Grizz at Wolves, Redux GDT

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

RHJ can play. He is one of those guys that will always be overlooked because he cant shoot and doesn't have ideal size. But he can play and make a positive impact. Not a starting caliber/
big minutes guy but can be an effective contributing 20-24min guy. He is also our best option at the 4'over layman and juancho.

Agreed. And never mind pre-season, we need to look at these guys' prior body of work. Who has the most experience playing regular PF minutes on winning teams? RHJ does. What he's done already in his career should have way more influence than how he looks in pre-season.

I actually think RHJ should be starting (even though I doubt Ryan will do this) because we need another thick-bodied player that can help relieve some pressure from KAT defensively in the paint. Plus he's started with DLO before too on that Brooklyn team!

[Lipoli390]

Who do you kick out of the rotation to create minutes for Nowell? There's already so many guys deserving of playing time that the team has invested in.

I like Nowell too, but I'm not sure there's any room for him at the moment.

Edwards played 26 minutes tonight. I know he was the top pick in the draft and I like the way he played tonight. But I would have given Nowell at least 6 of those minutes, boosting Nowell's minutes to 15. DLO played 27 minutes. I would have given 5 of his minutes to Nowell. In total, my allocation would have resulted in Nowell playing around 20 minutes.

For a preseason exhibition game, absolutely. I'm right there with you in that. I would have liked to have seen Minnesota give him plenty of run in these games just to give him some experience to build off of.

If this was a regular season game, then I'd have to disagree. I don't think Nowell is ready to be a rotation player. Frankly, I don't think Edwards is either, but the guy's making MLE level money so he better get ready.

I'm talking about these preseason games.

Nowell should have had far more than 9 minutes last night, given how well he played in the G-League last season and in limited minutes during the first preseason game. I don't know whether he should be a rotation guy in the regular season. But now is the time to learn more about his potential as a rotation player by giving him significant minutes in preseason games against the other team's rotation players.

I love reading posts about player development, as if there is some magic touch that makes a lot of organizations much better than the Wolves at developing young players. In truth, the core element of player development is the opportunity to play. Then of course there is practice, teaching and accountability. The Wolves failed to give Nowell ample opportunity last season when the team had injuries and was clearly going nowhere. They now have only a few preseason games that they need to develop and evaluate their young players. Culver and Nowell, as last year's draft picks, should have priority over Edwards and Okogie when it comes to playing time in these preseason games, unless their performance suggests otherwise. So far, both have played well and both should be getting more playing time in these preseason games.

Of course, part of the problem is the imbalance on this team with so many SGs and so few genuine front line players with size. I just can't get my head around what the Wolves front office is doing.

[AbeVigodaLive]

To be fair Lip... few teams have given young players more opportunity to sink or swim than the Wolves have for most of the franchise's existence.

And I don't see any value in giving Nowell more run than Edwards right now. Edwards is the future of the franchise, whether we like it or not. And any strategies moving forward should be about his development above all others.

The Wolves didn't have to draft a project at #1. But they did. And it'll be a PR killer (and maybe franchise killer) if that guy flops.

[Lipoli390]

To be fair Lip... few teams have given young players more opportunity to sink or swim than the Wolves have for most of the franchise's existence.

And I don't see any value in giving Nowell more run than Edwards right now. Edwards is the future of the franchise, whether we like it or not. And any strategies moving forward should be about his development above all others.

The Wolves didn't have to draft a project at #1. But they did. And it'll be a PR killer (and maybe franchise killer) if that guy flops.

I get what you're saying about Edwards, but I still don't see the urgency. Rosas made it clear from the beginning that Edwards was a long-term pick. He'll get ample opportunity to play over the course of this season and he's locked up for a lot of seasons thereafter. Since the Wolves supposedly have two cornerstone all-stars (KAT and DLO) and no draft picks next year, the organization has to put a premium on winning now. As a second-year NBA player with two years of successful college experience, Nowell is currently the better bet to contribute positively this season. This organization has to find out ASAP what they have their two draft picks from last year and who will give them the best chance to win this year as well as down the road. There's no excuse for limiting Nowell to 9 garbage minutes last night given where the team is at and how well he played in the first preseason game.

[AbeVigodaLive]

To be fair Lip... few teams have given young players more opportunity to sink or swim than the Wolves have for most of the franchise's existence.

And I don't see any value in giving Nowell more run than Edwards right now. Edwards is the future of the franchise, whether we like it or not. And any strategies moving forward should be about his development above all others.

The Wolves didn't have to draft a project at #1. But they did. And it'll be a PR killer (and maybe franchise killer) if that guy flops.

I get what you're saying about Edwards, but I still don't see the urgency. Rosas made it clear from the beginning that Edwards was a long-term pick. He'll get ample opportunity to play over the course of this season and he's locked up for a lot of seasons thereafter. Since the Wolves supposedly have two cornerstone all-stars (KAT and DLO) and no draft picks next year, the organization has to put a premium on winning now. As a second-year NBA player with two years of successful college experience, Nowell is currently the better bet to contribute positively this season. This organization has to find out ASAP what they have their two draft picks from last year and who will give them the best chance to win this year as well as down the road. There's no excuse for limiting Nowell to 9 garbage minutes last night given where the team is at and how well he played in the first preseason game.

I just ranted about this in another thread...

If the move was to "win now"... Edwards as a prospect at #1 was a bad choice. I don't care if it was a weak draft or not. The Wolves could have traded down for TWO guys who could help more right now.

Instead we're in no-man's land. The team with Russell and Towns might not be good enough to win now as constructed. And we're hoping (YET AGAIN) for the next potential franchise player to hit big several years down the line.

And that leaves the Wolves staring at 20 years of ineptitude. TWENTY!

[Lipoli390]

To be fair Lip... few teams have given young players more opportunity to sink or swim than the Wolves have for most of the franchise's existence.

And I don't see any value in giving Nowell more run than Edwards right now. Edwards is the future of the franchise, whether we like it or not. And any strategies moving forward should be about his development above all others.

The Wolves didn't have to draft a project at #1. But they did. And it'll be a PR killer (and maybe franchise killer) if that guy flops.

I get what you're saying about Edwards, but I still don't see the urgency. Rosas made it clear from the beginning that Edwards was a long-term pick. He'll get ample opportunity to play over the course of this season and he's locked up for a lot of seasons thereafter. Since the Wolves supposedly have two cornerstone all-stars (KAT and DLO) and no draft picks next year, the organization has to put a premium on winning now. As a second-year NBA player with two years of successful college experience, Nowell is currently the better bet to contribute positively this season. This organization has to find out ASAP what they have their two draft picks from last year and who will give them the best chance to win this year as well as down the road. There's no excuse for limiting Nowell to 9 garbage minutes last night given where the team is at and how well he played in the first preseason game.

I just ranted about this in another thread...

If the move was to "win now"... Edwards as a prospect at #1 was a bad choice. I don't care if it was a weak draft or not. The Wolves could have traded down for TWO guys who could help more right now.

Instead we're in no-man's land. The team with Russell and Towns might not be good enough to win now as constructed. And we're hoping (YET AGAIN) for the next potential franchise player to hit big several years down the line.

And that leaves the Wolves staring at 20 years of ineptitude. TWENTY!

I agree, Abe. The draft didn't go the way I wanted it to either. I think Wiseman could have helped right away. But I wanted to trade down and get a good rotation player or two to help right away along with a lower lottery pick that could have landed Okongwu for the long run or Vassell who could have helped more immediately while still offering a lot of longer term upside.

I do think a much better head coach, untethered to the silly "system" or "style of play" envisioned by Rosas, could put this team in a position to compete for a playoff spot. A small but significant part of what a good head coach would do, in my view, is focus on Culver and Nowell as guys who might be ready to help right away on both sides of the ball.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I'm fine playing Edwards more minutes than Nowell during the pre-season, assuming the Wolves intend on keeping Nowell. The reason is that more than anyone other than the other rookies on the roster, Edwards needs as much consequence-free playing time as possible. Nowell at least got his feet wet with the NBA game last year with big minutes in the G-League and fringe minutes with the main team.

What will be interesting is what happens to Edwards' minutes when the regular season starts? Obviously he isn't going to be shut out of the rotation, but is he played more like a 6th or 7th man or more like the 10th man?

For Nowell, the short-term answer may be keeping him on as our 3rd PG and finding a way to get him minutes that way, albeit probably not every game at first. Soon enough, there will be injuries or Covid absences that will get him on the floor for some more regular run, where he can play either guard spot.

[Coolbreeze44]

Based on what we've seen, Edwards is going to need time to develop and hopefully he develops well. I didn't like the pick and was really hoping for a trade-down. But now that we have him, Q brings up an interesting question. Is he ready to at least be one of the first off the bench? I cannot ever remember a #1 pick where this was even a question. I don't think Wiseman, Ball, or Patrick are in danger of not being top 7 right away. This is like the most Timberwolves thing ever.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Based on what we've seen, Edwards is going to need time to develop and hopefully he develops well. I didn't like the pick and was really hoping for a trade-down. But now that we have him, Q brings up an interesting question. Is he ready to at least be one of the first off the bench? I cannot ever remember a #1 pick where this was even a question. I don't think Wiseman, Ball, or Patrick are in danger of not being top 7 right away. This is like the most Timberwolves thing ever.

When the Pistons sat Darko (I know he wasn't #1) they were battling for a championship.

The Wolves are potentially battling for the #1 pick again... that they don't even own.

I'd expect to see big minutes for Edwards this season. Or else, we'll need to talk about Mr. Rosas in very direct and stark terms.

[60WinTim]

I'm fine playing Edwards more minutes than Nowell during the pre-season, assuming the Wolves intend on keeping Nowell. The reason is that more than anyone other than the other rookies on the roster, Edwards needs as much consequence-free playing time as possible. Nowell at least got his feet wet with the NBA game last year with big minutes in the G-League and fringe minutes with the main team.

What will be interesting is what happens to Edwards' minutes when the regular season starts? Obviously he isn't going to be shut out of the rotation, but is he played more like a 6th or 7th man or more like the 10th man?

For Nowell, the short-term answer may be keeping him on as our 3rd PG and finding a way to get him minutes that way, albeit probably not every game at first. Soon enough, there will be injuries or Covid absences that will get him on the floor for some more regular run, where he can play either guard spot.

Culver got a lot of PG minutes last year, especially in the early part of the season. I can see him being a secondary ball handler on the floor, along with filling that 3rd PG role if needed.

I would love to see Ryan start Rubio DLO, Edwards, Juancho and KAT against Dallas.