Live from Vegas

[Lipoli390]

FNG - I was listening to Dane Moore’s podcast earlier today. He mentioned that there are more Anthony Edwards jerseys in the crowd than any other player’s jersey. The said there’s a real buzz around there about Edwards. Have you noticed any of that?

When I think about Ant’s talent, production last season, tremendous personality and fast developing popularity it reminds me a lot of the beginning of the KG era. I see this moment, with Ant, as the organization’s second chance in its 34 year history to get it right.

McHale and Flip almost got it right when they drafted Marbury the year after drafting KG. But then Marbury imploded mentally out of jealousy over KG’s contract and demanded a trade. It was a bad break for the Wolves that the CBA changed to limit the contract they could give Marbury. McHale and Flip couldn’t have predicted Marbury’s mental implosion and demand for a trade, especially given the fact that the Wolves were leading the Western Conference at the time. But the good organizations can come back from a single bad moment, whether it’s bad luck or a big player personnel mistake. What organizations can’t come back from is multiple mistakes and failure to make consistently smart decisions after their bad moment. The reason the Wolves failed to become a perennial championship contender with KG was the organization’s failure to make consistently good decisions, and worse yet, their propensity for blunders. I’ll list a few:

1. The Joe Smith deal. I know other teams were doing what the Wolves did with Joe Smith and teams are probably still doing it. But it was colossally stupid for McHale and Flip to put the illegal deal in writing. That deal resulted in punishment that deprived the team of multiple draft picks that could have been parleyed into the supporting cast KG needed to be more than a one-and-done team year after year until 2024.

2. Letting Chauncey Billups walk in favor of handing the starting PG duties over to the older and often injured veteran, Terrell Brandon. I thought it was a dumb move at the time and history has proven me right. Billups was about the same age as KG and his game was really starting to shine. The Wolves failed to show patience. It’s critically important in my view to align the age of your two or three core players and the Wolves organization failed in that regard.

3. Drafting Ebi instead of Josh Howard. Fate provided McHale and Flip with one last chance to get it right when KG was still in his prime by drafting Josh Howard. Instead they drafted Ebi, apparently based on one AAU game McHale saw. Watching Ebi after he was drafted it was clear there wasn’t anything elite about him. His only resemblance to KG was the fact he was skinny.

Flash forward to our current version of the Wolves. The organization blundered with the Gobert deal last summer, but it shouldn’t stop the Wolves from becoming a perennial contender around Ant. The key will be avoiding more mistakes and making consistently smart decisions that align with building a team around Ant. So far so good. I think TC has performed well since the Rudy deal and I don’t see him losing patience like the Wolves did with Billups, making an illegal deal and putting it in writing, or drafting the equivalent of Ebi.

Not everyone gets a second chance. But once again, fate has gifted the Wolves with a generational young player in the NBA draft. Like KG, Anthony Edwards is the sort of player you build championship teams around. Now it’s up to TC and his front office cohorts to be smart, strategic and patient.

[FNG]

Lip, I wasn't tuned in to jersey frequency Friday night at Cox Pavilion, except that it was clear Wemby had by far the most at Thomas and Mack. We're back at Cox again tonight at 7, and I'll do a quick jersey survey. The Clippers are playing at the same time at T&M and the LA teams always pack the stadium here, so I'm expecting a very small crowd for our game.

[AbeVigodaLive]

You know, if we need Rivers on the roster just to be Ant's hype man (and truth teller if he needs some tough feedback), then it might be worth it.

Some Austin Rivers notes:

- He has a podcast. Selfishly, I'd rather listen to more Timberwolves nuggets from an actual player than taking a flyer on a guy who'll never play.

- Rivers is constantly talking about putting the team first and doing the little things. If it's more than talk... he's definitely worth a spot on the roster. An end-of-the-bench veteran who finds a niche doing that for playoff teams year after year after year offers value beyond PER, VORP or anything else.

The rub with Austin Rivers, as I've pointed out before, is that if he's lingering around Finch is more likely to sneak him into the rotation. Last year was the first year he didn't reach 20 mpg in nearly a decade. But it was pretty damn close (19.5 mpg).

He's definitely not a "do-shit" guy. He's much more of a "don't do anything that you don't have to do and don't screw things up too much" guy.

[FNG]

You know, if we need Rivers on the roster just to be Ant's hype man (and truth teller if he needs some tough feedback), then it might be worth it.

Some Austin Rivers notes:

- He has a podcast. Selfishly, I'd rather listen to more Timberwolves nuggets from an actual player than taking a flyer on a guy who'll never play.

- Rivers is constantly talking about putting the team first and doing the little things. If it's more than talk... he's definitely worth a spot on the roster. An end-of-the-bench veteran who finds a niche doing that for playoff teams year after year after year offers value beyond PER, VORP or anything else.

The rub with Austin Rivers, as I've pointed out before, is that if he's lingering around Finch is more likely to sneak him into the rotation. Last year was the first year he didn't reach 20 mpg in nearly a decade. But it was pretty damn close (19.5 mpg).

He's definitely not a "do-shit" guy. He's much more of a "don't do anything that you don't have to do and don't screw things up too much" guy.

Yeah, NBA fans like me who really don't know what is important in a locker room probably overemphasize the value of "mentorship". But the way Ant seemed to hang on every word Rivers said during Friday's game made me think it wouldn't be a bad idea to have Austin around in some capacity...either on the roster or coaching. He seems to have a certain gravitas that we don't see much on the roster since Prince left. Conley might have it, but he doesn't seem to be "one of the guys"...more of a family man like JMac. Maybe SloMo. Ant seems to be an impressionable young man, and the path he chooses in his early 20s is going to have a lot to do with the arc of his career. I sense that he is less likely to "do a Ja" if he is listening to vets like Rivers. Rivers grew up in an NBA household, and has survived 11 years in the league (and 7 teams!) despite not having as much raw talent as most NBA players. Who better to mentor Ant at this important part of his career? But yeah, I don't want to see him consuming too many minutes on the court if we re-up him.

[AbeVigodaLive]

You know, if we need Rivers on the roster just to be Ant's hype man (and truth teller if he needs some tough feedback), then it might be worth it.

Some Austin Rivers notes:

- He has a podcast. Selfishly, I'd rather listen to more Timberwolves nuggets from an actual player than taking a flyer on a guy who'll never play.

- Rivers is constantly talking about putting the team first and doing the little things. If it's more than talk... he's definitely worth a spot on the roster. An end-of-the-bench veteran who finds a niche doing that for playoff teams year after year after year offers value beyond PER, VORP or anything else.

The rub with Austin Rivers, as I've pointed out before, is that if he's lingering around Finch is more likely to sneak him into the rotation. Last year was the first year he didn't reach 20 mpg in nearly a decade. But it was pretty damn close (19.5 mpg).

He's definitely not a "do-shit" guy. He's much more of a "don't do anything that you don't have to do and don't screw things up too much" guy.

Yeah, NBA fans like me who really don't know what is important in a locker room probably overemphasize the value of "mentorship". But the way Ant seemed to hang on every word Rivers said during Friday's game made me think it wouldn't be a bad idea to have Austin around in some capacity...either on the roster or coaching. He seems to have a certain gravitas that we don't see much on the roster since Prince left. Conley might have it, but he doesn't seem to be "one of the guys"...more of a family man like JMac. Maybe SloMo. Ant seems to be an impressionable young man, and the path he chooses in his early 20s is going to have a lot to do with the arc of his career. I sense that he is less likely to "do a Ja" if he is listening to vets like Rivers. Rivers grew up in an NBA household, and has survived 11 years in the league (and 7 teams!) despite not having as much raw talent as most NBA players. Who better to mentor Ant at this important part of his career? But yeah, I don't want to see him consuming too many minutes on the court if we re-up him.

Heck, Sam Mitchell held on to his NBA career in MN a couple of extra seasons for his "mentorship" abilities.

[Carlos Danger]

I'd rather they not burn a roster spot for a mentor. Instead, I hope they just leave that last spot open. They can rotate in 10 day contract guys as needed or when injuries happen. Or, if some G-League guy flashes - they could sign that guy. I just would like that flexibility and cost savings.

If Rivers wants to stick around as a bench coach - fine.

[Lipoli390]

I'd rather they not burn a roster spot for a mentor. Instead, I hope they just leave that last spot open. They can rotate in 10 day contract guys as needed or when injuries happen. Or, if some G-League guy flashes - they could sign that guy. I just would like that flexibility and cost savings.

If Rivers wants to stick around as a bench coach - fine.

I agree, Carlos. The Wolves should leave that roster spot open for a later signing, which as you noted could be a G-League guy who’s killing it.

[AbeVigodaLive]

We've talked about it often. The future of the Timberwolves centers around Anthony Edwards.

IF... IF... IF... Austin Rivers really does have Edwards' ear and has a chance to make Edwards incrementally better as a player and teammate... then I prefer him over a Wendell Moore type who is soon-to-be expendable without a tangible above-average NBA skill or a rookie who can jump and run but has no idea how to play the game when matched against real teams deploying real NBA strategies in meaningful games.

[KG4Ever]

You know, if we need Rivers on the roster just to be Ant's hype man (and truth teller if he needs some tough feedback), then it might be worth it.

I mentioned that Ant spent the entire game Friday talking with Rivers...he seemed to hang on every word Austin said, so it's quite clear he respects him.

One thing I didn't like about Ant during the game...he devoured a large plate of french fries in about 5 minutes! I hope he gets a little more careful about his diet as he gets older.

Yeah, maybe Austin isn't such a good influence. To add to this theory, remember Austin was ranked #1 in his high school class per Rivals, just ahead of AD. https://n.rivals.com/prospect_rankings/ ... 0POSITIONS
From high school phenom to NBA Journeyman. Are we sure we want Rivers constantly in Ant's ear? I remember when KAT and Bazz (who couldn't spell defense) were real tight and then he got DLO on team, having close friends who are non-chalant about defense may have rubbed on KAT, who is a terrible defender, despite initial draft reports raving about KAT's defensive potential. Ant appears to have no trouble making friends and he has four dogs to keep him company. AR was worst plus/minus guy on team, so I don't want him taking minutes from anybody. While I'm dogging AR a bit now, he probably learned something about the game from his pops and has played with seven teams, so he might have a role on the bench if he's up for bench coach or trainer or team dietician.

[AbeVigodaLive]

You know, if we need Rivers on the roster just to be Ant's hype man (and truth teller if he needs some tough feedback), then it might be worth it.

I mentioned that Ant spent the entire game Friday talking with Rivers...he seemed to hang on every word Austin said, so it's quite clear he respects him.

One thing I didn't like about Ant during the game...he devoured a large plate of french fries in about 5 minutes! I hope he gets a little more careful about his diet as he gets older.

Yeah, maybe Austin isn't such a good influence. To add to this theory, remember Austin was ranked #1 in his high school class per Rivals, just ahead of AD. https://n.rivals.com/prospect_rankings/ ... 0POSITIONS
From high school phenom to NBA Journeyman. Are we sure we want Rivers constantly in Ant's ear? I remember when KAT and Bazz (who couldn't spell defense) were real tight and then he got DLO on team, having close friends who are non-chalant about defense may have rubbed on KAT, who is a terrible defender, despite initial draft reports raving about KAT's defensive potential. Ant appears to have no trouble making friends and he has four dogs to keep him company. AR was worst plus/minus guy on team, so I don't want him taking minutes from anybody. While I'm dogging AR a bit now, he probably learned something about the game from his pops and has played with seven teams, so he might have a role on the bench if he's up for bench coach or trainer or team dietician.

I couldn't care much less about Austin Rivers (I'd want him here more for podcasting than playing for chrissakes)... BUT... he's no Shabazz Muhammad.

In fact, if there's a reason why Rivers has stuck around the NBA as long as he has it's because he adjusted his game (and ego?) to fit in around better players. Obviously, Muhammad was out of the NBA by the age of 25 largely because he was unwilling to do those things.

And perhaps the draft gurus would want a do-over with that class. Yikes.

1. Rivers
2. A. Davis
3. Kidd-Gilchrist
4. Bradley Beal
5. Marquis Teague
6. Lebryan Nash
7. Quincy Miller
8. James McAdoo
9. Khem Birch
10. Deandre Daniels
11. Josiah Turner

And it doesn't get much/any better through the rest of the top 100. There are college and NBA busts everywhere.