The comeback begins!

[FNG]

Thanks guys for creating a thread highlighting some of my greatest failures. I liked Bazz coming out of college, and I liked Bennett even more. I was one of the few who (quite incorrectly) didn't mind him being selected 1st that year. He had an NBA body, played pretty good defense at UNLV, scored efficiently and rebounded well (offensively and defensively). I really thought his college game would translate well to the NBA game, but what a flop he became.

[Q-is-here]

It just reminds me how many mid to high draft picks we wasted on guys that either never lived up to their potential or just completely flamed out. And yet folks are lamenting the 5 (likely late round) picks we gave up for one of the all-time great defensive players in NBA history. Give me a massive bird in the hand versus a bundle in the bush.

[Lipoli390]

Here's the draft review of Shabazz on draft.net back in 2013:

Strengths: Fierce competitor with a scorers mentality ... Displays a killer instinct missing from many other prospect's games ... Uses screens to create catch-and-shoot opportunities well ... Quick lefty release, solid mechanices with range out to three point territory ... Can use his body to create space and get shots off near the basket ... Length (6-11 + wingspan) helps him get his shot off and create post-up opportunities against smaller wings ... Not afraid of contact and has the ability to get to the line at a high rate ... Was very proficient as an offensive rebounder, has a nose for the ball ... Developed a runner that looks very promising and was quite difficult to stop ... Noted for a strong work ethic, plays with a chip on his shoulder ... Wants the ball in the clutch and not shaken in end of game situations ... Length gives him potential as a defender ... Athleticism is quite solid and has an ability to play major minutes at optimum conditioning level ... Makes his move very quickly, does not stop the ball or take a lot of time off of the clock ... Shows a strong passion for the game and a will to improve ...

Weaknesses: Has trouble creating his own shot off of the dribble, shooting percentage plummets when he puts the ball on the floor ... Not a fluid athlete. Movements and overall skills appear rigid and herky jerky ... Far too reliant on his left hand, opponents know to force him to the right, and it severely limits his effectiveness ... His defensive awareness was severely tested during his lone year of college ball, must improve awareness on that side of the court ... Must improve shot selection ... Could stand to fine tune his jumpshot, become more efficient as a foul shooter ... His lack of statistical defensive production made some question his focus and energy on that end of the court ... Body language was a concern at certain points and made him appear at odds with teammates, even if that was not the case ... Sometimes gets tunnel vision, when guarded by multiple defenders will still look to shoot as opposed for looking to pass to an open teammate ... Defensive footwork can use a lot of fine tuning as far as guarding the perimeter ... Ball handling needs improvement, which most likely relegates him to the SF spot ... Despite having solid length, may be a tad undersized for the SF spot and could have a hard time at both ends of the floor against wings with greater length ... Piled up a number of injuries during his time on the UCLA campus, so question marks could arise surrounding durability ...

You can see all the reasons for optimism about Bazz in the "Strengths' section of the review. But you can see in the "weaknesses" section all the reasons why I thought he was a bad pick at the time. Trouble creating his own shot off the dribble, questionable ball-handling, lack of athletic fluidity, one-hand dominant, questions about court awareness, poor body language at times, questions about focus and energy on defensive side of the ball. He had nearly all my cautionary yellow flags for wing prospects. I tend to exclude from consideration any wing prospects that have questions surrounding their ball-handling and ability to create off the dribble. If you drafting a wing in the first round they have to be good ball handlers who can create off the dribble to count on them becoming good NBA players - unless the players is a great 3-point shooter AND a really good defensive player - i.e., classic 3 & D guy. Lack of athletic fluidity concerns me as well more than the player's vertical jump or 3/4 court sprint time. I like guards and wings who are nearly ambidextrous and tend to downgrade players who are one-hand dominant. Lack of defensive energy and focus on the defensive side and disturbing as is reviews that include poor body language. Any one such factor might have been OK for me, but cumulatively he had far too many yellow flags to merit a #15 selection.

You can see why I wrote an email to Flip Saunders getting on him about this pick. :)

[TheFuture]

How insane would it have been to draft Giannis and Rudy.

[Lipoli390]

How insane would it have been to draft Giannis and Rudy.

Well, if I had been the Wolves President of Basketball Operations that's exactly what would have happened. I didn't foresee Giannis becoming the superstar he's become, but I thought he could become a star and believed he'd be a great bet for a rebuilding Wolves team. I actually liked Gorgui better than Gobert, but the 1 for 2 trade Flip made that led to drafting Bazz provided an extra 1st round pick I would have used to take Gobert after drafting Gorgui. In fact I remember being really pissed that the Wolves sold their #27 pick for cash rather than taking Gobert. I didn't know a lot about Gobert at the time, but I knew he had a 9'7" standing reach and that he was playing well against European pros. The standing reach was enough for me to grab him at #27. The only question is whether I would have made the 1 for 2 deal Flip made because I really like McCollum at the time. But I would gone with the deal for an extra pick because I value multiple picks a lot, especially when in rebuilding mode as we were back then.

[TheFuture]

How insane would it have been to draft Giannis and Rudy.

Well, if I had been the Wolves President of Basketball Operations that's exactly what would have happened. I didn't foresee Giannis becoming the superstar he's become, but I thought he could become a star and believed he'd be a great bet for a rebuilding Wolves team. I actually liked Gorgui better than Gobert, but the 1 for 2 trade Flip made that led to drafting Bazz provided an extra 1st round pick I would have used to take Gobert after drafting Gorgui. In fact I remember being really pissed that the Wolves sold their #27 pick for cash rather than taking Gobert. I didn't know a lot about Gobert at the time, but I knew he had a 9'7" standing reach and that he was playing well against European pros. The standing reach was enough for me to grab him at #27. The only question is whether I would have made the 1 for 2 deal Flip made because I really like McCollum at the time. But I would gone with the deal for an extra pick because I value multiple picks a lot, especially when in rebuilding mode as we were back then.

If i remember right, we already had that pick we sold. The 1 for 2 was the selection of Burke for Shabazz and Gorgui. Alas, we wouldn't have KAT or Ant, nor Gobert now. The makeup is here, it is hard to fuck this up.

Shooters, Shooters, Shooters. That is all I am hoping for.

[Lipoli390]

How insane would it have been to draft Giannis and Rudy.

Well, if I had been the Wolves President of Basketball Operations that's exactly what would have happened. I didn't foresee Giannis becoming the superstar he's become, but I thought he could become a star and believed he'd be a great bet for a rebuilding Wolves team. I actually liked Gorgui better than Gobert, but the 1 for 2 trade Flip made that led to drafting Bazz provided an extra 1st round pick I would have used to take Gobert after drafting Gorgui. In fact I remember being really pissed that the Wolves sold their #27 pick for cash rather than taking Gobert. I didn't know a lot about Gobert at the time, but I knew he had a 9'7" standing reach and that he was playing well against European pros. The standing reach was enough for me to grab him at #27. The only question is whether I would have made the 1 for 2 deal Flip made because I really like McCollum at the time. But I would gone with the deal for an extra pick because I value multiple picks a lot, especially when in rebuilding mode as we were back then.

If i remember right, we already had that pick we sold. The 1 for 2 was the selection of Burke for Shabazz and Gorgui. Alas, we wouldn't have KAT or Ant, nor Gobert now. The makeup is here, it is hard to fuck this up.

Shooters, Shooters, Shooters. That is all I am hoping for.

Yes. We started with picks 9 and 27. Flip then traded the #9 pick for #14 and #21. We drafted Bazz at #14 and Gorgui at 21. I was OK drafting Gorgui at 21 and would have been equally happy if we had drafted Rudy at that point. Wow, was I wrong. :) I remember watching players come off the board after that and getting really excited that Rudy Gobert was still available as we approached #27. Then I remember hearing that the Wolves sold the #27 pick for cash. I remember how pissed I was when I saw we sold the pick and even more pissed when I saw that pick used to take Gobert. That was the last straw, which my email to Flip.

It's interesting to reflect on that draft. I never predicted that Giannis or Gobert would become the great players they've become. But like many I saw they had really high-upside potential. I could see the obviously yellow flags associated with Shabazz, including that fact that he was a wing with a poor handle and little upside. What the Wolves did in that draft violated nearly every principle I have for drafting:

Rule #1: Never waste a pick and absolutely never sell picks for cash: This is the most important rule in my view. NBA draft picks are like precious metal. NBA draft picks have tremendous value, especially for a mid-market team like the Wolves. The draft is an essential pipeline for infusing talent into the organization and they are also highly value able trade assets. And unlike the NFL, you don't have many picks in the NBA. Selling a first-round pick for cash is as dumb as it gets. Flip told me they sold the pick because they already had too many young players on the roster. That's what I would call dumb.

I thought Connelly got it right this year. He had four picks with an already pretty full and young roster. He could have chosen to sell one of his second-round picks. Instead, he maneuvered around and ended up drafting four players anyway, using one of his picks on a Euro stash. He maximized the value of each pick, which is exactly what NBA teams need to do. It's a stark contrast to past Wolves regimes that would sell picks for cash or waste picks on the likes of Ebi or a some home-town favorite.

Rule #2: When you're a lottery team (i.e., a rebuilding team), always draft for upside. The Wolves were coming off the David Kahn era as a lottery team in 2013 and were clearly in rebuild mode. That's precisely the time to take swings on players like Giannis and Gobert. Even if you overlook the yellow flags associated with Bazz (poor handle, lack of athletic fluidity, poor court awareness), it was widely understood at the time that he wasn't a high-upside pick. Flip saw him as a player more ready to contribute. That's not the way a rebuilding team should approach the draft.

I thought Connelly took the right approach in this year's draft. The Wolves were not a rebuilding team, but they weren't fully constructed yet either back in June. I thought Connelly took a sensible blended approach. He drafted a couple players, Kessler and Moore, who actually have decent upside but are more complementary players ready to contribute sooner rather than later. Yet, he also drafted a really high upside player, Minott, in the 2nd round.

Rule #3: All other things equal, more picks are better than fewer picks. One thing the Wolves got right in 2013 was trading one pick for two. But then they gave away the benefit of having an extra pick by selling one of the picks they already had. I'll admit I thought Gorgui had a higher upside than he actually did. But that's why quantity matters. My picks would have been Giannis, Gorgui and Gobert. I could miss on Gorgui and still have two home runs. The only time it makes sense to turn more picks into fewer is when it enables you to trade up for a player you truly covet.

Again, I thought Connelly did a nice job in this regard. I liked his decision to trade down from 19 for an extra 1st round pick. As it turns out, his move paid off because it gave him an asset to get Gobert while also allowing the Wolves to retain a quality pick, Wendell Moore. Rosas had the right idea trying to trade up for Garland, but his execution was poor because he didn't have a lock on getting Garland. It's interesting to ponder how things would be different if Rosas had succeeded. In all likelihood, the Wolves would not have traded for DLO or if they had it would have been Garland and Wiggins without giving up the Wolves 1st and 2nd round picks.

[TheFuture]

How insane would it have been to draft Giannis and Rudy.

Well, if I had been the Wolves President of Basketball Operations that's exactly what would have happened. I didn't foresee Giannis becoming the superstar he's become, but I thought he could become a star and believed he'd be a great bet for a rebuilding Wolves team. I actually liked Gorgui better than Gobert, but the 1 for 2 trade Flip made that led to drafting Bazz provided an extra 1st round pick I would have used to take Gobert after drafting Gorgui. In fact I remember being really pissed that the Wolves sold their #27 pick for cash rather than taking Gobert. I didn't know a lot about Gobert at the time, but I knew he had a 9'7" standing reach and that he was playing well against European pros. The standing reach was enough for me to grab him at #27. The only question is whether I would have made the 1 for 2 deal Flip made because I really like McCollum at the time. But I would gone with the deal for an extra pick because I value multiple picks a lot, especially when in rebuilding mode as we were back then.

If i remember right, we already had that pick we sold. The 1 for 2 was the selection of Burke for Shabazz and Gorgui. Alas, we wouldn't have KAT or Ant, nor Gobert now. The makeup is here, it is hard to fuck this up.

Shooters, Shooters, Shooters. That is all I am hoping for.

Yes. We started with picks 9 and 27. Flip then traded the #9 pick for #14 and #21. We drafted Bazz at #14 and Gorgui at 21. I was OK drafting Gorgui at 21 and would have been equally happy if we had drafted Rudy at that point. Wow, was I wrong. :) I remember watching players come off the board after that and getting really excited that Rudy Gobert was still available as we approached #27. Then I remember hearing that the Wolves sold the #27 pick for cash. I remember how pissed I was when I saw we sold the pick and even more pissed when I saw that pick used to take Gobert. That was the last straw, which my email to Flip.

It's interesting to reflect on that draft. I never predicted that Giannis or Gobert would become the great players they've become. But like many I saw they had really high-upside potential. I could see the obviously yellow flags associated with Shabazz, including that fact that he was a wing with a poor handle and little upside. What the Wolves did in that draft violated nearly every principle I have for drafting:

Rule #1: Never waste a pick and absolutely never sell picks for cash: This is the most important rule in my view. NBA draft picks are like precious metal. NBA draft picks have tremendous value, especially for a mid-market team like the Wolves. The draft is an essential pipeline for infusing talent into the organization and they are also highly value able trade assets. And unlike the NFL, you don't have many picks in the NBA. Selling a first-round pick for cash is as dumb as it gets. Flip told me they sold the pick because they already had too many young players on the roster. That's what I would call dumb.

I thought Connelly got it right this year. He had four picks with an already pretty full and young roster. He could have chosen to sell one of his second-round picks. Instead, he maneuvered around and ended up drafting four players anyway, using one of his picks on a Euro stash. He maximized the value of each pick, which is exactly what NBA teams need to do. It's a stark contrast to past Wolves regimes that would sell picks for cash or waste picks on the likes of Ebi or a some home-town favorite.

Rule #2: When you're a lottery team (i.e., a rebuilding team), always draft for upside. The Wolves were coming off the David Kahn era as a lottery team in 2013 and were clearly in rebuild mode. That's precisely the time to take swings on players like Giannis and Gobert. Even if you overlook the yellow flags associated with Bazz (poor handle, lack of athletic fluidity, poor court awareness), it was widely understood at the time that he wasn't a high-upside pick. Flip saw him as a player more ready to contribute. That's not the way a rebuilding team should approach the draft.

I thought Connelly took the right approach in this year's draft. The Wolves were not a rebuilding team, but they weren't fully constructed yet either back in June. I thought Connelly took a sensible blended approach. He drafted a couple players, Kessler and Moore, who actually have decent upside but are more complementary players ready to contribute sooner rather than later. Yet, he also drafted a really high upside player, Minott, in the 2nd round.

Rule #3: All other things equal, more picks are better than fewer picks. One thing the Wolves got right in 2013 was trading one pick for two. But then they gave away the benefit of having an extra pick by selling one of the picks they already had. I'll admit I thought Gorgui had a higher upside than he actually did. But that's why quantity matters. My picks would have been Giannis, Gorgui and Gobert. I could miss on Gorgui and still have two home runs. The only time it makes sense to turn more picks into fewer is when it enables you to trade up for a player you truly covet.

Again, I thought Connelly did a nice job in this regard. I liked his decision to trade down from 19 for an extra 1st round pick. As it turns out, his move paid off because it gave him an asset to get Gobert while also allowing the Wolves to retain a quality pick, Wendell Moore. Rosas had the right idea trying to trade up for Garland, but his execution was poor because he didn't have a lock on getting Garland. It's interesting to ponder how things would be different if Rosas had succeeded. In all likelihood, the Wolves would not have traded for DLO or if they had it would have been Garland and Wiggins without giving up the Wolves 1st and 2nd round picks.

It is always fun to look back.

In that draft, Flip went for players cemented into their roles. The next he went for pure potential. Including the trade of Love.

If he had gone with that vision one year early, we would be insanely talented. LaVine, Wiggins, Giannis, Gobert.

Rosas made fine moves, but moving up without knowing the bird was in hand was obviously stupid.

What TOC did was nice enough, but jury is still out. I think he was bidding against himself with the asshole Ainge, and I am not sold on Moore at all. But I like Minott alot, and the European stash. Also can get behind the signings so far, and like that he appreciates what Finch brings. Signing guys like Knight and Minott shows a reflective respect. That can help build the culture.

[Monster]

Don't look back and see how Utah got the pick to select Gobert...

I'll also say I was absolutely right about Trey Burke. Utah screwed up that pick. Of course they made up with the Gobert pick and they even picked Raul Neto in the 2nd. Of course Utah could have had Giannis AND Gobert.

[Lipoli390]

Don't look back and see how Utah got the pick to select Gobert...

I'll also say I was absolutely right about Trey Burke. Utah screwed up that pick. Of course they made up with the Gobert pick and they even picked Raul Neto in the 2nd. Of course Utah could have had Giannis AND Gobert.

Don't look back and see how Utah got the pick to select Gobert...

I'll also say I was absolutely right about Trey Burke. Utah screwed up that pick. Of course they made up with the Gobert pick and they even picked Raul Neto in the 2nd. Of course Utah could have had Giannis AND Gobert.

Yep. Connelly screwed up with that pick, too. Utah took him to the cleaners twice in draft-day deals - once with Gobert in 2013 and again with Donovan Mitchell. I also agree with Future that Connelly gave up more than necessary to get Gobert this summer. But the moves Connelly made this summer to get Gobert and Kyle Anderson have have significantly improved the team. The Minott pick was a terrific longer-term move in my view as was Connelly's decision to lock up Minott in a long-term deal. I'm not crazy about the Moore pick, but I think it was solid. I'm not crazy about the AJ Lawson signing, but it wasn't bad. I'm unhappy Connelly passed on signing Kevon Harris to a two-way and I wish he had signed McClung. I would have preferred signing Cousins over Knight.

But Connelly can now redeem himself partially in my eyes if he signs Sharife Cooper to our remaining two-way deal. :)