Minnesota Sports Forum

Q12543 wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:I think Trevor Booker is imminently gettable.

How though, without giving up either DLO or KAT? I can't believe Phoenix would give him up for a pick or two in a weak 2020 draft + piece parts like Okogie, etc. I just don't think we have enough ammo outside of the two guys Rosas is already trying to build around.

Ahem.

Allow me to clarify:

https://dunkingwithwolves.com/2020/02/06/minnesota-timberwolves-devin-booker-trade/

Thanks for chiming in Cam. I believe at the beginning of the year if Rosas explicitly stated he would completely overhaul the roster, come away with a core of Russell and Towns, and the restricted rights to Beasley, and stated the essential cost for all of that would be our #4+ pick next year for a #15 plus pick this year everyone would have said sign me up. Sure it may not work but Rosas did a masterful job of starting fresh to try something new. Could he have done better in the margins? Maybe. But I think big picture its hard to argue with what he came away with in a week and a half flurry. Impressive just from the deal making side of this.

The difference in feelings between Cam and Cool after the trade deadline pretty much summarizes this board perfectly. It's either apocalyptic dread/anger/frustration/depression or Tim like optimism (give up Tim, we will always suck! ;-) )

papalrep wrote:This franchise was dead. From ownership to the front office to the roster to the fan base, this franchise was drowning any way you dissect it.

OPTIMISM! Let's have some! I loved the activity, for the simple reason Cam stated. We were dead.
Cam, what is the plan to bring in Booker?

Frankly, the plan to acquire Devin Booker is, at the moment, dependent on several things.

First, Booker has to make it known to the Phoenix Suns' front office that he wants out. I think another losing season -- along with being ruthlessly snubbed in the All-Star game again, and seeing two of his closest friends paired up in Minnesota -- could be enough to fuel his frustrations to that point. Gersson Rosas should be planning for that this summer, if he hasn't been already.

Secondly, the Wolves will need some ping pong balls to go their way for once. Ideally, they'd end up with the No. 1 overall pick as that is usually one of the best bargaining chips to work with. The acquiring team can target any prospect they so choose as well as market that player as the next best thing. We basically lived through that scenario when the Cleveland Cavaliers won the lottery in 2014. Any way you slice it, the Wolves need to not get jobbed in the lottery.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, the Wolves need the Suns to value some of these young players that Minnesota has accumulated. Whether that's Malik Beasley, Jarrett Culver, Josh Okogie, Naz Reid, Jacob Evans, Omari Spellman, etc. -- they can help with landing another big fish, if you will, but it depends on how Phoenix assesses their value.

Lastly, and this is probably where the Wolves have done relatively well in asset accumulation and hoarding, Minnesota will have to be willing to package several first-round picks together. They own all of their first-round picks for the future except for the 2021 pick that was used to acquire D'Angelo Russell. Due to the protection, I believe that Minnesota cannot trade their 2022 first-round pick either, though I'd have to double-check that. Regardless, they have the picks necessary to make a deal if they are aggressive enough.

Q12543 wrote:Good stuff Cam. I am not as bullish as you are, but realized that something had to be done a couple weeks ago, even if that meant bringing DLO in, who I am not totally enthralled with.

Interesting that you are calling out Spellman when it feels like we may have a higher ceiling, younger version of him in Naz Reid.

I'm also pretty high on Naz Reid, and I think he's part of the reason as to why management decided to move Gorgui Dieng to Memphis. If I had it my way, I'd play Omari Spellman and Reid together off the bench. Both are big bodies that can bang inside, but are also capable of stretching out to the three-point line. It's just a matter of whether or not the great Ryan Saunders will play two bigs together consistently.

thedoper wrote:Thanks for chiming in Cam. I believe at the beginning of the year if Rosas explicitly stated he would completely overhaul the roster, come away with a core of Russell and Towns, and the restricted rights to Beasley, and stated the essential cost for all of that would be our #4+ pick next year for a #15 plus pick this year everyone would have said sign me up. Sure it may not work but Rosas did a masterful job of starting fresh to try something new. Could he have done better in the margins? Maybe. But I think big picture its hard to argue with what he came away with in a week and a half flurry. Impressive just from the deal making side of this.

Agreed, doper. Not to mention Gersson Rosas somehow managed to move Andrew Wiggins' remaining $94-million without having to give up multiple first-round picks to do it or take on another worthless long-term deal in order to do so.

I don't think Rosas has been perfect by any means, but I definitely like where the Wolves are sitting today versus where they were when he took over -- and that's even with the hiccup of trading up in the draft and somewhat missing.

ItsJustSoSab wrote:The difference in feelings between Cam and Cool after the trade deadline pretty much summarizes this board perfectly. It's either apocalyptic dread/anger/frustration/depression or Tim like optimism (give up Tim, we will always suck! ;-) )

It feels like we're usually on opposite ends of the debate regardless of the topic. This is no different.

And I could be wrong here, but I feel like some of his feelings on the moves made at the trade deadline stem from how positively he viewed Andrew Wiggins. He seemed to be one of his favorite players. I can empathize with the disappointment of a team moving on from one of your favorites. It's definitely tough.

Camden0916 wrote:

ItsJustSoSab wrote:The difference in feelings between Cam and Cool after the trade deadline pretty much summarizes this board perfectly. It's either apocalyptic dread/anger/frustration/depression or Tim like optimism (give up Tim, we will always suck! ;-) )

It feels like we're usually on opposite ends of the debate regardless of the topic. This is no different.

And I could be wrong here, but I feel like some of his feelings on the moves made at the trade deadline stem from how positively he viewed Andrew Wiggins. He seemed to be one of his favorite players. I can empathize with the disappointment of a team moving on from one of your favorites. It's definitely tough.

Hopefully he doesn't go TeamRicky on us

Great lead post, Cam! Like Q i'm not as bullish as you on DLO. But as I've said in other posts, we're definitely better overall after all these trades than before and DLO specifically is a definite upgrade over Wiggins at least as a fit for this team. I question whether DLO and KAT can be a duo that makes this team a contender long term. But you've provided some important stats that reflect positively on DLO. Time will tell. What will say is that these deals have renewed my interest in this team and have me excited - at least for now. None of us on this board have always been right or wrong. But you have a pretty good track record evaluating talent, so you're take on DLO is something I give considerable weight to. Let's hope this is the beginning of something really exciting here.