Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 05, 2025 9:35 am
I’m a bit concerned about Finch’s comment that it wasn't fun coaching this team last season because of some personality things. My concern is that we still have the same personalities on the roster minus NAW. I doubt NAW was the source of any personality issues. If the issue was playing time, that could be addressed in part by NAW’s departure, but Finch mentioned personalities, not playing time. I was generally in favor of bringing in everyone but Randle back and even OK with bringing Randle back in the end. But now I’m wondering because whoever was causing the personality issues last season is undoubtedly still on the roster. I find that troubling.
Had to be mostly Donte and Julius early on. Both were traded right before training camp began, and especially Donte wasn't happy just picking up and moving his family from the team that he choose to sign with the year before to play with his Villanova buddies. It sounded like Donte wanted to at least be the 6th man ahead of Naz and NAW. Rob had some issues as well, like when he yelled at Finch when Finch pulled him out of a game. Randle and Rudy had issues figuring out how to play together as well. By the end of the year, it seemed like the team was clicking and on the same page, and a lot of the team stayed in Minnesota all summer working out together and building chemistry. Lets hope we start the season how we ended it (minus the OKC series) and only improve from there. Ant really upped his leadership by the end of the season, and I think that really got the team back on the same page, and it sounds like Ant has been the catalyst for keeping everyone together this summer.
I think you nailed it, Cypress...Donte and Ju. Jon K has talked about how Ju's attitude changed about halfway through the year, and that he seems really happy coming into this season. And Donte is an east coast guy who went from playing with his buddies and starting in the playoffs in Madison Square Garden to coming off the bench in flyover land. But now that he has moved his family here and gotten a taste of Minnesota living, he seems much more content. He's still going to be coming off the bench barring injury, but if he's making shots, he'll get 25+ minutes a night this year. I'm expecting big things from both these guys.
Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 05, 2025 9:35 am
I’m a bit concerned about Finch’s comment that it wasn't fun coaching this team last season because of some personality things. My concern is that we still have the same personalities on the roster minus NAW. I doubt NAW was the source of any personality issues. If the issue was playing time, that could be addressed in part by NAW’s departure, but Finch mentioned personalities, not playing time. I was generally in favor of bringing in everyone but Randle back and even OK with bringing Randle back in the end. But now I’m wondering because whoever was causing the personality issues last season is undoubtedly still on the roster. I find that troubling.
Had to be mostly Donte and Julius early on. Both were traded right before training camp began, and especially Donte wasn't happy just picking up and moving his family from the team that he choose to sign with the year before to play with his Villanova buddies. It sounded like Donte wanted to at least be the 6th man ahead of Naz and NAW. Rob had some issues as well, like when he yelled at Finch when Finch pulled him out of a game. Randle and Rudy had issues figuring out how to play together as well. By the end of the year, it seemed like the team was clicking and on the same page, and a lot of the team stayed in Minnesota all summer working out together and building chemistry. Lets hope we start the season how we ended it (minus the OKC series) and only improve from there. Ant really upped his leadership by the end of the season, and I think that really got the team back on the same page, and it sounds like Ant has been the catalyst for keeping everyone together this summer.
I think you nailed it, Cypress...Donte and Ju. Jon K has talked about how Ju's attitude changed about halfway through the year, and that he seems really happy coming into this season. And Donte is an east coast guy who went from playing with his buddies and starting in the playoffs in Madison Square Garden to coming off the bench in flyover land. But now that he has moved his family here and gotten a taste of Minnesota living, he seems much more content. He's still going to be coming off the bench barring injury, but if he's making shots, he'll get 25+ minutes a night this year. I'm expecting big things from both these guys.
The personalities were definitely butting heads. And the inability to play +.500 ball for the first half of the season exacerbated it. But the personality bit sure seemed to have worked itself out, and winning in the latter portion of the season and in the playoffs has created a lot of opTIMism heading into this season.
