Minnesota Sports Forum

Yeah, what happens with the DLO situation is the great mystery. To me it's like 33% odds he gets traded, 33% odds he signs an extension with the Wolves, and a 33% chance he doesn't sign an extension but we keep him around to play out his contract this season. Who knows?

As for the NYK, Thibs has always had a soft spot for scoring guards that aren't good defenders. Think Jamaal Crawford and Derrick Rose. It's one of his great contradictions as a "defensive" coach. DLO would not be a bad fit in New York.

Q-was-here wrote:Yeah, what happens with the DLO situation is the great mystery. To me it's like 33% odds he gets traded, 33% odds he signs an extension with the Wolves, and a 33% chance he doesn't sign an extension but we keep him around to play out his contract this season. Who knows?

As for the NYK, Thibs has always had a soft spot for scoring guards that aren't good defenders. Think Jamaal Crawford and Derrick Rose. It's one of his great contradictions as a "defensive" coach. DLO would not be a bad fit in New York.

Yeah I think I'm general it's a good fit too. However it's also worth remembering that Jamal Crawford one of the guys you mention gave up money to get the hell out of Minnesota. I don't hate Thibs I think he is a good coach with positives but I think it's also clear some players didn't want to go play for him.

I think my percentages are probably more like 40-40-20 with the 20 being an extension but yeah we will see. I do see Wendell Moore as a guy that is another possible option (down the line not this season) as a guy to play next to Edwards in addition to Bolmaro and then the Italian guy they drafted in the 2nd round.

Yeah, we don't know what will happen with DLo this offseason, although it certainly is the most popular talker with the local sportswriters. Dane Moore tweeted yesterday that he has been saying for weeks there was a 50% chance of moving him, but based on conversations with "a few non-Timberwolves sources", he now thinks it is more likely than not to happen by the first week in July. The Memphis fans are assuming that Tyus Jones is gone with the Chandler pick, and I think many here would agree with that. Tyus is a home town boy and the Wolves made no PG moves in the draft, so I would conclude he is certainly in the mix. And a solid defending, ball-protecting, pass first PG would be ideal next to KAT and Ant. What he would cost and what we would get back for DLo are issues above my pay grade.

All that said, I will not be displeased if TC can't find a suitable return for Russell and he remains our starting PG. The positive comments he has made about how much he likes DLo are important for developing a positive relationship if he stays, but more likely he is talking DLo up in an attempt to increase his trade value. Either way, his comments are smart. I really liked DLo season last year, and especially his improved passing and off-ball defense. But I have to admit I chuckled a little when I saw that TC called him "an elite shot maker". DLo has an extraordinary ability to create his own shot, and that is an important skill. But then there's the subpar efficiency. I think most of us would say you have to at least have a 3-point and TS% above the league average to be considered "an elite shot maker"...and DLo is neither, either last season or for his career. Anyway, I quibble, because I liked TC's comments about DLo.

I agree with the consensus here that TC did a pretty good job in the draft...certainly above a B in my opinion. But I think this Russell thread will have more importance than the various threads about our draft picks this summer. I'm more intrigued with the Russell situation right now than our new draft picks. The next two weeks will be very interesting, and if a DLo deal doesn't happen, I will jump right back on the Russell train. I became more of a fan last season. But I would prefer a deal.

Well said, FNG. Well said.

I don't care whether they trade DLO or let him play out his contract. Either scenario has positive ramifications in my opinion. But the one thing we absolutely cannot do is sign him to an extension of any kind. We simply can't tie up a major portion of our cap space in a low ceiling player like Russell. If we were to do that, I don't see how we ever win a playoff series during his tenure. TC is saying the right things, it is definitely going to be interesting to see how this plays out.

CoolBreeze44 wrote:I don't care whether they trade DLO or let him play out his contract. Either scenario has positive ramifications in my opinion. But the one thing we absolutely cannot do is sign him to an extension of any kind. We simply can't tie up a major portion of our cap space in a low ceiling player like Russell. If we were to do that, I don't see how we ever win a playoff series during his tenure. TC is saying the right things, it is definitely going to be interesting to see how this plays out.

I agree with this. I'm totally fine with him staying this year, but I just think he's a terrible fit beyond that. I've heard the national guys say the same thing... he's a bad fit. Maybe we can even trade him for something useful at the deadline. TC will be patient I think and make the right trade if it comes along.

Chris Finch from Wednesday morning:

"Will D'Angelo Russell still be wearing a Wolves uniform in the Fall?"

"Well, I certainly hope so. He had a great season for us. Probably one of his best seasons that he's had as a professional. He was a big part of our success this year. You know, we felt that we could even grow further with those three guys, and just get better and better. And continue to round out their chemistry."

"There are reports that the Wolves are shopping him around. Is that true?"

"Not that I'm aware of. You know, we've been receiving phone calls on all players throughout our roster. That's just normal at this time of the year. Everybody's kinda checking in with everyone else to see how they're feeling about their team. That's kinda normal business practice. Whether it be at the trade deadline or during the draft. These are the two windows of time when front offices can really make their mark. They can shape the roster in any way that they want and gauge the value of the players as it relates to the rest of the market. With the season that D'Angelo did have for us, of course, there's some teams out there that are interested in him just as they are interested in a lot of our guys."

Some of this is tiptoeing around the question, and holding their cards close to their chest, but a lot of it comes off as authentic. I think the fact that Minnesota had several opportunities to draft a talented point guard in this draft -- but didn't -- speaks to some level of degree that they want to keep Russell around. However, all it takes is one attractive offer or some other domino to fall for everything to change. For now, I think Tim Connelly and Finch are preparing to begin the season with Russell on the roster despite what Dane Moore and other "insiders" have speculated.

Link: https://omny.fm/shows/the-morning-news-with-vineeta-sawkar/timberwolves-head-coach-chris-finch-on-the-nba-dra

Thanks for posting the Finch comments, Cam. Finch and Connelly are saying exactly what they should be saying when asked about DLO, regardless of whether they would like to trade him. I think both Finch and Connelly believe every positive thing they're saying about DLO; to do otherwise would ultimately jeopardize their credibility among their peer.

This is just one of the instances when two seemingly inconstant facts can both be true. It's true that DLO had a great season for the Wolves and that he was a big part of the team's success. It can be true that Finch and the coaching staff "felt we could grow even further with this three guys [including DLO]..." And it can be true that Finch sincerely hopes DO will be with the team in the Fall. Yet, it can also be true that Connelly is looking to trade DLO as part of a longer-term strategy that factors in salary cap contract issues as well as long-term fit. And while probably true in the abstract that Finch hopes DLO is with the team in the Fall, he might also prefer someone else depending in who that someone else is and who might be added to the roster in return for DLO.

I agree with Cam that the Wolves decision to forge multiple opportunities to draft a PG prospect suggests the team is not necessarily expecting to trade DLO. On the other hand, drafting Kessler will allow the Wolves to forge signing a free agent big and instead using MLE money to sign a PG like Tyus in the event DLO is traded.

So where is all the chatter about the Wolves shopping DLO coming from? I think it's coming from executives with other teams who have made their own independent judgments that DLO isn't a good long-term fit for the Wolves, especially giving his likely contract expectations and current expiring deal. Those are the guys I think Doogie, Dane and national reporters have been talking to. In fact, Doogie specifically mentioned that he heard the Wolves were shopping DLO from an executive with an unnamed Eastern Conference team. I suspect, as Finch suggested, that the Wolves have received calls from a number of those team executives asking about DLO's availability based on their assumption that the Wolves should be inclined to move him.

As Cam noted, all it takes is one attractive offer for the Wolves to pull the trigger on a DLO deal. My sense is that the odds of a DLO deal this summer are NOT remote because I think the offers for DLO will become better and more numerous as the Summer wears on. The key inflexible points will be what happens with Brunson in free agency and what happens with Brogdon. If Brunson stays in Dallas, as I expect he will, then the Knicks will turn to their Plan B to fill their need for a quality starting PG. They obviously didn't address that need through the draft. Meanwhile, neither the Wizards nor the Clippers addressed their PG need through the draft. If Brunson stays in Dallas, then the team that doesn't land Brogdon in a deal with the Pacers will likely come hard after DLO.

My prediction?

1. Brunson re-signs with the Mavs
2. Wizards trade for Brogdon
3. Knicks and Clippers start calling Tim Connelly in earnest in an effort to acquire DLO

I won't predict whether the Wolves will ultimately trade DLO this summer. But that's how I see things unfolding.

I would really like to see DLO running pick and roll with Kessler

Lip the idea that drafting Kessler is essentially the Wolves answer to the frontcourt seems unlikely. Maybe your point stands as they instead of going for a mid-level guy that's part of the solution for multiple years they sign a guy for 1 year at the vet min or BAE to be a bridge to Kessler or whatever comes after this coming season. It just seems unlikely they were like damn we got Kessler and we are gonna trade Russell but we aren't gonna draft a PG just in case it doesn't work out.

Here is something I've honestly thought ever since I have considered the Wolves upcoming chance to add a worthwhile player to the frontcourt via FA. I honestly can't say there is a guy I feel really confident that the Wolves could sign that I think is the the actual answer next to Towns. Same with a sign and trade for Bamba? I like it but again is he the guy? Hartenstein as a. FA is a guy everyone here likes but is he a starting level player or a good bench guy? Nobody knows. The Wolves may have looked at the options that are available and thought...maybe none of those guys are the answer. Maybe in FA they just sign the best value they can get regardless of position especially with various guys with only 1 year deals left. We also don't know what possible trades aside from Russell they could have available to them. The reality is the good teams stockpile as much talent as they can. They may still use their mid-level on a PF/C to play significant minutes in their frontcourt. Maybe they use it on another ball handling guard.