Iowa Wolves

[Q-is-here]

I haven't been watching games but looking at basic stats and stuff it seems like to me NAW might be one of the most valuable players for this season's team on the roster. I get the idea of cashing in on his value but it might be pretty hard to move him at this point.

The Wolves struggles and relatively good health has kept some guys from getting chances. I think most thought Garza would get more of an opportunity to play this season but so far nope.

Monster - I share. Your view of NAW as one of this team’s most valuable players. Trading him now would be selling high and cashing in on that value as you noted. There’s a long line of NBA teams that would love to have NAW and give up a lot to get him. Moreover, because the Wolves need more scoring, we might be better off in the long run with TSJ filling NAW’s role off the bench - assuming TSJ is the player I think he is.

I think may be.asking a lot of a rookie. NAW might be sort of a glue guy in the way Kyle Anderson was (different strengths obviously) for 2 years in some ways probably keeping the team afloat helping in a a few ways despite having some flaws.

What do you expect to get for NAW? To me the other question is what kind of contract has NAW earned? Is he a full mid-level salary guy? What's the most you are willing to go? Apologies if this has all be discussed while I was away. At what point even if we could resign NAW regardless of other considerations is there an amount where we are like...yeah we love him and want to keep him but maybe that's too much it might not be a good value. I think he is clearly worth like 10 million but I'm not sure how much higher I go after that. It's hard to keep wrapping my mind around what salalries will look like with them going up an expected 10% each season for a few years.

He's probably worth $15-20M on the open market. I mean, what team doesn't want a mid-sized wing that can guard three positions, works his ass off, never complains, can be a secondary ball handler, and hits the open 3. He literally fits into any NBA scheme. Boston, Cleveland, and OKC would all love him.

[rapsuperstar31]

I haven't been watching games but looking at basic stats and stuff it seems like to me NAW might be one of the most valuable players for this season's team on the roster. I get the idea of cashing in on his value but it might be pretty hard to move him at this point.

The Wolves struggles and relatively good health has kept some guys from getting chances. I think most thought Garza would get more of an opportunity to play this season but so far nope.

Monster - I share. Your view of NAW as one of this team’s most valuable players. Trading him now would be selling high and cashing in on that value as you noted. There’s a long line of NBA teams that would love to have NAW and give up a lot to get him. Moreover, because the Wolves need more scoring, we might be better off in the long run with TSJ filling NAW’s role off the bench - assuming TSJ is the player I think he is.

I think may be.asking a lot of a rookie. NAW might be sort of a glue guy in the way Kyle Anderson was (different strengths obviously) for 2 years in some ways probably keeping the team afloat helping in a a few ways despite having some flaws.

What do you expect to get for NAW? To me the other question is what kind of contract has NAW earned? Is he a full mid-level salary guy? What's the most you are willing to go? Apologies if this has all be discussed while I was away. At what point even if we could resign NAW regardless of other considerations is there an amount where we are like...yeah we love him and want to keep him but maybe that's too much it might not be a good value. I think he is clearly worth like 10 million but I'm not sure how much higher I go after that. It's hard to keep wrapping my mind around what salalries will look like with them going up an expected 10% each season for a few years.

According to Dane Moore if Julius stays here and opts in, at least one of Naw and Naz is gone since we won't be able to resign both and stay under the 2nd tax apron. The mle is about 14-15 million, so expectations are he will get close to that.

[Lipoli390]

Monster - I share. Your view of NAW as one of this team’s most valuable players. Trading him now would be selling high and cashing in on that value as you noted. There’s a long line of NBA teams that would love to have NAW and give up a lot to get him. Moreover, because the Wolves need more scoring, we might be better off in the long run with TSJ filling NAW’s role off the bench - assuming TSJ is the player I think he is.

I think may be.asking a lot of a rookie. NAW might be sort of a glue guy in the way Kyle Anderson was (different strengths obviously) for 2 years in some ways probably keeping the team afloat helping in a a few ways despite having some flaws.

What do you expect to get for NAW? To me the other question is what kind of contract has NAW earned? Is he a full mid-level salary guy? What's the most you are willing to go? Apologies if this has all be discussed while I was away. At what point even if we could resign NAW regardless of other considerations is there an amount where we are like...yeah we love him and want to keep him but maybe that's too much it might not be a good value. I think he is clearly worth like 10 million but I'm not sure how much higher I go after that. It's hard to keep wrapping my mind around what salalries will look like with them going up an expected 10% each season for a few years.

According to Dane Moore if Julius stays here and opts in, at least one of Naw and Naz is gone since we won't be able to resign both and stay under the 2nd tax apron. The mle is about 14-15 million, so expectations are he will get close to that.

That’s right. There is no way we can re-sign NAW and Naz if Randle opts in and it’s highly likely he’ll opt in. It would be really foolish to let Naz walk. So NAW is as good as gone unless the Wolves trade Randle for expiring contracts, which would likely require the Wolves to give up future 1st round assets like the Detroit pick. That would be foolish in my view. So NAW is as good as gone as I see it. Thankfully, we have a couple of very talented wings in waiting - TSJ and Clark. We also have Donte.

[Monster]

I think may be.asking a lot of a rookie. NAW might be sort of a glue guy in the way Kyle Anderson was (different strengths obviously) for 2 years in some ways probably keeping the team afloat helping in a a few ways despite having some flaws.

What do you expect to get for NAW? To me the other question is what kind of contract has NAW earned? Is he a full mid-level salary guy? What's the most you are willing to go? Apologies if this has all be discussed while I was away. At what point even if we could resign NAW regardless of other considerations is there an amount where we are like...yeah we love him and want to keep him but maybe that's too much it might not be a good value. I think he is clearly worth like 10 million but I'm not sure how much higher I go after that. It's hard to keep wrapping my mind around what salalries will look like with them going up an expected 10% each season for a few years.

According to Dane Moore if Julius stays here and opts in, at least one of Naw and Naz is gone since we won't be able to resign both and stay under the 2nd tax apron. The mle is about 14-15 million, so expectations are he will get close to that.

That’s right. There is no way we can re-sign NAW and Naz if Randle opts in and it’s highly likely he’ll opt in. It would be really foolish to let Naz walk. So NAW is as good as gone unless the Wolves trade Randle for expiring contracts, which would likely require the Wolves to give up future 1st round assets like the Detroit pick. That would be foolish in my view. So NAW is as good as gone as I see it. Thankfully, we have a couple of very talented wings in waiting - TSJ and Clark. We also have Donte.

TO me it seems like Naw is somewhere in between KCP and Derrick White. KCP got over 20 million a year for basically a 3 year deal with a player option. KCP and White are more proven playoff contributors but if NAW keeps playing well yeah it seems like a Mid level is maybe his floor. Is he worth that? Yes...but I also wonder if its actually worth paying him considering all the other things that have to be considered in addition to what he might be able to to garner in a trade. as its been discussed here the Wolves potentially have TSJ and Clark to help filled the void. Connelly has made these types of deals before getting the most he could out of a guy before possibly losing them for nothing.

[60WinTim]

So this has turned into the NAW appreciation thread?!?

You realize, in terms of minutes, NAW was our 7th man in the rotation last year, and with the addition of DDV, is clearly the 8th man in the rotation this year. Kudos to NAW for playing above his head earlier this season to help guide us through our current transition. But he hasn't been so hot lately, sort of like his poor offensive play in the playoffs last year.

Is NAW worth more than his current contract? Yup. But I don't know that he's worth a full MLE, even if he might find it on the market this summer. At least not for the Wolves and their current salary structure.

I don't think TC will upset Finch's current rotation by trading NAW. But if he wants to recoup an asset for NAW, he ought to consider a deadline trade.

[Q-is-here]

So this has turned into the NAW appreciation thread?!?

You realize, in terms of minutes, NAW was our 7th man in the rotation last year, and with the addition of DDV, is clearly the 8th man in the rotation this year. Kudos to NAW for playing above his head earlier this season to help guide us through our current transition. But he hasn't been so hot lately, sort of like his poor offensive play in the playoffs last year.

Is NAW worth more than his current contract? Yup. But I don't know that he's worth a full MLE, even if he might find it on the market this summer. At least not for the Wolves and their current salary structure.

I don't think TC will upset Finch's current rotation by trading NAW. But if he wants to recoup an asset for NAW, he ought to consider a deadline trade.

I'm really torn over $15M per year NAW vs. $4M per year NAW. I love the dude and he doesn't seem like the type that would let $ impact his motor and attitude, but that's a lot to pay a 7th or 8th man in the new world of 1st and 2nd aprons!

[Q-is-here]

As a lot of you were/are wasting your time watching the Vikings team, your hard working Wolves correspondent here was toiling in obscurity watching the Iowa Wolves tilt. And why you might ask. Because Rob Dillingham was down there on assignment!

He was a mixed bag in a Wolves loss. He had 22 points, but needed 23 shots to get them. He had 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 6 TOs as well. So he was definitely very active and it's hard to take your eyes off him since he can be so electric at times.

He has elite level handles and change of direction moves. But the finishing needs work for sure. He can put great initial moves on folks to wriggle free of some really tight spots, but then will miss the shot or make a difficult pass that gets stolen or deflected.

His defense was OK-ish...works plenty hard but just doesn't have the size or strength to bother anyone much. He is really good at chasing down long rebounds, which seems sort of niche but actually is something the big league squad could use. And he is also great at injecting pace into the game. But don't count on him to save us from our TO issues!

[Lipoli390]

As a lot of you were/are wasting your time watching the Vikings team, your hard working Wolves correspondent here was toiling in obscurity watching the Iowa Wolves tilt. And why you might ask. Because Rob Dillingham was down there on assignment!

He was a mixed bag in a Wolves loss. He had 22 points, but needed 23 shots to get them. He had 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 6 TOs as well. So he was definitely very active and it's hard to take your eyes off him since he can be so electric at times.

He has elite level handles and change of direction moves. But the finishing needs work for sure. He can put great initial moves on folks to wriggle free of some really tight spots, but then will miss the shot or make a difficult pass that gets stolen or deflected.

His defense was OK-ish...works plenty hard but just doesn't have the size or strength to bother anyone much. He is really good at chasing down long rebounds, which seems sort of niche but actually is something the big league squad could use. And he is also great at injecting pace into the game. But don't count on him to save us from our TO issues!

Q - Thanks for keep your eye on the ball and reporting back to us. I’m always looking for your Iowa Wolves reports.

Let’s hope Dilly’s turnover propensity is no more than a failing of youth. He’s young enough that he might grow out of his tendency to turn the ball over. I think his defense will be good enough playing with Ant, Jaden and Rudy. The one thing I worry about with Dilly is his finishing. He didn’t finish well in college either. Finishing well at the rim is a critical skill for small/slight NBA guards. Some examples: Ja Morant, Steph Curry, Allen Iverson. Part of what makes Curry so great is his ability to score efficiently at the rim in addition of course to his lights out perimeter shooting. Dilly’s a much better three-point shooter than Morant or Iverson coming out of college. He actually had a slightly better college three-point percentage than Curry. But he has to master the mid-range and finish effectively at the rim if he’s going to be a really good PG for us. Fingers crossed.

[Q-is-here]

As a lot of you were/are wasting your time watching the Vikings team, your hard working Wolves correspondent here was toiling in obscurity watching the Iowa Wolves tilt. And why you might ask. Because Rob Dillingham was down there on assignment!

He was a mixed bag in a Wolves loss. He had 22 points, but needed 23 shots to get them. He had 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 6 TOs as well. So he was definitely very active and it's hard to take your eyes off him since he can be so electric at times.

He has elite level handles and change of direction moves. But the finishing needs work for sure. He can put great initial moves on folks to wriggle free of some really tight spots, but then will miss the shot or make a difficult pass that gets stolen or deflected.

His defense was OK-ish...works plenty hard but just doesn't have the size or strength to bother anyone much. He is really good at chasing down long rebounds, which seems sort of niche but actually is something the big league squad could use. And he is also great at injecting pace into the game. But don't count on him to save us from our TO issues!

Q - Thanks for keep your eye on the ball and reporting back to us. I’m always looking for your Iowa Wolves reports.

Let’s hope Dilly’s turnover propensity is no more than a failing of youth. He’s young enough that he might grow out of his tendency to turn the ball over. I think his defense will be good enough playing with Ant, Jaden and Rudy. The one thing I worry about with Dilly is his finishing. He didn’t finish well in college either. Finishing well at the rim is a critical skill for small/slight NBA guards. Some examples: Ja Morant, Steph Curry, Allen Iverson. Part of what makes Curry so great is his ability to score efficiently at the rim in addition of course to his lights out perimeter shooting. Dilly’s a much better three-point shooter than Morant or Iverson coming out of college. He actually had a slightly better college three-point percentage than Curry. But he has to master the mid-range and finish effectively at the rim if he’s going to be a really good PG for us. Fingers crossed.

Lip, Dillingham doesn't have the athletic burst around the rim that Ja and Iverson have/had. He has the shake to free himself up from his man, but then can't quite get all the way to the rim before help arrives, so he's usually stuck having to throw up difficult floaters, push shots, etc. over the weakside defender. That's more the Curry route and I think he will eventually develop a great touch on these shots but it will take some time.

I'd really like to see Dillingham be our full-time backup PG next season right out of the gate. Conley needs to move to more of a Joe Ingles/break glass in case of emergency role. I guess that makes DDV the starter unless Connelly has other plans to trade or sign a vet mid-level PG like Lonzo Ball or Tyus Jones.

[Lipoli390]

As a lot of you were/are wasting your time watching the Vikings team, your hard working Wolves correspondent here was toiling in obscurity watching the Iowa Wolves tilt. And why you might ask. Because Rob Dillingham was down there on assignment!

He was a mixed bag in a Wolves loss. He had 22 points, but needed 23 shots to get them. He had 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 6 TOs as well. So he was definitely very active and it's hard to take your eyes off him since he can be so electric at times.

He has elite level handles and change of direction moves. But the finishing needs work for sure. He can put great initial moves on folks to wriggle free of some really tight spots, but then will miss the shot or make a difficult pass that gets stolen or deflected.

His defense was OK-ish...works plenty hard but just doesn't have the size or strength to bother anyone much. He is really good at chasing down long rebounds, which seems sort of niche but actually is something the big league squad could use. And he is also great at injecting pace into the game. But don't count on him to save us from our TO issues!

Q - Thanks for keep your eye on the ball and reporting back to us. I’m always looking for your Iowa Wolves reports.

Let’s hope Dilly’s turnover propensity is no more than a failing of youth. He’s young enough that he might grow out of his tendency to turn the ball over. I think his defense will be good enough playing with Ant, Jaden and Rudy. The one thing I worry about with Dilly is his finishing. He didn’t finish well in college either. Finishing well at the rim is a critical skill for small/slight NBA guards. Some examples: Ja Morant, Steph Curry, Allen Iverson. Part of what makes Curry so great is his ability to score efficiently at the rim in addition of course to his lights out perimeter shooting. Dilly’s a much better three-point shooter than Morant or Iverson coming out of college. He actually had a slightly better college three-point percentage than Curry. But he has to master the mid-range and finish effectively at the rim if he’s going to be a really good PG for us. Fingers crossed.

Lip, Dillingham doesn't have the athletic burst around the rim that Ja and Iverson have/had. He has the shake to free himself up from his man, but then can't quite get all the way to the rim before help arrives, so he's usually stuck having to throw up difficult floaters, push shots, etc. over the weakside defender. That's more the Curry route and I think he will eventually develop a great touch on these shots but it will take some time.

I'd really like to see Dillingham be our full-time backup PG next season right out of the gate. Conley needs to move to more of a Joe Ingles/break glass in case of emergency role. I guess that makes DDV the starter unless Connelly has other plans to trade or sign a vet mid-level PG like Lonzo Ball or Tyus Jones.

Curry was the model I had in mind for Dilly’s development finishing at the rim. The point is that, if you’re a small PG, you have to be super quick getting to the rim and able to finish efficiently once you’re there. Like Iverson before him, Ja uses explosiveness. As you said, Dilly will need to emulate Curry. One thing I’ll add is that Dilly, with a recorded 42” vertical, has much better hops than Curry. That should help, but Dilly is still more of a Curry than Ja around the rim.

Like you’d I want to see Dilly as our backup PG from the start next season and I agree Conley is in the Joe Ingles part of his career - or certainly will be next season at age 38. But I think that means DDV as our starting PG. We likely won’t have the full MLE available (assuming Randle opts in and we re-sign Naz) because we’ll still be over the 1st apron. That’s a reality that some on this Board seem to be overlooking. We won’t have much more transactional freedom next season than we have now. It’s better to be below the 2nd apron, but the CBA restrictions are still pretty draconian for exceeding the 1st apron and there’s no realisic way we can be under the 1st apron unless we trade Randle this season for expiring contracts.