Might as well talk draft....

[Crazysauce]

I think I have also moved off Edwards and was already off Ball. I think you take Okongwu or Halliburton preferably by trading down if you are not taking Wiseman.

[WildWolf2813]

Legit question Lip: would you build the team around Wiseman?

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Ahh, the immaculate conception -- err, the magnificent deception. Right, that one. Yes, Lip, we can only hope and pray to whoever or whatever you believe in that we don't get stuck with a loser at the top of the draft.

Unfortunately, I think we may have already gotten stuck with a loser and he's from Colombia. I don't trust Gersson Rosas to make this decision whatsoever. Watching that James Wiseman clip about how he hasn't heard from Minnesota besides "recommendations and stuff" really threw me for a loop. Unbelievable yet totally believable for this franchise.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Legit question Lip: would you build the team around Wiseman?

I'm not Lip, but I'd take James Wiseman first overall and see how it goes with him, Karl-Anthony Towns, and D'Angelo Russell for an entire season and if it just looks like a complete shit show, then I'd rearrange some parts next summer. Perhaps if Wiseman looks the part of a star, but the collection of talent doesn't work, then you can blow it up and build around him and whatever you got in return for Towns, Russell, etc.

Some on this board might actually prefer the franchise go that route as soon as tomorrow night.

[WildWolf2813]

Legit question Lip: would you build the team around Wiseman?

I'm not Lip, but I'd take James Wiseman first overall and see how it goes with him, Karl-Anthony Towns, and D'Angelo Russell for an entire season and if it just looks like a complete shit show, then I'd rearrange some parts next summer. Perhaps if Wiseman looks the part of a star, but the collection of talent doesn't work, then you can blow it up and build around him and whatever you got in return for Towns, Russell, etc.

Some on this board might actually prefer the franchise go that route as soon as tomorrow night.

See I get that, but if I'm Rosas, I'd want a very long term extension for myself before I abruptly change course on my entire mission statement. If he trades both KAT and Russell so soon, he won't be around to see his return materialize. I think it'll be 2 years before they're both gone. In the meantime, the path to Rosas' third star isn't gonna be through who he drafts at #1, but rather what he can get via trade for #1. He's a Morey disciple. Those guys don't stop til they get that guy no matter what.

[Monster]

IMG_7481.mov

I don't know if this link will work. If not, I'll just give you what you need to know. It's a video of Edwards, Toppin and Wiseman being interviewed together (albeit virtually). When asked to describe their typical day getting read for the draft, Wiseman and Toppin started out by saying they get up at 7:00 a.m.. They then went on to describe their daily routine of running, lifting, and working on their games in the gym. Edwards day apparently starts a bit later. He said he starts his day by getting up at around 10:00 a.m. I don't mean to make too much of this and I'm certainly one who loves to sleep in. But I'll say this. I'll bet you won't find a single elite NBA player (or even a borderline all-star) who gets up as late as 10:00 a.m. - certainly not when their preparing for the critical career milestone called the NBA draft. I'm even more certain you won't find a many, if any NBA players, dumb enough to admit getting up that late to start their daily draft or game prep.

As my posts have shown over the past month or more, I've been wary of Edwards for a long time as someone with high bust potential. Sadly, the more I've learned about him and seen him, the more wary I've become. Two days ago, I was in the camp saying absolutely no to drafting Ball, but nervously OK with drafting Edwards. I'm now in the camp that says absolutely no to drafting either one. Over a month ago, I posted my concern that Edwards reminded me of JR Rider. Well, I think he has JR written all over him - someone with the talent to be a superstar and an engaging personality, but someone who doesn't really care all that much about winning or being great.

My take-away from Toppin interviews I've seen is that he's someone who loves playing the game, but isn't necessarily driven to win.

The more I watch Wiseman talk, including this interview, the more I see him as a really smart guy with a chip on his shoulder. I mean that in a positive way. I think he really wants to be great and that drive will push him to achieve his potential. Unfortunately, unless Rosas has been perpetrating a magnificent deception, the Wolves won't be drafting Wiseman - except possibly to trade him. I just hope we don't end up with Ball or Edwards.

I watched this video today also. I was actually thinking...wiseman only gets up at 7? Jimmy would kill this guy. Lol wiseman did seem kinda funny in this and I agree with you take on Toppin but Wiseman was kinda meh to me. He seems kinda quiet. Edwards did show some personality in that clip but he is a bit odd. I'm still on the trade down train maybe even harder than I was a few hours ago.

[Monster]

How does this make you feel about Anthony Edwards?


To be honest," he says, "I can't watch basketball."

He retells the story about the first time he dunked and how it signaled to him that he was talented and could accomplish something he might not have been able to in football, which was his first love. So that's the direction he went, simple as that, hanging up his cleats. "That's all I needed to see," he says.

So when after that did he get into basketball?

"I'm still not really into it," he says. "I love basketball, yeah. It's what I do."

He's not entirely convincing. He says if he were drafted by the NFL tomorrow, he'd let basketball go. "Because you can do anything on the field," he explains. "You can spike the ball. You can dance. You can do all type of disrespectful stuff." In the NBA, he says, "you can't do any of that. You'll get fined."

He goes on to say that he's an aspiring rapper. He's already recorded a few tracks with his older brother Bubba. So, like Damian Lillard? "But I really can rap," he says. "Dame, talking about -- I don't know what he's talking about. I'm rapping like Lil Baby." He says he won't release any songs until he's established in the NBA.


https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30321844/the-pain-promise-top-nba-draft-prospect-anthony-edwards


This makes me sick. Remind me why again we are not taking Wiseman?

Because of KAT and the style they wanna play. That simple.

This was the article I read and posted some thoughts in the Schmitz Dunc'd on thread.

[Lipoli390]

Ahh, the immaculate conception -- err, the magnificent deception. Right, that one. Yes, Lip, we can only hope and pray to whoever or whatever you believe in that we don't get stuck with a loser at the top of the draft.

Unfortunately, I think we may have already gotten stuck with a loser and he's from Colombia. I don't trust Gersson Rosas to make this decision whatsoever. Watching that James Wiseman clip about how he hasn't heard from Minnesota besides "recommendations and stuff" really threw me for a loop. Unbelievable yet totally believable for this franchise.

I'd love to disagree with you, Cam, but I don't. Even David Kahn wasn't this bad. Not talking to Wiseman except "recommendations and stuff"??? It's beyond weird. If true, Rosas is our very own village idiot. Passing on Wiseman will be bad enough. But if, instead of trading down, the Wolves end up taking and keeping Ball or Edwards, it will be the worst draft mistake in the history of this franchise - and that's saying something. How could you draft Edwards with the top pick? Not only has he made a habit of completely disappearing from games, showing little interest in defense, but he tells the world that he gets up around 10 a.m. and doesn't really love or watch basketball!! In what world do you use a top pick, or even a lottery pick, for a guy like that??!!

[Wolvesfan21]

I watched a Rosas interview yesterday on the Jump on ESPN and the thing I took away from that is he really wants to trade down. He said when asked about trading the pick he said mildly emphatically "we are open for business." I don't think he likes any of the top 3. That's my take from reading between the lines.

Trade down, take Halliburton and get some more picks/assets. My hope anyways at this point.

Both Edwards and Ball scare me. When guys don't play defense or play hard it just shows me they simply are not going to put the work in to be a superstar, nor do they really care about winning. If we draft either I hope they prove me wrong.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Hell, I'd advocate trading down just straight up picks with no other assets given to us just to avoid the temptation to take Ball or Edwards!

"The Minnesota Timberwolves trade the #1 pick or the #4 pick. That is all."