Conley Donte or Dilly

[Lipoli390]

Theoretically, Conley is the best fit for what the starting lineup needs. Steady hand. Floor spacer. Can play with Rudy pretty well. Not a good defender anymore, but knows basically where to be on the floor. Still, he's clearly lost a step or three with age and although he doesn't seem to actively hurt the team when he's out there, he also doesn't seem to be helping the team much either. On a good night, you just barely notice him when he's out there and it's just getting tougher and tougher to have a very good team with a starting PG like that. On a bad night and/or in the playoffs, he's going to get targeted defensively, and that will really be a liability.

Donte is really a SG, not a PG. His ball handling and playmaking just aren't quite there to be a PG, and besides, he's better as a floor spacer moving off the ball. It's kind of unfair to him to put him into that situation, though I can see how he should be able to play with Ant and Julius if Conley's not out there. He's a little bigger than Conley and not a complete liability defensively. Personally, if I squint, I can kinda see why Finch made the switch to him from Conley, but it's obviously not an ideal situation. I'm surprised Finch went to him as the starter. It feels like a bit of desperation at this point.

Dillingham has shown real flashes as a ballhandler and playmaker, and theoretically, he should be a good floor spacer too, but man, is he small. A total defensive liability, and frankly, I think he's kind of erratic when running the offense. He should give us a shot-creator, which we need, but most of the time we don't really need that when Ant and Julius are on the floor. He seems best suited to be a bench sparkplug, and even then, he'll get absolutely picked on defensively in tight games or in the playoffs. I know he needs to develop, but even if he were to become a pretty good version of what he looks like he could become, that looks like a 6th man to me, and we need a starting PG to play alongside Ant. Can't blame Rob for this, but it's definitely a disappointing situation to find ourselves in.

Bones feels similar to Dillingham, just a little longer and a little more steady with decision making on offense, but without the high level handling and shot-creation that Dillingham can bring. Plus he's another small guy who is a real defensive liability,

TSJ and Clark are similar options to Donte. We could kind of get by with them with the starters, probably, but you really want to do better than just "get by" if you want to be a contender. Playing any of those 3 guys (Donte, TSJ, or Clark) as starters would invite pressure defense and put an additional strain on Ant and Julius to carry the ball handling and playmaking responsibilities. That's just not ideal.

Basically, there's not really much of a good solution here at all. It sucks for sure.

It’s way too early to proclaim Dilly no better than a potential 6th man. He’s 20 years old with only 1 year of college and no meaningful NBA playing time last season. He shined in Summer League and is clearly talented. I’ve gone through the long list of great PGs on winning teams who were around the same size as Dilly. The Wolves front office and coaching staff knew Dilly’s size when they traded way up to #8 to get him. If we believe TC and and his staff are really good basketball minds - better than us - then we shouldn’t worry about Dilly’s size. He needs to develop consistency but that will never come without consistent minutes. Maybe we’ll see he’s not ready now at age 20, but that doesn’t’ mean he won’t be a good PG 12 months from now at age 21 and maybe even a really good PG in 4 years when he’s TSJ’s age.

[Wolvesfan21]

Theoretically, Conley is the best fit for what the starting lineup needs. Steady hand. Floor spacer. Can play with Rudy pretty well. Not a good defender anymore, but knows basically where to be on the floor. Still, he's clearly lost a step or three with age and although he doesn't seem to actively hurt the team when he's out there, he also doesn't seem to be helping the team much either. On a good night, you just barely notice him when he's out there and it's just getting tougher and tougher to have a very good team with a starting PG like that. On a bad night and/or in the playoffs, he's going to get targeted defensively, and that will really be a liability.

Donte is really a SG, not a PG. His ball handling and playmaking just aren't quite there to be a PG, and besides, he's better as a floor spacer moving off the ball. It's kind of unfair to him to put him into that situation, though I can see how he should be able to play with Ant and Julius if Conley's not out there. He's a little bigger than Conley and not a complete liability defensively. Personally, if I squint, I can kinda see why Finch made the switch to him from Conley, but it's obviously not an ideal situation. I'm surprised Finch went to him as the starter. It feels like a bit of desperation at this point.

Dillingham has shown real flashes as a ballhandler and playmaker, and theoretically, he should be a good floor spacer too, but man, is he small. A total defensive liability, and frankly, I think he's kind of erratic when running the offense. He should give us a shot-creator, which we need, but most of the time we don't really need that when Ant and Julius are on the floor. He seems best suited to be a bench sparkplug, and even then, he'll get absolutely picked on defensively in tight games or in the playoffs. I know he needs to develop, but even if he were to become a pretty good version of what he looks like he could become, that looks like a 6th man to me, and we need a starting PG to play alongside Ant. Can't blame Rob for this, but it's definitely a disappointing situation to find ourselves in.

Bones feels similar to Dillingham, just a little longer and a little more steady with decision making on offense, but without the high level handling and shot-creation that Dillingham can bring. Plus he's another small guy who is a real defensive liability,

TSJ and Clark are similar options to Donte. We could kind of get by with them with the starters, probably, but you really want to do better than just "get by" if you want to be a contender. Playing any of those 3 guys (Donte, TSJ, or Clark) as starters would invite pressure defense and put an additional strain on Ant and Julius to carry the ball handling and playmaking responsibilities. That's just not ideal.

Basically, there's not really much of a good solution here at all. It sucks for sure.

It’s way too early to proclaim Dilly no better than a potential 6th man. He’s 20 years old with only 1 year of college and no meaningful NBA playing time last season. He shined in Summer League and is clearly talented. I’ve gone through the long list of great PGs on winning teams who were around the same size as Dilly. The Wolves front office and coaching staff knew Dilly’s size when they traded way up to #8 to get him. If we believe TC and and his staff are really good basketball minds - better than us - then we shouldn’t worry about Dilly’s size. He needs to develop consistency but that will never come without consistent minutes. Maybe we’ll see he’s not ready now at age 20, but that doesn’t’ mean he won’t be a good PG 12 months from now at age 21 and maybe even a really good PG in 4 years when he’s TSJ’s age.

You're probably right, thats just the feeling I'm getting. I'm not sure his offense will be great enough to make up for his lack of size which will always make it tough for him on defense. He also was the worst defender in college, so he has a long ways to go to be really a "starter".

I did say I'm intrigued by the idea of watching him in the starting lineup and we taking lumps, possibly by the end of the season he's better as a fit then Conley or DDV or TJ? We do need some ball handling against some teams.

[FNG]

Theoretically, Conley is the best fit for what the starting lineup needs. Steady hand. Floor spacer. Can play with Rudy pretty well. Not a good defender anymore, but knows basically where to be on the floor. Still, he's clearly lost a step or three with age and although he doesn't seem to actively hurt the team when he's out there, he also doesn't seem to be helping the team much either. On a good night, you just barely notice him when he's out there and it's just getting tougher and tougher to have a very good team with a starting PG like that. On a bad night and/or in the playoffs, he's going to get targeted defensively, and that will really be a liability.

Donte is really a SG, not a PG. His ball handling and playmaking just aren't quite there to be a PG, and besides, he's better as a floor spacer moving off the ball. It's kind of unfair to him to put him into that situation, though I can see how he should be able to play with Ant and Julius if Conley's not out there. He's a little bigger than Conley and not a complete liability defensively. Personally, if I squint, I can kinda see why Finch made the switch to him from Conley, but it's obviously not an ideal situation. I'm surprised Finch went to him as the starter. It feels like a bit of desperation at this point.

Dillingham has shown real flashes as a ballhandler and playmaker, and theoretically, he should be a good floor spacer too, but man, is he small. A total defensive liability, and frankly, I think he's kind of erratic when running the offense. He should give us a shot-creator, which we need, but most of the time we don't really need that when Ant and Julius are on the floor. He seems best suited to be a bench sparkplug, and even then, he'll get absolutely picked on defensively in tight games or in the playoffs. I know he needs to develop, but even if he were to become a pretty good version of what he looks like he could become, that looks like a 6th man to me, and we need a starting PG to play alongside Ant. Can't blame Rob for this, but it's definitely a disappointing situation to find ourselves in.

Bones feels similar to Dillingham, just a little longer and a little more steady with decision making on offense, but without the high level handling and shot-creation that Dillingham can bring. Plus he's another small guy who is a real defensive liability,

TSJ and Clark are similar options to Donte. We could kind of get by with them with the starters, probably, but you really want to do better than just "get by" if you want to be a contender. Playing any of those 3 guys (Donte, TSJ, or Clark) as starters would invite pressure defense and put an additional strain on Ant and Julius to carry the ball handling and playmaking responsibilities. That's just not ideal.

Basically, there's not really much of a good solution here at all. It sucks for sure.

It’s way too early to proclaim Dilly no better than a potential 6th man. He’s 20 years old with only 1 year of college and no meaningful NBA playing time last season. He shined in Summer League and is clearly talented. I’ve gone through the long list of great PGs on winning teams who were around the same size as Dilly. The Wolves front office and coaching staff knew Dilly’s size when they traded way up to #8 to get him. If we believe TC and and his staff are really good basketball minds - better than us - then we shouldn’t worry about Dilly’s size. He needs to develop consistency but that will never come without consistent minutes. Maybe we’ll see he’s not ready now at age 20, but that doesn’t’ mean he won’t be a good PG 12 months from now at age 21 and maybe even a really good PG in 4 years when he’s TSJ’s age.

But here's the problem, Lip. I do believe in our front office's ability to evaluate draft talent based on what they say in college. But I also know that they have a lot more relevant data points in the last 2 years that have led them to believe he's not ready for the NBA. If he's showing them every day in practice that he needs more seasoning, then I understand why he's not in the rotation. We either believe in our talent evaluators or we don't, and while I'm not a big Hyland supporter, it's quite telling that he saw the court last night before Rob.

[Wolvesfan21]

Theoretically, Conley is the best fit for what the starting lineup needs. Steady hand. Floor spacer. Can play with Rudy pretty well. Not a good defender anymore, but knows basically where to be on the floor. Still, he's clearly lost a step or three with age and although he doesn't seem to actively hurt the team when he's out there, he also doesn't seem to be helping the team much either. On a good night, you just barely notice him when he's out there and it's just getting tougher and tougher to have a very good team with a starting PG like that. On a bad night and/or in the playoffs, he's going to get targeted defensively, and that will really be a liability.

Donte is really a SG, not a PG. His ball handling and playmaking just aren't quite there to be a PG, and besides, he's better as a floor spacer moving off the ball. It's kind of unfair to him to put him into that situation, though I can see how he should be able to play with Ant and Julius if Conley's not out there. He's a little bigger than Conley and not a complete liability defensively. Personally, if I squint, I can kinda see why Finch made the switch to him from Conley, but it's obviously not an ideal situation. I'm surprised Finch went to him as the starter. It feels like a bit of desperation at this point.

Dillingham has shown real flashes as a ballhandler and playmaker, and theoretically, he should be a good floor spacer too, but man, is he small. A total defensive liability, and frankly, I think he's kind of erratic when running the offense. He should give us a shot-creator, which we need, but most of the time we don't really need that when Ant and Julius are on the floor. He seems best suited to be a bench sparkplug, and even then, he'll get absolutely picked on defensively in tight games or in the playoffs. I know he needs to develop, but even if he were to become a pretty good version of what he looks like he could become, that looks like a 6th man to me, and we need a starting PG to play alongside Ant. Can't blame Rob for this, but it's definitely a disappointing situation to find ourselves in.

Bones feels similar to Dillingham, just a little longer and a little more steady with decision making on offense, but without the high level handling and shot-creation that Dillingham can bring. Plus he's another small guy who is a real defensive liability,

TSJ and Clark are similar options to Donte. We could kind of get by with them with the starters, probably, but you really want to do better than just "get by" if you want to be a contender. Playing any of those 3 guys (Donte, TSJ, or Clark) as starters would invite pressure defense and put an additional strain on Ant and Julius to carry the ball handling and playmaking responsibilities. That's just not ideal.

Basically, there's not really much of a good solution here at all. It sucks for sure.

It’s way too early to proclaim Dilly no better than a potential 6th man. He’s 20 years old with only 1 year of college and no meaningful NBA playing time last season. He shined in Summer League and is clearly talented. I’ve gone through the long list of great PGs on winning teams who were around the same size as Dilly. The Wolves front office and coaching staff knew Dilly’s size when they traded way up to #8 to get him. If we believe TC and and his staff are really good basketball minds - better than us - then we shouldn’t worry about Dilly’s size. He needs to develop consistency but that will never come without consistent minutes. Maybe we’ll see he’s not ready now at age 20, but that doesn’t’ mean he won’t be a good PG 12 months from now at age 21 and maybe even a really good PG in 4 years when he’s TSJ’s age.

But here's the problem, Lip. I do believe in our front office's ability to evaluate draft talent based on what they say in college. But I also know that they have a lot more relevant data points in the last 2 years that have led them to believe he's not ready for the NBA. If he's showing them every day in practice that he needs more seasoning, then I understand why he's not in the rotation. We either believe in our talent evaluators or we don't, and while I'm not a big Hyland supporter, it's quite telling that he saw the court last night before Rob.

I think that's where I'm getting the feeling he's possibly just a 6th man type in a couple years, maybe lower end starter. Right now he should have every chance to play some being two years in and a high draft pick, and yet he didn't break into the lineup. You have to be concerned. He is very young though. So things could change. Who knows. Not calling him a bust yet. My hopes are dwindling though for him. I got more hope for TJ and Clark to be good/great NBA players.

[Q-is-here]

What?!? You didn't include Bones in your choices!

I am convinced Mike is not the answer as a starter as his skills are reflecting his age. Finch has to balance developing young talent and winning games. That game last night offered zero opportunity for a "development stint" from Dilly.

The ANT/TSJ backcourt played the entire 5 minutes of crunch time last night. But I am fine with starting DDV while we wait for more data to unfold on TSJ, Bones and Dilly.

I'm with you Tim. I want to see how things evolve here before demanding any sort of change. Not everyone plays like Portland but more and more teams seem to be headed that way.

[Coolbreeze44]

What?!? You didn't include Bones in your choices!

I am convinced Mike is not the answer as a starter as his skills are reflecting his age. Finch has to balance developing young talent and winning games. That game last night offered zero opportunity for a "development stint" from Dilly.

The ANT/TSJ backcourt played the entire 5 minutes of crunch time last night. But I am fine with starting DDV while we wait for more data to unfold on TSJ, Bones and Dilly.

I'm with you Tim. I want to see how things evolve here before demanding any sort of change. Not everyone plays like Portland but more and more teams seem to be headed that way.

I don't know many things Q, but I know a team that needs a point guard when I see one. We needed one at the end of last year, we needed one in the offseason, and we need one now. I get not demanding anything rash or rushed, but this problem isn't going away.

[Q-is-here]

What?!? You didn't include Bones in your choices!

I am convinced Mike is not the answer as a starter as his skills are reflecting his age. Finch has to balance developing young talent and winning games. That game last night offered zero opportunity for a "development stint" from Dilly.

The ANT/TSJ backcourt played the entire 5 minutes of crunch time last night. But I am fine with starting DDV while we wait for more data to unfold on TSJ, Bones and Dilly.

I'm with you Tim. I want to see how things evolve here before demanding any sort of change. Not everyone plays like Portland but more and more teams seem to be headed that way.

I don't know many things Q, but I know a team that needs a point guard when I see one. We needed one at the end of last year, we needed one in the offseason, and we need one now. I get not demanding anything rash or rushed, but this problem isn't going away.

But do we need a BMW or Toyota Corolla? I feel we need to see things play out longer.

[Coolbreeze44]

I'm with you Tim. I want to see how things evolve here before demanding any sort of change. Not everyone plays like Portland but more and more teams seem to be headed that way.

I don't know many things Q, but I know a team that needs a point guard when I see one. We needed one at the end of last year, we needed one in the offseason, and we need one now. I get not demanding anything rash or rushed, but this problem isn't going away.

A Nissan Altima would do

[WildWolf2813]

It’s way too early to proclaim Dilly no better than a potential 6th man. He’s 20 years old with only 1 year of college and no meaningful NBA playing time last season. He shined in Summer League and is clearly talented. I’ve gone through the long list of great PGs on winning teams who were around the same size as Dilly. The Wolves front office and coaching staff knew Dilly’s size when they traded way up to #8 to get him. If we believe TC and and his staff are really good basketball minds - better than us - then we shouldn’t worry about Dilly’s size. He needs to develop consistency but that will never come without consistent minutes. Maybe we’ll see he’s not ready now at age 20, but that doesn’t’ mean he won’t be a good PG 12 months from now at age 21 and maybe even a really good PG in 4 years when he’s TSJ’s age.

But here's the problem, Lip. I do believe in our front office's ability to evaluate draft talent based on what they say in college. But I also know that they have a lot more relevant data points in the last 2 years that have led them to believe he's not ready for the NBA. If he's showing them every day in practice that he needs more seasoning, then I understand why he's not in the rotation. We either believe in our talent evaluators or we don't, and while I'm not a big Hyland supporter, it's quite telling that he saw the court last night before Rob.

I think that's where I'm getting the feeling he's possibly just a 6th man type in a couple years, maybe lower end starter. Right now he should have every chance to play some being two years in and a high draft pick, and yet he didn't break into the lineup. You have to be concerned. He is very young though. So things could change. Who knows. Not calling him a bust yet. My hopes are dwindling though for him. I got more hope for TJ and Clark to be good/great NBA players.

My hope for Rob HERE is gone. Finch would rather try to teach you how to shoot than teach you how to defend. That's why he prefers Clark. Unless Rob becomes 6'4-6'5'' in 2 years, Finch is just gonna look at him at the end of the bench and suck his teeth. Whatever made Connelly like Rob, Finch just doesn't agree with. Now, from a talent perspective, I trust John Calipari over ANYONE in the Wolves' front office, but this is just a situation where TC when Acapulco with the trade up and selection without really consulting with Finch when in hindsight, staying at 27 and 37 and selecting Shannon and Ajay Mitchell and just going with what Finch wanted since he was gonna be too stubborn to make drastic changes anyway.

[WildWolf2813]

Right now probably Donte, but it might be TSJ very soon.

Thats a good point, he may very well by the end of the year become a starter. I could even see an argument for Clark at some point. His defense is so great it's hard for him to not be on the floor!

It's almost 5 guys that are arguable really, but so different and provide value in multiple ways.

the biggest issue Minnesota has is that all their talent is really concentrated at PF and SG

PF you can argue it's Randle, McDaniels and Reid.

SG it's Ant, DDV, Shannon and Clark.

Either they're gonna say F it and make it work (which is what they're trying) or balance out the roster so you don't have these glaring ass weaknesses and guys who can't get on the court because they lack other skills.

What usually comes of these situations is that GM's and coaches don't wanna move anyone because they're scared of trading the wrong one, so to answer the question in this thread, Finch right now clearly wants it to be DDV, but by midseason if this doesn't work, will just pretend Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards can take turns pretending to be Luka.