Minnesota Sports Forum

monsterpile wrote:

Camden wrote:KAT needs to regain some weight this off-season. He needs to get bigger and stronger. No more 235-pound KAT. Need him closer to 250.

Towns has played at various weights and IMHO it hasn't made any difference. He might as well play lighter and use his other strengths to his advantage. Get that bigger player that can help him out and compliment the other bigs including Vanderbilt and Naz.

Exactly. If you gain weight you're going to lose at least some quickness. Not that hard to figure out. Kat has been great this year because he's been using his quickness to drive at will.

monsterpile wrote:

Camden wrote:KAT needs to regain some weight this off-season. He needs to get bigger and stronger. No more 235-pound KAT. Need him closer to 250.

Towns has played at various weights and IMHO it hasn't made any difference. He might as well play lighter and use his other strengths to his advantage. Get that bigger player that can help him out and compliment the other bigs including Vanderbilt and Naz.

I have to disagree. He's more easily moved off his spot this year and it's almost certainly the result of weight loss and perhaps a change in his training program. You won't see a difference on the offensive end because he's arguably the most skilled big to ever play the game and can score anywhere on the court. Where I see the difference is defensively and on the glass. Battling for position. Getting bodied by driving guards and wings. I think he needs that extra weight and strength to hold up better in those situations. Plus, it's not like he wasn't nimble/mobile/quick at his old playing weight. The guy has always been able to drive from the perimeter. He just wasn't being directed to do it as much as he is this year with Chris Finch.

And that's a separate topic. The Wolves do need to add size to the roster. They need more quality bigs than what they currently have. All true.

But I think it would also really help Towns if he got back to his previous weight and strength level.

Camden wrote:

D-Loser wrote:It seems like that really is pretty much what you're doing actually lol... otherwise what exactly are you arguing. I'm fine with 20 mil per year, and it seems like that's what everyone else is saying too. Your line about who we could replace him with is such a cop out dude... you act like this would be the first instance where a team would have to replace a player.

Your first couple of sentences made no sense. I'm aware D-Lo's in a slump. I also don't think there's much to it. He's streaky. He also just torched defenses for two and a half months and was bound to cool off. He'll come out of it eventually.

Also, we haven't seen you around here for quite a while. I wonder why that is. Huh.

Did it ever occur to you that maybe this is the norm and the hot streak was the outlier? Realistically he's probably somewhere between his good play and what we've seen lately. All I've ever said since the beginning is that dlo is a 20M player and not a max player. Now other people are saying that and you're arguing with them too lol. Dlo has become a solid starting guard on a playoff team. Even with this slump he's still had a good year, but do you really think he's worth more than a 4/80 contract? Camden, why don't you actually go on record... if you were the new wolves GM and you had to resign dlo today, what's the most you'd be willing to pay? Instead of ripping on me, say what you would do.

Camden wrote:

monsterpile wrote:

Camden wrote:KAT needs to regain some weight this off-season. He needs to get bigger and stronger. No more 235-pound KAT. Need him closer to 250.

Towns has played at various weights and IMHO it hasn't made any difference. He might as well play lighter and use his other strengths to his advantage. Get that bigger player that can help him out and compliment the other bigs including Vanderbilt and Naz.

I have to disagree. He's more easily moved off his spot this year and it's almost certainly the result of weight loss and perhaps a change in his training program. You won't see a difference on the offensive end because he's arguably the most skilled big to ever play the game and can score anywhere on the court. Where I see the difference is defensively and on the glass. Battling for position. Getting bodied by driving guards and wings. I think he needs that extra weight and strength to hold up better in those situations. Plus, it's not like he wasn't nimble/mobile/quick at his old playing weight. The guy has always been able to drive from the perimeter. He just wasn't being directed to do it as much as he is this year with Chris Finch.

And that's a separate topic. The Wolves do need to add size to the roster. They need more quality bigs than what they currently have. All true.

But I think it would also really help Towns if he got back to his previous weight and strength level.

You really think towns would be as good at driving with an extra 15 lbs? Yeah, he's always been good, but this year he's been great at it. Towns shouldn't change a thing right now. The wolves need to sign another big this off-season that can play next to him against bigger lineups

D-Loser wrote:Did it ever occur to you that maybe this is the norm and the hot streak was the outlier? Realistically he's probably somewhere between his good play and what we've seen lately. All I've ever said since the beginning is that dlo is a 20M player and not a max player. Now other people are saying that and you're arguing with them too lol. Dlo has become a solid starting guard on a playoff team. Even with this slump he's still had a good year, but do you really think he's worth more than a 4/80 contract? Camden, why don't you actually go on record... if you were the new wolves GM and you had to resign dlo today, what's the most you'd be willing to pay? Instead of ripping on me, say what you would do.

We've already had the "How would Camden attempt to extend D'Angelo Russell" conversation. I'm sorry you weren't here to witness and partake in it. I assume that was when D-Lo was averaging 19 and 7.5 on .602 TS% from January to mid-March and you were no where to be found. The Loser had coincidentally gone missing.

And no, that's not all you've ever said. I'm not even certain you've said that before today, to be honest, but who really knows. You've irrationally berated Russell for the majority of his tenure in Minnesota -- including the same behavior towards those that had more positive stances about him than you did. Instead of conceding and admitting that the guy is just flat out better than you gave him credit for, we somehow always get into a reoccurring spat. I don't understand the digging of the heels on this particular topic, but so be it.

My feeling is that kek's frustration with D-Lo over the past couple of weeks has been mounting from game thread to game thread and he made what I would consider an illogical take because the Wolves were getting their ass beat. We hashed it out. And now we move on. You and I will do the same thing here.

D-Loser wrote:You really think towns would be as good at driving with an extra 15 lbs? Yeah, he's always been good, but this year he's been great at it. Towns shouldn't change a thing right now. The wolves need to sign another big this off-season that can play next to him against bigger lineups

2018-19: 3.6 drives, 3.0 PTS, 54.5 FG%, 82.1 PTS%
2019-20: 4.1 drives, 3.4 PTS, 56.3 FG%, 82.5 PTS%
2020-21: 5.6 drives, 4.5 PTS, 53.8 FG%, 80.4 PTS%
2021-22: 7.9 drives, 6.5 PTS, 58.0 FG%, 83.3 PTS%

Would Karl-Anthony Towns be as good at driving while playing heavier/stronger? Probably not as good, but history tells us he's always been good on the drive. KAT's just freakishly talented. Additionally, we know that Chris Finch has made a concerted effort this season to get KAT the ball with more opportunities to drive instead of relying on back-to-the-basket opportunities, which explains the volume being up. Towns was frequently getting called for offensive fouls and struggling to score in the post -- another potential weight/strength-related issue -- so Finch pivoted. Big kudos to him.

We're also in the midst of the worst rebounding season of Towns' career and while the presence of Jarred Vanderbilt is definitely part of the equation there are additional factors at play. I tend to think Towns being smaller, and perhaps physically weaker, than he's been is one of them. He just doesn't secure his position as easily and as effectively as he has in the past from my view.

So, do I think Towns could still be good on the drive while also having additional bulk/strength to use defensively and on the glass? Yes, I do. And the result would be an even more productive KAT, in my opinion.

Camden wrote:

monsterpile wrote:

Camden wrote:KAT needs to regain some weight this off-season. He needs to get bigger and stronger. No more 235-pound KAT. Need him closer to 250.

Towns has played at various weights and IMHO it hasn't made any difference. He might as well play lighter and use his other strengths to his advantage. Get that bigger player that can help him out and compliment the other bigs including Vanderbilt and Naz.

I have to disagree. He's more easily moved off his spot this year and it's almost certainly the result of weight loss and perhaps a change in his training program. You won't see a difference on the offensive end because he's arguably the most skilled big to ever play the game and can score anywhere on the court. Where I see the difference is defensively and on the glass. Battling for position. Getting bodied by driving guards and wings. I think he needs that extra weight and strength to hold up better in those situations. Plus, it's not like he wasn't nimble/mobile/quick at his old playing weight. The guy has always been able to drive from the perimeter. He just wasn't being directed to do it as much as he is this year with Chris Finch.

And that's a separate topic. The Wolves do need to add size to the roster. They need more quality bigs than what they currently have. All true.

But I think it would also really help Towns if he got back to his previous weight and strength level.

You've watched the games so I respect what you say you have observed. Still I will mention that we are talking about less than a rebound per game which as you brought up could easily be attributed to Vanderbilt playing more with Towns.

I personally think Towns needs to find the right playing weight for him then work to get stronger at that weight. Some of that is simply learning how to play at that weight. There have been plenty of guys that have not really gained much weight but simply play stronger than they have previously when they were younger. As someone that's always weighed more than the average human for my size (I have ridiculous bone density) that extra weight does help. I also know that adding extra weight does make a difference in terms of speed, quickness, verticality and also the wear and tear on the body. I think the way Towns plays he would be better off staying lighter for his health and learn to utilize his mobility more.

The last time the Wolves out rebounded their opponents overall for the season was the year we went to the Playoffs with Butler. The Wolves played fairly legit bigs and even had Bjelly sometimes at SF. Still the Wolves were out rebounded on the defensive glass that year.

The Wolves just played the Celtics who out rebound out their opponents. They play basically 2 guys together that some teams would consider centers. Tatum and brown also combine for over 14 rebounds a game. Towns needs help on the boards and it's not just adding one 1 guy. Some other players need to do a little more in that area too. Still the progression this team has made as a winning basketball team is pretty encouraging. I know they have gotten crushed on the boards in some games like last night but Hopefully the Wolves can add to it this summer (or maybe even before with a vet min singing...please!!!!).

Camden wrote:

D-Loser wrote:Did it ever occur to you that maybe this is the norm and the hot streak was the outlier? Realistically he's probably somewhere between his good play and what we've seen lately. All I've ever said since the beginning is that dlo is a 20M player and not a max player. Now other people are saying that and you're arguing with them too lol. Dlo has become a solid starting guard on a playoff team. Even with this slump he's still had a good year, but do you really think he's worth more than a 4/80 contract? Camden, why don't you actually go on record... if you were the new wolves GM and you had to resign dlo today, what's the most you'd be willing to pay? Instead of ripping on me, say what you would do.

We've already had the "How would Camden attempt to extend D'Angelo Russell" conversation. I'm sorry you weren't here to witness and partake in it. I assume that was when D-Lo was averaging 19 and 7.5 on .602 TS% from January to mid-March and you were no where to be found. The Loser had coincidentally gone missing.

And no, that's not all you've ever said. I'm not even certain you've said that before today, to be honest, but who really knows. You've irrationally berated Russell for the majority of his tenure in Minnesota -- including the same behavior towards those that had more positive stances about him than you did. Instead of conceding and admitting that the guy is just flat out better than you gave him credit for, we somehow always get into a reoccurring spat. I don't understand the digging of the heels on this particular topic, but so be it.

My feeling is that kek's frustration with D-Lo over the past couple of weeks has been mounting from game thread to game thread and he made what I would consider an illogical take because the Wolves were getting their ass beat. We hashed it out. And now we move on. You and I will do the same thing here.

Yeah, that is what I've always said. Go back and look if you care. I was always good with paying him somewhere in the neighborhood of 20/year (at the most)... my concern has always been that he's going to (irrationally) want 30 or maybe even a bit higher. Just because you post here more often doesn't make you right and me wrong. You're a good poster, but I just think you have rose colored glasses for dlo. Kat and Ant are the two most important guys on this team, and I still argue McDaniels is 3rd. If Dlo wants more than 20/year I trade him or let him walk. I'd be more than happy rolling with Beverly, nowell, Jmac and whatever guard I could sign for 20/year.