Layman back in starting lineup GDT

[Wolvesfan21]

Made it to about three minutes into the 3rd quarter. Had no interest in watching the 2nd half. Yuck.

I see that Edwards led the team in shots and minutes in another loss though.

The plan seems to be working perfectly. I guess.

I would put Ant back to the bench when Beas comes back unless he shows some more consistency and progress. He has far too many bad games and crappy shooting. Playing against other bench players he should be able to get to the rim easier and score. I doubt he's going to be a good NBA player.

I looked through stats of other players and yes they usually make a jump from year 1 to 2 and even 2 to 3 but they don't start out at such a low level like Ant is. His defense, his shooting and finishing at the rim are too poor.

We screwed up the draft. Ball or Halliburton should have been the pick.

[FNG]

The Wolves haven't been tanking - as in deliberately trying to lose. The Wolves are just a really bad team that's been made worse by injuries or illness experienced by their two key players. As a result the Wolves currently have the worst record in the NBA.

The question is whether the Wolves should now deliberately tank to make sure they maximize their lottery chances by finishing in the bottom three, which would give them a 40% chance of landing a top three pick. My first thought is that it's not necessary. I can't see how this team can possibly climb out of the bottom three no matter how hard they try. KAT needs to keep working on his game and we need to see what he and DLO can do together when DLO returns from his surgery. The younger players need to keep getting actual game experience if only to give our next PBO a better idea of their potential. If this team somehow climbs out of the bottom three, however unlikely, then so be it. At least we'll have our first-round pick in 2022, a pick we'll lose if we keep our 2021 pick.

Whether we have our first-round pick this year or in 2022, nothing will chance until we replace Rosas with a competent PBO. And that might not happen unless and until Taylor sells to a competent owner.

I couldn't agree more, Lip...this team is now 6 games out of the #4 lottery spot, and isn't good enough in anyone's wildest dreams to make up that kind of difference in just a half season. There's no need to rest KAT in a blatant attempt to tank...this club will finish bottom three even with KAT playing every game. So we are going to have a 40% chance of getting a top 3 pick in a stacked draft. Yep, less than a 50% chance, but still the best thing we have to look forward to right now.

I can't imagine a team that needs an All-Star break more than this current edition of the Timberwolves. We are in a total freefall and losing by double digits (or by 20+ some nights) at a rate similar to when KAT was out and DLO was in. Finch is off to a disastrous start with 5 consecutive losses...4 of them by double digits and 2 by 20+. It feels a lot like early January when KAT was out and we were getting blown out almost every night. But it's too early to form any final conclusions on Finch. He now has 8 days to actually practice with this team...to hopefully put in some of the offensive magic he has worked with other teams as an assistant coach, with KAT obviously the focal point. I listened to the second half of the game on the radio last night driving back home for my time in the southland, and I had to turn it off...and I had no interest in watching the replay when I got home. This team is a disaster right now. The only hope for us Wolves fans is to imagine some creative things are happening during 2-3 hour practices the next 8 days, and we come back with a decent effort against a not very good Pelicans team. Competitive basketball like we were playing in Ryan's last month with still a bottom 3 finish is a low bar, but about the best we can look forward to in this bleak hour.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Edwards may become a good NBA player. Even a great one.

I just worry about the message the team is sending by giving him more and more minutes... and more and more responsibility (e.g., shots)... regardless whether he's really earning it or not. Doing it on the worst team in the league can instill a lot of bad habits. And a closer look at the advanced stats shows he's most responsible for the Wolves poor play.

There are many ways to nurture and develop young talent. We can rip this strategy because we've seen it fail with Wiggins. Meanwhile, Seattle/OKC did it with Durant and it worked out.

So, we play the Promise of Hope game. And pray.

[FNG]

Yep, Abe, I also have concerns about giving Ant guaranteed minutes when he is clearly hurting this team at both ends of the court. Last night we had a starting PG who put up 20 points and 9 assists in only 24 minutes, and clearly outplayed Charlotte's prized rookie. But we got blown out by almost 30 primarily because Edwards thought taking 23 shots to KAT's 14 was the best way to go last night...and Finch let him do it in awarding him a team-leading 33 minutes. I get the idea of focusing on developing Ant in a lost season, but you do it by changing his bad habits, not by enabling his poor decision-making by continuing to run him out there with no consequences. You're not going to kill this kid's confidence (see Culver, Jarrett), so get tough on him.

I would continue to start Edwards at SF, but with the explicit message that he gets yanked as soon as he begins settling for 3's rather than moving the ball and driving to the basket. Jake Layman looks comfortable out there now that he's healthy again and not forced to play PF, and seems to have very good chemistry with Rubio and KAT. If Ant doesn't change his habits, I would support moving Ant to the bench and starting Layman.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Yep, Abe, I also have concerns about giving Ant guaranteed minutes when he is clearly hurting this team at both ends of the court. Last night we had a starting PG who put up 20 points and 9 assists in only 24 minutes, and clearly outplayed Charlotte's prized rookie. But we got blown out by almost 30 primarily because Edwards thought taking 23 shots to KAT's 14 was the best way to go last night...and Finch let him do it in awarding him a team-leading 33 minutes. I get the idea of focusing on developing Ant in a lost season, but you do it by changing his bad habits, not by enabling his poor decision-making by continuing to run him out there with no consequences. You're not going to kill this kid's confidence (see Culver, Jarrett), so get tough on him.

I would continue to start Edwards at SF, but with the explicit message that he gets yanked as soon as he begins settling for 3's rather than moving the ball and driving to the basket. Jake Layman looks comfortable out there now that he's healthy again and not forced to play PF, and seems to have very good chemistry with Rubio and KAT. If Ant doesn't change his habits, I would support moving Ant to the bench and starting Layman.

I think the next 8 days will tell us a lot about the team... and whether we should hold out hope... or cut our losses.

______________

Chris Finch on what he will change for the Timberwolves from a coaching standpoint after the break:

"It will be a whole new reality. We're going to tighten it up and we're going to find the guys that want to compete... if that means a tighter rotation, so be it."

[FNG]

Yep, Abe, I also have concerns about giving Ant guaranteed minutes when he is clearly hurting this team at both ends of the court. Last night we had a starting PG who put up 20 points and 9 assists in only 24 minutes, and clearly outplayed Charlotte's prized rookie. But we got blown out by almost 30 primarily because Edwards thought taking 23 shots to KAT's 14 was the best way to go last night...and Finch let him do it in awarding him a team-leading 33 minutes. I get the idea of focusing on developing Ant in a lost season, but you do it by changing his bad habits, not by enabling his poor decision-making by continuing to run him out there with no consequences. You're not going to kill this kid's confidence (see Culver, Jarrett), so get tough on him.

I would continue to start Edwards at SF, but with the explicit message that he gets yanked as soon as he begins settling for 3's rather than moving the ball and driving to the basket. Jake Layman looks comfortable out there now that he's healthy again and not forced to play PF, and seems to have very good chemistry with Rubio and KAT. If Ant doesn't change his habits, I would support moving Ant to the bench and starting Layman.

I think the next 8 days will tell us a lot about the team... and whether we should hold out hope... or cut our losses.

______________

Chris Finch on what he will change for the Timberwolves from a coaching standpoint after the break:

"It will be a whole new reality. We're going to tighten it up and we're going to find the guys that want to compete... if that means a tighter rotation, so be it."

Those are the words we all want to hear, but will the action follow? I've heard almost every Wolves' coach say things like this, but then lapse into the same rotations and bad habits. The Wolves play 6 games in the 8 days following the break, so we will know within a week if these are just words or signify real change. I'm not demanding success right out of the box...this roster is too young and just isn't built for that yet, and we'll still be missing our starting backcourt. But I need to see a markedly different approach with a focus on accountability in Atkinson/Popovich fashion to know Rosas has made the right choice.

[thedoper]

If there is no pressure to win from the top down your team is tanking. If the only "rule" or expectation from the owner is that you stay under the luxury tax threshold, you are tanking. If the owner and GM are ok with a shit product in the hope for next year you are tanking. Is it stupid to tank with our odds because if a controversial trade? Yes, at the beginning of the season it was. But there is not a scenario with this roster where we had a winning record based on the talent on this roster alone. That means philosophically we were ok having more losses than wins this season. Anytime you're ok with losses you are on the road to tanking. It is shameful that Taylor has had this much disrespect for us as fans for so long. Nothing changes until he is gone and we actually get someone in who wants to reward fans who stayed with this team in spite of their being absolutely no reason to.

[Lipoli390]

If there is no pressure to win from the top down your team is tanking. If the only "rule" or expectation from the owner is that you stay under the luxury tax threshold, you are tanking. If the owner and GM are ok with a shit product in the hope for next year you are tanking. Is it stupid to tank with our odds because if a controversial trade? Yes, at the beginning of the season it was. But there is not a scenario with this roster where we had a winning record based on the talent on this roster alone. That means philosophically we were ok having more losses than wins this season. Anytime you're ok with losses you are on the road to tanking. It is shameful that Taylor has had this much disrespect for us as fans for so long. Nothing changes until he is gone and we actually get someone in who wants to reward fans who stayed with this team in spite of their being absolutely no reason to.

Doper - Taylor's not OK with losing. And he didn't stop Rosas from going above the luxury tax threshold at the end of last season. He didn't stop McHale from giving KG the biggest contract in American professional sports history at the time. He authorized a huge contract for T-Hud to satisfy KG. He didn't stop Thibodeau from giving Wiggins a max contract, but instead simply looked Wiggins in the eye. That's not cheap; that's just stupid! He has consistently authorized big spending even when the team has been bad. And he's consistently let his PBOs do what they wanted to do. He didn't veto McHale's illegal Joe Smith deal. He didn't stop Thibs from trading his favorite player, Ricky. The list goes on.

Taylor's problem as an owner is that he has repeatedly made horrible PBO hiring decisions. It's that simple. I'm not defending Taylor - far from it. He's ultimately responsible for the crap we've been seeing on the court. But it's not a function of meddling or tight purse strings. It's a function of his stupidity. I honestly hate to use that word about anyone, but how else can you explain hiring David Kahn or giving Thibs both the head coach and PBO positions? It explains hiring Rosas. After watching Rosas spew empty platitudes in his first press conference as the Wolves PBO I knew Rosas would have been taken off my list immediately after his first interview. If it were up to me, I'd fire Rosas tomorrow. But I don't want Glen to do that because I don't want Glen to hire his replacement.

We need a new owner. Glen should be able to find a buyer who will keep the team in Minnesota. And the League would far prefer expansion with its big expansion fees over relocating the Wolves. It appears that there are a number of groups making inquiries. According to Glen, none of those groups include KG. But that could change. I do expect that KG will be part of a group that seeks to buy the team. In any event, I think this team will be sold before the beginning of next season. In the meantime, I hope we're in a position to draft Cade Cunningham. Once player like that guy can change the trajectory of a franchise.

[FNG]

Yeah I agree with Lip that Glen really wants to win. If you had a billion dollars, would you stay in Minnesota all winter and drive 3 hours roundtrip to watch every Timberwolves game? Not me. I'd be jetting off to exotic warm locations, only coming back occasionally to check in on my team. Not Glen though...he's in his seat for every home game. He wants to win and oddly has been quite successful with the Lynx, but to Lip's points, his series of bad decisions has been the second biggest factor in this franchise's horrible history (bad lottery luck being #1). Glen is not dumb, not by any stretch of the imagination...you don't become a self-made billionaire by being dumb. And he is one of the most respected and powerful NBA owners (how do you think he finagled Beasley's 12-game suspension, which conveniently got him out of the lux tax?). But almost every decision he has made as a Wolves owner has been disastrous.

I will say this though. The only guy who makes Glen look good is Kevin Garnett. His incomprehensible thug-like diatribe on IG yesterday was really sad. The knucklehead has never had the personal financial means (since he blew almost $100 million in dumb investments) or connections to be a real player in a Wolves' purchase (think about it...if you were a bank, would you loan any money to this nitwit gangster?), and Glen loves Minnesota too much to ever consider allowing a loose cannon like KG involved with this franchise. Glen may be the worst owner in the NBA, but the chaos that KG would bring would be the only thing that could actually make this franchise even more hapless. KG, please shut up...and go away. And perhaps learn the English language. Who can even understand most of the crap he posted yesterday?

[AbeVigodaLive]

For reals though... it would have been kinda funny to have an NBA owners posting about the team using emojis on Instagram... today's kids would have loved it.