Might as well talk draft....

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thedoper
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Re: Might as well talk draft....

Post by thedoper »

Camden0916 wrote:
thedoper wrote:I'd really like to see a trade up from 17. It is possible a quality prospect will still be available there, but there does seem to be a 2nd tier drop off by pick 10 or so. I think we can get a combination of two really exciting players if we found a way to move up a few spots with the 2nd pick. Moving down with the 1 makes less sense to me unless we are picking up a proven player in that transaction or if we're getting an insanely good deal (another unprotected first from a bad team like Cleveland or New York) .


Agreed, agreed, agreed. I'm almost more intrigued with what we do with 17 than what we do with first overall despite the top pick being considerably more valuable. My fingers are crossed hoping that Devin Vassell and/or Saddiq Bey get overlooked in favor of the perceived "high potential" guys and get pushed down to that 10-12 range because I think we can trade up without having to give up much in this draft.

Coming away with James Wiseman and Devin Vassell or Saddiq Bey would be a tremendous haul, in my opinion. I see all three of those names as building blocks for whatever teams they go to.


Yeah that is why I mentioned it. I've seen a few mocks where Vassell slipped to 10ish which was somewhat interesting and exciting because it's closer to 17 then where I anticipated he would go. I assume once workouts start happening he's going to get a bump. I would personally feel equally excited about getting Edwards and Vassell somehow since their strengths and weaknesses seem to compliment each other and I'd like to see a bunch of young wings (including Culver and Okogie) pushing each other for playing time. Happy with Wiseman too, but I think that second prospect could be huge for us.
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Hicks123 [enjin:6700838]
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Re: Might as well talk draft....

Post by Hicks123 [enjin:6700838] »

thedoper wrote:
Camden0916 wrote:
thedoper wrote:I'd really like to see a trade up from 17. It is possible a quality prospect will still be available there, but there does seem to be a 2nd tier drop off by pick 10 or so. I think we can get a combination of two really exciting players if we found a way to move up a few spots with the 2nd pick. Moving down with the 1 makes less sense to me unless we are picking up a proven player in that transaction or if we're getting an insanely good deal (another unprotected first from a bad team like Cleveland or New York) .


Agreed, agreed, agreed. I'm almost more intrigued with what we do with 17 than what we do with first overall despite the top pick being considerably more valuable. My fingers are crossed hoping that Devin Vassell and/or Saddiq Bey get overlooked in favor of the perceived "high potential" guys and get pushed down to that 10-12 range because I think we can trade up without having to give up much in this draft.

Coming away with James Wiseman and Devin Vassell or Saddiq Bey would be a tremendous haul, in my opinion. I see all three of those names as building blocks for whatever teams they go to.


Yeah that is why I mentioned it. I've seen a few mocks where Vassell slipped to 10ish which was somewhat interesting and exciting because it's closer to 17 then where I anticipated he would go. I assume once workouts start happening he's going to get a bump. I would personally feel equally excited about getting Edwards and Vassell somehow since their strengths and weaknesses seem to compliment each other and I'd like to see a bunch of young wings (including Culver and Okogie) pushing each other for playing time. Happy with Wiseman too, but I think that second prospect could be huge for us.


I think this is feasible. Our early 2nd round pick should have some significant value due to the low cap cost for these guys. There are several guys projected in this area someone would be interested in. Not sure we could get into top 10, but 11-13 seems very feasible.
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Lipoli390
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Re: Might as well talk draft....

Post by Lipoli390 »

thedoper wrote:I'd really like to see a trade up from 17. It is possible a quality prospect will still be available there, but there does seem to be a 2nd tier drop off by pick 10 or so. I think we can get a combination of two really exciting players if we found a way to move up a few spots with the 2nd pick. Moving down with the 1 makes less sense to me unless we are picking up a proven player in that transaction or if we're getting an insanely good deal (another unprotected first from a bad team like Cleveland or New York) .


I'll join Cam and Hicks in endorsing this idea. I totally agree that trading up from #17 might be the best strategy. I'd really like to end up with Vassell. Unfortunately, I don't think it's feasible to trade up high enough to nab him. But I think it's definitely feasibly to trade up enough to get Saddiq or Patrick Williams. I like both those guys, but I'm probably opt form Williams because of his upside. He's my draft sleeper although it doesn't look like folks are sleeping on him. Watching him I see really good basketball instincts as well as an impressive combination of size, strength and athleticism. I see all-star potential in him. Bey is more of a sure thing, so I can see opting for him. Otherwise, I'm high on Terrell Terry. I think he'll be available at #17.

As discussed, the top three prospects in this year's drafts all have yellow flags associated with them. But I think Wiseman is the lowest risk pick of those three. So right now, I'm leaning towards Wiseman if we keep the pick. Otherwise, I still like the idea of trading down and getting an additional asset or two, provided we end up with Okongwu or Vassell.
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Lipoli390
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Re: Might as well talk draft....

Post by Lipoli390 »

I'm sure you've all read the following report from Bleacher Report:

"No Zion Williamson, no Ja Morant, no clue. The Timberwolves have reportedly been trying to trade the top selection in the 2020 NBA Draft and one Western Conference executive told Bleacher Report that Minnesota is "confused" as to what to do.

The executive added that the Timberwolves feel they are under increased scrutiny after 'messing up last year by trading for Jarrett Culver.'

However, the site's sources claim that if no worthy offer presents itself, Minnesota is leaning toward taking LaMelo Ball with the first pick on Nov. 18. Ball is the draft's most intriguing prospect, given his unusual basketball upbringing with father LaVar dubiously pulling the strings."


Only a Minnesota Timberwolves front office would be characterized by their counterparts as "confused." I think Rosas and Gupta made a mistake right out of the gate essentially telegraphing their almost giddy desire to explore trading the #1 pick. How about doing what the Spurs, Heat, Jazz, Nuggets and OKC front office executives do? Tell the world you really like the talent in this year's draft and then keep your mouth shut. Rosas talked about proactively calling teams and trying out ideas with them. The Wolves have the top pick in the draft, along with the 17th and 33nd picks. Other teams should be calling Rosas. How about just keeping quiet publicly while privately fielding calls that come in and perhaps making a small number of calls to a few targeted teams? I still can't get over the fact that the Wolves traded up for a player without knowing for sure that he'd be available. That's amateur hour in my view. So Rosas should feel he's under increased scrutiny in this year's draft. And he needs to deliver. However, it's not encouraging that front office counterparts with other NBA teams perceive the Wolves front office as confused.
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khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]
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Re: Might as well talk draft....

Post by khans2k5 [enjin:6608728] »

So we're going with Bleacher Report now when our own local guys don't have any info on where Rosas is leaning? Wasserman is in NY and literally every NY blog reposted his report. On the same day the Knicks interviewed Ball there just happens to be a report where we are confused, trying to trade down or taking Ball when we haven't even interviewed him yet. Doesn't sound like bullshit NY click bait at all.

https://twitter.com/jonkrawczynski/status/1310677738584408064?s=21
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WildWolf2813
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Re: Might as well talk draft....

Post by WildWolf2813 »

lipoli390 wrote:I'm sure you've all read the following report from Bleacher Report:

"No Zion Williamson, no Ja Morant, no clue. The Timberwolves have reportedly been trying to trade the top selection in the 2020 NBA Draft and one Western Conference executive told Bleacher Report that Minnesota is "confused" as to what to do.

The executive added that the Timberwolves feel they are under increased scrutiny after 'messing up last year by trading for Jarrett Culver.'

However, the site's sources claim that if no worthy offer presents itself, Minnesota is leaning toward taking LaMelo Ball with the first pick on Nov. 18. Ball is the draft's most intriguing prospect, given his unusual basketball upbringing with father LaVar dubiously pulling the strings."


Only a Minnesota Timberwolves front office would be characterized by their counterparts as "confused." I think Rosas and Gupta made a mistake right out of the gate essentially telegraphing their almost giddy desire to explore trading the #1 pick. How about doing what the Spurs, Heat, Jazz, Nuggets and OKC front office executives do? Tell the world you really like the talent in this year's draft and then keep your mouth shut. Rosas talked about proactively calling teams and trying out ideas with them. The Wolves have the top pick in the draft, along with the 17th and 33nd picks. Other teams should be calling Rosas. How about just keeping quiet publicly while privately fielding calls that come in and perhaps making a small number of calls to a few targeted teams? I still can't get over the fact that the Wolves traded up for a player without knowing for sure that he'd be available. That's amateur hour in my view. So Rosas should feel he's under increased scrutiny in this year's draft. And he needs to deliver. However, it's not encouraging that front office counterparts with other NBA teams perceive the Wolves front office as confused.


Is the Warriors front office dumb too for doing the exact same thing? It's not a secret that a) this draft sucks, b) there isn't a perfect fit for this roster and c) that if they can trade this pick and expedite this rebuild, they'll do. What all those aforementioned teams have the Wolves don't is the benefit of the doubt. That's it. They are trusted to make those moves. If the Spurs decided they wanted to trade their first round pick for a dancing dolphin, they'd be called "revolutionary and cutting edge." If the Wolves traded for Giannis tomorrow we'd hear "why him? He can't shoot. Not like he's staying anyway."

The draft is 6 weeks away. If any team was sure about who they'd take, they're lying. This is a league that isn't interested in the success of the franchise, then, now or ever. You're not gonna hear good things about this franchise until they either win in spite of everyone or relocate. KAT is the most hated player in the league until he's available for trade; then everyone will love him again. Russell went from feel good redemption story in Brooklyn to player so bad trading for Wiggins makes sense. Now he's a forgotten man. Until Rosas makes shrewd moves that bear fruit (I think he's made shrewd moves; we just don't know if they'll pay off) this is gonna be the perception of what's going on.
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Camden [enjin:6601484]
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Re: Might as well talk draft....

Post by Camden [enjin:6601484] »

I think the Wolves are pretty set at point guard in the present and future as I believe D'Angelo Russell is quietly one of the more dynamic lead guards in the league, and Jordan McLaughlin is a quality backup at the position, BUT...

I really like Tyrell Terry. I probably have him higher on my board than most that I've seen and I think he'll easily outperform his draft slot. We've debated about who the best shooter is in this draft and I think it's this kid. Spot-up, catch-and-shoot, coming off screens, off the dribble -- he's more than capable in different situations.

Terry shot 40.8-percent from three on 4.9 attempts per game. That's not necessarily blistering, but it's quite good especially for a freshman. Ironically, it's the same three-point percentage that Jamal Murray shot at Kentucky several years ago albeit on less attempts. Terry shot 42-percent from deep on spot-up threes (38 attempts) and 57.9-percent off screens (11 attempts) in his lone season at Stanford. Obviously, you'd like to see those attempts higher, but they help paint the picture of what his strengths are.

Terry's also quietly an elite finisher at the rim -- 61.5-percent shooting at the rim -- and a sneaky good defender despite his slight frame. He reminds me of Tyus Jones on that end, actually.

I like him a lot in this class and the Wolves have reportedly been in contact with him quite a bit during the draft process according to the local guys we rely on for news. I've seen Terry projected to go in the 20's and even as low as the early second-round. Personally, I like him at the back end of the lottery.
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Q12543 [enjin:6621299]
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Re: Might as well talk draft....

Post by Q12543 [enjin:6621299] »

Camden wrote:I think the Wolves are pretty set at point guard in the present and future as I believe D'Angelo Russell is quietly one of the more dynamic lead guards in the league, and Jordan McLaughlin is a quality backup at the position, BUT...

I really like Tyrell Terry. I probably have him higher on my board than most that I've seen and I think he'll easily outperform his draft slot. We've debated about who the best shooter is in this draft and I think it's this kid. Spot-up, catch-and-shoot, coming off screens, off the dribble -- he's more than capable in different situations.

Terry shot 40.8-percent from three on 4.9 attempts per game. That's not necessarily blistering, but it's quite good especially for a freshman. Ironically, it's the same three-point percentage that Jamal Murray shot at Kentucky several years ago albeit on less attempts. Terry shot 42-percent from deep on spot-up threes (38 attempts) and 57.9-percent off screens (11 attempts) in his lone season at Stanford. Obviously, you'd like to see those attempts higher, but they help paint the picture of what his strengths are.

Terry's also quietly an elite finisher at the rim -- 61.5-percent shooting at the rim -- and a sneaky good defender despite his slight frame. He reminds me of Tyus Jones on that end, actually.

I like him a lot in this class and the Wolves have reportedly been in contact with him quite a bit during the draft process according to the local guys we rely on for news. I've seen Terry projected to go in the 20's and even as low as the early second-round. Personally, I like him at the back end of the lottery.


Seems gettable at #17. I do feel like after this draft, assuming we don't trade our picks for a vet, that we will have a bundle of young assets, of which hopefully a couple real gems could emerge: Nowell, Reid, Culver, Vanderbilt, McLaughlin, #1 pick, #17 pick....something has to pop there right!? For once?
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Q12543 [enjin:6621299]
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Re: Might as well talk draft....

Post by Q12543 [enjin:6621299] »

I also think this team is weak in the "big wing" department, i.e. someone that can play a traditional SF spot or small-ball 4. Nearly all of our wings are traditional SGs, but small 3's.
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BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]
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Re: Might as well talk draft....

Post by BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520] »

Q12543 wrote:I also think this team is weak in the "big wing" department, i.e. someone that can play a traditional SF spot or small-ball 4. Nearly all of our wings are traditional SGs, but small 3's.


Andrei Kirilenko?
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