Rudy earns 4th DPOY

[Phenom]

Hell of a season for Stifle Tower. He slayed all the narratives about him. Imagine if the Wolves win the chip. What else could you say about him?

[Q-is-here]

Congrats to Rudy! He regrouped this past offseason and returned to form after a shaky first season with the Wolves. He obviously keeps himself in incredible physical condition. I could see him being a defensive force for many more seasons to come. You can't teach height and a lot of what he does involves smarts.

[FNG]

Good for Rudy…the honors keep coming for this team!

Isn’t it ironic though that the Wolves best defensive effort of the year came on a night Rudy wasn’t in the building? I’ve been saying all season that Rudy’s rim-protecting presence allows our perimeter defenders to sell out and defend their guy with impunity. But Sunday night challenged that take. Antonio Daniels said on nba radio (Friday I think) that rim protectors are overrated, and the DPOY should always be a wing. Sunday seemed to support that hypothesis. Wemby will likely become a perennial DPOY because blocks per game are easy to quantify, but I’ll be cheering for someone like Jaden or Herb Jones to win it next year.

[FNG]

I will say though that Rudy’s value goes far beyond blocks per game. His reputation for blocking shots is so established that his real value is in a nonexistent stat: shots not taken. It’s always fun to see an opponent beat his man and get to the rim, and then abandon his mission because he sees Rudy lurking!

[DNatagal]

The drive and then Nope should be a stat.

[60WinTim]

The drive and then Nope should be a stat.

Or as Grady has coined it: Never minds!

[FNG]

The drive and then Nope should be a stat.

Or as Grady has coined it: Never minds!

Ha, I like both! It's very striking when I see James Harden do it...Harden will almost always try to get the shot off to either score or draw the foul, but he bails when he sees Rudy.

[Wolvesfan21]

Good for Rudy…the honors keep coming for this team!

Isn’t it ironic though that the Wolves best defensive effort of the year came on a night Rudy wasn’t in the building? I’ve been saying all season that Rudy’s rim-protecting presence allows our perimeter defenders to sell out and defend their guy with impunity. But Sunday night challenged that take. Antonio Daniels said on nba radio (Friday I think) that rim protectors are overrated, and the DPOY should always be a wing. Sunday seemed to support that hypothesis. Wemby will likely become a perennial DPOY because blocks per game are easy to quantify, but I’ll be cheering for someone like Jaden or Herb Jones to win it next year.

I think that we simply have more good to great perimeter defenders in the league though which can make it hard to evaluate differences between guys. I respect Jaden and his toughness and grit and great defense. However he hasn't consistently rebounded at a high enough level and still commits a few too many fouls. If you want to be the best in the league you need to do everything at an elite level.

I think of a guy in the past who won DPOY in Rodman. He was probably the best rebounder in the game at that time, for his size for sure. Although he played in a different era and mostly at the 4 position but even some 3 (he was no 7 footer remember). I think Jaden can up his rebounds significantly overall and commit less fouls and he could have a chance. I have liked his uptick in boards recently though. We'll see if he can continue to move on that upward trajectory.

Congrats to Rudy though. His ability to contest, not foul much and rebound at an elite level is amazing.

[Lipoli390]

Rudy has been fantastic this season. I no longer think about the trade that brought him here. I think only about the fact that he’s here and the huge impact he’s had getting this team to the place it’s at - with an opportunity to advance to the Western Conference Finals and potentially win a championship.

Here’s what Rudy said: "I’ve found a team, a coaching staff, an organization and a city that has embraced me, and a group that has embraced me. I feel like it’s like a family. We are there for each other. We really care about one another."

There’s no longer any doubt in my mind about what the Wolves should do after this season. They should bring back the same team and accept that it means being over the 2nd apron for one season. At the end of next season, they can negotiate a long-term deal that keeps Rudy here until his late 30s at an annual salary that will ensure we’re below the 2nd apron thereafter. This team has a special chemistry to it - a rare collection of all-star caliber players who don’t have matching egos. This is the sort of group that can stay together and be a championship contender for many years like the Jazz and Bulls in the 90s and the Warriors not too long ago. You don’t let this sort of thing go easily.

Staying above the 2nd apron for more than one season is untenable because of the transactional limitations. However, while it’s not my money, paying the luxury tax below the 2nd apron is a price worth paying to keep this special team together unless and until it somehow falls apart on the court or in the locker room.

[Q-is-here]

Rudy has been fantastic this season. I no longer think about the trade that brought him here. I think only about the fact that he’s here and the huge impact he’s had getting this team to the place it’s at - with an opportunity to advance to the Western Conference Finals and potentially win a championship.

Here’s what Rudy said: "I’ve found a team, a coaching staff, an organization and a city that has embraced me, and a group that has embraced me. I feel like it’s like a family. We are there for each other. We really care about one another."

There’s no longer any doubt in my mind about what the Wolves should do after this season. They should bring back the same team and accept that it means being over the 2nd apron for one season. At the end of next season, they can negotiate a long-term deal that keeps Rudy here until his late 30s at an annual salary that will ensure we’re below the 2nd apron thereafter. This team has a special chemistry to it - a rare collection of all-star caliber players who don’t have matching egos. This is the sort of group that can stay together and be a championship contender for many years like the Jazz and Bulls in the 90s and the Warriors not too long ago. You don’t let this sort of thing go easily.

Staying above the 2nd apron for more than one season is untenable because of the transactional limitations. However, while it’s not my money, paying the luxury tax below the 2nd apron is a price worth paying to keep this special team together unless and until it somehow falls apart on the court or in the locker room.

Sounds like you've seen enough to turn the page Lip! We know you were one of the most vocal skeptics of the Rudy trade, but hardly alone in feeling that way.

What frightens the hell out of me is the fact we are only 37% of the way to a Title, yet Wolves-mania is at its highest right now, with some very prominent national pundits declaring us the favorites to win it all.

A lot can still go wrong, but I think this 6-game playoff winning streak is surprising even the most optimistic Wolves fans. It's been shocking to see a team grow the hell up so quickly when you look at our prior crunch-time problems, turnover issues, and big lead meltdowns from the past 18-24 months. All credit goes to the players and coaching staff. Let's hope they keep it up!