Your 2018-2019 Timberwolves!!!

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

One way to look at the Wolves' prospects the rest of the year is to compare them to the pre-Butler 2016-7 team. Yes, Zach and Dunn are gone, but Dunn isn't an NBA player and Zach has been a minus player his entire career. Let's assume Rubio/Teague is a wash. Since then the Wolves have added, Taj, Rose, Okogie, Tolliver, Saric and Covington (and some less meaningful players)...that's a lot of depth, and arguable some good talent. And in addition, although we criticize all of them, you have to assume some maturation of KAT, Wig and Jones. It seems to me they should win a lot more games than that 2016-7 team, and maybe even challenge for a playoff spot again. These things would help get the Wolves to the playoffs:


1) Fire Thibs! You only have to look at the Gopher football team's performance against Purdue to see how a coaching change can motivate a team

2) Adequately incorporate the new guys into the rotation, and continue to take 3's at a high rate

3) Derrick Rose needs to stay healthy and be our scoring punch off the bench

4) Tyus Jones needs to remember how to shoot

5) Some teams (Memphis, Sac-town, LAC) need to come back to earth, and others (Houston, Utah, NOP) need to keep underachieving.


All of these things magically happening along with health could lead to playoffs. Not likely, I admit, but at least the world looks brighter today than yesterday.

[Wolvesfan21]

Saric never played for the ThibiBulls so he has little chance of playing at all.

[Lipoli390]

LST - Good job painting an optimistic picture of the post-Butler Wolves. Unfortunately, as you already ackowledged, your picture of the Wolves making the playoffs is a work of fantasy. The Wolves won't even satisfy your first criterion because Glen isn't going to fire Thibodeau. This deal was meant to satisfy Thibodeau's win-now mentality. Of course, with Thibodeau as head coach, I don't see this win-now approach resulting in enough wins for a playoff appearance this season. This organization should have focused the Butler deal on 3 years from now, not this season or even next.

[Duke13]

I think Saric is a great potential compliment to KAT. He's a good passer, nice length, he fights. Thibs better fucking play him.

I think he will replace Tolliver in the rotation and split PF duties with Taj. I think Saric is a nice player, but defensively he and KAT are going to be pretty bad.

Yes they will!

[Lipoli390]

I think Saric is a great potential compliment to KAT. He's a good passer, nice length, he fights. Thibs better fucking play him.

I think he will replace Tolliver in the rotation and split PF duties with Taj. I think Saric is a nice player, but defensively he and KAT are going to be pretty bad.

Yes they will!

Once again, this deal like just about everything else we've seen from this organization, fails to reflect an intelligent, cohesive strategy. I like Saric, but he doesn't make sense as a fit next to KAT and the time-horizon of his real creates a significant risk that he'll be a one-and-a-half season rental. The right pairing with KAT would be a tough, defensive big. I like Covington, but he doesn't fit well with the vintage of our young core and fails to complement Wiggins' skill set on the offensive end.

[Duke13]

LST - Good job painting an optimistic picture of the post-Butler Wolves. Unfortunately, as you already ackowledged, your picture of the Wolves making the playoffs is a work of fantasy. The Wolves won't even satisfy your first criterion because Glen isn't going to fire Thibodeau. This deal was meant to satisfy Thibodeau's win-now mentality. Of course, with Thibodeau as head coach, I don't see this win-now approach resulting in enough wins for a playoff appearance this season. This organization should have focused the Butler deal on 3 years from now, not this season or even next.

Agree Lip, thats what's the most frustrating about this. It was done to win now, and that won't work. This team and roster needs a reset. Maybe 2-3 players on this current roster are likely to be on it for a "meaningful" playoff push. Not a 7-8 seed with a 1st round trashing. When you have a talent like Kat that won't due. The roster sucks. Anyone outside MN with a objective eye can see that.

[Monster]

I think Saric is a great potential compliment to KAT. He's a good passer, nice length, he fights. Thibs better fucking play him.

I think he will replace Tolliver in the rotation and split PF duties with Taj. I think Saric is a nice player, but defensively he and KAT are going to be pretty bad.

Yes they will!

Once again, this deal like just about everything else we've seen from this organization, fails to reflect an intelligent, cohesive strategy. I like Saric, but he doesn't make sense as a fit next to KAT and the time-horizon of his real creates a significant risk that he'll be a one-and-a-half season rental. The right pairing with KAT would be a tough, defensive big. I like Covington, but he doesn't fit well with the vintage of our young core and fails to complement Wiggins' skill set on the offensive end.

If you want a tough defensive big next to Towns for a few minutes just sign one of a bunch of guys available this offseason. Sign Dedmon or whatever. Look at what the Warriors have done for the past few years. We don't need to make a deal for that type of guy just sign one. We could almost cycle through guys like that kinda like streaming defenses in fantasy football. Lol

[crazy-canuck [enjin:18955461]]

I think we should move tyus or dieng for that upgrade.

Tyus to orlando for birch or even dieng for biyombo works.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

LST - Good job painting an optimistic picture of the post-Butler Wolves. Unfortunately, as you already ackowledged, your picture of the Wolves making the playoffs is a work of fantasy. The Wolves won't even satisfy your first criterion because Glen isn't going to fire Thibodeau. This deal was meant to satisfy Thibodeau's win-now mentality. Of course, with Thibodeau as head coach, I don't see this win-now approach resulting in enough wins for a playoff appearance this season. This organization should have focused the Butler deal on 3 years from now, not this season or even next.

I think you're probably right about Thibs...I knew something was going to happen before the home stand, and I was hoping it would be firing Thibs. But Glen may see the Butler trade as enough. We'll see.

I have to admit I see some improvement in Thibs this season as a coach, so I'm not as depressed about his staying as I was. Somehow we are running the floor more and taking more 3's, and at least one defensive player (Okogie) is fighting through screens rather than going underneath. Also, until the last couple games, Thibs' rotations looked more like an NBA coach who understands the need to get the bench involved (he slipped back to old habits the last couple games though, perhaps because of injuries). I agree that he botched the handling of the Butler drama, and his lack of action is responsible for the 4-9 start. But I'm hoping he will continue to coach more like a modern NBA coach than the old relic we saw last year. I still want him replaced, but if not, I hope this flexibility he has shown isn't just a mirage.

[rapsuperstar31]

If Rozier wants out to start somewhere is he worth giving up a 1st round pick for? Say Rose continues to play well, while he is a good story getting the rights to Rozier for the next 5 years might be worth trading a protected 2020 pick with Rose. Also worth noting if Teague were to opt out, we would have around 18 million minus any rookie contracts to bring in a piece in free agency.