One reason Dieng > Pek

[Lipoli390]

Guess who led the Spurs in points in the paint in the playoffs last season and in the playoffs last time they won the NBA championship? Tim Duncan? No. It was Tony Parker. And Manu wasn't too far behind Parker in paint points. Just an example that underscores Porkchop's point about the value of guards or wings who can score effectively on dribble penetration. Think of LeBron James and Dwayne Wade in Miami. Think of Kevin Durant and Westbrook with the Thunder. Or how about the Pacers' Paul George and Lance Stephenson along with George Hill?

Most of the top teams have at least two guards or wing players who are excellent scorers on dribble penetration. That's the nature of today's NBA with the limits on hand-checking and the athleticism in the League. Yet, the Wolves have only one player in the starting lineup who can get to the rim off the dribble (Ricky), but he's not a scorer. And unless you count JJ we have no one on our entire roster who excels at all as a scorer on dribble penetration. It's a gaping hole on our roster that needs to be filled if the Wolves intend to become anything approaching a contender in the West. Shopping Pekovic in an effort to get that type of player is essential. If we can't get a deal that brings back the type of quality player we need, then we keep Pek. But the effort has to be made.

[60WinTim]

I don't know, Lip. I won't disagree with you on the need for a wing that can effectively use dribble penetration. But a front court that includes Love, Deing AND Pek is something I would hate to lose...

And we already have too many wings. Bud's return to health and the development of Shabazz are two areas of improvement we can expect at the wing. But I am not sure who the odd man out ought to be. Brewer exceeded everyone's expectations, but he is still a poor excuse for a starting NBA small forward. We have five wings (not counting Shved or Barea) who all bring something to the table.

Of the players who were part of the rotation, Barea and Cunningham had VERY sub-par years, and were a big reason the bench sucked balls in so many games this year. Shved was a poor excuse for a SG, and it's been painful waiting for Bud to work his way back. It's also a damn shame that Deing's blossomnig game didn't come until it was too late in the season. I can't help but wonder what might have happened if Adelman threw Deing into the fire when Pek first went down before the all-star break...

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I agree Tim. It's tough to see finding a deal involving Pek that yields an elite wing with great handles. It's just not going to happen, nor should we stretch for a guy like Eric Gordon or moving up in the draft.

I could argue that our 3-point shooting is just as big of a problem offensively as our lack of dribble drive penetration. Rubio is our 3rd most accurate 3-point shooter. Something's wrong with that picture.

As for our bevy of SFs, I really think Mbah Moute, Budinger, and Shabazz have more future value for our franchise than Brewer. Mbah Moute because he does one thing extremely well and is cheaper than Brewer; Budinger because, when healthy, he's just a better all around player; and Shabazz because of his youth, rookie contract, and potential. Both Mbah Moute and Budinger had career low years this season whereas Brewer pretty much produced as he always does, which is slightly below average. He ain't getting any better. But I truly believe Mbah Moute and Budinger will bounce back. So the question is whether we could parlay a guy like Brewer into a halfway decent backup PG or SG that helps balance our roster? Not sure if Flip sees things the same way, but that "tinkering around the edges" approach might be a more prudent strategy than trading Pekovic.

[bleedspeed]

We need to draft an athlete that can play at the wing. There will be one in the draft when we pick. We just need to pick the right one. I really like a front court rotation with Love, Pek, and Dieng.

[alexftbl8181 [enjin:6648741]]

We need to draft an athlete that can play at the wing. There will be one in the draft when we pick. We just need to pick the right one. I really like a front court rotation with Love, Pek, and Dieng.

If Deing keeps developing like he his, what other team would want to play a Pek-Love-Deing front court over a 7 game series?

[alexftbl8181 [enjin:6648741]]

Lip It's true everything you said, but the bigger thing is building a team around your strengths. Spurs are the ultimate example of this. Yes Parker is the man now, but before that it was about Duncan, a little bit of Robinson, and slow excellent D. Then as Duncan got older and Parker got better, they changed their style to a more offensive team.

Our teams strength is our front court. It's way too risky to try to lose that strength to completely change the Wolves style.

[kms789 [enjin:6694798]]

Obviously the Wolves should listen to all offers, but there's no reason to push anything. If Dieng proves to be an above average NBA player, that's great. That means we have a total of 1 on our bench.

I think Pek stays the starter, but I like the idea of having Dieng come off the bench early, getting some minutes with the starters. The offense hums as long as Rubio and Love are on the court together. Let Martin and Pek spend more time playing with the 2nd unit, and then we won't have such a dramatic drop-off when the bench is in.

I don't think we should blow this thing up. The team will be more cohesive next year with experience under their belt. Internal improvement from Rubio, Dieng, and Budinger looks promising. We have a good draft pick and the full mid-level. Barea, Mbah a Moute, and Turiaf will be semi-cheap expirings. Add in the fact that we are unlikely to have such a terrible record in close games and shoot for 50+ wins next year. That's the best shot at Love staying, not blowing things up.

[bleedspeed]

We need to draft an athlete that can play at the wing. There will be one in the draft when we pick. We just need to pick the right one. I really like a front court rotation with Love, Pek, and Dieng.

If Deing keeps developing like he his, what other team would want to play a Pek-Love-Deing front court over a 7 game series?

I know. We would have the front court nobody can match up to. I think a good coach, a good combo guard that can defend and hit the 3 from being really really good.

[kms789 [enjin:6694798]]

Also, Love has said that the difference between the Wolves and perennial playoff teams is that there seemed to be no continuity with the roster here, no plan. That's why he openly lobbied for the Wolves to re-sign Pek, so I don't think that's what Love wants either.

[mjs34]

Obviously the Wolves should listen to all offers, but there's no reason to push anything. If Dieng proves to be an above average NBA player, that's great. That means we have a total of 1 on our bench.

I think Pek stays the starter, but I like the idea of having Dieng come off the bench early, getting some minutes with the starters. The offense hums as long as Rubio and Love are on the court together. Let Martin and Pek spend more time playing with the 2nd unit, and then we won't have such a dramatic drop-off when the bench is in.

I don't think we should blow this thing up. The team will be more cohesive next year with experience under their belt. Internal improvement from Rubio, Dieng, and Budinger looks promising. We have a good draft pick and the full mid-level. Barea, Mbah a Moute, and Turiaf will be semi-cheap expirings. Add in the fact that we are unlikely to have such a terrible record in close games and shoot for 50+ wins next year. That's the best shot at Love staying, not blowing things up.

I don't know why so many expect to see any improvement from Bud. He is over 5 months past his meniscus surgery. If he isn't healthy by now, it is unlikely he ever will be. We should expect him to get worse not better.

I also don't know why you expect our record to be better in close games. This reminds me of Adelman's insanity. Throw the same bench guys on the floor night after night, and they wonder why you get the same result. We need a slasher/scorer type player that can help close games out.