Thoughts about imminent return of Beas and DLO

[FNG]

First of all shame on all you "I don't know" people...did you "know" what the Wolves' record was going to be when you entered the wins thread (other than Cool of course ;-) )? Of course not! This is all conjecture, because none of us knows how inserting two new players into the rotation is going to work. But have an opinion! I may be on the other side of the issue from Cam and Doper, but at least they are out there with an opinion.

Here's my response to Cam's question about how three people might have voted "worse". The Wolves have a new identity under Finch. They are focusing on fast pace, swarming defense and more touches for KAT and Ant. And they have been quite successful since the break with this new identity with a 3-2 record...despite playing a brutal schedule with 4 of the games against Western playoff teams and 2 of the games against 2 of the best teams in the league right now. Unfortunately face pace, swarming defense and getting others involved are not hallmarks of DLO and Beasley's game. Great scorers, yes...but not an ideal fit for the style Finch has brought to this club. Now, maybe Finch will change his philosophy once the two players return, and go back to a style that DLO has played during his career...and maybe that will be successful. Or maybe DLO will change his style and become a guy who pushes the pace rather than probing for his shot. Maybe. But I think it's more likely that the team will go through an adjustment period with fewer looks for KAT and Ant, and that the results will not be as successful as what we have seen the past 5 games.

We'll have to see, but at least we will all be hoping that the Wolves will be as watchable and successful after these guys return as we have been since the break. It certainly has been a fun week and a half...finally. And for the record...I recognize that DLO and Beasley are great scorers, and for that reason, I don't think that the 5 votes that we will be better than we have been the past 5 games when they return are silly. It's just an opinion after all...we don't really know, do we?

[Coolbreeze44]

FNG, but I did know what the Wolves record was going to be when I entered the wins thread. :d

[FNG]

FNG, but I did know what the Wolves record was going to be when I entered the wins thread. :d

I have edited my post appropriately :)

[Coolbreeze44]

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[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

More talent, especially in the form of shot-makers and floor spacers, isn't a bad thing. That means less pressure on Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards to score 30-40 points each just to be competitive in a basketball game. That means less defensive attention on those two because defenses simply can't sag off of or completely forget about the shooters around them like they do with Ricky Rubio and Josh Okogie. It means that whenever Towns and Edwards move the rock to a spot-up shooter it's a 40-percent shooter from deep versus someone who hovers around 30-percent or worse. Overall, D'Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley are just better basketball players than those that have been playing in their absence.

I wouldn't be surprised if there's a short adjustment period due to them being reintegrated and players figuring out their best roles, but the team is better and more dangerous with those two ready to go.

[FNG]

Cam and Doper's "more talent" argument has merit. More talent than less is always a good thing on its face, and there's no argument that DLO and Beasley are talented scorers. And the argument that KAT and Ant will benefit from having better scorers around them is the same one I made for why Ant was clearly the best player in the draft. My argument was Ant scored an inefficient nearly 20 PPG as an 18-year-old in college...just imagine how much better he will be on offense when he becomes the 3rd or 4th option as opposed to having 3 guys draped on hi mat all times.

But my concern is two things. First and foremost the drop off in defense. But almost as importantly, KAT and Ant seem to thrive when they get more shots, and I don't think anyone can postulate that they are going to continue to get the volume of shots that they have been getting the past 10 days. Again, we'll have to see and I'll hope for the best, but color me skeptical.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

Can I split my vote and say I think we can add one of them and continue this improvement, but not both?

Or can I split my vote and say while I think our record will continue improving, the chemistry issues would likely become a real problem?

Personally, I've been anti-DLO from the start. I just really never liked the guy. No defense, no leadership, no toughness. He's a pouty pretty-boy. And on that contract, I'd be looking into possible deals to move him. But his value is definitely at a real low point, so I get that would be tough. Still, unless and until Ant proves he can defend on at least an average level, we're going to get killed on that end with DLO. We were already going to get killed with DLO and KAT, but now with Ant, that's going to be a real problem. KAT has made progress, and there's potential for Ant, but I can't imagine DLO ever being a decent defender. It's just not there for him. So I'd see how it works this year with him back (I'm assuming there are no DLO trades out there now), and unless he can somehow step up in that area or Ant steps up, I'd really be looking to move him in the offseason. My challenge to him would be that he accepts taking fewer shots, that he tries to boost his assist numbers to KAT and Ant, and that he accept taking more catch-and-shoot threes rather than taking so many off the dribble threes so he can hit a higher percentage. And that he actually should try to defend.

Beasley, I kind of like. I know he's not a great defender, but I don't think he's as bad as some people here have claimed. And frankly, I think he's been really good for our chemistry on the court this year. Seriously, he's by far been one of the most engaged and vocal supporters of his teammates on the court this year. Totally caught me by surprise. While I was sorry Rosas didn't drive a harder bargain with him this summer, he has made that contract look like a good deal, especially with the team option in the 4th year. That makes him a valuable trade asset. It's also the kind of value contract we'll need to be able to put around Towns and DLO if we can't move DLO, since DLO really doesn't deserve the max. It's just that he's not the best fit with DLO, especially now that Edwards looks like a sure-fire volume scorer. Beasley's ideal role has always been as an offensive spark plug off the bench. He'll definitely have to play that role now for us. And even if we move DLO, I think that's a good role for Beasley. If there's no possible way to dump DLO, I get that Beasley's the most redundant player on the team, but I'd much rather move DLO.

Ant will also need to sacrifice. He's been inefficient. The return of two proven scorers will take away shots from him, but it should also allow him to boost his own assist numbers and also help him improve his efficiency if he learns to use more ball-fakes before driving to get more open looks. And also, he needs to accept more catch-and-shoot 3s as well. I love that he CAN take shots off the dribble almost anytime, but that doesn't mean he SHOULD.

Everybody will need to sacrifice, and everybody will benefit if they do. We're about to see if Finch can be an ego manager. This will be a crucial test.

[AbeVigodaLive]

The Wolves will have several shot hunters.

The team would be better with Beasley as a premier heat check guy off the bench. But is a young guy who just got paid willing to make that sacrifice on a bad team?

I have my doubts. We'll see.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

What drop off in defense, though? This point has come up in the past multiple times, but I have yet to see a meaningful difference in the effectiveness of the team's defense with D'Angelo Russell or Malik Beasley on the court versus the alternatives. Consider the following two-man lineups and their defensive ratings.

Russell/Beasley: 116.6 DRtg (440 MP)
Russell/Edwards: 116.8 DRtg (297 MP)

Rubio/Beasley: 115.8 DRtg (573 MP)
Rubio/Edwards: 115.9 DRtg (707 MP)

Rubio/Russell: 119.8 DRtg (141 MP)

I would expect to see very different numbers if Rubio made a significant difference defensively, but that's just not the case.

Let me reiterate that it's not that Rubio isn't a better defender than Russell or Beasley. It's that his defense isn't making a meaningful difference in how the team performs on that end.

[AbeVigodaLive]

"I don't know" - Q

Seriously, it may be a non-issue as I see Beasley getting traded. Given his inability to create a lot of shots for himself, he is largely dependent on plays being run for him and others getting him shots. How is he going to feel coming back into a rotation as the #4 option after being #1 or 2 most of the season? He runs hot and I could see him becoming a negative influence.

He's had a career year on a reasonable contract. Sell high.

I know I haven't been here long, but shame on me for thinking you guys would follow the rules :) !

Since the return of two players who have been starters on this team (or one, if either of them is traded) is not an insignificant event, feel free to comment in this thread how you think things will change...either positively or negatively. Will the pace be the same? How will the defense change? Will Ant and KAT get fewer touches, and if so, will that be a positive or a negative?

I assume you mean in his +/- numbers? Because that's all that matters.

:-d

Bazinga! And welcome to the PMP! ;-)

No. I don't believe Demar DeRozan is the worst player in the NBA... so I'm not allowed.