What Do We Want To See From the Timberwolves Over The Next Few Months?

[Mstermisty [enjin:6864008]]

1) Forget about this season. Hold out some hope for improvement but realistically expect little.

2) Begin the coaching search (if it hasn't already begun). This is paramount and priority # 1. Gotta find the right guy. Someone basketball smart who uses the players like chess pieces on the court. A big picture, positive thinker that will get along with and get the best out of a younger group.

3) Improve the backup point guard position, and if Dunn is the BPA available when the Wolves pick you don't hesitate to take him, but regardless, unless they believe Jones will improve, we HAVE to improve this position. Rubio still has a big flaw but overall is a plus player, Lavine on the other hand absolutely kills us and should not play the position! Miller is done. Rubio is not nearly good enough to be our one and only viable player at this position. Yet every year he's been here that's basically been the case.

4) Find 3-point shooting through the draft, free agency, or competent coaching that develops the guys we have here already (ie Bjelica for one who has the potential in that area to really spread the floor).

5) Bonus: get lucky in the lottery again. Why not? This tank looks to roll on, might as well pile up some lottery balls and pull out a Simmons. Might actually make a wasted season worth it.

[Lipoli390]

I think the problem with Ricky versus the one dimensional PG is that Ricky doesn't really win us games. The other guy will win and lose games for you, but that is a big step up from where we are now.

We need a guy like a Lillard or Walker, that can close games when on. I realize there are things that Ricky does that don't show up in the stats, but we don't have the fire power to survive unless Wig, KAT, and someone else go off. I guess we are really talking about the fit, as others have suggested before me.

We just need a closer period, point guard or otherwise.

Exactly!!

[Lipoli390]

What should the Wolves do the rest of this season? That's simple.

1. Play KAT, Wiggins, Zach, Bazz, and Dieng at least 32 minutes every game and Belly at least 25 minutes per game, which means little time for Pek, KG or Martin and less time for Prince. This would also mean playing KAT and Dieng together quite a but. This is essential to give the organization a good sense of what these young guys can do and further their development. The clock is ticking on all these guys and their rookie contracts.

2. Give Zach at least 16 minutes as a SG with Ricky, Wiggins and KAT on the floor.

3. Give Tyus some playing time

4. Start serious conversations with JVG and others regarding the POBO and head coach positions.

[Mstermisty [enjin:6864008]]

Yeah at this point it's really time to turn over the keys to the young players from the jump and let them drive the tank. There are 38 games left, even if we played .500 ball we would only end up with 32 wins, so the playoffs are officially out of reach. And this veteran mentorship program isn't doing jack shit anyway.

KG: I love him and he is still amazingly productive, but all he's doing is taking minutes away from Gorgs and Bjelica. Not to mention Pekovic who still could possibly be an important part of the team going forward.

Prince: He has something left in the tank, but again he's just taking minutes away from guys like Bazz who need to play more with the starters. Give Prince credit, he's played pretty well in an unexpected role, but at this point any minute he plays is a waste because a younger player will be sitting on the bench.

Miller: I'm not even sure why we brought this guy on the team. He's been surprisingly effective when used, but Mitchell only puts him out there once in a blue moon. At this point I'd rather see Tyus get the minutes even if he struggles. Tyus has had a rough go of it but I'd much MUCH rather see a Tyus/Lavine/Bazz backcourt instead of Lavine/K-Mart/Bazz. Not to beat a dead horse, but watching those three guys play together is comparable to pick up games at the local gym where every player thinks he's Michael Jordan on offense, and passing the ball and defense are only an afterthought.

K-Mart: He's been brutal all year. And yet earlier in the season he was rewarded for playing terrible by being moved into the starting lineup. Now he's coming off the bench and playing mainly with Bazz and Lavine, a threesome that should never play a single second on an NBA court together if we had a coach who even had the slightest clue. Anyway, of all the veterans, K-Mart is the guy who simply should not play another minute on the court because Lavine needs 2-guard minutes in the worst way. I seriously think Lavine's development has been derailed by Mitchell using him primarily as a point guard with the worst players around him. Not to mention it sure looks like Mitchell's "tough love" approach with Lavine is failing.

I'm at the point where I need a reason to tune in, much less actually attend a game. Letting the young guys start and get all the minutes would suffice as this reason, and accepting losing would be much easier than it would be continuing with the rotation as is.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Yeah at this point it's really time to turn over the keys to the young players from the jump and let them drive the tank. There are 38 games left, even if we played .500 ball we would only end up with 32 wins, so the playoffs are officially out of reach. And this veteran mentorship program isn't doing jack shit anyway.

KG: I love him and he is still amazingly productive, but all he's doing is taking minutes away from Gorgs and Bjelica. Not to mention Pekovic who still could possibly be an important part of the team going forward.

Prince: He has something left in the tank, but again he's just taking minutes away from guys like Bazz who need to play more with the starters. Give Prince credit, he's played pretty well in an unexpected role, but at this point any minute he plays is a waste because a younger player will be sitting on the bench.

Miller: I'm not even sure why we brought this guy on the team. He's been surprisingly effective when used, but Mitchell only puts him out there once in a blue moon. At this point I'd rather see Tyus get the minutes even if he struggles. Tyus has had a rough go of it but I'd much MUCH rather see a Tyus/Lavine/Bazz backcourt instead of Lavine/K-Mart/Bazz. Not to beat a dead horse, but watching those three guys play together is comparable to pick up games at the local gym where every player thinks he's Michael Jordan on offense, and passing the ball and defense are only an afterthought.

K-Mart: He's been brutal all year. And yet earlier in the season he was rewarded for playing terrible by being moved into the starting lineup. Now he's coming off the bench and playing mainly with Bazz and Lavine, a threesome that should never play a single second on an NBA court together if we had a coach who even had the slightest clue. Anyway, of all the veterans, K-Mart is the guy who simply should not play another minute on the court because Lavine needs 2-guard minutes in the worst way. I seriously think Lavine's development has been derailed by Mitchell using him primarily as a point guard with the worst players around him. Not to mention it sure looks like Mitchell's "tough love" approach with Lavine is failing.

I'm at the point where I need a reason to tune in, much less actually attend a game. Letting the young guys start and get all the minutes would suffice as this reason, and accepting losing would be much easier than it would be continuing with the rotation as is.

Good observations Mstermisty, but I feel like all the young guys except Tyus are getting enough regular minutes to continue developing and improve. Whether someone plays 18 minutes per game or 25 minutes per game doesn't make a huge difference in my opinion. A lot of their development should be coming from individual practice and study in addition to game action.

I think the one albatross hanging around the team's neck right now is Martin. Unfortunately, he shot himself out of being a valuable trade chip. I think Mitchell is reluctantly playing him in a desperate effort to get him on track so that we can get something - anything - for the guy.

One thing I do know is this: I guarantee that wherever he lands, his shooting will immediately improve. It's amazing what not wearing a Timberwolves uniform does for someone's outside shot.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Agree with the points made above. The vets/mentors started out well, and now because of bad coaching and bad play, they should be relegated to the bench in yet, another lost season (this is so pathetic why am I even typing). Give all these young guys plenty of minutes, including Tyus, he might be taking Ricky's starting role soon, let's give him the rest of this year and 25 minutes next season to see if he has the potential.

Bring ALL the young guys back next year, pick Bazz or Dieng for an extension and let the other walk. I prefer Bazz but it doesn't matter. A new coach should be able to get 40-45 wins next season.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Yeah at this point it's really time to turn over the keys to the young players from the jump and let them drive the tank.

I'm at the point where I need a reason to tune in, much less actually attend a game. Letting the young guys start and get all the minutes would suffice as this reason, and accepting losing would be much easier than it would be continuing with the rotation as is.

Scary moment in the Dallas game... I thought "Would it be more advantageous to lose the game (ping pong balls) or win it (growth/win/development/hope)."

Here we go again. Another lost season. And even though the team has such young guys, watching them develop is even tempered because of such radical coaching and GM decisions to come. Another season in purgatory.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

Just my two cents, but Dieng is a very good player, and those who are wary of overpaying him are overlooking his talent. He might not be the best fit with Towns (we need a big banger down low), but at the least he'll be worth whatever contract he signs long term, would be a good part of a big three rotation with Towns and X, and would be a player other teams would be happy to trade for if the right situation arose.

Bazz and LaVine are the guys I would be thinking about trading for the right 3 and D guy or banger for down low. Both still have pretty high value. LaVine just doesn't have the decision-making skills to capitalize on his enormous potential, he'll ultimately disappoint. And while I love Bazz's energy, he will always be a scoring spark plug off the bench, which is something we need less than a 3 and D guy and a banger down low.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I agree with you Drew, but the problem is good 3 & D wings are incredibly valuable. DeMarre Carroll got a huge contract from the Raptors. Harrison Barnes might actually get max money this offseason, which is incredible since he's probably the 4th or 5th best player on that team.

There is no way we can get a player of that caliber through trading Dieng, LaVine, or Shabazz.

I like the idea of going hard after either Barnes or Batum this offseason with aggressive free agent contracts. Let's get another 2-way wing that can shoot the damn ball next to Wiggins. And yes, we will have to overpay for it, but at some point this team needs to become competitive.

(Note: We always cite Jason Kidd as the poster boy for being a late-blooming 3-point shooter in our hopes that Rubio can eventually do the same thing. DeMarre Carroll is another poster boy. He was pretty much a non-factor from outside the arc until he turned 27. Now he's a consistently solid threat.)

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

I agree with you Drew, but the problem is good 3 & D wings are incredibly valuable. DeMarre Carroll got a huge contract from the Raptors. Harrison Barnes might actually get max money this offseason, which is incredible since he's probably the 4th or 5th best player on that team.

There is no way we can get a player of that caliber through trading Dieng, LaVine, or Shabazz.

I like the idea of going hard after either Barnes or Batum this offseason with aggressive free agent contracts. Let's get another 2-way wing that can shoot the damn ball next to Wiggins. And yes, we will have to overpay for it, but at some point this team needs to become competitive.

(Note: We always cite Jason Kidd as the poster boy for being a late-blooming 3-point shooter in our hopes that Rubio can eventually do the same thing. DeMarre Carroll is another poster boy. He was pretty much a non-factor from outside the arc until he turned 27. Now he's a consistently solid threat.)

What about Magic Johnson? He's a poster boy too, took him a while to develop a three point shot (I know, different times, I kid I kid) Agree Q in that we need a free agent this offseason, trade our pick if necessary.