Minnesota Sports Forum

Q12543 wrote:

GymRat wrote:I would love to get Sabonis, but I am not as high on Buddy. I don't necessarily want a guy that plays well only in his "contract" year. Hello Wes Johnson.

In a 2-pick scenario I would be excited for Jaylen Brown and Sabonis. For example, drafting Brown and then if you think Muhammed is no longer a core piece, try to move him for a mid-first to acquire Sabonis? Not sure if that's even a possibility since the mid-range price is pretty iffy this early, but I'd think about that.

I think those 2 guys would be the depth you're wanting to add, neither would be asked to start, and both are solid players in very complementary ways.

Heh, although isn't anyone that plans on going pro the following season in their "contract" year?

On Jaylen Brown, besides having an NBA body, what is he good at?

Yes, but I tried to emphasize produces in that year only. Generally i prefer a guy that shows consistency over multiple years, or dominance in a first year one and done.

In brown you have size and athlecism, good cutter and finisher. Solid on defense. Those are good traits to complement the players we have and skillsets we lack. His shot is not good, nor his handle, and I'd be concerned with his turnover percentage. I'm not in love with him as a pick, but this draft doesn't wow me anywhere really. I don't even like Simmons very much.

Here is a look at some wing players and their measurables. Source http://www.thebirdwrites.com/2016/3/11/11200106/2016-nba-draft-wing-prospects-measured-denzel-valentine-buddy-hield

Of my ten prospects to watch four are collegiate players who project to play on the wing and be available outside the top three picks according to most mock drafts. Since they are based on this side of the Atlantic we have recent measurements in the DraftExpress database. Let's see how those four measure up to an average NBA wing.

HEIGHT (IN SHOES) WINGSPAN STANDING REACH
Jamal Murray 6'4.25" 6'6.5" 8'1"
Buddy Hield 6'4.5" 6'8.5" N/A
Average NBA SG 6'5.6" 6'8.6" 8'5.5"
Denzel Valentine 6'6" 6'10" 8'7"
Average NBA SF 6'7.7" 6'10.9" 8'8.2"
Jaylen Brown 6'6.5" 7'0.5" 8'9"
Average SG and SF size thanks to this excellent post on Nylon Calculus

Above I ordered players by their standing reach, and not their height. Basketball players rarely block passes or secure rebounds with the top of their heads, and in such cases find themselves on a blooper reel more often than not. Standing reach is far more functional in comparing the effective height of these players on the floor.

Murray, who is more of a combo guard than a wing, is positively tiny. His wingspan and standing reach are more akin to a point guard in the NBA than a shooting guard. Combine a lack of length with his well-publicized limited athleticism and there are some serious red flags.

On the other end of the spectrum is Jaylen Brown, who is already sporting an NBA-ready body at age 19. Watch any game and his athleticism jumps off the screen; a lightening quick first step and ridiculous leaping ability. Brown misses this dunk but is in the tiny fraction of human beings who can even consider attempting such a feat.

I know we had a debate on this board about whether to hypothetically trade Wiggins and the first overall pick if we won it (Ingram or Simmons) for AD. Well those who wanted AD, might want to reconsider based on this story. http://www.thebirdwrites.com/2016/3/21/11278114/anthony-davis-played-three-seasons-torn-labrum-new-orleans-pelicans

btw. if you would guys draft SG what would be your plan with minutes .. i mean we play there Wig for like 30+ minutes and if we would move him to SF, we might be better of playing Zach as SG

m4gor wrote:btw. if you would guys draft SG what would be your plan with minutes .. i mean we play there Wig for like 30+ minutes and if we would move him to SF, we might be better of playing Zach as SG

That's a tough situation that we definitely have to consider before the draft. Drafting either Murray or Hield, no matter your preference, means we're drafting a bench guy. I don't see LaVine giving up that starting SG job for a long time. That's part of the downside to taking either one of them. Yes, we need help bench help and quality depth is always needed, but we have bigger holes to fill than backup SG.

I think that's part of why using this pick in some way to get a big is the preferred route for some (maybe most) of us, whether it's a trade (several options have been brought up), or going with Poeltl, or even trading down with the target in mind being Sabonis.

Without getting completely off topic with regards to the draft, that very reason (fixing the bench) is why I'd like to add Kent Bazemore in free agency. He fits super well with every single wing player we have. He's played both SG and SF for the Hawks and thrived at both. He'll turn 27 this summer and is showing his prowess as a 3/D guy (three straight seasons shooting above 36% from three on solid volume) with athleticism and decent rebounding (5+ RPG) chops for a perimeter player. He'll cost some serious coinage, but I think he'll be worth it anywhere around $8-12M per year.

Camden0916 wrote:

m4gor wrote:btw. if you would guys draft SG what would be your plan with minutes .. i mean we play there Wig for like 30+ minutes and if we would move him to SF, we might be better of playing Zach as SG

That's a tough situation that we definitely have to consider before the draft. Drafting either Murray or Hield, no matter your preference, means we're drafting a bench guy. I don't see LaVine giving up that starting SG job for a long time. That's part of the downside to taking either one of them. Yes, we need help bench help and quality depth is always needed, but we have bigger holes to fill than backup SG.

I think that's part of why using this pick in some way to get a big is the preferred route for some (maybe most) of us, whether it's a trade (several options have been brought up), or going with Poeltl, or even trading down with the target in mind being Sabonis.

Without getting completely off topic with regards to the draft, that very reason (fixing the bench) is why I'd like to add Kent Bazemore in free agency. He fits super well with every single wing player we have. He's played both SG and SF for the Hawks and thrived at both. He'll turn 27 this summer and is showing his prowess as a 3/D guy (three straight seasons shooting above 36% from three on solid volume) with athleticism and decent rebounding (5+ RPG) chops for a perimeter player. He'll cost some serious coinage, but I think he'll be worth it anywhere around $8-12M per year.

I line Bazemore but I think the wolves are going to struggle obtaining him without massively overpaying. First more than likely the wolves will have to pay just better it is harder to get players to MN. This is Bazemore probably first and last time he might get a big contact. Also I think it is going to be a tough sell to say you are coming off the bench after a full year of starting. Finally I think the wolves are going to have a lot of competition for him, because he is a above average role player and a lot of teams need a player like that and have cap this summer

Camden0916 wrote:

m4gor wrote:btw. if you would guys draft SG what would be your plan with minutes .. i mean we play there Wig for like 30+ minutes and if we would move him to SF, we might be better of playing Zach as SG

That's a tough situation that we definitely have to consider before the draft. Drafting either Murray or Hield, no matter your preference, means we're drafting a bench guy. I don't see LaVine giving up that starting SG job for a long time. That's part of the downside to taking either one of them. Yes, we need help bench help and quality depth is always needed, but we have bigger holes to fill than backup SG.

I think that's part of why using this pick in some way to get a big is the preferred route for some (maybe most) of us, whether it's a trade (several options have been brought up), or going with Poeltl, or even trading down with the target in mind being Sabonis.

Without getting completely off topic with regards to the draft, that very reason (fixing the bench) is why I'd like to add Kent Bazemore in free agency. He fits super well with every single wing player we have. He's played both SG and SF for the Hawks and thrived at both. He'll turn 27 this summer and is showing his prowess as a 3/D guy (three straight seasons shooting above 36% from three on solid volume) with athleticism and decent rebounding (5+ RPG) chops for a perimeter player. He'll cost some serious coinage, but I think he'll be worth it anywhere around $8-12M per year.

I agree with Bazemore. Overpay for him. Got to build the bench. You can still get him plenty of minutes because he can play both the 2 and 3.

The question is do we need any upgrade over Shabazz and Tyus Jones. I would say yes and yes. I don't like the PG's in this draft and would get a FA. DJ Augustine shoudl be a cheap and be able to backup Rubio. I also like the idea of giving Christian Wood some burner as a backup. So bringing this back to the draft. I would look for a C/PF or SF/SG type player. I really like Sabonis and Allen as people have mentioned. I am not a big fan of Buddy.

bleedspeed177 wrote:The question is do we need any upgrade over Shabazz and Tyus Jones. I would say yes and yes. I don't like the PG's in this draft and would get a FA. DJ Augustine shoudl be a cheap and be able to backup Rubio. I also like the idea of giving Christian Wood some burner as a backup. So bringing this back to the draft. I would look for a C/PF or SF/SG type player. I really like Sabonis and Allen as people have mentioned. I am not a big fan of Buddy.

I think the intruiging aspect of Murray is he can play both G positions. That adds value to your bench. I was really starting to doubt Rubio until his recent play after the all star break. If he can sustain that clip then we are good, but drafting Murray can give us insurance at the PG position.

How does Poeltl do when he goes against other quality bigs? Does he struggle against size? Does his pedestrian wingspan limit his defensive potential? I have done very limited research on the guy and was wanting to know what you guys thought on those topics.