Minnesota Sports Forum

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/269050/Wolves-Not-Interested-In-Extending-DAngelo-Russell

Carlos Danger wrote:https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/269050/Wolves-Not-Interested-In-Extending-DAngelo-Russell

One of the interesting sub-plots of this season, assuming the DLO contract situation continues to remain unresolved, is how the balance of ball-handling and play making shifts (or doesn't shift) between DLO and Ant.

We've seen in the pre-season where Finch is definitely putting the ball in DLO's hands to create and try to get some PnR chemistry going with Rudy. And that is totally the right thing to do to start the season. It takes advantage of their greatest strengths (Rudy's screen setting and rim rolls and DLO's passing ability).

However, if the front office is keeping their options open in terms of DLO, at what point in the season do you start giving Ant more reps in the Rudy PnR with DLO spacing the floor? The coaching staff and front office is going to want to see if Ant can grow more into a lead ball handling type role....or not. That could be very informative in their decision making process.

Carlos Danger wrote:https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/269050/Wolves-Not-Interested-In-Extending-DAngelo-Russell

Q-was-here wrote:

Carlos Danger wrote:https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/269050/Wolves-Not-Interested-In-Extending-DAngelo-Russell

One of the interesting sub-plots of this season, assuming the DLO contract situation continues to remain unresolved, is how the balance of ball-handling and play making shifts (or doesn't shift) between DLO and Ant.

We've seen in the pre-season where Finch is definitely putting the ball in DLO's hands to create and try to get some PnR chemistry going with Rudy. And that is totally the right thing to do to start the season. It takes advantage of their greatest strengths (Rudy's screen setting and rim rolls and DLO's passing ability).

However, if the front office is keeping their options open in terms of DLO, at what point in the season do you start giving Ant more reps in the Rudy PnR with DLO spacing the floor? The coaching staff and front office is going to want to see if Ant can grow more into a lead ball handling type role....or not. That could be very informative in their decision making process.

Aren't the Wolves a bit hamstrung with Russell? They could let him walk... and...?

Let Edwards take over, possibly without having proven he has the PnR chops to handle the task?
Find a replacement PG on the super cheap?

Neither sounds like a sure thing to me. To be fair, I'm not sold on Russell as a key positive difference-maker, but at least he's a bit of a known commodity.


[Note: As long as it's for a fairly decent price, and there's SOME interest around the league for his services, they could always move Russell at a later date. He's polarizing, but not a terrible player by any means.]

My faith in this front office just went up a notch.

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

Carlos Danger wrote:https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/269050/Wolves-Not-Interested-In-Extending-DAngelo-Russell

Q-was-here wrote:

Carlos Danger wrote:https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/269050/Wolves-Not-Interested-In-Extending-DAngelo-Russell

One of the interesting sub-plots of this season, assuming the DLO contract situation continues to remain unresolved, is how the balance of ball-handling and play making shifts (or doesn't shift) between DLO and Ant.

We've seen in the pre-season where Finch is definitely putting the ball in DLO's hands to create and try to get some PnR chemistry going with Rudy. And that is totally the right thing to do to start the season. It takes advantage of their greatest strengths (Rudy's screen setting and rim rolls and DLO's passing ability).

However, if the front office is keeping their options open in terms of DLO, at what point in the season do you start giving Ant more reps in the Rudy PnR with DLO spacing the floor? The coaching staff and front office is going to want to see if Ant can grow more into a lead ball handling type role....or not. That could be very informative in their decision making process.

Aren't the Wolves a bit hamstrung with Russell? They could let him walk... and...?

Let Edwards take over, possibly without having proven he has the PnR chops to handle the task?
Find a replacement PG on the super cheap?

Neither sounds like a sure thing to me. To be fair, I'm not sold on Russell as a key positive difference-maker, but at least he's a bit of a known commodity.


[Note: As long as it's for a fairly decent price, and there's SOME interest around the league for his services, they could always move Russell at a later date. He's polarizing, but not a terrible player by any means.]

Good questions Abe. While I don't think they would make Ant the full-time PG, I do think him showing growth as a ball handler and play maker means we can effectively downgrade our starting PG into more of a role-playing PG that can shoot and defend. But even if that were the case, there are not a ton of options out there, so I'd be surprised if we just let DLO walk for nothing.

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/nba-point-guard-rankings-2022-23-starters/xkrzvjczcf5ecphwydfbmlgt

23. D'Angelo Russell, Timberwolves

Q-was-here wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

Carlos Danger wrote:https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/269050/Wolves-Not-Interested-In-Extending-DAngelo-Russell

Q-was-here wrote:

Carlos Danger wrote:https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/269050/Wolves-Not-Interested-In-Extending-DAngelo-Russell

One of the interesting sub-plots of this season, assuming the DLO contract situation continues to remain unresolved, is how the balance of ball-handling and play making shifts (or doesn't shift) between DLO and Ant.

We've seen in the pre-season where Finch is definitely putting the ball in DLO's hands to create and try to get some PnR chemistry going with Rudy. And that is totally the right thing to do to start the season. It takes advantage of their greatest strengths (Rudy's screen setting and rim rolls and DLO's passing ability).

However, if the front office is keeping their options open in terms of DLO, at what point in the season do you start giving Ant more reps in the Rudy PnR with DLO spacing the floor? The coaching staff and front office is going to want to see if Ant can grow more into a lead ball handling type role....or not. That could be very informative in their decision making process.

Aren't the Wolves a bit hamstrung with Russell? They could let him walk... and...?

Let Edwards take over, possibly without having proven he has the PnR chops to handle the task?
Find a replacement PG on the super cheap?

Neither sounds like a sure thing to me. To be fair, I'm not sold on Russell as a key positive difference-maker, but at least he's a bit of a known commodity.


[Note: As long as it's for a fairly decent price, and there's SOME interest around the league for his services, they could always move Russell at a later date. He's polarizing, but not a terrible player by any means.]

Good questions Abe. While I don't think they would make Ant the full-time PG, I do think him showing growth as a ball handler and play maker means we can effectively downgrade our starting PG into more of a role-playing PG that can shoot and defend. But even if that were the case, there are not a ton of options out there, so I'd be surprised if we just let DLO walk for nothing.

I think letting Russell walk for nothing, not even cap space, would be disappointing for most Wolves fans. There would be a lot of "we got nothing in return for Wiggins and Kuminga" talk. But I suspect ownership and management are analyzing this quite differently than the fans are. They have to be looking at hopefully having to pay Ant, Jaden and Nowell soon along with three max players...one of the three max players will most likely have to go to avoid taking a huge lux tax hit, and it's not going to be Rudy or KAT. So I guess I understand why the Wolves aren't extending DLo now (if the reports are true...we don't know).

Like most of us here, I'd love to see Russell have a great season this year...we will be really good if he does. If he improves his defense, works the PnR with our bigs, doesn't overdribble like he did in the Nets game, and takes the open shot when it's there. I think he could really help this team. And if he does, it's going to make it very difficult for TC to let him go for nothing at the end of the season...the fan base will not be pleased, even though ownership might insist there's no room for three max players with some young talent coming up. But if Russell reverts to "Bad DLo"...poor defense and below average shooting efficiency and forced shots...I think the decision to move on will be an easy one to make (although there will still be grumbling from the fans). He's a smart, talented player, and I think capable of playing the way Finchie wants him to play, so I'm guardedly optimistic he's going to have a nice season. That's only going to make it more difficult for TC, but that's not our problem.

I'm not worried about Russell this season. I'm on record that he'll have a career-best season.

I am more worried, however, about next year and the year after.

AbeVigodaLive wrote:I'm not worried about Russell this season. I'm on record that he'll have a career-best season.

I am more worried, however, about next year and the year after.

Right. And I think the front office will be watching very closely to see just how important DLO is to our team success (or lack thereof) this season.

If you look back at franchises that won multiple titles within a certain era, you will see a phenomenal amount of churn on the roster from Title #1 to their final Title.

Below are the only players on these team's first and last title teams of their era:
Celtics - Bird, McHale, and Parish between 1981 and 1986
Lakers - Magic and Kareem between 1980 and 1988
Bulls - Jordan and Pippen between 1991 and 1998
Spurs - Duncan between 1999 and 2014
Warriors - Curry, Green, and Klay between 2015 and 2022

The real question is whether Ant can ever rise to the level of Bird, Magic, Jordan, Duncan, or Curry. You kinda need a superstar to win more than one!

TheSP wrote:

leado01 wrote:

Camden wrote:I don't know about you guys, but I think D-Lo sucks! He shouldn't be a shoot-first or pass-first point guard. He should be benched first, am I right?! The guy barely contributed to last year's playoff team! Get this bum off the roster so we can find a new scapegoat!

Why take the bait?

Was it even bait? It read to me like D-Loser was being serious and somewhat optimistic about DLo's fit. None of it seemed unfair to me.

Yeah, I think Dlo is a legitimate good guy and good teammate... I would honestly like to see him succeed. I can't help that I'm skeptical though. All I did was say how I think he can achieve success. Just saw an article somewhere else about how the wolves don't plan to extend him though. I guess Connelly isn't seeing what some of you are seeing either.