Minnesota Sports Forum

WolvesFan21 wrote:

khans2k5 wrote:I'd still take Ball regardless of his dad or the other options. The game is dominated by ball handlers and we need another one next Russell. He's 6'7 and just needs to fill out his frame more but he'll be perfectly fine at the 2 at that size. Fill in the defensive tools later. We still have a ton a weight on Russell and Towns to be an elite 2 man game to carry the whole offense and they need help via some other offensive creators even if that ends up being Ball and Russell staggering some minutes to keep a good creator on the court at all times.

We can't afford to have a guard who can't (maybe/probably) shoot the 3 well. I'm keeping Beasley and then seeing how Culver develops. I'm not to interested in a guard. Look at SF or PF who can shoot and defend.

So put out some names. We know for the most part who's in the draft. Who's the SF/PF that is stretching the floor and playing defense? I don't see that guy in the draft range where we are picking. I would pick LaMelo over Beasley every day of the week. We know what Beasley is. He's a gunner. I think we need another creator on this team and the upside of Ball is big for me. Lonzo couldn't shoot and he's up to 38% from 3 this year and LaMelo is a better FT shooter than Lonzo. If you can find a 3pt shooting, shot creating 3 or 4 who has the defensive upside of Ball at his size I'm all ears. We have too many off-ball guys already to draft yet another one in hopes they are a 3 and D guy. If Russell goes down in that scenario we have nobody to create offense off the dribble. Culver can't be the backup creator on this team without some significant improvement.

khans2k5 wrote:

WolvesFan21 wrote:

khans2k5 wrote:I'd still take Ball regardless of his dad or the other options. The game is dominated by ball handlers and we need another one next Russell. He's 6'7 and just needs to fill out his frame more but he'll be perfectly fine at the 2 at that size. Fill in the defensive tools later. We still have a ton a weight on Russell and Towns to be an elite 2 man game to carry the whole offense and they need help via some other offensive creators even if that ends up being Ball and Russell staggering some minutes to keep a good creator on the court at all times.

We can't afford to have a guard who can't (maybe/probably) shoot the 3 well. I'm keeping Beasley and then seeing how Culver develops. I'm not to interested in a guard. Look at SF or PF who can shoot and defend.

So put out some names. We know for the most part who's in the draft. Who's the SF/PF that is stretching the floor and playing defense? I don't see that guy in the draft range where we are picking. I would pick LaMelo over Beasley every day of the week. We know what Beasley is. He's a gunner. I think we need another creator on this team and the upside of Ball is big for me. Lonzo couldn't shoot and he's up to 38% from 3 this year and LaMelo is a better FT shooter than Lonzo. If you can find a 3pt shooting, shot creating 3 or 4 who has the defensive upside of Ball at his size I'm all ears. We have too many off-ball guys already to draft yet another one in hopes they are a 3 and D guy. If Russell goes down in that scenario we have nobody to create offense off the dribble. Culver can't be the backup creator on this team without some significant improvement.

If you draft Ball you I suppose project him to be backup PG/SG? Effectively eliminating Culver from that spot. Or I guess you could let Beasley walk too. But then we have several non shooters on the team, Culver/Ball and Okogie. I'd like to keep Beasley. The guy is a competitor. Plays hard. Gritty. Tough. He's the kind of guy I like on the team. Then of course he's a good 3P shooter. Maybe Ball could become one, IDK. Maybe Culver could too, I actually am betting he will, well actually at least avg. Which would be awesome because he plays nice defense.

I see the weak link as Okogie and Juancho. So that would be the player spots I would like to see upgraded. I haven't done enough research honestly to say who I like right now. It sucks the season was cut short too.

WolvesFan21 wrote:

khans2k5 wrote:

WolvesFan21 wrote:

khans2k5 wrote:I'd still take Ball regardless of his dad or the other options. The game is dominated by ball handlers and we need another one next Russell. He's 6'7 and just needs to fill out his frame more but he'll be perfectly fine at the 2 at that size. Fill in the defensive tools later. We still have a ton a weight on Russell and Towns to be an elite 2 man game to carry the whole offense and they need help via some other offensive creators even if that ends up being Ball and Russell staggering some minutes to keep a good creator on the court at all times.

We can't afford to have a guard who can't (maybe/probably) shoot the 3 well. I'm keeping Beasley and then seeing how Culver develops. I'm not to interested in a guard. Look at SF or PF who can shoot and defend.

So put out some names. We know for the most part who's in the draft. Who's the SF/PF that is stretching the floor and playing defense? I don't see that guy in the draft range where we are picking. I would pick LaMelo over Beasley every day of the week. We know what Beasley is. He's a gunner. I think we need another creator on this team and the upside of Ball is big for me. Lonzo couldn't shoot and he's up to 38% from 3 this year and LaMelo is a better FT shooter than Lonzo. If you can find a 3pt shooting, shot creating 3 or 4 who has the defensive upside of Ball at his size I'm all ears. We have too many off-ball guys already to draft yet another one in hopes they are a 3 and D guy. If Russell goes down in that scenario we have nobody to create offense off the dribble. Culver can't be the backup creator on this team without some significant improvement.

If you draft Ball you I suppose project him to be backup PG/SG? Effectively eliminating Culver from that spot. Or I guess you could let Beasley walk too. But then we have several non shooters on the team, Culver/Ball and Okogie. I'd like to keep Beasley. The guy is a competitor. Plays hard. Gritty. Tough. He's the kind of guy I like on the team. Then of course he's a good 3P shooter. Maybe Ball could become one, IDK. Maybe Culver could too, I actually am betting he will, well actually at least avg. Which would be awesome because he plays nice defense.

I see the weak link as Okogie and Juancho. So that would be the player spots I would like to see upgraded. I haven't done enough research honestly to say who I like right now. It sucks the season was cut short too.

I don't think you HAVE to pick between Beasley and Ball. It's gonna crunch someone but if you think Ball is gonna be pretty good you take him. Personally at this point I'm not really convinced to take anyone specifically but Ball does intrigue me. This might be a draft where quantity is the way to get quality. It's gonna be a very very unique draft. Q might be thrilled if there are no workouts...although there are guys teams did select BECAUSE of the workouts like Donovan Mitchell and that did actually...work out. Lol

I hate this draft. I really think the wolves are trading for Aaron Gordon this offseason.

Also what happens to the lottery if the season is canceled. Is every team now in the lottery. Why should teams be punished for being in the playoffs and not being able to play in them.

Also what does the cap look like. If no playoffs the cap will go down because less revenue coming to the league. Does that positively or negatively affect what Beasley will want and get

kekgeek1 wrote:I hate this draft. I really think the wolves are trading for Aaron Gordon this offseason.

Also what happens to the lottery if the season is canceled. Is every team now in the lottery. Why should teams be punished for being in the playoffs and not being able to play in them.

Also what does the cap look like. If no playoffs the cap will go down because less revenue coming to the league. Does that positively or negatively affect what Beasley will want and get

The other thing is with the shortened season it means Beasley's time with the Wolves as a starter was 14 games. Is that enough to convince a team he is actually a starter or was it just a nice 14 games stretch? That kinda goes for the Wolves too. I tend to think if the cap is lower that going to be a good thing for the Wolves. The only bad thing might be Beasley doesn't want to sign a long term deal because it will be lower money instead he signs something for like 2 years with a player option for the 3rd year at the longest. That still could be good for the Wolves because we aren't sure he is the answer at SG or a sure starter. If he is a really good player they might end up having to pay a lot more for a 2nd deal to keep him...if they can afford to do so. That could still be a good problem depending on how good he is.

It's almost impossible to envision any sort of "normal" season for any professional sport in 2020 thru potentially most or all of 2021. The NBA, NFL, etc. may still try, but it's going to be in mostly empty fields/gyms and they will need to rely on television and streaming platforms without blackout rules to get their product in front of as many fans as possible and maximize advertising revenue.

As for the Wolves, they are still a shambles. Rosas swung for the fences and got out from under Wiggins' contract, but their two best players don't care about defense and third best player cares, but still sucks at it (Beasley). Not very optimistic that the draft will do anything to move the needle. And I am placing way too much hope in Jared Vanderbilt, who could solve a lot of problems if he fulfilled 150% of his potential.

Q12543 wrote:It's almost impossible to envision any sort of "normal" season for any professional sport in 2020 thru potentially most or all of 2021. The NBA, NFL, etc. may still try, but it's going to be in mostly empty fields/gyms and they will need to rely on television and streaming platforms without blackout rules to get their product in front of as many fans as possible and maximize advertising revenue.

As for the Wolves, they are still a shambles. Rosas swung for the fences and got out from under Wiggins' contract, but their two best players don't care about defense and third best player cares, but still sucks at it (Beasley). Not very optimistic that the draft will do anything to move the needle. And I am placing way too much hope in Jared Vanderbilt, who could solve a lot of problems if he fulfilled 150% of his potential.

Vanderbilt is exactly the type of guy the Wolves have a rich history of helping to reach full potential...

...ahem.

WolvesFan21 wrote:

khans2k5 wrote:

WolvesFan21 wrote:

khans2k5 wrote:I'd still take Ball regardless of his dad or the other options. The game is dominated by ball handlers and we need another one next Russell. He's 6'7 and just needs to fill out his frame more but he'll be perfectly fine at the 2 at that size. Fill in the defensive tools later. We still have a ton a weight on Russell and Towns to be an elite 2 man game to carry the whole offense and they need help via some other offensive creators even if that ends up being Ball and Russell staggering some minutes to keep a good creator on the court at all times.

We can't afford to have a guard who can't (maybe/probably) shoot the 3 well. I'm keeping Beasley and then seeing how Culver develops. I'm not to interested in a guard. Look at SF or PF who can shoot and defend.

So put out some names. We know for the most part who's in the draft. Who's the SF/PF that is stretching the floor and playing defense? I don't see that guy in the draft range where we are picking. I would pick LaMelo over Beasley every day of the week. We know what Beasley is. He's a gunner. I think we need another creator on this team and the upside of Ball is big for me. Lonzo couldn't shoot and he's up to 38% from 3 this year and LaMelo is a better FT shooter than Lonzo. If you can find a 3pt shooting, shot creating 3 or 4 who has the defensive upside of Ball at his size I'm all ears. We have too many off-ball guys already to draft yet another one in hopes they are a 3 and D guy. If Russell goes down in that scenario we have nobody to create offense off the dribble. Culver can't be the backup creator on this team without some significant improvement.

If you draft Ball you I suppose project him to be backup PG/SG? Effectively eliminating Culver from that spot. Or I guess you could let Beasley walk too. But then we have several non shooters on the team, Culver/Ball and Okogie. I'd like to keep Beasley. The guy is a competitor. Plays hard. Gritty. Tough. He's the kind of guy I like on the team. Then of course he's a good 3P shooter. Maybe Ball could become one, IDK. Maybe Culver could too, I actually am betting he will, well actually at least avg. Which would be awesome because he plays nice defense.

I see the weak link as Okogie and Juancho. So that would be the player spots I would like to see upgraded. I haven't done enough research honestly to say who I like right now. It sucks the season was cut short too.

I'm focused more long term. I think Russell/Ball/Beasley/Culver is fine short term albeit cluttered. The two long term pieces I see there are Russell and Ball and if Culver steps up then you have a good problem of too many guys needing minutes. It's gonna take Ball 2-3 years to hit his stride like his brother so I'm fine bringing him off the bench until he can build some strength and improve his shot. The bench unit desperately needs a creator that he can fill in the short term. If there was a 3 I could see being that creating offensive weapon who can shoot 3's I'd go that guy, but my preliminary view of this draft looks really weak at that spot. It's got guards and bigs, but not many wings at the top and outside of Haliburton none of these kids can really shoot.

khans2k5 wrote:

WolvesFan21 wrote:

khans2k5 wrote:

WolvesFan21 wrote:

khans2k5 wrote:I'd still take Ball regardless of his dad or the other options. The game is dominated by ball handlers and we need another one next Russell. He's 6'7 and just needs to fill out his frame more but he'll be perfectly fine at the 2 at that size. Fill in the defensive tools later. We still have a ton a weight on Russell and Towns to be an elite 2 man game to carry the whole offense and they need help via some other offensive creators even if that ends up being Ball and Russell staggering some minutes to keep a good creator on the court at all times.

We can't afford to have a guard who can't (maybe/probably) shoot the 3 well. I'm keeping Beasley and then seeing how Culver develops. I'm not to interested in a guard. Look at SF or PF who can shoot and defend.

So put out some names. We know for the most part who's in the draft. Who's the SF/PF that is stretching the floor and playing defense? I don't see that guy in the draft range where we are picking. I would pick LaMelo over Beasley every day of the week. We know what Beasley is. He's a gunner. I think we need another creator on this team and the upside of Ball is big for me. Lonzo couldn't shoot and he's up to 38% from 3 this year and LaMelo is a better FT shooter than Lonzo. If you can find a 3pt shooting, shot creating 3 or 4 who has the defensive upside of Ball at his size I'm all ears. We have too many off-ball guys already to draft yet another one in hopes they are a 3 and D guy. If Russell goes down in that scenario we have nobody to create offense off the dribble. Culver can't be the backup creator on this team without some significant improvement.

If you draft Ball you I suppose project him to be backup PG/SG? Effectively eliminating Culver from that spot. Or I guess you could let Beasley walk too. But then we have several non shooters on the team, Culver/Ball and Okogie. I'd like to keep Beasley. The guy is a competitor. Plays hard. Gritty. Tough. He's the kind of guy I like on the team. Then of course he's a good 3P shooter. Maybe Ball could become one, IDK. Maybe Culver could too, I actually am betting he will, well actually at least avg. Which would be awesome because he plays nice defense.

I see the weak link as Okogie and Juancho. So that would be the player spots I would like to see upgraded. I haven't done enough research honestly to say who I like right now. It sucks the season was cut short too.

I'm focused more long term. I think Russell/Ball/Beasley/Culver is fine short term albeit cluttered. The two long term pieces I see there are Russell and Ball and if Culver steps up then you have a good problem of too many guys needing minutes. It's gonna take Ball 2-3 years to hit his stride like his brother so I'm fine bringing him off the bench until he can build some strength and improve his shot. The bench unit desperately needs a creator that he can fill in the short term. If there was a 3 I could see being that creating offensive weapon who can shoot 3's I'd go that guy, but my preliminary view of this draft looks really weak at that spot. It's got guards and bigs, but not many wings at the top and outside of Haliburton none of these kids can really shoot.

The combination of Ball and Russell isn't stopping anyone on the perimeter from getting to the basket. Putting more pressure on Towns who isn't a good defender and finds himself getting into foul trouble far to early the way it is. Wiseman could shoulder some of that burden making Towns more available to play to his strengths. If we're looking for another pg to give Russell time off the ball then I'd use the second first and hope Mannion is available still.

Would anyone trade our top pick for a guy like Van Fleet (S&T) or Marcus Smart? I look at what our team needs, and man, both of those guys would be game changers for us. I would certainly think about it. Not sure those other teams would even entertain....