lipoli390 wrote:I generally agree with Drew about not tying up significant money on someone who only shoots threes. Makes we wonder again why we didn't pursue Afflalo - a very good three-point shooter who can defend and do some other things. He ended up getting a very cap-friendly contract.
I don't know who's left among free agents who's a really good three-point shooter but more than a one-trick poney.
I thought the exact thing with Afflalo. Would have been a good fit here and his contract isn't at all ridiculous.
I would go after Seth Curry and Terrance Jones and call it a day. That would give us a roster full of depth and upside for Thibs and the gang to build on. Maybe not a playoff roster, but close.
longstrangetrip wrote:While I don't disagree with the narrative that you can never have too much shooting, let's revisit the most amazing Wolves' stat I have read in a long time...we ranked 3rd in the league in 3-point shooting percentage after the all-star break...3rd, behind the Spurs and Warriors! Our best 4:
Belly 48.3%
Zach 46.2
Wig 41.3
Ricky 36.9
That's 3 starters and an important reserve who all had a very good half year beyond the arc. One could argue that the sample size is too small, but it's 1/4 of Wig and Zach's career, and half of Belly's career...that's a solid sample size in my opinion. Further, the Wolves offense last year was one of the worst in creating the most efficient shot in basketball...the corner three. A little more creativity in setting up corner threes could make last year's second half results even better.
Yes, let's go out and find another shooter, but let's not forget that there's some evidence that 3-point shooting might not be the problem we think it is...it could actually be a strength.
How many 3s were taken between belly and Rubio? Enough to actually make any kind of assessment?
I guess we are actually going to have to prove something before being able to lure legit free agents. I'm glad we got a back up center, but we still don't have a starting 4 on the roster.
longstrangetrip wrote:While I don't disagree with the narrative that you can never have too much shooting, let's revisit the most amazing Wolves' stat I have read in a long time...we ranked 3rd in the league in 3-point shooting percentage after the all-star break...3rd, behind the Spurs and Warriors! Our best 4:
Belly 48.3%
Zach 46.2
Wig 41.3
Ricky 36.9
That's 3 starters and an important reserve who all had a very good half year beyond the arc. One could argue that the sample size is too small, but it's 1/4 of Wig and Zach's career, and half of Belly's career...that's a solid sample size in my opinion. Further, the Wolves offense last year was one of the worst in creating the most efficient shot in basketball...the corner three. A little more creativity in setting up corner threes could make last year's second half results even better.
Yes, let's go out and find another shooter, but let's not forget that there's some evidence that 3-point shooting might not be the problem we think it is...it could actually be a strength.
How many 3s were taken between belly and Rubio? Enough to actually make any kind of assessment?
Not enough, pork...only 3PG for Ricky and 2.1PG for Belly. That's an issue for this team...nobody (even Zach) takes enough threes. I'm hoping the new coaching staff will encourage guys like Belly to take more threes. I'd also give the green light to Wig, Zach, Ricky, KAT and Bazz (from the corner only) and even Gorgui whenever they find themselves wide open. I think Flip and Sam have held the team back in 3-point shooting, and that there's enough shooting talent on this team that it can actually become a strength rather than a weakness.
The only thing I'm disappointed with in free agency is that we couldn't get either Horford or Durant to even consider us. The 4 year deals most of the top free agents received just wouldn't have been smart outcomes for the Wolves. I'm not at all surprised that Thibs former players wanted nothing to do with a reunion. I never wanted Deng and am happy the Lakers are saddled with a contract they will regret in two years.
I've been thinking Butler could still be in play for us, but the Rondo deal has me very confused as to what Chicago is trying to accomplish. That team appears to be a mess right now and they probably won't make the playoffs in the East. So, we're just going to have to take a big leap forward this year with what we have in hopes of becoming a more attractive destination next offseason. I still think we can win 50 games with a little good fortune. But don't be surprised if we make a trade or two before the start of the season.
longstrangetrip wrote:While I don't disagree with the narrative that you can never have too much shooting, let's revisit the most amazing Wolves' stat I have read in a long time...we ranked 3rd in the league in 3-point shooting percentage after the all-star break...3rd, behind the Spurs and Warriors! Our best 4:
Belly 48.3%
Zach 46.2
Wig 41.3
Ricky 36.9
That's 3 starters and an important reserve who all had a very good half year beyond the arc. One could argue that the sample size is too small, but it's 1/4 of Wig and Zach's career, and half of Belly's career...that's a solid sample size in my opinion. Further, the Wolves offense last year was one of the worst in creating the most efficient shot in basketball...the corner three. A little more creativity in setting up corner threes could make last year's second half results even better.
Yes, let's go out and find another shooter, but let's not forget that there's some evidence that 3-point shooting might not be the problem we think it is...it could actually be a strength.
How many 3s were taken between belly and Rubio? Enough to actually make any kind of assessment?
Not enough, pork...only 3PG for Ricky and 2.1PG for Belly. That's an issue for this team...nobody (even Zach) takes enough threes. I'm hoping the new coaching staff will encourage guys like Belly to take more threes. I'd also give the green light to Wig, Zach, Ricky, KAT and Bazz (from the corner only) and even Gorgui whenever they find themselves wide open. I think Flip and Sam have held the team back in 3-point shooting, and that there's enough shooting talent on this team that it can actually become a strength rather than a weakness.
Indeed, Flip especially. Mitchell opened things up a bit as the season wore on, but Flip ran a terrible offense. I hope to never see pin-down screens or pick and drifts to free up a guy for 20-footers ever again!
CoolBreeze44 wrote:The only thing I'm disappointed with in free agency is that we couldn't get either Horford or Durant to even consider us. The 4 year deals most of the top free agents received just wouldn't have been smart outcomes for the Wolves. I'm not at all surprised that Thibs former players wanted nothing to do with a reunion. I never wanted Deng and am happy the Lakers are saddled with a contract they will regret in two years.
I've been thinking Butler could still be in play for us, but the Rondo deal has me very confused as to what Chicago is trying to accomplish. That team appears to be a mess right now and they probably won't make the playoffs in the East. So, we're just going to have to take a big leap forward this year with what we have in hopes of becoming a more attractive destination next offseason. I still think we can win 50 games with a little good fortune. But don't be surprised if we make a trade or two before the start of the season.
That isn't enough to get us into the Top 4 in the west. Sounds like your expectations have come down.
(not that I disagree - I'm hoping for .500-ish ball myself).
CoolBreeze44 wrote:The only thing I'm disappointed with in free agency is that we couldn't get either Horford or Durant to even consider us. The 4 year deals most of the top free agents received just wouldn't have been smart outcomes for the Wolves. I'm not at all surprised that Thibs former players wanted nothing to do with a reunion. I never wanted Deng and am happy the Lakers are saddled with a contract they will regret in two years.
I've been thinking Butler could still be in play for us, but the Rondo deal has me very confused as to what Chicago is trying to accomplish. That team appears to be a mess right now and they probably won't make the playoffs in the East. So, we're just going to have to take a big leap forward this year with what we have in hopes of becoming a more attractive destination next offseason. I still think we can win 50 games with a little good fortune. But don't be surprised if we make a trade or two before the start of the season.
That isn't enough to get us into the Top 4 in the west. Sounds like your expectations have come down.
(not that I disagree - I'm hoping for .500-ish ball myself).
I've been pretty consistent with the 50 game target, but with the West still looking like a Monster you're probably right.
