Minnesota Sports Forum

Great find. I would love him in the second round. I am wondering which 2nd round guards would be available to be a solid backup behinds Rubio. Every year there is 1 or 2. A lot of it has to due which situation and team they are drafted to.

Dinwiddie is the best talker in the draft...you can see why his nickname on the Colorado campus is "The Mayor"...hmmm....maybe two Mayors on our squad next year?

Interesting prospect. I think he definitely drops to the 2nd round, and maybe even to #53, because he's not going to play until 2015-16. Also, teams are not going to be able to assess the impact his ACL tear had on his athleticism, which was only average to begin with. But I would think a team like the Wolves (with 3 2nd rounders) would be more likely than other teams to take a chance on Spencer.

I also like Wilby with a mid or late 2nd round pick.

BizarroJerry wrote:I also like Wilby with a mid or late 2nd round pick.

I know he'd be a rookie, but I also think there's a good chance he'd be an immediate upgrade over Barea as backup PG. His defense, rebounding, passing and arguably his shooting is all better. Barea much better finisher, but Wilby came on strong last year in his dribble drives. Was the main cog in that Florida team, who was the best team in the nation.

PS: Wilby worked out for the Wolves this past Sunday. I feel pretty good about his chances of being a Wolf.

If we did trade Love and went Smart at 6 and Stauskas at 13, we'd have a really nice rotation at PG/SG. I'd also feel much better about Rubio's contract extension because if his agent demands too high, we're set for the future anyway. Very well could be the BPA at both selections and we desperately need help at guard.

Camden wrote:

BizarroJerry wrote:I also like Wilby with a mid or late 2nd round pick.

I know he'd be a rookie, but I also think there's a good chance he'd be an immediate upgrade over Barea as backup PG. His defense, rebounding, passing and arguably his shooting is all better. Barea much better finisher, but Wilby came on strong last year in his dribble drives. Was the main cog in that Florida team, who was the best team in the nation.

PS: Wilby worked out for the Wolves this past Sunday. I feel pretty good about his chances of being a Wolf.

I like Wilby...especially his intensity. And as you said, he was the straw that stirred the drink for that good Florida squad. But similarly, Alexey Shved was the straw that stirred the drink for the bronze medal winning Russian Olympic team. And I have a difficult time believing that if Wilby had been plugged into the starting PG spot for that Russian Olympic team two years ago, that they still would have won a bronze medal. Shveddy was matched up against other PGs like Chris Paul and Manu Gnobili, while Wilby was up against Andrew Harrison and Jordan Clarkson.

I have seen both Shved and Wilby at PG against good competition, and I think Shved is better. I disregard Alexey's performance at SG, because it was clear that is not his position...I don't think Wilbekin would have thrived as Adelman's SG either. Not saying Wilby wouldn't be a good 2nd round pick for PG depth, but Shved at his best is a much better PG than Wilby at his best.

longstrangetrip wrote:

Camden wrote:

BizarroJerry wrote:I also like Wilby with a mid or late 2nd round pick.

I know he'd be a rookie, but I also think there's a good chance he'd be an immediate upgrade over Barea as backup PG. His defense, rebounding, passing and arguably his shooting is all better. Barea much better finisher, but Wilby came on strong last year in his dribble drives. Was the main cog in that Florida team, who was the best team in the nation.

PS: Wilby worked out for the Wolves this past Sunday. I feel pretty good about his chances of being a Wolf.

I like Wilby...especially his intensity. And as you said, he was the straw that stirred the drink for that good Florida squad. But similarly, Alexey Shved was the straw that stirred the drink for the bronze medal winning Russian Olympic team. And I have a difficult time believing that if Wilby had been plugged into the starting PG spot for that Russian Olympic team two years ago, that they still would have won a bronze medal. Shveddy was matched up against other PGs like Chris Paul and Manu Gnobili, while Wilby was up against Andrew Harrison and Jordan Clarkson.

I have seen both Shved and Wilby at PG against good competition, and I think Shved is better. I disregard Alexey's performance at SG, because it was clear that is not his position...I don't think Wilbekin would have thrived as Adelman's SG either. Not saying Wilby wouldn't be a good 2nd round pick for PG depth, but Shved at his best is a much better PG than Wilby at his best.

I don't know how much stock I can put into what Alexey did in one tournament, even if he was the one carrying his team to bronze. We've seen what Alexey can and can't do in the NBA, and unlike you I've already given up on him. He doesn't have one aspect of his game that is above average, in my opinion. His vision may be the only thing you can use to argue for him, but he negates that ability because he's super turnover prone.

Wilby will, at the very least, be an above average defender in the NBA on point guards. He's that good on defense. Wilby's also a better shooter than Shved. Just shot 39% from three last season making 2 3s a game, and as someone that watched every game of his, a lot of them were NBA range. He may not have the natural court vision Shved has, but he doesn't force the issue. He knows when to make the simple basketball play instead of driving wildly to the basket, leaving his feet and tossing the ball up for grabs (Alexey..).

So while I respect Shved's showing for the Russian team, I disregard it because I've seen enough of him already. Compare the two as prospects. If you were drafting a backup PG, would you take Shved or Wilby? I'm taking Wilby and it's no contest.

I still don't see how it makes sense that Shved can only play PG. Harden is a 2 who spends a lot of time with the ball creating like a PG. Shved shoots better off the catch and shoot (he can't shoot that well overall though) and can make plays like a PG. He can guard 1's and 2's. I think he has been misused his entire time here in MN. He gives the unit he is on a second ball handler and playmaker with whatever PG he is with. His shooting hasn't come around yet, but I don't see how he is not used in a 50/50 role with the backup PG running the offense. I think ditching JJ will be huge for Shved because JJ dribbles the air out of the ball and doesn't split the playmaking duty. Good teams have more than 1 playmaker on the court at all times and last year the responsibility was almost solely on Ricky and JJ. Shved lacks consistency and shooting, but he has everything else on paper that teams want from SGs. He makes plays, plays defense and can usually hit open shots. I think Ricky and Shved really should play more together because they can help take the playmaking pressure off each other. Westbrook/Durant, Lebron/Wade, Lance/George, Parker/Manu. I'm not saying Ricky and Shved are anywhere near their levels of play, but it shows that the best teams have two playmakers running the show and we only had 1 last year.

I don't disagree, khans, that there's no reason that Shved can't be paired with Rubio at times...can't hurt to have two distributors on the court. But I think that Alexey will need to grow into the position, as what he is accustomed to is being the primary ballhandler....that's when he has been most successful. Those who have written Alexey off don't realize what a disservice Adelman did in asking him to play out of position. He's a young man in a new country, and hardly speaks the language, and how does Adelman choose to help him in his transition to a new league and country? "Alexey, I know you've always been a point guard and feel most comfortable with the ball in your hands, but I want you to be a shooting guard now...it'll all work out , trust me. Understand? Alexey? Alexey?"

My hope is that our new coach will watch some film of the 2012 Olympics and recognize what he has on his roster, rather than trying to pound Alexey into a square hole.

Chicago--Love trade and using those assets for high picks:


MIN: Love, Budinger

CHI: Gibson, Butler, Mirotic, No. 16, No. 19
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MIN: Gibson

SAC: No. 8
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MIN: Mirotic, No. 16

LAL: No. 7
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MIN: No. 8, No. 13

UTA: No. 5
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MIN in: No. 5, No. 7, No. 19, Butler

MIN out: Love, Budinger, No. 13
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Results

5: Smart
7: Vonleh
19: Adams
40: Pat Young
44: Jokic (Euro stash)
53: Wilbekin

PG: Rubio/Wilbekin
SG: Smart/Martin
SF: Butler/Brewer
PF: Vonleh/Young
C: Pekovic/Dieng

Muhammad gets the short end of the stick here, but it does look a team that's balanced. Perimeter shooting would need to be improved, but defensively it looks awesome. Should be able to score with Rubio, Pekovic, Smart and Martin.

Just another scenario to throw into the hundreds of them.