Line ups

[bleedspeed]

I saw this article. Good starting point to what kind of lineups we will see next year. The thing I see or don't see is how Shabazz fits in. Then again Shabazz is longer then Craig Smith. Maybe he can play a little PF.

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Feelings_Arent_Numbers_What_might_the_new_Wolves_lineups_look_like082314

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Pretty good analysis of Flip's options at this time, assuming no other moves. I can't disagree with McPherson's conclusion that Shabazz is odd man out, although that bothers me. He is such a unique offensive force, I wish he could find a way to improve in other areas enough to work his way into the rotation. The small ball lineup with him at PF is intriguing. Shabazz's inside game often looks more like a PF's game, and his length is almost identical to Thad Young's.

[Coolbreeze44]

I generally agree with that article. Lavine is going to play, whereas Bud may not get as much time as people think. Also, I tend to agree that Brewer is a great fit in a 6th man role. A lot of us seem to want to move CoBrew but I don't. I thought he was really good for us last year, and now that he can play a role more suited to him he might be even better.

[TheGrey08]

I generally agree with that article. Lavine is going to play, whereas Bud may not get as much time as people think. Also, I tend to agree that Brewer is a great fit in a 6th man role. A lot of us seem to want to move CoBrew but I don't. I thought he was really good for us last year, and now that he can play a role more suited to him he might be even better.

Agreed. The 3 young guys will get plenty of minutes unless they show Flip they are not ready for it.

[mnhoops [enjin:11017401]]

Chase will probably settle into an early role that if he comes in and hits some threes he'll probably get 2nd half minutes in the game but he if comes in and doesnt hit some shots that would be it for the night.

I honestly hope Brewer role ends up being pretty minor as just a situation defensive specialist as a result of Wiggins and Lavine making huge strides throughout the year.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I generally agree with that article. Lavine is going to play, whereas Bud may not get as much time as people think. Also, I tend to agree that Brewer is a great fit in a 6th man role. A lot of us seem to want to move CoBrew but I don't. I thought he was really good for us last year, and now that he can play a role more suited to him he might be even better.

I think the problem Cool is that last season was a career year for Corey Brewer and a ton of it had to do with the fact he was in the starting lineup with Love, Pek, Martin, and Rubio. He had a career best in both the percentage of shots he took at the rim and his FG% at the rim. This is due almost exclusively to all of those outlet passes. That ain't happening this year and his efficiency will almost certainly regress back to what he did in the past - which is pretty poor.

Defensively, he's a risk taker. He gambles a ton - reaches a lot - and his defense has been consistently overrated since he came out of college. He's not a poor defender, but he's a risky defender. He's good at ball-denial and creating turnovers, but once his man gets the ball and squares up on him, he isn't very good.

The other problem is that of the wings we have, he is the most redundant with Wiggins. Martin and Bud can shoot. LaVine can handle the ball. Shabazz can post up, play a little small-ball 4, and has a nose for scoring.

Brewer also happens to be the guy that can probably get us the most in return (other than Wiggins of course). I think we could flip him for a pretty decent player or future pick.

I like Corey Brewer. He hustles his ass off. But if the goal is to make way for the development of the young guys, something probably has to give. And Brewer seems like the best choice to shop around.

[Coolbreeze44]

I generally agree with that article. Lavine is going to play, whereas Bud may not get as much time as people think. Also, I tend to agree that Brewer is a great fit in a 6th man role. A lot of us seem to want to move CoBrew but I don't. I thought he was really good for us last year, and now that he can play a role more suited to him he might be even better.

I think the problem Cool is that last season was a career year for Corey Brewer and a ton of it had to do with the fact he was in the starting lineup with Love, Pek, Martin, and Rubio. He had a career best in both the percentage of shots he took at the rim and his FG% at the rim. This is due almost exclusively to all of those outlet passes. That ain't happening this year and his efficiency will almost certainly regress back to what he did in the past - which is pretty poor.

Defensively, he's a risk taker. He gambles a ton - reaches a lot - and his defense has been consistently overrated since he came out of college. He's not a poor defender, but he's a risky defender. He's good at ball-denial and creating turnovers, but once his man gets the ball and squares up on him, he isn't very good.

The other problem is that of the wings we have, he is the most redundant with Wiggins. Martin and Bud can shoot. LaVine can handle the ball. Shabazz can post up, play a little small-ball 4, and has a nose for scoring.

Brewer also happens to be the guy that can probably get us the most in return (other than Wiggins of course). I think we could flip him for a pretty decent player or future pick.

I like Corey Brewer. He hustles his ass off. But if the goal is to make way for the development of the young guys, something probably has to give. And Brewer seems like the best choice to shop around.

Q, that's a well thought out reasonable post. I suppose if we were ready to contend right now, holding on to Brew might make more sense. But your point about the redundancy is a good one. If we have to move him, let's gets more than Anthony Randolph.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I suspect that Wiggins', LaVine's and Bennett's minutes will be substantially higher the second half of the season. We're all excited to see the new guys play and Flip did say yesterday that they will get a chance, but I don't think that chance will come to any great extent in the first month. Flip is an NBA veteran, and he knows that he needs to keep a happy locker room, and rookies are generally more comfortable waiting for their time than veterans. And we have several veterans that have either started or played significant minutes in the NBA, and Flip will try to get as much out of them as he can. And as others have said, Bud is a 36% 3-point shooter for his career (and much better than that in years in which he is healthy), and that is something we will need with Love leaving...so Flip is likely to take a good look at him early.

Except for perhaps a JJ move, I don't expect any more moves before the start of the season. I see players like Corey, Bud and Martin as potentially terrific chips at the trade deadline for contenders who have suffered injuries.

So, I see minutes like this the first couple weeks:

Rubio (36), Williams (12)
Martin (24), Bud (16), LaVine (8)
Brewer (24) Wiggins (14) Muhammad (10)
Young (32) Bennett (16)
Pek (25) Dieng (18) Turiaf (5)

But I think the young guys will prove themselves, Flip will be more inclined to play for the future, and Bud and/or Brewer will be moved at the deadline for draft picks and expirings, and the last half of the season may look more like this:

Rubio (36) Willliams (12)
Martin (28) LaVine (20)
Wiggins (28) Muhammad (20)
Bennett (28) Young (20)
Pek (25) Dieng (18) Turiaf (5)

Difficult to predict, but I think youth will be served this year...just not right from the start.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Bennett at 28 and Young at 20... Lol LST wants to kick Young off the team so quickly.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Bennett at 28 and Young at 20... Lol LST wants to kick Young off the team so quickly.

I was pretty sure I couldn't sneak that one by you! :)