FNG wrote: ↑Fri Feb 06, 2026 11:10 am
Such an interesting week, and I think most of us would give TC an A for his performance. We don't know if Mike has anything left in the tank, but if nothing else, this is a good move for team morale...Ant especially will be pleased Mike is back. I don't think Mike is the 46.5% 3-point shooter he was in November, but I also don't think he is the 25% shooter he was in December and January. The fact that he's making a near career-high 89% of his free throws this season (only last season's 90% was better) tells me he hasn't completely forgotten how to shoot. One thing we know is Finchy trusts him, so he's another rotation piece that will allow us to go 9-10 deep most nights...very good for keeping guys like Ant fresher for the post-season.
We will soon find out, but Ayo will probably be first guard off the bench as 7th man...especially if Finchy sees him as a pseudo PG who can protect the ball. But then I think either Bones or Mike will be 8th, before Clark, Phillips and Joan. Of course all that might change if TJ comes back soon and will change if we have injuries. We'll have to see how it plays out, but it seems Finchy must be happy with this new-found depth. That's 12 guys he may be comfortable giving non garbage time minutes, plus Joe to occasionally inbound the ball . We suddenly might be deep...let's see what Finchy can do with it.
The Wolves went a very strict 8-man rotation last year in the playoffs (and let's be honest, everything about this season is about the playoffs)...
The Wolves are set for the top 7, with one versatile big and one versatile guard who will play about 25 mpg. Last year, NAW was 8th in minutes at 20.7 per game.
I expect the top 7 will get the vast majority of run this season... and anything else will be more of a committee approach based more on the specific situation.
- Clark defense.
- Conley as the adult in the room.
- Bones pace.
- Buyout candidate guy?
Last edited by AbeVigodaLive on Fri Feb 06, 2026 11:20 am, edited 2 times in total.
kekgeek wrote: ↑Fri Feb 06, 2026 10:27 am
The tweet tells me they are going to add another player.
It says the teams are working on the timing to sign him. To me means they are trying to wait a week or two to lower the amount he is paid so they can sign another buyout guy to stay under the first apron
Thats what i was thinking. Whatever left to be under the first apron is what the wolves will give him for being a good soldier.
FNG wrote: ↑Fri Feb 06, 2026 11:10 am
Such an interesting week, and I think most of us would give TC an A for his performance. We don't know if Mike has anything left in the tank, but if nothing else, this is a good move for team morale...Ant especially will be pleased Mike is back. I don't think Mike is the 46.5% 3-point shooter he was in November, but I also don't think he is the 25% shooter he was in December and January. The fact that he's making a near career-high 89% of his free throws this season (only last season's 90% was better) tells me he hasn't completely forgotten how to shoot. One thing we know is Finchy trusts him, so he's another rotation piece that will allow us to go 9-10 deep most nights...very good for keeping guys like Ant fresher for the post-season.
We will soon find out, but Ayo will probably be first guard off the bench as 7th man...especially if Finchy sees him as a pseudo PG who can protect the ball. But then I think either Bones or Mike will be 8th, before Clark, Phillips and Joan. Of course all that might change if TJ comes back soon and will change if we have injuries. We'll have to see how it plays out, but it seems Finchy must be happy with this new-found depth. That's 12 guys he may be comfortable giving non garbage time minutes, plus Joe to occasionally inbound the ball . We suddenly might be deep...let's see what Finchy can do with it.
The Wolves went a very strict 8-man rotation last year in the playoffs (and let's be honest, everything about this season is about the playoffs)...
The Wolves are set for the top 7, with one versatile big and one versatile guard who will play about 25 mpg. Last year, NAW was 8th in minutes at 20.7 per game.
I expect the top 7 will get the vast majority of run this season... and anything else will be more of a committee approach based more on the specific situation.
- Clark defense.
- Conley as the adult in the room.
- Bones pace.
- Buyout candidate guy?
Maybe, but I have an inkling this season is different. If you look at last year's roster and how Finchy used it, it's clear there were only 8 players that he really trusted. I don't think his coaching philosophy is "I only play 8 guys"...I think it's "I only play guys I trust". And my guess is he will trust more guys on this roster. There seems to be no dispute that there is a top 7, so the question is who plays after that He has said repeatedly that Joan will get meaningful minutes before the end of the year. We know he trusts Mike, and he has warmed to Bones as the season has progressed. He seemed to trust TJ before his foot problems. And he seems to have a fondness for hard-working energy guys like Clark and Phillips. So after the top 7, we might see some nights like this:
8: the backup PG of the night...either Bones or Mike
9: the energy guy of the night: Clark or Phillips
10: TJ, Joan
Unlike last season, I think some guys Finchy trusts will be DNP-CD on nights we are mostly healthy...that didn't happen last season with guys the likes of Minott, Rob and Miller on the bench.
I'm fine with it. I doubt Finchy goes to him for these big time stretches now unless we need it for injury. With Ayo being brought in he's obviously going to usurp both Bones and Mike (we hope!).
FNG wrote: ↑Fri Feb 06, 2026 11:10 am
Such an interesting week, and I think most of us would give TC an A for his performance. We don't know if Mike has anything left in the tank, but if nothing else, this is a good move for team morale...Ant especially will be pleased Mike is back. I don't think Mike is the 46.5% 3-point shooter he was in November, but I also don't think he is the 25% shooter he was in December and January. The fact that he's making a near career-high 89% of his free throws this season (only last season's 90% was better) tells me he hasn't completely forgotten how to shoot. One thing we know is Finchy trusts him, so he's another rotation piece that will allow us to go 9-10 deep most nights...very good for keeping guys like Ant fresher for the post-season.
We will soon find out, but Ayo will probably be first guard off the bench as 7th man...especially if Finchy sees him as a pseudo PG who can protect the ball. But then I think either Bones or Mike will be 8th, before Clark, Phillips and Joan. Of course all that might change if TJ comes back soon and will change if we have injuries. We'll have to see how it plays out, but it seems Finchy must be happy with this new-found depth. That's 12 guys he may be comfortable giving non garbage time minutes, plus Joe to occasionally inbound the ball . We suddenly might be deep...let's see what Finchy can do with it.
The Wolves went a very strict 8-man rotation last year in the playoffs (and let's be honest, everything about this season is about the playoffs)...
The Wolves are set for the top 7, with one versatile big and one versatile guard who will play about 25 mpg. Last year, NAW was 8th in minutes at 20.7 per game.
I expect the top 7 will get the vast majority of run this season... and anything else will be more of a committee approach based more on the specific situation.
- Clark defense.
- Conley as the adult in the room.
- Bones pace.
- Buyout candidate guy?
Maybe, but I have an inkling this season is different. If you look at last year's roster and how Finchy used it, it's clear there were only 8 players that he really trusted. I don't think his coaching philosophy is "I only play 8 guys"...I think it's "I only play guys I trust". And my guess is he will trust more guys on this roster. There seems to be no dispute that there is a top 7, so the question is who plays after that He has said repeatedly that Joan will get meaningful minutes before the end of the year. We know he trusts Mike, and he has warmed to Bones as the season has progressed. He seemed to trust TJ before his foot problems. And he seems to have a fondness for hard-working energy guys like Clark and Phillips. So after the top 7, we might see some nights like this:
8: the backup PG of the night...either Bones or Mike
9: the energy guy of the night: Clark or Phillips
10: TJ, Joan
Unlike last season, I think some guys Finchy trusts will be DNP-CD on nights we are mostly healthy...that didn't happen last season with guys the likes of Minott, Rob and Miller on the bench.
The Wolves went a very strict 8-man rotation last year in the playoffs (and let's be honest, everything about this season is about the playoffs)...
The Wolves are set for the top 7, with one versatile big and one versatile guard who will play about 25 mpg. Last year, NAW was 8th in minutes at 20.7 per game.
I expect the top 7 will get the vast majority of run this season... and anything else will be more of a committee approach based more on the specific situation.
- Clark defense.
- Conley as the adult in the room.
- Bones pace.
- Buyout candidate guy?
Maybe, but I have an inkling this season is different. If you look at last year's roster and how Finchy used it, it's clear there were only 8 players that he really trusted. I don't think his coaching philosophy is "I only play 8 guys"...I think it's "I only play guys I trust". And my guess is he will trust more guys on this roster. There seems to be no dispute that there is a top 7, so the question is who plays after that He has said repeatedly that Joan will get meaningful minutes before the end of the year. We know he trusts Mike, and he has warmed to Bones as the season has progressed. He seemed to trust TJ before his foot problems. And he seems to have a fondness for hard-working energy guys like Clark and Phillips. So after the top 7, we might see some nights like this:
8: the backup PG of the night...either Bones or Mike
9: the energy guy of the night: Clark or Phillips
10: TJ, Joan
Unlike last season, I think some guys Finchy trusts will be DNP-CD on nights we are mostly healthy...that didn't happen last season with guys the likes of Minott, Rob and Miller on the bench.
Yeah. Sure. Probably.
But I was talking about the playoffs.
Leopards don’t change their spots and we’ve all seen Finchy’s spots. He’s a tight rotation guy and always has been. That’s not going to change. If his track record doesn’t tell the tale, how about Finchy’s own words at the annual stakeholder meeting a few weeks ago? When asked about spreading minutes around, his response was emphatic, saying that the rotation will get tighter as we approach the playoffs.
Finch was obviously a big part of the decision to trade for Ayo. I’m thinking that probably means Finchy sees Ayo as the 7th guy and #1 lead guard off the bench. I agree with Abe that to the extent Finch goes 8 deep it will be situational with Conley, Bones, Clark, Beringer as the four main alternatives unless and until Shannon comes back healthy and shows the form we saw from him last season. So we might have as many as five guys Finch will choose from, based on the situation, to slot into the 8th rotation spot game to game.
My fear is that we’re going to see Mike Conley as a fixture in the 8th slot, paired with Ayo, off the bench. Finch always defaults to his comfort zone and that’s a pretty limited zone. Conley is his backcourt comfort zone.
Maybe, but I have an inkling this season is different. If you look at last year's roster and how Finchy used it, it's clear there were only 8 players that he really trusted. I don't think his coaching philosophy is "I only play 8 guys"...I think it's "I only play guys I trust". And my guess is he will trust more guys on this roster. There seems to be no dispute that there is a top 7, so the question is who plays after that He has said repeatedly that Joan will get meaningful minutes before the end of the year. We know he trusts Mike, and he has warmed to Bones as the season has progressed. He seemed to trust TJ before his foot problems. And he seems to have a fondness for hard-working energy guys like Clark and Phillips. So after the top 7, we might see some nights like this:
8: the backup PG of the night...either Bones or Mike
9: the energy guy of the night: Clark or Phillips
10: TJ, Joan
Unlike last season, I think some guys Finchy trusts will be DNP-CD on nights we are mostly healthy...that didn't happen last season with guys the likes of Minott, Rob and Miller on the bench.
Yeah. Sure. Probably.
But I was talking about the playoffs.
Leopards don’t change their spots and we’ve all seen Finchy’s spots. He’s a tight rotation guy and always has been. That’s not going to change. If his track record doesn’t tell the tale, how about Finchy’s own words at the annual stakeholder meeting a few weeks ago? When asked about spreading minutes around, his response was emphatic, saying that the rotation will get tighter as we approach the playoffs.
Finch was obviously a big part of the decision to trade for Ayo. I’m thinking that probably means Finchy sees Ayo as the 7th guy and #1 lead guard off the bench. I agree with Abe that to the extent Finch goes 8 deep it will be situational with Conley, Bones, Clark, Beringer as the four main alternatives unless and until Shannon comes back healthy and shows the form we saw from him last season. So we might have as many as five guys Finch will choose from, based on the situation, to slot into the 8th rotation spot game to game.
My fear is that we’re going to see Mike Conley as a fixture in the 8th slot, paired with Ayo, off the bench. Finch always defaults to his comfort zone and that’s a pretty limited zone. Conley is his backcourt comfort zone.
It sounds like Conley won't be brought back for awhile -- for managing the cap purposes. This means the current roster has a chance to establish a pecking order before Conley is in the mix.
Finch is famous for his 8.5-man rotations. I think we'll see Bones latch onto the 8th spot. And it seems logical that Joan will start seeing that .5 spot. Clark picked a bad time to find Finch's dog house!
Wolvesfan21 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 06, 2026 12:10 pm
I'm fine with it. I doubt Finchy goes to him for these big time stretches now unless we need it for injury. With Ayo being brought in he's obviously going to usurp both Bones and Mike (we hope!).
For sure. Ayo is a UFA. The Wolves will need to show him he has a firm role with the team if they want him to stay.
. We suddenly might be deep...let's see what Finchy can do with it.
