How would you fill the final roster spots?

[kekgeek]

After watching Kevon Harris again in game 2, I'm convinced the Wolves should offer him the team's other 2-way contract. His ability to get to the rim and finish in traffic would be a huge asset. And he's been an absolutely stellar defender - by far the best defender on the Wolves Summer League squad and perhaps the best I've seen in all the games I've seen here.

Meanwhile, I'd offer McClung one of the three remaining regular roster spots on the Wolves. I'm just surprised no team has signed him yet. He's way too good for the Wolves to go unsigned for the season. I'd McClung and Minott to two of the Wolves remaining three roster spots after . Then I'd sign Greg Monroe or Taj Gibson to the last roster spot. We could always release or buy-out Greg or Taj later in the season if someone better became available.

I'm out on Harris. Yes he has been the wolves best summer league player and good for him on giving himself a chance at a contract.

Here are my negatives
- he is 25 years old already, he is 4 years older then any of the wolves other starters he should be dominating this competition
- he has been in the G league the last 2 years and shot 30% from 3 both years so he is not a guy who will be a good shooter at the nba level
- how many guys need to get hurt before he would see NBA minutes? I agree he has been great taking it to the hole but it's sort of like shabazz Muhammad in post ups. He has this solid skill but I would rather have 8 other guys on the wolves roster taking a shot before Harris tries to score driving the ball.
- Cool mentioned this in the GDT, the guy does not pass. Now the wolves SL team can't score but Harris has been a massive black hole and hasn't shown playmaking ability
- in my opinion I like giving 2 way contracts to guys who have legit upside or have 1 elite nba skill. With Harris being 25 already, no elite nba skill. It is a pass for me

[Monster]

After watching Kevon Harris again in game 2, I'm convinced the Wolves should offer him the team's other 2-way contract. His ability to get to the rim and finish in traffic would be a huge asset. And he's been an absolutely stellar defender - by far the best defender on the Wolves Summer League squad and perhaps the best I've seen in all the games I've seen here.

Meanwhile, I'd offer McClung one of the three remaining regular roster spots on the Wolves. I'm just surprised no team has signed him yet. He's way too good for the Wolves to go unsigned for the season. I'd McClung and Minott to two of the Wolves remaining three roster spots after . Then I'd sign Greg Monroe or Taj Gibson to the last roster spot. We could always release or buy-out Greg or Taj later in the season if someone better became available.

I'm out on Harris. Yes he has been the wolves best summer league player and good for him on giving himself a chance at a contract.

Here are my negatives
- he is 25 years old already, he is 4 years older then any of the wolves other starters he should be dominating this competition
- he has been in the G league the last 2 years and shot 30% from 3 both years so he is not a guy who will be a good shooter at the nba level
- how many guys need to get hurt before he would see NBA minutes? I agree he has been great taking it to the hole but it's sort of like shabazz Muhammad in post ups. He has this solid skill but I would rather have 8 other guys on the wolves roster taking a shot before Harris tries to score driving the ball.
- Cool mentioned this in the GDT, the guy does not pass. Now the wolves SL team can't score but Harris has been a massive black hole and hasn't shown playmaking ability
- in my opinion I like giving 2 way contracts to guys who have legit upside or have 1 elite nba skill. With Harris being 25 already, no elite nba skill. It is a pass for me

I'm not really in on Harris but I will make some notes on his 3 point shooting. He shot over 34% on 3's in 24 regular season g-league games last year. In another 13 games 11 in the showcase cup and 2 playoff games he shot over 40%. In college he shot almost 40% for his career. His first year on the G-league he played limited minutes in 7 games and did shoot 33% from 3. In not suggesting he is a knockdown 3 point shooter but I think there is evidence he could actually he a guy that could hit them at the NBA level. Maybe he isn't good at being a catch and shoot guy and that could be a problem.

As for potential he turned 25 a few days ago and the Summer league isn't just young guys there are plenty of dudes the same age or older as Harris. Sometimes one of your last roster spots can be used to find a worthwhile role player. Would you like to find the next Gary Payton II or Torrey Craig? Those are some older players that made it later that I can think off the top of my head. It's also worth noting that he was in the draft class that got no summer league and only played a handful of games in the g-league their first year out of college due to the pandemic so he and others didn't get as much development opportunity.

He had 1 assist in that last game! Lol the commentary on his passing reminds me of watching a Bucks game at SL last year and me and the guys sitting a couple rows in front of me were joking about how many passes (or lack thereof) jordan nwora from the Bucks had. At halftime the one guy was like "He hasn't passed yet! And I said no he had a pass about halfway the through the first half on a simple swing pass on the far side of the court. 2nd half he had more passes and every time he had one the guy in front of me would throw up his hand with the corresponding amount fingers of how many passes he had for the entire game. It was a good time! I think he did get to 6 total passes and he played A LOT! Anyways I did look into Harris playmaking skills a couple days ago to he if he was actually a PG that some people online suggested. With the 905 last season there was a few guys that had around the same assist numbers he had 3.5 assists per game and he played with Ashton Hagens who averaged 6.7 a game. Maybe he would have had more with more opportunities. Still he doesn't look like a PG to me based on G-league clips but maybe a combo guard type. He also looks pretty big to play PG. The coaching staff may have specifically told him to be aggressive scoring the ball in summer league.

Again I think there are other guys I will like better for a 2 way spot but I think there are some worthwhile qualities about Harris. I don't know if I really think his D is good or not but if it was that could be an elite skill. Of course it's worth asking what Okogie would look like balling in the Summer league.

[Lipoli390]

Monster - If Okogie played in Summer League now we'd see a terrific, aggressive defender with very limited ball-handling ability who can't shoot. Just what we've seen from him in the NBA. :). Regarding Harris, I was going to recite his G-League 3-point shooting stats but you beat me to it. He has nice shooting form and was hitting his threes consistently in practice. But his long-range perimeter shooting is a question mark mark as is his passing. Unlike Okogie, he's a terrific ball-handler. He's actually a pretty amazing combination of size and ball-handling. His toughness along with ability to use his combination of ball-handling, physical strength and quickness to score attacking the rim is what makes him an interesting peripheral player on a two-way contract.

But the guy I really want the Wolves to sign is Mac McClung.

[Lipoli390]

The #Timberwolves had scout and longtime #NBA executive/coach Ed Tapscott watch free agent guard Dennis Smith Jr. in a showcase this afternoon in Vegas. Smith Jr. played for Portland last year, season ended early due to a partially torn UCL.

This report was from Doogie, so take it for what it's worth. :). But if the Wolves are thinking of using one of their three remaining roster spots to add a PG, then it makes sense for them to consider Dennis Smith Jr. There's actually a pretty impressive list of available free-agent PGs who could be solid backups for the Wolves.

I like the following PGs

1. Mac McClung - Best choice if we want youth and upside to mitigate our depleted supply of draft assets
2. Dennis Schroder -- Best choice for a solid vet who can be counted on if DLO gets hurt
3. Eric Bledsoe -- Next best choice for solid vet
4. Davon Dotson - I've always liked him. Very quick. Looked great in Vegas. Another upside choice
5. Frank Jackson - Pretty solid young vet
6. Kris Dunn - Love his defense. But still a bad 3-point shooter with serious durability issues

The best big still available by far is Montrezl Harrell, but he's facing a felony drug possession charge. My list of best remaining bigs consists of:

1. Cousins - I'm always leery of him, but he's still a terrific talent, experience vet really big.
2. Luka Garza - Not sure he's gettable with our $4.4M trade exception. A nice upside target
3. Blake Griffin - Is there anything left in his tank. He's 33 with history of physical issues.
4. Aldridge - Not sure there's anything left in his 37-year-old tank
5. Paul Millsap - I'm surprised he's still available. Not sure he has anything left at age 37

There are a few SF free agents worth considering:

1. Tony Snell
2. Rodney Hood
3. Jaylen Hoard

[Monster]

The #Timberwolves had scout and longtime #NBA executive/coach Ed Tapscott watch free agent guard Dennis Smith Jr. in a showcase this afternoon in Vegas. Smith Jr. played for Portland last year, season ended early due to a partially torn UCL.

This report was from Doogie, so take it for what it's worth. :). But if the Wolves are thinking of using one of their three remaining roster spots to add a PG, then it makes sense for them to consider Dennis Smith Jr. There's actually a pretty impressive list of available free-agent PGs who could be solid backups for the Wolves.

I like the following PGs

1. Mac McClung - Best choice if we want youth and upside to mitigate our depleted supply of draft assets
2. Dennis Schroder -- Best choice for a solid vet who can be counted on if DLO gets hurt
3. Eric Bledsoe -- Next best choice for solid vet
4. Davon Dotson - I've always liked him. Very quick. Looked great in Vegas. Another upside choice
5. Frank Jackson - Pretty solid young vet
6. Kris Dunn - Love his defense. But still a bad 3-point shooter with serious durability issues

The best big still available by far is Montrezl Harrell, but he's facing a felony drug possession charge. My list of best remaining bigs consists of:

1. Cousins - I'm always leery of him, but he's still a terrific talent, experience vet really big.
2. Luka Garza - Not sure he's gettable with our $4.4M trade exception. A nice upside target
3. Blake Griffin - Is there anything left in his tank. He's 33 with history of physical issues.
4. Aldridge - Not sure there's anything left in his 37-year-old tank
5. Paul Millsap - I'm surprised he's still available. Not sure he has anything left at age 37

There are a few SF free agents worth considering:

1. Tony Snell
2. Rodney Hood
3. Jaylen Hoard

I had interest in Smith a few weeks ago (was before the Gobert trade) but I didn't look into why he was available after the season so it was an injury partly. I can't remember if he has had injuries or just didn't play because he wasn't that good and depth of options in front of him. He seemingly has went from a score first PG to one that actually offers resistance defensively and his assist numbers aren't too shabby. Even if he isn't the athlete he once was he still has some nice physical gifts. I would send someone to see what he looked like if I was running a team.

Garza was on a 2-way contract and the Pistons let him go. I think he would be very gettable for a vet min deal. Who knows maybe he has to accept a 2 way deal. He hasn't played much for Portland's SL team.

[Lipoli390]

Adrian Wojnarowski: ESPN Sources: EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micic continues to attract significant interest among several NBA teams who'd like to acquire and sign him. OKC has rights to 6-foot-5 PG, but doesn't fit their rebuild timeline at 28. Micic would like to join NBA next season if deal's found - via Twitter wojespn

How about this guy? I know nothing about him.

[WildWolf2813]

sounds like he'll just stay overseas. Besides, I can't see him coming over if he's just gonna be a third string guard. He can just remain a star in Turkey.

[Lipoli390]

Well, with the Rivers signing the Wolves are down to 2 roster spots. Will Minott get one of those final two spots? If so, wil l they fill the other and if so with whom? Will they sign Minott to the other 2-way contract and fill one of the remaining two roster spots with a veteran big? If so, who will that big be? These are the burning questions for the board right now.

[Sundog]

Well, with the Rivers signing the Wolves are down to 2 roster spots. Will Minott get one of those final two spots? If so, wil l they fill the other and if so with whom? Will they sign Minott to the other 2-way contract and fill one of the remaining two roster spots with a veteran big? If so, who will that big be? These are the burning questions for the board right now.

I posted this in the Rivers thread: I'm confused about the number of remaining roster spots. I think I'm assuming Knight will be signed as the 4th big, and probably not on another two-way -- right? If so, does that mean the only spots left are the two two-ways? Or is there a roster spot for Minott?

Lip, you seem to think there's a roster spot for Minott ... I think that'd be a good move, as long as he can spend time in Iowa. He's a great talent but definitely needs significant seasoning.

I also posted this: This team is again remarkably deep, now with more veterans that have playoff experience. The team also seems well-situated to absorb the minor injuries to key players that usually happen in the course of the season. Is that the board's sense as well?

[Sundog]

Given a choice for additional PG help for a final roster spot, who would you rather see:

- Dennis Smith Jr
- Kevon Harris
- Mac McClung
- or a blast from Connelly's past, Emmanuel Mudiay?

I really liked what I saw of Harris and McClung from summer league. I know folks on the board were pretty split on Harris, but he can shoot 3s, plays tough defense, and was about the only Wolves summer league player with the grit and confidence to step up when needed.

McClung was G league MVP and rocked his summer league opportunities.

No idea what's going on with Smith or Mudiay. Smith just had a work out session for the Wolves, Knicks and a bunch of other teams. Mudiay is still only 25 but couldn't catch on with the Kings after signing a 10 day last year.