Around the NBA:2025-6

[Lipoli390]

KAT had 35 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and only 1 turnover in the Knicks win tonight. He’s a phenomenal player who I believe was under-appreciated by some local Wolves fans. Great to see him and the Knicks do well.

[AussieWolf3]

By almost every measure, Jaden has taken a leap this year.

It's still really hard to for him to leap much more with Ant and Julius blocking his path. I hope he gets a legitimate chance to be #2 some day.

That’s been my thinking also, Cool. Randle has been great for us, but I think his ball-dominant presence is blocking Jaden from taking that next step into the role of our #2. I think he’d thrive in that role to the benefit of the entire team.

I really want to agree with this but its pretty hard for me to figure out how everything works with losing Ju's playmaking, plus he's a better ball handler right now than Jaden... I think, Jaden has come a long way there

[Q-is-here]

ZERO help from the Eastern Conference tonight, sheesh! San Antonio continues their winning ways without Wemby going into Orlando and winning on the road. That was a good team we beat the other night!

[AbeVigodaLive]

Looks like Giannis leaving Milwaukee is inevitable. It will be hard to get him without having a bevy of first round picks to offer, but the Wolves should try. We can put together a package including Beringer, Dillingham, Randle, Shannon, and NAZ, plus whatever 1st round picks we can currently offer. Giannis replaces Randle in the starting lineup and is our rim protector when Rudy goes to the bench.

Unfortunately...

I have to think that if the Bucks sell Giannis... it's for a rebuild. And the Wolves can't come close with their lack of long-term assets and prospects. The Bucks can get a legit high upside prospect (or multiple) and multiple high draft picks for Giannis. The Wolves can't offer ANY of that.

All fair points Abe but Gannis is also going to be a factor in where he goes. How many contending teams can offer a rebuilding treasure trove, and is the answer exclusively OKC?

Giannis is getting a huge haul. HUGE.

31 ppg
11 reb
6 ast
64% fg (63% ft)
34.9 PER (career high)

I always cite Tim Duncan for having an incredibly even, consistent career. Giannis is on one of those extended runs. He's been a top 5 (or even 3) player for a decade. His past 5 seasons have produced eerily similar stats. Legendary stats.

Low/High averages over the past 5 years:

- 29.9 vs. 31.1 ppg
- 11.8 vs. 11.9 reb
- 5.7 vs. 6.5 ast

As crazy as it sounds, he might be a bit underrated at this point. Yes... he gets his accolades and mentions... but it's often as the last "best player" (Jokic, SGA, Doncic) or even (Jokic/Embiid).

[Coolbreeze44]

Unfortunately...

I have to think that if the Bucks sell Giannis... it's for a rebuild. And the Wolves can't come close with their lack of long-term assets and prospects. The Bucks can get a legit high upside prospect (or multiple) and multiple high draft picks for Giannis. The Wolves can't offer ANY of that.

All fair points Abe but Gannis is also going to be a factor in where he goes. How many contending teams can offer a rebuilding treasure trove, and is the answer exclusively OKC?

Giannis is getting a huge haul. HUGE.

31 ppg
11 reb
6 ast
64% fg (63% ft)
34.9 PER (career high)

I always cite Tim Duncan for having an incredibly even, consistent career. Giannis is on one of those extended runs. He's been a top 5 (or even 3) player for a decade. His past 5 seasons have produced eerily similar stats. Legendary stats.

Low/High averages over the past 5 years:

- 29.9 vs. 31.1 ppg
- 11.8 vs. 11.9 reb
- 5.7 vs. 6.5 ast

All true but Giannis breaking down is a real problem. He has a lot of miles on himself and can only play one way. Honestly I'd be a little hesitant to pay the price.

[AbeVigodaLive]

All fair points Abe but Gannis is also going to be a factor in where he goes. How many contending teams can offer a rebuilding treasure trove, and is the answer exclusively OKC?

Giannis is getting a huge haul. HUGE.

31 ppg
11 reb
6 ast
64% fg (63% ft)
34.9 PER (career high)

I always cite Tim Duncan for having an incredibly even, consistent career. Giannis is on one of those extended runs. He's been a top 5 (or even 3) player for a decade. His past 5 seasons have produced eerily similar stats. Legendary stats.

Low/High averages over the past 5 years:

- 29.9 vs. 31.1 ppg
- 11.8 vs. 11.9 reb
- 5.7 vs. 6.5 ast

All true but Giannis breaking down is a real problem. He has a lot of miles on himself and can only play one way. Honestly I'd be a little hesitant to pay the price.

Maybe. Maybe even probably.

BUT... I wouldn't put anything past these modern athletes with the benefits they have compared to other generations. Training. Sleep science. Physical science. Nutrition. Weights. Better "supplements." Rest management. Et al.

People said similar things about LeBron James. Several times. Heck, Steph Curry is still going strong when most little guys were on the steep decline or out of the league back in the day.

[Coolbreeze44]

Giannis is getting a huge haul. HUGE.

31 ppg
11 reb
6 ast
64% fg (63% ft)
34.9 PER (career high)

I always cite Tim Duncan for having an incredibly even, consistent career. Giannis is on one of those extended runs. He's been a top 5 (or even 3) player for a decade. His past 5 seasons have produced eerily similar stats. Legendary stats.

Low/High averages over the past 5 years:

- 29.9 vs. 31.1 ppg
- 11.8 vs. 11.9 reb
- 5.7 vs. 6.5 ast

All true but Giannis breaking down is a real problem. He has a lot of miles on himself and can only play one way. Honestly I'd be a little hesitant to pay the price.

Maybe. Maybe even probably.

BUT... I wouldn't put anything past these modern athletes with the benefits they have compared to other generations. Training. Sleep science. Physical science. Nutrition. Weights. Better "supplements." Rest management. Et al.

People said similar things about LeBron James. Several times. Heck, Steph Curry is still going strong when most little guys were on the steep decline or out of the league back in the day.

Or he could just strain his calf and be out for a month.

[AbeVigodaLive]

All true but Giannis breaking down is a real problem. He has a lot of miles on himself and can only play one way. Honestly I'd be a little hesitant to pay the price.

Maybe. Maybe even probably.

BUT... I wouldn't put anything past these modern athletes with the benefits they have compared to other generations. Training. Sleep science. Physical science. Nutrition. Weights. Better "supplements." Rest management. Et al.

People said similar things about LeBron James. Several times. Heck, Steph Curry is still going strong when most little guys were on the steep decline or out of the league back in the day.

Or he could just strain his calf and be out for a month.

Sure.

Giannis has missed between 9 and 19 games for each of the past 5 or 6 seasons. Interestingly, Doncic is basically in that games played area, too. Heck, he might even miss more games.

Is playing only 75% - 88% of the games one of the reasons why both guys hold up so well when it comes to high-end production when they do play?

Should the Wolves be looking into ways to give Edwards more nights off? He (and most of the Wolves) play when they're healthy. Always. But is that one of the reasons we're seeing inconsistent efforts like the game vs. New Orleans. Here we are complaining about Randle and Edwards or whoever... when other stars might not have even suited up in that game.

[Coolbreeze44]

Maybe. Maybe even probably.

BUT... I wouldn't put anything past these modern athletes with the benefits they have compared to other generations. Training. Sleep science. Physical science. Nutrition. Weights. Better "supplements." Rest management. Et al.

People said similar things about LeBron James. Several times. Heck, Steph Curry is still going strong when most little guys were on the steep decline or out of the league back in the day.

Or he could just strain his calf and be out for a month.

Sure.

Giannis has missed between 9 and 19 games for each of the past 5 or 6 seasons. Interestingly, Doncic is basically in that games played area, too. Heck, he might even miss more games.

Is playing only 75% - 88% of the games one of the reasons why both guys hold up so well when it comes to high-end production when they do play?

Should the Wolves be looking into ways to give Edwards more nights off? He (and most of the Wolves) play when they're healthy. Always. But is that one of the reasons we're seeing inconsistent efforts like the game vs. New Orleans. Here we are complaining about Randle and Edwards or whoever... when other stars might not have even suited up in that game.

Giannis has missed an average of over 16 games per year during the last 6 seasons. He will certainly increase that number this year. He hasn't had any severe injuries, but it seems he's questionable every night. Knee soreness, back stiffness, calf strain, groin strain are his typical maladies. No one knows what his future holds, but it's a better bet to think his missed games will only increase. As far as our players go, one of my favorite things about Ant and Jaden is they show up to play. We're not OKC, we need all hands on deck to ensure we avoid the play-in tournament. Load management sucks and it really isn't an option for the Wolves yet.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Or he could just strain his calf and be out for a month.

Sure.

Giannis has missed between 9 and 19 games for each of the past 5 or 6 seasons. Interestingly, Doncic is basically in that games played area, too. Heck, he might even miss more games.

Is playing only 75% - 88% of the games one of the reasons why both guys hold up so well when it comes to high-end production when they do play?

Should the Wolves be looking into ways to give Edwards more nights off? He (and most of the Wolves) play when they're healthy. Always. But is that one of the reasons we're seeing inconsistent efforts like the game vs. New Orleans. Here we are complaining about Randle and Edwards or whoever... when other stars might not have even suited up in that game.

Giannis has missed an average of over 16 games per year during the last 6 seasons. He will certainly increase that number this year. He hasn't had any severe injuries, but it seems he's questionable every night. Knee soreness, back stiffness, calf strain, groin strain are his typical maladies. No one knows what his future holds, but it's a better bet to think his missed games will only increase. As far as our players go, one of my favorite things about Ant and Jaden is they show up to play. We're not OKC, we need all hands on deck to ensure we avoid the play-in tournament. Load management sucks and it really isn't an option for the Wolves yet.

I genuinely enjoy that the Wolves (1) don't load manage and (2) don't flop/grift for fouls. That doesn't mean they shouldn't do both more. (Heck, Jim Pete mentioned that they've only taken 5 charges all season?)

As for Giannis' health... he's averaged 13 games over that span... two of the seasons were shortened. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic averages 16 missed games over that span.

Neither is optimal. And Giannis could tear an achilles or something devastating. Or, Giannis and Luka might just be 67-game guys. Either way, they've been incredibly consistent when they're on the court... and even sorta how much they'll be off it.

I think any team looking to bring him in is well aware of those 13 - 16 games... and will be perfectly fine with it moving forward. He's going to attract one helluva haul when/if he's traded.