2022 Off-Season Around the League

[Q-is-here]

Durant to stay in Brooklyn. Not a huge surprise at this point, but I bet that meeting was pr-etty awkward.

Good. Didn't want to see him get traded to the Western Conference. Brooklyn could be really good.

I wonder if some other things move ahead now in terms of the trade market. I'd love to see Mitchell moved out of the West too so that Utah is completely a non-factor in the playoff race. I know losing Gobert was a huge hit to their near-term prospects, but Mitchell + some scrappy vets playing with a chip on their shoulder could cause some teams problems!

[Lipoli390]

Adding Willie Cauley-Stein to the center mix for training camp strikes me as one of those low-risk, potentially solid rewards for Houston. He hasn't had a real impact for an NBA team since 2020-21, where he averaged 17 minutes a game off the bench for Dallas, but the Mavericks were six points stingier when he was on the floor versus when he sat, a 92nd percentile. In fact, over the past five seasons, Cauley-Stein's teams defended nearly five points better with him on the floor. - via Kelly Iko @ The Athletic`

I didn't realize WCS had such an impressive defensive impact. Maybe the Wolves should have signed him and traded for Murray instead of Gobert.

I'm not sure how serious you are about this post. :)

You saw through me, Monster. :)

[Monster]

Adding Willie Cauley-Stein to the center mix for training camp strikes me as one of those low-risk, potentially solid rewards for Houston. He hasn't had a real impact for an NBA team since 2020-21, where he averaged 17 minutes a game off the bench for Dallas, but the Mavericks were six points stingier when he was on the floor versus when he sat, a 92nd percentile. In fact, over the past five seasons, Cauley-Stein's teams defended nearly five points better with him on the floor. - via Kelly Iko @ The Athletic`

I didn't realize WCS had such an impressive defensive impact. Maybe the Wolves should have signed him and traded for Murray instead of Gobert.

I'm not sure how serious you are about this post. :)

You saw through me, Monster. :)

Good :)

I do think that a team taking a flyer on WCS COULD actually be useful. It feels like Houston has like 35 players on that roster. Maybe they let some guys go and I missed it.

[Lipoli390]

Adding Willie Cauley-Stein to the center mix for training camp strikes me as one of those low-risk, potentially solid rewards for Houston. He hasn't had a real impact for an NBA team since 2020-21, where he averaged 17 minutes a game off the bench for Dallas, but the Mavericks were six points stingier when he was on the floor versus when he sat, a 92nd percentile. In fact, over the past five seasons, Cauley-Stein's teams defended nearly five points better with him on the floor. - via Kelly Iko @ The Athletic`

I didn't realize WCS had such an impressive defensive impact. Maybe the Wolves should have signed him and traded for Murray instead of Gobert.

I'm not sure how serious you are about this post. :)

You saw through me, Monster. :)

Good :)

I do think that a team taking a flyer on WCS COULD actually be useful. It feels like Houston has like 35 players on that roster. Maybe they let some guys go and I missed it.

Worth a flyer I guess. I honestly didn't realize he's defensive impact was that significant, albeit in limited minutes. But he's not quite as good as Rudy Gobert. :)

Getting serious for a minute, I would have preferred swapping DLO and three future picks, one of them protected, for DeJounte Murray. That's the deal the Spurs got from Atlanta. We might have been able to get away with Bolmaro and two future totally unprotected first round picks and DLO who would have had trade value for the Spurs that Gallo didn't have. Either way, getting Murray would have solved the DLO issue and also given the Wolves a young, dynamic two-way backcourt. Moreover, we would have still had Beverley, Vando, Kessler and 5 of our next 7 first round picks rather than 3. We could have probably acquired Capela or Turner without giving up all the remaining assets we gave up for Gobert. We probably could have kept Beverley and Kessler if we had traded for Turner.

I don't doubt the positive impact Gobert will have for the Wolves if he stays healthy. I just would have preferred upgrading two spots with Murray and Capela (or Turner) rather than one spot with Gobert for the same or fewer assets and the same amount of salary. I also think the guard position is more important than the center position in today's NBA. Finally, I like the age match between Murray and our best player, Edwards. Murray would have also provided a backstop in the event we were to lose Edwards for a significant amount of games - something I worry about after his knee issues last season. The backcourt is so important in today's NBA. It would be really nice to have two all-star caliber guards, especially if one of them goes down. If Edwards goes down it's DLO and Nowell. I'd feel much better if it were Murray and Nowell. If Gobert goes down we'll essentially the team we were last season without Beverley or Vando. Even if Kyle Anderson makes up for the loss of both Beverley and Vando, we're no better than last season in a tougher conference. That would make the Wolves a lottery team without a first-round pick. That's about as depressing as it could get. Just too much dependence on one player without the assets or flexibility to sustain or recover.

Now if my choice is Gobert or Murray and WCS, of course I'll take Gobert. :) If Gobert and Edwards stay healthy the Wolves will be a playoff team. If Edwards and McDaniels take big steps forward with a healthy Gobert and KAT, then I could see the Wolves in the NBA finals.

[kekgeek]

Chet Holmgren tore a lineament in his foot. Rumors say he was afraid to play the twin towers game 1.

In all seriousness hope he recovers nicely

[Lipoli390]

Chet Holmgren tore a lineament in his foot. Rumors say he was afraid to play the twin towers game 1.

In all seriousness hope he recovers nicely

I feel bad for him. Hope he recovers fully and quickly. Based on his build, I've always had a sense he'll have a hard time staying healthy.

[kekgeek]

The Jazz are trading Patrick Beverley to the Lakers for Talen Horton-Tucker, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

Don't love that for the wolves

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

The Jazz are trading Patrick Beverley to the Lakers for Talen Horton-Tucker, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

Don't love that for the wolves

Great move for the Lakers, but they're going to need a lot more than Patrick Beverley to make it back to the playoffs.

[Monster]

The Jazz are trading Patrick Beverley to the Lakers for Talen Horton-Tucker, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

Don't love that for the wolves

Great move for the Lakers, but they're going to need a lot more than Patrick Beverley to make it back to the playoffs.

That's a honestly a great deal for the Lakers. I would not have done that deal for Beasley before the Gobert trade if I was the Wolves much less Beverly. Stanley Johnson who is also included might have some value to the Jazz in someway. I think the Jazz probably moved Beverly at his request. Maybe they believe they can get Horton-Tucker back on track. Honestly I maybe would have rather just waived Beverly or tried to get him to do a buy out even for the vet min than this deal. I do think Horton Tucker might still be a worthwhile player but that player option for 11 million next year...if he plays well then you MIGHT lose him for nothin. If he sucks then you have to pay him more than what he is worth. Beverly one piece of the Gobert deal most people including myself saw as some value and IMO the Jazz didn't get much for him which does not surprise me one bit.

[Monster]

Chet Holmgren tore a lineament in his foot. Rumors say he was afraid to play the twin towers game 1.

In all seriousness hope he recovers nicely

I feel bad for him. Hope he recovers fully and quickly. Based on his build, I've always had a sense he'll have a hard time staying healthy.

I always hate guys getting hurt early in their careers. Reading about this injury and the condensation on the floor it reminded of when Justin Patton injured his foot in his first work as a new Timberwolf slipping on the floor.

At the risk of going off in another direction and back in history I'm gonna give a shout out to LST who was a big fan of Jarrett Allen in that draft and right now if I could pick a player with the pick we used on Patton it would be Allen. The Cavs got him in on that Harden deal and got Allen for basically a likely low first (Milwaukee's unprotected pick) and 2nd round pick and they took on Prince. I thought it was a good move at the time but it just keeps looking smarter. That 5 year 100 million deal they signed him to is gonna be a value deal if he stays healthy.