Is this the perfect season?

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

While I understand Lipoli's point about the uncertainty of drafting, it seems intuitive that any team would prefer to have a top three pick rather than one later in the lottery. Flip has proven to be an adept drafter based on early returns, and I'd love to see what he could do with a top 3 this year. I note that Towns has dropped to 6th in nbadraft.net's latest mock, most likely due to his having to share minutes with others on the loaded Kentucky team. If he was sitting with a top three pick, someone lower in the draft might be willing to trade us an asset to move up into the top three, and he still could end up with Towns. This prospect is the only thing that makes this dreadful season of losing bearable for me.

[mjs34]

FA's aren't coming here unless we are already a winner, and we are already capped out, and likley will be for the next couple of seasons with Pek, Thad, and now Ricky making big money.

Q, just because this team has failed in previous years to make use of their picks is no reason to abandon the one avenue we have for building a PO team. Losing games is never a benefit to a team, particularly this early in the season, but getting a higher pick can certainly help.

Lip, I hope your comment about trading that pick is just your opinion. If they actually do that, I will likely be done as a fan. Flip did OK in the draft to this point, but has shown zero ability in his assessment of veteran players and their value. We chose the rebuild right or wrong, and now need to stick with it. I am tired of watching this team switch gears half way through a plan.

Abe, I don't know what the wolves have done that has scarred you, but they are clearly too important in your life if you buy into this "promise of hope" BS. Nobody else is. It is normal everyday marketing to promote your strongest resources. That changes from year to year, and so does the message with it.

Thad's lack of effort rebounding, and piss poor D isn't going to be helped by Rubio.

Flip and his staff look to be the biggest obstacle for this team moving forward. We can blame this season on injuries, but all teams go through this.The difference is they all seem to be able to win a game occasionally. I don't think Flip should be allowed to use Martin and Pek as an excuse. Flip had plenty of evidence pointing to this situation happening, and clearly didn't put together a roster capable of riding it out. The lack of back up PF, C, and PG options is ridiculous, even more so when you remember that we actually bought out JJ and let him go to a team that would be competing with us for a PO spot, according to Flip.

[bleedspeed]

I think Okafor is a game changer. He will be at least a headacheless version of Cousins. That is pretty good player.

[TAFKASP]

We can blame this season on injuries, but all teams go through this.The difference is they all seem to be able to win a game occasionally.

Yes all teams experience injuries each season but c'mon, name one other team which lost three of its four best, most experienced players at near the same time and for anywhere near as long. They literally lost 3/5 of their starting lineup for 30 games so far. During those 30 games they've largely started two 19 year old rookies and two 2nd year players out of necessity. Then pulling three bench players into the starting lineup leaves the second unit thin and they weren't deep with experienced, capable talent to begin with.

Take three starters from a talented playoff team and yes, they're still going to win some games. Take three veteran starters, one the heart of the team, from a non-playoff team that is deep only in inexperienced youth and you expect anything?

I understand the frustration with the Wolves, but the results are predictable.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

I"m with Q. Draft picks are vastly overrated. And this couldn't be further from the "perfect" season, unless you mean "perfect nightmare."

I'm not going to go further into the other issues, but on the draft issue though, they are just never a sure thing. Plenty of high draft picks worked out, but many more did not. You don't just have to go to our lottery drafting record (McCants, Foye, Love, Brewer, Rubio, Flynn, Wes, Derrick Williams, and Bazz) to see that any random selection of lottery picks, even high first rounders like most of ours were, will be as likely to produce a bust or just an average player as a very good one like Love and Rubio (and how far did they get us again?). It's a crapshoot, and the odds are always longer than gamblers think.

Besides, there are plenty of other reasons that bottoming out for the lottery is not "perfect." Even the good rookies take usually take a couple years before they become positive impact players. Unless you get extremely lucky and get a superstar like LeBron or Durant, even one or two stars is not enough. It takes a whole team. The contracts are great . . . if you get lucky and the guy is really good. If not though, you get stuck with their contract. Remember Wes Johnson? #4 pick and we had to trade AWAY a future first just to dump him because we were stuck with his contract. And look at us, we've got the last two #1 draft picks on our team, and how are we doing? And that's with one of them playing really well!

Maybe the biggest reason this season is not perfect is because "WE'RE F'ING LOSING EVERY GAME!!" Even if you believe drafting young guys is the way to get to the top, what good does it do it your players don't get better and learn how to win, and players on really bad teams like ours don't seem to develop. Why do you think the Spurs' draft picks even in the late picks seem to do well. Part of it might be that they're better pickers (gamblers), but a part of it is obviously because they maintain a winning team that teaches and develops young players by showing them the right way to play and to win.

Honestly, saying that things are perfect right now reminds be of what I read about when you freeze to death. I heard that just before you die, a lot of people get a sense of comfort, even a kind of euphoria in which they feel like everything is ok, great, perfect. Some quit fighting to live, and even take off whatever warm clothes they have. To me, we're on the brink of a metaphorical death right now. The death of whatever respectability Kevin Garnett managed to build for us over 10 years ago. We're about to become the next Clippers in terms of league perception if we don't turn this thing around. There are some reasons to be optimistic. But saying that things are perfect seems to overlook just how terrible a situation we find ourselves in.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

A few things...

#1 - "Flip has proven to be an adept drafter". Really? I'm not sure he's proven this yet. While I think he had a decent 2013 draft, we don't know yet if Dieng and Shabazz will be true impact players. They certainly haven't moved the needle yet this year in terms of wins/losses. Yes, they are rotation-wothy players - and that's an upgrade from many of our prior drafts - but let's not get ahead of ourselves. And LaVine certainly hasn't done anything yet to show that he was worth the risk. Only time will tell. So as far as Flip's drafting capabilities, I would give him a mark of "incomplete" so far.

#2 - "You really don't want a top 3 pick?". Well yes, in a vacuum with no other variables involved, I would prefer a higher pick versus a lower pick. But it's not that simple. First off, in order to increase one's odds of getting a top pick, a team has to lose a ton of games. Watching uncompetitive, error-ridden basketball - and that's what we're seeing right now - is simply not very enjoyable to me as a fan, nor do I see it as helpful for the development of our young talent (it doesn't seem like all that winning in San Antonio has stunted anyone's growth. Even Austin Daye looks like a star with them). This franchise has a losing culture - losing even more won't help that culture. Second, even if we do end up with one of the worst records, it doesn't guarantee that we will get one of the top 2 consensus best players. And lastly, we don't know if there is a "can't miss" star in this draft. And even if there is, there is the wildcard of injuries, especially with big men. Think Greg Oden or Sam Bowie. So basically we go through a season of misery for a guarantee of.....well, nothing really.

#3 - Rookies - especially with minimal college experience - usually hurt more than help - and can sometimes take years before they become true impact players. Anthony Bennett is in his second season and is still hurting more than helping. LaVine hurts more than he helps. Dieng and Shabazz are neutral at best because of defensive shortcomings. And it's only recently that Wiggins has started to play better and we can only hope he can sustain it. So the vast majority of young talent takes years to develop into a true plus type of player.

#4 - Top lottery picks are expensive - These guys aren't cheap and it's basically $10+ million of sunk costs before they start to really perform at a high level - IF they ever get to that point. I remember folks talking about how great our core would be in the past, using names like Johnny Flynn, Wes Johnson, and Derrick Williams. Where are those guys now and did they ever develop? We sunk a lot of money into those players and it cost us dearly to get rid of them.

So forgive me if I can't quite see the sunshine through the fog of endless losses and uncompetitive basketball. This is our third or fourth cycle of "just wait for Player X to improve" or "once we get that pick, we'll be set!" in the last decade. Why should I believe it will work this time, given our track record?

[DNatagal]

Q, I sure hope your real life job isn't suicide prevention hotline phone operator....wow.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Q, I sure hope your real life job isn't suicide prevention hotline phone operator....wow.

Ha, if it is, I'm jumping...maybe twice! :)

Q, While I agree that the jury is way out on LaVine, I think one has to have an enormous black cloud over his head to not credit Flip for a sensational 2013 draft. Somebody just posted the current rankings of players from that class, and Flip had 2 of the top 5 players! Are we going to rip him because he didn't turn picks 13 and 19 into the top two players in the class, only #2 and #5 in the sophomore rankings? Some say he should have taken Antetokounmpo with the Bazz pick, but Muhammad's numbers are better than the Freak's across the board. Rip Flip where it's deserved, but any attempt to rip him for his drafting seems over-the-top negative to me.

[Porckchop]

A few things...

#1 - "Flip has proven to be an adept drafter". Really? I'm not sure he's proven this yet. While I think he had a decent 2013 draft, we don't know yet if Dieng and Shabazz will be true impact players. They certainly haven't moved the needle yet this year in terms of wins/losses. Yes, they are rotation-wothy players - and that's an upgrade from many of our prior drafts - but let's not get ahead of ourselves. And LaVine certainly hasn't done anything yet to show that he was worth the risk. Only time will tell. So as far as Flip's drafting capabilities, I would give him a mark of "incomplete" so far.

#2 - "You really don't want a top 3 pick?". Well yes, in a vacuum with no other variables involved, I would prefer a higher pick versus a lower pick. But it's not that simple. First off, in order to increase one's odds of getting a top pick, a team has to lose a ton of games. Watching uncompetitive, error-ridden basketball - and that's what we're seeing right now - is simply not very enjoyable to me as a fan, nor do I see it as helpful for the development of our young talent (it doesn't seem like all that winning in San Antonio has stunted anyone's growth. Even Austin Daye looks like a star with them). This franchise has a losing culture - losing even more won't help that culture. Second, even if we do end up with one of the worst records, it doesn't guarantee that we will get one of the top 2 consensus best players. And lastly, we don't know if there is a "can't miss" star in this draft. And even if there is, there is the wildcard of injuries, especially with big men. Think Greg Oden or Sam Bowie. So basically we go through a season of misery for a guarantee of.....well, nothing really.

#3 - Rookies - especially with minimal college experience - usually hurt more than help - and can sometimes take years before they become true impact players. Anthony Bennett is in his second season and is still hurting more than helping. LaVine hurts more than he helps. Dieng and Shabazz are neutral at best because of defensive shortcomings. And it's only recently that Wiggins has started to play better and we can only hope he can sustain it. So the vast majority of young talent takes years to develop into a true plus type of player.

#4 - Top lottery picks are expensive - These guys aren't cheap and it's basically $10+ million of sunk costs before they start to really perform at a high level - IF they ever get to that point. I remember folks talking about how great our core would be in the past, using names like Johnny Flynn, Wes Johnson, and Derrick Williams. Where are those guys now and did they ever develop? We sunk a lot of money into those players and it cost us dearly to get rid of them.

So forgive me if I can't quite see the sunshine through the fog of endless losses and uncompetitive basketball. This is our third or fourth cycle of "just wait for Player X to improve" or "once we get that pick, we'll be set!" in the last decade. Why should I believe it will work this time, given our track record?

If not the draft , what is your realistic way of improving this team?

[bleedspeed]

you have 3 ways to improve your talent. Draft, FA, and Trades. Honestly I think all of them mean close to nothing if you can't develop and coach.

Wolves should be focusing on Draft/Trades at this point. We have a horrible history with FA's.