Minnesota Sports Forum

I don't know, Cool. While 7 PFs/Cs seems like one too many, is it really one too many if Pek and KG are unable to play many games and/or minutes?

If Flip cuts that number down to 6, then Bennett or Bjelica would seem like the most likely candidates to be moved...

Idk where he fits there are so many questions but we know he can play at least as a rotation player. He rebounds, blocks shots has some actual offensive game is a nice passer and plays hard. He will get opportunities and if he doesn't that means some guys have really stepped up. I don't think Flip has any interest in trading him and I don't either. I think we need to revisit this question when it's more clear who is all on the roster.

I think it's pretty safe to say KG will be our starting 4 next year. I would imagine KG and Towns will start with Pek coming off the bench. Flip still wants to sell seats and KG as a starter does that more than Pek.

7 bigs is not a problem
5 wings is not a problem
and we should have 3 PG on the roster not including LaVine.

bleedspeed177 wrote:7 bigs is not a problem
5 wings is not a problem
and we should have 3 PG on the roster not including LaVine.

In the rotation?

Cool - On the roster - I hope we play a 9 man rotation.

Guys will always get enough minutes with KG, Martin, Rubio, and Pek on this team.

bleedspeed177 wrote:Cool - On the roster - I hope we play a 9 man rotation.

Guys will always get enough minutes with KG, Martin, Rubio, and Pek on this team.

Not a bad point bleed. I just think all of these guys are at points in their career where they need to be part of the rotation. That can't happen here, so I think someone has to go.

I

60WinTim wrote:I don't know, Cool. While 7 PFs/Cs seems like one too many, is it really one too many if Pek and KG are unable to play many games and/or minutes?

If Flip cuts that number down to 6, then Bennett or Bjelica would seem like the most likely candidates to be moved...

Agreed. When you can have 15 active players on your roster (not long ago you could only have 12 if I remember right), you need depth among bigs. With KG and Pek especially.

The other thing, we seem to be overlooking, is this. DIENG IS PRETTY GOOD! Let's not forget that even though he didn't live up to the high expectations he set for himself with his strong play at the end of his rookie year, Dieng was still one of our best players last year. Check the numbers. Plus, although he's not ideal at either spot, Dieng can play the 4 or 5.

If we take Towns, I could see us running with a 5 man big rotation of:

-Towns and Pek starting at the 4 and 5.
-Quickly subbing Pek out, then going with Dieng and Towns.
-Subbing Towns out for KG, then going with KG and Dieng.
-Bring in Payne (or maybe Bennett) and sit Dieng
-Get back to Towns and Pek

Total minutes (rough guess per position toward the beginning of the year):
5-Pek (24), Towns (12), Dieng (eight), KG (4)
4-Towns (16), Dieng (18), KG (6), Payne/Bennett (10)

Total minutes:
Pek (24)
Towns (28)
Dieng (26)
KG (10)
Payne/Bennett (10)

That's a rough guess to start the season. Of course, you have to expect KG to need some games off, so that's another 10 minutes available some nights. And maybe Pek gets injured again, and then we would be happy to have a couple extra bigs. Plus this would almost certainly be KG's last year, so there would be more minutes available looking ahead to next year. Hopefully Towns (or Okafor) and Dieng step up and earn big minutes.

If it's Okafor, I think that would just eat up Dieng and KG's minutes at the 5, and those guys would play more minutes at the 4, which they can do. It's not ideal (which is why Towns is a better fit), but that's definitely doable. I could even see keeping Hummel or Hamilton (Hamilton might make more sense) as a 7th big just to be safe, or adding another veteran backup big body somehow.

If we kept 7 bigs, that would leave us 8 roster spots for 1-3.

Rubio/backup (we NEED A BACKUP PG people!--trade up for Wright please!)/third-string vet backup to the backup
Martin/LaVine
Wiggins/Bazz/Bud

Boom, there's your 15.

Edit: apparently when you put the number 8 in parentheses now, it automatically makes a smiley face. What is the hell is this world coming to?

bleedspeed177 wrote:Cool - On the roster - I hope we play a 9 man rotation.

Guys will always get enough minutes with KG, Martin, Rubio, and Pek on this team.

I think a 9 man rotation is too thin. Especially if Pek and KG are part of the rotation. 11 seems about right to me.

Bigs
Pek, (Towns or Okafor), Dieng, KG, Payne or Bennett

Wings
Wiggins, Martin, LaVine, Bazz

PGs
Rubio, Backup

In my ideal scenario, that would leave the following four guys on the bench: an extra backup vet PG, Bud, Bennett or Payne, and an extra backup center (like Hamilton).

Obviously, Bud and Bennett or Payne probably wouldn't be happy about being on the bench, but every team has guys who aren't happy about being on the bench. If you did, you wouldn't have a very good bench! Still, maybe trade one of those guys for a guy like Jeff Adrien (who I loved). But in all honesty, we'll probably be able to find minutes for both Payne and Bennett since every team can expect to have time open up for bigs because of injury.

I think we are losing direction with having Towns be our Center. If Flip is wanting two way or two position players...then having players like Pek on our court only clogs the paint and doesn't allow players like Bazz, Wiggins, Rubio to do whats needed.

What I like about Dieng is his ability to hit a 15 foot jumper, or pass out of the top of the key. If we have two players...(Towns, Dieng) who can step out of the post, and give both Rubio lanes and Wiggins and Bazz options to post up mismatches...this team will be deadly. Especially a player like Towns who can hit a Lamarcus Aldridge type distance shot.

I would say find at whatever cost a place for Pek and Bennett or Payne via trade...Prefer Payne being traded, Bring over Bjelica...and then mix em all around. If we can get a trade of Pek, Bjelica and #31 for a serviceable PG and a late lottery pick...make it happen. But that's a lot of talent. And having a kukoc type player in Bjelica would be awesome at the PF

Towns, KG (1 more year) Bjelica, Bennett, Dieng, Hamilton.