Stomped Utah, now prove it wasn’t a fluke - Wolves at Kings GDT

[DNatagal]

Cool, while I don't disagree with your overall point about needing a PG that can be relied upon- what is the practical application of this solution?
While I'm sure you're not suggesting a major deal that would upturn the starting 5, let's start there. I'm not sure it makes sense to make a seismic change to that group as they are actually playing really well, and I think they're going to continue trending in the right direction. Would dropping DDV, moving Ant back to SG and paying whatever the high cost would be to bring in a high level ball handler at PG really move the needle if it cost you Randle, DDV and Rob? Do all of that and you still need a solution in the non Rudy minutes. I'm just not sure this the correct path unless the starting group really starts to fall apart or Ant can't make any progression as a playmaker (a valid concern)

So RE the backup PG spot- are we really that upset with Conley's performance as a backup point guard? I'm just not sure I see something available that actually moves the needle, particularly in regards to playing the Thunder.
I think the best path right now is to continue leaning into internal development while keep an ear to the ground in the trade market for an actual backup center. Ant has some ground to make up if he's going to the primary initiator but I've seen enough from him over the years to believe he can get there over the course of the season. Randle is playing so well right now I don't want to discount him coming to that matchup with a different mindset and Jaden's improvement is a true revelation that shouldn't be discounted. His handle is so much better right now and he is seeing the floor at a pretty high level right now, he even creating his own shot and creating plays for others two or three times a game.

Randle is playing within himself and not thinking he is Allen Iverson playing point guard. McDaniels is making his contract look like a steal, bringing the ball up, making everything he shoots, still playing high level defense, and not losing his mind from bad calls, Rudy has figured out how to catch the ball and trust that the other players around him will back him up on defense when he is blocking shots. These are massive improvements and should be sustainable. I think the point guard by committee is going to work with the crew we have. The backup big *cough Joan Beringer cough* is by far the most important for this team as the offense is humming and can outpace others.

[kekgeek]

I’m with cool on this one. I think backup big is the biggest issue for the regular season grind. I think another ball handler is by far the biggest need for the playoffs. I don’t think a backup big cracks the 8 man rotation and/or is the difference for beating the Thunder in the playoffs.

Now we can hope the Thunder get knocked off by someone else, Dilly improves a ton over the season (unlikely), or we can try and add another ball handler to help beat the Thunder.

[Q-is-here]

The playoff case for adding a legit backup big is Houston. I don't think our current roster could deal with their size and strength. Naz Reid would be bullied off the court by the likes of Sengun, Capela, and Adams. They are HUGE.

The playoff case for adding another ball handler is OKC. Or is it? I'd argue it could also be another athletic wing that plays with pace and force. I know Shannon has been a major disappointment so far, but OKC didn't know how to deal with him whenever we played them last year.

Another example is Aaron Nesmith, who played well against OKC and is battle tested.

Finally, I'd argue that Naz Reid and Donte DiVencenzo are playoff liabilities. These guys now have multipe years of history where they become liabilities in the playoffs no matter how good their regular season was. If we were to make a move, it would be those two I'd look at trading out.

[AbeVigodaLive]

The Timberwolves aren't beating the OKC whether they get another ballhandler... or backup big.

So which one is more important for the Wolves to get a high enough seed to avoid OKC in the 1st round and maybe even 2nd round?

[FNG]

The Timberwolves aren't beating the OKC whether they get another ballhandler... or backup big.

So which one is more important for the Wolves to get a high enough seed to avoid OKC in the 1st round and maybe even 2nd round?

Yeah, I don't think TC is going to make any roster moves with only one opponent in mind. More likely, he will look at roster issues that hurt us against everyone, and non-Rudy defense is Issue #1.

As for OkC...yeah, we definitely needed better ball handling against their blitzing defense last year. But they were completely healthy in the playoffs and were able to run waves of aggressive defenders at us. This year several of their players have had injuries that have caused them to miss games. They're still playing terrific defense, but I'm curious to see if they are as aggressive when we play them in a couple weeks if they still have guys out.

[rapsuperstar31]

The Timberwolves aren't beating the OKC whether they get another ballhandler... or backup big.

So which one is more important for the Wolves to get a high enough seed to avoid OKC in the 1st round and maybe even 2nd round?

To get someone here we need to trade someone, and we don't have any first round picks we can trade until the draft when we can trade our 2026 and the 2033 picks open up. I'd imagine Mike and Naz are guys fans would be willing to move in trades at this time. Guys like Jose Alvarado and Keon Ellis have cheap expiring contracts and might be attainable from their bad teams for a 2nd round pick or two and matching salary. Nesmith and Nemhard would be nice, Nesmith makes similar to Mike and Nembhard makes similar to Naz. Indiana's owner is notoriously cheap, so I'm not sure where his head is at as Indiana tanks this season.

[Coolbreeze44]

If we don't think beating OKC is realistic, what are we doing here? We have a top 5 player in Ant, Randle playing incredibly well, and Jaden rounding out a true big 3. We have shooting, we have depth, we can defend when we're engaged. Add competency at backup center and another ball handler and we can beat anyone. It doesn't have to be Ja Morant or any other star. Just get a heady player (Jrue Holiday or similar) and make a run at it. Time to move our chips to the center of the table.

[60WinTim]

If we don't think beating OKC is realistic, what are we doing here? We have a top 5 player in Ant, Randle playing incredibly well, and Jaden rounding out a true big 3. We have shooting, we have depth, we can defend when we're engaged. Add competency at backup center and another ball handler and we can beat anyone. It doesn't have to be Ja Morant or any other star. Just get a heady player (Jrue Holiday or similar) and make a run at it. Time to move our chips to the center of the table.

I wouldn't expect a move like that until the trade deadline, and then only if the holes you see continue to rear their ugly heads.

Some of the holes you see are already being addressed in some fashion. Donte swapping with Mike as a starter winds up improving both the starting lineup and the bench unit. Which is something I contend Finch should have done last year when Donte came back from injury. And Finch might have stumbled onto a fix for the NAZ/Randle frontcourt -- as Q labels it -- always have Jalen and Jaden as their bodyguards, along with Mike to steer the ship. Maybe it will continue to work, even against better teams. But I expect TC to give the team at least half a season to coalesce before making any moves.

[Q-is-here]

If we don't think beating OKC is realistic, what are we doing here? We have a top 5 player in Ant, Randle playing incredibly well, and Jaden rounding out a true big 3. We have shooting, we have depth, we can defend when we're engaged. Add competency at backup center and another ball handler and we can beat anyone. It doesn't have to be Ja Morant or any other star. Just get a heady player (Jrue Holiday or similar) and make a run at it. Time to move our chips to the center of the table.

I wouldn't expect a move like that until the trade deadline, and then only if the holes you see continue to rear their ugly heads.

Some of the holes you see are already being addressed in some fashion. Donte swapping with Mike as a starter winds up improving both the starting lineup and the bench unit. Which is something I contend Finch should have done last year when Donte came back from injury. And Finch might have stumbled onto a fix for the NAZ/Randle frontcourt -- as Q labels it -- always have Jalen and Jaden as their bodyguards, along with Mike to steer the ship. Maybe it will continue to work, even against better teams. But I expect TC to give the team at least half a season to coalesce before making any moves.

Swapping out DDV for an athletic wing or ball handler and Naz for a vet Center would be my ideal trade deadline moves as that addresses both potential issues and best prepares us for the versatility we'd need against both Houston AND OKC in a playoff series. I agree TC isn't going to do anything until he gets a much longer look at this squad.

[Coolbreeze44]

Yes, my original premise was centered around the trade deadline. It's just fun to speculate on what we could do.