The Rebuild with Love or with out Love? & Evaluation of our roster

[Loose Goose [enjin:8265301]]

A change of some sort will happen, 90% sure our coach will be gone (thank God)! Some sort of roster moves before next year have to happen otherwise Flip's job will be gone in about the same amount of time as Mr. Kahn's.

So the question is do you rebuild with Love or move Love?

I think now is the time to be active in moving all assets other than Love. You try for a quick fix in order to build around Love to keep him around. If after trying you find it to be impossible to build something solid around him, then now still isn't the time to move Love, you can get more for him in the off season.

1. The Coach: I've disliked him and thought he should have done more with the talent he had in SAC & HOU, not to mention other coaches could take our current team and make them a playoff team. We need a new leader.

2. Love: Everything you want in a PF only weakness is defense but everything else is way above average.

3. Peck: Not a shot blocker but can keep other bigs out of the lane and is really good, sometimes even dominant
in the low post.

4. Rubio: I personally think his lack of scoring will limit his ceiling because his shooting is bad, his ability to finish in the lane doesn't seem to have developed. I really hope to be wrong because a decent amount of hard work could lead to a really special PG. Even with no improvement he still has defense, length, and can create for others.

5. Dieng: I lived in Louisville during his college tenure their and this kid needs playing time! I really think this kid is a gem. He's a little raw on offense but he's not absolute crap and I think there is plenty of room for improvement on that side of his game. The defense is what I like, he is a shot blocker and more so than that he affects shots that he doesn't block. He does need to add weight to his frame as some bigger body bigs will probably eat him up.

6. Turiaf: Dude earns his paycheck! He's a great teammate and for the price, what's not to like.

7. Muhammad: I hated this draft pick though I do recognize talent is there. For me it's the defense and the inability to go right that makes me dislike him. I think his best chance is to find a role as instant offense off the bench in a 6th man type of role.

8. Shved: I need to see him night in night out getting 20-28 mins, so I can figure out what we got here.

9. Brewer: Its hard to hate someone that puts in the effort Brewer does. So I don't hate him I hate Flip for overpaying for him. His lack of a consistent 3pt shot, his lack of ball handling, his gamble all the time and leak out every play style just bugs me. Its more about his role and pay, he should be a bench guy at 1/2 the price.

10. Cunningham: I actually like his athleticism and he can be a good player off the bench. Nothing bad to say about him.

11. Mbah Moute: Defense! other than that nothing here I like. His contract stinks and I would prefer D. Williams.

12. Barea: Consider his size, consider what he can do and you have to give him props. However I personally am not a fan of his style of play and would prefer him to not be on the team.

13. Price/Hummel: Lets both of them in the same category thanks for your effort, but next year your replaced.

14. Martin: He was once a deadly scorer & now looks like a shell of his former self. I hate the contract and would move him for anything. Even if anything is only an expiring contract, though I think we can get more :)

15. Budinger: He comes in as the player I hate the most on our team. He is now slow and has lost his shooting touch. He no longer looks athletic and his contract is atrocious. Will an off season fix him? We can only hope :(

16. Flip: Not impressed at all, you moved down and selected a player I didn't like. You sold a draft pick? WTF! I liked the Dieng pick and Turiaf was your best addition in FA. You spent the cap on players that don't really add that many more Wins. I have little faith in Flip. I really hope he is the type to learn from mistakes and drafts well, as what he's done so far is already done. Flip can't dwell on the past and needs to focus on finding the best possible coach, and building a winner.

I listed the players in the order in which I like them personally but what does love need around him to turn this team around?

I thinks it's defense and another star, if Melo is available I'd offer Peck, Martin, Shved for him.
C: Dieng/Turiaf
PF:Love
SF: Melo
PG/SG: Ricky, Brewer, JJ

[Yosimar]

Love is not gonna wanna stay here for very long.

We've got just a couple of years of him left. Very few things have gone right for this franchise (KG and Love). I know he'll get traded for what will end up being garbage.

Im just gonna sit back and enjoy his amazing talent for however long he's here, that's all you can really do. The rest of the team? May god have mercy on their soul.

I need to figure out a way to detach myself emotionally from this mess of a franchise and enjoy the one positive it has and then somehow find another positive to enjoy when he's gone...

[Loose Goose [enjin:8265301]]

Yosimar: I agree Love won't stay unless we build a winner and do so quick. If he does stay it's going to be because we find a coach he likes to play for and builds confidence. Also going to need to win, our current roster is built to put up points and has defenders that lack in other areas. I think this is set up for failure, we need a player who can create his own shot (Melo, J. Crawford type) and then solid defenders (Dieng, Ricky) that's how I see a winning team with Love on it. Sadly I don't see a Peck/Love combo that works, reminds me of Big Al/Love combo.

[Lipoli390]

Loose Goose - Excellent analysis. Really enjoyed reading your post!

[AbeVigodaLive]

Love is not gonna wanna stay here for very long.

We've got just a couple of years of him left. Very few things have gone right for this franchise (KG and Love). I know he'll get traded for what will end up being garbage.

Im just gonna sit back and enjoy his amazing talent for however long he's here, that's all you can really do. The rest of the team? May god have mercy on their soul.

I need to figure out a way to detach myself emotionally from this mess of a franchise and enjoy the one positive it has and then somehow find another positive to enjoy when he's gone...

Yep.

What are the odds that the Wolves' two best players in an otherwise horrific franchise history are PFs that languished on bad teams with poor talent around them?

To be fair, both might be all-world complementary players and only decent or so-so lead guys... but the bottom line is that both were All NBA types that were so far ahead of their teammates that it was almost unsettling at times to watch them on the court.

Love is gone. There is nothing here (beyond extra cash) to keep him.


[Note: I said it the day the new CBA was signed... the one max contract rule would hurt smaller market teams. And the NBA also hurt smaller market teams by not letting the current franchise pay even more than other teams. If the NBA really wanted parity (as they claimed), they'd have made it a tough decision to stay in MN or MIL or Utah for A LOT more money vs. going to a winning team in a warm climate.]

[kms789 [enjin:6694798]]

[Note: I said it the day the new CBA was signed... the one max contract rule would hurt smaller market teams. And the NBA also hurt smaller market teams by not letting the current franchise pay even more than other teams. If the NBA really wanted parity (as they claimed), they'd have made it a tough decision to stay in MN or MIL or Utah for A LOT more money vs. going to a winning team in a warm climate.]

I don't know if that is necessarily true. The top 4 teams right now are San Antonio, Indiana, OKC, and Portland...all small markets. The CBA definitely made it so spending smart and drafting well were imperative. Large market teams like the Lakers, Knicks, and Nets haven't been able to buy their way out of dumb moves, though, which is good.

I don't think you could set up a system that would allow the Wolves' front office to thrive. Honestly, they run this team like a mom-and-pop shop, but they're surrounded by billion dollar organizations doing everything to get one step ahead of the rest.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Definitive statements like "Love will stay" or "he's gone" are a little foolish right now...we just don't know, and it's likely that Kevin doesn't even know. As I see it, the Wolves have two things going for them if they want him to stay. Money, and the excitement and promise of a new coach. The second factor could prove to be the one that keeps him here. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that Flip would sit down with Kevin and say "K-Love, we want you here. Rick is retiring and we're looking at these three guys as possible replacements. Who would you like as your coach for the next five years?"

The relationship between player and coach can't be overstated, and this could be enough to convince him to stay...along with the presence of a pass-first point guard who is always going to help maximize Kevin's stats.

Now, a hypothetical. Zgoda tweeted yesterday that Flip would replace Rick if Rick were to retire. How would you guys feel if Kevin told Flip "I want you"? Professional athletes tend to prefer the known to the unknown.

So, the hypothetical is: What would you choose...Kevin here with Flip, or Kevin gone and a new coach?

[Coolbreeze44]

The problem is one of the real positives for Love in Minny is Adelman. Their relationship goes back to before Love entered the NBA. I hardly think a new coach is going to be any more valuable to Love. We might find someone he likes, but he already likes the coach we have.

My gut feel is that Kevin is being real smart about this. He's not saying anything that would alienate or tip off his thoughts. That way he keeps all of his options available. If the Wolves were on the cusp of something special, I really believe he would stay. But given our current plight, he's going to finish his time here and just sign with the Lakers. We could trade him but there are a couple of problems with that. #1, he's not going to just re-sign anywhere, so the only value we can get is for a short term rental. #2, the Lakers don't have any assets to trade except expiring contracts. And why would they? They are going to be able to sign him for nothing.

I tend to agree with the previous poster who said just enjoy watching him for however long we have him. Once he leaves, rebuild # 50 begins for this franchise.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

The problem is one of the real positives for Love in Minny is Adelman. Their relationship goes back to before Love entered the NBA. I hardly think a new coach is going to be any more valuable to Love. We might find someone he likes, but he already likes the coach we have.

My gut feel is that Kevin is being real smart about this. He's not saying anything that would alienate or tip off his thoughts. That way he keeps all of his options available. If the Wolves were on the cusp of something special, I really believe he would stay. But given our current plight, he's going to finish his time here and just sign with the Lakers. We could trade him but there are a couple of problems with that. #1, he's not going to just re-sign anywhere, so the only value we can get is for a short term rental. #2, the Lakers don't have any assets to trade except expiring contracts. And why would they? They are going to be able to sign him for nothing.

I tend to agree with the previous poster who said just enjoy watching him for however long we have him. Once he leaves, rebuild # 50 begins for this franchise.

You make a good point, cool. Unless there is an obvious conflict between a player and a coach, most players seem to be unhappy when their coach leaves, at least publicly. I favor the other side more strongly though. A majority of the posters on this board have clearly grown tired of Adelman, and see him as a negative in our quest to get to the next level. This board consists of several bright guys with good basketball minds, and Kevin can be described similarly. Don't you think that at least privately Kevin thinks that a young aggressive coach is just what this club needs to become a winner. And to be consulted by Flip in searching for just the right guy might be an enticement for Kevin to sign on long-term. It worked for awhile with KG, as it's been documented that he was consulted on certain personnel moves for a few years (unfortunately, generally to the detriment of the team). There is no magic bullet coach out there, the "one guy" who is right for this team. Rather, there is likely a group of guys who could greatly improve the Wolves. Flip's job would be to come up with 3-4 of them that are interested in coaching here and would be great candidates...then Kevin could be consulted (just like KG was) in making the final determination in exchange for signing a deal.

Part of me doesn't like the idea of allowing a player favored status in getting involved in decisions. But it's not unprecedented, and appropriate in situations like this where the player in question is clearly the heart of the franchise and a threat to leave. Maximum money (as only the Wolves can offer), players he likes around him (Rubio, Pek), and some say in who the next coach is going to be would be stronger factors in Kevin's final decision than the average daily temperature...as long as games continue to be played indoors.

[Coolbreeze44]

I cooled on Adelman long before most on this board did. So I don't have a problem with him leaving. But I'm telling you that Love will. He grew up just a few miles from where Adelman lived and Love knew his kids. I'm not saying they were best friends but Adelman is definitely a positive for Kevin.