Gorgui by signing and then starting Taj; hence marginalizing Gorgui. If Thibodeau thought Gorgui wasn't good enough to be his starting PF, then he shoudn't have giving him that huge contract. Finally, we have Butler. Jimmy was disgruntled before the season even ended to the point where he did't fly back with the rest of the team after the final playoff loss. Jimmy was telling Thibodeau he wanted out back in May of last year. But old stubborn Thibodeau just put his head in the sand as the draft came and went. Then as the season approached, a frustrated Butler publicly demanded a trade and started acting out as only Jimmy can. The result? Butler's trade value markedly declined.

As for Teague. Well, when you implement a 19th Century offense predicated on your PG handling the ball incessently and running down the clock and when you discourage the 3-point shoot in favor of the midrange, you get the Teague we all saw with the Wolves. Thibodeau signed Teague in lieu of Rubio in an effort to recreate his glory days with the Bulls who relied on Derrick Rose to dominate the ball and look to score first. It worked with Rose because he was at the time one of the greatest scoring PGs to ever play in the NBA. Teague wasn't. The result was predictable.

....and the thing that really pisses me off is that Teague actually played in a ball-movement oriented offense in Atlanta a few years ago. Why on earth Thibs didn't run more stuff through KAT (and even Dieng as his backup, who can pass) with cutters and off ball screening is beyond me.

[Monster]

The bottom line on Teague and Tyus (if he stays around) is that we need to raise the values of those players both for on the court product and for possible deals going forward. I think stuff has to line up just right to get any value from Teague in a trade just because of his salary but it would be nice if he could stay relatively healthy and play well for this coaching staff. It would at least be a positive sign for the franchise.

[Monster]

Per woj. That's a heck of a deal for a guy that can play PG SG and SF.

Tomas Satoransky's three-year deal with the Bulls: $30M, league sources tell ESPN.

[KG4Ever]

Report: Noel reconsidering commitment to Thunder
Nerlens Noel, drafted No. 6 by the Philadelphia 76ers as part of their vaunted "Process" in 2013, has been traded twice since. But he settled into a bench role with the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, playing a career-high 77 games while averaging 4.9 points and 1.2 blocks in 13.5 minutes.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski initially reported that Noel has agreed to return and help the Thunder attempt to advance beyond the first round in a wide-open Western Conference. Later, however, Wojnarowski reported that Noel has since asked Oklahoma City for time to reconsider that commitment, and that both sides are continuing discussions.

I like Nerlens Noel.

[Lipoli390]

The bottom line on Teague and Tyus (if he stays around) is that we need to raise the values of those players both for on the court product and for possible deals going forward. I think stuff has to line up just right to get any value from Teague in a trade just because of his salary but it would be nice if he could stay relatively healthy and play well for this coaching staff. It would at least be a positive sign for the franchise.

Excellent point, Monster! That's a big part of what Rosas needs to do to be successful. Missing out on Garland and Russell shouldn't make or break his tenure. The key for Rosas will be all these other things, including what you mentioned about raising Teague's value. I'll extend that to increasing the value of Wiggins and Dieng as well. How players are coached and the style of play can go a long way towards determining their value. A healthy Teague with an expiring contract and playing like he did in Atlanta could fetch a nice return at the February trade deadline. Moreover, Gorgui's contract won't be nearly as foreboding next summer with only one year left. If the Wolves coaching staff can make better use of Gorgui and improve his play on the court, then he can be a net positive asset next summer.

Note that Rosas said, you don't build through free agency, but rather through the draft and trades. So I don't think Rosas will be counting on opening up cap space though Teague's departure next summer. I think he'll be active in maximizing the trade value of players like Teague and Gorgui (perhaps Wiggins) who don't figure into the Wolves long-range goal of becoming a contender build around KAT.

[WildWolf2813]

Rosas is gonna have to prove he can find talent. Simple and plain.

If I were him, I'd abandon the idea of finding a trade partner for Wiggins. Find guys you think can outplay him. Culver was a start. The bar sadly isn't THAT high.

[Hicks123 [enjin:6700838]]

There are still a lot of solid FA out there. Key for executives is obviously to figure out who is still getting better. Guys I like for Wolves (PG and bigs):
Vonleh
Maxi Kleber
Quinn Cook
Mudiay
McConnell
Tim Frazier
Zubac
O'Quinn
JaMychal Green
Richaun Holmes
Morris brothers

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

There are still a lot of solid FA out there. Key for executives is obviously to figure out who is still getting better. Guys I like for Wolves (PG and bigs):
Vonleh
Maxi Kleber
Quinn Cook
Mudiay
McConnell
Tim Frazier
Zubac
O'Quinn
JaMychal Green
Richaun Holmes
Morris brothers

I'd add Kelly Oubre to this list.