Jaden Mcdaniels

[Monster]

Yeah, he's another one of these "super talented players that could be great IF he puts it all together mentally" types. How often do these guys put it all together? Almost never.

I would have much preferred a prospect with a big-time work ethic that could blossom further, but at least offers a decent floor. That's the San Antonio method. Draft smart, unsexy players and then we'll try to turn you into something even better. And if you don't blow up, you will still be a solid rotation guy we can plug into our system.

I think the one thing that I haven't come to terms with yet about this week...

... is that the league's youngest and most inexperienced franchise (from top to bottom) with two stars known league-wide for their immature (justified or not) and no accountability in place and no winning culture and no level of success and no clear leadership...

...took arguably the two biggest enigmas in the entire draft. It's fine to take a chance on upside. But you need the infrastructure in place to develop them.

Agreed. Our house is built on a shaky foundation to put it mildly.

This is why everything I have read and listened to outside of this site thought the Rubio move was absolutely the right thing to do. And it wasn't just for sentimental reasons.

Having said that, Ricky's ball-sharing, defense, and generally good attitude isn't enough if ultimately DLO and KAT aren't capable of leading. Those are the horses Rosas and Ryan are ultimately betting on.

True. But for as much as I like Rubio... he was a cornerstone of the franchise for 6 seasons...

... and the team sucked balls or underperformed the entire time. Does he have enough clout to lead a different cast of characters by example? I hope so.

It'll be fun seeing him in action again. He'll help. I just don't know how much.

I agree. He helps, but isn't a magic elixir. No one is going to make DLO and KAT try on defense. At some point, these two need to become real leaders and not put up just a nice act (which is mostly directed at KAT). But keep in mind these guys are still pretty young too.

Harden was embarrassingly mocked for his defensive foibles in his first few years in Houston (remember some of the viral video compilations?), but he eventually got better on that end. He's no stopper, but for a guy with such a massive usage on offense, he's no longer a big liability on that end and hasn't been for a few years now.

A couple things:

FWIW DeJounte Murry was not a typical Spurs pick. He was an upside guy that was more of a guy that had a question about putting it all together ESPCIALLY on defense and of course with the Spurs they seemed to sort that out his rookie season.

Rubio isn't a magic Elixer but again this team is insanely young. Juancho is the 3rd oldest player on the tam and he turned 25 a couple weeks ago or something. Having a legit vet that players can learn from that actually is worthwhile on the court has to help these guys some. Remember Rubio was supposed to be a stud in this league so he knows what that pressure is like. He was also a pro since he was 14. He has played in the best international leagues played multiple times in the olympics. He has a good relationship with Towns and is a guy that still loves Minnesota. He has had injury struggles to overcome. Rubio has done just about everything except play in an NBA finals/win a championship or overcome doing something stupid off the court. I'd guess he will help this group on and off the court to some worthwhile extent. One of the things I've always thought the Wolves lacked in the past was some good vet leaders that were here for more than a few months. Will Rubio turn the tide for young players? Idk about that but it seems likely to help having a real vet player around this group of guys. If Rubio can keep some of these young guys from turning into morons that would be worth a couple million. Lol

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Whew, $17-million a year is an expensive babysitter.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Whew, $17-million a year is an expensive babysitter.

AND... even if Rubio is a great guy... we're all wired differently. It's a BIG ask for Rubio to connect with every type of person and personality on the team. Some guys just won't take to it... and that's not a knock on Rubio.

For example, maybe one of the young bigs could do well watching an experienced big in action. Maybe one of these young American guys would take to mentoring better coming from another American who grew up without much from the streets of Brooklyn.

Everybody responds differently to this stuff. To put it all at the feet of one very unique foreign PG is unfair.

[Monster]

Whew, $17-million a year is an expensive babysitter.

AND... even if Rubio is a great guy... we're all wired differently. It's a BIG ask for Rubio to connect with every type of person and personality on the team. Some guys just won't take to it... and that's not a knock on Rubio.

For example, maybe one of the young bigs could do well watching an experienced big in action. Maybe one of these young American guys would take to mentoring better coming from another American who grew up without much from the streets of Brooklyn.

Everybody responds differently to this stuff. To put it all at the feet of one very unique foreign PG is unfair.

Good points Abe. I'm not sure anyone is asking Rubio to work miracles with every player on the roster.

Can Rubio isn't just getting paid to be a babysitter he is worth a chunk of that contract based on his ability to play. He is a better player than James johnson I don't remember anyone complaining about his vet leadership at 16.5 million this year.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Whew, $17-million a year is an expensive babysitter.

AND... even if Rubio is a great guy... we're all wired differently. It's a BIG ask for Rubio to connect with every type of person and personality on the team. Some guys just won't take to it... and that's not a knock on Rubio.

For example, maybe one of the young bigs could do well watching an experienced big in action. Maybe one of these young American guys would take to mentoring better coming from another American who grew up without much from the streets of Brooklyn.

Everybody responds differently to this stuff. To put it all at the feet of one very unique foreign PG is unfair.

Good points Abe. I'm not sure anyone is asking Rubio to work miracles with every player on the roster.

Cam Rubio isn't just getting paid to be a babysitter he is worth a chunk of that contract based on his ability to play. He is a better player than James johnson I don't remember anyone complaining about his vet leadership at 16.5 million this year.

My comment was more tongue-in-cheek than anything. I'll forever be a Ricky Rubio fan. There's a part of me that loves him being back in Minnesota and it has nothing to do with basketball or team building. He's just incredibly easy to root for despite what he lacks in his game. But I do think this front office is expecting him to be a leader/babysitter for this very young group as well as be a competent facilitator for the star players and first overall pick.

[thedoper]

How much can we pay KG to babysit? Hopefully enough that he can afford to buy the team. Great kickstarter idea.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

We'll see what else the front office does. We can't have it both ways where we want all of these slots filled with young, talented players in the same age window as KAT and DLO while also saying this team needs more vet leadership. That's why I'd be willing to go out and get a solid vet at PF that helps bridge us to a longer-term solution in the next year or two. If that's a Jae Crowder or PJ Tucker type, it will help offload some of the responsibilities Rubio will be taking on.

[Lipoli390]

Yeah, he's another one of these "super talented players that could be great IF he puts it all together mentally" types. How often do these guys put it all together? Almost never.

I would have much preferred a prospect with a big-time work ethic that could blossom further, but at least offers a decent floor. That's the San Antonio method. Draft smart, unsexy players and then we'll try to turn you into something even better. And if you don't blow up, you will still be a solid rotation guy we can plug into our system.

You nailed it, Q. Players with clear serious question marks related to their competitiveness, worth ethic, mental stability or maturity almost never pan out at all and certainly never achieve their full potential. That's what's so astounding about what Rosas and his cohorts did two nights ago. They used two of three picks on players who have those questions marks. If they truly pride themselves on using "analytics" you'd think they'd they look beyond a player's upside or potential and factor in a prospect's probability of reaching his potential. Factoring in that probability is so basic and critical to sound decision-making; and it's precisely what the good NBA organizations do.

There are a number of NBA organizations with track records that prove they are highly competent. Let's look at what they did two nights ago:

1. Golden State -- They drafted Wiseman #2 as expected. Every credible draft analyst said that Wiseman would have been the undisputed top pick if he had played the entire college season at the level of his three games. He's a rare combination of length and athleticism who is also highly coordinated and pretty skilled. The Warriors obviously had him as their guy for a while and grabbed him.

2. San Antonio -- The Spurs drafted Vassell at #11. Watch him develop into an all-star, not because the Spurs are wizards at player development, but because they pick players who have what it takes to develop. There were no questions about Vassell motor, competitiveness, work ethic of basketball IQ. To the contrary, respected analysts universally praised him on all those measures. Oh, and he was a superb 3-point shooter in college. Then they grabbed Tre Jones at 41. Like his brother, Tre Jones is knows for having great competitive drive and a very high basketball IQ.

3. Boston Celtics -- The Celtics drafted the best 3-point shooter in the draft in Nesmith at #14. He's another prospect who had absolutely no questions related to his motor, worth ethic, competitiveness or basketball IQ. In fact, he was praised for his maturity and basketball IQ. They also used their #26 pick to draft Payton Pritchard, another prospect praised for his motor, worth ethic and basketball IQ.

4. Miami Heat -- They drafted Precious Achiuwa at #20. Precious is mentally and physically tough with a super high octane motor.

5. Denver Nuggets -- They drafted Nnaji at #22. He's another prospect whose strengths include a high motor and great worth ethic. He's also regarded as very mature and smart with a high basketball IQ.

6. Utah Jazz -- They drafted Azubuike at #27. Yes, he's not a modern-day big, but neither is Rudy Gobert and look what he's done in the League. Bottom line is that Azubuike is a beast physical -- really big and highly athletic. He's also known for being mature and highly competitive with a great motor.

7. Dallas Mavs -- They drafted Josh Green at #18. This was slightly higher than he was expected to go, but still within his expected range. More importantly, Josh is a guy who is known for having a high octane motor. He's mature loves to defend. What he needs to do to improve is to develop his offensive skills, primarily his ball-handling. He's already a good 3-point shooter based on his college stats. The Mavs then drafted Tyrell Terry with the first pick in the second round. Again, Terry is knows for being hyper-competitive and mature with a great worth ethic. He's also arguably the best three-point shooter in the draft. The Mavs simply waited and took him at #31. In contrast, the Wolves traded #33 and 25 to move up for a guy named Leandro Bolmaro. At least Bolmaro appears to be highly competitive with a good feel for the game. But he's a 20% 3-point shooter and, more importantly, the Wolves TRADED UP to get him. Go figure. Finally, the Mavs ended up with Tyler Bey in a deal with the Sixers. Tyler Bey is another highly competitive hard-nosed mentally tough prospect who also has some skills.

8. Sixers -- The Sixers ended up with Tyrese Maxey, Isaiah Joe and Paul Reed. Maxey and Reed are know for their intensity, competitiveness and high-octane motors. Isaiah Joe is one of the best shooting prospects in this year's draft and I've never read anything questioning his competitiveness or work ethic.

9. OKC Thunder -- They continued to build up their reservoir of draft picks as they build for the future; yet they were still a much better team than the Wolves last season.

I know I'm stating the obvious, but sometimes the obviously is worth stating. The NBA organizations that have proven to be highly competent and successful draft and acquire players who are driven, competitive, and smart. They rarely if ever gamble on a highly talented player who has multiple red flags associated with his motor, competitiveness or love of the game. Drafting is not rocket science. Yes, it's hard to predict a prospect's success and all organizations miss on multiple picks. But the good organizations hit far more than they miss and that's because they understand the attributes a player needs to succeed and they rarely gamble on players who lack those attributes, no matter how talented they may be.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

How much can we pay KG to babysit? Hopefully enough that he can afford to buy the team. Great kickstarter idea.

And I said Brad Miller in a different thread

[thedoper]

How much can we pay KG to babysit? Hopefully enough that he can afford to buy the team. Great kickstarter idea.

And I said Brad Miller in a different thread

Brad Miller was a quality pro. He really was the ideal lunch bucket guy with real skill. Him and AK were just too late for us in their careers. Imagine if this team could one day get a free agent in their prime? Wouldnt that be something?