Minnesota Sports Forum

kekgeek1 wrote:

KiwiMatt wrote:I'm surprised Nic Batum isn't getting more love. He's exactly the type of player we need.

I was a huge nic Batum guy and still love him but it comes down to what you think about lavine. I think lavine will be an all star one day, so I want him to continue to start. And Batum is not coming here to come off the bench

I think LaVine is destined to be an All Star, but people are quick to forget he is only 21 years old. He's still 3 years away from potentially knocking on the All Star door. With Batum on the roster LaVine would be our 6th man, but still get 30 mpg. I might be on my own when I say this, but I still see LaVine playing minutes at the point. Infact I'd like to see him get all the minutes at PG when Rubio subs out and most (if not all) the minute behind Wigs at the 2.

A starting lineup of Rubio / Wiggins / Batum / Towns / Dieng has insane potential on both ends of the court. Defensively Thibs could makes this group effective from day 1. Batum also gives the starting lineup some much needed leadership and maturity, yet is still only 27 years old and arguably still in his prime. In addition he adds size, perimeter defense, outside shooting, legit ball handling and passing skills and a high basketball IQ - all of which we have sorely lacked on the wing. With that lineup we make playoffs.

Im not suggesting a 5 year max. 3 years 54 - 60 mil with team option in final year, allowing flexibility to keep our core together.

MPG
Rubio (34) / LaVine (14)
Wiggins (20) / LaVine (18)
Batum (32) / Wiggins (16)
Towns (30 / Bjelica (18)
Dieng (30) / Towns (6) / Garnett (12)

JasonIsDaMan wrote:Wow. 21 pages.

Well, good news. 82games didn't do weekly updates this year, so I thought they went out of business. Well, they posted a year end review on their website, and better news, it confirmed what I was thinking.

Wiggins' best minutes are at 2.
Rubio is only OK.
KG is a very good FIFTH post if he gets healthy.
Dieng is a 4, but a good one.
KAT is a world-class 4, only above-average 5.
Bazz is underrated, and equally good at 2 or 3.
Zach is OVERRATED, and equally bad at 1 or 2.
Belly should be a 3.
Rudez is an ok 3, especially at $1.2m (that was kind of a surprise)
If Jones is your 2nd best 1, you're in the lottery.
Payne would be a good addition to the Gophers and a great addition to Macalester.
Pek was rusty in his return.

That tells me that the draft/FreeAgency needs to be a frontline 1 (because they just don't have it) and 5 (in case Pek never returns to form). They are well stocked at 2, 3, and 4. So I hereby change my mind on Sabonnis, and at the same time, really not interested in hearing about anybody who isn't a 1 or 5 in the draft or as a FA.

A really good 1, two guys capable at 5, and trade Payne for a guy capable of being a 6th wing.

This is interesting because your summary is almost exactly what I feel about this team. Does changing your mind on Sabonis mean you want him or are moving away from him? I think the 4/5 distinction is a bit of a misnomer now. I just want a big. Would love to trade down in this draft and get Sabonis and Wade Baldwin.

thedoper wrote:

JasonIsDaMan wrote:Wow. 21 pages.

Well, good news. 82games didn't do weekly updates this year, so I thought they went out of business. Well, they posted a year end review on their website, and better news, it confirmed what I was thinking.

Wiggins' best minutes are at 2.
Rubio is only OK.
KG is a very good FIFTH post if he gets healthy.
Dieng is a 4, but a good one.
KAT is a world-class 4, only above-average 5.
Bazz is underrated, and equally good at 2 or 3.
Zach is OVERRATED, and equally bad at 1 or 2.
Belly should be a 3.
Rudez is an ok 3, especially at $1.2m (that was kind of a surprise)
If Jones is your 2nd best 1, you're in the lottery.
Payne would be a good addition to the Gophers and a great addition to Macalester.
Pek was rusty in his return.

That tells me that the draft/FreeAgency needs to be a frontline 1 (because they just don't have it) and 5 (in case Pek never returns to form). They are well stocked at 2, 3, and 4. So I hereby change my mind on Sabonnis, and at the same time, really not interested in hearing about anybody who isn't a 1 or 5 in the draft or as a FA.

A really good 1, two guys capable at 5, and trade Payne for a guy capable of being a 6th wing.

This is interesting because your summary is almost exactly what I feel about this team. Does changing your mind on Sabonis mean you want him or are moving away from him? I think the 4/5 distinction is a bit of a misnomer now. I just want a big. Would love to trade down in this draft and get Sabonis and Wade Baldwin.

Really? You agree with everything? Even Payne playing for Macalester, which would be a gross NCAA violation. {lol} Would it be worth it for them? Could they win the D3 championship with Payne? I'm not 100% sure.

I would be OK with that trade (PHX will have two picks in the lottery, and if MIN ends up ahead of PHX, they would be a good trade partner, as are DEN, who has a lotto pick and #15, and BOS, who has a lotto pick and #16), but it just seems they need a true 5.

JasonIsDaMan wrote:

thedoper wrote:

JasonIsDaMan wrote:Wow. 21 pages.

Well, good news. 82games didn't do weekly updates this year, so I thought they went out of business. Well, they posted a year end review on their website, and better news, it confirmed what I was thinking.

Wiggins' best minutes are at 2.
Rubio is only OK.
KG is a very good FIFTH post if he gets healthy.
Dieng is a 4, but a good one.
KAT is a world-class 4, only above-average 5.
Bazz is underrated, and equally good at 2 or 3.
Zach is OVERRATED, and equally bad at 1 or 2.
Belly should be a 3.
Rudez is an ok 3, especially at $1.2m (that was kind of a surprise)
If Jones is your 2nd best 1, you're in the lottery.
Payne would be a good addition to the Gophers and a great addition to Macalester.
Pek was rusty in his return.

That tells me that the draft/FreeAgency needs to be a frontline 1 (because they just don't have it) and 5 (in case Pek never returns to form). They are well stocked at 2, 3, and 4. So I hereby change my mind on Sabonnis, and at the same time, really not interested in hearing about anybody who isn't a 1 or 5 in the draft or as a FA.

A really good 1, two guys capable at 5, and trade Payne for a guy capable of being a 6th wing.

This is interesting because your summary is almost exactly what I feel about this team. Does changing your mind on Sabonis mean you want him or are moving away from him? I think the 4/5 distinction is a bit of a misnomer now. I just want a big. Would love to trade down in this draft and get Sabonis and Wade Baldwin.

Really? You agree with everything? Even Payne playing for Macalester, which would be a gross NCAA violation. {lol} Would it be worth it for them? Could they win the D3 championship with Payne? I'm not 100% sure.

I would be OK with that trade (PHX will have two picks in the lottery, and if MIN ends up ahead of PHX, they would be a good trade partner, as are DEN, who has a lotto pick and #15, and BOS, who has a lotto pick and #16), but it just seems they need a true 5.

Their Muhammad stat I found really interesting was that he was super successful in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock. Basically when a play was run for him (Rubio/tyus) he was very efficient. But beyond 10 seconds (2nd/3rd option likely from Lavine running around for 15 seconds) his numbers take a huge dip. Thanks for pointing out their analysis, I had forgotten about them. Very useful info to counter some of the ESPN stats.

thedoper wrote:

JasonIsDaMan wrote:

thedoper wrote:

JasonIsDaMan wrote:Wow. 21 pages.

Well, good news. 82games didn't do weekly updates this year, so I thought they went out of business. Well, they posted a year end review on their website, and better news, it confirmed what I was thinking.

Wiggins' best minutes are at 2.
Rubio is only OK.
KG is a very good FIFTH post if he gets healthy.
Dieng is a 4, but a good one.
KAT is a world-class 4, only above-average 5.
Bazz is underrated, and equally good at 2 or 3.
Zach is OVERRATED, and equally bad at 1 or 2.
Belly should be a 3.
Rudez is an ok 3, especially at $1.2m (that was kind of a surprise)
If Jones is your 2nd best 1, you're in the lottery.
Payne would be a good addition to the Gophers and a great addition to Macalester.
Pek was rusty in his return.

That tells me that the draft/FreeAgency needs to be a frontline 1 (because they just don't have it) and 5 (in case Pek never returns to form). They are well stocked at 2, 3, and 4. So I hereby change my mind on Sabonnis, and at the same time, really not interested in hearing about anybody who isn't a 1 or 5 in the draft or as a FA.

A really good 1, two guys capable at 5, and trade Payne for a guy capable of being a 6th wing.

This is interesting because your summary is almost exactly what I feel about this team. Does changing your mind on Sabonis mean you want him or are moving away from him? I think the 4/5 distinction is a bit of a misnomer now. I just want a big. Would love to trade down in this draft and get Sabonis and Wade Baldwin.

Really? You agree with everything? Even Payne playing for Macalester, which would be a gross NCAA violation. {lol} Would it be worth it for them? Could they win the D3 championship with Payne? I'm not 100% sure.

I would be OK with that trade (PHX will have two picks in the lottery, and if MIN ends up ahead of PHX, they would be a good trade partner, as are DEN, who has a lotto pick and #15, and BOS, who has a lotto pick and #16), but it just seems they need a true 5.

Their Muhammad stat I found really interesting was that he was super successful in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock. Basically when a play was run for him (Rubio/tyus) he was very efficient. But beyond 10 seconds (2nd/3rd option likely from Lavine running around for 15 seconds) his numbers take a huge dip. Thanks for pointing out their analysis, I had forgotten about them. Very useful info to counter some of the ESPN stats.

They were my go-to "joint" back when they did weekly updates. When they stopped that, I thought the went under, but kept them in my "favorites" and checked periodically.

As far as I'm concerned, any discussion of the best Wolves lineup on May 2nd, year of our lord 2016, that doesn't include Wiggins at the 2, Bazz at the 3, and Kat at the 4, isn't worth having. "Let's pay $20m for such-and-such 3 who is dramatically worse than Bazz!" No thanks.

JasonIsDaMan wrote:

thedoper wrote:

JasonIsDaMan wrote:

thedoper wrote:

JasonIsDaMan wrote:Wow. 21 pages.

Well, good news. 82games didn't do weekly updates this year, so I thought they went out of business. Well, they posted a year end review on their website, and better news, it confirmed what I was thinking.

Wiggins' best minutes are at 2.
Rubio is only OK.
KG is a very good FIFTH post if he gets healthy.
Dieng is a 4, but a good one.
KAT is a world-class 4, only above-average 5.
Bazz is underrated, and equally good at 2 or 3.
Zach is OVERRATED, and equally bad at 1 or 2.
Belly should be a 3.
Rudez is an ok 3, especially at $1.2m (that was kind of a surprise)
If Jones is your 2nd best 1, you're in the lottery.
Payne would be a good addition to the Gophers and a great addition to Macalester.
Pek was rusty in his return.

That tells me that the draft/FreeAgency needs to be a frontline 1 (because they just don't have it) and 5 (in case Pek never returns to form). They are well stocked at 2, 3, and 4. So I hereby change my mind on Sabonnis, and at the same time, really not interested in hearing about anybody who isn't a 1 or 5 in the draft or as a FA.

A really good 1, two guys capable at 5, and trade Payne for a guy capable of being a 6th wing.

This is interesting because your summary is almost exactly what I feel about this team. Does changing your mind on Sabonis mean you want him or are moving away from him? I think the 4/5 distinction is a bit of a misnomer now. I just want a big. Would love to trade down in this draft and get Sabonis and Wade Baldwin.

Really? You agree with everything? Even Payne playing for Macalester, which would be a gross NCAA violation. {lol} Would it be worth it for them? Could they win the D3 championship with Payne? I'm not 100% sure.

I would be OK with that trade (PHX will have two picks in the lottery, and if MIN ends up ahead of PHX, they would be a good trade partner, as are DEN, who has a lotto pick and #15, and BOS, who has a lotto pick and #16), but it just seems they need a true 5.

Their Muhammad stat I found really interesting was that he was super successful in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock. Basically when a play was run for him (Rubio/tyus) he was very efficient. But beyond 10 seconds (2nd/3rd option likely from Lavine running around for 15 seconds) his numbers take a huge dip. Thanks for pointing out their analysis, I had forgotten about them. Very useful info to counter some of the ESPN stats.

They were my go-to "joint" back when they did weekly updates. When they stopped that, I thought the went under, but kept them in my "favorites" and checked periodically.

As far as I'm concerned, any discussion of the best Wolves lineup on May 2nd, year of our lord 2016, that doesn't include Wiggins at the 2, Bazz at the 3, and Kat at the 4, isn't worth having. "Let's pay $15m for such-and-such 3 who is dramatically worse than Bazz!" No thanks.

I could see KAT going from good to great at the 5. Ok by league standards for a rookie center is still an achievement. I do think that any serviceable point is necessary. Tyus may end up being alright, but nothing would be wrong with competition at this point.

Another great stat Jason is the the opponent eFG by position there. Our "best' defending positions were the 2 positions that got scored on the easiest throughout the season. I can't wait for Thibs to really get down to what's going on with this team.

thedoper wrote:

JasonIsDaMan wrote:

thedoper wrote:

JasonIsDaMan wrote:

thedoper wrote:

JasonIsDaMan wrote:Wow. 21 pages.

Well, good news. 82games didn't do weekly updates this year, so I thought they went out of business. Well, they posted a year end review on their website, and better news, it confirmed what I was thinking.

Wiggins' best minutes are at 2.
Rubio is only OK.
KG is a very good FIFTH post if he gets healthy.
Dieng is a 4, but a good one.
KAT is a world-class 4, only above-average 5.
Bazz is underrated, and equally good at 2 or 3.
Zach is OVERRATED, and equally bad at 1 or 2.
Belly should be a 3.
Rudez is an ok 3, especially at $1.2m (that was kind of a surprise)
If Jones is your 2nd best 1, you're in the lottery.
Payne would be a good addition to the Gophers and a great addition to Macalester.
Pek was rusty in his return.

That tells me that the draft/FreeAgency needs to be a frontline 1 (because they just don't have it) and 5 (in case Pek never returns to form). They are well stocked at 2, 3, and 4. So I hereby change my mind on Sabonnis, and at the same time, really not interested in hearing about anybody who isn't a 1 or 5 in the draft or as a FA.

A really good 1, two guys capable at 5, and trade Payne for a guy capable of being a 6th wing.

This is interesting because your summary is almost exactly what I feel about this team. Does changing your mind on Sabonis mean you want him or are moving away from him? I think the 4/5 distinction is a bit of a misnomer now. I just want a big. Would love to trade down in this draft and get Sabonis and Wade Baldwin.

Really? You agree with everything? Even Payne playing for Macalester, which would be a gross NCAA violation. {lol} Would it be worth it for them? Could they win the D3 championship with Payne? I'm not 100% sure.

I would be OK with that trade (PHX will have two picks in the lottery, and if MIN ends up ahead of PHX, they would be a good trade partner, as are DEN, who has a lotto pick and #15, and BOS, who has a lotto pick and #16), but it just seems they need a true 5.

Their Muhammad stat I found really interesting was that he was super successful in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock. Basically when a play was run for him (Rubio/tyus) he was very efficient. But beyond 10 seconds (2nd/3rd option likely from Lavine running around for 15 seconds) his numbers take a huge dip. Thanks for pointing out their analysis, I had forgotten about them. Very useful info to counter some of the ESPN stats.

They were my go-to "joint" back when they did weekly updates. When they stopped that, I thought the went under, but kept them in my "favorites" and checked periodically.

As far as I'm concerned, any discussion of the best Wolves lineup on May 2nd, year of our lord 2016, that doesn't include Wiggins at the 2, Bazz at the 3, and Kat at the 4, isn't worth having. "Let's pay $15m for such-and-such 3 who is dramatically worse than Bazz!" No thanks.

I could see KAT going from good to great at the 5. Ok by league standards for a rookie center is still an achievement. I do think that any serviceable point is necessary. Tyus may end up being alright, but nothing would be wrong with competition at this point.

Maybe so on KAT and Tyus. But if they are going to make the playoffs next year, they should probably go with their strengths, with Wiggins at 2, Bazz/Belly/Rudez at 3, and Kat/Dieng at 4.

JasonIsDaMan wrote:

thedoper wrote:

JasonIsDaMan wrote:

thedoper wrote:

JasonIsDaMan wrote:

thedoper wrote:

JasonIsDaMan wrote:Wow. 21 pages.

Well, good news. 82games didn't do weekly updates this year, so I thought they went out of business. Well, they posted a year end review on their website, and better news, it confirmed what I was thinking.

Wiggins' best minutes are at 2.
Rubio is only OK.
KG is a very good FIFTH post if he gets healthy.
Dieng is a 4, but a good one.
KAT is a world-class 4, only above-average 5.
Bazz is underrated, and equally good at 2 or 3.
Zach is OVERRATED, and equally bad at 1 or 2.
Belly should be a 3.
Rudez is an ok 3, especially at $1.2m (that was kind of a surprise)
If Jones is your 2nd best 1, you're in the lottery.
Payne would be a good addition to the Gophers and a great addition to Macalester.
Pek was rusty in his return.

That tells me that the draft/FreeAgency needs to be a frontline 1 (because they just don't have it) and 5 (in case Pek never returns to form). They are well stocked at 2, 3, and 4. So I hereby change my mind on Sabonnis, and at the same time, really not interested in hearing about anybody who isn't a 1 or 5 in the draft or as a FA.

A really good 1, two guys capable at 5, and trade Payne for a guy capable of being a 6th wing.

This is interesting because your summary is almost exactly what I feel about this team. Does changing your mind on Sabonis mean you want him or are moving away from him? I think the 4/5 distinction is a bit of a misnomer now. I just want a big. Would love to trade down in this draft and get Sabonis and Wade Baldwin.

Really? You agree with everything? Even Payne playing for Macalester, which would be a gross NCAA violation. {lol} Would it be worth it for them? Could they win the D3 championship with Payne? I'm not 100% sure.

I would be OK with that trade (PHX will have two picks in the lottery, and if MIN ends up ahead of PHX, they would be a good trade partner, as are DEN, who has a lotto pick and #15, and BOS, who has a lotto pick and #16), but it just seems they need a true 5.

Their Muhammad stat I found really interesting was that he was super successful in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock. Basically when a play was run for him (Rubio/tyus) he was very efficient. But beyond 10 seconds (2nd/3rd option likely from Lavine running around for 15 seconds) his numbers take a huge dip. Thanks for pointing out their analysis, I had forgotten about them. Very useful info to counter some of the ESPN stats.

They were my go-to "joint" back when they did weekly updates. When they stopped that, I thought the went under, but kept them in my "favorites" and checked periodically.

As far as I'm concerned, any discussion of the best Wolves lineup on May 2nd, year of our lord 2016, that doesn't include Wiggins at the 2, Bazz at the 3, and Kat at the 4, isn't worth having. "Let's pay $15m for such-and-such 3 who is dramatically worse than Bazz!" No thanks.

I could see KAT going from good to great at the 5. Ok by league standards for a rookie center is still an achievement. I do think that any serviceable point is necessary. Tyus may end up being alright, but nothing would be wrong with competition at this point.

Maybe so on KAT and Tyus. But if they are going to make the playoffs next year, they should probably go with their strengths, with Wiggins at 2, Bazz/Belly/Rudez at 3, and Kat/Dieng at 4.

Would you sign Conley and make Ricky the backup?

thedoper wrote:

JasonIsDaMan wrote:

thedoper wrote:

JasonIsDaMan wrote:

thedoper wrote:

JasonIsDaMan wrote:

thedoper wrote:

JasonIsDaMan wrote:Wow. 21 pages.

Well, good news. 82games didn't do weekly updates this year, so I thought they went out of business. Well, they posted a year end review on their website, and better news, it confirmed what I was thinking.

Wiggins' best minutes are at 2.
Rubio is only OK.
KG is a very good FIFTH post if he gets healthy.
Dieng is a 4, but a good one.
KAT is a world-class 4, only above-average 5.
Bazz is underrated, and equally good at 2 or 3.
Zach is OVERRATED, and equally bad at 1 or 2.
Belly should be a 3.
Rudez is an ok 3, especially at $1.2m (that was kind of a surprise)
If Jones is your 2nd best 1, you're in the lottery.
Payne would be a good addition to the Gophers and a great addition to Macalester.
Pek was rusty in his return.

That tells me that the draft/FreeAgency needs to be a frontline 1 (because they just don't have it) and 5 (in case Pek never returns to form). They are well stocked at 2, 3, and 4. So I hereby change my mind on Sabonnis, and at the same time, really not interested in hearing about anybody who isn't a 1 or 5 in the draft or as a FA.

A really good 1, two guys capable at 5, and trade Payne for a guy capable of being a 6th wing.

This is interesting because your summary is almost exactly what I feel about this team. Does changing your mind on Sabonis mean you want him or are moving away from him? I think the 4/5 distinction is a bit of a misnomer now. I just want a big. Would love to trade down in this draft and get Sabonis and Wade Baldwin.

Really? You agree with everything? Even Payne playing for Macalester, which would be a gross NCAA violation. {lol} Would it be worth it for them? Could they win the D3 championship with Payne? I'm not 100% sure.

I would be OK with that trade (PHX will have two picks in the lottery, and if MIN ends up ahead of PHX, they would be a good trade partner, as are DEN, who has a lotto pick and #15, and BOS, who has a lotto pick and #16), but it just seems they need a true 5.

Their Muhammad stat I found really interesting was that he was super successful in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock. Basically when a play was run for him (Rubio/tyus) he was very efficient. But beyond 10 seconds (2nd/3rd option likely from Lavine running around for 15 seconds) his numbers take a huge dip. Thanks for pointing out their analysis, I had forgotten about them. Very useful info to counter some of the ESPN stats.

They were my go-to "joint" back when they did weekly updates. When they stopped that, I thought the went under, but kept them in my "favorites" and checked periodically.

As far as I'm concerned, any discussion of the best Wolves lineup on May 2nd, year of our lord 2016, that doesn't include Wiggins at the 2, Bazz at the 3, and Kat at the 4, isn't worth having. "Let's pay $15m for such-and-such 3 who is dramatically worse than Bazz!" No thanks.

I could see KAT going from good to great at the 5. Ok by league standards for a rookie center is still an achievement. I do think that any serviceable point is necessary. Tyus may end up being alright, but nothing would be wrong with competition at this point.

Maybe so on KAT and Tyus. But if they are going to make the playoffs next year, they should probably go with their strengths, with Wiggins at 2, Bazz/Belly/Rudez at 3, and Kat/Dieng at 4.

Would you sign Conley and make Ricky the backup?

I feel like I'm being set up here. If I say yes, some might say "Isn't he a Duffy client?" and call me a hypocrite {lol} If I say no, some might say "But isn't he better than Rubio?"

I wouldn't automatically say, "This is the starter and this is the backup", like they do in the NFL. I would ride the "hot hand".

I would absolutely be in favor of it. He's 28 and more productive than Blonde Ricky. Here's the problem: MEM is $40m under the projected $89m cap, and though they only have 8 players signed (and their 1st) when they decline Stephenson's option (and they will), no one else on their roster is in line for a big raise. They could give him $20m, sign their 1st, and still have $18m cap room.