The Future

[Monster]

Abe I agree with you its not quite as bright as KG and Marbury days but I'll add a couple other bright spots that are minor and in reality are incompletes in terms of grades but give hope which we all want but some of us can't help but being skeptical.

Players increasing value. I don't think Flip has any interest in packaging guys for a trade for another star or young player but there is no doubt Bennett and Bazz value around the league has gone up at this point of the year. Dieng too but he isn't going anywhere. Hummel looks like a legit NBA bench player too but for him its not about trade value. Some guys (including Wiggins) have done something this year worth some praise that's a good thing.

Which brings me to my next point Flip took over this franchise and really the big issue for this team for years was the pathetic draft record and accquiring young players. Flip's first draft of Dieng and Bazz shows some legit promise plus Bojan over in Europe continues to put up pretty nice numbers. Lavine is an incomplete (and GR3 for that matter) let's wait on that one. Then Flip makes a trade to bring in Wiggins who looks pretty good where I'm sitting and Bennett has looked at least like a legit NBA player. Add in Flip chose to keep Hummel around and Robbie has been a pleasant surprise as a solid glue guy off the bench. A lot of what Flip has done bringing in Young players seems reasonably positive at this point and that's the biggest thing this franchise needed so Flip's seeming positive moves so far is a little exciting. Like Abe said though the bar is pretty low so yeah I mean Hummel all things considered may be the 2nd best draft pick of Kahn's tenure. Yeah it was really that bad.

So this stuff isn't huge and a year or 2 from now we may say a bunch of these guys aren't worth talking about in fact that's very likely. The hope is Flip is building something like the Spurs or Bulls where you have a deep group of players throughout the roster and a system that works and helps everyone succeed and you always bring in new guys one way or another. I'll say this we have heard this basic idea a few times the last few rebuildings etc. Flip's build seems more realistic and interesting than the other ones. I'm not 100% believing in Flip and his vision but I feel like following it I'm following something with some decent chance of succeeding and the floor of being awful as a result isn't as bad as before. Not a huge endorsement I guess but I feel good about being along for this ride with my trust in Flip.

[TheFuture]

I hate your hypothetical bench unit.

Let's see something that is better and semi realistic.

[TheFuture]

I really hope Thad has a great year and stays with the team after this year. Really makes the Love trade that much sweeter. I think Thad and AB can play together in many situations. I like your starters Master, but I'll take a bench of Lavine, Brewer, Thad, KMart, and our draft pick, Kansas forward Cliff Alexander.

I don't see Thad willing to stay here for a bench role, that is why I didn't list him. If he can play SF then he gets the starting gig and shabazz moves to the bench, I'd then draft a PF for the bench.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

2015 Starters:

PG - Ricky Rubio
SG - Rashad Vaughn (top-eight pick)
SF - Andrew Wiggins
PF - Thaddeus Young (no opt-out)
C - Nikola Pekovic

Second Unit:

PG - Mo Williams (re-signed)
SG - Kevin Martin
SF - Shabazz Muhammad
PF - Anthony Bennett
C - Gorgui Dieng

End of Bench/Depth:

- PG/SG Zach LaVine (needs another year to mature his game)

- SG/SF Chase Budinger (unable to trade him)

- SF Glenn Robinson III

- SF/PF Robbie Hummel

*Think Corey Brewer gets traded before 2015 season's start.

[Porckchop]

2015 Starters:

PG - Ricky Rubio
SG - Rashad Vaughn (top-eight pick)
SF - Andrew Wiggins
PF - Thaddeus Young (no opt-out)
C - Nikola Pekovic

Second Unit:

PG - Mo Williams (re-signed)
SG - Kevin Martin
SF - Shabazz Muhammad
PF - Anthony Bennett
C - Gorgui Dieng

End of Bench/Depth:

- PG/SG Zach LaVine (needs another year to mature his game)

- SG/SF Chase Budinger (unable to trade him)

- SF Glenn Robinson III

- SF/PF Robbie Hummel

*Think Corey Brewer gets traded before 2015 season's start.

Well I was pretty clear on my stance that Pek shouldve been traded before this year. So after this year is over and the team ends up in the top 3 in the draft I'll say at best Pek goes to the bench and the wolves get lucky and get Okafor to man the starting Center position .

By the way , I'm suprised uve even mentioned Bennett or Hummel on next year's rosters Camden. Maybe the Wolves can trade Hummel for Stauskas in the off season.:)

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

2015 Starters:

PG - Ricky Rubio
SG - Rashad Vaughn (top-eight pick)
SF - Andrew Wiggins
PF - Thaddeus Young (no opt-out)
C - Nikola Pekovic

Second Unit:

PG - Mo Williams (re-signed)
SG - Kevin Martin
SF - Shabazz Muhammad
PF - Anthony Bennett
C - Gorgui Dieng

End of Bench/Depth:

- PG/SG Zach LaVine (needs another year to mature his game)

- SG/SF Chase Budinger (unable to trade him)

- SF Glenn Robinson III

- SF/PF Robbie Hummel

*Think Corey Brewer gets traded before 2015 season's start.

Well I was pretty clear on my stance that Pek shouldve been traded before this year. So after this year is over and the team ends up in the top 3 in the draft I'll say at best Pek goes to the bench and the wolves get lucky and get Okafor to man the starting Center position .

By the way , I'm suprised uve even mentioned Bennett or Hummel on next year's rosters Camden. Maybe the Wolves can trade Hummel for Stauskas in the off season.:)

I've brought up the difficulties in trading Pek on this board. It's not an easy task. There's only a handful of teams that meet the criteria in making a trade for him. I think it's likely that we keep him, and he continues to help Rubio's development.

As for Okafor, I like him as an offensive talent, but I'm unsure of his defensive ability. He's long enough to be an OK shot-blocker, but doesn't seem to have the agility or quick enough feet to really be that defensive anchor. I'd like to know the board's NBA comparison for him. Right now, I'd say he's a better rebounding version of Brook Lopez, which isn't a bad thing at all, and I wouldn't be upset if he found his way to Minnesota. Also, just for the record, I like Karl Towns more.

I was going to say perhaps Flip takes a center in the 5-10 range, but there's some sketchy choices. I like a lot of Myles Turner and almost suggested him, but he's got kinks in his game plus he's not a smooth or explosive athlete. Not to mention I like Rashad Vaughn from what I've seen. He's got a lot of skills that I saw in Nik Stauskas, except pair that with a stronger frame and lockdown man defense. Rubio-Vaughn-Wiggins would be a menace on the perimeter (and two of them are teenagers!). That doesn't mean I'm giving up on LaVine. That actually might allow him to grow into a really nice 6th man type, like Jamal Crawford, Jarrett Jack or even Eric Bledsoe (Clippers version).

I've taken a 180 on my Hummel stance this year. He's had a positive +/- in every game this year, and while I dislike that stat, it can't be a fluke for every game. Plus, my eye test tells me that he's played good minutes. Taking charges, hard hedges, timely rotations and very solid man defense. He's impressed me on the defensive end. On offense, he's limited, but he keeps the ball moving, sets good screens and we tend to be a good rebounding team when he's on the floor. Kudos to Robbie for changing my view on him.

Bennett isn't going anywhere mainly because Flip believes in him and his ++ tools. The question is, will he ever use his tools to their full capability? My guess is no, but he's been a solid contributor off the bench to this point. I can't be upset at that.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

That's a great description of Hummel, cam, and the things that he does on the court that don't shoe up in the box score. I've always liked him, but I kind of gave up on him toward the end of last year...seemed to me like the NBA game just might be a little too fast for him. But watching him this year, it's clear to me that he does all the little things right...he's a coach's dream, always in the right place and making the right decision. Not only has he had a positive +/- in almost every game, but I've noticed that his +/- is often the best or almost the best on the team every time he plays. It's got to be more than coincidence. And Jim Peterson, who I think knows more about basketball than just about any announcer out there, practically gushes about him when he's on the court.

Unfortunately, Robbie isn't as athletic as most of the roster, and he can't seem to hit his 3-pointers in a game like he can in practice. So when we get most of our guys healthy, I think he is best suited for a 13th/14th man role. But he has impressed me while he has been filling in.

[WildWolf2813]

Towns, Hezonja, or trade the pick for a 2016 pick

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Towns, Hezonja, or trade the pick for a 2016 pick

While we both really like Towns, I think you're nutty for having Hezonja here. The guy can shoot, but I'd wager he's not a top-five SG in this class.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

After watching Okafor, I think he is Al Jefferson with more of a willingness to pass. Jefferson has turned into an acceptable defender under Clifford and is virtually unguardable in the post. I think Okafor is going to look a lot like Jefferson. I don't put his ceiling at Jefferson, but I think that is the best comparable for his style of game.