Minnesota Sports Forum

Thanks for starting this thread Q...

My thoughts are that I love the youth of this team and am excited. BUT, I was excited for the Ricky, Love, Pek group from a few years ago and that group couldn't defend either. I just think with the assets we have, now is the time to have nearly everything on the table for this franchise. I think KAT should truly be the only untouchable player. I certainly do not think Wiggins or Zach are going anywhere (because it might be a PR nightmare) but if we see a potential ceiling for this group, the FO might have look elsewhere.

Since I do not think major pieces will be moved from the roster, FA and the draft will be so important to the future of this team. KG and Prince have been valuable for their leadership on and off the court, but they wont be around much longer. So the question still stands, can the current starting lineup defend at an elite level? Time will tell, but I have some doubts. The right coach will be key.

It's just too early to talk about a potential ceiling for this group. Let's let them get into bars legally before we consider tearing the thing down.

kurrdog53 wrote:Thanks for starting this thread Q...

My thoughts are that I love the youth of this team and am excited. BUT, I was excited for the Ricky, Love, Pek group from a few years ago and that group couldn't defend either. I just think with the assets we have, now is the time to have nearly everything on the table for this franchise. I think KAT should truly be the only untouchable player. I certainly do not think Wiggins or Zach are going anywhere (because it might be a PR nightmare) but if we see a potential ceiling for this group, the FO might have look elsewhere.

Since I do not think major pieces will be moved from the roster, FA and the draft will be so important to the future of this team. KG and Prince have been valuable for their leadership on and off the court, but they wont be around much longer. So the question still stands, can the current starting lineup defend at an elite level? Time will tell, but I have some doubts. The right coach will be key.

Kurrdog, I think one of the issues this group has is size and strength. Length isn't really an issue, as practically everyone of them is average to above average length for their position. But collectively it's not really a strong group and they have a tendency to get pushed around easily. The latest example was how Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon just drove the ball right at our guys and even if they stayed in front of them, they were able to get to the rim with ease.

Rubio and Dieng aren't going to get any stronger or thicker, so it again comes down to KAT, LaVine, and Wiggins. Again, time will tell whether these guys can continue to add weight and strength, which should help defensively.

I think Towns has the legit potential to anchor a defense and he has the potential to do it either by being a rim protecting center or by being a freak team defender more along the lines of a KG. He has a long ways to go to get there by either route but the potential is absolutely there. We have seen a number of teams over the years transform once they have a true defense anchoring big. Having a tandem of really nasty wing defenders is a good way of putting together a defense also but I'd put my money on Towns being the guy that makes everything else you do work. Rubio and Towns together could in the future cause all kinds of trouble for opposing teams.

Didn't know where to post this, but it was really entertaining. Towns, Wiggins and LaVine over All-Star weekend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQZt83hZ7OM

Camden0916 wrote:Didn't know where to post this, but it was really entertaining. Towns, Wiggins and LaVine over All-Star weekend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQZt83hZ7OM

Thanks for posting that it was quite entertaining.

Thanks Cam, I really enjoyed that video. Love to see the friendships that have developed between our three young stars. I also liked seeing their families, their loyalty to the Wolves and KAT's dad saying "We are building something special."

Oh, Zach's dad is built like a tank. I would bet Zach has the potential to add a lot more muscle to his frame.

TeamRicky wrote:Oh, Zach's dad is built like a tank. I would bet Zach has the potential to add a lot more muscle to his frame.

Mr. Paul LaVine played NFL football. And yeah, he's jacked. I don't really want to see LaVine bulk up too much even if he can, but I'd like him to hit the 200-lb threshold and more than anything gain strength. Strength > Bulk.

Camden wrote:Didn't know where to post this, but it was really entertaining. Towns, Wiggins and LaVine over All-Star weekend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQZt83hZ7OM

That was 21 minutes and 24 seconds of all smiles, thanks for posting!