Minnesota Sports Forum

Pausha Haghighi: "For all the Laker fans out there, what are they getting with D-Lo? Cause I know you really liked being his teammate."

Austin Rivers: "Yeah, I enjoyed D-Lo, man. He's misrepresented in a lot of ways -- a lot of it just due to stuff that haunted him from a long time ago that I still think follows him today... What the Lakers are getting is a supreme-confident player, supreme high-IQ player. Shot-maker, especially down the stretch. Can really shoot the ball and he's crafty. He's not athletic. He might not be the greatest defender, but he's actually gotten better. He tries a lot harder now on defense, which has been kind of like his Achilles heel for the most part, but he's played a lot better defensively this year. And offensively, man, like the guy is just gifted. He really is. He's so highly-skilled, Pausha. Like, D-Lo's one of the higher-skilled players in the NBA. He's not really that athletic at all. He's just so crafty and knows the game. He's a high-IQ player. He's really what the Lakers need. They needed another guy that way LeBron's not the one making all the decisions and all the plays. I think he'll be valuable for LeBron and AD. So, it's a big pickup for them, honestly. And then you add the Beasley in there with shooting that they needed. And then Vando's just a guy who can really play hard and knows how to play his role as a pro. They got a lot better."

-- The Ringer NBA Show

Camden wrote:Pausha Haghighi: "For all the Laker fans out there, what are they getting with D-Lo? Cause I know you really liked being his teammate."

Austin Rivers: "Yeah, I enjoyed D-Lo, man. He's misrepresented in a lot of ways -- a lot of it just due to stuff that haunted him from a long time ago that I still think follows him today... What the Lakers are getting is a supreme-confident player, supreme high-IQ player. Shot-maker, especially down the stretch. Can really shoot the ball and he's crafty. He's not athletic. He might not be the greatest defender, but he's actually gotten better. He tries a lot harder now on defense, which has been kind of like his Achilles heel for the most part, but he's played a lot better defensively this year. And offensively, man, like the guy is just gifted. He really is. He's so highly-skilled, Pausha. Like, D-Lo's one of the higher-skilled players in the NBA. He's not really that athletic at all. He's just so crafty and knows the game. He's a high-IQ player. He's really what the Lakers need. They needed another guy that way LeBron's not the one making all the decisions and all the plays. I think he'll be valuable for LeBron and AD. So, it's a big pickup for them, honestly. And then you add the Beasley in there with shooting that they needed. And then Vando's just a guy who can really play hard and knows how to play his role as a pro. They got a lot better."

-- The Ringer NBA Show

I mean...that's not much different than most on here have said about DLO (aside from the handful of extreme DLO haters). The only thing different of note was Rivers refers to him as "high IQ" and I'm not sure that's how he was viewed on this board. But the bolded part from your quote could have been taken out of most DLO threads from this board.

lipoli390 wrote:

WolvesFan21 wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:Jon Krawczynski: Anthony Edwards: "D-Lo never changed. He always was the same, man. Still my brother. Still gonna talk to him. Still gonna play the game with him. I want him to go over there and do the same thing he was doing over here over there. Go over there and ball." - via Twitter JonKrawczynski

Maybe DLO was mean to Rudy. But our front office should have been far more interested in what Ant thinks of DLO than how well DLO got along with the $38 million-dollar man who hasn't made this team one bit better than it was before he got here.

What was Ant going to say? Trash DLO to the media? Saying he couldn't play defense and was slow and soft? I wouldn't doubt they are friends or were to some extent. Being a teammate and spending that much time around someone you likely grow close to. Even if they give up more on defense then they score.

Edwards didn't have to say anything. Note that Rudy hasn't said anything. Or he could have simply said he wishes him the best. I'll note also that DLO and Ant gratuitously praised each other several times during the season. More importantly, I posted Ant's comment to counter the ridiculous narrative in the title of this thread that DLO is a douche.

Nah he is definitely a douche and it's not ridiculous to think that, like Wolvesfan said what is he supposed to say? That's like believing what an NFL GM says during the weeks leading up to the draft, it's gullible at best and borderline delusional at worst. I'll take Krasinski's word over athletes that go out of their way to say the right thing in these situations 99% of the time any day of the week. I'm going to need more than HR responses from former teammates to give the benefit of the doubt to a player who's been traded 5 times already at age 26, with reports coming out from three of the four teams he's played for that he was either toxic or lazy.

BloopOracle wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:

WolvesFan21 wrote:

lipoli390 wrote:Jon Krawczynski: Anthony Edwards: "D-Lo never changed. He always was the same, man. Still my brother. Still gonna talk to him. Still gonna play the game with him. I want him to go over there and do the same thing he was doing over here over there. Go over there and ball." - via Twitter JonKrawczynski

Maybe DLO was mean to Rudy. But our front office should have been far more interested in what Ant thinks of DLO than how well DLO got along with the $38 million-dollar man who hasn't made this team one bit better than it was before he got here.

What was Ant going to say? Trash DLO to the media? Saying he couldn't play defense and was slow and soft? I wouldn't doubt they are friends or were to some extent. Being a teammate and spending that much time around someone you likely grow close to. Even if they give up more on defense then they score.

Edwards didn't have to say anything. Note that Rudy hasn't said anything. Or he could have simply said he wishes him the best. I'll note also that DLO and Ant gratuitously praised each other several times during the season. More importantly, I posted Ant's comment to counter the ridiculous narrative in the title of this thread that DLO is a douche.

Nah he is definitely a douche and it's not ridiculous to think that, like Wolvesfan said what is he supposed to say? That's like believing what an NFL GM says during the weeks leading up to the draft, it's gullible at best and borderline delusional at worst. I'll take Krasinski's word over athletes that go out of their way to say the right thing in these situations in 99% of the time any day of the week.

Jon K never said DLO was a bad guy or disliked by his teammates. He simply reported that DLO openly criticized Rudy Gobert and that his open criticism created some tension in the locker room. That's it. Some might think openly criticizing a $40 million per year 7'1 player for fumbling passes and missing layups is being a douche. I'd say it's simply being competitive and honest. Jon K has reported that other Wolves players had the same criticism of Gobert. At least DLO had the integrity to say it out loud. But Rudy is sensitive. He told fans who booed the team's horrific play to stay home. And apparently DLO hurt his feelings. I hope Rudy's feeling better now.

I think everyone brought their priors to their perception of Jon K's comments

The following are exact quotes from Jon Krawczynski -- not what some Reddit user poorly paraphrased.

"I do think there were some chemistry issues. I don't think it was Jimmy Butler level. I don't think it was a five-alarm fire. But it was very clear to me, really for much of the season, but especially maybe over the last three or four weeks."

"The team in general has had issues with incorporating Rudy Gobert, figuring out how to play with him, and things like that. D-Lo wore those issues on his sleeve. He was very frustrated often with Rudy, with him not being able to catch some passes, with him missing layups, and bunnies near the rim, with his offensive struggles. That frustration was palpable within the Timberwolves locker room. I'm sure there were some other players who had frustrations as well, but I think were able to say, 'Hey look, Rudy Gobert is a $40 million player, we just got to figure out a way to make this happen.'"

"D-Lo certainly tried to make it work, but it was uncomfortable at times. We would come into the locker room and you would hear him actively just kind of bemoaning the situation. I'd talk to coaches and players from other teams who heard him just kind of getting down on Rudy during games. There was just this perception that D'Angelo Russell was very frustrated with Gobert and did not seem as open to working with him, or trying to find a happy medium as some of the other players were maybe trying to do to just make what had so far been a disappointing trade, try to find a way to make it work out."

Those are Krawczynski's words, which come off a bit differently than, "D-Lo openly talked shit." It sounded like a frustrated locker room overall. It sounded like a team that had lost multiple games to the Spurs, Pistons, and Rockets. Criticism, especially from teammates, is often warranted and welcomed, and D'Angelo Russell has been on the receiving end as well. Some might even call it a form of leadership. We have no way to know if it went too far, and frankly neither does Krawczynski even with his access. Those players know, though. The coaches know too.

And whatever issues those two had behind closed doors didn't reflect that one was unwilling to work with the other, as Krawczynski suggested. Russell leads the team in Gobert baskets assisted, and they were the fourth-best guard/center combination in the NBA in terms of made baskets assisted at the rim -- until he got traded. It would appear that Russell involved Gobert quite a bit. Those opportunities weren't always converted, and most of the time it was Gobert's fault for being clumsy and uncoordinated. This wreaks of kicking a guy on his way out and shoving all the blame on him.

An old school way of thinking is that you don't have to like your teammates to win with them, and that's largely what they were doing with Karl-Anthony Towns (and others) injured. You can call Russell a douche. You can hate his game. You can hate on me for defending it when I disagree with the large majority here. But the Timberwolves season isn't in the dumps right now because of Anthony Edwards and him. They made the playoffs with him making a big impact along the way too.

There's a 7'2 difference this season that somehow escapes any blame for locker room dysfunction despite coming from an organization where similar issues presented themselves with Donovan Mitchell. I guess Russell and Mitchell are douchebags and Gobert is the innocent party here. Good take.

Do I think Russell is a bad guy? No

Do I think Gobert is a guy that can be sensitive and emotional? Yep.

Do I think Russell was some guy the Wolves HAD to move? No.

Having said all that THE question this board has had for months is what to do at PG and Russell going forward. PG isn't quite like an NFL QB especially since Edwards is going to be a high usage guy but having your PG in Russell openly grumbling about Gobert doesn't make me want to go out of my way or possibly give up some decent assets I could get in a trade to hope he returns on a 3 year deal for whatever is reasonable/market value etc.

To me based on the info I have in front of me moving on for Conley makes sense (because it seems unlikely it was going to work with Russell) and possibly was the right move to make. I like Russell and I also was starting to wonder even with his excellent play (and to some extent the wolves overall) the last few months if he was the right guy going forward.

This deal reminds me a bit of when the Wolves dealt Rubio. I think most people knew it was probably coming even if some of us didn't want him to leave. I was ok with it before it happened. A first round pick and plenty of cap space to sign players sounded like a great return for him. The Wolves had a good season the next year and if healthy it could have been even better. Good and bad Teague was a part of that. After that the Teague signing went downhill quickly. That signing didn't work out. The first round pick was Okogie who wasn't completely worthless but isn't going to make anyone. Be like look we got _____for Rubio! Heck even if the Wolves would have drafted Grayson Allen then you could say they got something of decent value but they didn't. Often how a trade is viewed depends on how you draft with picks you receive in the deal. Let's say the Wolves drafted John Collin's or LSTs guy Jarrett Allen instead of Patton. That deal would have been viewed very differently.

Let's see how this trade pans out. Does Conley help the team while he is here? Does his salary allow the Wolves to make another deal that helps the team fill a need? Do the Wolves get value in some way from the 2nd round picks they acquired or does it lead to guys that take up roster spots and don't do much to move the needle? Does NAW end up bringing value to the team? What happens with Russell does he play well the next few years maybe on a good contract? Is he jus ok and get somewhat overpaid? Does he get hurt a lot? There are a number of ways this trade can work in the Wolves favor maybe more than the Rubio deal despite the Wolves getting better assets back in the Rubio trade. Still years later some folks wonder what would have happened if the Wolves never dealt Rubio in the first place. Of course maybe without doing that deal maybe the Wolves don't do the deal they did where they landed McDaniels. Many were unhappy with that trade at the time but it brought 2 important players on the current roster McDaniels and Prince (acquired for Rubio) so yeah let's see how things pan out.

I'll add that it's annoying how various fans (not calling anyone here out) and media have painted Russell in a light in this trade that is not accurate. He was not really taking away from Edwards this season he lowered his usage and shot attempts to a career low and still wasn't just jacking up tons of shots with Towns out. Did he bitch about Nowell a guy that most of the season couldn't hit a 3 shooing much more frequently than him? I haven't heard anything about it. It's clear pretty Russell did do things to make it work here and I think he should get credit for that. Yeah he is playing well in a contract year...taking fewer shots and being more efficient. What a selfish dude.

Russell's time here was a mixed bag but he wasn't some bad dude or horrible basketball player. He was overpaid sure we all know that but he brought some value to the team while here. EVERYONE here wishes it was more and some people still wish he was here. I'm ready to let go and wish the guy the best. Maybe not too much cause while I don't hate the Lakers...I'm also not exactly cheering for them to do well. :)

It must be nice to have perfect players, people, coaches, admin, ownership, and chemistry like all of the other teams do. I wonder what their fans do with their time? Maybe watch for fun? This board just has Wiggins, Rubio and DLo lament that will never subside. Gobert will undoubtedly be in this exclusive group soon enough. Even KAT has a foot in the door. The nonstop oneupsmanship over things we can't control can keep this self fulfilling prophecy of misery going. Ahh sports. . .

I've often said that Russell was one of my favorite players on the team from a personality standpoint. His interviews were informative and straightforward and demonstrated a high BB IQ. That IQ didn't translate to the court though, especially on defense. I don't think DLo was an absolute douche, and I know he developed some friendships on the team. But for some reason he's a guy who seems to wear out his welcome, for one reason or another...it seems like he's been on the trade block his entire career. And for weeks I've been intrigued by what Jon K has not been saying on the Barreiro show. Dan doesn't need to play nice because he really doesn't need access to the players to do his job, and he has been effusive in his belief that Russell needed to go. But Jon K is different, and it's been clear to me for a while that what he has been saying out loud is about half of what he wanted to say...the chuckles between him and Dan on amny occasions indicated that. And Jon is Minnesota Nice incarnate, so he's also never going to go nuclear in a column. But what he has said out loud and what he has written comes through loud and clear to me...DLo had to be moved, and the intention of the team to move him predates Rudy. I won't cheer for DLo now because, like others, I don't cheer for the Lakers. But I will start cheering for DLo again once the Lakers move him...he lasted two years with them last stint, but I think this one will be shorter.

Many of us here, including me, thought we wouldn't get much back for Russell because of his reputation around the league. But we were wrong...to get a perfect fit veteran PG plus a wing with some upside is a terrific return.

I think Monster's post nails it. FNG might be right that DLO wasn't a douche but simply "wore out his welcome." Bottom line is that DLO didn't fit what the Wolves front office and coaching staff have in mind for this team at the price that DLO was likely to command in the market. That's my short version of the more comprehensive analysis in Monster's post.

That's my final word on DLO. I didn't like the trade that brought him here, but I quickly stopped obsessing over him over the last couple seasons he's been here. So I'm not about to obsess over him any longer now that he's gone. I'm more interested in what this team can do when KAT gets back, which will be the final test this season of the Rudy/KAT pairing. I don't think it will go any better than the first 20+ games they played together, especially when considering the difficulty of the remaining schedule. But I hope to be surprised. :)