Final Wolves Free Agent Additions

[TheFuture]

Late signings of Bazz, Cunningham, and brooks would make for a dynamite off season.

We may still be short on the wing, but those two young two ways are wings, right?

P.S. anyone else setting their sights on attending that home opener Rubio return and hopefully a bulls game when/if LaVine is healthy?

[Lipoli390]

Late signings of Bazz, Cunningham, and brooks would make for a dynamite off season.

We may still be short on the wing, but those two young two ways are wings, right?

P.S. anyone else setting their sights on attending that home opener Rubio return and hopefully a bulls game when/if LaVine is healthy?

I agree, Future. Those three additions would be a very nice way to close the loop on this eventful offseason for the Wolves. We'd have a bench that would include Taj Gibson, Belly, Bazz, Cunningham, Tyus Jones, Aaron Brooks and Jamaal Crawford. Our bench and overall team would lack the 3-point shooting I think we need. But we'd still have a nice bench -- certainly MUCH better than last season. I think I might opt for Morrow over Brooks, but either one would be a nice addition and I see the value in a 3rd PG.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Late signings of Bazz, Cunningham, and brooks would make for a dynamite off season.

We may still be short on the wing, but those two young two ways are wings, right?

P.S. anyone else setting their sights on attending that home opener Rubio return and hopefully a bulls game when/if LaVine is healthy?

I agree, Future. Those three additions would be a very nice way to close the loop on this eventful offseason for the Wolves. We'd have a bench that would include Taj Gibson, Belly, Bazz, Cunningham, Tyus Jones, Aaron Brooks and Jamaal Crawford. Our bench and overall team would lack the 3-point shooting I think we need. But we'd still have a nice bench -- certainly MUCH better than last season. I think I might opt for Morrow over Brooks, but either one would be a nice addition and I see the value in a 3rd PG.

I don't think our bench was THAT bad last year. They were certainly better defensively than our starting unit (relatively speaking). Their big problem was that they had no one that could really create offense when things broke down, since Dunn was a trainwreck offensively and Shabazz has zero handles/playmaking ability.

The fact is our season rides on the success of our starting 5. These guys have to be able to improve dramatically on defense and figure out a way to get more efficient shot attempts on offense. With four guys capable of creating their own shot in the starting 5, it will be pretty easy for Thibs to stagger the rotation such that two of those four are always on the floor. That means our bench guys just need to be able to hustle, defend, and make smart plays.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I agree with much in the last few posts. I agree with Q that our bench was not that bad last year...that's why I stayed on my "play them more and rest our starters" soapbox. I appreciated the bench much more in games I attended than those I watched on TV. On TV I mostly focused on the offensive ineptitude. But in person I appreciated the defensive grittiness and effectiveness of Dunn, Aldrich, Belly and even the improved Bazz and crafty Jones. And I began to notice leads didn't evaporate with reserves in like they have with prior Wolves' teams. Instead they disappeared in the waning minutes with our exhausted starters on the floor. That simply has to stop this year for this team to reach its potential.

I also agree with Future and Lipoli that adding Bazz, Cunningham (looks reasonably favorable now) and Brooks or Morrow would make this offseason a huge success. I think Lip underrates our bench 3-point shooting though...Crawford (36%), Brooks (37.5%), Cunningham (39%), and Jones (35.6%) all made threes at better than the league average last season. And Bazz and Belly have flashed some 3-point success at times too. I don't know if Thibs can change his ways and play these guys, but if he ends up with the roster Future proposes, he will have to conclude we have added some solid 3-point depth.

[Lipoli390]

I agree with much in the last few posts. I agree with Q that our bench was not that bad last year...that's why I stayed on my "play them more and rest our starters" soapbox. I appreciated the bench much more in games I attended than those I watched on TV. On TV I mostly focused on the offensive ineptitude. But in person I appreciated the defensive grittiness and effectiveness of Dunn, Aldrich, Belly and even the improved Bazz and crafty Jones. And I began to notice leads didn't evaporate with reserves in like they have with prior Wolves' teams. Instead they disappeared in the waning minutes with our exhausted starters on the floor. That simply has to stop this year for this team to reach its potential.

I also agree with Future and Lipoli that adding Bazz, Cunningham (looks reasonably favorable now) and Brooks or Morrow would make this offseason a huge success. I think Lip underrates our bench 3-point shooting though...Crawford (36%), Brooks (37.5%), Cunningham (39%), and Jones (35.6%) all made threes at better than the league average last season. And Bazz and Belly have flashed some 3-point success at times too. I don't know if Thibs can change his ways and play these guys, but if he ends up with the roster Future proposes, he will have to conclude we have added some solid 3-point depth.

I remain unconvinced that last season's bench wasn't bad. Terrible, no. But I think it was pretty bad. And adding the three Future mentioned to the guys we've already added (Taj and Crawford), coupled with the continued maturation of Jones, strikes me as a big upgrade of our bench.

Interesting take on our 3-point shooting, LST. I can't count Cunningham's 39% in my book because it looks like an anomaly when viewed in context of his entire career -- especially when you consider his low volume. But I do like Jones' 3-point stroke and I think his 3-point accuracy will continue to improve. I'm probably underselling Crawford's 3-point shooting. Adding Brooks or Morrow would be a big boost to our 3-point shooting off the bench. I think signing one of those two is really important. For me, the keys to our improvement from behind the arc are Wiggins and Belly. Those two will likely get a lot of 3-point opportunities and both have the ability to be much better than they've been from behind the arc. I remain convinced that Bazz is on the cusp of becoming a very good 3-point shooter. That's another reason I think it's so important to sign him.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I can't argue that Cunningham's career doesn't show much success as a 3-point shooter, Lip. But here's why his 39% could be legit: Dante is a disciplined basketball player who consistently plays within the role his coach designs for him. As a T-Wolf, he was perceived as a mid-range shooter by coach Flip, and he became a very reliable 10-15 foot shooter. And that reputation stayed with him in his first season with NO. But as his new coach loosened the reins, Dante showed he could become comfortable outside the arc. In his first six seasons, he never took more than 10 three pointers. But in 2105-6, he took 316 and made a surprisingly good 32% of them. Then last season the reins were loosened a little more, and he was allowed to take 181 threes (2.7 per game), and he improved to a very good 39%. It's not difficult to conclude that with permission comes confidence and success, and that Dante can continue to hit wide open threes at a rate comparable to last year. I hope we take him from NO. A terrific guy, (despite the overstated or even made up personal situation that was reported his last season here), a reliable rebounder and defender, and perhaps a positive 3-point addition.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

A number of guys that didn't take 3's throughout most of their career have suddenly become credible 3-point shooters. Besides Dante, you can add Marc Gasol, Brook Lopez, and Thad Young to the list.

LST makes a great point about simply having a coach that encourages the shot and gives his guys a green light. This is where Flip miserably failed as coach. He had a number of bigs (Thad, Dante, and Bennett) that showed a solid touch out to about 20 feet, but he NEVER encouraged them or designed plays to turn those 20-footers into 3-point shots instead. Now we've seen both Thad and Dante blossom into credible threats since leaving Minnesota.....

[Monster]

A number of guys that didn't take 3's throughout most of their career have suddenly become credible 3-point shooters. Besides Dante, you can add Marc Gasol, Brook Lopez, and Thad Young to the list.

LST makes a great point about simply having a coach that encourages the shot and gives his guys a green light. This is where Flip miserably failed as coach. He had a number of bigs (Thad, Dante, and Bennett) that showed a solid touch out to about 20 feet, but he NEVER encouraged them or designed plays to turn those 20-footers into 3-point shots instead. Now we've seen both Thad and Dante blossom into credible threats since leaving Minnesota.....

Sure Dante's 3 point shooting on low volume was a career high. However it also is a progression that seems like it's possible to be legit. Why do I say that?

1. We saw first hand he could take and make long 2's here in MN. Another few feat isn't a small task but it's not like the guy was a non shooter or something that magically figured out how to shoot from farther than 10 ft or just dunk.

His previous season he took a ton of corner 3's. That was basically all he took and he had his lower percentage. This year you see he not only took and made corner 3's but he was taking and making plenty of non corner 3's on his way to his 39% 3 point average.

So he is a guy which legit progression as a shooter. He may not be sustainable but maybe he will even improve again and take a higher volume of shots. What a. Umber of articles say he does well is cut to the basket. I think that probably has improved since he was here especially since he is more of a 3 point threat. If we get him I think it will be pretty amazing. I personally consider him a lower fringe starter (he can be a starter but he won't be good) but that's a pretty good player to get for the vet min.

It's interesting at this point Dante would pick the Wolves over NO especially since Solomon Hill is probably out for the season. Maybe it's the angle that the Wolves are probably viewed as basically a sure thing for the playoffs and NO...probably not so much. I guesss Darius Miller or Pondexter (of healthy) is the starting SF for them right now.

[Lipoli390]

A number of guys that didn't take 3's throughout most of their career have suddenly become credible 3-point shooters. Besides Dante, you can add Marc Gasol, Brook Lopez, and Thad Young to the list.

LST makes a great point about simply having a coach that encourages the shot and gives his guys a green light. This is where Flip miserably failed as coach. He had a number of bigs (Thad, Dante, and Bennett) that showed a solid touch out to about 20 feet, but he NEVER encouraged them or designed plays to turn those 20-footers into 3-point shots instead. Now we've seen both Thad and Dante blossom into credible threats since leaving Minnesota.....

Sure Dante's 3 point shooting on low volume was a career high. However it also is a progression that seems like it's possible to be legit. Why do I say that?

1. We saw first hand he could take and make long 2's here in MN. Another few feat isn't a small task but it's not like the guy was a non shooter or something that magically figured out how to shoot from farther than 10 ft or just dunk.

His previous season he took a ton of corner 3's. That was basically all he took and he had his lower percentage. This year you see he not only took and made corner 3's but he was taking and making plenty of non corner 3's on his way to his 39% 3 point average.

So he is a guy which legit progression as a shooter. He may not be sustainable but maybe he will even improve again and take a higher volume of shots. What a. Umber of articles say he does well is cut to the basket. I think that probably has improved since he was here especially since he is more of a 3 point threat. If we get him I think it will be pretty amazing. I personally consider him a lower fringe starter (he can be a starter but he won't be good) but that's a pretty good player to get for the vet min.

It's interesting at this point Dante would pick the Wolves over NO especially since Solomon Hill is probably out for the season. Maybe it's the angle that the Wolves are probably viewed as basically a sure thing for the playoffs and NO...probably not so much. I guesss Darius Miller or Pondexter (of healthy) is the starting SF for them right now.

All good points that give me hope that Dante can be a legitimate 3-point threat off the bench for the Wolves if we sign him. I like his game overall enough to want the Wolves to sign him even if his 3-point shooting regresses to the mean. Even 36% 3-point shooting from Dante would be a bonus.

I can see Dante choosing the Wolves over the Pelicans based on having a better shot at making the playoffs in Minnesota. That makes sense given his age and his established place in the NBA as a bench player. But I'm more worried about Bazz ending up in New Orleans. As soon as I heard about Solomon going down, I became concerned they might go after Bazz and I can see Bazz choosing the Pelicans over the Wolves as a better opportunity to start or maximize his minutes. I'm not sure whether the Pelicans have any cap space or cap exceptions other than the vet minimum. Does anyone know the Pelicans' cap situation?

[Monster]

A number of guys that didn't take 3's throughout most of their career have suddenly become credible 3-point shooters. Besides Dante, you can add Marc Gasol, Brook Lopez, and Thad Young to the list.

LST makes a great point about simply having a coach that encourages the shot and gives his guys a green light. This is where Flip miserably failed as coach. He had a number of bigs (Thad, Dante, and Bennett) that showed a solid touch out to about 20 feet, but he NEVER encouraged them or designed plays to turn those 20-footers into 3-point shots instead. Now we've seen both Thad and Dante blossom into credible threats since leaving Minnesota.....

Sure Dante's 3 point shooting on low volume was a career high. However it also is a progression that seems like it's possible to be legit. Why do I say that?

1. We saw first hand he could take and make long 2's here in MN. Another few feat isn't a small task but it's not like the guy was a non shooter or something that magically figured out how to shoot from farther than 10 ft or just dunk.

His previous season he took a ton of corner 3's. That was basically all he took and he had his lower percentage. This year you see he not only took and made corner 3's but he was taking and making plenty of non corner 3's on his way to his 39% 3 point average.

So he is a guy which legit progression as a shooter. He may not be sustainable but maybe he will even improve again and take a higher volume of shots. What a. Umber of articles say he does well is cut to the basket. I think that probably has improved since he was here especially since he is more of a 3 point threat. If we get him I think it will be pretty amazing. I personally consider him a lower fringe starter (he can be a starter but he won't be good) but that's a pretty good player to get for the vet min.

It's interesting at this point Dante would pick the Wolves over NO especially since Solomon Hill is probably out for the season. Maybe it's the angle that the Wolves are probably viewed as basically a sure thing for the playoffs and NO...probably not so much. I guesss Darius Miller or Pondexter (of healthy) is the starting SF for them right now.

All good points that give me hope that Dante can be a legitimate 3-point threat off the bench for the Wolves if we sign him. I like his game overall enough to want the Wolves to sign him even if his 3-point shooting regresses to the mean. Even 36% 3-point shooting from Dante would be a bonus.

I can see Dante choosing the Wolves over the Pelicans based on having a better shot at making the playoffs in Minnesota. That makes sense given his age and his established place in the NBA as a bench player. But I'm more worried about Bazz ending up in New Orleans. As soon as I heard about Solomon going down, I became concerned they might go after Bazz and I can see Bazz choosing the Pelicans over the Wolves as a better opportunity to start or maximize his minutes. I'm not sure whether the Pelicans have any cap space or cap exceptions other than the vet minimum. Does anyone know the Pelicans' cap situation?

If the Pelicans spend more than the vet min they will basically be in the tax. So...they probably won't. The issue with Bazz is likely his fit playing with AD and Cousins. Obviously most NBA teams don't believe in his 3 point shooting so his fit with those top players is not good. The Pels are in a bad spot unless they have a couple guys that are under the radar come through for them because the talent on the wing just isn't there. The Dunc'd onguys though Hill was more of a PF anyway. Maybe Cousins love it there and resigns and they are able to build around their top talent but if I was a NO fan I would be pretty worried about this team.