I heard it through the grapevine...

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I'd prefer the underrated Klay Thompson, myself.

In what world do you live in where he's underrated?

[Phenom]

I'd prefer the underrated Klay Thompson, myself.

In what world do you live in where he's underrated?

Just look around the various Wolves forums. There are many who act like he has peaked and is what he is. Maybe I am crazy to think that a 24 year old may be able to grow into something better than very good.

[foye2smith [enjin:6593248]]

I'd prefer the underrated Klay Thompson, myself.

In what world do you live in where he's underrated?

Just look around the various Wolves forums. There are many who act like he has peaked and is what he is. Maybe I am crazy to think that a 24 year old may be able to grow into something better than very good.

I agree with you Phenom. On a local level Klay has been terribly undersold. Some dingus on canishoopus wrote an article about how overrated he is and how his progress has stagnated without considering/downplaying his perimeter defense. A lot of fans have been parroting that.

I don't like him cause he wants max money, but the way some talk about him you'd think he were on O.J. Mayo's level. He's easily a top 10 at a position that's just hurtin league wide.

If the wolves get him I hope they pass on an extension and let RFA handle him. I don't think another team wants to spend 16+ million a year on Klay anymore than the Warriors do or Wolves will.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I'd prefer the underrated Klay Thompson, myself.

In what world do you live in where he's underrated?

Just look around the various Wolves forums. There are many who act like he has peaked and is what he is. Maybe I am crazy to think that a 24 year old may be able to grow into something better than very good.

He's a good shooter, decent defender. Good second option for any team. If he's on this Wolves team, he's a primary option. How can you be so sure that he can grow into a star player when he'll be catching best wing defenders left and right and a ton of attention from help defenders? He's not a dribble drive guy. He's not a creator. He is what he is in terms of the type of play he's shown. Guy's a knockdown shooter that will benefit from Rubio, but he's not going to take it up another notch in the same way Harden did when he went to Houston.

Remember when Pierce and Garnett left Boston and Jeff Green was supposed to light up box scores? Big disappointment. Mainly because expectations were too high, but more-so because he's just not a No. 1 guy on any team. Even though Klay's a better player, this still holds true for him as well.

To sum up, tpake him for what he is: a good/great shooter, good defender, can take advantage of smaller guards in the post. He's not a guy that should command a max contract, though he'll get close, and I wouldn't be happy if that's what Flip goes for in a Love trade. I'd rather have draft picks.

[Phenom]

The reality Cam is that Klay probably is that overrated guy and that underrated guy. I do not necessarily think he is a number 1 type player and am not counting on it. I do think he is worthy of Love trade and most likely the best singular asset available. The 6th pick could be better but its 50/50 at best. I feel his dribble drive game is improving and he is incredibly smooth with the ball. His defense coupled with Rubio could really change the defensive identity of the team as I think perimeter defense is paramount to having a great defensive team. I think he can make the necessary strides to be an all-star. He may not be on Love's level but I never believed that the Wolves would get an equal anyway.

[Lipoli390]

If the guy who initiated this thread is correct, I'm almost certain the deal is with Golden State -- likely Love and Martin exchanged for David Lee, Klay Thompson and probably one more player/asset (Barnes, Green or a future protected 1st round pick). If so, then Klay is clearly the key to the deal.

I think Klay is essentially what Cam described, except that he's not just a good shooter and decent defender. He's a great shooter and very good defender. But that's all he is. He's not a ball handler, shot creator or dominant player at his position. And that's why it might be hard to get excited about this deal if it happens. But you have to consider the value of Lee. He's not just a throw-in. He's a former all-star who, at age 30, is still near the top of his game. He consistently averages nearly 10 boards a game and can be counted on to score at least 15 points per game at a relatively high percentage. If Barnes is included, it is worth remembering how well he played in the 2012 playoffs. Also worth remembering he tested as one of the top athletes in his draft class. And he's still young.

So if this is the deal, it needs to be viewed as a package. And as a package, this would be a deal I could get excited about.

[Phenom]

Edit: I do not recall such things about Jeff Green but I would have had a good laugh out of it. Aside from a similarity of being thrust into a bigger role, there really is no comparison. Klay has far superior ball skills and Green is really just a jack of all trades type. He never had a chance to elevate his game. Klay has the ability to spot up, drive off the catch, and pull up and hit a J with hands in his face. He is also pretty darn good in traffic. He may not have superb straight line driving ability but he can easily do what Love did as far as catching and shooting threes in end of game situations. What's more is that he moves much better than Love and can get a shot off from any spot. He won't have to settle for 30 foot left slot threes every time.

As a bonus, I feel that not focusing the offense through Love and involving Ricky more will be better for everyone. Ricky can get to the hoop pretty much whenever he wants and it is up to him to become a great finisher and he took steps to get there as the year went on. With Ricky thrust into a bigger scoring role it will naturally take pressure off of Klay and the way Brewer moves, he can't really be left alone either. The Wolves will need to become a real "team" and I think Klay and even Lee will be fantastic additions for that type of environment.

[Hicks123 [enjin:6700838]]

I am with Cam and Lip here, and am beating a dead horse, but Klay has to be considered extremely overrated at this point. I pointed out his statistics the other day, and won't rehash, but he is like bottom 5 in virtually all statistics for SG outside shooting (rebounds, steals, assists, FT per game, blocks, etc). In the end, it all comes down to money and the comparable value. I would love a deal of Klay if we can secure him for $8-9M per in an extension. My fear is that we are going to be forced to pay what is clearly a 2nd tier player, 1st tier money in order to retain him. This fact could be extremely detrimental to a team on a complete rebuild. When you are foced to pay role players star type money, it completely disables a teams ability to add the other necessary parts to improve. We just need to be careful here.

Also, I get the impression that some on this board think maybe Klay gets a boost from playing with Rubio. He will get a boost in the sense that he will be forced to take more (and probably poor) shots, but those that think Rubio is a better backcourt partner for Klay are seriously misguided. Curry is the ultimate partner for a guy like Klay because he is ever bit the passer that Rubio is, but he also holds the defense on him, allowing Klay to get wide open looks. This won't happen with Rubio as his sidekick, thus the valid concern by Cam on Klay potentially struggling in a primary scoring role.

All that being said, with risk assumed, I still probably do Klay/Lee/other asset for Love/Martin as I much prefer the known quantity over draft picks.

[alexftbl8181 [enjin:6648741]]

The Golden State Warriors continue to be reluctant in including Klay Thompson in their trade package for Kevin Love.

At least one member of the Warriors' front office is so high on Thompson that he wouldn't trade him in a straight-up deal for Love, according to a source.

It had been believed that the Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves had agreed upon the central parts of a trade with Love and Kevin Martin coming to the Warriors for Thompson and David Lee.

The Warriors have reservations about whether upgrading from Lee to Love is not worth parting with Thompson.


I think a player has never gone from underrated to unbelievably overrated in such a short span.

[alexftbl8181 [enjin:6648741]]

latest coming from Warrior land is that the Warriors would do a Klay/Lee/Barnes for Love/Martin 13th provided either Staukas or McDermott are available.

If that's the case then they are worlds apart. I'm not sure even Khan makes that deal