Wolvesfan21 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2026 9:57 pm
The disrespect for Kyrie here is over the top to me. He completely cooked us two years ago and 34 yo is not 34 of 1980, guys take care of themselves much more with improved diets and technology. He's had plenty of time off to rest and rehab. I expect he's going to be a top 5 PG again this season. Some of these lower end guys, they just won't add much, especially when facing the elite defenses. You need special talent to beat the OKC's and SA's or incredible team chemistry.
The bottom line to me is I don't think Ju was the "big problem" and just replacing him with a middling starter solves much. Sure team chemistry matters a ton. But talent matters more. Kyrie is arguably the most talented PG to ever play and if we can get him I take the swing that he's going to stay healthy and motivated here. Winning matters a lot to these guys. So it could work really really well.
The other thing to consider is that both SA and even OKC are going to improve at a faster rate then us, they're both younger and deeper. The only real shot I see is hoping to hit a homerun. I hope we take the swing and it'd be fun to watch as well (having another elite talent next to Ant).
There absolutely nothing disrespectful about not wanting to give up valuable assets to acquire a 34-year old coming off an ACL tear. The better word is prudent. Kyrie has been a very good scoring PG but medical advances and modern training can’t defeat Father Time. Players today typically decline in their mid-30s - some more and faster than others. LeBron and MJ are rare freaks along with a few others.
No disrespect intended, but suggesting that Kyrie is arguably the most talented PG of all time is a stretch. He’s been a terrific scoring PG but he’s nowhere close to the level of Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Steph Curry or Isiah Thomas. Kyrie has a career scoring average of 23.7 PPG, which is very good but not extraordinary. He’s averaged 5.6 assists per game, which is fairly pedestrian for a starting PG. He’s not a good defender and most significant of all - he doesn’t stay on the court. He averaged 49.75 games per season over the 8 seasons before last season when he did not play at all and he was in his mid 20s to early 30s during that stretch. He has played more than 60 games in only one of his last nine seasons.
Yes, he’s a very talented offensive PG - at least as a scorer. But his history tells us he’s not a guy you can count on. That’s not disrespectful; it’s just factual.
Wolvesfan21 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2026 9:57 pm
The disrespect for Kyrie here is over the top to me. He completely cooked us two years ago and 34 yo is not 34 of 1980, guys take care of themselves much more with improved diets and technology. He's had plenty of time off to rest and rehab. I expect he's going to be a top 5 PG again this season. Some of these lower end guys, they just won't add much, especially when facing the elite defenses. You need special talent to beat the OKC's and SA's or incredible team chemistry.
The bottom line to me is I don't think Ju was the "big problem" and just replacing him with a middling starter solves much. Sure team chemistry matters a ton. But talent matters more. Kyrie is arguably the most talented PG to ever play and if we can get him I take the swing that he's going to stay healthy and motivated here. Winning matters a lot to these guys. So it could work really really well.
The other thing to consider is that both SA and even OKC are going to improve at a faster rate then us, they're both younger and deeper. The only real shot I see is hoping to hit a homerun. I hope we take the swing and it'd be fun to watch as well (having another elite talent next to Ant).
There absolutely nothing disrespectful about not wanting to give up valuable assets to acquire a 34-year old coming off an ACL tear. The better word is prudent. Kyrie has been a very good scoring PG but medical advances and modern training can’t defeat Father Time. Players today typically decline in their mid-30s - some more and faster than others. LeBron and MJ are rare freaks along with a few others.
No disrespect intended, but suggesting that Kyrie is arguably the most talented PG of all time is a stretch. He’s been a terrific scoring PG but he’s nowhere close to the level of Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Steph Curry or Isiah Thomas. Kyrie has a career scoring average of 23.7 PPG, which is very good but not extraordinary. He’s averaged 5.6 assists per game, which is fairly pedestrian for a starting PG. He’s not a good defender and most significant of all - he doesn’t stay on the court. He averaged 49.75 games per season over the 8 seasons before last season when he did not play at all and he was in his mid 20s to early 30s during that stretch. He has played more than 60 games in only one of his last nine seasons.
Yes, he’s a very talented offensive PG - at least as a scorer. But his history tells us he’s not a guy you can count on. That’s not disrespectful; it’s just factual.
I said arguably, and he arguably is in that convo. Of course he's a risk, but trading for a safe player to me or counting on draft picks to rebuild in 8 years, I don't see the point. You got Ant right now, entering his prime and wanting to contend and win. Playing it safe right now seems like the worst result. Right now you do anything possible to hit the homer. I want to see us win.
Mnwild1128 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2026 11:32 pm
Shoulda traded Ant for: Castle, pick #2 (Harper), salary fill, and 3 other firsts like i wanted to last offseason.
At the draft last year, the Spurs said they wouldn't trade the #2 pick for anything Giannis, Durant etc.
Mnwild1128 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2026 11:32 pm
Shoulda traded Ant for: Castle, pick #2 (Harper), salary fill, and 3 other firsts like i wanted to last offseason.
Wolvesfan21 wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2026 9:57 pm
The disrespect for Kyrie here is over the top to me. He completely cooked us two years ago and 34 yo is not 34 of 1980, guys take care of themselves much more with improved diets and technology. He's had plenty of time off to rest and rehab. I expect he's going to be a top 5 PG again this season. Some of these lower end guys, they just won't add much, especially when facing the elite defenses. You need special talent to beat the OKC's and SA's or incredible team chemistry.
The bottom line to me is I don't think Ju was the "big problem" and just replacing him with a middling starter solves much. Sure team chemistry matters a ton. But talent matters more. Kyrie is arguably the most talented PG to ever play and if we can get him I take the swing that he's going to stay healthy and motivated here. Winning matters a lot to these guys. So it could work really really well.
The other thing to consider is that both SA and even OKC are going to improve at a faster rate then us, they're both younger and deeper. The only real shot I see is hoping to hit a homerun. I hope we take the swing and it'd be fun to watch as well (having another elite talent next to Ant).
There absolutely nothing disrespectful about not wanting to give up valuable assets to acquire a 34-year old coming off an ACL tear. The better word is prudent. Kyrie has been a very good scoring PG but medical advances and modern training can’t defeat Father Time. Players today typically decline in their mid-30s - some more and faster than others. LeBron and MJ are rare freaks along with a few others.
No disrespect intended, but suggesting that Kyrie is arguably the most talented PG of all time is a stretch. He’s been a terrific scoring PG but he’s nowhere close to the level of Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Steph Curry or Isiah Thomas. Kyrie has a career scoring average of 23.7 PPG, which is very good but not extraordinary. He’s averaged 5.6 assists per game, which is fairly pedestrian for a starting PG. He’s not a good defender and most significant of all - he doesn’t stay on the court. He averaged 49.75 games per season over the 8 seasons before last season when he did not play at all and he was in his mid 20s to early 30s during that stretch. He has played more than 60 games in only one of his last nine seasons.
Yes, he’s a very talented offensive PG - at least as a scorer. But his history tells us he’s not a guy you can count on. That’s not disrespectful; it’s just factual.
I said arguably, and he arguably is in that convo. Of course he's a risk, but trading for a safe player to me or counting on draft picks to rebuild in 8 years, I don't see the point. You got Ant right now, entering his prime and wanting to contend and win. Playing it safe right now seems like the worst result. Right now you do anything possible to hit the homer. I want to see us win.
I know you said arguably. I just don’t think it’s even arguable that he’s as good as much less than better than Magic, Stockton, Curry or Thomas. We’ll just have to agree to disagree on this. Regarding the Wolves, I don’t think we’re so far from contending that we need to acquire another star to pair with Ant. We won 49 games and knocked off the Nuggets after they had won 10 straight going into the playoffs. I simply think we need to improve the mix of players around Ant, which in my view starts with trading Randle. The little things all add up” (1) Trading Randle to acquire a high quality rotation player who fits better than him; (2) signing a quality rotation player with the MLE; (3) some improvement from each of our younger guys - Ant, Jaden, Naz, TSJ, Beringer - even if each just improves a little; (4) having Ayo the entire season.
There absolutely nothing disrespectful about not wanting to give up valuable assets to acquire a 34-year old coming off an ACL tear. The better word is prudent. Kyrie has been a very good scoring PG but medical advances and modern training can’t defeat Father Time. Players today typically decline in their mid-30s - some more and faster than others. LeBron and MJ are rare freaks along with a few others.
No disrespect intended, but suggesting that Kyrie is arguably the most talented PG of all time is a stretch. He’s been a terrific scoring PG but he’s nowhere close to the level of Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Steph Curry or Isiah Thomas. Kyrie has a career scoring average of 23.7 PPG, which is very good but not extraordinary. He’s averaged 5.6 assists per game, which is fairly pedestrian for a starting PG. He’s not a good defender and most significant of all - he doesn’t stay on the court. He averaged 49.75 games per season over the 8 seasons before last season when he did not play at all and he was in his mid 20s to early 30s during that stretch. He has played more than 60 games in only one of his last nine seasons.
Yes, he’s a very talented offensive PG - at least as a scorer. But his history tells us he’s not a guy you can count on. That’s not disrespectful; it’s just factual.
I said arguably, and he arguably is in that convo. Of course he's a risk, but trading for a safe player to me or counting on draft picks to rebuild in 8 years, I don't see the point. You got Ant right now, entering his prime and wanting to contend and win. Playing it safe right now seems like the worst result. Right now you do anything possible to hit the homer. I want to see us win.
I know you said arguably. I just don’t think it’s even arguable that he’s as good as much less than better than Magic, Stockton, Curry or Thomas. We’ll just have to agree to disagree on this. Regarding the Wolves, I don’t think we’re so far from contending that we need to acquire another star to pair with Ant. We won 49 games and knocked off the Nuggets after they had won 10 straight going into the playoffs. I simply think we need to improve the mix of players around Ant, which in my view starts with trading Randle. The little things all add up” (1) Trading Randle to acquire a high quality rotation player who fits better than him; (2) signing a quality rotation player with the MLE; (3) some improvement from each of our younger guys - Ant, Jaden, Naz, TSJ, Beringer - even if each just improves a little; (4) having Ayo the entire season.
To me Kyrie is the most skilled or talented of that bunch, now he's missed so much time and hasn't won as much as some of those guys for sure. Maybe he still has time to write the final chapter?
On the Game Theory podcast, I just heard that Kyrie was 1% shy of averaging a 50-40-90 for the past 5 seasons (not last year of course). That is insane.
Is Julius, Donte and some form of the 2033 pick enough for Dallas? Would it need to be unprotected? Dallas has a good chance to get a point guard to put with Coop at 9.
TC should have never traded KAT. TC should be canned for the package we received back. I love Joan, but yeah. Rudy has been great for us so I can’t rip on all of his moves, but how do you trade Kat for Randle? The rest of the league knew what Randle was. Ant could be playing the Brunson role and Kessler could have done what Robinson does. Jaden is our OG. We would have been better off if TC never came on board here.
D-Loser25 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 06, 2026 12:03 pm
TC should have never traded KAT. TC should be canned for the package we received back. I love Joan, but yeah. Rudy has been great for us so I can’t rip on all of his moves, but how do you trade Kat for Randle? The rest of the league knew what Randle was. Ant could be playing the Brunson role and Kessler could have done what Robinson does. Jaden is our OG. We would have been better off if TC never came on board here.
The players can be treated like the stock market at times. A year before we traded Towns the talking heads /media were saying you had to attach picks to get off of Towns after his injury seasons and shrinking in the playoffs a few times. Towns had a great year in our WCF run but shrank against Dallas and Tim rolled the dice that he wouldn't do that again and sold at what he considered high. A true championship window for a superstar which Ant is, is between 26-32. By the time Ant turns 26 Kat would have been 32 and at the end of that. The Knicks main core is all 28-31 so right in their superstars window. Now Tim better be right on what Joan can be. And hopefully Donte can heal up and return close to what he was.
