kekgeek1 wrote:Do I think Dlo can be the 2nd best player on a contender? No I do not. Do I think Kat can be the best player on a contender? No I do not? Do I think Dlo and Kat can be the best 2 players on a consistent playoff team yes I do.
Its so hard to win a title, it has been since the Pistons in the mid 2000s where a team won a title where they didn't have a top 5 player in the NBA. Dlo and Kat are not in the discussion. It has been since 2011 (Mavs) so 9 years where a team had one of their top 2 players being a big man.
Its hard to win the title/be a contender. I honestly believe Dlo and Kat can both be part of a title team, I don't think they can be the best 2 players on the team. What is ok, if the Wolves had Leonard, LBJ, Durant, Giannis, Harden, they are title contenders. If they had players like Paul George or Jimmy Butler (skill wise not personality because I believe Jimmy thinks he has to be the guy) on this team I think the Wolves are not the favorite to win the title but are in the spot where injuries go their way they have a chance.
In the end we all want a winner here. I really hope our 2 max players can lead us to be a consistent playoff team and we can grow off of that. I honestly believe Wolves are in a better spot roster wise from where they were a year ago today.
Kekgeek - You make some really important points in this post. The gist of your post as I see it is that this isn't necessarily an all-or-nothing proposition. Instead, there are gradations between where the Wolves have been (perennial bottom feeders) and championship contention, which we'd all like to see this team achieve. Some additional thoughts on your post:
1. Are the Wolves in a better spot roster-wise than they were a year ago? Your answer was yes and I agree completely. We are much better in my view.
2. Can this team be a perennial playoff team with KAT at DLO as the team's two best players? Your answer was yes and again I agree completely. Replacing Wiggins, Gorgui and Teague with DLO, Beasley and Johnson significantly improved the roster. The development of Naz Reid, Jordan McLaughlin and Okogie this past season further improved this team over where it was a year ago. So even if KAT and DLO don't improve at all defensively, I see this team making the playoffs next season (assuming we have one), assuming it is well coached and the key guys stay healthy. Is it enough for me as a fan for the Wolves to be a perennial playoff team as a 6th, 7th or 8th seed but not a meaningful threat to appear in the conference finals? Well, it's not enough for me, but it's certainly better than being a perennial bottom feeder like we've been.
3. Is this team a title-contender with KAT and DLO as the team's two best players? Your answer was no and I generally agree. However, I do see a path to title contention even with those two as our best players. I suppose it's important to first define what we mean by the Wolves becoming a title contender. To me, it means they have a good shot at finishing in the 4 or 5 in the West with a reasonable chance of making the Conference finals.
The path I see for the Wolves involves some improved defense from both KAT and DLO even if neither one becomes anything close to a defensive stopper. As young as they are, I still believe both guys can improve defensively. The path also involves surrounding those two with a lot of tough-minded, defensive players. There's no one formula for being a top tier team in the NBA. The only major change from earlier eras is that you need more three-point shooting and, with less contact allowed, you have to focus more on out-scoring your opponents than holding down their point total. But in the end, it's about scoring more points than your opponent. If you're team is great on one side of the ball, they don't have to be as good on the other side. If you out-rebound your opponent, you increase your opportunities to score while reducing you opponents' scoring chances and that helps your team both offensively and defensively. Red Auerbach used to say that rebounds and steals/turnovers were the most important stats because those categories determined the number of possessions, which in turn had a huge impact on the outcome. Red used to shout, "get me the ball" from the bench when he was coaching. In other words, rebound or steal it and don't turn it over. Moreover, this is still a team game on both sides of the ball. No one player at any one position decides a team's fate. That's always been true and it's especially true in today's game which is often referred to as position-less.
Can a team be a title contender when one of their two best players is a big? The answer is definitely yes if that big man is like KAT -- that is, a big who can score from anywhere, hit over 40% of his threes and pass the ball effectively. That's why Denver can be a title contender with Jokic as one of their two best and the same holds for the Wolves with KAT.
Ideally, KAT would be paired with an allstar who is also a defensive stopper. Instead, Rosas has paired him (for now) with DLO. It's even worse that the other key acquisition at the trade deadline, Beasley, isn't a good defender either. So this isn't an ideal roster if you're thinking title contention, but I definitely think it's enough to bring playoff basketball back to Minnesota. At this point, I'll take that over the alternative we've been living with for so long. And who knows what happens once this young team begins getting playoff experience. Perhaps it will push KAT and/or DLO to another level of intensity and defensive achievement. Perhaps it will attract some tough-minded talented free agents to join the team. Meanwhile, perhaps we'll get lucky in this year's draft and end up with an allstar talent who also has elite defensive chops. Who knows, maybe Culver becomes that guy. So a lot of things can happen over the next few years with this young team that's about to have a high lottery pick, a mid-first round pick and a top pick in the 2nd round this year. Right now, I'm focused on hoping we have a 2020/21 season and that I can actually go to games. Then I just hope this team can make the playoffs. Right now, with this roster, I think they will.
