Chance Edwards becomes an All Star in a Wolves uniform

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

This is probably the most insightful review of the Wolves decision to draft Edwards. It's from CBS Sports:

In a year of uncertainty, altered timelines and general chaos, the Minnesota Timberwolves knew three months before Wednesday's NBA Draft that they would be making the No. 1 overall pick. Yet, up until just before NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced their selection of Georgia guard Anthony Edwards, it was unclear what the Timberwolves planned to do with the pick.

In fact, the Timberwolves were working the phones "discussing possible trade scenarios," until just minutes before the pick became official, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. While an optimist may see that and choose to applaud Timberwolves' president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas for conducting his due diligence in an effort to turn the fortunes of a woebegone franchise, reality may not be so rosy.

The truth appears to be that Minnesota had three months to convince itself of who to pick, yet lacked the conviction to commit fully to Edwards until just minutes before the moment of reckoning, when it became clear that no acceptable trade offers were available. Looking at what Edwards did at Georgia last season, who could blame the Timberwolves for their desire to shop the pick?

To be clear, Rosas told reporters Wednesday night that Edwards stood "head and shoulders" above the competition as the franchise considered who to take. But that can be interpreted more as an indictment of a weak draft than a ringing endorsement for a shooting guard who made just 29.4 percent of his 3-point shots in college last season. For a franchise that just traded an underwhelming former No. 1 overall pick in January when it parted with Andrew Wiggins, Edwards carries some alarming similarities.


Both were one-and-done guards considered the No. 1 overall player in their respective recruiting classes by 247Sports. Neither did anything in college to hurt their NBA Draft stock, but neither were the model of efficiency during their brief college careers, either. Wiggins was actually a better 3-point shooter than Edwards, though Edwards showed more promise as a distributor.

So what reason is there to believe that Edwards will be the difference maker that Wiggins never was in the Timberwolves' push to consistently compete in the ever-difficult Western Conference? An examination of Edwards' intangibles reveals more questions than answers with just over a month to go until he is scheduled to begin his NBA career.

Edwards practically waved a red flag in Minnesota's face with comments made to ESPN in a story published earlier this week by saying of basketball that, "it's a job." He did say that "I love basketball." But that was preceded by Edwards remarking that "I'm still not really into it." At best, that's just the immaturity of a 19-year-old coming through. At worst, it's an indictment of his desire to be an elite player and a sign that he will lack the drive necessary to help the Timberwolves get traction.

A player with Edwards' natural talent can be a good NBA player -- just as Wiggins is a good NBA player -- but teams don't draft someone No. 1 overall hoping they will be good. It takes a different level of commitment to embrace the grind of an 82-game season and not just survive it but actually thrive within it and become great. But that's what is expected from No. 1 overall picks.

It was hard to watch Wednesday night's festivities and not be touched by the emotion expressed by so many of those selected. One who stood out was Obi Toppin, who fell to the Knicks at No. 8 overall. Though he surely expected to be picked sooner, Toppin fought back tears of joy as he acknowledged that, "a lot of people pray to be in this position, and I'm not going to take it for granted."

Edwards, by contrast, seemed pleased but not particularly moved to be taken No. 1 overall. Comparing their reactions to being drafted may seem like splitting hairs. But how about comparing them as players? When Georgia and Dayton met in the Maui Invitational last November, Edwards finished with six points on 2-of-10 shooting with no assists and three turnovers in 28 minutes. Toppin finished with 25 points and led his Dayton Flyers to an 80-61 victory.


Ultimately, Minnesota may have truly believed Edwards was the best player in the draft. But is he a winner? There is a difference.

I don't like the Wiggins comp because Edwards can at least handle the ball. Wiggins' hands and handle were always weaknesses that held him back from becoming a better offensive player. They may have similar attitudes but I think Edwards just has better better basketball skills than Wiggins who was pretty much just an elite athlete who happened to play basketball.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

The Andrew Wiggins comparison is just too easy given the circumstances and franchise that wound up with Anthony Edwards, but I think the much better comparison is Tyreke Evans. Much similar body types and skill sets. Their numbers in college even look similar. Sacramento never found the right way to use Evans and get the most out of him and I fear that Minnesota will repeat that with Edwards. It even looks like we'll be playing him out of position, so to speak, right out of the gate out of necessity.

[thedoper]

The Andrew Wiggins comparison is just too easy given the circumstances and franchise that wound up with Anthony Edwards, but I think the much better comparison is Tyreke Evans. Much similar body types and skill sets. Their numbers in college even look similar. Sacramento never found the right way to use Evans and get the most out of him and I fear that Minnesota will repeat that with Edwards. It even looks like we'll be playing him out of position, so to speak, right out of the gate out of necessity.

I like that comp. I just hope the results are different. It will be interesting to see how active Edwards stays without being force-fed the ball. That will be the spot where the Wiggins comps become more apparent. If he learns a solid off ball game he's going to be an asset. If he doesnt keep moving he'll be a dud.

[Monster]

The Andrew Wiggins comparison is just too easy given the circumstances and franchise that wound up with Anthony Edwards, but I think the much better comparison is Tyreke Evans. Much similar body types and skill sets. Their numbers in college even look similar. Sacramento never found the right way to use Evans and get the most out of him and I fear that Minnesota will repeat that with Edwards. It even looks like we'll be playing him out of position, so to speak, right out of the gate out of necessity.

I like that comp. I just hope the results are different. It will be interesting to see how active Edwards stays without being force-fed the ball. That will be the spot where the Wiggins comps become more apparent. If he learns a solid off ball game he's going to be an asset. If he doesnt keep moving he'll be a dud.

Well...let's hope Edwards doesn't end up out of the league due to drug use.

I'm honestly not sure any team held Evans back. He was a stud his rookie year. I remember a couple year later Luke Ridnour would be guarding him on an island and Evans would jack up some long shot. Keep in mind that was when Pek and Love roamed the paint so their was probably little shotblocking. Evans simply didn't attack for some bizarre reason. He was more skilled ball handler than Wiggins but Wiggins wasn't so bad at attacking the rim...why he stopped too it was weird. Tyrese Evans should be a poster child of why a good rookie season isn't all that. He was just a decent player after than and some years not all that great.

I think the other guy that Lip thinks about when he thinks about Edwards is Derrick Williams because it doesn't seem like he had the passion for the game. I also don't think Williams was actually very skilled. He had a kinda weird shot and wasn't really that special as a ball handler. In my mind Edwards is more skilled and talented than Derrick Williams was. Williams didn't seem to have red flags he was supposed to be the hard worker the guy that wasn't supposed to be where he was but worked hard etc. That's just another example of how this is about human beings. You simply can't predict some of this stuff.

[Wolvesfan21]

Watched two Edwards interviews. One from Fox Sports (Inside the association) and one from ESPN on (the Jump).

Edwards said essentially some of the right things. He said he has to prove himself in the NBA. Said he needs to learn every day. He said he's going to play defense. etc...

I wish I heard (which is no surprise is that I didn't) that winning is the most important thing. He said he wants to put on a show for the fans.

I also didn't hear him say that bringing a Championship to Minnesota was the ultimate goal. That would have been nice. Maybe he'll work tirelessly to do what ever it takes to do that and be the best player he can be. Didn't hear that.

I give his interviews a C plus. At least he didn't say he's going to work on his gamer twitch profile and wake up at noon everyday I suppose.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Watched two Edwards interviews. One from Fox Sports (Inside the association) and one from ESPN on (the Jump).

Edwards said essentially some of the right things. He said he has to prove himself in the NBA. Said he needs to learn every day. He said he's going to play defense. etc...

I wish I heard (which is no surprise is that I didn't) that winning is the most important thing. He said he wants to put on a show for the fans.

I also didn't hear him say that bringing a Championship to Minnesota was the ultimate goal. That would have been nice. Maybe he'll work tirelessly to do what ever it takes to do that and be the best player he can be. Didn't hear that.

I give his interviews a C plus. At least he didn't say he's going to work on his gamer twitch profile and wake up at noon everyday I suppose.

I watched a couple too. The feeling I got is that he really does act his age, i.e. he's a teenager. He's very immature, but in a seemingly innocent way.

I think it's a fair question to ask if he's got the dog in him to truly compete and grind, because that's what all the really good players do. He has a ridiculous level of natural talent, but just not sure the fire is in his belly. Is that something that comes with more maturity? Probably not, but I won't completely rule it out either.

What do folks think about a Lance Stephenson comparison?

[Monster]

Here is a video of Crean talking to Media the Thursday after the draft. I think there is some good stuff in there even if you don't take everything he says as absolute truth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc17LlkncJI

[mrhockey89]

Watched two Edwards interviews. One from Fox Sports (Inside the association) and one from ESPN on (the Jump).

Edwards said essentially some of the right things. He said he has to prove himself in the NBA. Said he needs to learn every day. He said he's going to play defense. etc...

I wish I heard (which is no surprise is that I didn't) that winning is the most important thing. He said he wants to put on a show for the fans.

I also didn't hear him say that bringing a Championship to Minnesota was the ultimate goal. That would have been nice. Maybe he'll work tirelessly to do what ever it takes to do that and be the best player he can be. Didn't hear that.

I give his interviews a C plus. At least he didn't say he's going to work on his gamer twitch profile and wake up at noon everyday I suppose.

I watched a couple too. The feeling I got is that he really does act his age, i.e. he's a teenager. He's very immature, but in a seemingly innocent way.

I think it's a fair question to ask if he's got the dog in him to truly compete and grind, because that's what all the really good players do. He has a ridiculous level of natural talent, but just not sure the fire is in his belly. Is that something that comes with more maturity? Probably not, but I won't completely rule it out either.

What do folks think about a Lance Stephenson comparison?

Idk, I feel like Lance Stephenson has a bit of a screw loose. I don't picture Edwards ever giving a wet willy to LeBron in the playoffs, or completely freelancing and ignoring his coaches. But that's just me.

[mrhockey89]

Here is a video of Crean talking to Media the Thursday after the draft. I think there is some good stuff in there even if you don't take everything he says as absolute truth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc17LlkncJI

Yeah, I saw that video the other week and meant add the link but was on my phone. Definitely a good watch!

[Lipoli390]

Here is a video of Crean talking to Media the Thursday after the draft. I think there is some good stuff in there even if you don't take everything he says as absolute truth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc17LlkncJI

I finally watched this. Thanks for posting, Monster. Two comments from Crean stood out for me as particularly encouraging.

One comment was in response to a question about the advice Crean would give Edwards. Crean said he'd advise Edwards to be patient. That that wasn't what stood out. What stood out was Crean saying that Edward's needs to be patient because: "He's a very aggressive, get after it, being in the gym guy who wants success right now." That doesn't sound like a player who lacks competitive drive. And I never heard anyone refer to Wiggins that way.

Here's the other comment that stood out: "In 20 years as a head coach I've never had a guy spend more time in the gym after games than he [Edwards] did."

I understand that a college head coach will always promote his top players publicly. It's part of what helps them sell their programs to the next group of top high school recruits. But Tom didn't have to throw out those superlatives, especially after his player has already been drafted at the top of the draft.

There are also some other things there. Tom continues to emphasize the need to give Edwards lots of attention and teaching. He emphasized that Edwards will need to learn to be a professional. Perhaps that's something you'd expect to hear from anyone commenting on a 19-year old who's about to be multi-million dollar player on the national stage. However, I can envision very different comments about other past and present draft prospects -- comments like, "just give him a ball and show him where the gym is and he'll deliver." My sense is that, while a hard worker, Edwards needs to be watched, pushed and held accountable. That's OK if he truly loves the game, competes and really is a "very aggressive, get after it, being in the gym guy who wants success right now."