Minnesota Sports Forum

Mr. Brightside wrote:

Q12543 wrote:

Mr. Brightside wrote:General thoughts on the players being mentioned in this thread.

1. I'm leaning towards Hield as my favorite for pick #5. He'd add significant shooting and scoring to the bench which will be welcomed with open arms. Can you imagine the open shots he'd get when playing with Rubio? His defense is underrated in my opinion as he has pretty good length and size for the position (6' 9.25" wingspan per DX). The only concern I have with him is that he might need a high volume of shots to be effective. However, shooting/scoring is always welcome. He'd instantly be the best shooter on roster, too. Hield's floor is a more athletic JJ Reddick with a pretty good ceiling, even though he's slightly older than other prospects. I love Hield's fit.

2. Kris Dunn is right behind Hield for me. As others have mentioned, he'd immediately bring an upgrade defensively to the squad. I like Tyus (I think he's a DJ Augustine type player, eventually), but Dunn would easily supplant him as the back-up PG. He would add a totally different dimension to the bench play and could honestly play the 2 spot in some situations (although his shooting is very average). Phenomenal length and size with above average athleticism makes Dunn extremely intriguing. I'm not advocating trading Rubio as I'm a huge Rubio backer, and I believe he has tangibles that cannot be measured in a box score. However, Dunn would give us some insurance if Rubio never improves as a jumpshooter/finisher around the rim. I just love the defensive potential and dynamic Dunn would bring. John Wall is my ceiling for Dunn.

3. Jamal Murray is third for me behind the guys above. He won't be the defender that Dunn will be and wont quite be the shooter/scorer that I believe Hield will turn out to be. Murray would definitely add scoring/shooting, but he just doesn't seem to fit as well as the other two. Reminds me a little bit of Eric Gordon.

I think it comes down to these 3, really. I want absolutely nothing to do with Marquese Chriss due to lack of rebounding and defense. He was historically bad as a rebounder in college and gives little effort on defense. Reports are that his BBIQ is low as well. Skal Labissiere is the big I would take a gamble on if I had to at #5.

Good stuff Mr. Brightside and welcome aboard. Many of us kept our ESPN monikers as you can tell! Have you been lurking this whole time or did you just recently stumble into us here? This is a fairly obscure place for a Wolves board and doesn't have a huge crowd, but the discussions are robust and intelligent for the most part.

Funny you ask. I've been a member of the KFAN board for quite a while now and was my main board after the ESPN board was shut down. I'm totally serious when I say that yesterday I said to myself "I wonder if the old ESPN posters have a board." So I googled "Minnesota Timberwolves message boards" and this was the first one that came up. I clicked on it and noticed some familiar names. Because of the great discussions on the old ESPN boards, I figured I'd join today and add some discussion from time to time. Good to be back with you all.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

Mr. Brightside wrote:

Q12543 wrote:

Mr. Brightside wrote:General thoughts on the players being mentioned in this thread.

1. I'm leaning towards Hield as my favorite for pick #5. He'd add significant shooting and scoring to the bench which will be welcomed with open arms. Can you imagine the open shots he'd get when playing with Rubio? His defense is underrated in my opinion as he has pretty good length and size for the position (6' 9.25" wingspan per DX). The only concern I have with him is that he might need a high volume of shots to be effective. However, shooting/scoring is always welcome. He'd instantly be the best shooter on roster, too. Hield's floor is a more athletic JJ Reddick with a pretty good ceiling, even though he's slightly older than other prospects. I love Hield's fit.

2. Kris Dunn is right behind Hield for me. As others have mentioned, he'd immediately bring an upgrade defensively to the squad. I like Tyus (I think he's a DJ Augustine type player, eventually), but Dunn would easily supplant him as the back-up PG. He would add a totally different dimension to the bench play and could honestly play the 2 spot in some situations (although his shooting is very average). Phenomenal length and size with above average athleticism makes Dunn extremely intriguing. I'm not advocating trading Rubio as I'm a huge Rubio backer, and I believe he has tangibles that cannot be measured in a box score. However, Dunn would give us some insurance if Rubio never improves as a jumpshooter/finisher around the rim. I just love the defensive potential and dynamic Dunn would bring. John Wall is my ceiling for Dunn.

3. Jamal Murray is third for me behind the guys above. He won't be the defender that Dunn will be and wont quite be the shooter/scorer that I believe Hield will turn out to be. Murray would definitely add scoring/shooting, but he just doesn't seem to fit as well as the other two. Reminds me a little bit of Eric Gordon.

I think it comes down to these 3, really. I want absolutely nothing to do with Marquese Chriss due to lack of rebounding and defense. He was historically bad as a rebounder in college and gives little effort on defense. Reports are that his BBIQ is low as well. Skal Labissiere is the big I would take a gamble on if I had to at #5.

Good stuff Mr. Brightside and welcome aboard. Many of us kept our ESPN monikers as you can tell! Have you been lurking this whole time or did you just recently stumble into us here? This is a fairly obscure place for a Wolves board and doesn't have a huge crowd, but the discussions are robust and intelligent for the most part.

Funny you ask. I've been a member of the KFAN board for quite a while now and was my main board after the ESPN board was shut down. I'm totally serious when I say that yesterday I said to myself "I wonder if the old ESPN posters have a board." So I googled "Minnesota Timberwolves message boards" and this was the first one that came up. I clicked on it and noticed some familiar names. Because of the great discussions on the old ESPN boards, I figured I'd join today and add some discussion from time to time. Good to be back with you all.

Awesome that you found us. The board is still excellent with lots of informed posters and good activity. It's probably a little more edgy than you remember the old ESPN board, but much tamer than what you are used to at KFAN.

bleedspeed177 wrote:I like both Buddy and Sabonis a ton. Sabonis just seems like he would be the glue on this team.

TheFuture wrote:Has anyone else read/watched much on AJ Hammons center out of Purdue? He's old at 24, and hasn't always asserted himself, but by looking at the numbers he seems to wreak havoc when he wants to. At 7 foot 270 pounds he is a load, and he's also athletic. Rebounds, blocks shots extremely well, has an advanced offensive game. I know he has character flags, and has been in the coaches doghouse many times over his college career. He is projected to go late first/early 2nd because of the age/character concerns, but looks to be worth a flyer. Worth the risk of buying an early 2nd rounder? Maybe Payne can still net one?

Well, I was looking at more on him and saw his Wikipedia page at the top of google says he died may 27th? I can't find any other news on that, anyone else know something?

Camden wrote:Hypothetically speaking, let's say that Sabonis by some chance does fall out of the lottery. I don't think that will happen, but let's play with the idea. Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics have all these first round picks and almost certainly won't come away from the draft with more than two rookies. Actually, it doesn't even have to be Boston, but I named them, so, anyways. You see Sabonis dropping to a reasonable range and you figure it's time to pick up the phone. The other side of that phone call is willing to deal their pick, but the price is one Shabazz Muhammad. Are you making that deal? Because I am.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:

Camden wrote:Hypothetically speaking, let's say that Sabonis by some chance does fall out of the lottery. I don't think that will happen, but let's play with the idea. Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics have all these first round picks and almost certainly won't come away from the draft with more than two rookies. Actually, it doesn't even have to be Boston, but I named them, so, anyways. You see Sabonis dropping to a reasonable range and you figure it's time to pick up the phone. The other side of that phone call is willing to deal their pick, but the price is one Shabazz Muhammad. Are you making that deal? Because I am.

Agreed