Who should the Wolves draft at number 1?

[WildWolf2813]

I'm a trade back guy in this instance. The guys I really like in this draft are guys like Killian Hayes, Devin Vassell, Aaron Nesmith, Patrick Williams, even Tyrese Maxey (that Kentucky pedigree is as close as you can get to safe). I like those guys more than guys like Anthony Edwards and Deni Avidja. I'm just as invested in the 17th and 33rd picks and I don't see this star player becoming available and if that player becomes available later, depending on how this team performs, they'll get clingy like they always do.

Personally I'd operate as if Towns and Russell are both getting dealt in 2 years. I say that because I'm pessimistic over their pairing and I don't want this team to feel as if they need to pass on a really good player because they're not the best fit alongside either. I wanna have a building block just in case things don't go the way Rosas thinks they will.

If they have to stay at 1, I'd probably have to take Toppin, but I'm working those phones aggressively. A lot of good backup guards can be had at 17, which makes me really want Obi Toppin instead. He reminds me a lot of Antawn Jamison.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

Saying we should trade the pick in the abstract makes no sense. Whether we SHOULD trade the pick depends on who/what we get in return and what we give up to get him. There obviously has to be a limit on what the Wolves give up and the Wolves absolutely should not give up the top pick without getting a young star in return. I don't think there's a reasonable, realistic path to getting Booker. I think Simmons and Beal are possibilities, but no telling what it would take to get them. Note that the Wolves will likely be competing in the trade market with the Warriors who will undoubtedly be shopping their #2 pick really hard. The Warriors need a veteran more than the Wolves to fit with their core players who are all in their prime.

So I disagree that the situation begs us to trade the pick. If that's the thinking in the Wolves front office, the team is in trouble. The Wolves are well positioned with KAT, Russell, Beasley and Johnson to compete for a playoff slot next season. We still don't know how good Culver or Okogie will become, but we know they're both really talented. Heading into their 2nd and 3rd seasons respectively, it's reasonable to expect both to show significant improvement. For once, I'd like to see the Wolves front office act judiciously and intelligently. The situation begs our front office to act competently. That would be something new and refreshing.

Boy we are really on opposite ends of this one Lip. This team is already in trouble. Our best players are one way talents. We absolutely have to parlay this top pick into something dynamic or we aren't going to contend for a long time. No one, and I mean NO one knows which draft eligible players are going to become stars. It's a total crapshoot. Who cares about "competing for a playoff spot"? Culver and Okogie are NOT really talented. Acting competently would be adding a sure thing so we actually have a chance to build a contending team. We might get lucky with our pick and everything turns out great. I'd put those odds at about 15%. If we keep the pick and draft another Derrick Williams, it will be a colossal missed opportunity.

Well, we'll have to agree to disagree on his. I don't think the Wolves are in trouble. I think they're on the threshold of being much better. How much better will depend in the near and long term on the development and coalescing of our core three - KAT, Russell and Beasley -- as well as the improvement of our other young talented players including Culver, Okogie, Naz Reid, Layman, Nowell and even T-Mac. It will also depend on the quality of our coaching staff and who the Wolves are able to add using the mid-level exception. And it will depend over the longer term on who the Wolves get out of this year's draft. With the top pick, the #17 pick and the 3rd pick in the second round I expect them to get at least one player who materially improves the team if not this next season, at least the season after and beyond.

We don't sniff the playoffs next year if we don't get star help from trading the pick. The Warriors are back to full strength. The West is the deepest it's ever been with the Grizzlies and Pelicans on the rise. Unless multiple teams fall off or blow it up we are going into the year as maybe the 12th best team in the conference (GS, LAL, LAC, DEN, HOU, OKC, Utah, Dallas, Portland, Memphis and NO) and that depends on if the Suns bubble play was real or not and if the Kings can rebound after a setback year. Beasley is a role player. I don't get why his name keeps popping up as a core piece. He's not an all-star and he's not a great defender to offset D Lo. We have 2 high caliber players on the entire team as of now with a 6 man scoring punch starting at the 2. That's the extent of the competent NBA players on our entire roster. We have no 3 or 4 on the entire roster that's even a decent role player. That's simply not enough with how deep this conference is. Banking on the Naz Reid's, Jake Layman's and Jaylen Nowell's of the world to provide consistent quality minutes is a recipe for tanking. It's time to be real with the actual NBA talent on this team. It is greatly lacking after the top 2 players. If we don't get a 3rd star, next year is going to be another shit show because D Lo and KAT simply have no help on this team.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Man, if Gersson Rosas doesn't trade the pick and instead takes Obi Toppin first overall I think I'd either have to kill him with my bare hands or just walk away from this franchise for good due to a competence deficiency unlike any other. Toppin does absolutely nothing for this team.

[Lipoli390]

I'm a trade back guy in this instance. The guys I really like in this draft are guys like Killian Hayes, Devin Vassell, Aaron Nesmith, Patrick Williams, even Tyrese Maxey (that Kentucky pedigree is as close as you can get to safe). I like those guys more than guys like Anthony Edwards and Deni Avidja. I'm just as invested in the 17th and 33rd picks and I don't see this star player becoming available and if that player becomes available later, depending on how this team performs, they'll get clingy like they always do.

Personally I'd operate as if Towns and Russell are both getting dealt in 2 years. I say that because I'm pessimistic over their pairing and I don't want this team to feel as if they need to pass on a really good player because they're not the best fit alongside either. I wanna have a building block just in case things don't go the way Rosas thinks they will.

If they have to stay at 1, I'd probably have to take Toppin, but I'm working those phones aggressively. A lot of good backup guards can be had at 17, which makes me really want Obi Toppin instead. He reminds me a lot of Antawn Jamison.

Wild - I agree that trading down is the best option. And although I think we have the personnel with some tweaks to make the playoffs, I'm not sure we can count on KAT and Russell to eventually make us a championship contender. Therefore, we need to continue to add young high-upside talent in this year's draft especially since we'll likely have no draft picks next year. I'm not high on Maxey, but I love Patrick Williams. I think Williams might have the highest upside of any player in this year's draft. He's my "Kawhi Leonard" in this draft. :). Unfortunately, it looks like Willams has climbed up on draft boards to the point were we probably can't get him at #17. So we'd have to maneuver to get him unless we just take him at #1, which I think would be an overreach. I'm also a big Vassell fan. I'm not sure about Hayes or Nesmith.

If it were up to me, I would not take Toppin. From what I've read and seen, he looks like a one-way player and that's the last thing this team needs. I think he'll be a force on the offensive end and fun to watch, but I think there are better choices for the Wolves like Okongwu, Vassell, Avdija, Haliburton and even Patrick Williams.

[thedoper]

We need to load up on tall wings that can potentially be better than Okogie and Culver. I like Edwards better than Ball so that would be my pick. Id also be happy and could see a role for any of Vassell, Avidja, or wiseman. But we still dont have a legit starter at the 2nd wing spot next to beasley, and its arguably become the most import position in basketball.

None of these scenarios thrill me. I really hope the Wizards love Edwards enough to give us Beal.

[Lipoli390]

Man, if Gersson Rosas doesn't trade the pick and instead takes Obi Toppin first overall I think I'd either have to kill him with my bare hands or just walk away from this franchise for good due to a competence deficiency unlike any other. Toppin does absolutely nothing for this team.

Cam - I agree, although my reaction wouldn't be quite as harsh as yours. :). But I'm afraid that the Wolves will take him. I've seems some articles dissecting Gersson's post-lottery comments the other day. The most common interpretation was that he was signaling his interest in shopping the pick. That's a reasonable take-away, although I think some have exaggerated it. For me, the most telling part of what Gersson said on a season ticket holder call I participated in was his emphasis on getting players who "fit our system." That scares me. It will always be my view that you bring in the highest level talent possible and then fit the system to those players. My fear is that Toppin appears to the Gersson/Saunders system, which focuses on running, 3-point shooting and scoring. I just have a gut feeling that they will gravitate towards taking him, which I think would be a mistake.

[Coolbreeze44]

Man, if Gersson Rosas doesn't trade the pick and instead takes Obi Toppin first overall I think I'd either have to kill him with my bare hands or just walk away from this franchise for good due to a competence deficiency unlike any other. Toppin does absolutely nothing for this team.

Cam - I agree, although my reaction wouldn't be quite as harsh as yours. :). But I'm afraid that the Wolves will take him. I've seems some articles dissecting Gersson's post-lottery comments the other day. The most common interpretation was that he was signaling his interest in shopping the pick. That's a reasonable take-away, although I think some have exaggerated it. For me, the most telling part of what Gersson said on a season ticket holder call I participated in was his emphasis on getting players who "fit our system." That scares me think some have exaggerated it. For me, the most telling part of what Gersson said on a season ticket holder call I participated in was his emphasis on getting players who "fit our system." That scares me. It will always be my view that you bring in the highest level talent possible and then fit the system to those players. My fear is that Toppin appears to the Gersson/Saunders system, which focuses on running, 3-point shooting and scoring. I just have a gut feeling that they will gravitate towards taking him, which I think would be a mistake.

Yeah, to me that is a huge red flag. Get the best players you can and then score more points than your opponent. I don't care what system they play, just win and in the NBA you do that with talent. Don't screw this up Gersson.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Also, what fucking system? We've heard time and time again about this system. I'm either not seeing the intricacies or Ryan Saunders and the team aren't implementing it. Or they're all using "the system" as an excuse for why they're incapable of getting this team to the playoffs. That phrase and the weird "this team is a family" Bahamas trip have been my least favorite parts of the Gersson Rosas era so far. Don't piss on my feet and tell me it's raining. Bring in the talent and maximize their strengths while minimizing their weaknesses. Period. The team that does that the best and avoids injuries is usually the team winning the championship at the end of the year. The aesthetics and visuals of how that gets done is irrelevant to me.

PS: That's also why I respected Tom Thibodeau while many were critical of him. In 2017 this team was legitimately in third place in the Western Conference while playing a slow, methodical, boring, and viewer-unfriendly brand of basketball... but they were winning basketball games at a rate that only the 2003 Wolves could compare to. And all people wanted to talk about was minutes distribution and style of play. It was unbelievable.

[thedoper]

Also, what fucking system? We've heard time and time again about this system. I'm either not seeing the intricacies or Ryan Saunders and the team aren't implementing it. Or they're all using "the system" as an excuse for why they're incapable of getting this team to the playoffs. That phrase and the weird "this team is a family" Bahamas trip have been my least favorite parts of the Gersson Rosas era so far. Don't piss on my feet and tell me it's raining. Bring in the talent and maximize their strengths while minimizing their weaknesses. Period. The team that does that the best and avoids injuries is usually the team winning the championship at the end of the year. The aesthetics and visuals of how that gets done is irrelevant to me.

PS: That's also why I respected Tom Thibodeau while many were critical of him. In 2017 this team was legitimately in third place in the Western Conference while playing a slow, methodical, boring, and viewer-unfriendly brand of basketball... but they were winning basketball games at a rate that only the 2003 Wolves could compare to. And all people wanted to talk about was minutes distribution and style of play. It was unbelievable.

Im with you in this one. System should fit talent, not the inverse. The best coaches build a system around talent.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Also, what fucking system? We've heard time and time again about this system. I'm either not seeing the intricacies or Ryan Saunders and the team aren't implementing it. Or they're all using "the system" as an excuse for why they're incapable of getting this team to the playoffs. That phrase and the weird "this team is a family" Bahamas trip have been my least favorite parts of the Gersson Rosas era so far. Don't piss on my feet and tell me it's raining. Bring in the talent and maximize their strengths while minimizing their weaknesses. Period. The team that does that the best and avoids injuries is usually the team winning the championship at the end of the year. The aesthetics and visuals of how that gets done is irrelevant to me.

PS: That's also why I respected Tom Thibodeau while many were critical of him. In 2017 this team was legitimately in third place in the Western Conference while playing a slow, methodical, boring, and viewer-unfriendly brand of basketball... but they were winning basketball games at a rate that only the 2003 Wolves could compare to. And all people wanted to talk about was minutes distribution and style of play. It was unbelievable.

Oh now you've woken up LST! But I think he's gone for good from this board. Thibs was winning that season grinding starters at 40+ minutes a game. I didn't like it either.