Doug McDermott

[AbeVigodaLive]

McDermott is listed at 6'8."

Is that legit? Because I think that dictates his pro career quite a bit. If he comes in closer to 6'5" (not unprecedented)... he's going to cause quite the tweener problem and end up being more of a specialist at the next level.

[Note: Love watching him in college by the way.]

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Uh oh, the draft threads have started. Good God, I was hoping this wouldn't happen until we got booted from the playoffs. We should definitely try and deal Brewer/Bud/Barea (pick one of our killer b's) and the pick.

Yeah, I know Lloyd...it's a little difficult to take. I thought about starting a McDermott thread last week, but held off because I didn't want to admit that it was likely we were going to have a pick this year. But I think that's the reality. And a lot more college basketball is watched the next couple months, and thinking about who might drop to the Wolves offsets some of the pain of another playoff miss.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

McDermott is listed at 6'8."

Is that legit? Because I think that dictates his pro career quite a bit. If he comes in closer to 6'5" (not unprecedented)... he's going to cause quite the tweener problem and end up being more of a specialist at the next level.

[Note: Love watching him in college by the way.]

I suspect he is closer to 6-7, and may be overmatched at times defensively against PF's. But he rebounds like he is bigger than that, so he has that going for him. I look at him as a potent scorer off the bench, who could potentially be a starter for us (if Love were to leave) if he didn't struggle too much guarding bigger PF's.

I have to admit I have not focused much on his defense when I have watched him, but NBA draft experts say his lateral movement is so poor that I suspect a 6-5 measurement might exile him to round 2.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Well, of course it depends on draft order and where guys fall. LaVine and Harris are just two of my personal favorites for this class outside of Jabari and Wiggins. Let me rephrase and bring up some other guys that would be late lottery considerations by me for the Wolves.

- Shabazz Napier, PG, UCONN. Not sure if he's getting lottery love, but I'll go ahead and say I'd really like to have him. Would be a hell of a pickup and one that would hopefully force Flip to give Barea the boot. Napier's gotten better at practically everything each year. FG%, 3P%, FT%, PPG, APG, RPG, SPG and FTs made (gets to the line). Can score in different ways. Pull-up jumper, three pointer off the dribble, step-back jumper, penetrating the lane, drawing the foul. Exceptional ball-handler. Can get anywhere on the court. Just from watching him on TV you can tell he's got a really good feel for the game. Oh, and he's money in big moments. Several game-winners already this year.

- Kyle Anderson, SF, UCLA. This guy does it all. Points, boards, assists, defense. Averaging 16/9/7 on the year with 52/53/76 shooting slashes. If he comes out in such a deep draft, somebody's getting a steal. Plays the game at his own pace. Never seems too ahead of himself. Court vision for a guy his age is off the charts. Reminds me a lot of Chandler Parsons except not as thin. Anderson's about 230-235. Not an excellent athlete, but a really good basketball player. I'd like to hear LST's thoughts on him. Pretty sure he watches more Bruin hoops than I do.

- Chris Walker, SF, Florida. He's an unknown prospect in the college ranks right now. Hasn't played a game this year due to academic setbacks coming out of high school, but he's about to be set free. Seems like a good guy, though, if you talk to him (which I have). Wants to live in the paint. Shot doesn't look like it'll ever be considered great, but can be improved. One of the best HS recruits in his class. Freakish athlete with length. Again, we don't have many, if any, above the rim players right now. That has to change. Potential is very high with him, though. Most mocks have him low first round, but I expect his stock to shoot up quickly.

I don't know much about Walker, cam, but I like the other two guys you mentioned. Napier is just a winner, and will play somewhere in the NBA. And Anderson has really taken off this year. With Larry Drew graduating, UCLA really needed a facilitator to step up...I just never thought it would be Kyle. 6.6 assists per game for a 6'-9" sophomore...wow! I sense that his 3-point shooting may be a mirage. He didn't look comfortable at all on threes
last year, and while his stats are solid this year, I'm always surprised when his threes go in. And his 3-point stats are a little inflated by the 5 for 5 he put up last weekend. I suspect this might be similar to the VO experience, where he convinced scouts that he was a 3-point shooter, but is proving that he really isn't. All that said, he's someone that I would be very interested in if Flip made some moves to clear out our excess supply of SF's. As it stands now, we don't need another one.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Ah yes, a right of passage for any true Timberwolves fan: Lottery speculation in January!

One thing to keep in mind is that Cunningham is a free agent after this season, so we will have an opening for a backup PF. Whether that player comes through the draft or free agency doesn't matter, but the type of player that fits best with this squad is one that is offensive-minded and can shoot. With Turiaf/Dieng set as our backup true Centers, we could use an offensive threat to backup Love. That was supposed to be Derrick Williams, but that just didn't work out here for reasons that we've all debated before.

So yeah, bringing in a guy like McDermott, who has been an efficient scoring machine for years in college, seems like a safe bet if we're looking for offensive punch for 15-20 minutes off the bench.

On the other hand, teams like the Spurs seem to find pillars of their rotation for many years using picks in the 2nd or 3rd tier of the draft. So I wouldn't want to bypass a guy like Kyle Anderson, who could eventually be a legit starting NBA SF for years to come (and by the way, this guy is a Spur type pick through and through. He's currently mocked in Draft Express at pick #35. You just know RC Buford is licking his chops).

What I would rather do is go sign a sharp-shooting specialist like Matt Bonner to a one or two-year deal to backup Love. God knows you can never have enough shooters. Then pick the best talent available in the draft and use trades to create space in the rotation if necessary.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Ah yes, a right of passage for any true Timberwolves fan: Lottery speculation in January!

One thing to keep in mind is that Cunningham is a free agent after this season, so we will have an opening for a backup PF. Whether that player comes through the draft or free agency doesn't matter, but the type of player that fits best with this squad is one that is offensive-minded and can shoot. With Turiaf/Dieng set as our backup true Centers, we could use an offensive threat to backup Love. That was supposed to be Derrick Williams, but that just didn't work out here for reasons that we've all debated before.

So yeah, bringing in a guy like McDermott, who has been an efficient scoring machine for years in college, seems like a safe bet if we're looking for offensive punch for 15-20 minutes off the bench.

On the other hand, teams like the Spurs seem to find pillars of their rotation for many years using picks in the 2nd or 3rd tier of the draft. So I wouldn't want to bypass a guy like Kyle Anderson, who could eventually be a legit starting NBA SF for years to come (and by the way, this guy is a Spur type pick through and through. He's currently mocked in Draft Express at pick #35. You just know RC Buford is licking his chops).

What I would rather do is go sign a sharp-shooting specialist like Matt Bonner to a one or two-year deal to backup Love. God knows you can never have enough shooters. Then pick the best talent available in the draft and use trades to create space in the rotation if necessary.

Good analysis, q, and I largely agree. I look at McDermott as more than just a Love backup though...I see him as a viable solution at the 4 if Love decides to go. Anderson is intriguing too. He's a SF, but he has all the tools to be a 6'9" SG, especially if he continues to hit his threes.

This should be the deepest draft I have ever seen, unless several players decide to stay in school.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

LST, I just haven't watched enough of these guys to have a strong opinion, but my larger point is that I think it's generally good policy to use free agent signings to fill specific needs and then use the draft to get the best talent available, even if we might already be fairly stacked in a particular area. Trades can always be used to balance the roster.

[worldK]

If we ended up in the lottery again this season. I really hope that we could somehow get lucky and get a top 3 pick in the lottery. We need luck like that badly.

[JasonIsDaMan [enjin:7981157]]

1. There's no point in discussing college players until the tournament, ESPECIALLY mid major guys, when they play legit players every game. Look at Wolters from the Jackrabbits. Nobody REALLY knew what he was going to be, but when Burke didn't embarrass him, everybody knew he had a chance.

2. Would MIA swap DC/picks for Birdman? That solves a lot of bench post problems right there.