Minnesota Sports Forum

Cool, there were no 2's left on the board at 9 in Flips opinion, so the draft results would have been the same regardless. Flip didn't see McCollum as a 2 and that's why we didn't take him. AK opting in would have done nothing in terms of getting different personnel because there wouldn't have been a good fit at that point anyway.

I do blame Flip for the AK debacle because he is overpaying 2 players 9 million to man the 3 and that number jumps to 14 million if you think Flip believes D Will is a 3. That is a lot of money that wasn't offered to AK and AK is a better option than all 3 to start at the 3. I don't buy that we couldn't have made the moves to clear up the space to sign both Martin and AK and have a team with 5 legitimate starters. Flip never said anything to make me believe he genuinely cared about bringing AK back and had more of a sigh of relief attitude when he opted out than an attitude of we have to go get that guy. I just don't buy that AK wouldn't have taken a guaranteed 15 million dollars more to sign with us for 3/21 than the 2/6 he got. We aren't that bad and we have 3 really good players to build around. Would you rather have AK and Bud for 14 million dollars (9 and 5) or D Will, Brewer and Bud? I would rather have the first option because depth doesn't matter in the playoffs as much as the need for the best 5 players playing the longest.

With 5 legitimate starters, you can brace for 1 or 2 of them to miss time with injuries. Now we have even less room for error for 1 of them to go down. Most of the situation doesn't make sense and it comes down to Flip didn't want AK back and that is the bed he made that we all have to sleep in now. The contender part should be an after though because it is just a PR cover up more than actual reality otherwise AK would have gone to SA who was just in the finals and not Brooklyn who is hoping all these pieces fit somehow to win a title.

I'm kinda tired of everyone talking about AK to be honest. He's not a Timberwolf anymore. He opted out. This is like a middle school breakup and most of you can't stop crying about it.

Camden wrote:I'm kinda tired of everyone talking about AK to be honest. He's not a Timberwolf anymore. He opted out. This is like a middle school breakup and most of you can't stop crying about it.

This ^

If you guys are tired of it, why did you respond to a poll on it?????

It seems more likely based on the latest interview by AK and the reports that Flip at least offered some sort of contract to AK. Maybe he didn't but it seems like thats more likely to me than I thought a few days ago.

Here is the deal I think once the Nets made their move to load up for a run AK was going to go to a contender unless someone blew him up with an offer like the Wolves did last year with 10 million per but I am not sure that ws even going to sway AK when a team like the Nets with a Russian owner had a shot at a title you know would sign him. The Spurs sign and trade deal probably would have been more money for a contender but when that didn't work out the Nets are a no-brainer for a ton of reasons. I don't think AK really cares that much about money either. Its not like they are bad off his wife makes a ton of money too.

Ultimately we don't really know alot about what went down we can only make some assumptions. Like someone said in another thread its time to move on.

sjm34 wrote:If you guys are tired of it, why did you respond to a poll on it?????

What else am I supposed to do at work on a Friday afternoon?

My first thought was work! :)

Camden wrote:I'm kinda tired of everyone talking about AK to be honest. He's not a Timberwolf anymore. He opted out. This is like a middle school breakup and most of you can't stop crying about it.

Who told you about that, Camden????? I am so over her.

Actually, as the author of the poll, I didn't intend it to be about AK. You're right...he's gone. This poll is about Saunders and one of his first big moves. Like it or not, we're stuck with Flip as our POBO, and how he performs will have a lot to do with our enjoyment as fans over the next several years.

I've been out of town for awhile and haven't kept up a whole lot.

Flip is not only managing the talent and cap for this year, but for future years as well. He had his $s and # of years he was willing to guarantee AK. AK wanted more $s, more years, or both, so he looked elsewhere. When he decided his ideal contract wasn't available, he had to choose between the best possible contract or the best possible opportunity for a championship. He chose the latter.

I have no problem with how Flip handled AK. Once it was clear AK was gone, Flip moved quickly to fill the void: Brewer. Added bonuses of this move are durability, less $s, and the versatility of Brewer playing some 2.

Good job, Flip.

I happen to be among those who think we should have signed AK to a three year deal instead of Brewer. And I'm convinced $7 million per year would have been sufficient to get the deal done. But I don't thin Flip mismanaged the situation. When Barriero pressed Flip last Friday on whether he offered AK a multi-year deal, Flip said he offered two years. That confirmed what I've been saying since Flip first discussed AK two months ago. Flip did not want to give AK more than two years. While I disagree with Flip, I can definitely see his side of the argument given AK's age and injury history. I just think Flip made a calculated rational decision that a third year for AK was too much and that signing Brewer for $2 million less per year was a smarter bet given the luxury tax issues the team will face in a couple years.